Xmas and Boxing Day 26 DEC 2008

So wondering how i spent my Adelaide Xmas and how's xmas like in Adelaide city?
Well, i can tell u tat, it's nthg special at all, just me and myself, hahhaa. Sounds pretty sad?
Nope, dun need to kolien me :)

This is roughly what Adelaide city Xmas looks like.....

Rundle mall

State library

Adelaide Council lantern display with Xmas tree!!! Really sthg different!!!

Victoria Square Xmas tree

At National Wine center for SA pathology xmas party





Varities of wine for drink :)

With Sam,Dan, Andrew,Phil and Tash :)

Big wine cellar of national wine center

Big carolling at elder park: carol by candlenight :)

Fireworks display at the end of the carolling from afar

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However, i did experienced something different the next day....which is BOXING day....Frankly, i have never heard of BOXING day before, it sounded to me as if the adelaide people celebrate something on real boxing.....but y?? Boxing after xmas?? isn't it weird!!! I knew it's not meant real boxing (fight with the fists) after i asked my colleagues. Haha, i just realized how naive am i about other world festivals/celebrations.

So what is boxing day??

Accoding to wikipedia,

Boxing Day is a bank holiday or a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations with a mainly Christian population. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts (a "Christmas box") to the less fortunate members of society. In many countries Boxing Day is a "shopping holiday" associated with post-Christmas sales and early starts to 'January sales'.

Woke Up vyvy early to catch 7.25Am train to Noarlunga centre to meet my co coz he's gona fetch me from there.

Train terminal

13mins to the departure of the train to Noarlunga centre

Train scene of brighton and hallet cove coastal line.

Phil's stepfather on the bbq set....

Phil's daughter, berthney. She is just hyper active when she's awake, haha.

the backyard of Phil's mother house

A pray b4 lunch

Phil's mother and step father prepared all the food and Phil's father brought in some fruits and cakes :)

Their big feast are made of sausages,breads, potatoes, chicken chops.....etc if you wana make it simple.

The xmas tree, the presents under the tree are real ones :)

Berries, fat juicy Grade A , probably the best

Xmas Cookies

Xmas crackers, i saw these stuff but duno what is it for until i actually have a play with it!! really sthg NEW to me, haha. U have to pull to ends, and "POP", there u go, the sound of a cracker, haha. It contains a toy, a xmas hat and a wishing message :)

Forgot wat tis is cal, haha.

Present giving and opening time, it's their western culture to give away presents when everyone is around and to open the presents once you got it. Unlike eastern culture, usually people hope to see you expression when you open up the present and hope to hear that you like it :)

Berthney, in a cool pose, wahahha.

This is julia, Phil's stepsister 's daughter...she looks pretty at this age..haha.

Guessed wat?? I have a present from Phil and Belinda as well, it's the famous South Australia Haigh's chocs, this when i first tasted the famous choc :), Thx Phil!

Licorices, sthg like marshmellow bit and chewy....1st time tasted it :)

And we had cakes for desserts as well, there is this traditional lemon cake....i cant tahan the taste tat's so weird and sour like, that i just cant finish it up. The other cakes taste great :)

We have some cards (funny m&m cards bought from Los Angeles by Phil) to wait for digestion of all the foods...wahaha, learned a new card game, though i forgot it now....haha. Yeah, a whole new experience for me.....1st time XMAS in a foreign country, though i owez hoped for a white xmas, but nevertheless, a summer XMAS is as gud :)

A BIG THX to PHIL :)