Aussie Day January 26, 2009

Australia Day, my last day in Sydney… the weather was as sad as me! I haven’t been doing much in Australia and yet time has gone by quite fast! One day I’m here celebrating the New Year the other it’s Australia Day and I’m leaving the next morning! At least it was a day off which means I got to spend it with my friends and not all by myself!

Maël and I first went for a pho… which might not be typically Australian, but then again it was also Chinese New Year on the same day! Then we met up with Mia and invited ourselves at one of her colleague’s house party! 

It was a typical Australia day, we  listened to triple J hottest 100, drank beer, some ventured at playing cricket and threw water bomb even though it was already pouring rain! And we all had a nice chilled time. Many had to go home early for Chinese New Year and I guess the rain kind of put a damper on things anyways as it was pointless to go to one of the many free outdoor concerts organized around Sydney. Nevertheless it was a fun afternoon, that ended with some nice comfort food and some more fortune telling at Maël’s!

By the way “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon won the first place!

Pho at Marickville

oh Mount gay!

Mia and Jay 

Playing cricket under the rain

What rain?

Random foolishness

 

Let’s blow this joint! January 25, 2009

As part of Mael and I new approach to life, and the whole getting out of our comfort zone grabing opportunities when they arise… We ended up going to somebody’s house party without really knowing anyone… Once again we left the house saying we’ll just hae one drink, say then go… we of course had quite a few drinks, danced like idiots and left just before our car would turn into a pumpkin… It was a really unexpected fun event, with very interesting people all from various field, DJ show, enough beer to drown a cow, and just a lovely atmosphere. A fun time to remember! Great high light, dancing to Eurythmics Sweet dreams!

Chairs – Random – In front of Mael’s place

Getting ready the best part in a party

Bring in the music!

Mael trying to sneakly get some Kim Carnes on – Stuart not buying it

Stuartand Mickael looking very happy after having fixied the music – yeah the party may continue!

A Special friend January 21, 2009

Mael is uknowlingly my oldest friend. We met in Sydney when we were 13 only to realize we were at the same pre-school in Belgium… coincidence, faith? I still find this amazing, and so is our connection, we’ve grown to be very close friends, then I moved back to France, nevertheless we’ve managed to stay in touch and even see each other and every time it felt as though we’d only left each other yesterday, no awkward blancs no difficulty summing up what’s been happening in our lives, and most importantly in our love life!

Such a connection is quite unique and goes beyond simple friendship, especially since we are so different. we always somehow seem to be in a situation where we can understand each other. I was a little anxious before going to Sydney, thinking that a month at her place might be a little long and that I would end up being in her space and feeling awkward about it, but it somehow worked out and time went by without me realizing it and hopefully I wasn’t too much of a burden!

 

“Chez Mael” the best place to dine in Sydney

Jo and Mael, undeniably lol

At Centenial Park for a very Mystic moment

I like bubbles

Making funky pictures at the Korean

Reflection shot!

 

2 Obasan on a bench January 18, 2009

After such a wild night at the domain we still had to wake up not too late as Mia wanted to take me to the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting… only problem was, after a quick check before leaving, she realized it would take 3 hours to get there… so we decided to change of plan and maybe check out the blue mountains… but after checking with her friend it seemed it was atrociously hot there with not much to do… so we improvised! we had a fabulous brunch in Maroubra… one of the only place that has literally stayed the same in 10 years! Then we drove off to Palm Beach where the famous Australian series “Home and Away” is filmed, we walked got ourselves an ice cream… well we rationalized it by saying it was mango, so it was almost like eating a fruit! and we found ourselves a nice wooden bench facing the sea… For a second we felt like we could be old… And that it would actually be a nice thing, nothing much to worry about, a sense of a life well lived, just letting time pass peacefully. So we promised ourselves that if we reached that age we would go go back to that bench and reminisce…

After all that hard work it seemed we deserved to indulge a little and thus we went to a thai massage in Randwick, we got an oil massage and a feet massage, it was just lovely, it felt like walking on air… Of course to end that blissful day we had to go for some nice food… We went the Mongolian barbecue, this used to be be one of my favorite restaurant in Sydney, I was heart broken when I heard it has closed down… Only to hear from Mia that it had only changed of location! So we went to Genghis Kan, and had a delicious diner… funny thing is that’s where I had my farewell 10 years ago!!!

This day with Mia was amazing, just one of those days when everything works out and it feels like all doors are opening for you… 

Maroubra Beach

Yum! Fresh mango juice and a delicious brunch!

Palm Beach

Mia at Palm Beach

Palm beach – life gard

Genghis Kan yumi food!

punch drunk jazz January 17, 2009

It’s usually when you honestly believe you’re going to have a quite night, that you’re wearing very plain cloth and you’re feeling confident that you’re not going to drink much… that the wildest parties happen! 

Saturday Jazz at the domain was on, but I was supposed to meet up with Mia for her mums birthday. After several unfortunate set backs I ended up staying at Jazz at the domain, drinking more than scheduled! Well when you start drinking at 5pm… anything can happen, and for us it was mostly good things! We danced on gypsy music, we drank and danced some more… well at least I felt like I was dancing but we were probably just making a lot of noise and looking like idiots, made friends with people queuing in line for the toilets, went wandering around to find a party, walked some more, lost half of our group and ended up at the 3 wise monkeys for some more drinking and dancing! the girls, Mael, Emma, Cara and I were on fire dancing without really realizing and the boy, Marty… well he probably had a good laugh looking at us drunk girls! It was a crazy a night like I love them, even Mia joined us after… and we went for a 3am junk food call at Mc’s which enabled us to have no hang-over the next day! Thank you junk food!

Getting ready, of course let’s have some coffee it’s going to be an early night

Da big sunglasses bunch… cause bigger is better!

And then Resina happened!

Maël, Martin and Marty! Posing and yet looking surprised…

Drunk moi? Jess, Cara, Emma and I

 

Miafication! January 16, 2009

A very good surprise during this trip was to meet up with my ex-uni friend Mia. Together we studied at UNSW, well we mostly skipped classes, went every Thursday to the uni-bar, hang out at the art cafe for a “small cap”… At the time I was mostly wearing long black skirts big black boots… well you get the picture I was goth… which might have been a cool thing should I had been an art student, but as a commerce student it didn’ really fly… But Mia never judge me for it, even if it might have played to her disadvantage. 

Anyways it’s been such a nice thing to meet up again and realize she had not change still the crazy social butterfly that cannot go anywhere without bumping into someone that knows her, still the kind angel that helped me out in the past, still the wild match maker, trying to set her friends up! … Got to love Mia!

Mia and boyfriend Andrew

Me and David 

Mael teaching some salsa moves to Mia

Mia and I looking hen ke-ai!

Sydney and all that could have been January 14, 2009

Memories are like an old dusty photograph. I’ve lived in Sydney for 6 years, yet coming back feels like trying to put pieces of a puzzle together. Some places look familiar yet a few meters later I can’t recognize anything. I can recognize the street names but I have no idea where they lead. Getting off at Town Hall of course, the QVB hasn’t changed, the tower where my dad used to work. Circular Quay, the Opera house and the view of the Harbour Bridge. I can see and I try to remembre when I went there. But it all seems a little blurry.

I usually don’t go back once I’ve lived somewhere, cause I’m always afraid of the disapointment, realizing it wasn’t exactly as I remembered. We always tend to remember things a little greater than what it was. But I had to go back to Sydney, it was a promise I had made to myself… I just never thought it would take me 10 years… Back in the days I was quite setteled and happy to be in Sydney but I was forced to leave, it was painful experience. I sometimes wonder how I would have turned out to be should I had been able to stay.

To be honest, with Sydney it wasn’t love at first sight, we got robbed on the second week of our arrival, all my mum’s jewelry gone, my sister went back to France to be able to study properly for her last high school year. And then there was the French school of Sydney where I just didn’t really fit in. So really it’s only on my last year once I started uni that I truly felt for this city!

Going back to Sydney is going back to what I had and what I lost, it’s accepting there’s no way back in time. I see all that could have been and what I am now. Sydney has changed and so have I. 

Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Opera House

The new scavenger in town

Lorikeet Stealing sugar

Darling Harbour

The only thing that has not changed in 10 years in Bondi junction!

Woywoy January 10, 2009

 

Mael being Mael!

Sunset

The spoon drinking game… there was some casualties!

Meet us at WoyWoy January 9, 2009

Mael got invited at her friend’s “Holiday house” in WoyWoy and I was welcomed to come along!

We swam in the channel, well the courageous ones, for it is said they are sting rays and jelly fish… but no one got hurt! We played, we drank…

I guess this weekend was a little difficult for me, first to be able to be part of conversations, eventhough I can understand and speak english, when it goes too fast with an aussie accent and a lot of  people it gets tough and I prefer to let go rather than ask people to repeat. Leaving in Asia, I’ve gone used to hanging out with people who are like me second language English or used to  people who are not fluent in English, seems it is something I’m going to have to work on! Second I guess it’s always difficult to join a group of people that have known each other for a very long time. But I still had a good time.

 

International WoyWoy

Ping Pong!

Mael ready to be an FHM Cover

Pelican close up

Ready to be a band!

Leigh and Chard

Jo and Nic

When we were young January 8, 2009

 When Mael and I were young, our earning was, like for any young person, limited, so our favorite Saturday Outing was to go to Paddy’s Market, which is a  cheap clothing and all other crap you might found market! After spending more money than we could afford we would go to the only place you could have lunch for 2AU$… Mc’s!

As part of our revival holidays we decided to “do Paddy’s again” I guess the market has not changed that much, Mael still found a few bargains and I got myself a new wig… I guess we can pretend we have not changed that much! Oh and yes we did go for Mc’s after and it tasted just like we remembered!

At the end of the day we went home and checked out some pictures from “back in the days” that’s when I realized the top I was wearing had been bought over 10 years ago at Paddy’s… so really we haven’t change… at least I haven’t grown up!

In front of the entrance

Oh yeah!

Food glorious food

Aussie bar

I’m quite proud of this shot!