Moist Chocolate Cake and a Zoo Adventure

I know, I know…I haven’t written a whole lot lately. It’s just kind of been a normal lifestyle these past couple of weeks—starting work, figuring out the city, running, hanging out. On Monday, my mom’s friend Sandra arrived from the States, so we actually rented a car to pick her up from the airport (the taxi would have cost the same, so why not have a car and be able to cruise around for a little bit?) and on Sunday after my run we drove up along the coast to the Northern Beaches, getting out along the way to go on little hikes through Palm Beach and Avalon. The coast was BEAUTIFUL; completely unlike Florida—not touristy, calm…the only sights in view were a little lighthouse in the bluffs afar and two lone paddle boarders silently pushing their oars through the blue ocean water...granted, it IS winter here, even if it is 60 degrees…I understand the summer will be MUCH wilder! We drove past the town of Turramurra, where last year a teenage boy was bitten by a great white shark and his dad, a member of the beach lifesaving crew, immediately knew to put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding and save his son, who still continues to surf to this day. Although it was slightly rainy, the drive was spectacular, and we winded along cliff-side roads, observing the mansions atop bluffs of breathtaking views of the vast Pacific.

The rest of my week was spent working, where I am beginning to become comfortable with the Oaks bartending experience. Unlike my work in America, this establishment is known for its prestige and presentation, amongst one of the finest hotels in Sydney, it is absolutely necessary that I pour a beer in TWO pours, not one, creating the perfect head on each beer. Also important is the art of mastering how to constantly look busy on an eight hour shift even when there is nothing to do. I have therefore perfected the art of folding a towel over and over, reshifting glasses, wiping down the countertops until they glisten, polishing already sparkling wine glasses, and smiling until my teeth hurt. The owner, a cute little old man who was in Darwin last week on a fishing trip, returned this week to find a strange American girl behind the bar and we instantly hit it off, talking about travels and him always saying cute little things to me like, “that’s a good girl”. Not to mention that I have become quite a fan of the regular customers, who come into the Lounge Bar at 5 pm everyday and order their middies of cold beer (usually VB or Carlton Draught), yelling to me, “hey Chicago!” Apparently that is my new name with the locals. They comment often on my “funny accent” and everyone always asks first if I am Canadian as to not offend me…as if being American was the most repulsive thing on the planet. In fact, a nice old man at the bus stop today found it necessary to comment on the fact that he was glad we were not like the other Americans, straight from the “septic tank” of the world. Thanks, buddy. We appreciate that vote of confidence.

Which brings me to today’s adventures…my birthday and the Taronga Zoo. I have been to several world-famous zoos in my lifetime, including San Diego, Minneapolis, Audubon…but this zoo was AMAZING…not just for its wildlife, which was magnificently unique to this area of the world…highlights include kangaroos, pandas, koalas, wombats, kimono dragons, 11 of the 15 most deadly snakes on the planet, glorious birds of every color, platypus and echidnas…it also sits atop a cliff overlooking the entire harbor of Sydney, so as you sit and watch the best bird show on the planet, condors and eagles soaring above your head, you gaze out onto the harbor and across to downtown Sydney’s skyline and Harbour Bridge. It truly was the most idyllic view imaginable and the perfect way to spend a birthday, leisurely strolling amongst Australian wildlife whilst taking in the views of one of its spectacular cities.

For dinner, I wanted nothing more than to cook…call me crazy after a long and tiring day at the zoo, but lately I have become engrossed in cooking and baking, studying cookbooks and wanting nothing more than to perfect the art of savory and delicious healthy food plus the occasional perfectly moist chocolate cake (since I am running at least 30 miles a week, I can afford a few more calories...and if they come in the form of chocolate cake, seriously, how can I argue?!?!). So I decided on marinated salmon steaks, baked sweet potato fries dusted with a savory cinnamon blend, the true, authentic Spanish version of aioli sauce, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and a Better-Than-Patrick –Swayze chocolate cake (unfortunately, Heath bars don’t seem to exist in this country, so I had to improvise with a combo of crushed Twix and Crunch bars…but I figure, the slightly disappointing alteration was about right given Patrick Swayze’s current state of being…). Anyhow, I made it all myself (minus the grilling of the salmon) and it was delicious; I must say, the chocolate cake, after having absorbed the chocolate and butterscotch syrups, was about as moist as one might dream of…that, plus my first beer in about five weeks, and I was a happy girl.
I work tomorrow and Saturday and then Sunday I have a 12-miler before next week’s exciting City-To-Surf competition, the nine-mile race that goes from Sydney’s downtown district all the way to the famous Bondi Beach, with over 70,000 competitors! I am not nervous; by this point, nine miles seems like a walk in the park. For my birthday gift to myself, I officially signed up for the Melbourne Marathon. As long as everything goes as planned, barring any sickness or injury, I will compete October 11th in the marathon competition in Melbourne. Nervous, but excited…T – 71 days!

So…working and running and figuring out life. That’s the gist of it. Here’s some recent pics. Missing you all! Much Love ♥♥♥

Employed!

Today I got a job at the Oaks Hotel! The word "hotel" here does not always refer to a place to sleep, but rather often indicates a pub house or bar. In this case, it is a giant, beautiful establishment with four different bars, including a huge outdoor beer garden, complete with its namesake, an enormous oak tree, and several heaters for outdoor seating year round. While bartenders don't work for tips, I can't argue with the "weekend rate" of $27 per hour. Although it's all relative to the cost of living; today I looked at buying an extra pair of running shoes. The same shoes that cost me $95 in the States cost $275 here. UGH. Good thing I got a job after all! Here's the link:

http://www.oakshotel.com.au/

The House and Other News!

So here are a few pics...the one of the city is actually a view of Sydney from our OLD house. We moved on the 4th of July (ironically enough, as they don't celebrate here anyhow). While I miss the view terribly and the upbeat area of Cremorne/Mosman that we were living in, the new house is quite beautiful and has a secret tropical garden out back, where we have a blue-tooth skink who suns himself on the porch every day. We call him Willy and are easily amused watching him, even though he moves at the pace of a turtle. The colorful birds pictured are lorakeets; they are everywhere here and SO beautiful. Here, Mom and I were having coffee when they approached our table--Mom fed them bread and they joined us only inches away, taking food from our hands. Anyhow, we are settled in to the Lane Cove house now, although I'm not happy about the amount of hills in the nearby area. Running is virtually impossible; there are no gravel paths anywhere so I am pounding on concrete and the hills are unbearable. But I'm sticking it out and have already signed up for the famous City2Surf run, which will take place in only 27 days! This run is the largest timed running event in the world and there will be over 70,000 participants. Here's a quick video that really shows how big the event is:

Excited about that! My next venture is to find a job...I have recently completed both the RSA, Responsible Service of Alcohol and RCG, Responsible Conduct of Gambling. Both are required to get a decent job in a bar, but it's risky because you need to pay for them to get a job, but there aren't many jobs in this economy...I guess, in that way, it's a lot like a college degrees these days, huh?

Well, anyhow, I am missing everyone terribly and loving the emails. Keep them coming. Love you all!

Aussie TV Commercial

This TV commercial actually plays on prime-time Australian television. I guess it's no secret how Aussies view Americans. Check it out! Too funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8PCuh6eZeQ

Things You Always Wished You Knew about Alcohol...

Yesterday, I spent seven, yes seven, hours at a class deemed RSA, Responsible Service of Alcohol. Required, by law, of all bartenders and servers, the Australian government deems it necessary that I know the following extremely important pieces of information. In no particular order, these are the only things I remember from my class. $65 and a beautiful certificate to frame on my wall later:

1) There are several indicators that a person may be intoxicated. Some include swaying, slurring, the inability to walk, agressive behavior, and riding garbage bins down the street to get home.

2) If a patron is asked to leave a bar in New South Wales, they are banned from that establishment for 24 hours. They must stay exactly, no less, 50 meters away from the bar at all times. (Exactly how long is 50 meters, I don't know...but it's vital that I know this information.)

3) Of the following drink options, letter c is the only that is not considered a standard drink:
a) middie of full-strength beer
b) scooner of lite beer
c) middie of lite beer
**FYI: scooner is a pint, middie is a 12 oz. What is a standard drink and why do I need to know this? No clue....

4) The 5'4", 12-year-old boy posing as a 6 foot, 22-year old man on Jimmy Kimmel Live is Australia's best example of what not to do when carding minors.

5) Which brings me to my next point...every You Tube video shown in a class promoted by the Australian government to discourage irresponsible use of alcohol involves some sort of drunk American. Every. Single. One.

6) According to my instructor, men in Australia care about three things and three things only: rugby, beer, and sex.

7) 90% of all people who take the RSA class in Australia are, in fact, not able to speak English and only pass the test with the use of a hand-held English dictionary. (Although I must admit my own shortcomings in the use of the following):
sus = suspicious
bin = garbage can
slammer = consecutive row of shots
layback = beer bong or tilting your head back and chugging a beer
drink driving = drunk driving
pissed = extremely wasted; see also "piss"- get wasted or to drink alcohol; "the piss"- booze
in hospital = in the hospital (She was drink driving and her friend is now in hospital.)

8) Going to the bathroom on a police officer is not acceptable behavior while drinking according to the "possible offences" actually listed in the RSA manual. Thanks for writing that down for me. Cuz I wasn't quite sure about that one.


Could I go on? Perhaps. But these are just a few of the many highlights from my wonderful, fun-filled Saturday afternoon.

Thank you, Australia for letting me use all my notes on the written exam. I may not have been able to easily identify some of the possible signs of intoxication without them. I now feel prepared to take on all responsibilities surrounding drinking. After all, we wouldn't want Australians to wind up on any You Tube videos, now would we?

I'm HERE!

Although nothing rivals my 28-hour, man-having-seizures-in-the-seat-next-to-me, same-dirty-bathroom-for-75-people, chickens-clucking bus ride in Peru last summer, I must say that the trip to Australia was, indeed, quite long. The first flight was 14 hrs. and 35 mins. I slept probably a total of 2 hrs. as I was anxious, sad, nervous, excited, and really annoyed at the Korean lady next to me who:

a) thought it was a great idea to do her arm exercises, which required her to lift her smelly armpit in my face over and over, while we were being served our food. As I sat there, not very appetized by her body odor, I wondered if she bothered to note that I was not eating my veggie sandwich because of her repeated arm raises. I'm not sure which was worse...these exercises or the ones that required her to ask the stewardess for a toothpick so she could basically perform acupuncture on every finger and toe, yes toe, on her body while sitting next to me.

b) thought she lost a $50 bill on the floor, coincidentally rummaging through her wildly disorganized bags, throwing papers on the floor, standing up on her seat, making me and the other girl next to her stand up, crawling on the floor...only to later, after 1 hour of madly calculating every receipt from Walmart and Dominick's she had in her bag, realize that she didn't really lose it after all.

and c) thought it a good idea to personally insult me by saying Chicago was a very boring city, one in which she would never want to live because she had lived in exciting New York, only to tell me later that her and her husband were considering buying a place in Des Moines, Iowa because of the low prices...lady, have you ever been to IOWA?!?


Anyhow...the other girl (on the other side of the plane) and I got to talking; her name was Carol and she has been studying at University of North Carolina. Originally from Taiwan, she was going back to visit her family before moving to China to work in her field of international business. We got off the plane in Tokyo and headed to a cafe to talk while waiting--friend number one, made! If I ever make it to China/Taiwan, Carol, I'll be sure to look you up!

After saying goodbye to Carol, I found a place to sit--with another 3 hrs. in my 5 hr. 40 min. layover remaining. At this point, I discovered that I had not only been traveling for close to 18 hrs., but it was also 2 am at home. I became very tired and extremely nervous at the thought of another 10 hr. plane ride.

Luckily, upon entering the plane to Sydney, I realized it was not a full flight and I was able to move up to the bulkhead to have extra leg space and the whole 3-seat section to myself! This meant three seats to spread out, three blankets, three pillows...and no annoying Korean women performing acupuncture or stinky arm raises next to me! After being served a quick vegetarian meal of chickpeas, aspargus, and rice, I settled into a deep sleep and before I knew it I was in Sydney.

The customs line was quite long...but I got lucky and didn't have to have my bags inspected. I was greeted by Mom at the airport and we "queued up" for the taxi. AUSTRALIAN SLANG LESSON ONE: to "queue up" is to get in line...Aussies tend to queue up more than we do, lining up for taxi service at the airport and even to get on the bus in Sydney.

Mom and I were both happy to take the taxi, as the combined weight of my three bags (2 suitcases and carry-on) was about 162 lbs. (The night before I had to go to KMart at 11:30 pm to buy a scale which later resulted in me throwing things out of my bags onto the kitchen floor to put into storage...I have a LOT of stuff!)

Seeing as I got here at 7 am in the morning, I had to try to force myself to stay awake for the day to catch up on the normal sleeping pattern...so Mom and I dropped the luggage off, visited with Scott and Hewitt, had coffee at a cute cafe, and then went for a long walk. Sydney is GORGEOUS...like no other city I've ever seen. The entire city is on a harbor, but there are little inlets everywhere and the houses are all lined up on the inlets, overlooking the water. Everything is accessible by bus or by ferry--the ferries are part of the public transportation system and you can hop on and be across the harbor in 10 minutes! The houses in the area Mom lives, Cremorne, are AMAZING. The AVERAGE home price in the area is 2.4 million dollars...but we are moving July 4th to a new house, as their lease is up.

The house we are staying in now was built in 1916 and has cool arched doorways, gorgeous Oriental rugs, tiled cielings, and a jungle-like backyard. In fact, Sydney's landscapes and horticulture amaze me...there are palm trees and parts that resemble a rainforest. It is also in the 60s and the dead of winter! I can handle this!!!

This morning I went for a run through the city and then Mom and I headed into the business district downtown to set up a bank account and buy toiletries. I spent $70 on shampoo, conditioner, lotion, razors, and shaving cream. It is EXPENSIVE here. I needed barrettes, but refused to buy them, as it costs a whopping $8 for five barrettes. Tomorrow we will check out the local version of Walmart/Kmart to see if we can find better deals!

I'm exhausted, but content. And excited to be here. Thank you all for your supportive emails and messages. I will be in touch soon.

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LOVE YOU ALL! :)