Your Daily Dose of Laughter

Oh Australia, how you make me laugh...we call it cotton candy where I come from.

Kangaroos and Koalas and Crocs! Oh My!

Today I went to Sydney's #1 tourist attraction: Sydney Wildlife World. This world, located in Darling Harbor, houses many of Australia's most famous, dangerous and adorable creatures that roam this vast continent. I went with Aubrey (Sara was at work) and Stephanie, who arrived to Sydney around the same time as I did from Atlanta, GA. She went to high school with a girl who used to work at Google with a girl who I used to work at Yale with. A friend of a friend of a friend is a friend to me! And the three of us ventured to discover what lied on the other side of the Sydney Wildlife walls. To be honest, it wasn't all that thrilling. It was actually a bit disappointing, and in my opinion not worth the $35.99 adults have to pay to enter. Not a whole lot behind those walls. Fortunately, I had a free-entry pass from IEP so I don't feel like I wasted my money. But don't think that you are wasting you're time reading this! I ensure you that you will enjoy the photos below. Buckle up, because here we go:

SNAKES: This is one of the worlds most venomous snakes. I took a photos of all the deadly snakes so that if I spot one I know to run for my life.

LIZARDS: A cool little guy.

CROCODILE: One of the largest in the world, and in my opinion the scariest creature that roams the earth. Keep that guy away from me, please!

KOALAS: Are beyond adorable. These were hands-down my favorite! Koala's are just the coolest fellows. I am seriously gushing right now, I can't even take it. Look at them! How can you not love them to itty-bitty pieces? I want one. I want a pet Koala. Little girls grow up dreaming of having a pony, but this girl wants a Koala (Mom & Dad, Christmas present?)

Snooze Fest!

Lunch Time! What A Happy Camper

FUN FACT: Koalas have two thumbs! 

Just Chillen On A Tree

KANGAROOS: These dudes are too cool for school. Too cool to get off their bums and hop around a bit! Just another day lounging around at Wildlife World. I don't think my Australia experience will be complete if I don't see a hopping kangaroo. 

CASSOWARY: A crazy looking bird, huh? It looks like a cross between a dinosaur, a turkey and a peacock. This guy is bad to the bone.

BUTTERFLY: The live butterfly display was closed for repair (frown face), but this display was still lovely too look at. The more color, the better!

Are You Ready For Some RUUUGBYYYYY?!...And Some WowCow?

This past Sunday I rounded up some troops to venture with me to my first ever rugby game. My only other previous encounter with rugby was in the movie theaters when I saw Invictus, starring the handsome Mr. Matt Damon (call me! I will fold your napkins for free!). Aside from enjoying watching my talented boyfriend parade across the screen in short man-shorts, I also enjoyed watching the game of rugby on the big screen. It made me want to see the real thing in person, and since rugby is so popular in Australia I decided that going to a game was a must while here.

Accompanying me were Sara and Aubrey (who you have met already and should know by now), and two newbies: Dan and Lorenzo. Dan is the “caretaker” of my apartment. He is a young Aussie lad, originally from two hours north of Sydney, who lives in the other share house owned by my landlord. She hires him to help keep our place in order. Basically he re-stocks our toilet paper and takes out our trash (for which I am grateful). We got chit-chatting the other day about rugby and I mentioned that I really wanted to go to a game. Dan said he used to play rugby, had also wanted to see a game and would be happy to take us (as in the three gals). Perfect! I had recruited an Aussie who a) had a car and could transport us to and from the game and b) was a rugby expert who could explain to us what was actually going on. Lorenzo is Dan’s Italian flat mate who he invited with us to the big game.

We arrived to the game late because we took a few “detours” on the way (we got lost). The stadium was jammed pack with over 18,000 people clad in red, white and green (I felt like I walked into a massive Christmas party) to watch the St. George Dragons take on the South Sydney Rabbits. The Rabbits were the underdogs. I did not find this shocking; the odds don’t seem to be in favor of a small, fluffy, furry, white bunny rabbit (the mascot looked like the Easter Bunny) taking down a monstrous, scaly, mythical creature with massive, sharp claws who breaths fire (this mascot looked like Puff the Magic Dragon). But hey, anything is possible right? The loyal fans surrounding us were certainly hoping so! We had purchased tickets for the Standing Hill section, which was basically a big, grassy mound that looped along the whole right side of the stadium, where everyone who was too late in purchasing their tickets to get an actual seat had to sit. We clambered over blankets, bodies and booze until we made our way to the top of the hill, amidst a sea of Rabbits fans. And so we rooted for the underdogs (or underrabbits, I should say). 

The WIN Jubilee Rugby Stadium

First-timer Rugby Fans

The game was fun. The fans were rowdy. And the Rabbits got devoured by the Dragons (no David vs. Goliath ending on this one). Did I mention that Russel Crow is the owner of the Dragons? Obviously they were going to win, the Gladiator is their boss! And he was at the game. I saw him. My first Aussie celebrity sighting! Well sort of, I only saw his face on the game screen but that still counts, right?

Watching rugby builds up your appetite for sweet things, so after the game we decided to get some dessert. Dan took us to WowCow. All I have to say is “WOW.” WowCow is now my new favorite place. It is a frozen yogurt shop, sort of like a Pinkberry back in the states, except that this frozen yogurt place also happens to sell its own version of churros with chocolate. Random, I know, but they are the tastiest thing I have eaten since being in Sydney. WowCow’s churros are long sticks of baked dough covered in cinnamon and sugar that you dip in melted Belgium chocolate. I don’t know whether I should thank or curse Dan for introducing them to me because they are addictingly (new adverb) delicious. I will be starting a petition to open WowCow in the U.S., and when I do I will be asking all of you to sign it. It is in your best interest, as well as mine. Oh, and they have a massive cow hanging upside down from the ceiling. That alone is worth another visit. 

Devouring our Churros With Chocolate at WowCow

The WowCow on the ceiling

Some Odd Fellows

Yesterday was a pretty typical day. I rose around 9:00 am. (Side note: I am loving not having to set an alarm. And yes, 9:00 am is sleeping in for me, but I know you're still jealous). Then I went for my daily morning run. I discovered the most incredible running route around the outer edge of the Royal Botanical Gardens. The path runs alongside the ocean and loops around to the Sydney Opera House.  If you look at the map below, you can see what I'm talking about. I start in the bottom right corner near the word LEGEND and run all along the ouside (the white path) till I reach the opera house. It's stunning. Mom asked me to take pictures, but it's kinda hard to run with a camera in hand so you will just have to take my word that its purely gorgeous. There is no better motivation to get up each morning and run than this scenery.

Yesterday, I stopped to stretch after running a bit. I had found an unoccupied, shady spot located under a tree and overlooking the harbor.  Mid-stretch, I look to my right and there is a man standing about 3 yards away from me with his bright yellow camera lifted to his eye and pointed directly at me.  I looked around to see what he was taking a picture of, when I realized it was me! I immediately gave him a death stare and asked him not to take a picture of me. "No?" he asked seemingly confused, as if this was some absurd request. "NO" I replied sternly. Evidently, he didn't speak english. But the majority of what we say is communicated through our expressions, tone of voice, and body language. My displeasure and discomfort with his actions was more than evident. He put his camera down and I resumed stretching. But I'm no dummy. I looked over my shoulder only to see the man slowly lifting his camera back to its original position. If looks could kill that man would have fell over on the spot. But they can't (which is a good thing, I wouldn't want to be arrested for murder down under) so I had to pick myself up and continue on my jog without properly stretching. I was irritated, nonetheless. A person jogging is not a rare Sydney sight. I am not a celebrity. There is absolutely no reason why you should invade my privacy and ruin my stretching session Mr. Foreign Tourist (odd fellow #1). Put your camera down and leave me alone! Thank you. 

After my jog I showered, made lunch and ran some errands. Then I headed off to work at the Summit. Tonight we had an exclusive event for Nissan, the car company. They are having a 3 day conference in Sydney, and we were hosting their welcome dinner. This meant that I didn't have to sit dinner guests as usual. Instead, I was in charge of operating the elevator on the ground floor to take the 200+ guests to the top of the tower. This was a rather mundane task. It reminded me of LOST, the greatest television show I have ever had the privilege to watch. If you haven't seen it you are seriously missing out. Go rent the season DVDs, lock yourself in your house for a week, and watch them. You will not regret it. It will change your life. But back to how it reminds me of my job. At one point in LOST there was a button that needed to be pushed continuously at a specific time or everyone was going to die (something like that, the exact reason is a little fuzzy). So someone was appointed the designated button pusher. It was their sole responsibility to PUSH THAT BUTTON no matter what. This was a life or death matter. It was serious business. And that was me for two hours last night. The designated elevator button pusher. Very important. If I didn't push that button, Nissan employees would not make it to the 47th floor to enjoy a first class, three course meal. That would be a real travesty. So I pushed that elevator button over and over and over...

Eventually, I was relieved of my burdensome button-pushing duties and ventured to the top floor to help cater the event. After three hours, the 200 guests (most of whom were male) had drank almost all of our wine and beer beverages. No surprise here, it's a known fact that Aussies can and do drink a lot. But what I can tell you it that after three hours of drinking, Nissan employees can be quite entertaining. At one point I had a group of about 10 Australian men (odd fellows #2) singing the Jefferson Starship song "Sarah" (Their song was spelt "Sara" but I have added the 'h' because it it the proper way to spell my name).  Oh yes, in booming voices they sang, "Sarah, Sarah, no time is a good time for goodbye!" It was quite amusing. And I learned a valuable lesson: never tell drunk patrons your real name. It's the golden rule of being a cocktail waitress. Now I get why. Cheers!

I Am A Napkin Folding Machine

I have mastered the napkin fold. Rejoice! Tonight I folded napkin after napkin after napkin, each with just the right amount of pillowy-puffiness. What confirms this? There was no scolding from manager Frank. I will now add “napkin folding pro” to my resume. If you ever need your napkins folded, you know who to call.  

Supermarket Surprises: What's MIA in the AU Aisles...

Today I went grocery shopping. There isn’t a shocking difference between grocery stores in Australia and those in the US. A grocery store here is essentially the same as a grocery store there. However, there are a few essential items missing from the Aussie supermarket shelves (at least from the one I was at, Coles) that I must disclose with you.

•  Peanut Butter: I’m talking about real peanut butter. The kind made from just one ingredient- peanuts. My personal favorite is Teddy’s Smooth Peanut Butter (preferably sodium-free), but any brand that grinds up peanuts until they are a thick, smooth and buttery spread works just fine for me. The “peanut butter” here fall into the same category as the Jiffs and Peter Pan Brands back home, you know, the ones contaminated with salt and sugar.  Don’t get me wrong, I would take a spoon to those and eat a whole jar in one sitting, but it’s not the same.

• Snack Packs: You will find no 100-calorie snack packs here. Which is fine, I don’t even like those. But my point is that most products come in one size and one size only. You don’t get a choice between snack size bags, normal size bags and extra large bags. This only affected me in the pop-corn department. No mini, personal size popcorn bags for me to nosh on. Darn.

• Wheat Bread: As in the kind made from whole wheat. All I can find here is Whole Oat bread, which simply is not the same. So when you bite into your whole wheat toast, remember that it is a rare luxury.

• Gum: No Orbit. No Trident. No Stride. I need gum in my mouth like my body needs water. It’s hard for me to function without it. And I am now without it. The little, over priced chicklets they sell here just aren’t cutting it.

• Frozen Veggies: In the states there is an entire aisle dedicated to frozen vegetables of all shapes, sizes, colors and varieties. I personally love the microwavable kinds because they are easy to store and even easier to prepare. I thought these would be perfect to stock up on because there is limited space in the fridge to store veggies. But alas, Coles only had frozen green peas and corn to offer me, or ginormous bags of vegetable medleys that are far too large to fit in my freezer.  Does this mean I have to turn to vegemite to get my daily dose of veggies? I shutter at the thought…

• Tampons: Sorry boys, but it is true. And it is my duty as a woman to inform my other female comrades considering to voyage to Australia that the Kotex multi-pack box I so desperately depend on to get me through that hormonal, hell-week each month does not exist down under. Neither does Tampax. Nor any of the other brands we know and love (or loathe). I have no idea what I’m going to find when I open this box. All I know is that it is about the size of a deck of cards and claims to hold 12 “super” tampons. I just don’t see how that can be, unless the Australians have developed some advanced, top-secret tampon technology that hasn’t made it to the states yet. Somehow I doubt that. Hence, I am stumped…and a tad concerned.

A Turkey-Head Celebration

Last Tuesday (this post is way out of chronological order, but I was waiting for the pictures to accompany it which I now have) was my new mate Aubrey’s birthday. Aubrey is working as an au pair in a western suburb of Sydney, about a half hour train ride away from the city center.  She lives free-of-charge with an Australian family comprised of a mother, father and three young children (two boys and one girl), and in exchange watches the children two days a week (geez, not a bad deal huh?). The family kindly invited Sarah, Alex and I to their home for Aubrey’s birthday dinner celebration. I was eager to experience the life of a typical suburban Australian family, and also to see where Aubrey resided and “worked.” What I discovered is that Australian families are just like yours and mine- chaotic and crazy, but full of love, laughter and some occasional tears (inevitable when young children are running about).

We entered the house to five screaming children gleefully running about the house playing with each other. It was a zoo of blonde hair and blue eyed children. Two of them belonged to friends of the family who had also come over for the birthday celebration. Present was also a precious newborn baby. It’s no wonder that their home was a disheveled and cluttered mess. In fact, it reminded me of my own for which I felt a tremendous sense of nostalgia. For dinner we had some sort of lamb stew (apparently a classic Australian dish), and lettuce wraps filled with rice and ground beef, just the kind of simple but tasty home-cooked meal I like. And for dessert we enjoyed good ‘ol out-of-the-box cupcakes. My tummy was happy.

Abby, the only girl and the youngest of the children, was the most adorable child. She had perfect blonde pig tail ringlets and the bluest of blue eyes that just made your heart melt. But what really got me was her accent. I’m already a sucker for Australian accents (part of the reason I chose to come to Australia, duh), but when Abby spoke with her tiny little voice and Australian accent it was almost unbearable. Half the time I couldn’t even understand what she was saying, but it didn’t matter she was cuter than a kitten (that’s the cutest thing I can think of at the moment). We went hunting for rabbits together. I had to fight every urge not to swipe her on our way out that evening and take her back with me so that she could be my very own blonde, Australian child.

The other children loved us big kids. Well, actually they loved attacking us. In their eyes we made for great punching bags. I’m surprised that I walked out of that house in one piece, because I was punched, jumped on, head-butted and even spanked by these little rascals. It was the spanking that took my most off-guard. I turned to Alex, who was sitting on the couch and amusingly witnessed the event, and said “I just got spanked by an Australian lad!” And what is an American girl, who is a guest to their home, suppose to do about it? It wasn’t my place to scold them. And for all I knew, spanking was encouraged on this sided of the globe. Fortunately, one father also witnessed the event and immediately ordered all four boys to the kitchen for a serious scolding. So no, spanking is not acceptable in Australia either. What a relief. Still, it was all in good fun.

  

Once the rough-housing had subsided, the kids turned to name calling. One boy persisted to call me a turkey-head, over and over and over. “You’re a turkey head!” he would shout. To which I would reply, “Yea? Well you’re a kangaroo head!” We ended up calling each other every sort of animal-head you can think up. I preferred that game, much gentler on my tush. All the while the animated film, Quest for Camelot, was playing on the television in the background. I believe this is a film that was released in Australia only. All I know is that the protagonist and hero of the story is a blind man, and there is a goofy, two-headed dragon character. It was the most absurd animated children’s film I have ever seen. Australia isn’t known to produce award-winning films. Still, I may have to rent it and what the whole thing. 

Before we left, we took a group photo. As you can see there were 14 of us in total. All in all it was a great evening. But I can say with 100% certainty that I am glad I did not become an au pair in Australia. 

Birthday party people and Australian families galore

Us gals with the children (and my beloved Abby)

Happy Father's Day!

Yes, that's correct. September 5th is Father's Day in Australia. Who knew? Not I. I assumed that there was just one universal Father's Day, and that it was on the same day in June all over the world. Wrong. Father's Day in Australia is in September, and today is that day! So happy Father's Day to all the father's out there! Go tell your children and milk it for all its worth.

Love and miss you Dad!