Elsja Down Under

My World January 28, 2009

So it’s officially one month until my parents come!!!

It will be nice to have someone from home come here to see the life Andrew and I have set up for ourselves. None of my family or friends have ever seen the apartment I’ve lived in for over a year. People can’t see the street I live on (well, I guess they can on google these days). They haven’t eaten the food I’ve cooked in my kitchen, they haven’t sat on my couch to watch some TV.

Think about all your friends and all your family that you are closest to. You’ve been to their homes… you can walk into their places and notice if a picture or plant has been moved. You ask “did you get a new couch?” Or maybe you notice that they have put some new paint up on the walls. Now imagine setting up your own life, getting your first place, decorating, living your life… and never having those closest to you even see that life after almost a year and a half. It’s pretty sad, but that’s the reality you face when you move across the world I guess. So not only am I excited to see my parents again, I’m also excited to just have them be a part of MY world. It will be nice.

It’s a Little Hot January 25, 2009

So when I went home to California, I was greeted first by a chill in the January winter air and then by a good ol’ fashioned California earthquake. The weather did get warmer- in fact, it was beautiful the ENTIRE time I was there, yet it still had that nice chill in the air at night that allows you to sleep comfortably in sweats (and even socks) without feeling the need to rip your clothes off and turn the AC on! It was perfect!

Then I came home to Sydney (yes, I call both places home). There are no earthquakes and yesterday there was NO HINT of ANY sort of chill in the air. It felt like there was NO AIR… period! Hot, muggy, hard to breath, MISERABLE. I’m not one to care too much about humidity and heck, I even can tolerate the entire 106 degrees that we had to deal with. BUT… when you don’t have air conditioning and it becomes about 120 degrees IN the apartment- that’s pretty much when you just want to die, or… at least feel like you are going to die. Our fan did NOTHING to cool us down. I had to take 2 cold baths, just to escape the heat for a few minutes.

Thankfully a cold front came through last night (thank you Antarctica). It’s too bad the temperature inside didn’t cool down as quickly as it did outside. I really wouldn’t have minded a 30 degree drop in this apartment.  When’s the last time you had to sleep with an ice pack shoved into the back of your undies to keep you cool enough to sleep?

I don’t think the ice pack will be required tonight… i think the fan will be sufficient.

It’s Been Too Long January 20, 2009

So a long time ago, Jen created a blog called “Love/Don’t Love.” So, some of us have followed suit with our own editions of that particular theme at various times in our nerdy blogging pasts. For some of my historical posts… see here:

1. All Grown Up

2. Loves/Don’t Loves for the Week

3. About That Time

4. Yes I’m Copying Jen

So now it’s time for my latest edition since it has just been way too long!

1. I love the Twilight book series. In fact, I don’t just love it… I’m completely and pathetically obsessed with it. Nicole suggested that I join the facebook group entitled “Because I read Twilight, I have unrealistic expectations in men.” I might just have to join. Although I love my wonderful boyfriend dearly…sometimes I think it would be nice if he were a super romantic vampire. I also love that I got my sister obsessed with the books as well… and that even my mom is reading them…I really want to post an entire blog dedicated to my new obsession, but I think I’ll leave that until I finish the whole series.

In the meantime… 

2. I LOVE the Twilight movie. Ok, so they left some stuff  out, but nothing too crucial. Besides, Edward made up for anything they might have left out- he could have just walked back and forth across the screen for 2 hours and I would have been happy. I saw it last night and it just made my gay obsession even stronger and more pathetic.

3. I love that it has been beautiful and sunny the entire time I have been in California.

4. I (don’t) love that I packed the WRONG clothes for beautiful and sunny weather.

5. I love Andrew… I miss him.

6. I (don’t) love saying goodbye to my family and friends.

7. I love my new Sangria/lemonade/other refreshing beverage pitcher that Shannon got me for Christmas.

8. I love that I get really cheap flights.

9. I (don’t) love being on standby and never knowing if I’ll actually GET ON my flights. We shall see tomorrow… but I may be stuck here a bit longer!

10. I (don’t) love that I need about 5 suitcases to get everything home.

11. Did I mention I love the Twilight book series? So far Eclipse (the 3rd book) is my fave… but I’m on to the 4th so we shall see.

12. I (don’t) love that the books are going to end… it will be a sad, sad day in my life.

13. I (don’t) love 14 hour flights… but I don’t mind them so much when I have a 500+ page book to read, 4 episodes of grey’s anatomy and gossip girl to watch and a box full of Ambien.

14. I love French Line “Ruban Bleu” tea. It is the most tasty delish tea ever! So glad I discovered it when my best friends from high school and I went to tea on Sunday (which I also loved).

15. I (don’t) love that I still can’t walk properly and my foot still hurts I really never anticipated this much trouble when I tried to catch that stupid bouquet!

16. Lastly, I love that my parents are coming to visit next month, so even though it will be hard to say goodbye, I’ll get to see them again very soon!

Let’s Go for a Drink January 16, 2009

I know I know… I’m a bad blogger, but I’m essentially “on vacation” (even though I’m still working) so I just don’t FEEL like writing anything. So it’s perfect that Natasha sent me these great ads for beer (and evidently for the benefits of being a man as well). I don’t even have to write anything, they are just so great on their own.

What goes through YOUR mind when someone says “let’s go for a drink?”

 

Babbling January 10, 2009

It’s nice to be back in Calirfornia… but it’s weird. I was welcomed by chilly weather, fog and an earthquake last night! After being in 90 degree heat and bathing suits, it definitely feels strange to be thrown into the cold where I now require scarves and jackets.

LUCKILY I love winter clothing MUCH more than summer stuff (even though I love summer weather). So I hit the shops yesterday to get a few sweaters and some other articles of clothing. It’s amazing that I actually found things I like- the last time I was in California all of the clothes in the shops were hideous and made me want to barf. 

So… now my foot is hurting more. Is it because I sat on the plane for 13 hours and then walked around shopping for a few hours? Or… is it because it’s cold? I always hear how broken bones ache more in the chilly weather- but mine is more my ankle that is hurting. You know what I bet it is? I haven’t been able to use my WiiFit in 2 whole days How sad, I miss it.

I also miss my wonderful Andrew. I haven’t been away from him in a long time. Ok… so we were apart for a week in august, but before that we weren’t apart since March. It’s amazing how we used to be so happy when we got to see each other for more than 2 weeks in a row. Now I dread 2 weeks apart! But I’m happy to have time with my family and friends!

In fact, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. My family is having a late Christmas I think Andrew thinks it’s weird that my mom left the tree up and she’s making a turkey dinner and everything. BUUUUT I met a girl on the plane from Canada and we got to talking. She asked if this was my first Christmas away from home and I said “yes.” Her reply was “ME TOO, but my mom is having another Christmas for me.” So I replied “ME TOO… and she left the tree up and is making turkey dinner. Then she exclaimed “ME TOO.” So see… it’s not abnormal- we just have nice moms who want us to have our nice Christmas, even if it is a bit late.

…That’s enough babbling for the day! Happy weekend everybody

Unbalanced January 6, 2009

So I was right… my balance… BAD. My center of gravity is totally skewed well to the right, surprise surprise. Guess that happens when you stop using your left foot. So while my overall balance isn’t great anyways (I’ve always known this), I’m actually not TOO bad when I try to balance on my right foot. I’m pretty good at the yoga tree pose… seen here:

I can definitely put my left foot up on my right thigh and balance pretty easily. Keeping that red dot in the middle of the cirlce is pretty challenging, but I can do it. Ohhh… but the left sided tree? Yeah… that just doesn’t even come close to happening. Not only can I NOT place my right foot on my left thigh, I really can’t even lift my right foot 3 inches off the ground for more than 2 seconds without falling over. NO BALANCE AT ALL. Now I see why my physio told me to practice. He was quite aware of the trouble I would have with this simple task.

But… I am really good at the hula hoop challenge. I’m up to 300+ spins. Andrew found it amusing to watch me look like an idiot as I pretend to hula hoop in my undies.

I love my Wii… and the WiiFit is my favorite  So much fun!

Back to the Grind January 5, 2009

I’ve been cleared to go to the gym! Yay… I think. Should I be excited to get back to doing something that I hate? Really… I hate the gym! I go because I know I should and I do feel better after I go, but I never actually enjoy it. Well, with a broken foot- I’ve pretty much been completely incapable of doing any physical activity that includes my lower body (which is basically any cardio).

Today, I went to the physio and he cleared me to go to the gym- but I can only do the bike. So I can FINALLY get back to working out, I can finally stop feeling like a lazy fat ass… but is that a good thing? These last 5 weeks are the longest I’ve gone without ANY exercise in over 4 years! I have to admit, it’s been kinda nice to take a break. Do I REALLY want to go back to the gym?? NO! But do I need to? Ummm YES! I feel like a wobbly, jiggly mess! I think I’m ready to break out my WiiFit for the first time, but do I REALLY want to weigh myself after 5 weeks of inactivity??

The physio gave me some exercises and stretches to do to help strengthen my muscles in my left leg and ankle. One includes balancing. Now, my balance is shit on a good day! My poor balance is the #1 reason I started yoga a few years back. I got really annoyed when I was at the Coachella festival and I kept trying to stand on my tippy toes to see the bands and I just kept falling over. Pathetic. So imagine me balancing on a foot/leg that I haven’t used in over a month!! I almost fell over about 5 times in the office. However, I must say- my right leg was doing quite well in the balance department- I guess that’s what happens when you hop around on one leg all the time.

So… hello gym… here I come! But not until next week… my membership here is on hold until I get back here from the US (so I guess I can enjoy being a lazy ass for a few more days)

My Year in Review January 2, 2009

2008 was a good year… full of ups and downs, but luckily more ups than downs I would say. Let’s look back on my 2008… 

January ** I rung in the new year with my sisters in Laguna ** I did the God awful Master Cleanse detox diet **

 

** Andrew and I spent Valentines day on our couch, with a bottle of wine **  I pretty much spent the whole month preparing for Jen’s shotgun wedding (shower & bachelorette party) **  February 

March  ** I went home to California for Jen and James’ wedding- it was beautiful  ** We had Jen’s bachelorette party and wedding shower… so much fun!  **My niece Emma turned 5 and I got to be with her at her birthday party **

 

** My nephew Preston turned 8… he’s getting so old  ** I started my 101 in 1001 list  **April 

May  ** Andrew got a letter of intent from Qanta Mainline (international flying)… it’s been his dream and goal for years! Now we are STILL waiting on a start date…   **  Andrew and I went to Maui with my sister and her family **  

 

June  ** My sister Jan got married, unfortunately I couldn’t go to the wedding  **  ** My poor puppy Emmi died of cancer. Damn cancer!  ** Andrew and I started saving to try to buy an apartment  **July 

August  **  Andrew and I went to CA to visit my family and friends  ** We then went to Costa Rica and had an amazing time **  Andrew got to meet my sister in Texas and her kids for the first time **

 

September  ** This month marked the 1 year anniversary of when I moved to Australia  ** I Turned 28 over the international dateline on our flight back to Sydney ** 

October  ** I went to my first Australian “footy” game… the NRL Grand Final * After months of preparation, I Got my Australian residency ** Andrew turned 28 **

November  ** Andrew and I went to Perth to visit some of his family and I flew business for the very first time **  I voted in the US presidential election  ** We celebrated Thanksgiving in Australia and I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner all by myself… including pumpkin pie from fresh pumkins ** I Broke my foot and sprained my ankle while trying to catch the bouquet at Bec and Olly’s wedding  **

 

**  I spent my first ever Christmas away from my family and friends… but got to spend my first Christmas ever with Andrew  **  I got HOOKED on the best book… Twilight. Seriously, I couldn’t get what all the hype was about, but now I clearly understand how those nerdy kids read Harry Potter in a day. I read Twilight in 2 1/2 – and I hardly EVER read **  I bought a Wii! YAY. This also means I get to cross one more item off my 101 list- #72. buy a wii    **  Andrew got me a WiiFit for Christmas and I’m anxiously waiting for my foot to heal so I can balance on it and have some fun!   **  Andrew got promoted to Captain with his current job   ** I spent New Years eve with Andrew at Cremorne point watching the fireworks over Sydney Harbour- which is exactly what I’ve been wanting to do for the last 3 years. **December 

*** This year we went to 4 weddings, plus got invited to 2 more that we couldn’t attend. I made new friends and got in touch with some old ones. Some had some babies, some lost loved ones, some found love, some lost jobs, some had successes. I think 2008 was financially and emotionally tough on a lot of people, let’s hope 2009 sees things turn around!!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

PS. I give up on formatting this damn blog…wordpress can kiss my ass with its crappy text editor  

Happy New Year January 1, 2009

Happy New Year everyone!

We spent the day/night down at Cremorne Point with a bunch of people, drinks and food! There’s a cool public pool that kept us from melting too much in the sun and the crowds were lively. Everyone was having a great time!

 

HERE are some more photos if anyone wants to check out what a Sydney NYE looks like

The fireworks were great, although I have to admit- I was a little disappointed since they had been built up as the BEST and most expensive fireworks display in the world. I guess when you go around announcing that, it makes people expect A LOT. Andrew was disappointed as well because he thought last year’s were even better than this year’s. Oh well, they were still beautiful and the grand finale made it all worth it. Check out a video of the finale HERE  (it’s shakey, but you get the idea). I also get to cross off another of my 101 list- #46. Watch the fireworks over Sydney harbour on NYE.

My crutches really helped out when it came to using the bathroom. Rather than waiting in the huge lines, some people at a sausage stand let me use their port-a-potty, which was surprisingly clean! The crutches weren’t too fabulous later in the night though when we had to walk all the way home. Roads were closed and the taxis were sparse (and the ones who WERE working were ASSHOLES who wouldn’t pick anyone up)… I just wanted to get home. 10 hours in the sun (combined with alcohol) makes me tired… and I wasn’t about to wait until 2am for the busses to start coming.

I hope everyone else had a fantastic new year’s eve and I wish you all the best in 2009!