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nata likes long walks along the beach...italian food...and sad sack music
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In the presence of a Legend in a magical place!
The Aroma of a good coffee...
SURPRISE, SURPRISE...
Touch Down...Melbourne
And so begins the journey...
VIVA ITALIA!!!!
And here we go.....
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SURPRISE, SURPRISE...
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
8/15/2006 12:39:00 pm |
One of the most gratifying moments of my trip home was the surprise i gave my parents. After i was picked up from the airport, my aim was to go back the my brother's house and beautify myself before seeing my parents. As everything else in my life.. nothing goes as planned! I was relaxing with my brothers when we got the news that by coincidence, half of my extended family was going to my parents house for some reason or another... just my luck. This news sprung us all into to contingency plan mode!!! Sacrificed was my shower, hour of rest and make-up application. We had to move and execute the surprise before my parents' entire family congregated around our kitchen table.
Thus begun our afternoon. We looked like pathetic extras in a Mission Impossible film. A convoy of cars were used to eliminate any suspicion. Joey and I were in his car; Sam, March and baby were in theirs and Han rocked up in her car. In all these situations, timing in crucial. Han got to my parents' house first, only to be questioned on the reason for her good mood. Sam & co followed a casual ten minutes later to discover my father standing in the front yard having a predictably lengthy conversation with his neighbour! Knowing that Joey and I were about to arrive, Sammy started his frantic phone calls that would ensure our delay. So while Sammy was attempting to desperately, yet inconspicuously have my dad join my mum in the house, Joey and I looked like two would be house bugulars casing our next targets - both of us on phones rolling ever-so-slowly around the neighbouring streets.
After what felt like an entirnity, we go the code green fron Sam.. all players were in position - entrance: Good to go!!
I stood outside for a few moments listening to the much missed everyday conversation coming from my mum's kitchen. It felt like i was never away! The gorgeous smells of home cooked meals found me instantly and i couldn't help smiling - the anticipation was starting to make me anxious. After getting the signal from team leader Sammy, i walked into my parents house for the first time in almost 2 years. My dad sitting closest to the door stared at me with a shocking lack of recognition, whilst my mum couldn't stop yelling my name. After a few minutes i had to offer my dad confirmation that it was me to shake him out of his shock. And then came the tears... followed by "What are you doing here?", followed by more tears. I can't even tell you how long we were standing there hugging and crying.. what i can say is that it was really sweet - the wait was all worthwhile.
Marcella was on hand for some classic photo opportunities (thanks March x), and my little brother stepped into chef mode and fired up lunch. Watch this spot for photos xx
The afternoon was consumed with questions, astonishments, laughter, food, family.. and yep.. more tears.
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Touch Down...Melbourne
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Friday, August 11, 2006
8/11/2006 05:41:00 am |
Having stopped over in Auckland for re-fuelling (and more shopping :) ) I fastened my seat belt for the last leg of my trip.. HOME!! I arrived in Melbourne at 10.30 Sunday morning. Considering i hadn't slept for a few days... it could have been midnight in outerspace - i wouldn't have known otherwise! I bought another bottle of alcohol after i was informed of Australia's increased allowance into the country, some cigarettes for my boy and through customs i went.
One of my biggest apprehensions of returning home after so long was my little girl's reaction the moment she saw me! I had no idea what to expect; what words, if any, was she going to say?? The moment i walked through those arrival doors, i searched the many faces until i found the ones i was so longing to see! My brother Joey was there with my sister-in-law (to be) Hanako and my big brother Sammy was standing beside my heavily pregnant sister-in-law Marcella. As much as i longed to see their smiles and teary eyes, the only person who captured my attention was my baby girl Montana. Sammy was holding her up high ensuring she wouldn't miss a moment of action. I heard him whisper in her ear "Who's that??" He put her down over the railing and she ran into my arms. She reached her arms around my neck, stroked my face and kissed me. In that moment, i felt as if i was never away from her. It was the sweetest moment of my life as she stared at me, smiled and said she loved me "too much". I couldn't stop hugging her and asking questions. My tears turned into laughter when Montana fired her only question to me... "Zia, where are Tana's presents??" Yep.. good to be home!
My boys were great; Sammy sporting a goate and Joey parading around in a freshly cut mohawk. Sammy being his impatient self couldn't wait to get to the car; Han couldn't stop going on about how much i had changed; Joey was searching for the quickest exist which would allow him to have a smoke.. not relising that we all had to wait for the pregnant March to return from the bathroom before moving out. Uh Huh.. nothing had changed!
Next stop... Seeing my parents.. they had better be home!!
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And so begins the journey...
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
8/02/2006 06:28:00 am |
OK.. so when I booked my flight home, I kept telling myself that the 27 hour flight time was inconsequential due to the people whom I was going to see at Melbourne airport! As much as I cherish my family... 27 hours in an oversized capsule with wings was hard!! I flew out of Heathrow on Friday morning, scheduling to arrive in Melbourne on Sunday!!! As a result of flying through the States I had extra luggage weight allowance.... 60 KILOS!!! WHOO HOO!! For those of you who know me and my shopping habits.. this news was one of the first blessings I was to encounter on my trip. So there I was.. 2 large suitcases with a combined weight of 52 Kilos.. lucky I was only going home for a month huh.. can you imagine if I was moving back!!?? I'd need a container on a ship! Holding my breathe and keeping the check-in attendant amused in the fear that this joy of luggage allowance was a sad joke, my bags were scanned in and I was on my way! First stop... yep.. DUTY FREE!! Walking through the illuminated heaven-like shops I stocked up on every girls favourate things.. perfume, make-up, chocolates, alcohol and cigarettes. Man.. my trip was no sorted.. all the essentials! My first airline was Virgin which was transporting me to L.A. where I had a 9 hour stop over to look forward to!! Never been one to stay quiet for any length of time, i started chatting to the girl beside me. Her name was Jennifer and she was a Santa Monica local. Not wanting me to sit in LAX for the afternoon, she offered to show me around Santa Monica... so I was sorted! We were picked up at the airport and jet-setted to her place to dump our bags. She lived in a gorgeous apartment which was surrounded by palm trees, overlooking the ocean. If that wasn't indulgent enough.. she also had a swimming pool.. ahh the struggles of life one must live!! After a while we jumped in the car and headed off to Santa Monica promenade. It was so surreal! The ocean was gorgeous and inviting. The weather was pushing 30 degrees - the sun was shinning and life in that moment was peaceful. I was looking around and I thought I was getting flashbacks of cliché American movies - bikini-clad ladies roller-blading down the strip; guys thinking they were stars congregating around their cars; kids sitting on park benches eating the good 'ol fashion American hotdog; women in designer sunnies walking purposefully down the strip with designer shopping bags adorning both arms! Safe to say.. I was no longer in Kansas!! Not fulfilled with my airport purchases.. I continued to spend! Among those who enjoyed my visit were the Apple store and Victoria's Secret - again more essentials :)
I was blown away by the many street performers and the talents they offered. The most mesmerizing show was a group of acrobatic tumblers. They had a strength and flexibility that left my amazed.. their looks didn't disappoint either.. :) !! Before I knew it, we were applauding them for almost an hour. Jennifer and I contributed to their retirement fund, bought their greatest hits and continued on our day. At this point, Jen and I knew we needed re-fuelling so I asked her to take me to lunch.. somewhere "American"... and so we headed to Johnny Rockets! We were given a table outside on the promenade where the smell of foods long forgotten in my diet consumed the air. Jen insisted on ordering for me, ensuring that I would have an American meal. To my horror and immediate regret she begins our order with a large serving of chilli cheese fries - My ass increased in size as the waiter was scribbling down this request. Not feeling guilty enough... we continued with the original American burger (when translated meant 'the works'!!), and completed our session with the biggest serving of a malt shake! All I can say is.... GOLD!! I ate with gusto knowing that it was a meal I wouldn't indulge again for a long while.
After dinner, we had a much needed digestive walk around the promenade, a bit more shopping and headed back to the car. Jen and I headed back to LAX all the while trying to stay awake!! I think we were both past our bedtimes! We exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes. I collected all my shopping bags and headed towards the terminal for the next leg of my trip. Auckland here I come....
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