Hello! I'm not dead. It's been a while since I've had a proper life update, or since I've been on here really. I've missed being able to blog. If only I could succinctly sum up the past month or so... at best, it's had its up's and down's but I am just indebted to what I have - even if melancholy kicks in when it pleases. I haven't had exciting pursuits up my sleeve since the start of term, but for now, I'd love to share my overdue Sydney travels.
So, this girl went to Sydney three weeks ago. What was most exciting was that I hadn't been back there for a decade! I grew up on the suburbian outskirts of the city but fail to recall very much. I was only in town for the weekdays so I knew I had to make the best of it. I grabbed a few great suggestions of places to visit + things to do, off my beloved blog friends (thank you Tara, Bella and Gerry!) My camera haplessly malfunctioned the night before my flight, hence I relied on my trusty iPhone for visual documentation. (Do excuse the horrendous quality! My camera still needs replacing, which has me heartbroken.)
DAY 1 // KING CITY → Darling Harbour, Sydney CBD, Sydney Fish Market, Thaitown
Touched down, checked in, scoped out the streets and famous landmarks, then met up with a great friend of a friend. I've only ever known him through his digital presence, so it was pleasant seeing someone so dear to my friend in person.
I also saw another familiar face - guess who! Whilst out and about, I bumped into Bella out of pure coincidence. Yep, the kickass Bella from Sincerely, Isabella. We were literally just passing by each other when we had a moment of recognition. If that's not luck, I don't know what is.
DAY 2 // LOST ON ME → Newtown
Made plans to see Bella in the evening. We met up at Newtown, a quaint little suburb on the outskirts of Sydney, with plenty of groovy nooks and crannies. I instantly understood why it was of such great repute. We had a very late afternoon tea @ the Milk Bar cafe, after she took me round to have a look at the cemetery and parklands.
Made plans to see Bella in the evening. We met up at Newtown, a quaint little suburb on the outskirts of Sydney, with plenty of groovy nooks and crannies. I instantly understood why it was of such great repute. We had a very late afternoon tea @ the Milk Bar cafe, after she took me round to have a look at the cemetery and parklands.
We mulled over our thoughts, creative pursuits and current lives over sweet potato fries. She's honestly such a darl. I'm very thankful for the time we had, as that girl's got one heck of a busy schedule. (It's miraculous how this is the 4th person I've met through blogging! Someone my age, too, so there was a lot to relate with. Life can be pretty cool sometimes.)
DAY 3 // QUIET ACHIEVER → White Rabbit Art Gallery, Hyde Park, Surry Hills
Imbued with a sense of unforgiving wanderlust, Wednesday's lone adventure was fixated on the White Rabbit Art Gallery. I thought venturing out of my comfort zone would serve me more good, and I was right this time. It's a place I've longed to visit, since I've heard rave reviews about it. There was absolutely spectacular art; contemporary Chinese artists are certainly very outside-the-box.
DAY 4 // NANGS → Newtown, Circular Quay, Paddy's Markets, Sydney CBD
Lo and behold, we've reached the most exciting bit: 24 entire hours with Mariel! We've been dreaming of this day for ages. (You might know that she moved to Sydney early last year.) The first half of our day consisted of us venturing to Newtown again. There was too much hype to pass it up.
DAY 5 // TOTAL ZOMBIE → back home!
It was the last day. It was out of lazy nature, too. I slept in rather late (as my sleeping schedule consisted of failed attempts and as a result, me being up till 3am). I got to spend the rest of the day with Katrina, and after dinner we had to say our goodbyes. Fortunately though, I'll be seeing her fairly soon. You know, I thought of the life I could've had - if I were to have stayed in Sydney. I thought of how close I was to growing up and belonging to a city so great, and of course, every other little wishful thought showed up. It's crazy, when you think of how different you could be just by living in another state. I pledged to myself though, that I'd be back again someday.
Imbued with a sense of unforgiving wanderlust, Wednesday's lone adventure was fixated on the White Rabbit Art Gallery. I thought venturing out of my comfort zone would serve me more good, and I was right this time. It's a place I've longed to visit, since I've heard rave reviews about it. There was absolutely spectacular art; contemporary Chinese artists are certainly very outside-the-box.
Not to mention, their inbuilt cafe had the most relaxing ambience. Its iconic ceiling decor was comprised of numerous clustered bird cages, and never before had I seen such unique work. I had a pot of oolong tea and scones all to myself. Later on, I caught up with my long-time family friend Katrina. It was sweet to chat after having not seen her in the last few years.
Lo and behold, we've reached the most exciting bit: 24 entire hours with Mariel! We've been dreaming of this day for ages. (You might know that she moved to Sydney early last year.) The first half of our day consisted of us venturing to Newtown again. There was too much hype to pass it up.
However, it rained torrentially - and needless to say, that dampened things a little. We ate at Moo Burgers, and walked round and had some coffee @ Brewtown. Everything up to the latter was a string of odd experiences, but by the time we settled down for that much-needed drink, things started to pick up. (Let's take a moment to thank the universe for puppies and caffeine.)
We took a much anticipated trip to Circular Quay, home to the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. There were some eccentric exhibitions that we uncovered, but our exploration was short. By the time we had to meet up with my Mum and her friends for dinner, we hadn't gone nearly as many places as we'd planned. (Think ever so iconic Bondi and other wonderful spots. I guess there's always next time!)
We did go to Paddy's Markets - even though we would've rathered the chance to visit the Glebe/Kirribilli/Rozelle ones. But in all honesty, I was just way too glad to be able to have physical time with Mariel. (Plus, what better way to wind down after a day's adventure with scrumptious Thai? I kid you not, I had Thai almost every day. No regrets.) When someone you hold close is unwittingly separated by distance, every second you have with them is profound.
It was the last day. It was out of lazy nature, too. I slept in rather late (as my sleeping schedule consisted of failed attempts and as a result, me being up till 3am). I got to spend the rest of the day with Katrina, and after dinner we had to say our goodbyes. Fortunately though, I'll be seeing her fairly soon. You know, I thought of the life I could've had - if I were to have stayed in Sydney. I thought of how close I was to growing up and belonging to a city so great, and of course, every other little wishful thought showed up. It's crazy, when you think of how different you could be just by living in another state. I pledged to myself though, that I'd be back again someday.
On a side note, if you're a fan of my Musical Muses series, I have another playlist in store for you! The kind Erin from Being Erin let me do a guest post - now, I'm always in awe of her playlists for every occasion - so of course I had to share some suitable holiday tunes. It corresponds quite a bit to this post. Head on over to have a listen!
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