Dee 'n' Hubes |
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Friday, September 16, 2005
Paris and the English Summer and don't even mention the Ashes............... Highlights for Dee was definitely the fleshy perspective of Moulin Rouge, the yummy pesto smothered Escargot, the breathtaking Sacre Coeur (you must see at dusk as the building is the most spectacular in colour then) oh and the people - they were all very friendly. Most of them speak English but always like to hang out for that dodgy french attempt with saying 'Parlay vous Anglay (in that Aussie accent of ours!) And yep, the myth is true - Swedish people are mostly blondes and beautiful! The kids are ALL blonde, whilst the mums n dads are stylish. The pic of the trip was definitely the Swedish meal we had at The Pelican, where meals included wild duck, meat balls, deer (yummo) and lush fish pieces on crusty bread, and the Aboslut (Vodka) ICE bar, where we sipped on mixed vodka drinks in Eskimo suits in a literal ICE bar!! yummm. Pictures to come. Trips to come include: Budapest in two weeks, Venice next week, Berlin, Greece, Prague in Dec (brr), Salzburg/Vienna in Christmas, SPain new years, then the big Italy trip...also looking forward to the Tans and the Luis visit! It's Hubes again ........ yes just one last sign off ............ the Ashes ........ *sniff* they're gone but what a series! Being here amidst all the tension, excitement and frustration has been something to behold. Ofcourse now putting up with the English is a different matter but really they've all been pretty good about it. Enjoying the series and appreciating the contest they've all been relatively humble, carrying that Flintoff manner through and through ..... don't get me wrong they still like to put in that sly remark.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Well its been over 5 weeks now since we left. It's seems like a long time ago yet at the same time, time itself seems to have flown by. I'm sitting here in our new apartment in Paddington today perhaps feeling settled for the first time since we've arrived. Aside from watching the aussies get hammered in cricket and listening to the annoying commentry of Geoff Boycott, things are looking good. You know I thought it wouldn't be easy but I never thought it would be as hard as it has been. It does take alot out of you emotionally and physically to pack up everything you know and step into a new place and start all over again, thank goodness for the great friends we already have in London! Anyway, we have a place to live. A nice little 1 bedder in a re-developed building in Paddington, 5 mins walk from the the station. I start work at 3 Mobile next Monday and Denise started work today wtih O2 (a mobile phone company as well). Thankfully to get to work we both catch the UK version of a country train instead of the tube which is much more comfortable. It takes both us probably about 45mins to get to work door to door which really isn't too bad. Looking for work and then a place to live has sucked up a lot of time, time we would have rather been spent travelling but hey you gotta get money some how. In that time we have at least managed trips to Wales, Scotland and Liverpool with trips to Paris and Budapest already booked. And the travel has been great and everything we'd hoped! Cheapish air tickets and not much time required to get to another country. Anyway here are some links to our photos: WALES http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hubert_truong/album?.dir=bdad&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos SCOTLAND http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hubert_truong/album?.dir=f43e&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hubert_truong/my_photos Liverpool - England http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hubert_truong/album?.dir=7d88&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hubert_truong/my_photos Sunday, July 31, 2005
Sumimasen, we don’t speak Japanese! That seemed to be the common statement we spoke to most Japanese people when we were in Tokyo. Our trip started off with some teary goodbyes, but we were soon pleasantly surprised by our Business class upgrade. We were entertained by a snapper fillet sushi supper with sparkling champagne, and managed to watch two movies during the flight. Japan was sticky and hot when we arrived and this didn’t help our 1.5 hour train trip from Narita Airport to Shinjuku New City Hotel! Oishii! We discovered a small eat street 8 mins from our hotel and this marked the beginning of our food expedition. Thorughout the day we had small meals of fresh sushi, buttery breads, soup and of course ramen. Though we were warned earlier that food would be expensive, we thought it was the oppositie - prices were very reasonable, we averaged around AUD$10 for a full lunch meal and around AUD$20-30 for dinner. We also managed to find funky restaurants that had innovative food settings – a vending machine noodle shop, a smorgasboard style udon restaurant where you pick the toppings for the soup, a traditional yet modern Jap restaurant with an eclectic menu of Jap food (Za Watame). We also had Hoto (local specialty at Mt Fuji) which was YUMMO!! The sight seeing Shinjuku was the perfect place to base ourselves from as it was one of the larger train stops in Tokyo. Whilst we did most of the eating there we did manage to visit Roppongi, south of Tokyo city. A business and “entertainment” district, we met John Kuo for some yummy seafood, and sushi (every meal we had had sushi!!). The place was surrounded by men in black suits who would approach leggy women with possibly a business proposition – luckily Denise in her ¾ pants and t-shirt was not too sexy enough for them to consider!! We also checked out Shibuya and was greeted by the teenage punk crowd with their cross dress in basketball wear, metallic jewellery and pink dyed hairstyles. We felt sooo out of place!! Met up with a few friends, Jane Song and John Kuo for dinner and drinks who has decided that Japan would be their adopted country! Mt Fuji We had 20 minutes worth of sunshine where we managed to take some pretty pics of Mt Fuji without the snow cap. Most of the day we squinted in the hope that the mountain would reveal itself more visibly but unfortunately the day we visited the mountain it was a bit overcast. What we did do was visit the Rose Garden and Music forest, where we watched a String quartet and heard some overtures on a programmed organ and brass machine. Kyoto Kyoto was the complete opposite of Tokyo – more religiously driven by the numerous Shrines and more representable of Japan’s unique culture with the various Kimonoed women in the city. We managed to roam the streets of Gion, people spotting and soaking in the excitement in the air. Hubert stalked a few Geishas as a paparazzi and managed to take a few good pics!! The Shrines were quite amazing as well, and it is here where you can sense that Japan rates religion very highly in their daily lives. Many would enter the Shrine, ring the bell and pray for prosperity and well being, the usual Asian wishes! There were a few churches here and there but definitely not the main religion. It was also here where we managed to try out all the Japanese desserts at a local upmarket food . links to photos to come.. Sunday, November 14, 2004
Slackos write again.. It's been 14 months since our wedding and life is treating us well, so well that we haven't blogged at all! What's happened since then? Our jobs have kept us busy, let alone being househusband and housewife (didn't know how much time you can spend just on washing the dishes!). Our place is reasonably prepped up now with furniture, lounge and tv so it's all good. Hubert's recently started an interior decoration course, of which my grandma's room is his first project (a surprise for her when she returns from HK). On my side, have been studying, gyming, playing sports etc. Oh and we've just picked up Jujitsu, definitely challenging for the reflex lacking types (ie moi!), Hubert's probably going to graduate to his white belt very soon! We're also feverishly planning our 2005 year to UK/Europe for travelling and work experience. Probably will be gone for at least 10 months, seeing how I manage winter, but really looking forward to it. Need to go earlier rather than later as nanna has cancer and not sure how long she might live for (could be 1 yr, could a lot more, only God knows), and obviously grandma is also getting old so want to be around when she needs me. No adventures yet, but watch this space! DeenHubes ps congrats to Mak and Kaz - all I can say is...finally! Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
A beer with Gilly and Clarkey Well its not everyday you get to hear the words of someone you admire on TV, chat to them face to face and share a beer with them. Well thanks to my company's sponsorship of the Australian Cricket team, I got that chance! And I guess its not everyday that person actually comes across in person as real genuine person and not some publicly made up figure. Gilly is everything he appears to be. Pretty much straight shooting, modest, easy going kinda a guy. The side that surfaced at our function was that he was also pretty witty as well, always ready to shoot a quick remark that usually left the crowd smirking. When he started drifting around (that is after he was mobbed for autographs and photos) with beer in hand, we got to ask and hear his response from everything from sledging, travelling and batting styles. Ahhhhh I felt like a kid again with my hero ........ Didn't chat much to Clarkey but the guys 21 and what can I say he sounds like his 21 and having the time of his life but don't doubt his determination to make it to the top. Which I suspect he will sooner rather than later. Oh well the time has come and pass and all I'm left with is some great memories, some great photos and a signed cap...............  Sunday, January 11, 2004
We have been downright slack since our wedding! Having read back on my last blog, the enthusiasm associated with cooking and cleaning is starting to wear off. No longer are we thriving for the next chance to cook, we now look forward to a reason to eat out, if there ain't a reason we then strain our brains for something new to cook, and the house seems to always revert back to messiness after a thorough clean. The weekends are also spent with our families, which we both relish, but what it does aggravate is the sense of time poorness - something which we were already struggling with pre marriage! The good news is that we no longer have empty rooms (which means less floor to mop) as we've now bought a sofa (maroon three seater with chaise) and a brown six seater dining table. We also have an outdoor table setting and a kitchen appliance metallic shelf. We've also come to our senses and have decided that our expenditure can be somewhat cut down on the basis that we are still planning to head to Europe in a year or two's time. Which means we need to pay off a good portion of our debt as well as save!!! Hope everyone (Kaz, Pike, Diane, Ray, soon-to-be CC) is doing well - say hi when you can! |
