Newcastle

So this last weekend, I took a trip up to Newcastle for the Australian Ultimate (Frisbee) Championships.  Well this is the national tournament to determine the best club team in Australia.. so I guess it's a big deal.

Theres even a light house

Anyways, the trip started with a nice long train ride up the coast.  It was good to see the outskirts of Sydney and have some scenic views of forests and lakes.  I got to Newcastle a little early to explore around; it is known as an industrial city on a peninsula, but with beaches...  i'm talking about 8 beaches in the city.  If you're a beach person, this place is pretty sick.  Awesome surfs and views around; pretty ... pretty sweet.  There's even an outdoor lap pool with ocean water. 

It's a weird town, with people all about.. until night time.  Then it's dead.  I'm talking about 2 restaurants open at 6 pm on a saturday night.  Pretty bad nightlife.. but hey, I was there for ultimate, so it didn't phase me too much.

What does it mean?

There was some pretty swill weather during my time in Newcastle.  Within an hour, the weather consisted of sun shine, wind gusts, pouring pouring rain, and sun shine again.  Then we saw the fabled 'double rainbow'. Now I've seen many rainbows in my life, but the drastic change in temperature and humidity made this rainbow the most vibrant I've ever seen.  I mean, I colors and separation of the bands were perfect.. It was so bright I had to squint to look at it. (it's a shame my camera doesn't do it justice, ie, the lesser 2nd rainbow is barely visible.)

I picked up with a team from the Gold Coast area,... but a bunch of us were just randoms from Queensland and Sydney.  pretty fun tournament and got to meet a bunch of people.  

Also makes great sunsets

Anyways, I has been a while since I got to play competitive ultimate; and needless to say, I brought back a lot of memories.  As some of my frisbee readers will note, there are usually bagels, bananas and peanut butter at tournaments.. if youre lucky, nutella might be present; just try to eat whenever/ whatever you can.  Well, in Australia they do it big.  They have an actual time slot for lunch in the middle of the day and the tournament provides a basket full of bread, deli stuff, avocados, candy, gatorade.. etc.  it was bangin.  

So, I'm getting back into ultimate again, and it's good to get on top of my fitness.  Also, playing at the university level, with my past years of experience, is giving me tons of chances to scrape chumps up and down the field... gotta show'm what california is made of.

Rain vs The Slam

Quick!  to higher ground!

The other night, I was woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of a stampede.  I quickly hid under the covers in a state of confusion and wondered wtf!?  Then it hit me, it was the rain.  It has been storming like the crazies over here.  I'm not talking about gentle pitter-patters of moisture, but huge marbles or water falling closed to terminal velocity and striking the earth with the vengeance of a thousand suns.  Even the animals have resorted to extreme measures!

Ok, I might be exaggerating just a bit.  But it has been absolutely been pouring and Sydney, when it rains, it feels fictional.  I mean, earlier in the week, I was walking around... admiring the clouds.  Seemed pretty nice, blocking UV rays and whatever else clouds do. .. and suddenly, I smelled it.  You know that sharp moisture smell (with a mix of asphalt) just surging through your nostrils.  And suddenly, an onslaught of pelting rain swept the skies like fat kids take to an ice cream truck (I'm not the best with analogies).  The covered sidewalks became islands of refuge while the awnings of stores turned into reservoirs for waterfalls.  The rain was turning sideways and potholes and sewers flooded.  It was nuts!!  

Luckily, with the past dry season back in California, I've welcomed the rain... for the first 2 days.  At first I was like, 'So this is where all the rain went!  The Australian's took it and left California without any snow!'  Now,.. I really wish the Sierra's were blessed with this much rain/snow fall.  When it rains, Californian just stay inside and the water just flows into the bay or valley or someone else's backyard.  Well in Australia, this happens:

NOPE

Those aren't cotton candy fields (or in Australia: fairy floss) and acutally some of my housemates are actually from this area, like 5 hour drive inland.  Those are spider webs, from arachnids trying to get away from the floods.  I'll let the: EWWWWWWWWW  sink in for a little bit.
Yep, pretty gross.  Well, it's starting to be winter here and I'm not sure the rain will let up or keep rolling.  But I've discovered the one thing that will make the rain easier.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a package of Tim Tams.  Just as popular as Oreos in the States, Tim Tams have a long and prosperous tradition of keeping people happy.  Lemme 'xplain:  It is a simple thing consisting of two chocolate cookie (biscuit in Australian terms) parts with chocolate cream in the middle.... then the whole thing is dipped in chocolate.  Phenomenal as it is, there are different varieties as well, I've partook in the 'double coat'.. which is, I assume, just more chocolate.  Anyways, there is a fabled method of consumption called the 'Tim Tam Slam'.   You bite off the ends of the cookies and are left with a sort of rectangular straw... made of chocolate.  And then 'drink' some beverage like milk (difficulty level: normal) or hot milk (difficulty level: hard) or, for the veterans, hot chocolate (difficulty level: delicious).  The robust cookies keep shape while the hot beverage melts the chocolate cream in between; creating a surge of chocolate and milk and sugar and chocolate.  When satisfied, just eat the cookie in one fell swoop and enjoy the melted goodness, still warm from the slam.  By the way, I didn't make up this 'Tim Tam Slam'...If I did, I would have probably though of a better name, but: a rose by any other name would still .... well, you know how it goes.

Easter with Germans

Some dudes jammin out on a bench.

a parting in the trees that caught the shimmer of the sun

even the birds eat upside down... foreal

So this week was the mid-semester break; thus a whole lot of nothing was accomplished.  Ah yes, it was reminiscent of the good old Davis days.  Sleeping in well past daybreak (thank you blackout curtains), lunch, lounging around, dinner, and more lounging around.  Yep, the days just flew by in a blink of an eye; it was one of those weeks.  taking it easy was just the thing to do.  Needless to say, this week of 'catching up on my work' didn't go so well.  No matter, I've still got the weekend to settle down and do some work; though I'll probably make some time for more lounging.  

kids!! why you no fear death?!

Anyways I had no idea Easter was such a big thing!!  All the stores were decked out, and eggs and bunnies were all about.  Now I'm not a religious man.... but I do believe in after-Easter sales.  I'm talkin bout 'chocolate' chocolate chocolate.  yeah buddy.  I treated myself with some of that righteous goodness... yah know.. to honor Santa Claus' birthday??

Well, my German housemate (hausmate?) had her parents visiting... and on Easter Sunday, a feast was had. We were blessed with home cooked- made from scratch spaetzle (pronouced: german spaghetti, as I was told by the german mama).  Google that.. it's the scheisse!  little bits of noodles + gravy + meat+ good company. ... a joyous occasion for all.  I wish I snapped a picture of it, but I was pretty hungry.  It took a long time to prepare (equivalent to many games of super smash bros, in which I partook), but the wait was well worth it.  Delicious.

It had been a while since I've had a home cooked meal.  I mean I cook pasta, rice, and all that other stuff pretty standard, but to have parents (anyones parents) in the kitchen whippin up some grub just adds flavor and gusto to the meal.  maybe the secret ingredient is love.....  awwww.  

Aus-pitality

view of the bridge from below.

newest member of the house: Thugnificent

Just the other day, I went to the store to buys some milk.  Just some milk, so i grabbed some change, threw on a hat and was on my way.  There was some cheap food on sale so i decided to grab some other stuff.  I got to the cashier and CRAP; i didn't have enough cash for all the stuff.  well, after a minute of figuring out what I needed and what to put back, some random lady comes up and says she'll spot me a couple bucks for the food.  

WTF...a stranger just wanted to give me money cause i didn't have any?? DAYM,. well, I refused.  I'm not used to charity and besides, I had money... just wasn't on me.  So i put back some pasta sauce and went on my way.

To be honest, this isn't the first charitable act a stranger has done for me since I've been here.  Bus tickets here are bought at convenience store and kiosks, but while I posted up in a hostel, I walked everywhere.  So when I had to move in to my place, there was no way I was gonna walk around with my luggage.  As I was about to board the bus, the feeling of CRAP I DONT GOTTA BUS TICKET dawned upon me.  Luckily, so lady just told me to hop on and she paid for my ticket (with one of hers).
Until now, I thought that was just some random nice person.. you know, the one that appears every 50 years.  but I think it's the culture of the people here.  Always ready to help someone in need.... even in it's an American.haha. 

Anyways, there's always been a debate whether or not coke tastes better in a car or bottle.  Whether real sugar tastes better than corn syrup, but I think there's a factor of the can or glass bottle that adds to the coke taste.  

wise beyond her years

Coke with sugar... in a can?

All the sodas in Australia (that I've run into) are made with real sugar.  I don't know why but it's pretty awesome to get the can/ sugar combo.  Of course we can get the 2 liter jug of soda, but no matter, generic or not, all the sodas are made with cane sugar.  pretty legit.