Picnic 2: Watsons Bay

A few days ago Uri came out with the idea of going to have another picnic; this time to Watsons Bay. Many people were interested in going and at the end we found that the weather was going to be great.



We decided to meet at Gumal at 12pm, of course nobody was ready at that time. Quique came to my flat followed by Asun. When everything was ready we took the lift to meet the others but nobody was there. We waited for a bit until Sarah arrived and then Uri. Then, as I was not going to prepare anything for lunch, I went straight to Subway with the others and bought some subs. Cristian, Jazmin and Silvia came later and then we all took a bus to Circular Quay.



We hopped off the bus and went straight to Wharf 4, in which the boat to Watsons Bay was leaving. We had to wait for about half an hour, so we had some breakfast there (doughnuts). When the boat arrived we went in and took the best places.



The boat started to move and everyone was just taking pictures of the famous sightings in Sydney (Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney CBD, etc.). The view from the boat was amazing! The boat then started to gain speed and went really fast through the harbour. We made some stops at different wharves.



After a few stops we arrived to Watsons Bay. The place looked very nice. As Uri had been there before, he took us to the lookouts. We didn't have to walk a long way to find the nice views of the cliffs that are just in front of the South Pacific Ocean. We found a nice place to have lunch and sat down there.




When we finished we continued walking, but this time in another direction. We went downhill and stopped at a little beach. Then we followed a path that finished at a lighthouse. On the way to the lighthouse we found a cannon in which at last, Quique was not erased from a picture!!! Here I leave you with the evidence.




The walk was nice under some trees and near the harbour. At the end there was the lighthouse and stopped there to enjoy the view. Then we headed back to the beach and walked along it. Then we returned to check the timetable for the ferry back to Circular Quay. We lay down on the grass of a park and waited for a bit. When it was time to come back we took the ferry, this time we saw Sydney under the sunset.



Once in Sydney CBD we took a bus and arrived in Gumal. I cooked dinner with Tom. Dinner was: Thai coconut curry with rice and chicken. Asun came to use the microwave to heat up her lasagna because hers is in a dangerous mode (probably if she uses hers, she will end up in another constellation). After dinner we went to Quique's flat and found everyone singing with a karaoke. It was pretty fun, though I realised that Manu's and my singing are tone-deaf level! hahaha. This was all the Saturday...

Tourists at Sydney Tower

Hey all,

Wednesday proved that there is more in Sydney than just Broadway, Nude Bar and Sidebar. Quique, Silvia, Nina and I went to the Sydney Tower! This outing was organised by Quique and Silvia because they had bought some tickets for the Sydney Aquarium + Tower, but had just visited the first one. So, they told more people that could join them.



We met at 3pm in the tower building of UTS. Then we caught a bus and got off on Queen Victoria Building (QVB). From there on we just walked towards Centrepoint. Once in there we bought the tickets and waited until we were called. A bit later we went inside a room and watched a film about what we were about to experience. After seeing the movie about 3 times, the people was finally gathered in that same place. Then we were moved inside into different rooms. It was a circular platform that moved around the centre to show us the different parts of Australia. This was shown with holographic video. When finished, we proceeded to the OZTrek. It was a kind of simulator in which the seats moved in different positions simulating the movements. It was kind of cool.



After all this waiting, we took the lift to the 4th floor of the tower; yeah 4th but if there were more levels then it would be the 50th or so. The view from there was spectacular. I had been there once already but it still amazes me. We took so many pictures, including panoramic ones. We watched the sunset over the Blue Mountains. We took more pictures and Quique went back to buy a souvenir (a coin) to remember the place. Then we went back downstairs and decided to go shopping. There were so many stores and everything was on sale. Girls didn't buy anything but Quique and I did. We bought two hooded jumpers (Billabong and Quicksilver). Then we had dinner at Hungry Jack's (Australian Burger King).

Silvia and I had to do some group work at UTS, so we went there for a bit. Later on we met with the others at Quique's flat to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2.



Note: Pictures coming soon!
Update: Pics added...

The Mexican, the Riojans, and the Sunday lunch

G'day!

It is a bit late to write this post, but I couldn't do it before. The problem I had was that the charging cable of my Mac was not working because a pin got loose. On Saturday, I took the opportunity to take my mouse, which was faulty, and the cable to an Apple Store in Sydney (NextBite). They told me that it was going to take about a week and therefore, I couldn't charge my laptop anymore. Nevertheless, today I received an SMS from the store and told me that I could go and pick up my products. I went and guess what? They replaced my mouse and cable for free (and I even got a free cable extension)! Good news! After this excuse I will start my post...




Well, everything started on a Saturday morning. I called Asun so she could help me buying all the stuff needed. We grabbed a trolley and began to pick the food. Probably we left Coles without any fresh chillies, tomatoes, avocados and onions. After emptying the supermarket we went to my flat and started to prepare guacamole and salsa borracha (which was not borracha at all!). I also prepared the cajeta (milk candy) on that day. Then we went returned to Broadway Shopping Centre to buy some dinner and the ingredients to prepare a mojito. It was Silvia's recipe (excellent choice!). After dinner in the mall we took a taxi and went to Gordon's party at his place. The directions were the following: Green Road, Barracks, Oxford Street. We found it pretty easily. Though the people that tried to go early got lost (Bulga girs + Koldo, Uri, Quique and Manu). Uri was the person that enjoyed the most (haha).



On the following day I woke up early to start cooking (11:30am). Asun came to my place to help me and we both were wearing pyjamas. Everything seemed on time until Quique called and told me that he was peeling potatoes by himself; the others were not yet awake. I couldn't leave to help because I had a long way to finish. When the chicken was ready, we moved upstairs to continue with the cooking. More and more people arrived and most of them were peeling potatoes downstairs. Meanwhile I had some help from Silvia, Asun, Taka and Nina.



We were supposed to have lunch at 2pm but things started to get worse. There was a lot of food and was going to take longer, so Asun went to my flat and fried some other vegetables (upstairs we had 2 pans of the same). Then the tortillas had to be warm in order to make them more flexible, so Nina and Sarah went to put them in the microwave of my flat. It was 3pm already and it seemed that it would take a lot more time. The Mexican food was being prepared everywhere, some on the rooftop and some on my flat. To get things worse, the fire alarm went on and people had to evacuate (I didn't, it is always a burnt toast). When everything was almost ready to fry, the tortillas disappeared with the two girls in charge of them. It was 4pm and we had to finish soon! Then when Sarah and Nina came back the frying of the tacos took place. We finished at the same time as the Riojans. Then, we had dinner.



The dinner consisted in three courses. The first one was patatas a la riojana. It was a soup that contained potatoes, Spanish chorizo, chillies, and some vegetables. The second was tacos de picadillo de pollo with guacamole, cheese and salsa. Finally, the third was cajeta with Marias biscuits. The tacos, guacamole and salsa lasted very few time. The rest remainded because it we cooked a lot.





I proved that I am not a bad cook! Hahahaa.

Centurion

Thursday...

Lately I have been really busy with group assignments and all this uni work. So, on Thursday afternoon I was working on a presentation due to Friday. When everything was almost done Jake called me to check if I was going to play Centurion. I took the next bus from Pyrmont to Broadway and arrived in my flat.

Centurion: Game in which the players are to drink a shot every minute for 100 minutes. In our case was beer. For game rules and more information go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_hour_(drinking_game)



The players of this game were: Ben, Dan, Jake, Joe, Ryan, Tom and me. However, Asun came to play as well. Anyway, we had countless beers inside the rooftop fridge and when ready, we started.

As Tom had everything planned from some weeks ago, he downloaded a program that changed a song every minute with a counter included. So, that is how it started. At first the target seemed easy and slow, but once you had some beer shots you started to feel that it was impossible. 10... 20...... 30.........40..................50



We cheered up for the 50th shot. Everyone got there! Suddenly, things began to get more difficult. Jake got up and went to the toilet. He missed about 9 shots, and when he came back he drank them all in one round. That is part of the rules. Then, Joe couldn't continue anymore and left the game at the 83rd. Ben was the next one. Unbelievable! 90th. Now in the game we were Dan, Jake, Ryan, Tom and me. Nobody gave up and fortunatelly we arrived to the 100th! For Tom and Dan that was not enough and continued drinking 'till the 120th. Awesome!



Don't ask me what happened next, because I can't tell you (haha). We threw everything in the bin, well, almost everything. I kicked a case and beer bottles started to spread everywhere. Silvia had been with us for a bit, just at the end of the game and wanted to go to Carlos' party at La Cita, but in my conditions I didn't go out anywhere. I slept for a few hours and then Tom arrived with Ryan. They both looked way happier than usual (haha). After a short chat with them I went back to bed and slept more hours.



The presentation on the next day was a success. Nevertheless, I still have some other assignments to do... On the other hand, this weekend is the now Mexican-Riojan Lunch, and at the moment we are around 20 people! Wish me luck...

The German Lunch

Another Sunday with another wonderful lunch. This time it was the German turn. Five Germans cooked for 19 people! Every Sunday more and more people are coming to join us. I'm glad that I will not be the last one to cook! hahaha.



On that morning, I was doing an assignment (as usual). Sarah and Uri came to ask for some pans, spoons, knives and pots to cook. Then I got ready and went to check how everything was going on the rooftop. Some people had already arrived and were watching tv, while others were cooking. Due to the fact that we needed some trays to put in the oven, Dani and I went to look for some in Bulga. After coming back the food was still being prepared, though the smell was good.



Some of us went outside to wait, but it didn't take too long. The Germans had their lunch ready. They cooked German soup and onion cake. Although they made two versions of the onion cake (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), I preferred the one with bacon. It was really good. Trays and trays were coming out every now and then without stop. At the end I don't know how many onion cakes there were but I can tell you there were a lot!



After the lunch, it is the turn to have a dessert. And so, they prepared a dessert. It was chocolate fondue with fruits and marshmallows. As soon as they brought it to the table, we all started to eat it. It was so good! Someone was taking pictures to us but, as you can see, none of us was looking at the camera. Everyone was so busy with the chocolate! They did a great job.



Next week is Mexican-Riojan Lunch. It is a challenge to cook after having all these great lunches. I try to cook something Mexican and the Riojans will also cook something traditional but from their province.

By the way, the poll on the sidebar is telling me what the majority wants... so it will be spicy!

+ parties...

This weekend has been so far the one with the most parties there have been. First, on Thursday we had Amanda's 21st b-day party. On Friday it was Hillary's b-day, and on Saturday Franz party. However, I am already in the last weeks of the semester, so there was so much work to do and couldn't attend to all of the parties.



So, on Friday Silvia and Asun were the ones in charge of the sangria. They went to buy the ingredients and made it at Asun's flat. Later on, I met with them and also with Quique at Gumal. We went walking to Amanda's flat, where they had prepared some Spanish tortillas with two gifts inside (read a coin and a fried pasta piece). Then we were drinking sangria and wine during the entire night.



At around 10:30pm the security guard realised that there was a party in that flat and came. Some people hid inside Amanda's room to pretend that there was a smaller party. He just told Sarah that everything should be over before 12am. Anyway, he didn't came back and the party went on until later than 2am. We sang, danced, talked, sat on the couches, and drank. Though, some drank more than others. When everybody was leaving, Koldo took it very seriously and rushed. We saw him giving a zig-zag walking show on the streets. He is an expert! This was all for the first party.



On Friday I felt a bit tired, so I did nothing but came back to Gumal and slept. I heard that some people were watching a movie at Asun's flat, while others were having a party at Itziar's flat.



Today Saturday was a bit different. When I woke up I started to plan my trip to New Zealand, which I will do with my parents and sister. Then Asun came to my flat and we were organising the trip in June-July. We looked for flights and places to go. After a while Manu came from Itziar's party. Yes, you read right. We had a little chat and then he left to get ready for Franz's surprise party at Uni-Lodge's swimming pool. Quique had everything prepared and so, we met at his flat. When everybody was there we went downstairs and on the way we bought some bread for dinner. Then we went inside Uni-Lodge and waited until Franz arrived.



We had a nice time swimming and playing Asun Polo, sorry, Marco Polo. Quique took some pictures and Rachel learned that her camera is also water-proof (not really!). We had some cake and then came back to Gumal. Some got ready for going to a club in Darling Harbour, while others went to Cristian's flat to have dinner. I wanted a more relaxed plan and so I ended having Italian pasta for dinner. It was really good! Then Cristian showed us some of his pictures (if not all) of his incredible trip to East Timor. In my opinion, East Timor is a really nice place, but not the best for taking a shower. Anyway, we came back home and some went to Quique's flat. I will go to sleep right now because tomorrow we have the German Lunch. Let's see what the five German chefs cook (or not?).

Korean Lunch Day!

I woke up a bit late because last night we had a kind of meeting at Bulga's 406. Yesterday, Asun and I went to visit our friends and we found that two of them were having their hair cut. Manu was the hairdresser and did a great job. Thus, because it was 5th of May (Battle of Puebla) they said that they wanted something Mexican. We went to Coles and bought some things to prepare Nachos and Quesadillas. I think they were good but I don't know what the people thought about them. Anyway, I returned home because I was feeling sick and watched some Family Guy before sleeping.



Now I will talk about today. Every Sunday someone is supposed to prepare lunch for everyone. We call it Weekly Sunday Lunch and is always on the Gumal rooftop. Therefore, today was the turn of the South Koreans (Min Ji and Su Min) to cook some of their country specialties. I don't remember the names of all the dishes we had, but everything was excellent. It kind of reminded me to Emily's (ex-flatmate from S. Korea) BBQ. They made a great job in choosing the types of dishes to prepare. Some were "spicy", others sweet-and-spicy, and others just sweet. I can't tell you which one was the best because I liked them all. Yet, I have to cook one of this Sundays and today I made an agreement with Aarti for cooking together. The problem is that both don't know how to cook, so we have two weeks to prepare something and make some trials at home. We have to convince some people to try our food before preparing it for 15+ people. And, as you know Indian food is spicy as well as the Mexican, so... I suggest to everyone... be prepared!



After lunch we went downstairs to flat 401 and sat on the sofas. Later on we drank some coffee that Min Ji, the hostess, provided, and we felt kind of siesta time. We slept for a bit, some others decided to leave, and then had another chat. Then I came back to my flat. After a while Asun and I went to Quique's flat, where everybody was leaving. However, we stayed a bit to watch a video from his university. It was hilarious! Anyway, Asun and I flipped a coin to choose whether to have dinner in Oporto or Subway. The decision was taken by the coin and was Oporto.



While on the elevator Dani called Asun and told him to come and join us. We bought some chicken, which I like, and came back to Gumal. We had dinner at Asun's flat. After dinner we started to talk about their jobs and then about our universities and problems with them. Anyway, a few minutes ago I learned through the Internet of some stuff that I didn't know about an uncle. Now, I'm going to bed because it's 2:16am and maybe I have to go to classes tomorrow.



Note: This post will be updated once I get the pictures of today's lunch.
Update: Pictures added.

Picnic at Milsons Point

Hey buddies!

After having an awful weather last week (rain, wind and clouds), Sunday was the exception. This is why we took the most of it and went to have a picnic. I don't know who had the idea but it was awesome! The place was under the north side of the famous Harbour Bridge.



We met at 12:30pm in Gumal's foyer. We then walked to Coles and buy stuff for the picnic. For stuff you should now understand that it included sandwiches, water and dessert. On the way to the train station Quique and Laurence joined us. Then we took the train and arrived in Milsons Point. The view was astonishing, and the place left you breathless. The place was just in front the Sydney Opera House, Sydney CBD and Harbour Bridge. Then we took some pictures and found a spot to have lunch.



After lunch we decided to play a football match (soccer) and the teams were divided as this:
Spain team: Silvia, Koldo, Dani, Quique and Manu.
Rest-of-the-world team: Asun (Catalunya), Uri (Catalunya), Juergen (Germany), Laurence (Australia) and me (Mexico).



Things were not going well in our team, and the score was not favorable. Min Ji and Su Min were the cheerleaders of our team but they could not be heard from anywhere. Instead, they were sleeping (South Korea National Sport). Later on, we walked across the bridge and took more pictures. However, as we all had assessments to do we went back home.



Note: This week was intense because of the assignments, so today I finished writing this post.