It's About Time...

...that I updated the blog.

To my dear eight followers (and a lil' shout out to those lurkers out there...you know who you are), I apologize for the two--coughcoughthreecoughcough--weeks that have gone by without any word from me. I promised many of you that I wouldn't entirely fall off the face of the earth when I moved to Australia. Over the past few weeks, I've 100% failed at any sort of correspondence or contact. For this, I'm sorry. NOTE: After this apology, I consider myself blame-free. No more "blog fail" comments, ok? They hurt. Like whoa.

Anyway, an update as promised--in numbered form, no less:

1. "Out with the old, and in with the new." After a year filled with big decisions (i.e. going to Aussie land) and life-changing events (graduation), 2009 said goodbye with gusto. Or rather, 2010 said hello with pizazz. Take your pick. Either way, the Sydney fireworks over the Harbour Bridge were--and I can put it no less cheesily--simply magnificent. After returning back from New Zealand that morning and meeting up with Brian at the airport, the two of us made our way to the Observatory Hill Park in The Rocks, where we met up with Dane, Daniel, our friend Eva from Stanford Sierra Camp, her cousin Hannah, and my two friends Mallory and Chelsea from Canada (if their names sound familiar, you are quite perceptive; I worked with them on that vineyard 234920348 years ago). With a few cases of cheap boxed wine and a slightly less cheap bottle of champagne for the midnight moment, we brought in 2010 together. I couldn't have asked for better :)

2. I have officially moved in. Which means that for the next 7 weeks, I'm officially NOT homeless. I live in a beautiful, large terrace house on the border of Surry Hills and Redfern--close enough to Central Station that my commute to work isn't too much of a hassle (although with one 13-min train ride and one 20-min bus ride, plus one 10-min walk, it still kind of sucks). My housemates are "lovely," albeit somewhat quiet, and we're all beginning to bond. There's Jack from Australia, CJ from Sweden, Anna Louis (or Annelise...Brian and I aren't sure which it is because of her thick Scottish accent...is that bad?). I'm finally getting that "L'Auberge Espagnole" multinational share house I've always wanted.

3. It's very possible that I have the best job in the world. Well, the best job in the world for a twenty-two-year old traveling the world, that is. You're looking at (listening to/reading the words of) Bondi Beach's newest hostel receptionist. I know, it's the ideal working situation. From my desk at the hostel, I can see the entirety of Bondi Beach. I get to wear my swimsuit--excuse me, "swimmas"--to work if I so please (can't say that I do, but it's nice to know that I could). I have the best boss in the world. Plus I get to experience the whole backpacker lifestyle without actually having to live it.

4. I'm officially an intern at the travel start-up Rollinglobe. Founded by brothers Michael and Clarke Nobiletti and based in New York City, it's a new company aimed to give prospective/current travelers advice, reviews, and personal experience to use while they prepare to travel themselves. I will be writing a blog for them as I get to know Sydney more and more. Feel free to check out the website at http://www.rollinglobe.com/RGWeb/default.aspx . It's still in it's beginning stages, so bear with me there. Anyway, that's a bit of exciting news. I've been given permission to essentially use what I write here on "The Sydney of Oz." Know that you guys will have read it first!

4.  I'm in Sydney through June 29th. Officially taking the LSAT on June 27th here at Macquarie University. Going to Thailand first thing on the 30th. Goodbye, Australia. Hello, Southeast Asia.

5.  Yeah, that's right, I've decided to go to law school! Or at least apply and keep my fingers crossed that at least one school will have me :). Consequently, much to the chagrin of my two lawyer parents, I've commenced a somewhat regular LSAT studying schedule. From studying at work when it's slow (for which I get ridiculed...people in Australia don't like lawyers), to periodic study sessions at the Surry Hills library (well, that hasn't actually happened yet, but I promise it will at some future date), I am determined to conquer the logic on this standardized test. NOTE: To those of you who are really interested, I'm thinking about management and production in the entertainment/music sector. Whether or not I will actually practice law remains undecided. Whether or not I actually go to law school remains unclear at this point as well. Baby steps.

6. THAILAND. Brian and I have bought our tickets to Phuket, a beautiful resort-ish island in southern Thailand. The plan is to spend five days relaxation there post-LSAT at a real resort thanks to the fantastic THB to USD exchange rate, then head up to Bangkok for a few days more, then fly over to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a few days before heading back to California (Dearest friends and family, I'll be coming home!).

7. In the meantime, I'll be taking various weekend/4-day trips to parts of Australia that I hope to explore: Outback/Ayers Rock, Cairns/Great Barrier Reef, Gold Coast to visit Eva, Gosford to visit my friend Tansy, and a trip to Jules's farm.

Yayy for adventure. Hope this blog post reaches everyone well. Love and miss you all. Regular blog posts starting....NOW.