So in case you don't know I'm registered with a temp agency so I'm doing some pretty random jobs, mostly data entry or call center crap that makes me go to my happy place. Yesterday though, I was put in the heart of the Brisbane City Center to hand out fliers for a campaign. I was just smiling and saying G'day when this guy walked towards me and I was like....hmmm, I think I know him. Turns out, it's a guy I hung out with in Santorini, Greece. My friend Kat and I were staying at a pretty small hotel and this guy John was with his friend Craig travelling along, so we made friends with them and did a bit of partying. How crazy is it that I see him in Australia??? Granted, he is Australian, but he lived in Sydney before his travels. But we never exchanged numbers or even facebooks...whoa.
AND THEN. I was on Facebook and kept seeing 2 of my friends saying stuff about Australia this, walkabout this, Australia that. So I messaged him and was like, WTF dude. Turns out 2 guys I went to high school with are moving to a suburb of Brisbane for the next year. Madness, AND they will be staying in Brisbane in 2 weeks for a wedding and many a beers will be drank. Might even break out the cowboy boots. :)
"It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all....it's a small, small, world!"
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Australian-isms
Here's what I think is weird or things I miss here.
1. When they wash dishes they don't rinse off the soap, they just wash it and put it suds and all in the drain thing. They also call dish soap "washing up liquid" same as UK.
2. They don't know what hot sauce is, I haven't had my beloved Texas Pete hot sauce in 2 months and my belly misses it.
3. Their ethnic food is Thai or Indian where I'm used to it being Mexican.
4. They say "Give us a bell" which is weird because "a bell" means to call them and they say "us" even if they are talking about just themselves. Wtf, at least I only say yall when it's more than one person.
5. They say SMS, not text. So specific!
6. A beer commercial the other day was talking about having less carbs and giving them to someone who would appreciate it...Americans! So yea, they make fun of us, openly.
7. Bell peppers are called capsicums which for at least a month I thought they were saying capskins. Wrong.
8. Chips are both french fries and chips. Only difference, hot chips is actual fries.
9. I ate at a mexican restaurant and asked for queso and I got this disgusting bowl of melted cheddar cheese that was so oily and goopy that I couldn't even eat it. No velveeta in sight.
10. They call their girlfriends "the misses" which I find endearing and slightly dated.
11. There are more people in Texas than in ALL of Australia (24 mil to 22 mil).
12. Not all Australians surf. Depressing.
13. They are a season behind on all the American TV shows, sucks for me.
14. When you order a drink they measure all the alcohol that goes into it. Meaning, you order a single, you're getting a single. Same as UK. No free pours in sight. Getting pretty expensive. :(
15. Their "rivalry" to New Zealand is like that of US to Canada. Like, "Aww, poor NZ"
16. They do not have a Forever 21 or even an H&M here, this is the most annoying/depressing thing in the world to me, as Mary and Meg would know....it's my "church".
17. Trying to order coffee is impossible. They know latte, cappuccino, mocha and so on, but to get a plain black coffee is like asking for a million dollars. It took me 5 minutes to explain that I wanted coffee, in a cup, no milk, no sugar, no foam, no chocolate...nothing!!!! Just coffee!
18. They are on the metric system but they also say pounds and miles sometimes and I get really confused. Like they weigh babies in pounds...but adults in kilograms.
19. Instead of calories they use kilojoules (which basicall means the amount of energy, but then again that's what I thought calories were too so whatever), so I have to convert YET another thing. haha
20. When Americans say "Why would I leave here, we have everything...skiing, lakes, mountains, beaches, deserts, etc...." I think....so does Australia.
1. When they wash dishes they don't rinse off the soap, they just wash it and put it suds and all in the drain thing. They also call dish soap "washing up liquid" same as UK.
2. They don't know what hot sauce is, I haven't had my beloved Texas Pete hot sauce in 2 months and my belly misses it.
3. Their ethnic food is Thai or Indian where I'm used to it being Mexican.
4. They say "Give us a bell" which is weird because "a bell" means to call them and they say "us" even if they are talking about just themselves. Wtf, at least I only say yall when it's more than one person.
5. They say SMS, not text. So specific!
6. A beer commercial the other day was talking about having less carbs and giving them to someone who would appreciate it...Americans! So yea, they make fun of us, openly.
7. Bell peppers are called capsicums which for at least a month I thought they were saying capskins. Wrong.
8. Chips are both french fries and chips. Only difference, hot chips is actual fries.
9. I ate at a mexican restaurant and asked for queso and I got this disgusting bowl of melted cheddar cheese that was so oily and goopy that I couldn't even eat it. No velveeta in sight.
10. They call their girlfriends "the misses" which I find endearing and slightly dated.
11. There are more people in Texas than in ALL of Australia (24 mil to 22 mil).
12. Not all Australians surf. Depressing.
13. They are a season behind on all the American TV shows, sucks for me.
14. When you order a drink they measure all the alcohol that goes into it. Meaning, you order a single, you're getting a single. Same as UK. No free pours in sight. Getting pretty expensive. :(
15. Their "rivalry" to New Zealand is like that of US to Canada. Like, "Aww, poor NZ"
16. They do not have a Forever 21 or even an H&M here, this is the most annoying/depressing thing in the world to me, as Mary and Meg would know....it's my "church".
17. Trying to order coffee is impossible. They know latte, cappuccino, mocha and so on, but to get a plain black coffee is like asking for a million dollars. It took me 5 minutes to explain that I wanted coffee, in a cup, no milk, no sugar, no foam, no chocolate...nothing!!!! Just coffee!
18. They are on the metric system but they also say pounds and miles sometimes and I get really confused. Like they weigh babies in pounds...but adults in kilograms.
19. Instead of calories they use kilojoules (which basicall means the amount of energy, but then again that's what I thought calories were too so whatever), so I have to convert YET another thing. haha
20. When Americans say "Why would I leave here, we have everything...skiing, lakes, mountains, beaches, deserts, etc...." I think....so does Australia.
Cause JM Told Me To
I love this place. I love how I feel, how people behave, how laid back and chill everyone is, how they get "pissed off" and it's still not upsetting, how they can't do mexican food to save their lives, how they don't understand what "light beer" is, how no one knows what a damn martini is, how I feel like I'm on some sort of downer all the time cause I can't be bothered to get riled up...about anything....every. Unless I'm sleep deprived of course.
Then something happened. I thought, hmmm, what if I want to stay longer than a year? (At this point I have to be out of the country by June 2, 2010). People under the common wealth are allowed to go do 3 months of fruit picking in the outback in order to get 1 year extra visa, but since we are American assholes we are not. So it's either 1. leave on that date 2. marry an Australian within the year (might have one in mind *wink*wink* to those "in the know") or 3. get sponsored by a company.
Shit. Fuck.
So guess what I've been doing for the past 3 hours.....I've spent out approximately 20 resumes to different companies in hopes that they will take me and subsequently sponsoring me for residency. Of course, once you find a sense of happiness it has to be nearly impossible. Now they want me to only be happy for the year. I realize I've only been here for 2 months and I have 10 more to go, but it's still incredibly frightening to realize that I can't stay in a place that I like, that likes me. :)
Here's to hoping that I can get a sponsor....soon.
In lighter news, my birthday is in a few weeks and I've booked tickets to Airlie Beach (google it). So excited, going to go scuba diving and surf and generally relax. Going by myself, which I'm also really excited about. As much as I am a million miles away from people who really know me I still get sufffocated around people and like the freedom of jetting off whenever/wherever I want.
Then something happened. I thought, hmmm, what if I want to stay longer than a year? (At this point I have to be out of the country by June 2, 2010). People under the common wealth are allowed to go do 3 months of fruit picking in the outback in order to get 1 year extra visa, but since we are American assholes we are not. So it's either 1. leave on that date 2. marry an Australian within the year (might have one in mind *wink*wink* to those "in the know") or 3. get sponsored by a company.
Shit. Fuck.
So guess what I've been doing for the past 3 hours.....I've spent out approximately 20 resumes to different companies in hopes that they will take me and subsequently sponsoring me for residency. Of course, once you find a sense of happiness it has to be nearly impossible. Now they want me to only be happy for the year. I realize I've only been here for 2 months and I have 10 more to go, but it's still incredibly frightening to realize that I can't stay in a place that I like, that likes me. :)
Here's to hoping that I can get a sponsor....soon.
In lighter news, my birthday is in a few weeks and I've booked tickets to Airlie Beach (google it). So excited, going to go scuba diving and surf and generally relax. Going by myself, which I'm also really excited about. As much as I am a million miles away from people who really know me I still get sufffocated around people and like the freedom of jetting off whenever/wherever I want.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
It's Morgan Freeman, got any bones to collect?
I have always had a life list (known by most as a Bucket List because of that horrible movie with Morgan Freeman). My life list has always had at least 10 items on it but has always been along the same theme.
1. Graduate from college
2. Move to New York City
3. Travel the world
Well, I graduated in May 2006, moved to New York City September 2008 and started traveling March 2009. With a marketing degree, an avid knowledge of the NYC subway system and more than a few passport stamps...what's a girl to do?
That being said, I should be satisfied…right? Well, I find myself forever looking for my next great adventure. My next one way ticket to somewhere, whether that be an actual place or a state of mind. Aside from scuba diving and surfing in Australia (Both booked and planned for September) and riding an elephant in India (I know, really freaking random, but hey, that’s me…and I’ll do that soon enough) there’s not much left on this list.
This would be deemed as a good thing, but what is one to do when their dreams have never included anything more than doing certain things in certain places. I’m beginning to think I need to think of different dreams for myself which freaks me the hell out. DARE I say that maybe one day I’d like to be married. Holy hell, saying that gives me heartburn. I don’t know where this is going (this post I mean) but all I’m saying is, what is next for me? What do I dream of now?
Money and career took over for a while in NYC, but I found myself miserable and in need of several medications (prescribed and…..not).
Any suggestions my dear friends?
1. Graduate from college
2. Move to New York City
3. Travel the world
Well, I graduated in May 2006, moved to New York City September 2008 and started traveling March 2009. With a marketing degree, an avid knowledge of the NYC subway system and more than a few passport stamps...what's a girl to do?
That being said, I should be satisfied…right? Well, I find myself forever looking for my next great adventure. My next one way ticket to somewhere, whether that be an actual place or a state of mind. Aside from scuba diving and surfing in Australia (Both booked and planned for September) and riding an elephant in India (I know, really freaking random, but hey, that’s me…and I’ll do that soon enough) there’s not much left on this list.
This would be deemed as a good thing, but what is one to do when their dreams have never included anything more than doing certain things in certain places. I’m beginning to think I need to think of different dreams for myself which freaks me the hell out. DARE I say that maybe one day I’d like to be married. Holy hell, saying that gives me heartburn. I don’t know where this is going (this post I mean) but all I’m saying is, what is next for me? What do I dream of now?
Money and career took over for a while in NYC, but I found myself miserable and in need of several medications (prescribed and…..not).
Any suggestions my dear friends?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Update
Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive and well....sorta. I've had some serious alergies the past week and thought I might die but finally went to a chemist and got some meds. Haven't started looking for a job yet cause I'm still being a lazy ass, and I'm totally fine with that. :)
The apartment is still fabulous, however awkward it may be. I forgot that it was awkward at first in NYC with Mary and Manda, but living with guys makes it about 100 times worse. It's not like they are going to recognize that I'm bored out of my head and need some company. haha. Hopefully we all get to hang out together soon so that I don't feel like such a stranger to them.
Brissy is funny. They have a carnival called Ekka (probably spelled that wrong) and it starts on a Wednesday and it's a public holiday for all of Brisbane. Isn't that the weirdest thing you have ever heard? I thought so. I'm supposed to go to a dinner with one of the roomys for it, apparently this is a big deal around here. It better be fun. Can't wait for some cotton candy and the ferris wheel. Oh to be a kid again....
That's all for now, will write when something actually exciting happens. Like a job. Or a boy...
The apartment is still fabulous, however awkward it may be. I forgot that it was awkward at first in NYC with Mary and Manda, but living with guys makes it about 100 times worse. It's not like they are going to recognize that I'm bored out of my head and need some company. haha. Hopefully we all get to hang out together soon so that I don't feel like such a stranger to them.
Brissy is funny. They have a carnival called Ekka (probably spelled that wrong) and it starts on a Wednesday and it's a public holiday for all of Brisbane. Isn't that the weirdest thing you have ever heard? I thought so. I'm supposed to go to a dinner with one of the roomys for it, apparently this is a big deal around here. It better be fun. Can't wait for some cotton candy and the ferris wheel. Oh to be a kid again....
That's all for now, will write when something actually exciting happens. Like a job. Or a boy...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Job Snob
So I am officially looking for work and officially HATING every second of it. I keep going between this notion that I should just work in a bar and meet people but feel incredibly guilty paying a monthly student loan bill and not using that increasingly useless degree.
I went for an interview today for a position going door to door asking people if they've switched to some random electricity company. Woo freaking hoo. However, the pay is ok and there's all these commission and bonus incentives. So that may be an option.
I have another interview tomorrow for another door to door thing selling internet/mobile services. That one seems far less desireable. Yuck.
Other than that, I have an Australian phone, so if I haven't facebooked you the number let me know and I'll send it over. No more 5809, the trusty number I've had for about...ever now. Really sad about that. Mom and dad are taking me off their plan and putting my oldest brother on. Easily replaceable I suppose.
Hope to hear from SOMEONE soon. Good lord, someone email me I'm beginning to think you don't like me.
I went for an interview today for a position going door to door asking people if they've switched to some random electricity company. Woo freaking hoo. However, the pay is ok and there's all these commission and bonus incentives. So that may be an option.
I have another interview tomorrow for another door to door thing selling internet/mobile services. That one seems far less desireable. Yuck.
Other than that, I have an Australian phone, so if I haven't facebooked you the number let me know and I'll send it over. No more 5809, the trusty number I've had for about...ever now. Really sad about that. Mom and dad are taking me off their plan and putting my oldest brother on. Easily replaceable I suppose.
Hope to hear from SOMEONE soon. Good lord, someone email me I'm beginning to think you don't like me.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Not Much Going On Down Under
I don't really have any new updates, just been hanging out in Sydney. I leave for Brisbane on Sunday and I'm totally stoked about it. My friend has an apartment lined up for me to look at, so let's hope it's fab.
I do have 2 things I've been thinking about, one silly, one confusing.
1. (silly) I will be 25 in under 2 months and was talking with a 17 year old and discovered I am 8 YEARS OLDER than her. Time to start researching botox and menopause meds. FML.
2. (confusing) A few people have asked me if I'm homesick or if I miss anything about home and (guilty enough) I must say...not really. Obvi I miss my friends, family (the ones that answer my phone calls at least), NYC pizza and Taco Bueno, but aside from people and select food products I don't miss much. Am I weird or do I just have a weird ability to feel at home anywhere that I am? I think it's just because as soon as I meet someone I make them my BFF immediately so I never feel lonely cause I have friends everywhere. (Tony knows haha).
Just some random thoughts for you on this Friday (Australia) afternoon or Thursday (American) night.
G'night folks.
I do have 2 things I've been thinking about, one silly, one confusing.
1. (silly) I will be 25 in under 2 months and was talking with a 17 year old and discovered I am 8 YEARS OLDER than her. Time to start researching botox and menopause meds. FML.
2. (confusing) A few people have asked me if I'm homesick or if I miss anything about home and (guilty enough) I must say...not really. Obvi I miss my friends, family (the ones that answer my phone calls at least), NYC pizza and Taco Bueno, but aside from people and select food products I don't miss much. Am I weird or do I just have a weird ability to feel at home anywhere that I am? I think it's just because as soon as I meet someone I make them my BFF immediately so I never feel lonely cause I have friends everywhere. (Tony knows haha).
Just some random thoughts for you on this Friday (Australia) afternoon or Thursday (American) night.
G'night folks.
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