Surfing - Not as Easy as it Looks

I took my first surfing lesson yesterday up at Manly Beach and it was hard.  I choose the Manly Surfing School because I hadn't been to Manly yet and from what I've heard it is less crowded than Bondi.  After taking that first lesson, I'm glad I did.  The class was full, probably 20 people.  But we were isolated from the rest of the surfers who knew what they were doing.
I figured it would be a little tough, but I was a little hopeful that I'd be able to pick it up quicker than I have.  The lesson itself was laughably similar to Kunu teaching Peter how to surf in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  A lot of stand up, get down, faster, now slower, nope still too fast.  I was able to catch the waves easy enough, but couldn't for the life of me find my center of gravity on the board to be able to stand up with enough time to enjoy the ride.  Sure, I stood up a few times but it was always at the end of the wave.  By the time I had the windmill arms under control and presumably still on the board, I was at the beach.  I wasn't able to get myself toward the front of the board enough and road the tail which meant the bulk of my weight was on the back of the board which ultimately meant that when I feel (yes when), I was certainly going to go backwards with the board shooting up in front of me.

I booked a pack of four lessons in hope that I'd learned enough to go out on my own for practice.  But, after Sunday's trip, I might need to buy a few more afterwards.  As long as the weather's good this weekend, I'll book another lesson.  I'm also hoping the waves are a little smaller.  For the most part they were normal, but there were a few bursts where the waves were at least 4 to 6 feet.  In due time, hopefully.  But right off the bat, I'll try to stick to the small, unassuming waves.

Quiet morning in the harbour

Killing two birds today. Catching the ferry to Manly for the day and taking my first surfing lesson. Fingers crossed...

Happy Australia Day

Love the day off in the middle of the week. Good to refresh from the stress of Monday and Tuesday. And what's the Aussie way to refresh? Why with a beer and a trip to the beach.

I stopped off at a new bar, the Stuffed Beaver. The best part, besides the name, is the food. It's as close as I've seen to an American bar. They have hot wings and MGD. Now sure I feel like my dad drinking it, but it's only the second american beer I've seen in Oz. And sure it's shot, but it's home.

Any one else drinking the Jimmy religion?

Oh yeah, and in my opinion this is what an opera house should look like.

This is...

The Sydney Opera House....

when there isn't an opera in the house.

FINS UP!!!!!

A good majority of the concerts I go to, I find myself amongst the youngest. Even as I think I'm getting older. Let me offer a brief pictorial.






Have you ever been to a Jimmy Buffett concert with a waiter putting out water instead of a margarita waterfall? I hadn't either.






Oh yeah, and here's the venue.




It NEVER gets old.

Stay tuned, more to come (the opener). Great folk singer from Darwin.

2010 Restaurant Wrap Up

I figured I'd try to put the memory to good use and try to come up with a list of the restaurants (memorable and not so memorable; breakfast lunch and dinner) I've been to so far.  This may not be very exciting for anyone reading this, but hopefully it helps my memory down the road.

Sydney:
*Fix St James - CBD - Good well cooked meals and great wines
Lord Nelson's Brewery Hotel - The Rocks
Sailor's Thai - The Rocks
*Sailor's Thai Canteen - The Rocks - Update thai that still brings the heat
*Aria - Circular Quay - Well executed, but small on the portions.  Great view of the Harbour
Belgian Beer Cafe - The Rocks
Bavarian Bier Cafe - CBD
*Rockpool Bar and Grill - CBD - Good burger but even better onion rings
Spice Temple - CBD
Chophouse - CBD
Japanese RSL - CBD
*Tetsuya's - CBD - Memorable for the wrong reasons, but glad I went there
*BBQ King - Chinatown - Go to for Peking Duck and BBQ pork spare ribs
*il Baretto - Surry Hills - Great BYO Italian spot down the street from me
Prasit's Thai - Surry Hills
Spice I Am - Darlinghurst
Kanteen - Surry Hills
Kathmandu (Nepalese) - Newtown
Fat Noodle - Pyrmont
Sean's Kitchen - Pyrmont
Mojo's Tapas Bar - Bondi
10 William Street Bar - Paddington
*Wine Library - Wollahra - Excellent meatballs and chicken liver parfait.  Great wine selection too.
*Love Tilly Devine - Darlinghurst - Light appetizers and even better wine list.  Lots of out of the ordinary wines.  First place I've seen an Italian Kerner since Alinea.
Churrasco - Darlinghurst
Blue Orange Cafe - Bondi
Moo - Bondi
Trio - Bondi
Pompei's - Bondi
*Hurricane's - Bondi and Darling Harbour - Best ribs in Sydney I've had so far
*Lucio Pizzeria - Darlinghurst - Best Pizza I've come across
Bird, Cow, Fish - Surry Hills
Bills on Crown - Surry Hills
Gumshara - Chinatown
*Bourke St Bakery - Surry Hills - Might not qualify as a restaurant but by far the best sausage roll anywhere
The Winery
The Wine Garden

Tasmania:
Stillwater - Launceston
Black Cow - Launceston
Terrace Restaurant - Launceston

I'm sure I've missed some, but as I think of them I'll try to add them to the list.