Happy Holidays!

A very (belated) Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! On Christmas Eve, Rachel and I went to Kat and Tamsin’s for dinner. It was very similar to our Thanksgiving feast (chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing) with a few English touches such as Yorkshire pudding… which in my opinion tasted like a bland pancake. Dinner ended on a bit of a sad note because it was Rachel’s last meal with all of us, the next day she flew home to Maryland. She’ll be living at home and working before heading off to college next fall—although she hasn’t decided where she’ll be attending just yet. I can’t say that I was particularly looking forward to my first Christmas away from home, but I found solace in the fact that I would be lying out in 80° weather while my family would be bundled up in bulky sweaters. No such luck, it rained all day long. Needless to say, I will be home for Christmas next year.

Kat and Tamsin had Christmas Crackers waiting for us at our seats, an English tradition. Each person crosses their arms and pulls on the ends of two different crackers. Inside are a few treats and the paper crowns, which the girls insisted we wear the rest of the night.

Our last picture together as roommates.

New Year’s Eve was much more successful. I joined Tamsin, Kat, and her boyfriend Adam at their friend’s house in Double Bay, which is located between the city and Bondi beach. Not only was the apartment amazing, but we were right on the water and met some very nice people that night. I can't believe that it's 2010 already. I have so much to look forward to this year, starting with my parent's upcoming visit on January 27th. We'll be going on a road trip around the south island of New Zealand for a week, flying up to Cairns to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef and then heading back down to Sydney for a show at the Opera House. I can hardly wait, I'm so exited!

The private beach where we spent New Year's Eve.

We had the beach all to ourselves; it really beat the crowds at the Opera House!

Adam put a whole new meaning to "ringing in the new year" that night... At midnight during the fireworks show he proposed to Kat. She said yes!

There were fireworks at 9pm and then again at midnight. The city actually put on three sets of identical fireworks at the same time in different locations. From where we stood, we could see all of them. It was incredible.

Cheers to 2010!

Manly Beach

Considering the fact that I grew up in a Chicago suburb and went to school in rural Ohio, I find it amusing that the first time I've ever lived in a city I moved to the other side of the world to do it. That being said, my day- to- day life in Sydney is similar to what my life would be like at home. I work four days a week, on one of my days off I try to be productive (i.e. grocery shop, do laundry, clean my apartment), and then other days I enjoy going to the beach. Normally, I go to Coogee because I can catch a bus in Newtown, but last week I decided to branch out and go to Manly, the most accessible northern beach. Even though it’s accessible, it’s still quite the trek. I have to take a 30 minute bus ride or a 15 minute train ride to Circular Quay and then hop on a ferry for 30 more minutes before I actually reach my destination. All in all I do think that the Manly area is charming, but I still favor the convenience and beauty of Coogee.

On the ferry ride to Manly, Sydney's most popular northern beach.

Some people say the northern beaches are less crowded. Those people are wrong.

The further you walk down the beach, the less crowded it gets.

The pavilion area with cute surf shops and cafes.

Last week, on Tuesday night I went Hikaru, a Japanese restaurant in Newtown with three girls from work. We enjoyed the food and conversation so much we were the last ones to leave! The next night I went out to dinner with the same group that I went to the Homebake festival with, it was a sort of going away party for Jenna because she’s going home to Coff’s Harbour (a good seven hours drive up the coast from Sydney) for the holidays. We went to the very popular Bar Reggio, an Italian place in Darlinghurst. I finally had my first delicious pizza since being in Australia—those slices at the kebob stands on George Street just won’t cut it anymore. The good food and great company was a real treat because I had been cooking for myself and eating alone since Rachel went to Melbourne for the week!

Courtney, Jenna, Andrew, Me, Kylie, and Kate enjoying our dinner.

That night I was lucky enough to ride on Mrs. Claus's bus!

Then this past Saturday night Rachel, Kylie and I went to a concert at the Coogee Bay Hotel. I had been there once before, the place is absolutely massive. It has a restaurant, a sports club, a beer garden, and a dance floor which is the area they used as the concert venue. The band playing was called The Beautiful Girls, but you’d be surprised to learn it isn’t a band made up of beautiful girls! It’s actually three guys on the guitar, bass, and drums and they have kind of a alternative/reggae vibe to them. Rachel and Kylie were already fans, and after checking out two of their CDs from the library, I am too! All three of us had a blast and we hung out in the beer garden for a bit before heading back home for the night.

The three of us at The Beautiful Girls concert.

This is not technically a music video, but it is my favorite song of their called "Periscopes"

King Street

I remember when I was in high school I wrote a column on the fact that there were over 30 dry cleaners on Waukegan Road in Glenview. Well, I could write a similar article about King Street in Newtown, only I would replace the dry cleaners with Thai restaurants. Additionally, King Street is also chock full of bars, second hand shops, and alternative lifestyles (I can’t tell you how many people I see walking around with their bodies COVERED in tattoos). I really never tire of walking down the street: there are often people singing, playing instruments, or even break dancing for money, a very talented artist sells his paintings right near my bus stop, and on Saturdays there is a small market outside of the community center. My only complaint is there is always heavy traffic that makes it more difficult to take pictures of the beautiful old buildings that line the street. Below are a few of the better ones I was able to get.

This is my favorite shop to browse around in. Lots of Buddha statues, colorful lamps, decorative rugs, and antique furniture to look at.

The local movie theater. Did you know that they assign seats for the movies in Australia? So your whole group of friends will go up to the ticket booth at the same time.

The public library... where I am right now uploading these pictures. Oh how I love free wireless internet.

A little bit random, but I love the brick next to the run down yellow and pink buildings. Everything in Newtown is so old, but I think it gives it character.

Homebake

Some people might think a festival called “homebake” would be about buying and selling baked goods… those people would be wrong. It is in fact a music festival that’s been going on for fifteen years supporting all different types of bands from both Australia and New Zealand. I attended this last Saturday with my friends Kylie, Jenna, and Courtney whom I met at the races about a month ago. These festivals are so popular in Australia, it almost seems there is one happening every weekend. Homebake took place in the Domain, which is a park close to the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. There were about four stages with groups playing simultaneously resulting in more than 40 performances that day. The gates opened around 11 am; we arrived fashionably late around 12:30pm and stayed till about ten o’clock that night. I’ll admit, I only knew one band and of that one band only knew three songs that they played- but that didn’t stop me from having a good time. I really enjoyed listening to Gin Wigmore & The Cardinals, Red Riders, and my personal favorite Sia. I had a great time with the girls and really enjoyed meeting more of their friends; I definitely picked the right country to come to all by myself because they are the most warm and inviting people I’ve ever encountered in my life!

The crowd outside the main stage at 12:30pm when we arrived...

and about seven hours later... it got somewhat crowded.

Kylie wanted to make sure I was having fun the entire time. Mission accomplished!

Jenna, Courtney, Kylie and me goofing around.

We were actually very close in the crowd when Sia performed, but I thought this was a very cool pictures of her face plastered against one of the three big screens behind her. She was beyond talented and very fun to watch because she really interacted with the crowd. I googled her afterwards and it turns out she's good friends with Christina Aguilera and even wrote a few songs for her new album.

Although the ride looked fun, I wasn't sure the heat + spinning would be the best combination for my head.

Jet was probably the most main stream band at the concert, not to mention the only band I had ever heard of before. Did anyone else know that they were Australian? Because I sure didn't.

On the walk home we passed by St. Mary's Cathedral. I'm not sure if these lights are a year- round display or the church is just getting into the Christmas spirit, either way it was beautiful.

On Sunday night, Rachel and I joined Tamsin, Kat, and Adam (Kat's boyfriend who's visiting) for a moonlight movie in Centennial Park. They were playing 500 Days of Summer, which is quite fitting considering summer is just beginning in Australia...

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

Well these tidings come about a week late, but I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Rachel and I decided to host dinner for our English friends Kat and Tamsin and our Australian mate Chris. Kat actually celebrates Thanksgiving every year with her family because her father is American; it was Tamsin and Chris’s first turkey day experience. Speaking of turkey… we didn’t actually have one. We decided it would be easier on us (and our kitchen) if we bought a delicious pre- cooked chicken instead. And for those of you that think this was a cop out, I will say to you what I said to my sister Jackie: When you have your first Thanksgiving thousands of miles away from home we’ll see how you do. We did cook all the yummy sides like mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and a sweet potato dish. Our delectable feast was followed by an amazing episode of “Glee” which I much preferred to a football game and dark chocolate brownies Kat and Tamsin made from scratch. All in all, it was a great Thanksgiving.

The lovely bouquet courtesy of Colin.

I wish every dinner was a Thanksgiving feast!

The self- timer really comes in handy in times likes these.

This past Monday, I went scuba diving at Gordon’s Bay with my friends Jay and Thijs. I had been there before to take pictures of the fishing boats and search for sea glass on the shore, but never to dive. The water was incredibly rough and we were walking into it from a rocky area. While I successfully made it into the water, the way out proved to be a bit more difficult and I unfortunately was smashed up against the rocks. I survived with a few cuts on my feet and a bruised ego. While underneath, Jay and Thijs used their dive knives to cut a sea urchin open and used that to feed a friendly blue grouper that has become quite accustomed to divers treating him. I know I haven’t posted any scuba diving pictures yet, but that’s only because disposable underwater cameras are expensive and I’m trying to make the 28 shots last as long as I can. Once I do get the developed I will most definitely post them.

I realize I haven’t written about work much and that’s only because it isn’t the most exciting topic- that’s not to say I haven’t been enjoying it though. I work mostly with my manager Katie, who I love and my day consists of assisting customers, making sure the store is tidy, and putting new merchandise onto the floor. The past few shifts I’ve worked 1pm to close, which is 7pm and relatively early compared to American stores. Even though I’ve worked in retail before, I feel so much more important at Reiss because I’m literally closing the entire store by myself whereas at Anthropologie or Nordstrom there were always a few people with me (that of course is because both those stores are enormous compared to Reiss). I expect to more hours as the Christmas season approaches, so I will hopefully have a nice amount of money saved up by the time I start backpacking in February.

Sightseeing in Sydney

I had a few days off this week, so I took it upon myself to do more sightseeing in Sydney, thus the witty entry title. My first stop was the Sydney Tower, the top of which is the highest point in the southern hemisphere. The views were breathtaking and I would love to go back again one night to catch the city at sunset. Next, I took a stroll through The Rocks, one of the city’s oldest areas and ended my fun- filled day with a walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A piece of advice to anyone who might walk across the bridge in the future: wear pants, it tends to be quite windy up there and holding down your skirt while trying to take pictures proves to be a difficult task at times. I hope you enjoy the pictures, while I have visited many of these sites before it’s always fun to see them from a different angle.

Darling Harbour

There are parks all over the city, Hyde Park is by far the largest and most well known.

This is King's Cross, that Coca- Cola sign is said to be as famous in Australia as the Hollywood sign is in America.

The start of the pedestrian bridge walk.

Sydney Harbour from a different angle.

The north side of Sydney, how amazing would it be to live on the water and have the next two pictures as your view...

The front facade of the Opera House.

Sculpture by the sea

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since I last posted, time seems to run at warp speed down under. Earlier this week I did the Bondi- Coogee costal walk, it’s 6km long and takes about two hours from start to finish. November is the perfect time to go because that’s when the annual Sculpture by the Sea art exhibit is held, so the walk was even more beautiful than normal. As you can imagine, I passed through many beaches along the way. Bondi is known for it’s crowds and surfing, Tamara is a small beach where the Sculpture by the Sea exhibit ended, Bronte was by far the most beautiful, Clovelly is a “sheltered” beach which I discovered is just a nice way of saying cement, Gordon’s bay (which I have been to before) is a hot spot for snorkeling and scuba diving, and finally Coogee, which is where I go the most often.

Sydney's most famous and overrated (according to locals) beach, Bondi.

I feel like this would be found on a Star Wars set.

This was one of my favorites because it reminded me of a Curly Gril Design card that says, "Some people will go their whole lives and not actually live one day. She did not intend on being of them." It's sort of my motto these days.

This was my second favorite, I love elephants and it's so fun to look at!

For all my Chi Omega girls out there =)

Bronte beach, the most beautiful beach I've seen yet.

This boardwalk just opened in September, it was an amazing walk.

In other news, I went on my first night dive at the end of last week. It was unbelievable. We actually went to Camp Cove, where we learned how to scuba dive, but like our Dive Master promised, it was completely different at night. I saw a numb ray, squid, octopus, salt water catfish, and even an eel. I wasn’t scared at all to be diving at night, but I was a tad frightened about getting to close to the animals! It was a large group, about ten people in total: five people from my diving course and five Americans that just finished up their semester at University of New South Wales, including a guy named Chris who’s a junior at Miami. Small world, huh?

I have the next few days off work so Rachel and I decided to take a trip up to Newcastle, a small beach town about three hours north of Sydney. We’ll most likely spend our three days there laying out on the beach, exploring their downtown, and maybe even making a day trip to Hunter Valley, the wine region. As much as I love living in Sydney, I’m very much looking forward to exploring a new place.