Miss J: Another week, another story

Wow a week sure flies by! Upon posting my last blog entry, we went to meet up with Ben and Danny in the CBD for dinner and drinks at Chin Chin - an upscale fusion Vietnamese/Malaysian with a great atmosphere and amazing food. Worth the two hour wait! Admist laughter and pre-dinner drinks, I got a phone call and VIOLA, landed myself a place to rent. Yes! I am no longer homeless! I don't move in for a couple weeks yet but definitely looking forward to decorating.

Yesterday, I officially started the job hunt. I forgot how tedious and frustrating this process is... I dropped off a few resumes at cafes near my new place and to no avail with the exception of one; the owner wasn't hiring for his own cafe but was taken by my attitude and sent my resume to his brother who owns a few shops in the city. Notably, he said: "my brother's crew are all Asians." Ok... I wasn't sure how to respond to this revelation. Regardless, his brother called me 5 minutes of me leaving the cafe and scheduled an interview. I had my first interview at *drum roll* SUBWAY! LMAO. Dad, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes at the ridiculousness of my taking a year off, moving across the globe to work at Subway... Even I laugh. But hey! I have to pay the bills somehow! I did live off of those white chocolate macadamia nut cookies in University. Another perk besides getting the inside scoop of how they manage to 'stay fresh,' if I land this gig, I will work only a few minutes from the Tess and Lachie (current roomies). We have already schedule re-occurring lunch dates. Premature, but I'm glad someone is excited for me! Just got an email for an interview on Monday for a sales role at Top Shop. Interestingly enough, a group interview. Despite my HR background, I'm nervous? This is obviously the preferred choice if it came to deciding between the jobs.

This week has been a week of first - I also had my first experience riding a 'road' bike here. Not a motorcycle but bicycle on the road. It was, well, terrifying! Shauna was sweet enough to let me borrow it while she's away these next couple of months. Lachie being his usual sweet self, forwent his car to get groceries and took me for a bike ride to teach me the rules of the road. It's a lot like riding back home, but in addition to dealing with cars, we have to deal with trams, since cars drive along the tram line. This experience has totally put me off from getting my motorcycle license - opening a spot on my '30 before 30' list. I may have felt differently had I not got my tire stuck in the tram tracks while trying to change lanes and make a right turn, which is like taking a left turn back home. Luckily, my ninja like reflexes kicked in and I was able to hop off the seat before I ate cement. There is something comforting about those protective confines of a car; oh how I miss my dear Felix! Needless to say, I will not be riding that bike on high traffic roads. Only from my new abode to the gym; cuts commute time in half and is a good way to warm up.

Yet another first, I went to the Newbies in Melbourne meetup group last night. It was an after work (for those who actually have jobs) walking pubcrawl and luckily was nothing like any of the past pubcrawls I have organized. It seems fitting here to mention that 2013 has done my liver well and I have not chucked up from alcohol! I'm all grown up ;) I digress... Met some fun people from all around the world; some who, like myself have just moved here; others returning from being overseas; even some who have been here for years but are looking to meet some new people.

One part of traveling that I really enjoy is meeting new people. How often do we go out in our respective cities and actively try to meet new people? For me, the answer is hardly ever. The only times I can say for certain that I made an effort was post break-ups. Yes, plural. Life lesson: dating friends of friends not always a good idea lol. Again, I deviate from my point. I love hearing the chronicles of other people's lives. How, why, what and who impacted or motivated their decision to get to this point. The beauty of this meetup group in particular is that everyone is a considerable 'newbie' with the intent of meeting new people. From what I've heard of other groups which have been around for awhile, is that it can be quite cliquey with less welcoming members. Some of you reading this are probably shaking your heads at my naivety for thinking everyone who goes to these meetups have the same innocent agenda of forming new friendships. And to that point, I say, this is not my first rodeo. It's quite apparent within the first few minutes of meeting a person of their intentions. In fact, on the way back to the tram, Sid (one of the guys I met at the meetup) compared notes to who was there to 'pick up' and our lists were comparable.

I traveled into the 'burbs earlier in the week to hang out with an old friend from Calgary who I haven't seen in over 5 years. I'm so glad that regardless of time and distance, some friendships remain unchanged. Having much more time to think (more likely over analyze) these last three weeks, I have started to reflect on many of my relationships; mainly, friendships. If someone had asked me a year ago, I would not have guessed the friendships that have forged and those which have dissipated. Being the second time I have been away from home for an extended period of time, I am more mindful of the possible evolution (or even demise for lack of a better word) of certain friendships. Distance makes the heart grow fonder but in some cases, distance makes strains more apparent - such is life. This may come across as harsh or heartless but we are all at a stage in our lives where we able to choose the relationships we want to maintain. How much influence do we allow the length of a friendship determine it's maintenance? Do we continue on with any relationship because of the time we have invested or do we choose to let these relationships end, allowing more time for others? Just some food for thought.

The intention today was to write this post and some postcards while sun baking in the botanical gardens, but as soon as I stepped outside, it started to rain - just my luck! I went into the city to drop off some resumes and then headed home since the weather was so unpredictable. Of course on my walk home, the rain turned into hail and I had to seek refuge at the petro station. I am excited for the weekend ahead - forecast: SUNNY DAYS! Going to a fitness meetup on Saturday for a run, followed by a cocktail party at Reg's. Sunday is brunch with new meetup friends and if I'm brave enough, another bike ride.

I apologize for the lack of travel related writing in this post. Trying to get all my ducks in a row this week and being sick earlier in the week didn't really make for an exciting start. I even missed my first volleyball game! Next week shall be far more interesting.

xx
Miss*JQ