Last Weekend Update

**NOTE** This entry was from last weekend. I was delayed typing it out and then I lost internet for four days and counting. The storms got pretty wicked here as in homes floated away and people died. I wasn’t in any danger in the middle of the urban jungle though.**

Saturday I went to an event called St Bartholomew’s Day with Wendy, Stan, and Demi.  It was pretty interesting. It was held at St Bartholomew’s Anglican Church which sits on a hill overlooking the cemetery going down the hill to a highway. It is supposed to be haunted and before it was restored apparently there was some dark magic activities there as a random fyi. Of course our visit was unrelated to that and it was daylight! First we walked through the graves which were much different than our graves. They had concrete surrounding the perimeters so there was no doubt where the person was buried. I much prefer that to our system but it is not like that everywhere here but it is rather common. 

Also, they had these strange wire cages on them and glass jars. I don’t think I had noticed that before at home. I can’t figure out what the significance/purpose of them was for... Google let me down. As we got closer to the church there were some graves that were marked with signs because they were important to the church. Then there was a little market there that sold felted bags, honey, wooden crafts, etc. On the way in you could toss money into the wishing well and ring the bell. Demi was a very good bell ringer!

The presentation inside was mainly about Blacktown’s contribution to WWI. It was really interesting actually and a great lead up to what we are going to be talking about next blog. They talked of the boys who were too young to sign up so they lied and the men who were too old to sign up but did and got sent back right after. Australia is a very patriotic country, I think much more so than we are in terms of wars and veterans. The women and children raised a lot of money for the soldier’s funds. Laborers leapt at the chance of becoming a digger as they made more per day than they did at their jobs. A lot of men came back with Scottish wives as the majority of the soldiers were single on embarking on this journey. The death/injury toll for Blacktown was fairly high and thus they paid a high price for war. Afterwards we went and looked around the market stalls some and had Demi take a picture with the town crier who was quite the character.

After that we went to the Blacktown Westpoint which is the mall where Demi had her party. I ended up getting a gourmet meal of Mac and Cheese (yes my palate has not matured). The mac and cheese had corn in it which was different. The breadstick was really good though! I ended up getting a hairdryer at Big W which is like a Kmart but is linked to Woolworths the grocery store. I also bought a sweater because I only brought one warm article of clothing with me and it isn’t something I would wear out in public. In case you were wondering, it is getting colder here. Last night my room was 66F for Pete’s Sake…yeah I am in big trouble when I return home. When I got home I took a Letitia Power Nap which lasted 4 hours:D It felt really good actually.

Then on Sunday I had this dreamy idea to get a walk in across the Harbour Bridge. I think subconsciously I know where there is track work and I decide that is where I must go. So of course this required a train to Central then a bus to Wynard and then a train to Milson’s Point. Tricky tricky. Of course there are so many nice people to ask and no scarcity of signs that a monkey could do it. Anyway, I did walk across the Harbour Bridge which was really nice actually. 

Different angle taken further down the bridge

I ended up at The Rocks where I looked around some more. 

 A view of the Rocks from the Harbour Bridge

Some Street Art of Luna Park at a basketball court in the Rocks

The market of course was on again but artsy markets never come cheap so I skipped browsing this time. I did pop into the Contemporary Art Museum but not to actually look at the “art”. I wanted to stop in the gift shop because the internet listed them as a lomography retailer. The internet didn’t lie but also forgot to mention the 25% markup so no thank you. It was a really cool gift shop though and one of everything would have been great. I then came up with an awesome idea!...pause for a back patting... I would take a ferry back to Parramatta thus eliminating all of the changes but alas the next ferry wasn’t for 2 hours so I hopped back on the bus. Once back at Central, I still had time so I went back to Paddy’s Market to buy some souvenirs for people. Then I went home.

I have BIG plans for this weekend. Of course pretty soon I could use flippers to get to work. Rain, rain, and more rain. Yesterday we even got sent home early to prepare for flash flooding. It was for the people in the country more but awesome for me nonetheless. I am getting tired of everything being soaked though but I brought a raincoat with me (pat on the back) as I need a license to carry an umbrella.

**EDIT** Fingers crossed I get internet back soon because I accomplished everything I wanted to do this weekend and I think (hope) it will make a really interesting blog**

Relish the Normal Things

G'day China Plates:D

Nothing too exciting to tell you from this week. I have had a nice laid back week which was nice. I did some "normal" things this week which was different. On Thursday I went to the movies with Rani to watch The Longest Ride. She had gotten free tickets from somewhere and I hadnt been to a movie here because it is so expensive. I wasnt expecting too much as I am not a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks books but it turned out to be really nice. It had a really good parallel story line that was actually believable.  The theatre set up is a bit different than at home. The one we were in probably only had 50 seats and you were assigned an actual seat. Also they had a lot of food and drink options. They also have this thing called Gold Class that you seat in a recliner and are waited on! 

Before the movie we went to this shop where they sell candles, crystals, celtic jewelry etc and that was pretty interesting. We had been there before but it has so much cool stuff to look at! I inquired about some Tarot classes BUT the lady might have been burning a wee bit too much incense because after 20 minutes I still dont think I had an answer. Then we went and got a Letitia Pizza (only cheese and pepperoni) at the Pizza Design Co. I love that pizza. We still had time to burn so we walked down to find this thrift shop that we are going to in a couple of weeks (they were at the market and have big sales on certain days). 

Friday.....ah yes food market day! This week I went to the German tent...from here on out Friday is now declared German day:) I got a Bavarian bratwurst and a Cheese Kransky (sans onions and saukerkraut, I didnt want to go crazy). So good! Anyway, when I got home Clara was heading out the door for the night. She asked if I would be okay alone (other two are still in the Philippines) and I silently did the happy dance inside:) My big night consisted of sitting on the couch watching tv...I know wow! No all joking aside, that is the first time I have had the remote in my head in months and it felt good:) I really enjoyed that. 

Then on Saturday, I went opp (second hand) shopping with Rani. Yes, that is right I found someone else that likes doing that and she collects more than I do I think. I caught the bus to Liverpool which is where she lives. It is supposed to be a rough area but in the daylight it looked good:D They actually have a large Westfields there and four opp shops in a small area. I think I will go back next week too. At any rate the first shop wasnt that good but the second one...wow! I was like a kid in a candy store...and then I remembered that I have to get this stuff home and I weeded out what I was getting. We were pretty weighed down by the time we boarded the train to go opp shopping in Newtown which was our original plan. Anyway that didnt pan out because there was trackwork. Instead we went to RedFern. Nice area. Rani showed me some graffiti, went to some opp shops, and also some technology park thing that was really industrial.

Then we met up with her best friend Hannah (plus Hannah's two kids and husband). They were totally a nice surprise. Two successful entrepreneurs. Plus Hannah looked like she could have stepped out of the pages of Vogue. They were really nice. Oh and I had my first pub meal here and it was pretty darn good and cheap! It was rump steak+chips+salad for $10. After we ate and talked for a bit we caught the train home.

Today, I didnt really do anything. I cleaned my room and went and bought groceries. Oh and of course watched some more tv:) Yep, that was exciting:) 

I hope everyone has a good week!

Redfern Technology Park

This little birdie was outside of an opp shop

Eggs+Concert+Melbourne

Hello!

Where to start I don’t even know. I guess firstly on Wednesday at work we had an Easter egg hunt which consisted of grownups looking on the whole level five to find about 300 chocolate eggs. And I might add two cool kids (me and Rani) made their own Easter Baskets….Yes I am 28. That was really nice. What was even better is that Angela my new seat mate brought some homemade chocolates in for me which were actually chocolate covered oreo cookie balls which I LOVE! She so far has brought in homemade cookies, crackers, bags of chips, jewelry, souvenirs, and now those…just for me. Some people are jealous:D

Then after work on Wednesday I went to the Train concert at the Opera House. It was AWESOME!!!!! Totally not like a normal concert. First of all you sat in auditorium seats the whole time. No standing which was great! The opening act was Taylor Henderson. I hadn’t ever heard of him but I think he is pretty famous in Australia as he is headlining his own tour soon. He did a good job and it was so cute because his dad and grandparents were there to watch him. I mean how cool would it be to watch your musician grandchild perform in the Sydney Opera House? Plus his dad even came on stage for one song. Then the main act, Train, came out. Pat Monahan was a much better performer than I would have expected. He walked through the audience, took hundreds of selfies with fan phones, and talked to be people in the audience too. Of course the music was great. And I had to feel pretty lucky watching Train at the Sydney Opera House! Beautiful night.

On Thursday night I caught the train to Melbourne. Everyone here has been telling me how crazy I am to go by train instead of by plane. Of course no one said anything BEFORE I bought the regional pass… Anywho they might have had something there. So it was supposed to take 12 hours but that turned into 16 hours. That is one L………….O…………..N…………..G train ride! I had this older lady sitting next to me who was complaining to beat the band in between telling me not to hitchhike in Victoria and fighting with her twin daughters. It wasn’t horrible but not great either. Once I got to Melbourne, I walked from Southern Cross Station to my hostel. It was about 2kms so with my luggage that was not so good. Turns out I could have caught a tram or a train. Live and learn. Anyway I dropped my luggage off then left to explore.

First I went to Flinders Station which was across the street and bought a Myki card so I could travel by train/tram/bus. Then I took the tram to Luna Park!! It was cool but the one in Sydney is better. Interesting story about some tight walking elephants though: in 1912 they commissioned two people to walka tightrope dressed as elephants. When the picture came out the world thought it really was an elephant tight rope walking. Then I walked down to St Kilda beach which was cool. Then I went back to Flinders Station and walked to Yarra River and the Aquarium. The Aquarium had a cool crocodile and penguins. Enjoyed that very much. Then I went back to the hostel. It was pretty nice there. It was nice and clean and big. Everything was there that was needed and it was cheap. The room I picked had 12 girls in it but it wasn’t as loud as one would think. Of course by the time they got home from the pub crawl I was leaving hehehe. It was in a great location! I would stay there again.

On Saturday I went on the Philip Island day tour. It was alright. I didn’t much care for the guide on that one. At any rate I took the fur seal cruise which was nice. I like marine life and of course don’t see much of that in Michigan. So it was interesting for sure. Then we went and watched the Penguin Parade which was interesting because there are very few places in the world that it can be seen. It was kind of comical because there were probably 1000 people watching 1000 penguins come on to shore under spot lights. We weren’t allowed to take any photos of that though, sorry! I did meet a guy from Ohio and I would have to say I was really excited to meet a fellow Midwesterner!

Sunday was the best day for sure! I went on the Great Ocean Road tour with Outback Billy. He was such a good tour guide, I cant say enough good things there. He knew lots of facts and had several funny stories. Plus he dressed like I picture an Australian tour guide to dress; outback hat, boots, khaki shorts and shirt. He was really nice! Anyway, that tour took us along the great Ocean Road to see the London Bridge (what is left, funny story halfway down here), the twelve apostles (which were only ever 8), the rainforest, and koalas in the wild!!! There was even a koala walking along the road to its next tree. Really neat to see them in the wild! There were a lot of nice people on that tour as well; a father and son from Canberra (who have travelled more than me in the US), a couple from New Zealand (that I picked their brain the whole way pretty much:D) and then a family of four from Perth who were really nice. I cant even tell you how much I liked that tour! Ocean Road has a deep history found here. Much like our Big Sur but with deeper meaning.

Then on Monday I went to the Pink Lake ehehehe which really is a pink lake. So funny because the locals didn’t even know about it. Then I met a nice lady at a store that directed me to the graffiti spots which were breathtaking! Most people probably don’t know but I am obsessed with street art. I had tried to go on a graffiti tour in London but it didn’t pan out. So I was so excited to see the work in Melbourne. As you can tell from the pictures it was amazing quality. There are two laneways in Melbourne that are dedicated to street art so I actually saw some artists working on their pieces as it is legal in those areas. Then I went on the Melbourne Star which is like the London Eye in looks but it wasn’t overly impressive. I am glad I went on it but I wouldn’t do it again unless it was at night.

The train ride back was about 14 hours because this time we had a medical emergency….yay! Anyway I am glad to be back to Parramatta. I had fun and I saw a lot of really neat things and met nice people. The public transport there is really good as well but I know the Sydney trains for the most part now. I must also add here that the time changed in Australia and guess what?!?!? I get to fall back twice because here they fell back since it is fall here:D That made me really happy!

Alright this was only a quick summary so if anyone wants more specifics let me know.New pictures and video here. I hope everyone enjoyed their Easters!

Easter Show Spectacular!!!

Howdy boys and girls:)

Let's see this past week was pretty interesting. On Wednesday we were given the option of getting free flu shots at work since we work for the government. I am not too keen on shots but do usually get the flu shot. So I signed up. Well then I got to thinking that I had a flu shot less than six months ago for our flu season. So I asked the nurse about it when I went in and she said that I didn't need it because we get the flu first so I would be getting a double dose. Well it turns out she called to check that and as luck wouldn't have it, I needed the flu shot. But what was better is the shot was against 3 strains and I had already been vaccinated against 1 strain in the last flu shot. So as she is telling me that I am going to get a more severe reaction which includes swelling, pain, redness- my arm is on fire with searing pain. Then she gave me the shot:D Later it was determined that she also wasn't wearing any gloves and didn't use a wipe to disinfect our arms first. This means that if a homeless man or woman licked my arm on my way to work...haha just kidding Craig made up that scenario. I wasn't too worried about the latter part. So far knock on wood nothing happened.

Then Thursday I got a roommate! Yeah I know! So my friend Monika texted me that her (crazy) landlord had raised her rent by $50 per week starting that day. She didn't have the money so she went and told her and needless to say that didn't go over well. Monika has been scared of her since I first met her. I mean for pete's sake she isn't allowed to take showers at night. Weirdo! Anyway so I volunteered the extra bed in my room. So at 9pm I was shuffling down to the station to collect Monika+her backpack+duffel bag+humongous suitcase+2 ukuleles+those big awkward IKEA bags. Once we reached the flat, I was glad and I know she was too. I can't say I've ever been without a roof but I really felt for her. I could sense that she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and who would blame her? I've had ones over far less catastrophic events. She called and talked to her mom, then her sister, then her dad. Wow, she is sure fluent in POLISH:D Anyway I was just hoping she wasn't telling them that she was going to gut me like a fish while I slept since I had only met her twice. She said I lived in the Taj which made me happy. We talked for a couple of hours. She is still really homesick and has booked her ticket for home now. I cant help her with the homesickness thing because it is a personal problem and everyone deals with it differently. Also, I am a bit homesick now because of the upcoming holiday. She also showed me her Ukulele and has now implanted this dream of travelling the world playing a ukulele:D So next Christmas, I am so getting a Uke of my own. And we all know what a musical genius I am so I will probably last 20 minutes. But it will look good on a shelf, no?

Anyway, she stayed that night and the program she is with found her new lodgings. I am glad because she has a roommate now and I think that is good for her! It was fun having a sleepover though. I knew that extra bed would come in handy. It felt good to help someone like that, really good. I wish I did things like that more often. It is such a fine line in my mind though helping a stranger and being gutted like a fish but I have a way over active imagination.

On Friday I went to the market with Rani (correct spelling). I got my Tandoori Chicken Wrap again. Next market I am getting a bratwurst from the German tent:) Those looked so good! On Saturday, Monika came and collected her luggage and we went to KMart (her first time in one) and she looked around for like an hour. Then I met Rani at the Lover's Market in Parramatta (hippyesque handmade goods). She brought her daughter Mya as well. I bought an Australian flag charm for my Living Locket necklace and her daughter got her face painted. Then we went and bought Easter basket supplies for out big egg hunt at work on Wednesday. And then I left on the train to go to the Easter Show...yes finally!!!

So the Easter Show is to celebrate the farmers in Australia. They are really proud of their farmers and fresh produce and I think that is well deserved. Hardest job ever in my mind. It basically brings the country to the city as Rachael from work said. I didn't know anything about the Easter Show until I started talking to Wendy. It is amazing! Basically I determined that it is our county fair+amusement park grade rides+trade show+holiday+carnival games+showbags which we have no equivalent for. The ticket was $40 to enter which was pricey but it is one of the biggest ticks of my bucket list for here. It was held at Olympic Park and it took up the whole space. I watched the wood chopping competition- there is a lot of science that goes into that. I watched the opening ceremony- interesting because the aborigines did their performance in front of the military formations. I went and looked at the produce displays that each district builds. Put a sticker on SSM on the world map and got my picture taken;) Ate chips on a stick. Watched some dancing. Went and bought some save the bilby merchandise. Click on that last link, really interesting. And finally went to showbag mania! Let's be honest the showbags were what I was most interested in:) Basically it is themed bags with all kinds of things in them from beach towels to candy to mugs to mullet wigs. It really was mass chaos in that hall but I got what I went for:D After I survived showbag chaos and before I overdosed in chips on a stick I went home. It was a very enjoyable day and something I cant see at home.

                   Chips on a Stick...Awww...best thing ever! I am brining a suitcase of chicken salt home:)

Other pictures and videos + additional older shots here.

Then today was Demi's birthday party. She turned 5 last Wednesday. And I must say she is a great little girl. I really appreciate her willingness to do new things. She may like pink and princesses but she doesn't act like one. As an only child she shares better than I do now.  It was nice! Wendy had it at a indoor trampoline place called Flipout. After that I went to Town Hall and wasted some time. Then I came home and wasted some more time instead of doing any of the one million things I need to do.

I wont be posting a blog for awhile. On Wednesday I am going to see Train at the Sydney Opera House. Then on Thursday night I am leaving for Melbourne. Friday I will visit Luna Park there, the Melbourne Star, the Aquarium, ride the tram, look at the Lanes, and not sure what else. Saturday I go to see the Penguin Parade and fur seals on Phillip Island. Then Sunday I go for a tour on the Great Ocean Road. Monday is up in the air. I get Fri-Mon off from my work hence I am taking the trip now.

So Happy Easter everyone!

Cockatoo Island and The Rocks

On Friday I went to the market again for lunch with Ronnie. It was nice. This time I got an Indian Tandoori Chicken wrap that was really good and really filling. I will definitely be getting that again. I like going to the market because it is something interesting to do and there is always something to see.

On Saturday my original plan was to go to the merchandise market held in Parramatta but this time I decided to do some research and found out that it is only open the last Saturday of every month. I know I know…I am so smart to have looked that up…not! So I guess that is on for next weekend!

So I determined this week at work that I was going to finally make it to a place on my never ending Sydney bucket list. And I did! I went to Cockatoo Island. This wasn’t someplace that was on my list before I came here. I actually didn’t even know about it until I went with Wendy on the ferry the third day I was here and saw it. It just looked very Alcatrazzy which is somewhere I have always wanted to go. I have been saying over and over that I was going to go to Cockatoo Island and I kicked myself for not going last weekend when it was “cold”. So anyway I took the train to Wynyard then to Circular Quay and finally a ferry to the Island.

When I got off I went pretty much straight to the visitors center so that I could begin my audio tour (yeah that is right, I actually researched this first). It was only $5 and it lasted for over 1.5hours. It was set up REALLY well. I was really impressed. The weather on Saturday wasn’t great. It was overcast but it added to the mood of the island I think. At least it was cooler and didn’t rain on me. Basically, each stop point had a plaque and some pictures and then the audio companion told me all about it mixed in with some first point of view stories. The island is kept up really well! All the original buildings are open to the public and everything (including the 9000 bathroom stops) are maintained to perfection. Surprising because on Sunday a person could literally pay $2.50 for the ferries and not have to pay anything else as there is no admission.

This is where the guards hid when the prisoners rioted. There were slits in the block so they could shoot at the prisoners. 

There Aboriginal paintings are one of three reminders that the Aborigines staked claims on the island.

 If you look at the crane platform (to the  middle left) you might be able to see that it has broken mirror all over it. Yep, that was another Aboriginal reminder. Not sure what that was supposed to signify.

It really is such an interesting location. At first it was used as a prison. Like Alcatraz it was hard to escape from but there was at least one man who did. The prisoners actually built the island and prison elements themselves. They then built a dock and workshop in order to service the Royal Navy. After the island was declared unfit for prisoners an industrial girls school moved there. That part was the saddest to listen to because the unlucky girls who were sent there did nothing wrong except be born to loser parents. After the girls school relocated, the island became a prison once again. This time around it didn’t work so well though because the prisoners were not being rehabilitated and kept rioting. Finally, the island’s sole focus was on ship building. It was the ship building mecca due to the knowledge the tradesmen had and the production capacity it had. As happens in any thriving industry, the tradesmen unionized and this brought production to a halt. It was good for other Australian laborers who reaped the benefits but in the mid 80’s the island had to cease ship building. After the island closed down, some Aborigines tried to lay claim to it but thankfully the government did not let them. Here Aborigines are treated exactly like our Native Americans, take that as you will. Eventually the government turned the island into a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the island itself there are places to camp (actually looked really nice and might be just the spot to tick camping off my life bucket list). There are apartments to rent if you are rich. It overlooks the Harbour Bride so needless to say New Year’s Eve accommodations are booked a million years ahead. There was at least one party going on there for some uber rich people at the Island Bar. I had washed my invitation though so it was accepted, darn! Oh and a camera meetup (that I have been too chicken to attend) was there also. I could tell those people from their 10lb cameras. It seems like it is popular for wedding pictures as well.

On a side note I discovered while I was on the island that Unbroken (the new movie by Angelina Jolie) was partially filmed there and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was based there. I can see why. It is beautiful but in an eerie and industrial way. That probably doesn’t make any sense so maybe you should come see it for yourselvesJ

So needless to say Cockatoo Island way exceeded my expectations and I will be going back there! It was also nice to not have to see 1 billion people there and most of my pictures didnt even have a person in them! I was able to catch the ferry directly from Cockatoo Island to Rydalmere where I had to take a bus to Parra since the tide was low.

Today (Sunday) I went to The Rock’s Market which was also on my list of things to do here. This wasn’t quite as good as yesterday. I am sure that I would have enjoyed it more if I had a couple extra grand to lay down for some artsy stuff. They had soaps, masks, necklaces, scarves, windspinners, bags, etc. Nice products and interesting to look at but too expensive. I did buy myself a little gift though, I know that is the theme these days…The Australian Santa by Jim Shore. It will be awesome to add to my collection. Sadly, it doesnt bounce very well, I tested that theory right after I purchased it.

After that I went to the Justice and Police Museum since it was also on my list and located in that area. Interesting museum because like any big city, Sydney has had a lot of interesting crimes. Best was Caroline Grills- Grandmother and serial killer. She put poison in her baked goods and then watched her victims suffer:) In true Letitia museum style that took me all of about 15 minutes to look at and then I got back on the train. I made a slight miscalculation there (the particular line I wanted didn’t run on weekends) and so that was a bit longer journey than I thought.

 This is the first official police dog used in Sydney and yes it is the real dog...nah not creepy at all:D

 Who doesn't love old criminals?

The dock, where the accused would sit.

At least this weekend was productive on the old bucket listJ I hope your weekends were good as well. 

Let's just take a moment to think about how big this cruise ship in Sydney Harbour is...

Calmsley Hill Farm

Alright, some slacker didn't post about her weekend...sorry about that.

On Friday, I went to the farmers market with Neha and Ronnie (totally not spelled right) from work for lunch. That was really nice. We looked at the stalls and then we of course ate. I didn't get anything too mind boggling since my culinary comfort zone is still fully intact. I ended up with an Indian Kebab (Kebabs are always safe in my opinion) and a spinach and feta Gozleme which is a Turkish dish (reminded me of something from Taco Bell...yeah that might be a stretch). No worries though because I didn't want to overload my vegetable senses so I got the cheese only gozleme which according to the others is good for the palate of a five year old. This meant I found lunch really enjoyable. It was a nice time out. We also hopped on down to the thrift shop which I was super hyped up about but I didn't find anything (that time). Ronnie seems to be a wealth of information on thrift stores which I am happy about.

On Saturday....yeah I would really like to say I did something exciting but not so. My original plan was to finish up some snail mail letters that I fell behind on and then mail them at the post office on my way to the market (it is a regular market on Saturdays). The good news is I did catch up on those but from there the plan fell apart. I made it to the main post office only to find it closed. It wouldn't have been so startling but I knew the one in Westfields was open on Saturday. So off to the market square I went but again I struck out. There were no booths there, no market...still don't know what happened there. At any rate I went to the mall to mail the letters and have some lunch. Then I hopped a train to Milson's Point and then on to Town Hall to get a post-mix drink. And yes that means a fountain pop. I'm a regular there:) Then I rode the train to a new section of line which was nice. That was about it for that day.

Sunday was the big day again. Wendy took me to Calmsley Farm. It was really neat. It was kind of a mix between the Reptile Park and Tobruk Farms. They had both farm animals (sheep, goats, ducks, milking cows, Shetland ponies, Longhorns, Clydesdale, Alpacas, etc) and native Australian animals (koala, emus, wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, python, etc). Oh and they had a camel which was perhaps my favorite.

Orphaned Joey who was rescued

Wombat doing what they do best...sleeping. I have made it my mission to hold one of these lazy, fat, and stinky little guys:)

Really cute, no?

Emu that was free range with the kangaroos

Told you he was cute! Way more of a pet than the ones they use in the Sahara...and yes he had two humps not just one. I didn't want to go through that again:)

Morning gymnastics I guess. I don't know why but I find this picture hysterical. The scenery in the back is a bonus.

 

 

Yep, that sure is me (rockin an awesome Sydney hat I might add) petting a koala. She was 12 years old which is pretty old even in captivity. And no their fur is not soft at all. She was pretty cute though:)

A note on the pictures. I can only seem to upload them on my blog. Not sure what the problem is:( So we will make do with what we have for now.

At the farm they had a sheep dog show, milking demonstration, sheering demonstration, koala talk, oh and a nice tractor ride! It was really nice!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Flat Question and Answer

Finally!!! I got a question! You can’t tell I am excited, can you? So the question was about my flatmates and flat. So for starters I will tell you about the people I live with:

Desiree- The leaseholder. She is probably late thirties/maybe real early forties. She has been in Sydney with her son for like 8 years I think if I am not mistaken. She seems to have moved here from the Philippines with just her son as her husband died. She works as a housekeeper at some hotel in Sydney and has the whole time she has been here. She wants to go back to school for nursing but can’t afford to while her son is attending uni. She is very pretty and goes out a lot. Soon she will go back to the Philippines to see her family and she is looking forward to that but not the heat. Very honest individual. Likes to sing a lot but she is good I won’t lie.

Clara- Desiree’s friend. Also from the Philippines and about the same age as Des. They apparently met at the hotel but Clara did not like that type of work so she went back to school to be an aide at a retirement complex. She really likes her job. She wants Desiree to go work there as well. Clara is married but her husband (who is Australian) lives in the Gold Coast at the moment. He will come visit in April and I think she hopes to convince him to move here. Her husband’s family and her own brother live in the suburbs here.  She is very kind to me.

Desiree’s son- Okay, sadly I do not know his name…I know. When I first got here he was in the Philippines for vacation which he will return there with his mom for vacation next month. That is my excuse for not knowing his name…when we first met I was running late for work and he was sleeping on the couch:D He jumped off the couch and introduced himself but I didn’t have my listening ears on. He is very quiet but also very polite. I think he is 20 years old and is studying Building Management at Uni. All of his mother’s hopes are on him so that must be an unbelievable weight to carry. They moved here when he was starting high school but aside from not knowing English well at all, schooling in the Philippines is behind. I can’t imagine what that would have been like. He is teaching himself the guitar and he is quite good at it. At least no teen angst to deal with this time around.

And that is the crew. No pets and please don’t put any cockroach jokes in here. I did forget to update you guys that I only slept with my light on for one week and thankfully now I am back to having it off. It was hard to sleep properly with that on.

Des and Clara are always offering me food. I think they feel bad only seeing my sandwich stuff in the fridge hahaha. It happens. They are really good cooks I think because it always smells good. I attempted to cook pasta last week but that was pretty nightmarish:D I bought some pasta because any tard can cook pasta right? Apparently not this tard luckily Clara was home. So I went and studied the stove for a bit to figure out that it was gas…off to a bad start. Clara noticed I was studying the stove so she came over to show me how it works. Well by the time she got the lighter out I was back in the living room…yeah that is right I couldn’t be a pyromaniac. Seriously not only is it gas but it is the kind you light!!!! This reminded me of how Andrea and I became friends. Chemistry Class Fall 2003…two giggling idiots in the back too scared to turn the gas up to make the flint useful. Mr. McLeod…”Can someone go help those two?!?!” We were beyond help especially Andrea with her goggles on her forehead instead of over her eyes:D And there you have how we became friends. Luckily Clara took pity on me and basically cooked the pasta for me. Did I mention I like her and she is nice?

Okay now for the actual flat. There are two bathrooms, kitchen, laundry closet, two bedrooms, living room, dining table, and two balconies. The one balcony is where we hang our clothes (alas dryers aren’t used here but at least clothes dry here unlike in France) and the other balcony is quite big. They have a table out there, some plants, and then they store some things out there. We are on the third floor of a building that has 7 floors plus there is parking underneath. I think we are literally connected to Westfield shopping Mall. There is a convenience store downstairs but the people are a little weird…or it is me not sure. I live ten minutes from work on foot. The park is about two blocks away. The building is pretty secure as there is a key to get into the lobby and it is clean. My room has two windows, two beds, a big closet with builtins and mirrored doors, bathroom (with shower), and a night stand. It is quiet in here or I am a really sound sleeper. I pay $225 per week which is pricey according to my workmates but I think it is right considering my location and the fact that I don’t live with crackpots.  

Just for the record I do have a really nice duvet cover that Wendy gave me but I took it off after The Great Cockroach Incident and I just cant put it back on. The pillowcases were just for the picture I don’t use those either just in case. You never know. Also, please don’t be jealous of my princess washcloth!

And that is about it.