24 Hour Flying People
21 April 2006, mid-afternoon
It took my mom and I about 24 hours or so to get from Sydney to Toronto. That’s a long time to spend flying. The trip back didn’t feel as long as the trip there. I feel tired.
A Few Canadians Down Under
16 April 2006, early morning
I met Shannon on Thursday in the city. I was sitting with my cousin in front of the bathrooms in Central station, waiting for Shannon’s train to come in from Wollongong. She was coming in to the city to see Hawksley Workman perform at the Manning Bar in the University of Sydney with her friend Heather. After a few SMSes I found Shannon, and my cousin split. The three of us trekked from Central station to the university, which is a fair walk. The weather was warm and a bit sticky. We had to wait a short while for Workman to come on so we bought ourselves some expensive-as-sin cokes to cool down. Workman’s show was quite good. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to find an affordable cafe to eat in: a surprisingly tricky endeavour.
I met Cathy on Friday in Bondi. The area is quite pretty, as are the people loitering around there. The two of us had lunch at a cafe just off the beach. Baramundi is a tasty fish. We made our way from Bondi to Bronte (from one beach to another). We stopped midway to sit and enjoy the view. Upon reaching Bronte, we walked back. It was quite dark when I made my way back to Homebush, after drinking coffee, eating cake, and enjoying some sushi served on a conveyor belt.
The weekend has been quiet. I’ll be back in Toronto soon.
Chocolate
10 April 2006, terribly early in the morning
I was sitting with my cousin in a shop called Max Brenner eating chocolate waffles covered in chocolate and strawberries, drinking a hot chocolate, all the while helping myself to my cousins melted chocolate “drink”. I haven’t had that much chocolate in a while.
The past weekend was spent at various bars and night clubs in the city. Sydney seems to have a night life much like Toronto’s, only there isn’t a proper last call here. We were at a dodgy little club called Brooklyn till about 2 or so in the morning, and my cousin Arjuna told me the place was licensed to serve alcohol till about 6.
I’ve watched all of Prison Break while here in Sydney. (That is, all of the current season.) Prison Break is amazing. I feel like I’m living during some sort of television Renaissance. There are so many great television shows on the air right now. I think it all started with the Soprano’s. My only fear is that all these shows I love will turn to shit, much like the X-Files did. Let us all pray.
30 Degrees
5 April 2006, terribly early in the morning
It’s a balmy thirty degrees here in Sydney. The air is hot against your skin; I love it. I met my cousin and aunt downtown for lunch. We went to a sort-of-Italian cafe called Jet. Lunch was nice. My aunt headed back to work, and I sat with my cousin and had a cold ice coffee mocha. It was no mocha frappacino, but it was still pretty tasty.
I bought a SIM card for my cell phone on my way downtown. I was impressed that I could travel half way around the world and get an Australian telephone number. Shame my phone is locked such that only Fido SIM cards will work with it; sons of bitches. I’m using an extra phone another Aunt had laying around. Cathy was the first person I called with my phone. There is something cool about talking to someone you know from one side of the world on the other side of the world.
I read Sonny’s Blues again on the train ride back to Homebush. That’s an amazing story.
Is that Arjuna?
4 April 2006, terribly early in the morning
I was two cousins shy of seeing all my cousins this morning. Bored, I went downtown to kill some time. I walked from Central station to Darling Harbour. Sydney has a beautiful downtown core. (I would say Toronto looks like someones butt in comparison.) I walked around, snapped some photos, and then decided to make my way back home. Heading back north towards Town Hall station, I bumped into my cousin Arjuna. He was probably as shocked to see me as I was to see him. He was just finishing up lunch with some friends; I waited with them, and then walked with him back to his office. On the way there, the two of us bumped into my eldest cousin Sai and her husband. Sydney’s downtown must be smaller than I think it is.
Sydney Day 3
2 April 2006, late evening
So I’ve been in Oz for about 3 days now. (It’s 9:30 in the morning as I write this.) I haven’t really done much of anything just yet. I sleep early in the evening, and I wake up far too early in the morning. For example, today I woke up at 6:00 in the morning, and decided to watch Lord of War. When you wake up so early in the morning, it’s like you get an entire bonus day to enjoy before lunch. I have yet to see all my cousins, though I have seen the majority now. After two proper days into my trip and I am reminded of my last stay in Sydney: I wake up at my Grandparents home, brush my teeth, eat some toast, walk to my aunts home, where I can check my email. I need to start eating Coco Pops; then this trip truly would have been worth the excessive air fare. If you haven’t had Coco Pops before, then you haven’t had the greatest breakfast cereal of all time. My stay has been relaxing thus far, but I can see doing nothing getting boring fast. I need to start thinking about how to spend my time better. The weather here is amazing. I hope the weather is just as nice when I get back to Toronto.
Sydney is in New South Wales
30 March 2006, lunch time
I am going to be in Sydney for three weeks. I leave for the city with my mom in a few hours. Expect infrequent updates for the next 3 weeks.