Air conditioning unit

i don't know how they do it. most aussies don't have ac, nor heat in their homes. i feel like i'm camping most of the time. so i bought a portable ac unit for jakey. he seems to be doing a lot better now. i ran to this electronic store after work. i took the last one at the store. not cheap $860 (with warranty). this is how i got this thing into my house. the guy at the store wheeled it on a cart for me to the street. he + grumpy chinese cab driver put it into a cab. cab driver dumps me + my ac unit on the street.

i then walk over to the youth hostel .. yes the same one that i have been talking mad s*** about ... there is always a group of guys outside w their shirts off smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. it's a youth hostel. i was like "can someone help me carry this thing up some stairs? preferably two ppl who are the least drunk at this point. i'll pay you $20". these two nice men were like sure no problem and they wouldn't take my money! i now take back all the trash i have ever said about the youth hostel. :) like the little boy in "up" i felt like they were "assisting an elderly person".

Tv in Australia

There are times while watching tv in Australia when I completely forget I'm in a foreign country! All the programs are American! I get to watch the Kardashians, Colbert Report, Kendra, and The Daily Show! Urban legend has it there is a law where 30% of the content has to be Australian ... do not know how they are able to meet the quota.

Charlotte's web

Huntsman spiders are all over Bondi. At first I was petrified, however now I am used to them. :) They build the most amazing cob webs and are known as giant crab spiders. They are not dangerous/poisonous.

Post quarantine blues

Each night after work, I come home and find a huge mess from Jakey ... Half eaten tampons, a bunny with just one ear, etc ... Jakey has always been naughty and so the best part about quarantine is that I can blame Jakey's poor behavior on his time in jail! When strangers try to pet him and Jakey tries to bite, I just quickly comment "Oh I'm sooo sorry, he just got out of quarantine. He's been off ever since". At this point, I get a sympathetic "Oh poor guy" .. I then pout my lips and nod my head in agreement. :)

Crazy Australian phones - what the hell is this?

Hello? Welcome to the 1970s. Do any of you guys even know what this is? Well, it's a phone jack! Setting up internet in Australia is equivalent to performing brain surgery. First you need to set up a phone line and then covert it to an ASDL line.

North Bondi Italian

Fun, lively restaurant packed with beautiful Bondi beach go-ers... The food was solid (with the exception of the sardines .. keep reading), the drink list long. One reason I like to go to restaurants is because I like to eat food I can not prepare at home (this basically covers 99.5% of all edible items in this world). I ordered the sardines. This is one dish I know I can make at home. Go there for the ambiance, do not order the sardines. hmmm, just realized I'm writing as if someone will read. Is that narcissistic of me? http://www.northbondirsl.com.au/

Rows in a movie theater

I go to Bondi Junction (super huge mall complex complete with a movie theater - typical suburbia mall). I order tickets (assigned seating in Australia).
me: "Can I please get two tickets in the middle of the theater?"
Movie employee: "Sure. How about row 5?"
me: "Sorry, I wanted to sit in the middle of the movie theater"
Movie employee: "Yes that is in the middle. There are 12 rows in total"

*sigh*

Great business plan

Take a store from the States, bring it to Australia and change the name.. but only slightly!

Wedges - the best thing in Australia!

So good! Served with sour cream and chili sauce!

Lori's wedding at Coffs Habour

As a result of a perfect alignment of the stars, moons and planets - my super good friend, Lori from high school got married in Coffs Harbour (this is a 1 hour plane ride north of Syndey). The wedding was held at a beautiful Spanish Villa and Anna was a perfect date! Coffs Harbour is very beautiful, but then again so is the rest of Australia so no need to make a special trip out there. The hotel we stayed in wasn't the nicest ... although it got a super star rating? See picture of the lobby and then the award plaque. I think it was fake. Coffs Harbour is known for its banana farming (gorgeous banana trees) and is a small town. I have never seen an airport so empty?!

Sailing on the Sydney Harbour

How lucky am I that I have so many fun, beautiful, intelligent friends who like to come visit me!? Susan was my second visitor to Australia! Typical weekend in Sydney.. sailing on the Sydney Harbour with Anita, Stephanie and Susan!

Mailbox

Identity theft is not an issue in Australia... This is my mailbox in Australia. I am having all my mail delivered to Google. :)

Blue bottles

For you Americans who have no idea what this is .. they are jellyfish .. blue bottles .. they are "heaps" (Australians say the word "heaps" a lot to convey the meaning of tons, many, etc) all over Bondi Beach! Warning: they STING! The pink ones apparently do not sting, but the blue ones do!

Bondi is truly beautiful!

i go to sleep early. say 9:30/10PM. jakey was breathing so hard bc he was so damn hot. he was restless... getting on and off the bed. farting in my face, etc.. he was looking at me like i was the animal for making him endure the extreme heat. i could only look at him and think "i know jakey, i know!"

next door is this surfer model chick. she comes home at midnight and is all loud so jakey starts barking. downstairs is artsy photographer. he and his homies were up to 4-5am partying last night. youth hotel 2 doors down is up all night too. the birds then started chirping (i know this may sound pleasant, but it's not) at 6am. i envision myself cutting down the tree or shooting them w a bb gun. i was like alskfjlaskdfj so i just get out of bed and jakey and i go on a walk on the beach.

we walk out of the apartment to find hot surfer model in a hot red bikini. she's trying to be nice and like "aww .. here doggy doggy" jakey barks at her. and she's like "oh" :( all sad. so then she starts running down the street toward the beach (almost skipping).. barefoot with her beach towel in the air like she was super woman. i walk jakey to beach moments later and when i see the gorgeous waves i forget all about the night before. :)

Happy year of the Tiger at Din Tai Fung!

For Chinese New Year 2010, Lily, Stephanie and I had the most delicious dumplings ever at Din Tai Fung! This is a famous Tawainese restaurant in Sydney. Located in the EY building downtown. Really tasty soup dumplings, just like in Taiwan! However be prepared to pay top dollar! Must order the steam pork dumplings and for dessert the steamed mashed red bean buns. http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/product_b_list02.asp

$30K drink at Shangri-La!

Wow! Aussies are rich! Great views at the top bar... http://www.shangri-la.com/ Men if you want to impress your lady, buy her this drink. It comes with a private butler! And by judging how hot the bartenders were .. I'm sure your private butler would be hot as well! I will have to say the genetic pool in Australia is quite something..

Brazilian BBQ at Wildfire

The first visitor I had in Sydney! I love the way Lily rolls... Our IM conversation was something like "are you busy next week at work?" .. my reply, "not really"... "Ok I think I'm going to come visit". She purchased her ticket on a Friday and was at my doorsteps on Sunday! So much fun! Lily is going to make a great house wife one day! While at work, she would get all this stuff done... and when I came home she opened the door for me with open arms! Telling me how much she missed me and couldn't wait to have dinner with me! This is Lily getting her grub on at "Wildfire" Fancy Brazilian BBQ, a bit pricey, but definitely worth a trip. ..http://www.wildfiresydney.com/ observation - we were the only female ladies dining together. The entire restaurant was packed with men on corporate expense accounts.

Locked up

Jakey had to go into doggy jail for 30 days (Australian quarantine). Luckily I found a really nice dog walking service who specialized in doggy quarantine http://www.dogwalks.com.au/. They went to see Jakey 4 times a week. Jakey would get exercised twice a week and the other two days, they would go into his cage and tell him bedtime stories. Yes, yes, yes I know .. I could have visited and petted Jakey myself .. but instead I outsourced it. The quarantine was at Eastern Creek, a good 1.5 hour from Sydney.

Adios SF!

You name it, I packed it .. literally! I remember asking the movers to pack up a half tube of toothpaste. Sydney isn't cheap and the foreign exchange rate does not help either! I was, however slightly embarrassed when Lily unpacked these take out chopsticks and soy sauce ... perhaps a bit too far!