Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

BURRAWANG

Notes from Coffs Harbour

We're back from our trip to Coffs Harbour and we already want to go back.  A four day vacation (two days spent driving) was definitely not long enough, but we'll take what we can get.

I did not know what to expect from our vacation, but I was pleasantly surprised.  We stayed in a small village about half an hour north from Coffs Harbour, which is a small resort town on the Northern Coast of New South Wales.  We arrived in the evening, and realized that we are located just a few steps from the beach.  Next morning, we went to the beach and had it pretty much to ourselves.

On Sunday, we went driving around and visited several beach communities in the neighbourhood.  Kind of makes you want to retire NOW!  Big new houses for $500,000 and only 5-10 minutes walk from the beach.  What's not to like.  Well, maybe the kangaroos/wallabies grazing on your lawn may get too much after a while.  (take a look at the pictures! http://picasaweb.google.com.au/ivanonthemove/2010CoffsHarbour?feat=directlink)

We also found that you can do anything from surfing and water skiing, to parachuting and go karting.  We were too tired to do anything besides reading and laying on the beach.  It was a weekend to relax.  Next time, we will enjoy a rainforest walk, in addition to surfing, go karting and anything else that tickles our fancy!

Roadtrip

It has been a long time since we've gone on a vacation so we decided that we should do something this long weekend.  Carla did some searching and found us a beautiful cottage on the beach near Coffs Harbour.  We rented a Yaris and packed for a roadtrip!  Here is a link to a Google Maps page showing our drive.  http://tinyurl.com/ivanblog01


The drive took a while (over seven hours) but we took our time and made quick detours to visit Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour.  Port Macquarie reminded us of Kingston, due to its retiree population, but the beaches and scenery were amazing.  Coffs Harbour is a really nice resort town with a lot to do.


We only arrived at our cottage last night.  After we unpacked, we walked to the beach and were amazed by the number of stars in the sky.  You just don't see that kind of sight leaving in a city.  It was amazing!  


Our cottage has been renovated recently and looks great.  We have a small kitchen and a barbecue outside.  Since we don't have a barbecue at home, we are going to make sure we grill some burgers while we are here.


Well, we're off to the beach.  Swimming and sun tanning.  That's what I call a perfect recipe for a relaxing Saturday.

Tennis

I don't find working out in a gym nearly as enjoyable as Carla does.  Therefore, in order to keep myself fit, I am trying to integrate more fun activities in my workout regimen.  This is why I had started ninjutsu a few weeks ago.

Another activity that I have taken up is tennis.  I noticed a tennis court near my work, and quickly discovered that I can book it for free (there are a lot of tennis courts around the city, but most of them charge $20 per hour).

Next step was to find a willing tennis partner.  I enquired with my colleagues at work, and two of them expressed interested in playing.  Not letting the iron go cold, I booked the courts and invited both my colleagues to come and join me.  I did not know how reliable they are for turning up to an early morning sports appointment, but was pleasantly surprised the next morning with their attendance.

We started playing tennis as a group at work about a month ago.  I book the court and let the guys know when the game is on, and they keep showing up.  It's a great setup.  Actually, it is going so well, that another one of the colleagues wants to join us.  As long as the number of players is divisible by four.  :-)

Sydney weather is perfect for outdoor sports.  You can play tennis all year long.  The same applies to golf, biking, roller blading, etc.  You really can be active all year long.  I think I could get used to this! 

Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

UNANDERRA

Living your destiny

I saw this quote recently and thought how true it is:


It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly, than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection. -Bhagavad Gita


I find that people are more than happy to tell you how to live your life.  One thing that they forget is that they don't even know what you want out of life.  


The only way to know how to live your life is to first ask yourself "What do I want out of life?"  Once we have a good answer to that question, we need to focus our energy on leading a life that will give us what WE want.  Then, this journey called life becomes enjoyable!

From surfing to martial arts

Last weekend I went surfing in order to introduce more fun activities in my workout routine.  As the summer has ended and surfing would not be feasible through the fall and winter, I had to find another hobby.

Quite a few years ago in Ottawa I studied aikijujutsu.  Remembering all those good times, I went to search out something similar in my neighbourhood in Sydney.  Luckily, I found a ninjutsu dojo a mere 3 minutes walk from our apartment.

I dropped in on the ninjutsu class this past Wednesday, as I wanted to see how sensei approached teaching ninjutsu.  I also wanted to see the composition of the class, as these would be the people who would be fake-punching me.  I don't need to do this with people who take things too seriously!  The sensei was great and the students looked eager and sufficiently docile.  I immediately decided to join at the next class.

On Saturday, I fully participated in the class.  It is amazing how quickly an hour and a half can go by.  I will be getting a gi (martial arts outfit) at the next session.  Surprisingly, I was really sore and tired after the class.  You get to move a lot during the class, so your legs and your upper body get a really good workout.

This is going to be a great way to fit in two workout session for the week.  Now I only need to do two or three workouts at the gym during the week.  That should be easy!

Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

THIRROUL