We are now ENGAGED!

We’re now ENGAGED!!

Last weekend was Chi-chan’s birthday so I planned many fun things for her.

On Saturday 10^th July, I organized a pedicure and facial for her to enjoy at a local day spa. In the evening, we went to a bar in town to eat and drink with about 9 of our friends. By the end, we had both drank a lot and had a great time.

The following day was when the real fun began. In the morning, we woke up and jumped in the car. We drove about 1hr30mins to Phillip Island, the home of the fairy penguins, or as they are now known “fairy penguins”.

We stayed at a the black dolphin bed and breakfast hotel, which had views of the ocean, a 3 person spa bath as well as a large living and dining area.

In the afternoon, we went to Churchill Island to experience farm live. Chi-chan was even able to milk a cow! After this, the main event was about to begin!　Once leaving Churchill Island, we headed back to our penthouse to get some warmer clothes for the penguin parade.

Asking the big question…..

After getting a briefing as to what to expect from the parade, our small group of 6 members on our exclusive tour, departed for a night to remember. The car dropped us off at a scenic lookout which led us towards the beach. It was at this very point that I popped the question and asked Chihiro Yasuno to marry me. The ring was too big, my Japanese wasn’t perfect but she very happily said yes, and we were able to experience the penguin parade hand-in-hand with the excitement of two people who had just committed to live the rest of their lives together.

Once we had watched every last penguin swim ashore and walk by us, we drove down to Infused restaurant in Cowes, Phillip Island. On arrival, we were seated at the best seat in the house, shouted complimetary glasses of champagne, before enjoying the most divine oysters, seafood and steak you could ever hope for. Special thank you Patrick and his team at Infused.

The following day, we visited the Koala conservation centre, Cowes for some fish ‘n’ chips, Cape Wollamai to view the gnarly surf, before the long drive back home.

Love to hear from everybody about what you think of our great news.

Jump over to Chi-chan’s blog for even more gossip on our lives in Austrlia.

Peter

ちーちゃんのブログ

FINALLY settling into live in Melbourne

WORK...SHIPPING CONTAINERS...NEW APARTMENTS..."OH MY"!

Live has definitely been moving forward at an amazing pace.

Work- 2 weeks ago, I started working at Brighton Toyota. This is Australia's largest Toyota dealership and has about 290 full time staff. My position here is the Aftermarket Sales Consultant. Basically, all the paint protection, window tinting, as well as electrical options such as reverse sensors, satellite navigation devices, etc.. The job is very different compared to anything else I've ever done and slowly, but surely, I'm learning many different aspects of the industry.

Shipping Containers- After 6-7 weeks of waiting, at long last, our 3 cubic meters of clothes, books and sporting goods arrived in Australia. We're also happy to announce everything made it unbroken and in 1 piece.

New Apartments- It's located 1.5km from the beach, 2km from my job and 6km from the city.

Rent is $325 per week (￥30,000) Believe it or not, that amount for rent is fairly reasonable. Anyway, it's a 2 bedroom apartment with 1 car space. The train station is about a 1 minute walk across the road and the best part, IT'S OURS!!! チーちゃん　has done an amazing job of making the place look homely, especially with all the fantastic gifts we got from everyone...みんなさんありがとう！

Will get some photos up here really soon...I promise.

Pete

Aussie Update

Hi all,

Hope all of you are enjoying the warmer weather and are looking forward to another festival-filled Japanese summer.

To make this blog easier to read I’m going to try and keep it short and to the point.

Things I like:

- The big blue sky. - Lots of stars at night.

- Fresh fruit and vegetables. - Al fresco cafes and restaurants.

- My family and friends. - The sounds of birds singing.

- Australian Rules Football. - St. Kilda beach.

- Cheap golf.

Things I don’t like:

- Expensive apartments. - Slow public transport.

- Driving a car everywhere. - Stupid TV shows.

- Junk food in every direction. - Australian convenience stores.

- Slow customer service.

As for work, Chi-chan has lined up a job as a waitress in a restaurant in the city. She’s working 5 days a week with a good group of staff and so far, is enjoying meeting some new people too. I’ve had a couple of interviews and should be able to make an announcement sometime in the near future s so stay tuned.

The two of us are meeting some friends this weekend and staying at their place too. They also have an 8 person spa bath so it should be fun having a couple of drinks and relaxing. Earlier in the day, I’ll be going to the football to watch my beloved team, the Western Bulldogs. The both of us are also going to see the Australia vs New Zealand soccer game on Monday night. This game should be exciting and hopefully the Aussies can have a big win before they leave for the World Cup.

Take care,

Pete and Chi-chan

The Ups and Downs of living Down Under

Sorry it's taken so long to get this first blog about our transition back to Australia. Although we are safe and in good health, there has definitely been a lot of challenges to overcome.

Internet connections, immigration red tape, customer service, public transport, job interviews and borrowing friends' cars have all been without their slight hiccups. You know what they say-whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. Well, if the first week has been any indiction, we're both going to be SUPER strong!

There have also been some amazing adventures and experiences we've been able to share together too. Walking onto the middle of the MCG to participate in a 14,000 people event to raise money for breast cancer would have to be the highlight so far. Mum's lamb roast dinner comes a very close second. Sorry mum!

Chihiro and I are enjoying working through each obstacle and we are going closer and closer each day as a result. Love you sexy girl!

We will write again soon,

Pete

こんばんは。お久しぶりです。

ピーターが上に書いた通り、なんだかんだといろいろばたばたした約１週間でした。仕事の面接や、インターネットがなかなかつながらなかったり、友達に借りてる車が結構オンボロで、ひやっとしたり、タイヤがパンクしたり笑

しかし、そんなことさえも楽しくて仕方がない今日この頃です☆

それにゴルフいったり、大好きな友達に会ったり、Footy見に行ったり、乳がんのチャリティーに参加して、MCGのグラウンドにたったり素敵なことがいっぱいです”

もし詳しく知りたいーーなんて思ってくれる人がいれば、

http://ameblo.jp/luckychihiro/

をみてみてねーー！！

オーストラリアにきて、まだ１週間。色々ありますが、

日本にいるときから、そして着いた今も、いつも助けてくれるKate,

お世話になりっぱなしのPeterのMum,

そして親戚のTony,Julie,Jay,Beau,Tara,Kasey,David,Bella,キース,Susan,マーガレットおばちゃんにノームおじちゃん,リネット

本当に大好きやし、

『私たちはあなたの家族で、あなたの味方よ！！』

って言葉はほんまに心強いです！

そしてピーター。いつも本当にありがとう。

I love you so much!!

千尋

Goodbye Osaka

The day has finally come for us to finally leave.

Yesterday, the shipping company came to pick up all our possessions-All 27 BOXES!! We hope to see them in about 1 month, all safe and sound. In the meantime, we've got to contend with our suitcases to live out of until then... something tells me though, we'll indulge in a bit of "retail therapy" to tide us over.

Our plane departs tonight at 8:20pm and arrives in Melbourne via Gold Coast at 11:30am tomorrow.

Both our stomaches are full of nervous butterflies and a mixture of emotions.

Thank you to everyone who have shared our journey so far and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Big hugs, kisses and bows (Japanese Style)

私のはこっちのブログでみてください☆

では、では

いってきまーーーす☆

Peter and Chihiro

完走しました。Strongman Triathlon-Completed!

Aside from Miyakojima being a beautiful location for a holiday, it is also a perfect setting to swim, bike and run.

I won't bore you with too many of the details so I'll keep it really short:

• Friday and Saturday were mostly filled with race prep and a little bit of sight seeing. Lights out at 9pm
• Sunday-woke up at 4am, ate breakfast and headed off to the race start. Pumped the tyres up, checked all the bolts on my bike were all tight one last time, posed for pre-race pics and lubricated my neck before the swim so all wetsuit wouldn't cut me to shreds!
• Swim was fast, despite almost having a mid-ocean K1 fight with one of the other swimmers. Just for the record I think I won by TKO.
• Bike was brutal. The winds were either hitting you from the front, back, left, or right depending on which part of the Island we were circumnavigating. My speeds ranged from 64KM/H to as little 15KM/H. The aid stations and fans around the Island were fantastic though and took a lot of the monotony out of almost 5hrs in the saddle.
• On to the run. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed the run...crazy, right!! Yes, it hurt. Yes, I wanted to walk or better yet, have a cafe latte at one of the cafe's nearby the run course, but I didn't. I was able to keep many of those inner demons at bay and run to the best of my potential on the day.
• Finish Line celebrations. They were no-where near as emotional as last year's Ironman Japan, but no less satisfying. After a cold shower and a 20 minute light massage from some volunteers, it was time to get back to the hotel. Laundry doesn't do itself, you know!
• I can't sleep!!! The combination of caffeine, sugar and muscle fatigue resulted in about 4 hours sleep in the following 48 hours. It's a good thing I don't do these races every weekend.
• Time for some R and R (Rest and Recovery). Getting to appreciate the beautiful marine life, albeit still being amped up on race-related stimiulates was a highlight, as well as the Salt flavoured ice-cream with various salt-infused toppings.
• Packing- There's nothing more satisfying than a seeing your bicycle all clean and revitalised, however I won't get a chance to see it until it lands in Melbourne, fingers crossed around the end of May. I pray it, and everything else we own makes it safely.
• Thank you. Big thanks to everyone who made it possible to do this race. Training partners, friends, family who wished me all the best, pushed me to my limits in the swim pool, cycling roads and runs around Osaka castle.

Now I need to get back into shape after about 1 and a half weeks of pure gluttony. I've got to look good in my first photos when we arrive in Melbourne, don't I!?

Thanks for reading,

Pete

Miyakojima Stongman Triathlon 2010

This time next week, I hope to have finished the Strongman Triathlon.
Below is a run-down of how my race day should look like, or so I hope it will anyway!

• 4:30 Wake up and eat breakfast.
• 5:00 Get in the rental car and drive to swim start.
• 5:15 Collect race timing band and get body numbering done.
• 5:30 Pump tires up, check bike set-up.
• 5:31 Line up for the toilet and wait a loooooong time.
• 5:45 Relax, Relax, Relax
• 6:15 Take caffeine supplement and put on wet suit. Oops!! And don't forget the sunscreen!
• 6:30 Enter the swim start point and warm up.
• 7:00 RACE START- Battle 1400 people in the water for the first 200m.
• 7:10 600m point of the swim and starting find a nice rhythm. Only 2400m to go!
• 7:45 EXIT THE WATER and peel off wet suit for a quick transition. 1 down, 2 to go!
  
• 7:47 BIKE START- Time for a 155k scenic ride around Miyakojima.
• 10:10 HALF-WAY Point of the Bike. Should still have plenty of energy left.
• 12:35 FINISH THE BIKE- Almost 5 hours and feeling good, except for the fact I now walk like an Obaa-Chan.
• 12:38 START RUN- 42.195k-Now this part is the great unknown.
• 13:00 Run
• 13:01 Run some more
• 13:02 Keep running
  
• 17:00 FINISH STRONGMAN with a big smile on my face!
• 17:30 Shower and enjoy the accomplishment with as much Chocolate and Ice-cream as I desire.
  

This is the plan any way.

Everyone should be able to follow the race live on the internet.

Please give me all your strength at various stages of race, especially during the marathon.

Gambarimasu,

Pete

ピーターがトライアスロン前になると、（いや？普段から？）食べ物が、野菜、野菜、野菜のオンパレードに。。。

あー早くこってりしたものが食べたい。。。。

千尋