Adelaide Botanical Gardens

With spring officially here we decided to take advantage of the warmer weather and headed off for an afternoon at the Adelaide Botanical Gardens. We packed a picnic lunch and went to the gardens which was just to another quick drive to the city.

When we got there it seemed that everyone else had the same idea as there were many other families just enjoying the sun and having picnics under the many trees and sprawling green grass in and around the Botanic Gardens.

After our own picnic under the trees just outside the garden gates, we went inside and did a little exploring. Entrance to the gardens is free and the last time we were at the gardens was when our little boy was only a few months old. We just strolled around enjoying the surroundings. It was a very relaxed environment and we could see many people taking advantage of it as they napped and dozed under the canopies. Rest was the farthest thing from the kids minds as they enjoyed running around the green lawns and climbing the trees.

We also went to the Bicentennial Conservatory ( entrance wasn't free ) in the Gardens. The conservatory itself is a big white half circular structure which houses a mini-rainforest display. It feels exactly like a rainforest inside as sprinklers go off every so often to keep the conditions humid and hot. There were even tropical birds living inside the conservatory that called out every so often. The boy and girl had fun mimicking the birds' sounds as they cawed all the time we were inside.

With all the walking we did, needless to say we were all tuckered out when we got home.

Pictures here and on our Flickr slideshow

Kid Funnies Part 17

The little boy and I were browsing in a book store a few days ago when I noticed he started piling up some books in my shopping basket. This was the first time I noticed him do this. Each time he did this I explained to him that we were only getting two books that we had chosen and that were already in the basket - one for him and one for his sister.

But he still insisted on this, repeating the cycle for about 5 more times - he puts in a book and I would take it out and ask him to return it. 'Ang kulit!' Finally, he got this book of 'The Wiggles' and put that in the basket. As I was about to explain this to him again, he blurts out "This book for Daddy!".

What could I say .... he found a way to work within that reason I gave him! All I could do was laugh and tell him Daddy would probably not like that particular kids' book himself. But still, it was certainly a good try on this little boy's part. After all, he is just three and a half years old.

Kid Funnies Part 16

We were having a meal around the dinner table when our boy suddenly stood up and did some stretching. He spread his arms wide and stretched to the side and then raised his arms up. The wife and I didn't think too much about it but when he then shouted "It's three o'clock!" with his arms in the right position when we burst out laughing! He was following the arms on the clock on the wall!

Laugh Out Loud

Growing up, we were always known as those loud Vidal kids.  We'd raise quite a racket when my siblings and I got together.  We'd be horsing around our house and play games and generally just be a loud as we could.  Sometimes our parents would join in and we'd be tickling and rough housing and pretty soon we would find laughing ourselves to tears. We'd get so loud that sometimes our own neighbours would jokingly call out from their windows and tell us to go to sleep!

Now with my own family I noticed that I seemed to have carried that laugh out loud moments as part of our day.  Our kids love playing around their bedrooms and we'd join in.  I'd be tickling them, playing the "rolling" game pretending to crush them or even just play music and dance around with them.  Our boy would spontaneously do the "conga" dance ( "conga, conga congga!" ) and our little girl would dance to her favourite music!

It's fun sharing those laugh out loud moments with them and just find time to be silly!

Spring Time at the Beach

Although it just turned spring it's still quite cold. Last weekend, however, the sun came out and it was warming up to almost summer temperatures. We decided to be spontaneous and packed the kids up for a morning at the beach!



It turned out to be a great day. The calm waters and the clear blue skies was the perfect recipe to shake off the winter blues. The water was still freezing cold but the kids didn't seem to mind as they screamed in delight every time they jumped into the water. There was hardly any wind and the day was a wonderful 27ºC warm so after the beach we decided to stick around and let the kids play at the nearby playground. We had a late lunch of fish and chips at the kiosk in front of the playground to cap our spontaneous beach excursion.



At least we got to enjoy that day because today's weather has gone back to gloomy and rainy!

School Liturgy

Last week our girl brought home a note from her teacher telling us about a school function that they were going to have. Normally they would have weekly school liturgies or even masses and this time it was our girl's class' turn to host it. We were pleasantly surprised that she was picked to read the gospel in front of the whole school. It was nice to know that our child was doing well enough in school to be given this chance.

This morning they had the liturgy and the wife and I and our boy went to the school to attend. It was a simple ceremony as normally our parish priest, who would usually celebrate mass, was on leave. The kids did a few songs and some children did the opening prayers then our little girl stood up to do her reading. She took the mike in hand and started reading. She did wonderfully. She didn't miss any words and read clearly and slowly just like we practised.

We were so proud to see her becoming so confident and independent. I think she even impressed a few people today. This event reminds me of times when I used to read the gospel in the Holy Child Hospital chapel when I was growing up!

Right now, she's beside me writing about her day. In fact, I'll copy down what she wrote (including the colours!) and let her tell you how she did.

Today I had a liturgy. I felt a little nervous. But, I just read. I did not feel nervous after. I felt normal.

This what she read out today.

Gospel: Luke 11:9-13

So I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened. What father here would give his child a stone when they ask for bread? Or give them a snake instead of a fish? If you then know how to give your children what they need, just imagine the goodness of what Our God can give to those who ask.

All in all, a good day and another proud parenting moment... :)

Spring is in the Air

Finally, winter comes to an end and the gardens around us begin to look alive with colours. What is surprising though is that some of these blooms belong to our very own garden! I must admit, since we moved to this house more than 3 years ago, we never really bothered to take care of the garden apart from hiring somone to mow the lawn every 6 weeks or so. A couple of months ago, we took an interest in it by taking out a lot of weeds and planting a few herbs and flowers in pots. There was one pot that the kids got involved in by planting seeds for flowers called anemones. And now, almost 3 months later we are enjoying the fruits of our labor .... they have started to bloom! I think I am the one most excited about this development, after all I have been regularly watering and watching them with great anticipation. Here are some photos of the flowers in bloom at our garden:



Now that there are a few blooms in the garden, what do we do with them? How can I make them last a bit longer? Bianca gave me a great idea this morning at the markets. She saw a shallow glass bowl and suggested we cut the flowers and make them float inside ... what a great idea!

Kid Funnies Part 15

It's not always that our kids get along with each other. They do have their own share of fights and little squabbles. Like today, we were loading the kids in the car and they got into a fight over some toy they each wanted but didn't share. The girl cried first and the boy followed suit.

They were both bawling in the back seat and we tried to make them share the toy but they both wanted it their own way. So, in frustration, I told them that I wouldn't be starting the car until they both quieted down.

I took some tissues and gave them one each. The boy reached for one, wiped his face and promptly said, "I'm happy now!". We all burst out laughing, including the girl through her erstwhile tears.

Smart Questions

Lately, we've been getting a lot of smart questions from the little girl ... here's a few we got recently:

#1
B. Mommy, why do you love me?
M: I love you because you're my daughter.

#2
B: Mommy, why did you choose me to be your baby?
M: I think God chose you to be our baby, and somehow put you into my tummy.
B: But why did God choose me to be the first baby, and not Nico?
M: Maybe God knew you would be a good big sister to Nico.

#3
B: Mommy, you make a lot of things by yourself (as she was eating my home baked pudding) , did you make me ?
M: No, I did not make you all by myself ... Daddy helped too. Actually, God made you for me and your Daddy.
B: Wow, God made a lot of things didn't he .... but who made God?
M: That's a very interesting question! Maybe God has been there all along.


At the rate she's been asking me these kind of questions, I may soon run out of credible answers!

Library Days

I've always loved libraries. In elementary school I've looked forward to library days and I can almost even remember the first book I've checked out. Unfortunately, public libraries are non-existent in the Philippines and after elementary school the only way I could read new books was if we acquired them ourselves. Our parents did right by us by getting as many books as they could. We had encyclopaedias, surplus American school textbooks, and the occasional new books from National Book Store. When I reached teenage years I probably read all the books in our household from cover to cover.

One of the happy surprises I've found about living in Australia has been the availability of free libraries to its residents. It was here that I realised what a public library should be. Our local library isn't just a place to borrow books but one can also borrow up to date magazines and periodicals, CD's, DVD's and even sports equipment for free. You can even book time for free internet as well. Heck, our library even carries the latest graphic novels! It's a terrific place and one that's influenced my kids heavily when it comes to them reading early.

One thing I love about our library is the online book catalogue and reservation system. I spend my time at home on the net just browsing through and reserving books online. Then, I just pop down to the library to pick them up at a designated spot when the books are ready. Because our city shares the books throughout its library system, I don't have to wait for a book to be available just at my local library. The online catalogue searches throughout the several libraries in my city council area and brings it all into my local library down the road when they're available.

Our family has spent many an afternoon at the local library just browsing and borrowing books to take home. The kids love visiting and we'd come home with a bag full of kids books which they'd read before their bedtime. They already have their own library cards and are always keen to use them when they get the chance. I'm glad to have been able to impart my love of reading to our kids and I hope it helps them out later in life.

Austraila 2- Kuwait 0

The new look Australian Soccerroos debuted tonight with a rousing 2 nil victory over Kuwait.  Goals courtesty of Sasho Petrovski and Adelaide's own Travis Dodd.  It was a nail biting moment there as the 2 goals actually came in the last 15 minutes of the match.  Australia now has qualified for the Asian Cup championships next July.   

A little bit of history here but this is the first time Australia is in the Asian confederation and the Asian Cup finals.  It's always been part of the Oceanic Confederation which has not provided more skilled opponents.  With being part of Asia, Australia will have a chance to compete with high caliber teams like China, Japan and Korea on a regular basis.

The Matilda's have made an impressive debut and now it's the men's team's turn to show us what they're made of.  Mind you, this Soccerro's team that brough us to the Asian Cup is a totally different team from a month ago in the World Cup Championships.  Most of those guys are playing in Europe and were unable to play for this game.  This new team is composed mainly of local A-Leauge players.  They had a tetative start in tonight's game but they quickly gelled togethr as the game wore on.  Kuwait's goalkeeper was kept on his toes for most of the match and stopped quite a few shots in the first half.  In the end Australia just wore down the defense and produced a great result.

There was supposed to be another game scheduled against Lebanon here in Adelaide but because of the war over there, Lebanon's pulled out of the Asian Cup so they cancelled the match.  Too bad, we already bought tickets for it.  So I guess I'd have to be content with watching the Australian team on TV for the moment.

Am I sounding too much like a football junkie? :)

Weekend Furniture Assembling

We spent the better part of the weekend IKEA-fying our house some more. We were finally able to get the kids their beds and a few more pieces of furniture. The thing with IKEA is that one of the reasons they are cheap(ish) is that they sell all, well, most of their furniture with some assembly required. A few people get turned off by that and sometimes get intimidated by the thought of putting things together. The wife and I sort of enjoy that sort of thing. We were able to put a list together and came back from IKEA with 2 beds, a tall storage shelf, a bookcase, a dining table and 4 chairs and a large comfy chair with a footstool.

Yeah, looks like a lot and it sort of shows. Although I have to admit that it's not as expensive as it sounds when it came to the checkout. The hard part is putting it all together because all those pieces came flat packed and needed assembling.


It's a good thing that the kids were eager to help as well. The wife already put together the chair and bookshelf a few days ago so we only had the beds, the dining table and the tall storage shelf to worry about this weekend. We started putting the furniture together and they were quite the helpers, getting us the instructions or getting the parts together. They even had a hand in turning the allen key which is sometimes the only tool you need to put IKEA furniture together. We got the shelf together in little time and it turned out to be the tallest piece of furniture in our house so manouvering it around was a bit tricky.



The beds took most of our time and enegry. The pieces were heavy so it required a bit of lifting. This time it needed more than an allen key but good thing I had a cordless drill to help me out when it came to screwing in the support struts. I started out just using the screwdriver but found it too hard so I used the drill on the second bed and was able to finish quicker. So without too many mistakes on my part, we were able to finally give the kids their own beds after months of sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Needless to say that they stress tested them right away by using the beds as tramopolines!


Because we still had to get rid of our old dining set, we held off on assembling the new dining table and chairs for now. Good thing too as I am now too tired to do any more assembling for a while.

IKEA furniture is only as sturdy as how you assemble them and I hope we were able to do a good enough job for these pieces to keep together for a while.

Japanese Tonkatsu

Japanese Tonkatsu
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Another cooking post. Tonkatsu is easy to make as long as you got the right Japanese breadcrumbs. Pair it with instant miso soup, sliced cabbage with dressing it's almost an authentic Japanese meal. Don't forget the secret ingredient...

Of Siblings and Technology

For the first time, I've finally got all my siblings on voice and video together on the net. My brother is back living in our hometown of Dumaguete and only the other day was able to get his broadband hooked up. We wasted no time in getting the technology to work for us. I called my other siblings in Texas and I hosted a three way Skype conversation on the iMac and we all got on a webcam chat through Yahoo Messenger.

It's great seeing them again in one place. The last time we were all in a room together was more than a couple of years ago. Miss you all guys, I'll catch you online really soon.

Adelaide Elder Park

The other day, the sun came out after so long so I took advantage of it and took a walk on my lunch break. My office is only a short walk to Elder Park, which is just to the north of the city bounded by the River Torrens and Adelaide's Festival Centre. I just strolled around and took pictures with the camera phone.

Many office denizens take advantage of the park during lunch breaks. Some jog along the river, others bike. Most just take their lunch on the grass and take up the scenery. Adelaide's pretty well planned so parks like this are all over the city to break up the urban sprawl so to speak. Anyway, hopefully winter's coming to an end soon and we get to go out and enjoy the sun more often.

Hmmm... ( Gourmet Glaze ) Doughnuts

Gourmet Glaze and Bean Bar
Originally uploaded by chazzvid.

Gourment Glaze is Adelaide's answer to Krispy Kreme. It tastes very similar although it's a bit more filling than the airy Krispy Kremes. The shop just opened up this week at the City Cross Arcade and we just brought home a dozen of the normal glazed doughnuts. The girl loved them and downed 2 in one sitting. Our boy on the other hand took one bite and declared "Don't Like It!" Oh well, more for me then, hehehe.

Women's Asian Cup Finals Recap

Geez, I guess I've become a convert to women's soccer! ;) Not just me, I guess but the whole family too. We were all excited about the finals, the kids even more so. We were at the stadium one hour before kickoff but already it was filling up fast with fans. We waited a bit for our friends to join us and found seats near the end of the stands. First thing I noticed was the huge contingent of Chinese fans streaming in and we were smack dab in the middle of them. It was a good thing I had us wear our Australia caps and made sure we didn't wear any red or otherwise we would have been easily confused as part of the Chinese cheering section. In fact, we got a few bewildered looks from many of the Chinese fans around us when we'd suddenly shout "Oi, Oi, Oi!" or "GO AUSTRALIA!". They were probably thinking of us as traitors because we looked Chinese! :D

Anyway, we shouted with the best of them at the cold and windy Hindmarsh stadium, and when Australia kicked goals in the first half, we were up in our seats. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be for us that night as China came roaring back in the second half. Hindmarsh Stadium was a sea of red as the Chinese fans got into the act and drowned out the Aussie cheers. In fact, I think there were probably more people cheering for China than Australia. It was a shame because with a game that was as evenly matched as that one was, the fans would have made all the difference. Don't get me wrong, the Matildas had plenty of good support from the many Australian fans in the stands but the Chinese were just so overwhelming, both in their players and their cheering sections that it made the fightback all that hard.

It would have been great if the final game been more widely publicised. Australian fans could have filled up most of the place but as it stood, it seems that football, especially Women's football still had a long way to go. Nevertheless, it was great fun and the family had a blast. As for the quality of the football, needless to say it was excellent and it was one of the best matches I've seen. To go into penalties in a championship game is exciting and it was just inexperience that got us in the end.

Well, after all that's said and done, the Matildas did the country and themselves proud for that incredible performance yesterday. It was their debut in the Asian Confederation and it was an impressive debut to say the least. Now, Australia have the opportunity to mix it up with the best of Women's football on a regular basis and we will be all the better for it. After spending years dominating the Oceanic Confederation smashing smaller teams like New Guinea and American Samoa, the Matildas and the Soccerroos will now face the best that Asia have to offer and will no doubt improve their skills as they go on.

The Matildas stand 15th in the world in team rankings and to have gone out and played North Korea ( 8th ) and China ( 9th ) to virtual standstills speaks volumes about our team's skills and strengths. In the end, it was experience that proved the decisive factor and with the Matildas, being a very young team, can only improve on that from here on out.

Let's not forget, Australia is into the Women's World Cup next year in Beijing and we can expect big things from them. GO MATILDAS!

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Australia 2 - China 2

But Australia lose 4 to 2 on penalties! Can you believe that? China came back at the half to level the score. After a scoreless extra time the Chinese goalie stopped 2 kicks to bring China the Asian Cup. Good on the Matildas for fighting on the way they did. I'm dissapointed that the australian fans weren't in force considering this was a match on home soil. To me it felt like I was in Beijing with all the Chinese fans in the stadium.

At The Half

Australia leads 2 to zero.

Australia scores!

At the 30th minute