25/07/2011

Today I was in a shop buying a bus card, the man behind the counter looks at me, eyes me up and says "You're from New Zealand?"  I laughed and asked if it was that obvious, surprised that my one sentence of asking for a bus-card showed my accent. He laughed and replied that he knew because all NZ girls are beautiful. I told him I liked him and that i'd come back to his shop again.

It reminded me of a similar time in India, when a man asked if I was from New Zealand.  Impressed by him being able to pick that up and not just presuming i'm from Australia, I said yes.  His response was "why do NZ girls eat so much? All the time I see them, they eat and eat...always eating so much food"...and so on. He then invited me to eat at his restaurant (probably hoping for a bargain as presumbly i'd buy and eat everything on the menu) which I politely declined.  Hilarious story. Let's ignore the fact that I was buying chocolate and crisps from his shop, shall we? Good times.

Today has been good. I just spent a couple hours on a clifftop in Coogee, in the sunshine, just hanging with God, reflecting and praying for people I love and stuff happening in the world. I chose not to think of me or anything happening with me, but instead to focus on God and on everything else.  It was so good for my soul. The sun was out, there were few people around and the view looked like this...

This was from last time I went up there a couple weeks ago...

I so just want to do something that helps. Giving isn't enough, my heart can't let that be enough. So instead, i'm dreaming and planning and conspiring. I have no idea where to start, or if i'm even close to being qualified, but know that I can't sit still and just watch.  What's remarkable is all of our individual abilities to make change, yet instead we hope someone else will do it or make token gestures through donations here and there.  My apathy has been dominating my life for too long and it's time for a change (insert fast-paced action music here).

Rant rant rant. Think about it. I'll probably be asking for your help, anyway.

20/07/2011

Miserable, wet weather. If I was French, i'd possibly call it Les Miserables. On the upside, good coffee tastes better when you're cold.  Went to a great place today called Mecca, think it won 2nd best coffee in Sydney, or something.  I like the basics of it and am always looking for ideas for my espresso bar, when/if I open one. I've been thinking about it loads lately...thinking about how lucky we are and how much we have compared to so many.  When I visited Freeset last year (http://www.freesetglobal.com/) I was so touched at what I saw...and so aware of how little I could do to help, in terms of actually being there and helping... they needed locals to be there and to have those jobs, it's people like me who can support by paying the wages of those workers, to help hire new hands and to expand their amazing business...setting more people free.

So, i'm thinking;  I open an espresso bar where it's about supporting something like freeset, or an orphanage...much of the profit goes to support the 'project' and to share knowledge and educate people of the huge needs out there. It's so easy to live here comfortably, doing whatever we want with our money, but there's such need out there...and more importantly, such injustice. We can really help. And I want to. The Flaming Badger may not be such an appropriate name here...but I can work on it.

I don't know, I guess I just want to make a difference, somehow, whatever it looks like, be it going there and helping (and probably getting in the way of people who can do the job better) or by telling people about it and supporting it financially.  I JUST WANT TO DO SOMETHING.

Who's with me?

18/07/2011

I JUST WATCHED HARRY POTTER AND IT WAS AMAZING.  I cried a little, laughed a lot, applauded, cheered, made appropriate jokes about the quote "Come on Tom, let's finish what we started" and LOVED it.

It's crazy that it's finished now. Unless J.K. loses all of her sense and writes more epilogue stuff about Severus James Lily Albus Dobby Griphook Potter and friends.  So, so funny.  I loved seeing it with people who cared, my dear friends Ellie and Aimee are big nerds so it was great to see it with them and make awesome references and talk about plot and pretend we're not really muggles...after all.

Yesterday, Aimee arrived and we hit up Surry Hills for breakfast and coffee, then walked around trying to find the markets, which were apparently 'every Sunday'.  Except, apparently, the one we chose. At first I thought it was because I was geographically retarded, but no. Alas, they were not to be found. The good news is that I had an amazing, amazing custard tart from Black Star Bakery (Shona, you've GOT to try them...i thought of you) and explored a little. I'm sort of getting how all the streets link up now. That's the good thing about wandering around looking for imaginary markets.

I now have TWO WHOLE DAYS OFF thanks to my awesome boss (who also said he'd bail me out of jail in the middle of the night, as long as it wasn't for assault...good guy....and good to know). We're going to eat awesome dumplings from my local fave secret location, go to the movie club with some work friends to see Sunshine and Oranges and have a good coffee in Newtown. The next day, we're art gallery-ing and ferrying and enjoying that we have 2 days off with only very loose plans.

In other news, apparently (i refuse to get my hopes up...yet) there's a very good chance that i'll get around back $4,000 in tax rebate.   Don't ask me how, but if it happens, i will probably wet my pants.
The end.

16/07/2011

Last week, I did something i've wanted to do for about seven years...cupping! This is what roasters do when they're selecting a new bean or testing their current ones.  You test all sorts of things; aroma, fragrance, body, acidity, flavours, aftertaste...is was so much fun.  I did it with the head roaster who taught me the desirables of coffee and let me test my palate.  I've honestly wanted to do this ever since I started in coffee, around 2004, and if i practice and get good at it maybe could mean more doors opened eventually.  I was pretty excited.

Aimee is coming to visit tomorrow!! We so excited!!

The band is going well, we're looking at doing some street gigs, not busking, just performances to gage the reactions of people and to practice in crowds. We were supposed to do it this weekend but the weather failed us.  I've also got a gig set up for the 17th August, possibly, if we get a set together. We've got almost 5 songs ready to go and some more coming that need work. Exciting stuff.  I've also got plans to jam with a couple of other musicians, one guy that comes into my work, Dave who is awesome and does some solo stuff. Another guy at work who jams and owns 2 of the guitars I want. Dickhead.  Aimee's bringing over my electric guitar when she visits so we plan to jam a little bit at work, i'll need to buy a new amp and think i'll get a new guitar. I really want to focus on my music a bit.  The guy at work, Tim, suggested that i find musicians that I like and see what guitars and amps they use, then I can get that sound.  Get a guitar that matches Brooke Fraser's? Don't mind if I do.

I love being here and focusing on my music and creative stuff. It's such a good space for it, I just wish I was closer to the beach and to church, then i'd be sorted.

That Cuban place was good.  I tried to dance and not feel like an egg, when I got into it and felt like I was losing my inihbitions, Ellie stood on my foot (in her high heel!!) and I fell over in front of everyone. Good times. Catherine for the win.

08/07/2011

Picture this;  African lady comes into work, cliched, corn rows etc. Asks for a peppermint tea. I respond; "Black?".  Silence.  "What do you mean?"  "Um, with a teabag...".  "Oh. Well yes, then. Please".
Wow. So much funnier on the day.

Tomorrow, I will have been in Sydney for 5 months, which is crazy.  It's been fast and slow and unsettling while being settling, hard to imagine life not being here, but also can't believe I live in Sydney.  Still a bit surreal, but I love it.

Tonight the girls and I are heading to a brand new Sydney bar- Cuban themed, live bands, specialty rum and mojitos, dancing.  I'm breaking out a dress and heels (or flats, let's be honest) and crumping the night away.

http://www.au.timeout.com/sydney/bars/venues/4577/la-bodeguita

I have work tomorrow so I won't be rocking out too hard, but am actually looking forward to it.
Have a weird week with random days off, but looking forward to chilling out and coffeeing. The weather's been lovely (other than the cold).

Also, you may have heard that someone in Sydney died and wasn't found for 8 years. It wasn't me, in case you were worried.

04/07/2011

I have had the most amazing day. My friend Sophie Scrimgeour who I met in India (not related to Rufus, I checked) came down from Adelaide for a Dr's conference, or something, so we adventured.  We started with coffee, walked down to Coogee Beach where I found an AMAZING ottoman for my house on the side of the road in fancy-ville.  We walked along the cliff tops...saw WHALES in the ocean, sang, wandered, skipped, explored, danced, made Harry Potter references... myt fave was when I picked up a wand/piece of driftwood and pointed it at Ellie. Even before I could cast a spell, she yelled EXPELLIARMUS!!! and hit it out of my hand, where it span to the floor.  My life should be a sitcom. Really.  It was the most wonderful weather and really was just what I needed.  I had such an emo day yesterday, I slept much of the day, wrote poetry and was sad a little, so today sunshine walking adventured was perfect.  We were going to have more adventures but the weather turned a bit crappy so went to the movies and saw Bridesmaids, (where I laughed so hard someone yelled at me to shut the f*** up) got the ottoman from someone's garden where we hid it, then had dinner together and just hung out.

I'm a bit sad that Em's leaving. She's been such a great friend, her and Ellie have made my time here in the past 4 months so fantastic.  Living here would have been to much harder without them and i'm so grateful.
We're planning an epic New Years roadie to the Great Barrier Reef, which i've never seen and I can't wait. I'm so lucky to have such amazing friends and to experience such a beautiful country like Australia.  I can't believe i've lived here 4 months and only just discovered these views today! I can't wait to explore it further.  I've been looking at Erin's kickass pics of her trip in Europe, but i'm owning this Aussie trip.  I will see the outback and I will see a platypus.  You will if you ...believe.