Life Learnings: Part 1

I don't intend to sound like your 80 year old grandfather sharing life mantras with you, but some old adages are undeniably true.  In this case - you've heard it once, you've heard it a million times - you honestly do learn something new every day. It could be a random fun fact shared by an overly friendly stranger at the train station, or learning something about yourself that maybe you would have never discovered if you hadn't missed your bus because you were too busy taking instagrams of the array of produce at the farmers' market...

Anyway, I compiled a few learnings I have encountered within the past week or so to share, and give some insight into my new world living in a new place:

• Pork is “in fashion”. Food is fashionable, and apparently the current IT meat to munch on is a pork, more specifically, "grungy pork" (quoted by my coworker).  I was treated to half of a pork belly roast sandwich, as well as pork skewers at a trendy restaurant with my coworkers during a Bashful social.  Other "hot" items at the moment include bacon wraps, pork barbecue (not pulled, vinegar-based BBQ that I hold dear to my heart - and stomach) and HOT DOGS.  Who would have thought that eating a Ball Park Frank would be trendy?

• Be sure to follow the stated rules about the shared kitchen, or else your refrigerated groceries will be thrown out.  I didn’t realise the shelves in the refrigerator were assigned by room number (okay, maybe I did take a mental note of the rule, but I felt that the top shelf was more convenient for a tall broad like myself…). Well, those items were removed and replaced with new groceries – which were not my own. I have officially lived and learned. 

• Going along the last learned lesson, don't make instant noodles after 10 P.M. Apparently I have a loud voice. No, not apparently, it's a fact - I talk loud. I've accepted it. Well, my house manager has not accepted this fact and can be pretty cranky when I come home to make noodles after a night out on the town. 

• Take a camera when going out on the town.  There may be the rare occasion that you and your girl friends are invited to a Bachelor Party on the pent house floor of a super awesome apartment with a super awesome view of the whole city – Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House included. According to the annoying Rule of [going out] Thumb, if there is no photo evidence, then apparently it didn’t happen.

• Invest in an umbrella, and don't give in to buying a cheap one for $10 off the street. The wind will turn it inside out and/or break it and you will have to walk the rest of the trek home in the pouring rain. Yes, that happened. 

• It is not uncommon to see drag queens on the walk to work.  I live in Elizabeth Bay, an awesome neighbourhood that is not too far from Kings Cross, the infamous "red light district" of Sydney, in which I walk through on my daily route to work. Don't compare Kings Cross too literally to the Red Light District in Amsterdam, but it can be seen as a pretty cheesy place. In other words, it constantly smells of stale cigarettes and public bathrooms (yes, to answer your question, there are public portable toilets that reside on the side streets of Kings Cross...). But I don't mind passing the divalicious man-ladies, because they usually give me complimentary ego-boosts on my way to work. LOVE IT, WORK IT! 

The notorious Coca-Cola sign in Kings X

I have only been living in Sydney for two weeks - TWO WEEKS. Again, maybe it is because Australia feels so familiar, or I have jumped into a great routine, but Sydney is really starting to feel like home. I love the trial-and-error method of figuring out the [not so fantastic] bus system, and gradually learning which beach doesn't have as many shoobies (if you don't know that word, you better learn up on your Rockett Power lingo...). Overall, I can attest: Life is good.