A Kominar Chronicle

Golly Gee Wilickers, my package finally arrived!

Postmarked for early October and sent via regular mail, my package came three odd months later. It was wonderful to finally receive. I was just about to resign myself to the fact that it was likely lost in the Pacific somewhere.

Package Contents:

• 1 Newspaper article about a Unicyclist
• 1 Book of Mozart Sonatas (19)
• 2 Boxes of Chai Latte Cookies
• Article forwarded by my Mother on Love & Friendship
• Many articles of stylish clothing (Blazers/Suits)
• No Juggling balls

Thanks to my wonderful parents for this kind gesture. I’ve already started playing some of the Sonatas and have enjoyed at least one box of cookies! It’s always nice to hear about friends of yours and it was especially nice to see stories of them in the paper about their unicyling habits!

Tags: Zack

Apparently I was a good enough boy to warrant a special present this year. Nadine booked a 2 night excursion out at the Blue Mountains, one of the many wonders of Australia.

Located about an hours drive in from the coast near Sydney, it provides many gorgeous views. When it’s not foggy anyway. Our first two days were a little gray. We still managed to enjoy our time by relaxing as we wanted to in the grandeur that was our hotel room.

^{Hotel View!}

Our hotel room itself was top of the line. Two pullout couches, a small work area, a separate powder room, a gigantic bath with a relaxing spa.

^{Hotel Room}

We visited a few of the local restaurants and even the hotel’s **** eatery. Frankly, for the first two days we didn’t see much. We tried veering and peering through the fog to no avail.

^{Bushwalking in the Fog:Not exciting}

On the third day the fog started to clear a bit. We left the hotel with high expectations and were not met with disappointment. With the clouds out of the way we travelled back to Echo Point to see what sort of views we could spy.

We spent the rest of the day at Scenic World which is much less commercial than you might think. Its a glorified nature park, well built boardwalks through the whole park. There are three separate rides you can take. We went on a vertical coaster of sorts down one of the cliff fronts. On the way back up we took a more traditional cable car.

See Blue Mountain Pictures!

P.S

An interesting fact about the Blue Mountains: The Mountains are given their name because of the blue haze created from the eucalyptus oil evaporating from the many gum trees.

Tags: Sydney

I took some medicine for my mystery disease and it managed to do the trick for most of the evening. We were staying at a hotel in the city for the night as it would be easier to retreat to from the fireworks.

We had tickets to Luna Park which is a lively amusement park on the harbour itself. It was 18+ which was nice and relaxing. I’m still reeling from my Aquarium experience with all of those swarms of kids around. Blech! They can be so icky sometimes.

^{Entrance to Luna Park}

Everywhere we went seemed to be teeming with police officers. The news report the following day said that attendance was down and overall incidents were down this year too. I didn’t see any rowdiness myself and everyone seemed relatively well behaved given the circumstances.

Alas, it’s difficult to write about the night because so much of it was experiencing the awe of an entire city partying. There isn’t much more I could say right now other than the city was alight and alive. My pictures don’t do it justice and the movies can’t be reasonably posted yet! So with that said…

A Few of My Pictures
Other People’s Pictures from the Night

All the best in the New Year, may you find success and happiness!

Tags: Sydney

I am still alive and well! Things are going swimmingly.  There’s been a bit of a technical difficulty putting the entries together and it may be another week or so, so hold tight!  I promise that it may or may not be worth your while.

- The Management

A brief synopsis of my past few days…

Taronga Zoo

Care of Nadine’s generous father, my Canadian friends, Nadine, and myself went to the Taronga Zoo for the day free of charge. The zoo has a beautiful view of the harbour which nicely backs all of the animals in the park. Favourites probably include the lions and tigers.

View Zoo Pictures!

Westfield Chatswood

“Stocktake day” (Boxing Day) was a typical day out at the shopping mall. The sales weren’t that spectacular. However, I did manage to purchase a few things. Bought a new electric shaver and Settlers of Catan! If you’ve never heard of or played this board game you should give it a shot. I introduced my friends to it later that evening and it was much enjoyed.

View Westfield Chatswood Pictures!

Canterbury Turf Club

For the second time in a semester I hit up the race track. Nadine’s father is a member of the club and we received complimentary guest membership passes. The day was very much a repeat of last time I went, involving me placing many losing bets. All in all it was an entertaining afternoon.

View Canterbury Turf Club Pictures!

Sydney Aquarium/Darling Harbour

The aquarium was packed! There were so many parents with children in tow that I think it detracted from the experience. Ironically, waiting in line to get into the aquarium was more pleasant than wading through the crowds inside. This is true for two reasons in particular.

First, the aquarium had friendly giant costumed characters walking around keeping us entertained. Of particular note was the shark! It looks way better than the Maritime costume of yesteryear. Secondly, the aquarium has purchased the latest in fan technology to keep patrons cool in line. This industrial fan sprays a light mist of air as it rotates!

The aquarium is much as one might expect, tank after tank of fish swimming about. They have a crocodile in a small enclosure that wasn’t too active when I passed through. There were two big tanks with underwater tunnels. One held the sea otters, and the other sharks, and other aquatic life.

See Sydney Aquarium Pictures!

As for the harbour itself, it was bustling with activity and a lovely place to stroll around. Water taxis, boat restaurants, and miniature public transport trains were all vying for your business.

See Sydney Harbour Pictures!

What’s next?

I’ve seen much more than I’ve written about. This holiday season has seen me all over Sydney visiting Nadine’s relatives, heading out to the movies, running errands, etc.. I really feel as if I’ve been a part of this city for a little while. It’s huge!

I’ve definitely been active these past few days. Each day has brought a new adventure, perhaps too much so. I’ve recently been befallen with some sort of sickness. Yet unidentified, symptoms include an achy body, and a headache that aches whenever I move my head too quickly. I’ve been given some drugs that have helped with the aching however I think it will be a combination of drugs and days till I’m back in full health.

Only time will tell how this illness will effect my New Years Eve plans…

Tags: Sydney