Summer Two oh one Four

Some shenanigans I have been getting into recently include:

A whole hog roast

Stumbling upon an octopus crossing

Finally finding Barney's doppelgänger

The perfect line when an ATL cop pulls me over (especially on the scooter)

Almost getting swept by the current caused by the lack of city street planning plus a flash flood

Two words: Bottomless Brunch

Catching up on my reading in my new favorite spot...the roof

And meeting the person who bought my hand painted skateboard in a charity auction for $160! (So sad I missed the bidding war)

FILA

So I am home, and so happy to be back. Its funny, I've moved out of Atlanta twice, have never been away from the city for more than two months at a time, and am always elated when I see the skyline from the window of a descending plane. Its meant to be :)

I got to see the Canadian Rockies from the air! My only window seat throughout the 30 hr, 11,000 mile journey:)

So I got to my mom's house at like 1AM, and crashed. Spend all of Friday with her which was great. Then Saturday, my friend Sam picked me up and we went to go surprise Joe. I was hoping for some exclaimed curse words in order to make the video of his reaction go viral, but there were customers when I slipped into a seat at his work, and a glass window right behind me, so he couldn't make as big of a tackling scene as he probably wanted ha. But throughout the day Saturday, I hit up Octane coffee, the weloveatl truck, Victory Sandwiches where I had a famous Jack and Coke slushie and a sandwich with sweet tea mayo (welcome to the South), and got to drop my first Free Art Friday contribution. And it was 90 degrees without a cloud in the sky. Needless to say, I was in heaven.

Sunday was of course dedicated to the World Cup finals and cheering for the Germans! I got to spend a lot of time with Taylor (my co-world traveler). We ended up after the game with an apartment full of crazy cool kids, cooked Brats, drank hefeweizen, ate German potato sala, and watched Beerfest. Cause Germany.

I bought a tiny 50cc scooter (which I have yet to ride on an actual road cause I'm too nervous), and got hired at Industry Tavern, and worked a couple shifts on the Tyler Perry set. And I've only been home for a week.

This is where I feel most at home. There is always something going on, and even when it is pouring down rain, people are out and about at the malls, coffee shops, running half marathons (looking at you, WMRC). I have spent time with so many people this past week that mean so much to me. It's great to know that I have made life-long friends who feel my abscence as much as I felt theirs. It is also an amazing feeling knowing that the money I spent on a plane ticket was worth every penny to get see these crazy kids for the next few months.
Forever I Love Atlanta :D

Chasing The Summer

I have made an important realization. I do not want to live in Australia. Maybe someday, but not now. To be honest, I don't want to live anywhere right now..

When I packed up my entire life belongings into three duffel bags and boarded a plane that took me 9,000 miles away from the only home I had known, I was excited and thrilled with the prospect of living in a land of new culture, new people, new accents. I was expecting Paul Hogan, but what I got was Brisvegas (literally people call it that here. Don't ask me).

I never have been good at staying settled (I've had upwards of 9 jobs and 6 different living situations in the past four years), so it was a bit premature to say I was going to move to a brand new city/country for two years.

Brisbane is a beautiful city, don't get me wrong, and there really is a lot of markets and coffee shops and quaint boutiques..but what they all have in common is that they are proportionately expensive and they all close at 6pm. If I could land a job, that would make living here easier. If the sun didn't set at 5:30pm and it didn't drop down to 50 degrees with nightfall, that would make living here easier. If a beer didn't cost upwards of $10 for a bottle (and that's not even craft), that would make living here easier. If I didn't spend so much time texting my bestfriends back home and checking out their crazy summer shenanigans on facebook, that would make living here easier. If my apartment wasn't full of allergens and moths, that would make living here easier.

I am not one to complain, I always try to find the positives in a situation. Currently, though, I truly believe I would be happiest hanging in Atlanta for the summer, returning to AU for their summer in November, then maybe following the season back to the northern hemisphere in Asia or Europe. I don't know where the wind will take me, but I do know that being happy should be everyone's first priority (after the basic physiological human needs have been met of course), and the heat, hills, and humidity of Atl is what will make me happy right now :)

Cheers

What's On!

One thing I love about cities is that there is always something going on.
The Brisbane government gives a lot of effort to provide interesting, culture-inducing, and health related events. There are free workouts, yoga, and tai-chi every week, art programs for kids and elderly, and heaps of public music on a daily basis.

One Saturday, I was just walking to the library, and all of a sudden there was a Hari Krishna parade on blocked off streets, with a giant float, that ended at the square in front of city hall! Free delicious vegetarian food plated up for anyone that wanted some as well.

Then there was a festival in Chinatown with music on a stage, a clothing and jewelry market, oh and a camel. A freaking camel chillin in the middle of the city...what?

The government also sponsors special events like a three day used book sale with millions of books, where I stumbled upon a publication that highlighted the best players on the National Rugby team. My cousin is on page 65!

Oh and this was the following nationally recognised week...

I also got to go to Eat Street Markets, a night foodie event with over 50 shipping containers that have been reconfigured as mini-restaurant, art galleries, and dessert stations. And of course bands that play all day. And this event goes from 10am-7pm Fri, Sat, and Sun...every single week of the year. There were so many international options. I ended up with this Japanese pancake/pizza thing. I started eating before I remembered to take a picture, but omg it was incredible! Finished the meal with churros dipped in chocolate and dulce de leche....perfect meal with great music (have you ever heard a reggae cover of Gangsta's Paradise?)

Fun with the Father

So I've met a lot of cool people while in Brisbane, but many of the new things I've been experiencing has been with my daddy by my side.
One thing I've always loved doing is reading blogs and news websites about the awesome happenings and best places to relax in any given location. I was a Yelp addict back in Atlanta and now I rely on Weekendnotes, the daily Brisbane email, to find out what's on. That was how I won tickets to Maleficent and a free pre-show dinner! We ended up at this dumpling restaurant, I love their logo (even on their beer glass!)

This was an ad I found in the theatre bathroom (Oops...I mean toilet) that made me laugh

Then a week later, my dad and I were given tickets to the horse races, which we attended with his cousin (who, many moons ago, was named after him) and his significant other. The tickets were in a VIP tent right next to the track, so close we could feel the wind as the horses steamed past!

I borrowed a cute little hair piece, because obviously I had to fit into the track fashions

I bet a few times (didn't win as usual...I tried to compare horse statistics, should have just gone with the ones with the coolest names). But I spent the majority of the time enjoying the glorious people (aka women outfit) watching. Here are a few of the creeper pics I could sneak..I couldn't mock this stuff up if I tried.

Loved this quote at a coffee kiosk my dad and I went to for breakfast the next day. Pretty much sums up the coffee culture here in the city ha

The Spice of Life

Australian culture has been influenced by English, American, and Asian. This is evident in the cuisine especially. There are a few popular chains and dishes that have surprised me since arriving.

No longer is the "5, 5 dollar, 5 dollar footlonggggg". Now the actors in the commercials throw up a peace sign to indicate the bargain $7 footlong! Gotta love a "thriving" economy..

Back in the 60s, some mom and pop restaurant opened under the quaint name of Burger King. When the corporate giant  from America wanted to expand, the trademark was taken so they were forced to rename. "Welcome to Hungry Jacks!"

Its 2 am, the bars are closing down for the night, and your group is starving and craving some greasy, delicious snackage. In Atlanta, you'd hit up Waffle House for an All-Star Combo (or pork chops if you're David Brown) and some sweet tea. In Brisbane, however, you'd stumble to one of the 24hr meat pie shops that grace almost every street corner in the city centre. Curried chicken and vege or egg/bacon/cheese are the perfect combo for drunk food (grease stains on the paper bag are unavoidable) and fill you up enough to stop the slosh of alcohol in your stomach. Its a win win win (did I mention 24hr?!)

The most amazing food discovery I have found is the multitude of sushi takeaway shops. There are sometimes two in one street block and for $2-3, you can get an entire sushi roll that you are meant to just chomp into. No chopsticks required! And how do you add soy sauce to your on-the-go sushi? Why drop it from this cute little fishy teaspoon-sized plastic container of course!

I had burgers one day at this place that reminded me a lot of Yeah! Burger. Everything farm raised and organic. You know how on a menu, the first variation listed is usually the cheapest and most traditional? Well I got their first-listed chicken sandwich, and as delicious as it was, still caught me off guard. The toppings? Shredded carrots and beets (with sweet chili sauce, yum!)

So nowadays, my diet consists of sushi and meat pies. Which I'm okay with! I still need to experience a sushi train restaurant..yes they do exist!

Beaches, art, and blue skies galore

So my father and I went to Gold Coast, a city an hour south of Brisbane, to visit our cousin. The water was surprisingly warm and the beach basically deserted as it's "winter"

We drove to the train station as the sun was setting. 

Oh yeah, there's a train that takes you all the way to the beaches, one an hour north (Sunshine Coast) one south (Gold Coast/Surfers Paradise). And the train costs maybe $4 :D

Haven't walked through the art museums here, but even the outside have random awesome works

That was a wire bird that just looked like it was floating.

And every city has to have a Ferris wheel!

My next post will have to be on the odd food that is so casual here. Meat pies are just the tip of the iceberg! 

Unpacked

So we are settling in, we got a "2 bedroom" flat in the dead center of the city. It's pretty much the loft style that I dreamed about as a kid. My bed sits on a small balcony over the living room, which is open to the kitchen, and my fathers room is a converted dining room. So the privacy is less than desirable but for the price and walkability, I will sacrifice some. 

The backside

The stairs to my bed with my fathers room in the background

My nook, look how well I make my bed each day! (My momma taught me good)

Looking over the stairs to the kitchen/living room

The first thing I put up

Watching a footy game on our tv

Oh and this guy is my new best friend (I wish!)