One Hundredth Day in Oz!

Hi!

So, today is the 100th day that I have been in Australia and it has been one sweet day. This past weekend I traveled to the homes of two of my best mates. I have to say the Port Macquarie area is a lovely place to be with people you like! Indeed, Kate and Emily were determined to put on a good show for me this weekend and it was nothing short of wonderful.

The day we arrived, Kate and I met up with Emily at the cafe that Emily used to work at. It was a quaint little place with live music, flowers (it's a greenhouse) and neat art. I went out of my comfort zone and had a "bacon, banana and cheese" melt. I can't say I would have thought of the combination myself but it was pretty amazing. Later on, I went home with Emily to meet her family.

Emily's family is the kind of family you'd only ever see on a weird sitcom. In fact, they are a hilarious bunch of people who should start a reality show about family wrestling. At one point (actually, at several points) Emily had her twenty-five year old brother pinned to the ground. Emily is a civilized lady (not to sell you short, Em!) but when her brother would get this devilish smile on his face and call her "fat" (which she is definitely not!), she would have him flat on his back in seconds. Quite the woman, I tell ya. Apart from that, Em's dad showed me a book on Australia's most beautiful birds--which was actually very interesting-- until Em made her move and whisked me off to heckle at the contestants on Masterchef and, later, at some sleezy guy on a show about Spain. Good times.

The next day, Emily and I met up with Kate in Port Macquarie. Along the way, however, Em showed me all the amazing beaches, trails, and real-estate. I could picture myself living in a place like that-- wouldn't be hard really. Hit the beach, go to a cafe, back to the beach, walk through a reserved rainforest, back to the beach! Even when we met Kate on the wharf it was like a fairy tale. The sun was hitting the water in just the sort of postcard way you'd expect. Kate had been watching a pod of dolphins. We hung our feet over the dock and watched the fish. Laughed. Chatted. Perfect.

Later on that day-- after shopping for errands-- Kate and I went to the beach and had ice cream cones. I know it's not that special for you Australians but I couldn't get over the (nostalgic) novelty of eating mango ice cream while standing in the ocean. Amazing.

After that, I went back to Kate's house and officially met her parents. I fell in love with them immediately. We sat outside in front of the pool, drank and talked into the evening. Maggie and Jazz (her lovely dogs) kept me warm and reminded me of Rudy's good days back home. After dinner, Kate cut us each a healthy sized piece of cheesecake and we sat down and watched Love and Other Drugs. For those of you who have not seen it, I will warn you that it is not the most "family oriented" film. Let's just say that Anne Hathaway's tits are amazing and that mole on her left breast is cute. And although my face would be turning a dark hue of purple from embarrassment (sitting there with Kate's parents), they are the kind of people who just make you feel comfortable-- even when you're watching Jake Gyllenhaal's hand slide down Anne Hathaway's panties. I guess that's a good thing!

Bright and early the next morning, Kate's dad took us four-wheel driving on a beach. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before. The sensation of driving with the ocean just outside my window was strange and wonderful. We jumped out at one point, dipped our toes in the water (well, I had my adidas on but I got my hands wet) and took photos. I will have to post some to this entry-- remind me! Haha!

Later on, we went for lattes, fed some fish and oh, yeah, drove up a mountain! Again, I got to see a unique view of Australia. Kate even pointed out her house down below. I pretended I was God looking down on my kingdom. That too is documented in photos...

After that, we went fishing and caught zip. It had been over ten years since I had tried it and although I was terrible at casting, I got good support from Kate's dad: "Well, that was really good for a beginner, Mackka, but here's a tip..."

By the time we got back, it was around lunch time and coincidentally there was a "food and wine" festival going on. Say no more, right? We headed down there and stuffed our faces full of indian food, wine and cake! The gentleman who gave me my chocolate cake slice had actually slipped me a second piece and that was a double bonus. So, here is my piece of advice for you food festival goers: go later in the day when they are trying to get rid of their food because you might get more than you paid for!

Sadly, after the festival it was time to say goodbye. Though it was hard to leave, I had an overwhelming sense of gratefulness. Who knew this time last year that I would be on a mountain overlooking a small town in Australia with a group of funny happy people? Time has flown by so quickly and yet it feels like I have been in Australia for a long time. Tomorrow is Monday and the first day back into reality. Though I am begrudgingly accepting it, another part of me is still eating ice cream on the beach.

Overall, I'd say I had a fantastic weekend. Hope yours was good too.

Day Eighty-Eight in Oz

Dear Everyone,

So, I was looking around my apartment thinking it looks like it belongs to a depressed slob and then I thought... wait a minute...

Before you all send me comments for a suicide hotline, I will say that I'm not depressed (maybe a smidgen bluer than usual) but I have most definitely been a slob the last couple of days. I have no idea why but my motivation to do anything has plummeted. I know I'm preaching to the choir to most of you students (especially those of you who have just finished and would like nothing more than to sit on the couch with a bowl of cereal resting on your stomach for infinite) but this is somewhat unusual for me. I would classify myself as the "sentimental hoarder" but definitely not a "slob slob." Yet, if you were to look at my unmade bed and my kitchen counter that is supporting the weight of a lot of half eaten food and dirty dishes, you might be a little shocked.

Since I've been here I've been noticing a lot of my mum's characteristics come out in me. This one isn't particularly new but I constantly apologize for the smell and appearance to those that enter my apartment. I could've just cleaned it or, conversely, it could look like it does now and I would say the same thing: "Hey, sorry about the mess. Last night I cooked with garlic. Sorry about that." Most people look at me like I'm a lunatic-- and maybe this is what I want so that they aren't just starring at my cleaning habits. Who knows. Do we got a psychologist in this house?

Another thing I do that is my mum to the core is to get the impulse to clean that thing you would never think of during a normal housecleaning session. "Oh! I know what would be fun! Let's take apart the microwave and scrub the shit out of it!" or "Those drawers are looking a little dusty. No matter! Let's pull everything out, wipe them down and then... ready for it... let's wipe out the drawer i-t-s-e-l-f!"

I'm sure lots of mums have these habits and maybe even more outlandish ones than I have just described. My mum, however, does all these obscure clean-ups in between raising three kids (one of which isn't even considered to be a proper human yet-- give him five more years), a demanding job at the hospital, on-call shifts (some of which keeps her up for twenty-six hours or more), studying, power-point presentations, cooking, and spontaneous renovation bursts (right now it's my front yard that is going under the knife)! Most people I know would turn to their blog or facebook and complain until their fingers ran out of steam but my mum does this with an open heart and fast legs. She's my superhero and I really miss her.

I apologize to all for taking this sentimental turn (I told you I was a sentimental hoarder) but I think I had to write that down to motivate me to clean my place, haha.

As far as I can report about my Australian experience, here it is:

My friend, Joe, gave me a great book. I am only on the fourth chapter (of what appears to be a pretty meaty book) and I should probably be focusing on academic endeavours instead but it is just so intriguing. It's been a good while since I've read a really good book and it's reminded me why I am an English major. I like books. I forgot about that for a moment there... Oh, and do not worry, Mike, I will be getting to The Alchemist. I've decided I want it to be my journey book through Southeast Asia-- seems fitting since the narrator seems to be Muslim. I don't know that yet for sure since I haven't read it yet but I think it will be good for that experience.

One more thing:

For those of you who do not know, my best friend is flying her butt to Australia to meet me and fly with me to Singapore where we will do a two week journey up to Thailand. From there, we will venture down to Bali where we plan on passing out on the beach from exhaustion and happiness. That's the plan anyway. Don't ask me how I'm going to fund this excursion-- I just know that the opportunity was too wonderful to pass up... especially since I have such a great person to experience it with.

That said, I am trying to squeeze every ounce of school, friendship and happiness that I've made/discovered here. Socializing is trumping a lot of school but I really don't mind since the people I hang out with are more interesting anyway.

Okay. Now to clean up my mess. Maybe I'll try making bird noises to conjure up the cleaning spirit of my mum: "Ka-Kaw! Ka-Kaw! Koo-la-doo-doo!"

love,

Kenz

Day Eighty-One in Oz

It's a Wednesday night in Newcastle. I have half my dinner uneaten and sitting beside me. It looks revolting-- though it once was a pretty nice pasta a few days ago. I made it for Bryan's final dinner in Australia. It was a pumpkin risoni. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a grain-like pasta. What inspired me to make it was a dish we had had in Melbourne.

It was our last night in that fabulous city and we were wandering around aimlessly. I was beginning to get food-cranky. For me, if I'm tired and hungry, I begin to get short-tempered, frustrated and sometimes mean. Some people would call this being "bitchy" and I wouldn't disagree with them. Poor Bryan was trying to find a suitable place for us while I kept blabbing away about how difficult it was to find a decent place to eat especially when Melbourne is considered to be a haven for great food and wine.

After several minutes of walking through dark streets and cafe alley ways, I noticed a sign that read, "Vue de Monde." I had read in a tourist brochure that it was considered to be an excellent French restaurant. Without thinking twice, I grabbed Bryan by the arm and probably rather aggressively because I was in one of my moods. When we got in, however, I froze. It was decadent to the point of making me feel rather insecure and weak. Don't you despise that? On the one hand, I adore fine dining and fine experiences in general. But on the other hand-- and you can ask Bryan about my irrational insecurities-- I avoid those places-- restaurants and shops-- completely. Something about the way that hierarchy, or maybe better put, exclusivity, is blatantly on show really bothers me. "Vue de Monde" had a soft reflection of that... though it wasn't so overbearing that I ran for the hills.

When we got into the restaurant, a server took one glance at us and asked us if we needed assistance. I told her that we had wandered in and we're looking for a bite to eat. She suggested we go to the Bistro part of the restaurant. We followed her down a hall and into an obscure part of the restaurant. When we entered, it was beautiful. French paintings, red cushions, dim lighting all gave the allure of European romance and sophistication. It was stuffy, don't get me wrong, but I decided to play along.

When we were given menus, I kind of choked at the prices. Now, the Bistro is supposed to be the more "casual" dining experience of the restaurant, but judging by the prices, atmosphere and service, one could easily mistake the Bistro as very fine dining. I don't even want to imagine what the other half of the restaurant was like...

Still, we had a fabulous experience. I had had a pumpkin risoni. It was about half the size of a regular serving but every mouthful was simply divine. Bryan, who had opted for the steak, had the best cut, best cooked, best presented steak I had seen in many months. And the wine-- oh the wine-- every drop was savoured. Every ounce of it was delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I had to close my eyes with every sip and give my full attention to the flavour. And then the creme brulee arrived and I almost died.

Most of you know my obsession with food and wine but I think I've been taken to new heights since this last dining experience. It's probably lame for you to read about it but I think food is so important. It really is the center piece of every celebration. Who goes to a wedding or an anniversary without food? Who goes to a party without the snacks and booze? Who goes to a funeral and leaves before the miniature ham sandwiches are passed around? I don't know. I adore food because I adore people and delicious experiences. It doesn't bode well with my figure at the best of times but I am much happier laughing with friends over a glass of vino and chocolate than starring at my fridge vacantly and hungry.

Now that I'm currently on my second... er, no... third glass of wine, this all makes a lot of sense to me. I hope it does to you. But getting back to the point, Bryan and I had a wonderful though unexpected dining experience and it was a nice send-off from Melbourne. I recommend the place to anyone who enjoys art, food and shopping.

Our trip made me really appreciate Newcastle too. It may not be the most cultured or exciting place in Australia but it has a lot of fine cafes, restaurants and people. The university is gorgeous and, if you know where you're going, there are parts of the city that are just splendid. I particularly like Darby Street. It's home to the best of the best in food and fashion. It's also not too too far from the beach-- depending on where you are on the street, I guess. Yesterday, a friend of mine and I went to Monkey Monkey Monkey. It was a really nice cafe with mediocre service but still with a lovely atmosphere and great food. We spent a good couple of hours discussing the really freaky people in our film class, politics and the best television series ever made. It was fun to lounge about and it got me thinking: I would be a fabulous dandy. All they ever did was discuss high art, eat, party and celebrate. I would be a great candidate! Where is the university degree for that? All kidding aside, I know I'm not a dandy because I'm not as clever as Oscar Wilde nor as good-looking as his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas.

Getting back to our trip, however, I will say that it was very fun and successful. We saw a lot of things and did some things that could never be done at home... namely a Dracula cabaret/dinner show and a wine tour. We ate a lot of good food and got to spend much needed time together. I miss him so much but I'm trying to focus on school as much as possible right now. Having said that, I am almost finished my third glass of wine... tisk tisk...

I don't know if there is anything more I'd like to add to this post other than the fact that you all should go out and eat a really fabulous meal with great people. It doesn't hurt to do it in a foreign place, either.

My wish is that you all are happy and well. I will be seeing some of you around soon and some of you in a few months, and I look forward to it!