Elsja Down Under

Good News October 30, 2007

An email I got yesterday:

Hello Elsja ,
I have received your documents today. Thank you.
The vessel that your goods are on have arrived into Sydney.
We are now organising to pick up your freight from the wharf either tomorrow or Thursday.
The vessel your freight was on is the MAERSK PHUKET.
Once Boltt receives your freight from the wharf we them bring it back to our warehouse to customs clear & quarantine inspect & clear your fright.

YAYAYAYAYAY!!!

So hopefully I’ll have everything in the next 2 weeks after it clears customs!

I think the funniest part is the vessel that my stuff came in on. I kept asking my 2 shipping companies why this boat had came to Sydney and then left to New Zealand (when I tracked it) and the shipping companies just kept saying “it switched boats in singapore” – but, they didn’t know which boat it was switched to.

When I tracked the container and found that it had came and left as well, I emailed the companies asking what the deal was and I was told that my stuff switched containers too! WTF?

None of it made sense and I emailed the shipping companies numerous times for clarification as to why no one knew which boat or container all my stuff was on. No one really had any easy answers for me… but it turns out that I was right all along. The boat (Maersk Phuket) and container it came in on WERE the ones that I was tracking the whole time.

Leave it to Google to provide me more accurate information than 2 shipping companies that I PAID to look after my stuff!

A Few Things October 27, 2007

First I’d like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful boyfriend. He’s finally 27 years old today… and he had to get up at 5:30am to go to work Poor baby.

 

Secondly, I’d like to point out to everyone that our time changed last night. So if you were finally getting used to the time difference between Australia and the US (and even if you still had no clue), be prepared for another week or 2 of confusion. As of right now, we are now 6 hours behind (technically 18 hours ahead but that’s painful to calculate). And as of NEXT week when the US time changes, we will be 5 hours behind. So here’s an example for those of you who cant do math easily:

If it is 5:00pm in California… it is 12:00pm in Sydney. 

You’ll get the hang of it.  

Speaking of the time change… why did the US have to go and screw up Halloween? One more week of daylight isn’t really going to do anyone that much good. In fact, it just destroys the scary dark aspect of Halloween. I remember when I was little I ALWAYS looked forward to the time change because that meant we could trick-or-treat earlier and the decorations seemed spookier in the dark. Oh well, sucks for all the kiddies now. Stupid time changes. (But actually I am really happy about ours here in Australia… this morning it was still dark at 5:30am! Usually it starts getting light at 4:30am!!!!)

P.S.- we bought a couch!! We found one in “sand”- a darker beige color. Hopefully it doesn’t look like Ass. We kinda just said “yup that’s good” and now Andrew and I don’t really even remember if it was in fact that good. I remember it being yellow-ish. I guess we’ll wait and see!!!

 

 

The Couch Hunters October 25, 2007

Andrew and I went searching for a couch yesterday. We found one we wanted that was pretty comfy and spacious (but not TOO big) and in our price range. They had it displayed in some ugly color so we decided to go order it today in a different color. The fabric swatch we picked out looked great and it looks good in the picture below so we thought it would be great. Everything was great.

Yeah… turns out it’s not so great. Today we went to order it and saw a different hideous couch in the color swatch we had picked out for ours. This couch was atrocious in its design…and the fabric was suddenly looking less appealing. Kinda looked like a brownish/purply/grey color. It would totally clash with my pillows I bought that are still MIA on some random boat in the middle of the ocean. Luckily, we found another color we liked- a lighter chocolate shade of brown. Yay for us.

But then we were told it was discontinued!

So luckily we found another color we liked, a dark camel/taupe color. Yay for us!

And it too was discontinued. UGH.

Finally we decided on a color that was good enough, not our favorite, but it soon became perfect when compared to the other options… a light greyish/sagey green. Yay for us!

“Oh, I’m sorry, I have some really bad news… the “fawn” is discontinued as well.”

WTF? – they discontinued these colors to bring in the new spring line of electric-blue, piss-yellow and whothehellwouldbuythis-purple (no joke).

So now… what were we stuck with? Either the “raisin” brownish/purply/grey color or a SUPER light beige that would get dirty and ugly in 2 seconds. They did have another brown fabric that I thought was decent but andrew said it looked old and cheap. We didn’t really like any of our options… what were we to do?

We decided to sleep on it. I don’t really know how sleeping will help us make a decision between two ugly colors- but we really like the couch and it’s in our price range. All the other good ones (a total of 2) we found were $1700-2400…no thanks! The brownish/purply/grey really doesn’t look too bad in the picture. maybe it was just the God-awful couch it was draped over that made it appear uglier than it really is.

WWJD?

Loves & (Don’t) Loves For the Week October 21, 2007

I Love: Scotch Fingers and tea

I (Don’t) Love: that at home, I can get 10 limes for 1 dollar. Here, I get ONE lime for $1.66.

I Love: Lemon Lime Bitters – I had always heard about these but finally tried one yesterday.

I Love: meeting new friends on the internet who take me to festivals and introduce me to lemon lime bitters! (Thanks Julia, Hal and Chris).

I (Don’t) Love: that I really want a gym membership and they all cost about $80/month here.

I Love: that we get to move into our new place in 2 weeks. I’m really impatient though so I wish it was 1 week.

I (Don’t) Love: that all my stuff was supposed to arrive on the 20th and still no word on any of it.

I (Don’t) Love (even MORE): that when I tried to track the ship online I got this message (what does it even mean?):

I Love: that giant canvases here are super cheap. The only thing I’ve seen so far that is cheaper than the US

I (Don’t) Love: Missing my friends and family… and thinking about missing Thanksgiving and turkey and pumpkin pie and egg nog

I (Love): wine

( I couldn’t think of one last love, so I just thought I’d throw wine in there because I always love wine).

 

My “Expert” Concert Review October 20, 2007

Since I like music but am by no means any sort of expert, I’ll write this review with one disclaimer: this is my OPINION

Last night, Andrew, Kate, Muzza and I all went to the Linkin Park concert. I know some of you are already thinking to yourselves… “WHY?” Well, in addition to being a hot pilot, Andrew also works for a radio station called Nova and he decided to work a shift at the concert. So he got paid for the night AND we all got free tickets. Can’t really pass that up.

Chris Cornell opened and while I think he has an awesome voice, he was boring as shit. I enjoyed listening to the 3 songs I knew… and wanted to fall asleep during the rest. Not discrediting him or anything- but it just didn’t do it for me. Plus he looked depressed and CRACKED out. Maybe that was just the rockstar look he was going for.

Linkin Park on the othe hand put on a really good show. Now, this doesn’t mean I actually enjoyed it all, but I still can appreciate that it was really good. They had a cool stage and lights (we all know I love me some light shows at a concert) but seriously, no matter how hard I try… I just CANNOT appreciate screaming. Ok, I take that back… andrew will freak at me if I say that. I CAN appreciate how hard it would be to scream like that and then also sing nicely without sounding like you just smoked 8 packs of cigs… but again, I can appreciate- but me still no likey. They played some songs I knew of course… the overplayed KROQ singles, but they played a lot of songs I didn’t know. Two of them were really nice slow songs and I really did enjoy those- I kept waiting for screaming to come ruin it… but it didnt…they just were nice the whole time. But one song- my personal fave included a piece where Chester screamed over and over “put me out of my misery…”

I knew JUST how he felt!

I think I enjoyed a few things about this show that I don’t normally see/hear in the US.

1. The guy on crack/E/too much redbull next to me who literally was dancing and jumping around like a maniac. No rhythm, no structure to his excitement. Just waved his arms around and jumped up and down looking like a monkey. I was just waiting for him to hit me on accident so I could give him the evil eye. I felt REALLY embarassed for his girlfriend. I just don’t see that in the US because I don’t typically go to shows like Linkin Park where the fans are cracked out nutheads.

2. I thought it was great when the whole crowed started cheering and chanting… “Kickin paw, kickin paw, kickin paw.” HUH???  Ummmm yeah turns out they were saying “Linkin Park” but it took my Aussie boyfriend to translate because to me- PARK has an R in the word…to Australians- it’ doesnt. Just sounded like Pawk.

3. The Wave. Do people actually still do the wave? Well in Australia, yes… they do. I love the wave. While I didn’t participate- Andrew and I had a chuckle for about 30 seconds while the wave went around the crowd about 4 times before people finally got over it. I’ve seen quite a few waves in my time at sporting events- but never at concerts.

Overall, I wasn’t totally miserable, but I can’t say it was the best thing ever. I’m glad Andrew really enjoyed himself and I could be with him- but again, the screaming just gave me a headache. Literally- I still have a really bad headache even now. When the encor came, I really felt for the true fans. I thought that they must be really sad knowing that this show, the one they were excited about for weeks, the one they spent $100 bucks on, was about to come to an end. I didn’t mind though, I was tired.

 

A Better Day October 17, 2007

So the last few days were filled with some boredom and frustration. Boredom because I’m home alone with little to do when Andrew works and frustration that things weren’t working like they should. My Skype phone number/account was locked for almost 5 days and I couldnt make or receive any calls. I’ve had to drive 30 minutes to go to 1 particular ATM to try to withdraw money. It’s worth it to drive all that way 4 times when you would otherwise be charged almost 60 bucks in conversion fees if you don’t. It WOULD be cool if the ATMS all worked though and actually let me get out my money when I want it (hence 4 trips for 2 withdraws). And… not to mention the CRAP Target. Target in this country SUCKS. So sad.

ANNNNYWAYS… clearly I could go on and on about these crap things.. but this is a better day blog.

Today several good things happened. Andrew is on an overnight flight (left at 10am) and I haven’t even been bored more than 5 minutes. Here is why:

1. I worked ’til about noon and then talked to my dad, mom and brother-in-law.

2. I went to Woolies and bought food for lunch

3. I went for a walk down to the cool cheapish shop I found the other day. I’ts about 2.4 miles round trip so it took awhile. Anyways, I bought a cool over the shower-door caddy thing. While this may not seem very exciting- it probably is the most exciting thing to happen to me in the last few days.

Here’s the thing… our new bathroom is TINY and only has one small cabinet and a mini little shelf that stuff will surely fall off of all the time (as you can see in the photo). I was really stressed about where things like my facewash, face lotion and Andrew’s shave lotion, etc. would go. I don’t want to have to bend down and open that under-sink cabinet every time I wash my face…that would be WAY too much work. So, I bought this hanging thing that will go here:

This seriously relieves a lot of stress. Clearly it’s the little things in life that make me so happy and I love that I am so brilliant to realize I could just hang the thing OUTSIDE of the shower and it would solve all of my problems.

4. I came home and found a new friend on my nerdy meetup.com website that I discovered yesterday. Well, she found me actually and we talked for a long time online. Anyways, I now have plans to hang out with a girl named Julia. She and her husband moved here from San Francisco and they both work from home for an American company (like me). Kinda sad that I have to find friends on the internet… but hey- I found my boyfriend on the internet and that has worked out superbly so I might as well meet some girl friends as well!

5. Lastly- I got yummy Bow Thai. And while it is probably one of the worst batches I’ve had, it still was delicious! You can’t go too wrong at Bow Thai.

6. I saw a long news story about Costco coming to Australia next June. That would be phenomenal. Seriously. I just hope they come to Sydney.

7. Now I’m watching my new favorite game show, Temptation. I’m really good and I think I could definitely win some money if they let me on as a contestant.

I’ll miss Andrew tonight but he’ll be home tomorrow around noon and then doesn’t work again until Saturday morning.

Yay for a better day!

So Boring October 15, 2007

I’m so boring these days and I never write much here so I will write about a few things that I have been doing the last week or so.

Friday: Went out to Minsky’s (a cool little piano bar down the road) for the first time ever. I’ve heard about this place for years… literally… and we finally made it out. It was tons of fun and I really had a good time meeting up with Andrew’s friends.

Saturday: Spent the afternoon at Andrew’s dad’s house for a late lunch, then met up with his mom and chatted for awhile.

Sunday: Went to the beach with Sinead and Tracy. It was a pretty nice day- but a little breezy. It was nice of them to let me tag a long since Andrew had to work all day Then we went back to Sineads and watched TV and had some girl talk. It was nice since I havent really had much of that in the last 3 weeks.

Monday: Boring boring boring. Went to the bank and the grocery store and the post office. Super exciting right? I also started looking into yoga again- hopefully I’ll find a decently priced place near our new apartment.

Today: I’m currently waiting for andrew to get home so we can go to Target. I am really excited. Seriously- I’m not joking… REALLY excited. I haven’t been able to buy anything from Target since August 24th (the day all my stuff shipped out) so I am really looking forward to buying something. I need a lamp, and some bath rugs. Such the highlight of my week so far!! Also, I’ve started researching nerdy nerdy things. Like social groups and stuff like that. I found a cool new website called Meet Up and it has all kinds of groups you can join and they have meetings monthly. So nerdy. I found some group of Americans who moved here so maybe I’ll try to go hang with those people one day. Or i could always join the Dungeons and Dragons group or the Sci-Fi monthly group. HAHA no thanks.

There’s my little update- and here are a few more pics from Minsky’s for your viewing pleasure!

 

The Dollar is Sucking Ass October 11, 2007

I’m sure this blog will be very boring to most of you, but I’m so annoyed that I have to write about it anyways!

So last year when I came here, our US Dollar was worth about 1.20-1.25. Awesome for me

Well it has slipped now and it is only worth about 1.10. Still, it’s good that it’s worth more- but since I got here 2 weeks ago, it has weakened by 2 cents and that means I am basically getting a slight pay decrease on a weekly basis since I get paid in US dollars. Imagine if every week your pay went down by a few cents an hour. That would piss you off too!

Since everything here is way more expensive- you really need to rely on the strong dollar to even things out. Now things are just getting more and more pricey!

Our dollar is currently worth less than it has been in almost 24 years. Figures- I move to Australia and our dollar goes to crap and makes everything immediately more expensive- and according to the news- it is only going to get worse!

SUCKS! The US seems to just be going further and further downhill in my eyes.

From Associated Press:

With a clear suggestion that we’re going to see further rate cuts from the Fed in due course, the dollar has slipped back once again,” said James Hughes, a market analyst with CMC Markets.

Lower interest rates, used to jump-start the economy, can weaken a currency as investors transfer funds to countries where their deposits and fixed-income investments bring higher returns.

The dollar’s recent decline began in earnest when the Fed decided last month to cut its benchmark interest rate by more than expected to 4.75 percent in reaction to the U.S. subprime mortgage debacle.

We Got It! October 7, 2007

Andrew and I were approved and chosen to lease the apartment we wanted! We still have to sign the lease papers- but that shouldn’t be too difficult I hope. Here are a few pictures (clearly with someone else’s stuff) but once we move in (around November 5th) I’ll take some new pictures and post them. Hopefully all my stuff arrives on time and it won’t be too painful to clear it through customs.

Big Day for Elsja October 5, 2007

Guess what I did?

I DROVE! on the OTHER side of the road. I’ve done this before but I was always real scared. Since I got here this time I was still too freaked to try it. I knew I would one day, but I didn’t know when that day would come. Well, yesterday I just had this vision of me driving and made a decision. I decided I would drive today.

So I did. Drove to a few close places with Andrew directing me. I did alright.

THENNNNNNN….

Guess what I did?

I DROVE BY MYSELF!!! Andrew and his friends wanted to go to the beach on their bikes. Well, I don’t have a bike- AND even if I did, I couldnt ride there because the hills are MASSIVE and I would die. So, I took a chance, had Andrew drive me a map and I drove ALL by myself to the beach. Just about a 10 minute drive, but still- that is a very big deal for me.

In other news, Andrew and I MAY have found a place. I wont jinx it by talking about it too much- but think good thoughts for us over the next few days! I’ll keep you posted!

Hello Summer…Again October 3, 2007

 So today I decided to go on a 50 minute walk. 50 minute walk?? No biggy you may think- but when this is the weather:

it is NOT so fun! Times like these make me miss 24 hour fitness (even though in my last blog I said that scenic walks are better than the elipticals)… but I must do SOMETHING to prevent myself from turning into a fat-ass from all the Thai food.

So… walking in 95 degree, Santa Ana Wind-like conditions (entire 2nd half of the walk straight UPHILL) is what I must do.

Oh, and the news just said today was the hottest early October day in 148 years (since they started record-keeping) – It’s not even summer yet!!! But… around 7pm the temperature is supposed to drop to the high 60s. Weeeird weather.