from Marsfield, Sydney

well, it's been ages since i last blogged!!! well tried to blog last night until the blogger konked out and was never able to get in.. ah this is to be expected when u don't have ur own computer and have to rely on the usual dial-up.. should ask my cousin to get Dodo coz it's only what $10 bucks to start up here.. and no installation.. and surely Marsfield in the middle of North Sydney should be connected to broadband by now..

firstly, a quick review of the game in Christchurch, it was awesome and definitely worth it even though it was hailing and -2 'C for most of the game.. Gail and Ian Brown were really nice.. their new home in Cashmere is lovely.. and the weather apart from Saturday evening was p good so finally for the first time ever i rode my very own bike around the Port Hills.. yes my very own trusty Avanti from Dunedin.. ah the liberties of owning a car..

which i now appreciate in Sydney.. it's just such a different way of life from New Zealand.. have to say the ppl are not as friendly and still feel a little bit intimidated by the ppl here having been spoilt by the kind ppl of Aotearoa and the South Island.. and Brits.. btw with my biking and me meeting many Brits in Christchurch and one English guy on the plane to Sydney - he was actually a Teaching Fellow at Otago's Med School - prob managed to do half the things i wanted to do in Christchurch.. and with a couple of days still to spend there, plenty of time to think abt how to prank Rachel Brown.. and maybe Joelle if she's down..

anyway, it is definitely warmer in Sydney.. without a shadow of a doubt, although my cousin thinks 17'C is too cold, shows how tough the South Island makes ya.. and could be warmer but for the rain which to be fair, NSW needs after a prolonged drought.. shame it's not quite hitting the right places, with massive floods north of NSW and around the Gold Coast.. much covered by channels 7, 9 and Ten..

on that note, i would like to say that the Australian media is well too Australian.. partly coz they only get half-an-hour unlike in NZ where TVNZ and TV3 devote 6 o'clock to the news.. so they would prioritise Aussie news first.. but still, really even in the Daily Telegraph - haven't seen the Sydney Morning Herald which i should - there's only news abt Nathan Hindmarsh, Lleyton Hewitt and AFL.. not even news abt the Lions or F1 or other international sports, which even any decent newspaper even if the sport is not happening in their country would cover.. maybe that's why Australians are so fiercely proud of their country.. interesting tactic there..

anyway, what do i think of Sydney? well it's certainly got a big city feeling abt it.. and the hour-long bus ride from the CBD to Marsfield across the Harbour Bridge - which has been my favourite part of Sydney actually, it's just an amazing structure, even more beautiful in the flesh than in the pictures - just affirms ur belief that Sydney is prob a bit too big and too crowded.. it's got good and bad.. as i said, the ppl aren't as friendly like in New Zealand.. Sydney is far more cosmopolitan.. there's certainly a bigger variety with Lebanese, more Asians, Aborigines, even more Asians.. there are just so many shops, and lots of knockout price shops, which would prob take up most of my life if i had to go through each one..

things still as expensive in New Zealand.. but u do get a lot of other things.. including Malaysian food.. thankfully! they got much more choices of magazines for sure.. coz Aussies are more passionate abt cricket than the Kiwis, they've got quite a good range of cricket books and Wisden Cricketer in their Dymocks or Borders or any other newsagent.. which i should add, they have in abundance.. and yes they've got Garfield books!!! got Brad Fittler's autobiography, written by the guy himself, and reading it, i think this is gonna be one of the best autobiographies i've read yet..

but got to finish my Wild at Heart book first.. boy do i have a lot to talk abt.. want to talk abt this yesterday but well the blogger konked out so i've had to squeeze it all into this long blog.. anyway i got Wild at Heart after Man Camp and now have had time to read it.. it's an awesome book and Pastor Mike was right abt it being worth far more than the $9.90 Manna sold it for.. i'll talk more once i finish Chapter 12 coz i should write abt it with the book right in front of me.. but i can say it's taught me so much about the man that God wants man to be, and how much i've lacked as a proper man of God.. it's more personal and in your face.. kinda like Pastor Mike's preaching itself.. a guy's book and i'll talk more on that when i finish.. which shouldn't be too long.. managed to read 3 chapters on the way to Sydney, which is a p good effort considering i'm one of those 1 chapter at a time ppl..

finally, yes met up Becs in Sydney.. in fact at the Woolworths entrance under the Town Hall station, which is so weird.. hasn't really changed much.. but nice to see a familiar face in Sydney.. dint spend much time with me and my cousin - who has lived in "mundane" Sydney for over 10 years - but walked around George Street, and waited for me patiently as i tried to soak it all in the massive range of rugby league, union, AFL gear that Mick Simmons has got.. went to Darling Harbour, which is pretty in a modern way.. planning to get a boomerang, and hopefully should make it pass customs - well have seen swords being brought across, but after much thought from the customs officials at Kingsford-Smith..

and i must say, Australians have a slight edge on Kiwis when it comes to imposing law and order.. they've got some p strict rules, like can't use ur handphone until u're in the Arrivals area at Kingsford-Smith.. can't put ur legs on the train seats or u'll be fined, although u can still eat on the trains.. hygiene rules, etc.. they've actually got quite a few rules which i expected.. dint really like the customs officers but who does? but should be alright considering i'm a Kiwi resident.. just thought of that Malaysian guy on 7's Border Patrol : Sydney, who couldn't speak English at all, and was trying to find work in Illawara illegally... got sent home of coz..

ahh...feels good having to blog after all the frustrations of lack of Internet..

anyway, have seen quite a bit of Sydney.. Powerhouse Museum was awesome, their Chinatown really feels like a Chinatown esp with so many more Asians in that part of town.. Aquarium was okay.. the one on Darling Harbour that is.. heard the one in Manly is better.. Opera House was beautiful and v impressive.. will go there one more time when weather is much better next week just before i go.. as i said i love the Sydney Harbour Bridge.. Mick Simmons has got the best sports gear i've ever seen.. Kinokuniya was alright.. Meyer = Farmers.. have also seen the suburbs.. i'm in a p good area, Marsfield-Epping-Eastwood.. not as rich as Lane Cove but it's alright.. p near Macquarie Uni.. oh.. and i just keep thinking that Becs still studies which he doesn't.. prob won't be able to see all of Sydney coz it's just far too big.. hope to see Olympic Park, Sydney Cricket Ground, Manly, Cronulla(heard it's pretty down south), Bondi before i go.. and do a bit more shopping before i leave..

anyway it's almost midnight and i've got to still walk back to my older cousin's place, which is only like 5 mins walk from my cousin's place - she's 27 and has got her own place.. got to say it's quite weird.. feels like i'm actually back in Malaysia coz of all the furnishings and the fact that they are my close relatives.. and the weather as well.. wonder if Sydney tap water is as good as New Zealand's..

more of Sydney and Wild At Heart of coz later..