The Oz Rivalry

Holla! My apologies for the last post. Spent the weekend in Sydney and barely got any sleep so have spent the last two nights catching up. It was an awesome 3.5 days away and as much as I LOVE exploring a new city, there is something to be said about the comfort of your own home. Yes, I just referred to Melbourne as home. However, this weekend may have changed my mind about where I want to live... Honestly, I fell in love with Sydney. If I had more time over here, I would definitely relocate but with the timing of everything, I will just have to work in some weekend trips to visit :)

There is much of a rivalry between Sydney and Melb'n, quite similar to the Calgary/Edmonton divide. We still appreciate the other city for what it has to offer but at the end of the day, we still choose our hometown (aka Calgary is better ;) There are so many pros and cons of each city, and such a different vibe to each that it is hard to say which is "better." When I first moved to Melb'n I was fascinated by the different way of life here - the chill laid back hipster mentality; definitely the change I was looking for. Everyone is so friendly; I talk to heaps of people at tram stops, in the store, randomly at brunch. It was a great way for me to transition into my year off, where I didn't have to have a schedule. But one cannot stray too far from their roots because, well I am a creature of routine. I like knowing when things are going to happen. There are still days where I chill and have nothing on the go and are able to enjoy them (a skill I have developed here) but the novelty of it may be wearing off. Sydney is much more me!

This sounds silly but I truly miss getting dressed up for work. Don't get me wrong, I love rocking shorts and a t-shirt and I will always have an undying love for my Lulu collection but there is something about putting on a dress and pair of heels that cannot be replaced. Yes, I am a victim of consumerism! I have been told that Sydney is more "corporate" of the two cities and I can see how that is the case. It is more spacious - the CBD is not congested with tourists and gives me a sense of calm. However, it does lack the swarm of cafes and restaurants on every street corner. I reckon, if I were to eat out for every meal, every day for the 9 months I'm here, I wouldn't scratch the surface of the restaurants in Melb'n. No joke! The eating and drinking culture is probably second to none; at least of the places I have traveled. Sydney has more of a fitness culture; probably because the beaches are so accessible and the consistent weather allows people to take full advantage of them. This alone is enough to make me move to Sydney! I was without a jacket/jumper/cardie the entire weekend and was comfortable. If I were in Melb'n, I probably would be scouring the streets to find a store that was open late to buy a coat. I'm not even being dramatic.

Something I have noticed about the culture in Australia, and maybe it's perpetuated based on the friends I have met but there is no pressure around finding "one's true love" and getting married, starting a family etc. I have friends in their late 30's early 40's and have not once heard anyone stressing about "the next phase in life." It's refreshing! I am not a victim of societal pressures in this regard and think it's silly people get stressed out about it - the whole "seek and you shall find" thing doesn't really work in this case. I reckon the more one is adamant on the former the less they are likely to find. *Sniff* can you smell that? Must be Calvin Klein's new scent... Desperation! Lol. I crack myself up. Back to the point... I am 28 and loving life! I am not worried about finding someone to "take care of me" or giving life to a demanding and unreasonable being... Side note, for those who take things for face value, for the sake of my point, I am being facetious; I do in fact love kids. To sum up this tangent, it's nice to be surrounded by people who are like minded in this regard and are in a similar place in life, as myself.

We landed in Sydney on Wednesday night, where Bella fetched us from the airport and straight to the bar we went. It was gay night at Zanzibar - a night out for my dearest Shauna since I subjected her to two consecutive nights of "straighty" fun. Zanzibar was cool. I love how most bars in Aussie have several different levels with different music - something for everyone. I was overwhelmed by the amount of "butch" girls at the club and the horrendous dance moves that surrounded me - what has been seen, cannot be unseen! The night ended early since we were tired from our flight and the rest of the gals had work the next day.

Thursday, Shauna played tour guide to me and her friend, Mio and her family. Thank you again buddy! You're the absolute best! We saw the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and explored some of the CBD. We spent much of the afternoon relaxing by the Opera Bar, a nice restaurant with the most spectacular view of Harbour Bridge. The sun was shining, there were heaps of people around... Just a perfect place to chill out if one had no plans for the day. We ended the night with a lovely dinner at Darling Harbour and a walk around the bridge. The perfect first day :)

Friday, we did a nice run around Newtown cos God forbid I take two consecutive days off from anything active. After our blitz workout, we did the 6.6 km walk from Coogee beach to Bondi Beach, which I was told by many, there would be plenty of eye candy! And I was not disappointed! The eye candy ratio is 5:1 for Sydney - no joke! The walk from Coogee to Bondi took two hours and no complaints on my part. The view was incredible. The entire walk was like the scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall where Mila Kunis and Jason Segel jump off the cliff into the water. Beautiful teal colored water, a nice breeze helping to keep us cool, huge waves crashing up on rocks and if we looked close enough, brave surfers scattered throughout the water.

I love that in both cities, Japanese is a predominant cuisine and you can find good sushi just about anywhere. I had a nice dinner with my family that night - I have only met my great aunt once before and only texted and chatted with her daughters so it was nice to finally put faces to names. I met up Tina at her place to pregame before we all (my cousins in tow) hit up Ivy. This place was a rendition of Vegas bars - 3 levels, different beats on each and rooftop bar with a pool. I had so much fun and apparently had the time of my life dancing. I wish I could tell you I felt the same the next day.

Saturday, I laid around most of the morning; kind of a waste but we were still working out plans, plus I was dying... Had a carbtastic lunch in the city and went back to Coogee beach with Mio and her family so they could check it out. As much as I loved Bondi, I'd say my fave beach was Coogee - the separate men's and women's bath in addition to the beach is really cool. I am not a strong swimmer by any means and the size of the waves here are intimidating. The baths allowed me swim without fear and getting sand everywhere. Another plus, topless tanning! Goodbye tan lines ;) We went to the Pie Tin in Newtown for our final supper and it was a good way to end off the trip and the best cheat meal I have had! Savoury pies are an Aussie thing and although it wasn't as tasty as I had hoped, the dessert Oreo pie we shared was to die for! I think I'm still working off that 3000 cal of deliciousness but well worth it. Best way to spike those Leptin levels!

There is a heat wave over here; 40+ all week! Apparently the hole in the Ozone is right above the land of Oz so the sun is extra strong. I have been told by many I need to take a break from the sun because I am hella dark. As much a I agree, even plastering on sunscreen has not seemed to help much. Perma tanned, hoorah! I'm back to work this week and I must say, I definitely picked the wrong industry to work in. My roommates can attest, I really do have a shopping problem. Shauna (brave soul that she is) and I rented a car for Thursday so I can practice my driving (wish me luck, first time driving stick over hurr) and Aussie Open on Saturday for the Tennis. Life is good!

In addition, I'm booking flights when I have spare time - Brisbane and Fiji are in the final stages of planning. And trying to fit in my new love on the weekends - for those who did not get the reference, I was referring to weekend trips to Sydney. Also, ecstatic that D has booked her flight here - 44 more days until we are reunited!! Can't wait to see you babes xx!

Two weeks into the new year and already so much planned! I hope everyone has been keeping up with their resolutions. I know I have! My notebook is filled with 14 days worth of smiles!

Much love
J.