Month: September 2011

Currently Accepting Applications


I would just like to clarify one thing; I’m not on vacation. I’m unsure who I’m clarifying this for exactly, but I feel obliged to do so. Here’s the root of the problem, I want to be on vacation so badly, and I’m not, and therefore need to specify that to my readership. I guess you could say I’m now accepting applications if your interested in taking one.

One may think, but you live in Australia, it must be paradise! Is this not a semi-permanent vacation for you? And this is what I’ll tell you dear reader…I do live in Australia AND there are many a paradises. However, I personally would not classify Brisbane as a paradise. I’ll let you in a secret though; paradise is less than an hour’s drive in the directions of North and South. Hehehe (insert evil laugh to make you a tad bit jealous). Did it work?

So let’s get back to the problem, despite quote paradise unquote being a mere skip away there are still a few issues. Firstly, the heat has just sort of arrived so the weather is not quite perfectly ripe. I can’t complain about it just yet. Not till the sweat starts dripping down my face while I step on the bus, fresh from my recent shower, and step off the bus wishing the person in front of me had showered. What I’m trying to get at is that summer isn’t quite here yet.  It’s still technically spring. When it is summer I will damn sure know its summer because the heat will be unbearable and I’ll think, ahhh summer! Let your rays shine on me! I think that is also when I’ll start “feeling” like I live in Australia as opposed to just randomly really really far away from everyone and everything I know. Maybe that’s also when I stop taking notice of the differences.

Queensland is known for its sunshine and beautiful weather. The fact that winter was 60/70s, maybe 50s at night, means that I cannot even predict what true heat will feel like. I guess they compare the climate to southern Florida.

Okay, secondly I don’t have a car or drive for that matter. I know, right! Like after 5 years of not driving you’d want me to attempt to gracefully manage the other side of the road without endangering people. So this puts me in a position of relying on other people going to paradise in order for me to go there.  And add the fact that they have to actually want my company and invite me along.

Near Beautiful Snapper Rock in Coolangatta

Luckily last weekend my friend Louise was kind enough to take me to a paradise otherwise known as Coolangatta Beach. Just an hour and half south of Brisbane on the Gold Coast, we hit the open road, skipped all the touristy spots and for my first time since moving to Queensland was exposed to crystal clear blue waters to explore the surfers, the bogans (remember them?) and the seafood. I lightly dipped my ankles in the chilly saltwater, tempting those sharks I know lurk in the murky depths, and then continued on with the strenuous task of acquiring a base tan. After a full day we came back to Brissy to mingle with another class all together – the Irish for the Rugby World Cup. I was just happy to jam out to a cover band, belting the Killers at the top of my lungs and pretending it was Mr. Greengenes!

City Riots at Big Sound

Since returning from Melbourne I’ve spent the last few weekends immersed in the Brisbane music terrain. Big Sound was on a few weeks back. More or less a big industry event where music publishers, promoters, label execs etc all meet in the Valley while local and national up and coming acts play at pop up venues tucked in alleyways or at local dive bars. Pretty fun couple of nights in a music frenzy.

Spike!

I came across Spike again the other day. Spike’s the name given to the damn iguana that lives on the water next to the botanical gardens in the city. Typically this is what happens…I run along, struggle for breath here and there, and contemplate when to take my next break while trying to self-motivate then boom, ahhhh! Damn Spike is just chilling blocking my running path. And I go, “ahhhh, Spike!” He gets me every time. I then just stare at him for a while. I’m secretly a little nervous he’ll bite me or hop on and not let go.  Some people say there are really big ones that just hang out in trees, like dinosaurs.

River Fire

Brisbane Festival is happening at the moment. It’s like 3 weeks or something of art, music, theatre, culture, blah blah blah. They kick it off each year with River Fire – basically a combination of fireworks and laser shows over the river throughout the whole city. We booked a table on the water at the Bavarian Bier Café on Eagle Street Pier and watched the fireworks light up the Story Bridge. It was pretty neat, and apparently the view from Southbank is even better because you see the whole city light up. I was a bit indifferent however, perhaps due to seeing the 4th of July light up the sky every year on the beach. Tough life.

Yes, the beach, back to vacation. So I’ve got my heart set on Bali or Vanuatu but it’s not looking so good. My options of travel partners are slim. Then I was going to pop over to Thailand to visit a friend from college and do some Koh hopping but flights are outrageous. I may just have to head back over to New Zealand for a long weekend or something while I wait for the beaches to warm up on the coast. I’ve got Byron Bay and a trip back to Coolangatta up my sleeve at least!

Note to readers: This is no way was intentioned to sound like a selfish complaint. I hear fall is pretty chilly up on the Northeast coast of the USA however I did have to witness your summer from a far and it was torture. The accounts mentioned above were just literally the most interesting things that happened to me since I last wrote, a terrible internal turmoil of wanting desperately to travel and not doing much about it. Well, darn it, fine I’ll book something ASAP so I have something more inspiring to share!

Brisness to Melbourne


Some graffiti off of Flinders

Stop being so secretive Melbourne! With your graffiti-laden laneways that just scream “I’m soooo cool!” Well, damnit Melbourne you are! Now stop showing off your multi-culturism, excellent public transportation, and ethnic pots melting. I get it already! I get that there are people having fun down some secret ally that I  have no idea exists, at a bar behind a turn next to a statue above a lamppost. The problem is, I want to be in the know so so bad and you’re rubbing in the fact that I’m just a clueless tourist!

Flinders Station & passing tram

For years Melbourne has been on the list of must visit cities, however, I’ve always been a bit nervous that I’d fall in love with it and never want to return to where I came from. A bit of  a habit of mine. So off I went, a little bit of business, and little bit of pleasure. Am I rushing to move? Not quite yet, but give me a couple more goes with some people who are actually in the know and you may be hearing more from me about the 2nd biggest city in Australia.

So obviously on the quick two-hour jaunt down south I wrote down a few things I wanted to accomplish while in Melbourne:

  • Manicure
  • Laneways (Alleyways)
  • Penguin Island (Prince Phillip Island)
  • Wineries (Yarra Valley)
  • Wes (Friend from Splendour)
  • Street art!

I did you a favor and decoded some for you. Now, I guess the only things on that list I did not accomplish were seeing the penguins (awww, I know!) and going to Yarra Valley. Don’t worry; I made up for it partying with Wes till the wee hours the night before. Figured, hang out with someone “in the know” and save the penguins for later. I’m sure they’ve been there for hundreds of years.

I also wrote down a couple of general Australian observations that have nothing whatsoever to do with Melbourne. Firstly, snakes! Yea snakes! They’re gummy candy (or what they like to call lollies here, whatever). And they’re just like everywhere. All the time people are like oh hey, do you want a snake? And I just laugh and go heck yea, throw me a snake!

Also, when was the last time you remember getting served a full course meal, with booze, on an economy domestic flight? I mean, I’m pretty sure Continental even got rid of those cute little turkey sandwiches that gave them such a competitive advantage. Gave me a reason to rack up the frequent flyer points at least. But in all seriousness, it’s been ages. But Quantas however, the official Australian airline, bangs out meals like nobody’s business. Full dinner, beer and wine, and a Cadbury thank you very much. Just saying.

And I’ll leave you with one more before heading back to Melbourne. Taxis. You sit in the front. Yea, weird right? Like, they get mad if you don’t. But what’s also really neat, is they have a system called Cab Charges. So for work, if I need to take a cab anywhere in Australia they give me these tickets that act like credit cards and it automatically bills the company. Sweet.

So I spent my first free night in Melbourne after a long day of giving presentations roaming around Degraves Street. It’s a cute laneway lined with tons of cafes, outdoor seating, and just had a vibe about it. So…everyone gets it, right, that the farther south you go the colder it is, farther north hotter etc. I live in the north, Melbourne is very far south. But! Nobody in Melb seems to care and they all just chill outside in a very European way and smoke their faces off. So, I found myself a spot in the corner of Degraves Espresso Bar, had myself a glass of Sauv Blanc from Yarra Valley and ordered the stuffed octopus. Think I surprised the cute red-haired waiter with my accent. Oops, happens sometimes.

Cafes and such

I then wrote down another list of things to do, most likely forgetting that I had already done that the day before.

  • Take pics of sweet street art
  • Make local friends and learn the laneways
  • Love this city!

Center Place

Crossing Flinder’s Lane, Degraves turns into Centre Place and it’s even cuter! Tons of boutiques resting next to cafes. A wrong turn, some graffiti, another laneway. The following evening I tried a different route after scouting around all day, and ended up at the Crown Casino. Gorgeous interior with high-end fashion and dining. I ended up in the food court eating Mousahka (huge Greek influence in this city – second largest Greek population in the world next to real Greece) before heading off to a backpackers bar where I befriended Gabe and Sara and ended up at a bar called Trash Bar in the middle of the city with their dreadlocked friend named Rabbit. Nice to meet you, time for me to head out.

A view of Melbourne from St. Kilda

Thankfully Saturday arrived, I had a lovely sleep in, and then Wes, one of our besties from Splendour in the Grass whisked me off to St. Kilda. Now that’s where I want to live! Along the coast, streets lined with palm trees and high-rises overlooking the ocean I just thought, so California. Although it was a bit chilly out, we walked along the water, and I got so excited at the thought of spring approaching, and it has. Goodbye longest winter of my life!

Wes walking the beach

We dined at the Beachcomber and again I was caught off guard with the odd coupling of seafood and Greek dishes that seem to be so apparent in this city. We munched over tapas and wine catching up about the cities of Melbourne, Brisbane and traveling. Wes and his flat mates later had me over dinner for lamb lollipops and kangaroo skewers. I didn’t even know it was kangaroo until after. And I didn’t mind. It was good! Wes then showed me his local scene out in Collingwood where we danced and laughed and mingled and danced until my cabby dropped me off in the city as the sun was rising. Needless to say, I didn’t go see the penguins on Sunday. This was also the day I found out that Beyonce was pregnant. Global news here people!

Wes, a drag queen, and me out in Collingwood

Monday through Wed back to the grind at work. After dining at the work event Tuesday a friend took me to the scariest bar in the world! For realz. So there it is, another laneway floor to ceiling in graffiti. Another turn, and then another. At this point I’m saying, “This is EXACTLY what I’m talking about! No idea, I would have had no freaking idea!”

Yea, well so Croft Bar has this whole mad-scientist/institute theme. There are test tubes and odd décor all over. No biggie. We’re pretty much the only people in the bar, and Ryan the young bartender is chatting to us about crazy cocktail mixology stuff and local beers. But then, I have to pee. HOLY SHNIKES! So, you go up these stairs and it looks like an insane asylum. In the ladies room, there is even like a hospital bed and stuff. I’m getting the heck out of here! Like seriously, I need to be accompanied to the bathroom the next time around. And even better, apparently there are multiple floors in this place with different themes. Not super cheesy like Jekyll and Hyde in NYC, but just super scary.

The ladies bathroom

So I guess the best part was, aside from me being totally freaked out, was when we asked Ryan if we could take a pic of him he posed with his to wrists out in front of him, facing down and said “I pose like this because I have a baby roo at home.” I gave a Whhhhattttt! And he responded, “yea, I’m way Aussie mate!” and I think that is the best quote I’ve ever heard.

So I just flipped my head over, took a pair of scissors, and straight up just cut my hair. Just like that. Pause. It sounds way more dramatic than it actually was. It was like an inch. Not Brittany style or anything. I could feel myself starting to get scissor happy so I scooped the contents up from my bathroom sink, and moved on to dinner. I don’t think anyone will even notice. But that’s okay, they aren’t supposed to. Shhh.

Note to self: don’t eat fish curry while sipping pink grapefruit juice.