Melbourne Funbourne

Melbourne's proving to be...a lot of fun, actually.

My first night here, I had a friend of mine pick me up from the airport, drive me and my HUGE backpack to the hostel and then we went out near Chinatown for a drink. What a great way to start off the trip!

When I got into my room, pretty much all 7 girls were asleep. It was kind of sad for a Friday Night at 10pm. Really sad.

Anyway. When I got back from my night out having a drink, as I was getting situated the girl on the top bunk across from me was grinding her teeth over and over again. It was one of the worst sounds I think I've ever heard. UGH. Of course I just put the pillow over my head and called it a night. And somehow -- I passed out.

The next morning I got up early and decided to walk around the city. Me craving some much needed exercise. I followed a couple dressed in exercise clothes just knowing that'd know an awesome place to get in a walk/jog. As I exerci-stalked them, I proved to be wrong. They ended up walking towards the hospital here in Melbourne. Whoops.

So I wiped out my map and found my way to the Royal Park. Along the way I got to see The University of Melbourne, which, is BEAUTIFUL. An absolutely gorgeous facility.

Along my walk through the Royal Park, I realized how ugly the park really is. Not sure if you've heard about this (insert sarcasm), but it's been really dry here, oh, for the past 7 years. So dry that fires have broken out. The Metro of Melbourne is totally fine, but you can still see a thick layer of haze over the city and smell the smoke from the smoldering fires. The grass in this park is brown. And the grass has a hay-like consistency.

Am I seriously writing a report?

Anyway. Guess who I ran into? The exerci-stalker couple. They did know where they were going. I guess the hospital was a shortcut?

Another thing about the park. The flies. OH THE FLIES. They are so ugly. So annoying. And they love the sweat of humans. Yum.

Moving on. I met up with Gemma, a girl who came through the same program as me. She's Canandian and is friends with Minelle and Tracy. She's staying at the Melbourne Metro YHA, like myself, so we had breakfast in the cafe downstairs.

God love the child, but damn does she talk loud. And I mean LOUD. She has no shame. Good for her, but it's a bit embarrassing to be around.

Hey. My blog is private now. No one can read this unless I say they can. BAM!! Means I can be even more openly honest. BREW HAHA!!

Moving forward. We both went to get ready and decided to go down to the Queen Victoria Markets. This is just like the Paddy's Market in Sydney's Chinatown. Tons of clothes, souvenirs, and shit you just don't need. I got over it pretty quickly. Plus...the company.....MOVING ON...

Um. Scones, jam and cream from the Market. So bad. Yet. So. So. So. Good.

So. We went out separate ways and I decided to take in a little bit more of Melbourne. I walked down Elizabeth Street (with McDonald's ice cream cone in hand...) and found myself in the hub of the city. It was awesome. Tons of people, places, activity -- my kind of town.

People here are...more interesting. They don't care and I like it. As I was walking along Elizabeth Street this woman on a payphone with her daughter playing at her feet ends up screaming (And when I say screamed, I literally mean...screamed), "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU? I'M TIRED OF GETTING FUCKED AROUND TODAY!" Then she slammed down the phone and I was already past the corner to check out what was going to happen next. Phenomenal.

See. I was in search for a new hostel, Urban Central, that I was told was awesome. People are friendly, open to meeting new people and...there's a bar located on ground level. Saaa-weeet!

I walked over the bridge, which was a great pedestrian bridge, and took in the other side of the river. This is where Melbourne actually reminded me of Jacksonville. There's a river running through the downtown area....yeah. That's about it. Doesn't take much.

I walked along the river, noticed the National Gallery of Victoria, which I will be visiting, and finally found myself at Urban Central. It wasn't very central. But that's okay. I walked in and the girl at the front desk was really nice, very helpful. Told me about the trams, the Casino, the people being friendly, blah blah blah. I didn't make a booking because I had to think about it. But I could tell it had a different feel than the hostel I'm staying in.

I took the hostel's advice and walked another route back into the city. Walking along the river, being it Valentine's day, wasn't the best part. The best part were all the shops and restaurants and, again, the activity of everyone just enjoying the perfect weather. (oh here we go again about the weather! I am my mother's daughter).

I walked back to Flinder's Street Station so I could hop a train to Richmond where Minelle and Tracy live. A day pass here costs about $6.80, but you can use that for the entire day no matter how many stops you have. Doesn't. Matter.

I got to Richmond, saw their cute little place and then we took a walk to Bridge Street via Swan St. Tons, and I mean tons, of shops and restaurants and bars and cafes and EVERYTHING. It was super cool. We decided to do some "cafe" hopping and take advantage of the awesome happy hours.

One of the places we decided to indulge in was a place called...Truffles. No lie. If you don't know me, that was the name of the cafe I worked at for 5 years (on and off). Except we didn't sell Truffles. But this place, this place did.

Minelle and I called up Tracy and she decided to meet up back on Swan St for a coffee. Ah-hem. Glass of wine, thanks.

We had delightful conversation about our numbers (if you don't know what I mean, keep reading...and consider it void) and how badly Tracy needed...some....love. So we decided. It's V-Day, let's get the hell out there and meet some boys, damnit!

Thus. We did.

On my walk home, mind you it is Valentine's Day, I hear a girl yell to her boyfriend, "I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE!" And when I went to look at that general direction that comment came from, I saw a guy hop out of the car, slam the door and run towards the train station. Where, yes, he did buy a train ticket and leave her ass behind.

I watched her drive by, phone in hand, searching for him. But, ah-hem, he's already gone, Honey.

Anyway. I went home and changed, taking my time as always, and then met up with them near Federation Square (across from Flinder's Street Station) at a club called Transport Hotel. They were playing some awful 80's, 90's, and today's greatest hits or some shit. It rocked cuz it was all those cliché songs you always hear, but always pretend to love.

Well, as I waited in line to get in, these two guys turn around and ask me where an Irish Pub is. I snort and say, "I have absolutely no idea." Then I joke around and say, "Oh yeah! There's one over here." (pointing in all different directions)

One of the guys, Matt, gets all frustrated because he realizes that they're not going to get in. He starts to walk off and I turn to the other guy, Denby (Yes. That's his real name), and tell them I'll get them in, no worries.

Um. Hi. Where did those balls come from?

So. As we approach the security, they tell me I can get in...but the other two....

So I perk up and tell him that Denby's my Valentine B/F and we wanted to go dancing. He says that's cool and let's Denby and I in. His friend Matt, has to wait another 2 minutes. But hey. They got in...

So, I officially have a b/f at this point. Denby won't leave me alone, buys me a few drinks (which is very nice of him) and won't leave when his friend Matt decides to leave. He said he was worried we'd never see each other again.

Look. The guy was sweet, cute and a genuine person. BUT PLAY THE GAME HONEY -- make me want to be with you. And take a shower. He smelled like he'd been going all night long.

So, eventually Tracy and Minelle are tired (of talking to their 20 year olds) and we all decide to leave. I basically have to hit Denby over the head with a shoe to get him out of there. Go on, boy! Go home, boy! Hurry along!

I take the tram home and walk back into my room to hear the same girl grinding her teeth. BLECH.

Oh. I forgot to mention. I'm leaving the Metro YHA and checking into the Urban Central Hostel tomorrow. I'll be sharing a room with only 3 more people, which is a co-ed room. Wish me luck!

I figured, why the hell not, if I hate it...I'm only here for 5 more days...OMG. Time FLIES!!

It's Sunday morning, gorgeous day out (already went for a walk in the beauti-ugly-ass-ful Royal Park) and had breakfast with Gemma (kill me now). It's time to take on the day!

Me. So. Happy.

You guys! So much has happened since my last post. Crazy, huh? Where to begin!!!

Okay. So. I left you with the weekend recap...now it's time for the early week recap.

Monday morning, Ross came and picked me up around 8am. We drove off to check out, apparently, one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney. Palm Beach. According to some co-workers of mine, it has the most picturesque views. And, ya know what, they weren't lying.

I hate posting this without any photos, but I wasn't the one with the camera. Obviously. So, those will have to come later. But here's a few snippets from google images so you can get a general idea.

Gorgeous, no?

Well. We arrived and got some poached eggs on toast at this cute kiosk overlooking the beach. It was spectacular. A family came and got some coffees while we were having our breakfast. It was the grandparent's, the Mom and the little son. Out of nowhere, the little boy all of the sudden just comes walking right over to me and holds my hand. It was the cutest thing. Ever. I felt really privileged. Kids like me!!!

We ended up talking to them for a bit, they happened to be from England so Ross was quizzing them about their roots. One of the grandfather's walks over and asks us if we just met. We smiled and said sort of and then his hits Ross on the shoulder and says, "Not too bad *indicating towards me* you kids have fun!"

WTF. Not too bad. Geez. Thanks.

Eventually we finish up and find our way to the base of the lighthouse. We took the "easier" route up to the lighthouse although it was incredibly steep and rocky. And yes, of course I wore flip-flops. Or thongs as they call them here. "Nice thongs!"

Anywaaaaaay. We came to a rock that overlooked the water and we literally sat there for an hour. Just taking in the breathtaking view and chatting about nothing. It was awesome.

Then we walked the rest of the way up to the lighthouse. We stood on top of a sign to look at the amazing view the lighthouse had to offer. Some guy working on the trails stopped and took our picture then suggested we go down about 20 metres to find, yet another, overlook.

I wish I told that guy I was in love with him. This. was. incredible. You could sit on a rock and overlook the GIANT Pacific ocean that looked out to several different islands off the coast. Whoa. Yet again, we sat and took in the sites for hours.

Eventually we made our way back to the beach and got into his car to get some lunch. Ah-hem. Should I mention it? I don't know...I don't know if it'd be right...ah, f it.

He got a parking ticket. How shitty is that?! And it wasn't like a, "hey, whoops, shouldn't have parked here...tsk tsk..here's a $10 fine." It was was $81 DOLLARS. What kind of parking ticket is that??!?!

Whatever. He got over it and we went to lunch at the place next door to the place we had breakfast. We had a seafood tasting plate and, um, that was literally what it was. A tasting plate -- not meant to be shared, that's for sure. Especially when Ross got another parking ticket (That's $162 in tickets, people). I'm not lying. It was a sad scene to watch.

But, we made the most of it, had a glass of wine and decided to go "hire" some kayaks and enjoy the rest of the views.

That wasn't exactly a good idea. It was nice to kayak, but, um, we got soaked. And I didn't bring a bathingsuit. And I definitely wore jeans. And the wind. Oh, the wind. It wasn't so kind to us. We didn't get very far before we "pulled over" and just decided to go swimming instead. The water was a lot warmer than the Pacific (we kayaked over like a lagoon) and it was crystal clear. Gorgeous.

Afterwards, we got back in the car and went to the mall to try to find me a camera. Unfortunately it was around 6pm and that's when everything closes. EVERYTHING. It's so gay. Srsly. I hate it.

But, whatever, we drove back to Coogee when we decided to go to Maroubra and grab a beer at a hotel. It's weird how everything is in hotels here -- clubs, bars, restaurants, gambling. Very bizarre. Anyway. We had an awesome time here reflecting on our days and laughing ourselves to tears. Phenomenal.

We went back to Coogee where we both cleaned up and went off to a Thai restaurant on the "strip." It was DELICIOUS! Awesome Pad Thai, lemme tell ya!

Ross is obsessed with ice cream and I think throughout the day he mentioned it, oh, about 10 times. So afterwards we went and got him some gelato. As we were walking back, I don't even know what I was doing, but I decided to drop the bottle of wine I had purchased for our dinner. It smashed everywhere and someone across the street screamed, "Taxi!" -- that's like saying...You're cut off. Which I was.

And yes. We did clean up the glass...as much as we could.

Anyway. That was my Palm Beach/Monday experience. A wonderful one, at that.

But that's not the end of my story.

I worked this morning at 6:45am. There were literally 3 people on the floor. It was insanity. Luckily we weren't too busy, but busy enough to keep us running all day long. And we didn't even make great tips :-(

Although. I had several people tell me today that I was nothing but smiles and they really enjoyed my company. They were so nice. So nice. One lady asked if I was an actress and said I should teach it one day. How weird.

After work, I hopped a bus to Bondi Junction, so I could do some shopping at a few Electronic stores. The first one, Bing Lee, had a HUGE canon for $95. I contemplated it, but I just hated the camera. Plus it uses batteries and I just plain HATE that. I'm such a snob.

So I left there pretty decided I'd be back to get the P.O.S. I walked over to Dick Smith's and found all their cameras to be out of my price range and the selection -- terrible. Went into Harvey Norman's just to look and found the same Canon for $99. I played with it for a bit and was still disappointed. I decided to look at the Sony Cybershot but determined that it was exactly like the other one and I didn't even like that one. I picked up the new Canon IXUS and again, I was disappointed.

I left there completely unsatisfied and more confused before I even got to Bondi. I walked over to the department store, Myer, since I read on their website that they sold cameras, just at department store prices. But my AWESOME Uncle had sent me a few gift cards for Christmas and they were beginning to burn a hole in my pocket.

I saw the same damn Canon for $20 more. And I finally made a decision that'd I'd just go ahead and buy the stupid camera, I'll lose it anyway.

I get a worker and he looks underneath the display to reveal...that the camera wasn't available -- sold out. Ah. Shit! I was bummed and figured it wasn't meant to be, so I decided to go see if they sold running shoes. Nope. No luck.

Those gift cards starting talking to me, so I decided I'd just go up there and get one I figured was okay. I found a fujifilm camera I liked enough (I know, what. was. I. thinking??!) and got the same worker to come over and get it for me. Sure enough. Sold Out.

COM'ON! At this point I questioned whether they really did sell cameras there. He suggested that we check the other stores and see what they had to offer.

As we walked over to the counter, I noticed a few cameras stashed away in a display case. I peered in and asked the guy what was up with those. He said, "Oh no, those are old and are missing parts."

Dude. Do I care?!? NO. As long as it works, I'll be good. I found a Sony Cybershot just like my Mom's back home for $100. But it was missing the battery. Bizarre. Then I spoted a Canon IXUS75. It has scratches all of the front, but had a battery it in and was GORGEOUS. I asked him how much it would be and he came back with $90.

DONE.

I was SOLD. All I'd have to do was get a memory card, usb connector and a charger and I'd be good. When he rang it up at the register, it was only $80 and he said he'd go in the back and see if he would find the box. WHICH HE DID. So I had everything I could need. EVERYTHING.

You guys. I was JUMPING for joy at this point. I told the guy he had made my day and I loved him. Then I kissed him on the mouth and now I'm with child.

Okay. Not really. But Day-um. What an awesome find. AWESOME.

I walked over to Harvey Norman's and bought me a 2GB memory stick and decided to treat myself to a Kmart run. It's my new Target. And I was returning stuff anyways -- com'on. Would you expect anything less?

I bought myself some swimming trunks and this cute jacket.

Sorry for the hair. I went straight to Bondi to shop after work, so, um, no shower for me.

Hey. It gets cold sometimes and plus, since I lost my Twilight Hoodie (still pisssed), I figured I deserved it. And it did ring up as $7 at the register, so, um, I needed it.

That's my recap. Thanks for reading EVERYTHING. As soon as I get the Palm Beach photos, if I get them, I'll post 'em!

I haz surfed. I haz survived.

Hardly. I never stood up. Only could get to my knees.

But anyway. Here's a little info about my surfing extravaganza!

The night before, as we all know, was quite a late night. So I didn't have much sleep and I probably was still a little drunk. But that's beside the point.

Melanie and I got up around 6am, put on our bathing suits and headed towards the buses. We caught the bus and got to the train station just in time for our train ride to Cronulla. I was being my usual dork-self and I think it was a side Melanie hadn't seen before. She laughed and to me, that was worth it!

The weirdest part about Sydney is that transportation. Not only is public transportation so widely used, it's used by EVERYONE. Including kids going to school. How weird! There were a ton of kids on the train all in uniform, ready to start their day.

As we finally came to Cronulla, we hopped off the train and figured out our way to the Cronulla Surf Academy. I will add that it wasn't that each to find the beach. What?! Leave me alone! I get turned around easily. BACK OFF.

Once we arrived at Marine Parade (which is a road) we walked along the boardwalk and fell. in. love. with. this. town. It was quaint and calm. I loved it.

These pools are a pretty common occurrence in Australia. Keeps out the sharks and jellies, eh?

Although the surf looks pretty timid, it is rough. Let me tell you!

After taking about a 20 minute walk, we finally arrived at the "Academy." And by Academy, I mean two stoners that woke up one day and decided to make their pastime their career.

Assholes.

The whole time I was kicking myself for never learning how to surf. How EASY of a job with that be?! And they LOVE it. Ugh. Whatever.

They gave me a wetsuit to wear since and an awesome shirt to go ON TOP of it. I almost died, it was so hot. We got these HUGE foam boards and had to drag them out to the beach. Somehow everyone else there had long arms, but I had these stubby-little-can't-carry-a-surfboard arms and ended dragging the bitch in the heat. Oh the heat. I had never wanted to jump into that ocean more.

The "Coach" taught us the basics and actually surprised me since he knew terminology and other useful information to make sure we didn't die out there. He was impressive.

After he picked on the fat girl in the wetsuit (oh right. Me.), we got on our boards and swam out to sea. To our watery grave, if you will.

We kind of floated around for a bit and pretended like we were badass surfers then he started peer-pressuring us to catch some waves, maaaan.

Let's just say. I did a lot of body surfing...on a board. I couldn't stand up. There was too much to think about (I think that was the real issue..I was thinking TOO much). And since my lesson (with 3 other girls) was only 1.5 hours -- I really pushed myself to get back out there after catching a wave.

Oh. Those timid waves. Tiny, little, cute waves.

MY ASS. Those were some powerful waves. And they were literally like 2-4 feet. At one point, I couldn't get back on my feet to grab my board and get back out there. I kept getting pushed down, the board hit me in the head several times, my hair would cover my face and by the time I push it out of the way to see, another wave would crash against me. IT WAS BRUTAL.

But I loved every minute. Made me REALLY determined to get out there and take care, damnit! At one point, I saw Melanie getting out of the water. Come to find out the same thing was happening to her, but she's Canadian. She swallowed a ton of sea water.

So. After our lesson was over, all of us looked beat up. I'm kind of glad my first time wasn't an all weekend event. I would've died.

The best part. We had to drag our big-ass boards back to the Academy. I was the last one. And I'm not ashamed. My wetsuit was clinging to my body. I was soaked, but hot and wanted a shower. Desperately.

And, if you're wondering. I WILL be surfing again. Hopefully in the near future.

I was too embarrassed to have my picture taken with the board. So I let Mel pose.


Here's Cronulla beach. Breathtaking, isn't it?

Yeah. I thought so too. So when I reached in my bag to get my camera out...it wasn't there. I was a little taken aback and prayed to Melanie that I left my camera at home, but no. I had definitely taken a picture of us in the train station. Which meant. I. Left. It. On. The. Train.

With all the damn school kids.

NOOOOO!

When I realized that. I had to sit down for a minute. And my immediate reaction was...I can't tell my mom.

Such is life. And there's nothing I can do about it. Except call the train station. And I did. But I'm not holding my breath. So. These are Melanie's pictures.

Afterwards the shock wore off, Melanie and I stopped and grabbed some lunch. She finally got to see my obsession with ketchup. It wasn't pretty.

We then walked back to the train station, but decided to do a little bit of shopping. There were some awesome stores around this town and I found the cutest dress for $15. It's gonna be my b-day dress.

All-in-all. A great day. An awesome day.

Minus the camera action. Pathetic.

Va Va Room!

A little recap of my day...

I worked today only from 8-3. We were busy as H! It was awesome though because all of the sudden it was noon. Then it was 3 and I was like...OKAY! Would've made some awesome cash if we didn't have so many people on, but it's all good -- we needed everyone.

I also received several compliments from the "manager on duty" -- it was Pedro....remember him? He said he was impressed at how well I have really grown as a waitress...at Barzura.

Oh man. How sad does that sound?!? Sucks I'm leaving in less than two weeks and no one knows yet. I feel bad, honestly, I do. But. Such is life. I can't help that I want to move on and explore what this country has to offer. Some customers told me today that I HAD to go to Queensland. They say they never go, but it's a must....how does that work?

Anyway. After we sat around and ate lunch awkwardly......

Oh. I should probably explain the awkwardness. Basically. Pedro (the M.O.D.) is dating another girl named Lisa. You met her when we played Spin the Bottle at CBH. Anyway. This is all fine and dandy, except, Pedro's ex-girlfriend, Conti, is not so happy. Why? Because they all used to be best friends. Conti had to leave to extend her working visa and BAM. The goods were taken and life with Pedro was over for her.

Whoops. The kicker -- they all work together at Barzura.

How awful is that? I'd be getting myself a new job, a new place and a new life. The end.

So, after awkward lunch, we went over to CBH and had ourselves a few pitchers (ah-hem, jugs) of beer. The music was right, the sun was HOT and the company...was grand. Love these people. Srsly.

We ended up going our separate ways. I had a few things I could've done afterwards -- gone into the city and do an IEP event with Minelle -- who cancelled cuz she was tired. Can't blame the girl.

Or go to Bondi to...well...replace my old camera.

Or perhaps go to dinner with my roommate or at least hang out with the people I live with.

Nope. Instead, randomly, I got a call from my friend Dave, remember him? Yeah. Been awhile, eh? We kind of stopped talking after he took Melanie and me to a gay bar our third night in Sydney. Wonder why we haven't been in touched?

Regardless, he had a $120,000 car on loaner from his company and wanted to go driving. I said, "Yes PLEASE." We ended up going over to Bondi, except everything was closed. Although. Kmart was open.

People. I love me some KMart over here. In the States, that place SUCKS, but here -- it's glorious. And the prices are always so right.

Except I didn't buy a camera. Oh no, I had to be picky about that. Instead I bought clothes. And a ton of clothes at that. What is WRONG with me?! Hey. They're really cute. If I had a camera, I'd do a fashion show. But, alas, I do not.

However.
Here's a pic of my bday dress I got the other day in Cronulla for $15. Amazing.
How. Cute. Eh?
It came with a black ribbon around the waist, but I bought a blue one...since...blue's my fav color. Duh.
(Sorry for the sh!tty quality..taken with my computer)

After that, he took me back to his place (OoooOoooo -- no...not like that) where we made some din-din and watched his roommates play video games. *cough* Nerds.

On the way home. I'm not sure if I can admit this openly. But. He stopped the car. Put it in park and....

Let. Me. Drive.

WTF! I freaked. I haven't driven in two months and I haven't driven on the WRONG side of the road. It was a feat. And he kept telling me to move over more because I was a little too close to the parked cars on my LEFT.

I'm not gonna lie. I could get used to this. But I need some practice. BIG TIME.

Anyway. That was my Sunday. It was a good one. As soon as I really start to feel comfortable in this place, I have to leave. Bummer. But it's all good. Off to explore the WORLD. Sort of.

I went on a date with Edward last night.

Edward Cullen to be exact.

This is where you fall over. And die.

For those of you who know me dearly, you know how freakin obsessed with Twilight I am. O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. I wish I could explain it any other way, but that's just not possible.

So. Shall we go over my Friday in the City?

It all started with my roommate who wanted to go shopping in the City (that's really like central downtown Sydney, but they call it the City). Don't ask questions, just accept it. Okay?

Well we went to a well known area called, "C-H-I-N-A-T-O-W-N" -- it's amazing. Full of sh!t you have absolutely no need for. It's great.

Well we shopped there after getting a bag of trail mix and a hot chai latte for our shopping extravaganza. Oh. Did I mention how gorgeous it was outside? THAT'S RIGHT. Cuz it wasn't. It was raining cats and well, more cats. Literally. We were in Chinatown, duh.

After we were done shopping (or so I thought), we walked up a few blocks so she could start her trial at her new job at a shoe store (Go Mel!) I decided to drop off a few resumes to see if I could possibly find myself a better job. If you were wondering -- that's a negative.

I met up with her later at IEP, played on the computer for, um, ever. Then we went back to the Market because she just wasn't finished shopping (OMG! Srsly!)

We hopped a bus back to Coogee with all intentions to just stay in, out of the awful typhoon.

But. Whoops. This is where Edward enters.

During my trial at Deep Blue, I met a guy named (no, not Edward) Jovan. He's from Yugoslavia or something and speaks perfect Australian. Huh? How does that work? I don't know, but he definitely still has his Soviet accent -- deep soviet accent.

He somehow convinced me to go back into the city and meet up with him to "hang out" -- we met up in Central and walked to this place that "I just had to try."

People. I'm telling you. I couldn't believe how drenched I got. I didn't even bother with an umbrella because it would've gotten turned inside out and I was going to be soaked regardless.

Anyway -- he was a perfect gentleman...sort of. He made sure I walked on the inside of the sidewalk and tried several times to cover me from the rain. Hello, Edward?

We finally got to the restaurant (called Balkan) and went upstairs. I'm not gonna lie, this food was awesome. It probably is the best cut meat in the city and was cooked to perfection. This is when I thought I was in the book/movie Twilight. The waitress spoke his native tongue so they chitchatted back and forth with me knowing not a word of it. When she walked away, he chuckled and said that she just "5-minute dated" him. If I spoke -- whatever it is they speak -- she wouldn't have gone that far. How funny. He was getting picked up right before me.

Well, after he told me his lifelong story, we decided to go back out into the rain and explore a little bit of the city. He put his arm out for me to hold on to and thank God he did because I slipped more than once. Um, hello Bella?

We ended up going to Darling Harbour, which was awesome -- tons of restaurants and bars and just a side of Sydney I somehow haven't seen yet.

Finally we ended up at a coffeeshop and chitchatted some more about life and our totally different cultures -- Soviet Union, American and Australian. What an amazing experience.

The best part was when I hopped on the bus to go home. I told the driver I wanted to go to Coogee, but the bus was going to Clovelly Beach -- just 1 beach over from Coogee. I figured I could just walk to Coogee from the last stop.

Well, the bus driver, being the nice guy that he is, told me the right bus was behind me and I should get off at this stop and flag down the driver. Once my first bus drove off, I flagged down the other bus and the driver shook his head and kept going.

HE. LEFT. ME. ALONE. IN. A. PARK. WHERE. BATS. WERE. FLYING. AROUND. WTF?

I literally had to wait in the dark for 40 minutes until my next bus showed up. This was at 1am. Wow. What a great driver -- obviously, safety is his #1 goal. Appreciate it, Mate.

It all worked out however, people started showing up and the bats stopped flying around. I hopped the next bus and met a guy from Adelaide -- he was extremely friendly and told me all about Australia, the beach and his job. Very cool.

That was my day. Sorry for making a short story long...you're just so easy to talk to. You're my only friend, Blogger. My only friend. :-)

Cheers!