Sunday bloody sunday

Easter Sunday. Sorry for my irreverence, but Easter isn't exactly a big deal here - Jesus who? However, we did decide to acknowledge the day and headed down to the Renaissance Riverside where we rolled away a few stones of our own.



Hilly had bought a very funky dress that she was a bit worried about wearing, but she did and she ended up getting all the Easter Bunny nominations.

I am not sure, but this could be the first time that Scott and Rachel have made it on to the austere pages of V4A (that's Scott standing up on the left). Scottie, who has a wonderful Scottish accent, is Rachel's husband and was celebrating the re-signing of his annual contract. And in true style, he bought 3 bottles of Yalumba red, 'The Menzies', which went down a treat. David and I followed up, but Scott's choice was definitely the winner. Thanks mate.



Actually there were a few new faces, which is good since Andrea & Duanne, banJenna and Terence weren't around. Stewart and Mel are Sydney-ites that have been here for a few months. Stewart works with HSBC (with David) and Mel is a GP. Really nice couple with two young boys.



I think that Rachel really likes my watch, but I am not sure.

We all ended up back at our place, where we enjoyed the views from the roof and the gentle sounds of the FIVE boys rampaging around the pool!



Phew....... Nice to veg-out by the end of the day.

Chuc Le Phuc Sinh!

Lanie

Went home briefly in March to say goodbye to Coffo. Despite it not being the happiest of occasions, the weekend did provide some silver linings. The best one was meeting up with Simon and his girl friend Elaine. We had a great dinner at Southbank and a wander around the riverside. I absolutely fell in love with this smart, effervescent and very beautiful girl within minutes. And Sime just seemed to be smiling whenever she was near. Really hoping they will find their way here soon, but life is hectic for both! We'll keep fingers crossed.......

Harmony

A few of us went along to the annual party that the New Zealand crew put on and generally spent the evening and night catching up with friends and enjoying the kiwi hospitality. Okay, they're not Aussies, but they do know how to have a good time.

And then there was the music......



I can't quite remember what the song was that wound up H and Nigel, but it was probably 'Slice of Heaven' or maybe something from the brothers Finn. Whatever it was, nice job you two!

The New Pad

We enjoyed the 'Mansions', but after a year, H was keen to find a space a little more like home. And once we looked at Avalon Apartments, we knew we were home(ish!). Here are some images of our rooms and a few of the nicknacks.

We are on the third floor of fourteen. Our view is framed by the foliage of the trees down on the street.



You can also see other stuff, like the gym, the rooftop pool, bbq area and the views by checking out their website: http://www.avalon.com.vn/# - bit slack I know!




We had a bit of a house warming a few weeks ago, including Andrea and Duane - the new parents of the crew! We bbqed upstairs (despite it being a bit wet) and sat around in the apartment enjoying a laugh or two.



The pillows were hunted down in Cambodia during a cross-border excursion by H and some of the girls. I like the splash of colour.

Admittedly, the noise from the street does wake you up in the morning, but the one that doesn't go to work at 0630 has found that ear-plugs help a lot. (Nothing to do with my snoring, honest.)



The laundry hides behind a few bi-fold louvred doors. Really convenient.



No, that's not a planter box. Its just a close up of a couple of candle holders bought in HCMC somewhere.



PS - When the time came to move out of Room 609, we had thought that we were going to just grab a few taxis and bang the boxes in and drive around the corner and unload them in to the new spot. Well, by the time 10:30pm came around, it was realised that we had somehow accumulated LOTS of stuff during 2007. And maybe the taxi idea was not such a good one. So, Glen went down to the front desk (godbless them) and asked if they could arrange a moving van for the morning - at 10:30 - at night. Well, at 0900 the next morning, the moving van, and two men to help, arrived and moved all in about 2 hours flat! And it only cost 300,000 dong (like $23 bucks)!

Try doing that in Oz!



See ya later Norfolk!