Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all. This year I bought myself a Valentine's Day present. A house to live in. Thus today is...Moving Day!

Never a dull moment around here and this week has been pretty par for the course. On Wednesday my friend Christophe very generously offered to assist me in retrieving a bed that I'd purchased second hand from some people out in Maroubra Beach (a quaint beach suburb about 40 minutes away by car, 1.5 hours by bus which I, unfortunately, found out the hard way.) Anywho, Christophe in his zippy new (to him) Hyundi hatchback whisked me off to the beach whereupon we picked up the used Ikea mattress and bed frame. Just as I was about to breath a huge sigh of relief that the whole thing fit in the back of the car we heard a tow-curling, cringe inducing, "CRRAACCKK"... almost too afraid to look, I surveyed the damage. BOTH legs of the headboard had just snapped off! So much for my $250 "investment" (I had thought I would be able to sell it when I leave and at least get my money back.) AHHHHH! Nevertheless we brought it back to my new house and luckily, the girl who is moving out offered to help me with trying to fix the bed. Her dad is quite good with tools and fixing things etc. so they've taken the headboard to try to repair it, which I really really appreciate. For what it's worth I've learned my lesson about buying second hand Ikea furniture.

 I guess things could be worse. I could be in Victoria where bushfires have been raging for a week. Whole towns there are living in tent cities, trying to come to terms with not only the loss of their houses and possessions, but even their family and friends. The devastation has affected not just the people of the area, but hundreds of animals too. The news coverage has been very thorough, mixing horrific footage of incinerated towns with heartwarming stories of bravery and selflessness.

This is a now famous picture of Sam the koala, being given water after a firefighter discovered him, injured, and thirsty. There have been so many stories of heroism amidst the devastation and I think it's really important that people everywhere know about this story. I know Australia doesn't get much press coverage in Canada but maybe if you are reading this and can spare a few dollars to the relief fund, you will donate some money. 

I know I will be. 
The fundraising effort here has grown to over $50 million and it's really nice to see a whole country pulling together to help these people who have lost everything.

Top 10 Best and Worst so far...

Best.

10. The friendly people. Even strangers are always willing and eager to lend a hand. I've been given countless directions by smiling strangers, offered rides places by complete strangers (I know what you're thinking but really the nice lady offered me a ride after I asked her for directions!) and eaten the free (well donation only) food given out by the Hare Krishna Food for Life Truck. 

9. The variety of cultural/ ethnic foods. Jam packed together in every neighbourhood is a smorgasbord of Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian, French, Australian and every type of Asian food all sharing the same street! It really is a wonderful break from the cookie cutter fast food joints that proliferate at home. Even the smattering of McDonald's restaurants look out of place amidst the glorious bounty of international offerings here in Sydney. 

8. Gus, my consummate host who rescued me from what was about to be two weeks at a hostel. Ugh!

7. The wonderful fruit here... overflowing piles of grapes, bananas, mangoes and strange looking fruits that I've rarely seen before (starfruit?)

6. Sunshine. So much of it (well until two days ago)

5. You can order beer and wine at movie theaters. Wow!

4. The beaches. There are so many and they are GORGEOUS!

3. Aussie Barbies (BBQs)

2. Wine seems to be the only thing that is less expensive than at home.

1. THE WARM WEATHER!

Worst.

10. Everything is so expensive. Seriously not exaggerating on this one. About $1000 a month for a ROOM in a house? Seriously? yes. Train tickets range from $3.20-$8.00 depending on the distance and that's just for a local, one way trip within Sydney. 2L (the largest quantity you can buy) of milk is $5. 

9. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Ever.

8. Having to take public transportation. Hot, smelly, crowded, late and in the case of the buses VERY slow.

7. Beer does not come in pints (despite this, it still costs the same as a Canadian pint). A "Schooner" is the size of a happy meal softdrink and lasts about as long as it takes for a cat to get pregnant. 

6. High density of deadly animals. Hard to get a good night's rest knowing hundreds of angry plants and animals could be plotting my death at any time. So far I've only seen a handful of roaches and a jellyfish, but still. A navy diver did lose his hand and most of his thigh in Sydney Harbour yesterday. Bet that shark was pretty full after that juicy meal. 

5. Lights at some crossings take FOREVER to change

4. People laughing at the way I say out and house. 

3. Crime and dodgy people everywhere. There's been a rash of ATM bombings all over the city recently and last week there was a biker gang hangout bombing that even though it was about half a km away from where I'm staying, still brought down plaster and made a light fall out of the ceiling. 

2. No weekly US gossip magazines. Am seriously missing my US weekly etc. What will I do not knowing what happens next to Brangelina?!

And my number one top thing driving me crazy?

1. There are no street signs anywhere in this whole $^%&$ing city! I am not lying. On numerous occasions I have been attempting to follow my google map directions whilst hauling a#$ on FOOT and come to a large 4 lane intersection with streets branching off in all directions (sydney is more like a spider web than a grid; very difficult to navigate) and have not seen even ONE stinking street sign. It is SO frustrating and infuriating. Not only that but sometimes roads are called one name by some people and another name by others. Curses!

Happy Birthday Bailey!

It's my puppy Bailey's 2nd birthday today and if I were home I would be having a birthday party for her just like last year! I know I know- it's crazy to have a birthday party for a dog, but why not? My friends and I use every other excuse in the book to throw a rager! Not to mention Martha Stewart who has no qualms about throwing a New Year's party for her cats. 

Anyway I thought I'd dedicate today's post to the little birthday-pup! I love you and I miss you Bailey!

Bailey's homecoming...

Bailey, 8 weeks, trying out the new digs aka her crate for the first time...

I want my mommy! Bailey's not too impressed at my first attempt to make her dinner.

Bailey at about 10 wks old. Getting acquainted with the laundry basket. Awwww...

Cuddle time with me!

Bailey is quite the little adventurer too!

Bailey at about 5 months old. Her first sailing trip!

Taking a dip up north with her buddy Russel. 

Not only does she love to get out and about, but is the life of the party too...

Silly face. 

House Hunting in Sydney

I've only been here a week but it seems a lot longer than that. Every day has been an adventure of some sort, mostly, but not always, of the good variety. My numero uno priority was to find a place to live, which despite all indications to the contrary, I have actually managed to do! Let me explain. I don't have much to compare to by way of experience finding shared accommodation but from what I have heard, and experienced in the last week, Sydney is one of THE hardest places to find decent shared housing. The first place I "rang up" (phoned) explained that they'd had over 20 people express interest in the place but invited me for an "interview" anyway. I really, really liked the room: large, big window, wall to wall built-in closet, own bathroom. I liked the other people in the house too aka we got "on" (along) well, so that was my number 1 choice. However, as there was so much competition I wasn't certain of my chances so off I went to explore some more options. Next was a rickety, run-down old two-story with paint peeling off the concrete walls and only one indoor bathroom to share between six people. There was another hole, I mean "bathroom" accessible by going through the kitchen, out the back door and around to the side of the house. No thank you! Can you imagine having to dart through the backyard and kitchen in a towel, especially in winter? Jeez Loueez. The kitchen was also a mess which wouldn't ordinarily bother me so much but kitchen mess in Sydney= critters of the MASSIVE COCKROACH variety. Seriously people, they are everywhere. I've killed two all by myself so far. My family will be delighted to know that I am now a kitchen-cleaning freak, obsessed with wiping counters! 

As the market here is so competitive I was actually psyching myself up to live in that dump when I visited my next house- a gorgeous flat right next to the university and central station. It had everything including cable tv, furniture, and even a pilates machine but my "roomie" would have been a 45 yr old Persian man. Although he seemed nice, I just wasn't sure how comfortable the situation would have been for me. Next I looked at this cute little hole-in-the-wall house in a quiet neighbourhood about 5km from the uni. It was actually quite large inside and had a large rambling backyard, quite unusual for Sydney. The occupants were lovely too. Two working professional guys in their 20's and two cute kitties! Not only was I delighted with the wine and cheese platter they offered me during the interview, but also with how polite and pleasant the guys were. The house was cozy and comfortable and I added it to my list of top choices.

Lastly, after a rather harrowing late-night bus ride to close to the outskirts of the city I visited a very nice flat on a main road atop a store. It was big, bright and comfortable and I enjoyed the company of the Aussie gal and Kiwi guy that lived there. Alas, the room wasn't available until the end of February and it was so far away from uni I'd spend over two hours a day commuting. Not the best situation. 

Luckily, after a second interview at the first house,  I got offers from my top two choices. It was a really tough decision because I enjoyed the company of both sets of housemates and as the prices for both places were the same, it came down to location. The first house is within walking distance to the uni and so I chose that one. I am delighted to be moving next weekend into a clean, modern, comfortable house with my 3 new housemates! One is a lovely girl from New Zealand and the other two are a German couple on a working holiday in Australia. What luck to find such a good house on my first try! I am glad to have seen so many places though to really appreciate what I ended up with. Now all I need to do is track down a bed. Will post some pictures soon!

Freshwater Beach Trip

A wonderful weekend in Sydney just past and I am delighted to report that I took full advantage of the sunshine! A friend Chris, whom I met during my last trip to Australia, picked me up and whisked me off to Freshwater beach. A glorious display of sun, sand, surf and sexy bods greeted us as we joined up with Chris's international group of mates. (I have some serious work in the gym to do if I'm going to even come close to looking like the girls here.) Although it was 3pm by the time we found parking, the sun was still hot hot hot and I enjoyed basking in it while catching up with my old friend and meeting some of his crowd. Although I consider myself a strong swimmer, the waves here are something else but luckily they were a manageable 1-2 meters- perfect for bodyboarding! This is where you catch a wave while lying down on a small foam board and surf down the wave lying on your stomach. It's really fun and Chris and I enjoyed racing each other (while handily avoiding running over myriad other swimmers, surfers and bodyboarders!)

After the beach we retired to the comfort of a friend's beachside flat for a good ol Aussie barbie (barbecue.) The food was fantastic! Grilled lamb, sausages and chicken and the most utterly delicious feta salad made with the host's French grandmother's secret vinaigrette recipe. We chowed down while watching the Australian Open men's final. What an exciting game! 

I'm currently hard at work finding a permanent residence so I'll keep all you keen readers up to date on that adventure!

Ciao for now.

Lucky lucky me!

It's day 4 of my new life in Sydney Australia and so far things couldn't be working out better. I've had some amazing luck so far, starting off with meeting my Australian hostess with the mostess-Gus! (short for Augusta) A mutual friend put us in touch the day before I left and Gus was so kind to offer to host me for my first few days in Australia. Oddly enough she was dropping someone off at the Sydney airport the morning of my arrival so all she had to do was expertly pick me out of a crowd (which she did, as the "girl who had enough luggage to look like she was moving to a new country" lol ) and whisk me back to her place. I'm staying in her fantastic flat in the heart of little Portugal and a short walk from little Italy. I have my own room and a very comfortable bed which has been a godsend to help me get over the jet-lag. Sydney is 16 hours ahead of Oakville so it's been quite the adjustment to get on the time schedule here. 

I kicked off my trip with a walk around Circular Quay and was blown away with the size of this absolutely enormous cruise ship moored at circular quay. I felt like I was in Honey I Shrunk the Kids standing next to that enormous ship.

The Opera house of course, was spectacular, it's white sails shimmering in the midday sun.

On a whim I decided to take a ferry trip to Manly Beach and was pleasantly surprised at the nice little beach town that leads to the gorgeous expanse of open ocean. Where's a surfboard when you need one!? Alas I didn't even have a bathing suit with me so I satisfied my urge to plunge myself into the warm ocean with an ankle-deep beach walk. 

Thank goodness for the instructions written on the curb sides no doubt for hapless north Americans such as myself who would otherwise join the ranks of the Darwin Awards. Running over too many tourists would be bad for business I guess. 

For every rose there is a thorn and I am missing my friends, family and puppy.

My Totally Bomb Farewell

As we all know I have temporarily moved to Australia. Before I left however, I had the most perfect farewell bash a girl could have asked for! I am so touched that so many people came out last Saturday evening for dinner and/ or drinks and dancing. Friends from as far away as London, Toronto, Brampton, Oshawa, Hamilton, and my sister who goes to school out in New Brunswick all gathered together to wish lil 'ol me goodbye. My newest friend who just moved here (I guess I should say Burlington as technically "here" is Sydney!) from Australia also had a friend from her hometown visiting and it was wonderful to meet her too. I feel so blessed to have such good friends to miss and I am going to miss all of them so much. 

As was to be expected I wasn't the first to arrive at the restaurant (although I had every intention of being early, an unexpected pre-restaurant gathering at my house, although very much welcome, derailed that idea) and when I arrived, I was delighted to see my friends mingling and socializing, a la an impromptu cocktail hour. I joined right in ordering my favourite drink, a pina colada! 

No party is complete without favours so I was thrilled to have had the time to make these for my friends.



A delectable chocolate chip cookie recipe from the always trustworthy Martha Stewart and some sand and shells from Whitehaven beach in Queensland Australia, that I'd saved from my trip there in 2005 made for the perfect favour for my party. 

The tropical contents even matched the decor of the restaurant!

As we all know I will use any opportunity I can for an excuse to play with stickers and I was thrilled to find the perfect ones to decorate the bags. Martha Stewart's Bon Voyage themed stickers along with some surfboard and flip flop stickers. So adorable!

The dinner party was great. Great company, great food and, other than almost knocking over a ceramic vase while catching the overloaded coat rack when it broke in half, there were no untoward incidents! This is a picture of one of the tables. My bad for not getting a picture of the other table! 

We had the same smooth sailing during the after dinner drinks and dancing at Joe Dogs. I have to hand it to my guy who piggy backed me almost the whole way to Joe Dogs cause my stilettos just weren't up to the task of walking in the snow. Many more of my friends from Oakville met us at Joe Dogs and it was fantastic to dance and party with so many friends in one place! Our group was definitely the life of the party as we lit up the dance floor song after awesome song! Great music was such a treat as I find it so hit and miss at dance clubs. Some highlights from the evening definitely include 

1) meeting my friend's new baby girl

2) delivering my very first ever speech-a nerve wracking challenge but I really wanted to do it. In the end it went fine and I was so touched and surprised by my friends' reactions- Jen laughed and cried at the same time!

3) this guy at the restaurant who had an UNBELIEVABLE mullet. Seriously, his hair looked like one of those Russian fur hats

4) finally and most importantly, getting to spend time with amazing friends, who, regardless of the time since we last saw each other, be it a year or just a day or two, are each so special to me in their own way. 

Thanks for coming out guys! I miss you already!

See You on the Flip Side...

I can't believe the day has finally arrived! In a few short hours I will be boarding a flight to Sydney Australia. While most loose ends have been tied up (most recently, finding a place to stay- thanks James!) I am still in the throes of packing. I started packing four weeks ago. Yes FOUR weeks ago, and I'm still somehow not finished. Granted I was asked to empty my room which, for a pack-rat like me was no small task, but still, with every van-load of stuff I've carted away, I seem to come back to more stuff in its place. It's like some law-of-physics defying cosmic joke. I literally cannot seem to clear out my stuff. 

During the mass clear-out I cleaned out the basement storage room. From it I either gave or threw away almost every toy, stuffed animal, doll, book, magazine, craft, art supply or board game I ever owned! I swear, the Apocalypse could have arrived and any kid trapped in my house wouldn't have wanted for something to do for at least a year.

A little dusty perhaps. Thank goodness Toronto has given each house a huge recycling bin!

I also have a lot of elementary school work and all of my high school and university notes, just in case I ever wish to read my Grade 2 journals (possibly) or re-learn Grade 11 Chemistry (not likely). Sorting through all of that will be a project for next time. 

Right now I'm still trying to come to terms with having to part with almost half my wardrobe and most of my winter clothing. I know it's irrational and I can't quite figure this out but I am feeling nervous at the thought of  going anywhere without my full set of thermal underwear and a snowsuit. How quickly and easily I've forgotten what warm air feels like. I can even comfortably wear my jacket in the house it's that cold here right now. I'm now going to go take the fleece socks out of my suitcase. And maybe the fuzzy sweaters. But maybe not. 

The basement storage space. Requires some contortionist moves to get in and out.