If I could win the Lotto...

... I'd definetly want one of these:

http://www.harmankardon.com/drive-1/default2.aspx

... but, I could settle for one of these without winning the Lotto:

http://www.futureshop.ca/marketing/apple_ipodnano/en/default2.asp?PCName=Vendor_Apple_Main&logon=&langid=EN (4GB).

All in good time, I guess. Or when I get sick of being stuck in rush-hour traffic and listening to Vibe's overplayed list of songs.

In regards to Australia pictures, I think that's probably more than enough posts of those - if you're nuts, you can ask either Andre or I for more pictures. Now, to get around to cutting the parents a CD before they ask me again for it.

Back to our...

... regular scheduled programming.

As you can probably imagine, the night of the chinese dinner was for one hand, to appease the older customs of Chinese wedding traditions, and it was also a night to let loose, drink a bit much past your limit, and play some groom/bridal games.

Needless to say Morris was the most vocal of the groomsmen, giving a nice, long drunken speech to most of the females and their partners leaving the room.

Nighttime pictures are very difficult to take without a tripod; these night time ones of the Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay were not easy to come by.

Andre figures he'll impart best wishes to the bride - the Danish way. Dragonboat Resturaunt, Melbourne, Australia.

Morris succesfully wheedles a kiss from the bride's cousin while the newlyweds look on.

Morris the happy groomsman. Dragonboat Resturaunt, Melbourne, Australia.

3 guests, 1 bride, and 1 groomsman = trouble. Chinese Banquet, Melbourne, Australia.

As with the old... comes the new. Kuranda, Australia.

Another ginger species. Kuranda, Australia.

A visual from the bottom of the steps. Sydney, Australia

The Opera House does not lack in activity at night. Sydney, Australia.

East Quay / Sydney skyline. Sydney, Australia

Sideways? You decide. Kuranda, Australia.

Sydney's City Bridge. Sydney, Australia

Clock tower at Melbourne University. Melbourne, Australia.

Opera House at end of Circular Quay. Sydney, Australia

Sandi and Andre basking in the sunshine and enjoying chocolate... while they're still on vacation.

The greenery of campus. Melbourne, Australia.

Commercial break...

... from Aussie pictures.

What does red wine, steak, lasagna, and a good wheel of brie cheese make? A wonderful Valentine's Day that is worth remembering!

On another note, since for some reason my blog has been marked as a spam one, the Aussie pictures won't continue until the good folks at blogger remove the lock. Hopefully they respond soon.

Last note, I do hope that Andre's parents are enjoying their time down in South Africa at the moment!

A ladybug's perspective.

Bouquet #2 - this was presented to me as someone walked through the door.

One rose of many...

Bouquet #1 - delivered to my work

Tiny is hard at work for his next little trip.

Buda-Dji...

... the carpet snake.

Amongst the many Storywater ancestors of the Djabugay is the rainbow serpent (GudjuGudju), the most powerful of the wet season (Gurranbana) creators who lives in the sea at Double Island (Wangal Djungay). One day he came ashore in the form of the carpet snake (Buda-dji) and with him he brought the much-prized Nautilus shells (Miya-miya), so he could trade them for dilly-bags (yimbi) and eel traps from the Tableland Bama (rainforest people). On one of these trips, he was ambushed, chopped up, and scattered through the land. Where a piece landed, it became a significant landmark.

This is linked to the many landmarks we saw on the way up to Kuranda, including the Barron Falls.

Lau sisters in tow: Felicia, Sandi, and Sandra.

Belgian chocolates to go with our ice chocolates. Hey, who's the taste tester?

Flower from the ginger species.

Australian coins.

Bat playing peekaboo with the guests.

Freshly caught oyster which had the misfortune to be our dinner.

Tea, anyone?

Kangaroos having a snack.

Stuffed koala featuring Cairnes' signature butterfly.

See, they drive on the opposite side of the road from us cowpeoples.

Tiny made a new friend in Australia. Pooh is the other Sandra's constant road companion on long drives.

Tiny on his travels. Here he looks out at Cairnes from my hotel room.

The rainforest...

... remains protected in Australia, now that they only have 1/3 of the original rainforest remaining. For a while people were paid to cut the rainforest down in order to have land to build their homes on. But once it was discovered that the rainforest would not repopulate itself, the cutting ceased.

Perhaps next time I'll see if I can dig up a few bits of history about the gods of the Djabugay people.

Correction : Central Street is actually Flinders Street station.

If there seem to be a gazillion pics of Great Ocean Road, all I can say is that it was a good exercise for our camera and the pictures don't do that windy road justice.

Yet another set of pictures...

The railway for the train. Kuranda, Australia.

More 'Great Ocean Road' - Great Ocean Road, Australia.

The remaining rainforest shapes the landscape. Kuranda, Australia.

Rainforest from a bird's eye view. Cairnes, Australia.

Sydney by Night. Sydney, Australia.

Waterfall - Scenic Train Ride, Kuranda, Australia.

Federer, trying to score during the Australian Open.

To catch thy dinner...

... boomerangs and spears were used by the Djabyugai people to catch kangaroo, wallaby, and other food.

To throw a boomerang, if you are a righty, aim between noon and 1PM on the clock. If you are a lefty, aim between 11 and noon. Move the boomerang back, and use your forearm to toss the boomerang such that it goes for a nice lazy spiral in the air. If you're really good, you can try to catch it as it will come back to you.

To throw a spear you use a spear throwing device that if used correctly, the spear will fly through the air (think javelins) parallel to the ground and spear your choice of meat for the day. The better you throw it, the faster it goes, and the less likely your dinner escapes.

Yet another set of pictures follow.

Flinders Street Station. If only our CTrain stops resembled this one... Melbourne, Australia.

Walk beside Federation Square. Melbourne, Australia.

Great Ocean Road, Australia

Bridge into Melbourne CBE. Australia.

The day after. Felicia and Stephen take time out to spend with Alex, Sandra squared, and Andre. Melbourne, Australia

The pool at Green Island Resort. Green Island, Australia.

Koala in it's natural habitat. Great Ocean Road, Australia

Barren Falls, Australia

Coral reef through a glass bottom boat. Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Australian fact of the day...

... back in the days when Australia was discovered, (Columbus?) the discoverer saw a strange animal with a pouch that resembled a horse and jumped around. He asked a local native what the animal was called, and the native answered, 'kangaroo'.

Years later, it was realized that in fact, the native actually did not understand a word that they were saying, and had answered with 'I don't know' (in Djabygi). By then the name stuck, and to this day, the marsupial is known as 'kangaroo'.

The following are more shots from the vacation.

Sunset at night. Sydney, Australia.

Andre makes friends with a kangaroo. Kuranda, Australia.