Good morning!
Just woke up in Melbourne, it's a delightful city full of really gorgeous buildings, both old and new. The new buildings are super modern, all glass and sharp angles and curved structures and the old are a mix of everything, some gothic, some colonial (well, now I'm just hazarding guesses, I really don't know much about architecture). Anyway, the flight here was a mere one hour, just long enough to watch an episode of 'My Little Pony'. I really liked it (embarassingly true!). All the unicorn delightfulness made me think of Breigh!
It was ridiculously hot in Melbourne when we landed and after checking into the hotel (which I have to tell you is AMAZING! It's a one bedroom apartment so we have a full kitchen, stocked with any and every cooking tool you could ask for!) we hit up some of the shops in the downtown core. They were a bit tiresome and boring, just repeats of what we'd already seen in Sydney so we came back to get internet and research more exciting areas of the city.
Last night we checked out the Collingwood/Fitzroy neighborhood and it was so like Queen West in Toronto. We're heading back there today for some vintage shopping, as everything was closed last night when we went to dinner.
I can't wait to show you guys some pictures. We only have internet on Rach's computer and I don't want to inundate her harddrive with photos so I'll wait until I can connect my own laptop.
I love you guys!
Jan 30, 2012
Jan 29, 2012
Poor Internet, Poor, Poor, Internet
Hi friends!\
I'm writing this to you in a McDonalds in downtown Sydney, it's sweet bc free wifi, NOWHERE has free wifi except mcds, (or mackers as everyone in Aussie calls it). Do you believe that? I have never taken something so much for granted than wifi access. The internet is free but the connection is too slow to upload photos or have very successful skype dates. I've been managing on the latter but you'll have to wait for some new photos but, boy oh boy, have I got some goodies for you!
I met up with Bamford and Josh on Thursday and have had nothing but good times since! We've hit the aquarium, zoo, vintage shops, bars and Chinese New Year Festival (tonight, so cool!). I have a sunburn to go along with all my other touristy activities so I look really legit (read: lame and out of towner). I went for dinner with my cousin and her friends atop a rooftop patio overlooking the Sydney harbour and the opera house, sooooo gorgeous (although I'll warn you ahead of time that the pictures didn't turn out all that great, too much/little light, overall blurriness, operahouse mysteriously disappeared when I took a photo with the flash and so on and so forth).
To get to the zoo today we took a ferry that sails right by the opera house so luckily I got some better pics the second time around. Oh! We also went to this crazy intense flea market in Chinatown that sold kangaroo scrotum keychains and kangaroo claw bottle openers!!!! How sick (disgusting sick, not cool sick) is that ??????? I tried on a blue wig and also stumbled upon all these incredible, tiny, detailed diaramas, very anime cool. There was a dollhouse too, complete with teeny tiny magazines, every last headline meticulously included!
Ummmmm, let's see, what else? I met up with my friend Dominique who i worked with at Lululemon and who has since moved back to her homeland of Australia. I visited her at work today and must admit that walking into the lululemon store here was like a little taste of home haha.
The only thing we didn't get around to doing was checking out Bondi Beach but we're on our way to Melbourne tomorrow and there are "heaps" (an Aussie slang favorite) of beaches down there that I'm sure we'll check out. Do you believe I still haven't stepped my toe in the pacific ocean yet?? Ever?? In my life?!?!!?!
Ok, I'm going to jet and take care of more "pressing" issues (boring stuff like managing my finances). Sorry I can't supply any photos but your patience will be rewarded......soon (I hope! These wifi issues are killing me, just cutting me real deep inside. I miss you guys! I wish I could have seamless skype convos with all of you!!!)
Love you all to pieces and can't wait to give you more updates soon!
I'm writing this to you in a McDonalds in downtown Sydney, it's sweet bc free wifi, NOWHERE has free wifi except mcds, (or mackers as everyone in Aussie calls it). Do you believe that? I have never taken something so much for granted than wifi access. The internet is free but the connection is too slow to upload photos or have very successful skype dates. I've been managing on the latter but you'll have to wait for some new photos but, boy oh boy, have I got some goodies for you!
I met up with Bamford and Josh on Thursday and have had nothing but good times since! We've hit the aquarium, zoo, vintage shops, bars and Chinese New Year Festival (tonight, so cool!). I have a sunburn to go along with all my other touristy activities so I look really legit (read: lame and out of towner). I went for dinner with my cousin and her friends atop a rooftop patio overlooking the Sydney harbour and the opera house, sooooo gorgeous (although I'll warn you ahead of time that the pictures didn't turn out all that great, too much/little light, overall blurriness, operahouse mysteriously disappeared when I took a photo with the flash and so on and so forth).
To get to the zoo today we took a ferry that sails right by the opera house so luckily I got some better pics the second time around. Oh! We also went to this crazy intense flea market in Chinatown that sold kangaroo scrotum keychains and kangaroo claw bottle openers!!!! How sick (disgusting sick, not cool sick) is that ??????? I tried on a blue wig and also stumbled upon all these incredible, tiny, detailed diaramas, very anime cool. There was a dollhouse too, complete with teeny tiny magazines, every last headline meticulously included!
Ummmmm, let's see, what else? I met up with my friend Dominique who i worked with at Lululemon and who has since moved back to her homeland of Australia. I visited her at work today and must admit that walking into the lululemon store here was like a little taste of home haha.
The only thing we didn't get around to doing was checking out Bondi Beach but we're on our way to Melbourne tomorrow and there are "heaps" (an Aussie slang favorite) of beaches down there that I'm sure we'll check out. Do you believe I still haven't stepped my toe in the pacific ocean yet?? Ever?? In my life?!?!!?!
Ok, I'm going to jet and take care of more "pressing" issues (boring stuff like managing my finances). Sorry I can't supply any photos but your patience will be rewarded......soon (I hope! These wifi issues are killing me, just cutting me real deep inside. I miss you guys! I wish I could have seamless skype convos with all of you!!!)
Love you all to pieces and can't wait to give you more updates soon!
Jan 25, 2012
Armidale Days
Hi! Now just to throw you off a little I have some pics a little bit older than the ones I just posted-ha! They're from yesterday, vintage shopping and my dinner cooking!
creative staircase
a girlfriend for the Doug mug?
Pastel Pink in all it's Perfection
Happy Family!!!!
The Lost Sydney Chronicles
Hi all! I’m writing this from Sydney-back again haha! I’m wet and drenched from the rain but feeling good, now that we’re finally all settled in the hostel. It’s a room with 4 bunk beds, all girls except for one poor American guy who has to deal with all the lady chatter. Gen, Alissa and all their friends are heading to Big Day Out tomorrow and I have yet to determine any set plans, I’m thinking the Sydney Aquarium and maybe a yoga class too if I can find a good deal.
Sydney is facing a torrential (I use that word loosely) downpour right now so I’m also feeling pretty content to just relax and chill in the comfort of indoors, glued to my laptop and “researching” (ie. Scouring all my favorite fashion blogs and reading up on random topics and articles on the Guardian). We’ll see.
The drive up was long and bumpy but we were well prepared with sandwiches compliments of Alissa and I also managed to catch an hour or so of sleep. The countryside was super foggy and lusciously green, I tried my best to get photos for you but a lot of them are blurry.
Upon reaching Sydney, we got massively lost trying to locate the hostel and appropriate parking for Alissa’s car (appropriate: not ridiculously overpriced. One place tried to charge nearly $200 for 3 days parking…bonkers!). We checked in and got directions to a free parking lot at the hostel info desk so off we went to park the car and then, subsequently, got lost walking back to the hostel hahahahahha……in the rain!! Fun, fun adventures!
Jan 24, 2012
Artistic Adventures and Colorful Canvases
Hi!
I just returned from the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale and, oh my! It was like being transplanted back to 12th grade art class with Mrs. Rothwell, looking at every canvas and being struck with this tremendous awe and inspiration! I was fiending for some of those 'art critique' printouts that called for us to assess (let's see if I get this right, Kayla, Marie, you'll have to remind me haha) Line, Color, Balance, Contrast,.....I'm sure there's a gazillion more I'm forgetting.
Anyway, the most art appreciation I've felt in a long time and though photos weren't permitted, I was sneaking onto my itouch to add a large number of artists to my "google later" list.
My favorite is Sally Gabori, an Australian painter who's passion for color ignites my own:
I just returned from the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale and, oh my! It was like being transplanted back to 12th grade art class with Mrs. Rothwell, looking at every canvas and being struck with this tremendous awe and inspiration! I was fiending for some of those 'art critique' printouts that called for us to assess (let's see if I get this right, Kayla, Marie, you'll have to remind me haha) Line, Color, Balance, Contrast,.....I'm sure there's a gazillion more I'm forgetting.
Anyway, the most art appreciation I've felt in a long time and though photos weren't permitted, I was sneaking onto my itouch to add a large number of artists to my "google later" list.
My favorite is Sally Gabori, an Australian painter who's passion for color ignites my own:
Jan 23, 2012
A Failed Yoga Attempt and a Pastel Pink Win
Well, I started this morning early and excited for a 9:15am yoga class at Armidale's yoga studio but, alas, classes don't begin until next week. What began as a yoga fail turned into quite a win for pastel pink though. All along the (admittedly, short) stroll between my aunt's and yoga, I saw all these beautiful shades of pale pink....which might just be my new favorite color-for the moment at least haha. I've volunteered my cooking "skills" (no technique or skill, just a lot of passion and enthusiasm!) tonight for the ladies so the lack of yoga also let me stock up on all necessary grocery items-yay! I think this afternoon will be filled with second hand shopping (my aunt is a vintage picker extraordinaire and has pointed me in the direction of some sweet spots) and maybe a much-encouraged trip to the Armidale art gallery. Very exciting!!
love the color combo on that house, pastel pink and pastel blue--DOUBLE WIN
street "art"
makes me think of dad
(that's my aunt's backyard....paradise much?)
Armidale At Last
Today marked my first full day in Armidale and, I must be honeset, I slept in until 1pm!!! I blame a delayed jet-laggedness for so much oversleeping but the good news is I feel awesome now. Gen, Alissa and I met Linda at her university for lunch (breakfast for me), then the three of us checked out Wollomooloo (spelling?) falls outside of Armidale, they also took me to the 'Armidale Lookout' and we hit the local shopping centre so I could pick up a couple essentials (flipflops! well, they call them "thongs" here, still can't quite get past that lol).
And, of course, the one picture Gen and I got together is plagued by a raindrop on the lens, covering Gen's face!!!!!!!
And, of course, the one picture Gen and I got together is plagued by a raindrop on the lens, covering Gen's face!!!!!!!
The 8 Hour Train Ride
So, after departing Sydney I jumped on a train to my Aunt Linda's in Armidale that lasted 8 hours! It was surprisingly awesome, maybe after spending so much time on planes lately I've grown accustomed to sitting in confined spaces for long periods of time? Anyway, it was fun, I had some movies loaded on my laptop still but ended up staring out the window more time than not. I had the window seat (again, all this luck!) and my aisle-seated mate turned out to be a chatty, over-sharing young woman from a boonie (she implied that, not me!) town called Tamarouth. She went on to speak for great lengths about her failed relationship, friendship dramas, family dramas, her frustration at work.....I was surprised but also strangely intrigued by her willingness to divulge ridiculously intimate details to a complete stranger on a train. AND she invited me to watch 'One Tree Hill' with her.....um, sweet ya? I declined.
Anyway, I managed to take some snapshots in between our "conversation" (I don't know if I can use that word, as it was purely a one-sided dialogue). Voila:
After my talkative train mate got off, I received a new little friend, I have no idea what her name is although I did hear her parents yelling 'Lacey' or 'Tracey' a lot. I must add, she and her sisters ran wild all through the train, climbing on armrests and people's laps, jumping on the train seats and making those funny, blow faces on windows while their parents (or guardians, or babysitters, or whatevers) were sitting in the back, more or less ignoring them. I was gobsmacked and the train attendants were not impressed but the upside was I had this awesomely funny and adorable "conversation" with this little girl. I use quotations because she was at that age where her babble is completely incomprehensible, just a string of syllables and noises, full of lilts and changes in tone, as if she was telling a very indepth story full of questions and exclamation:
Anyway, I managed to take some snapshots in between our "conversation" (I don't know if I can use that word, as it was purely a one-sided dialogue). Voila:
After my talkative train mate got off, I received a new little friend, I have no idea what her name is although I did hear her parents yelling 'Lacey' or 'Tracey' a lot. I must add, she and her sisters ran wild all through the train, climbing on armrests and people's laps, jumping on the train seats and making those funny, blow faces on windows while their parents (or guardians, or babysitters, or whatevers) were sitting in the back, more or less ignoring them. I was gobsmacked and the train attendants were not impressed but the upside was I had this awesomely funny and adorable "conversation" with this little girl. I use quotations because she was at that age where her babble is completely incomprehensible, just a string of syllables and noises, full of lilts and changes in tone, as if she was telling a very indepth story full of questions and exclamation:
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