A Throwback Birthday Party

Elmo the Pinata

Dave's birthday falls on 2nd December, which is a tough day to plan. It's not his fault, it's just that there's a lot going on during this time of the year. There's of course Christmas and all the events that lead up to Christmas.

With Dave and I going back to the States on 14th December, there's urgency to try to see people before we go because we won't be back until 10th January. And syncing with everyone else's calendar is the biggest challenge because during this time of year, every weekend is full.

Luckily, I planned a few weeks in advance because these excuses would not get in the way of us celebrating Dave's 27th birthday in style - a birthday picnic like he was 7 again.

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, I was able to invite all our friends in Sydney to a birthday picnic on his actual birthday (on a Sunday yes!) at Rushcutters Bay Park (only a 5 minute walk from our apartment).

The biggest worry about planning a party outdoors if of course the weather. We watched the forecast the entire week like a hawk. There really is no use in doing this because the weather in Sydney turns so quickly and the forecast always features a chance of rain to cover the area's strange weather.

The past week was gorgeous and we were hoping it would be the same this week, but the weather forecast predicted not just slight showers, but full on thunderstorms on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, it was steamy hot like a sauna. Humidity was high and we expected down pour. This was not the case. It didn't rain at all and we knew the worst of it would be on Sunday as if the weather gods were saving their wrath on the day of our picnic.

We told ourselves, either way, this picnic was happening. We had promised a day of outdoor fun filled with games we played when we were young and we were going to deliver. On Saturday, we made party favours and bought all the supplies for games, but held off on food preparation in case we had to call it all off and meet at a bar.

That night, I took Dave out for a birthday dinner at Ms. G's. It's a trendy Asian fusion restaurant in our neighborhood that I had been dying to take Dave to since I went with a couple of girlfriends months ago. Their concept is unique because its walk-in only, serving alcoholic slushies in containers for bubble tea and an exceptional menu of bold flavours.

Dressed Up To Take Dave To His Birthday Dinner

Enjoying Packaged Cocktails at Ms G's

Spicy Corn On The Cob With Parmesan

Stoner's Delight 2.0

If you ever go to Ms G's, I highly recommend our order:

To drink: 

Ms G’s Famous Yuzu Slushee  $14

Limoncello, Russian Standard vodka, yuzu juice,  Regan’s orange bitters

To start:

Ms G’s grilled corn on the cob, parmesan, lime ($4each)

Mini bánh mì- crisp pork belly ($6each)

Mains:

Jow’s Sweet & Sour lamb ribs $23

Grilled wagyu flank steak, pho jus, traditional pho garnish $29

Dessert:

“Stoner’s Delight 2.0” doughnut ice cream, peanut butter, raspberry jam,

candied bacon, potato chips, mars bar slice, banana fritter $12

Birthday Morning

The next morning, I woke up Dave and had him open presents in bed. Dave is so good at giving presents, so the bar is always set high for me. This year, he broke his only pair of sunglasses - fake Ray Ban . So I took his broken pair to Sunglass Hut and had them match the closest pair. The week before he complained that he missed having glasses especially driving on the scooter, so I reluctantly got him $10 knock-off wayfarers (since I had already bought the actual Ray Bans), but alas he lost them at his company Christmas party on Friday night. He was so happy when he opened them. "I've never owned designer sun glasses before."

His next gifts were a thermal long sleeve and green chinos since we'll be heading towards a North American winter. His favourite tops are thermal button downs. I decided to get him the green pants because he loves his shorts that are the same green colour, plus these pants are in style in Sydney.

Showing Off His Presents

After opening presents, we checked the weather forecast and it looked promising with slight chance of showers at 0-2mm of rain. We had a lot of work to do before the picnic, so I put on a season of The Rachel Zoe Project (because she is entertaining and looks like she works hard) and set to making sandwiches and preparing the load to take out to the park.

Box of Goodies

To Fill Up The Party Favour Bags & Elmo

The Setup

Dave and I had to take turns minding our picnic spot because there were several trips to be made and one of us had to stake out the spot so no one would take it. In true little kid birthday fashion, we set up streamers, balloons and Elmo the Pinata.

Mini Cupcakes

The event was scheduled for 12-5pm. We knew people would come because over 20 people RSVP'd and more had verbally told us they were coming, but we were still nervous. Since moving to Sydney, Dave and I have made so many friends, but all from different pockets of our lives ie work, soccer, volleyball. From there, we become friends with the friends whom we were introduced to. In the end, the food and the games brought everyone together

First Game: Egg Break

This is a game I learned from the many Filipino Christmas parties I've attended back in Texas.

Instructions: Partners stand in front of each other each with a fresh egg in a bag tied to their waste. The egg dangles right between the knees.
The object of the game: To knock each other's eggs to break.
Winner: Partners who both have broked eggs
Added Value: Seeing your friends thrust their pelvis like it was a high school prom.

Take 2

Getting Close

Different Tactics

Game 2: Water Balloon Toss

Instructions: Partners stand in front of each other, with one partner starting with a water balloon. After each successful toss, the partners move farther and farther apart.
The object of the game: To be the farthest apart with a water balloon still in tact.
Winner: The last ones with an un-punctured water balloon.
Added Value: Seeing your friends get wet when receiving the water balloon.

How Far Can You Go?

Jutta, Rachael, Mel, Emily & Saskia

Helen, Rebecca, Jennie, Haley & Lauren

Egg Toss Round 2

Step Back

Ready To Toss

Ready to Receive

Soft Hands

The Stance

Picnic Party People

Game 3: Grab The Pegs

Instructions: Partners stand in front of each other. One partner puts pegs all over his or her body. The other partner is blind folded. When all partners are ready, the blind folded partner reaches to remove the pegs.
The object of the game: To remove the pegs as fast as possible.
Winner: The first set of partners who have no pegs remaining.
Added Value: Seeing your friends grope each other.

Lots Of Groping

Game 4: 3-Legged Race

Instructions: Partners stand next to each other and tie their inner legs together to form a 'third leg' (The name speaks for itself)
The object of the game: To walk/run in unison to the finish line
Winner: To be the first pair to cross the finish line
Added Value: Seeing your friends competitive nature and athletic ability weighed down by their partner.

All Tied Up

GO GO GO!

Striding So Far Their Band Broke

The last game of the day was reserved for only Dave and Elmo. We spun hims around 27 times and gave him a stick to swing at the pinata. He was so disoriented that the crowd had to yell directions. He finally took a few swings, but Elmo hung decapitated because his body fully of candy was too heavy.

The Birthday Boy

Tired From All the Fun and Games - He's Getting Old!

After much party planning, production and a bit of grace from the rain gods, Dave's birthday was a hit! I received so many compliments from our efforts with the decorations, party favours, food and games. I was happy that everyone was fed with food to spare. Everyone had a lot of fun playing games they hadn't played since they were young. Best of all, we gathered all our friends together and Dave reveled in his day.

Coldplay Dazzles Sydney

We heard Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto tour was coming months ago. They were set to play in Sydney on 17 November and we bought our tickets at first pre-sale in early May. It was like bidding in the last 10 seconds on EBay. I was attempting at my office in Milsons Point while Dave, Jutta and Zach were trying to get tickets in their office in North Sydney. We kept getting kicked off or placed in an idle queue among thousands of other Sydney-siders. In the last few minutes of the ticketing window, we secured 4 tickets for Section B of the floor seating for $100 each. This is cheap in Sydney concert standards.

Months had gone by and all of the sudden, it was the weekend of the Coldplay concert. I heard they put on not just a show but a spectacle. We were not disappointed.

We arrived at 5:30pm and already there were thousands dispersed outside the Allianz Stadium gates at Moore Park. Luckily Zach and Jutta had arrived 15 minutes earlier and were already in line. Dave and I cut hundreds of people and played it cool finding our friends right inside the gates.

Just Arrived at Allianz Stadium, Sydney

The Pierces, The Temper Trap & Coldplay

We walked into Allianz Stadium seeing what looked like a Cirque de Soleil set up. Coincidentally, Cirque de Soleil was set up next door at the Entertainment Quarter. This concert was going to be a circus.

The opener was The Pierces. No one had heard of them except for me because I knew they had a few songs in Season 1 of Gossip Girl. Their music is the type you'd hear at Lilith Fair. They do have one mainstream hit Secret, which is heavily promoted for Big Brother Australia. Jutta and I tuned out while we caught up with each other's lives sitting on the floor of the stadium, while the boys went to get beers and gozleme - a new late night favourite.

Wristbands Unite

Jutta, Zach, David and Me

What Could This Be For?

Listening to Temper Trap. Pumped for Coldplay

Next up was The Temper Trap. At first I didn't like their sound, but after a song or two I started to like their beat. They are very U2 and Indie. I wanted to hear more, but this was my only chance to go to the loo before Coldplay got on stage. The longer I waited, the bigger the crowd and the longer the lines would be to the ladies room.

I was back in 20 minutes and we heard the last few The Temper Trap hits. One of their songs included water and drums! The ended with a tribute to Coldplay playing Hurts Like Heaven.

It was 8pm and knowing that concerts end around 10:30pm due to the residential proximity of the venue, we knew Coldplay would be on soon. It wasn't until 8:45pm that Coldplay came out. The wait was long, but so worth it.

They didn't hold back. Smoke, fireworks, lasers and confetti canons filled the sky. Then all of the sudden, our bracelets lit up like Christmas lights. The stadium was filled with our waving lit up bracelets. This was better than New Year's Eve!

50,000+ Enamored By Chris Martin

Reach for the Confetti!

Surprise Bouncy Balls Fill the Floor

Bouncy Balls Dispersed Through the Crowd

Confetti Fills The Air Again

Every Song in a Different Colour

Full Effect of LED Light Wristbands on the Floor

LED Light Wristbands Light the Stadium

Encore #2

Lasers and Smoke in the Sky

Clocks in a Red Backdrop

Closing with Fireworks

Coldplay's set list was spot on. They played old favourites like Yellow and The Scientist early. Elton John was in town for his concert too. Chris Martin joked to the crowd saying how irritated the band was that Elton had taken over the entire hotel except for their 4 rooms. As young artists they were in such awe of Elton and respect him so much more today. Chris played part of Rocket Man as a tribute on piano and it was amazing! They filled the middle of the set with Mylo Xyloto, X&Y, Viva La Vida album favourites like Paradise, Fix You and Paradise.

They ended at 10:00pm and the crowd was not convinced. We knew there were would be an encore. They did come back, but no on stage, but a second stage near us! Section B was worth it! We rushed over when Chris Martin appeared only 50 feet from us! The rest of the band came out one by one during Speed of Sound and another song. By the third song, they were back at the main stage of Clocks.

They rocked out the last 15 minutes of the concert on the main stage dazzling the crowd with en epic laser show with bursts of fireworks that could compete with Sydney's New Year's Eve.

To read an great review on the concert, check out the article on Sydney Morning Herald posted that night.

If you missed out, you're not too late. They played in Sydney on Sunday, 18th November and are ending their tour with Brisbane on 21 November.

Concert Exodus

*On Sunday evening of their second show in Sydney, Dave and I could hear the concert all the way in our apartment in Elizabeth Bay. We turned off the TV, listened in nostalgia and I wrote this blog post.