When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore.

Song: "That's Amore" by Dean Martin

May 24th

Today I woke up at a somewhat reasonable hour, despite everything, and decided to go to the Italian Festival that had been advertised in Sydney.

They actually had a real/fake public Italian wedding in Sydney. It was cool. This couple had been getting fake married here for the past three years and then chose to have their real wedding this year. It was kind of adorable.
Here's Romeo and Juliet (They had real names but I forget them):

From Another Sydney Weekend

From Another Sydney Weekend

Beautiful stuff, ladies and gentlemen.

From Another Sydney Weekend

Cute little Italian street band:

From Another Sydney Weekend

This also was an Italian festival, so I went and got some gelato, watched gnocchi being made, had some risotto, ate a cannoli. Did I mention I love Italian food? It's probably in my top three genres of food.
Gnocchi making:

From Another Sydney Weekend

There also was an Italian cheese shop there, and since it wasn't raining for the first time in awhile, I was psyched to walk around and find their other branch so I could actually buy some (the booth was packed at the festival). I walked past the Australian Museum and into their gift shop, and then left when I didn't want to pay the entry fee. I'm so cheap. I also went to a bar, waited for 20 minutes to order a glass of ice water. No wonder I'm looked at like I'm insane. Whatever, I had an awesome walk to find cheese-land.
I found a cool door:

From Another Sydney Weekend

I found this cool art gallery:

From Another Sydney Weekend

From Another Sydney Weekend

And I found cheese-land:

From Another Sydney Weekend

I bought a tiny thing of goat cheese with truffles, which was delicious. I ate some of it on a unused fountain after hitting up Woolworth's to get some crackers.

From Another Sydney Weekend

I was going to meet up with Sydnee for her guacamole cookoff, but it didn't work out, so I went home. I took this picture, which is one of my favorites, on the way:

From Another Sydney Weekend

I got home and either worked on my last optics lab report or pretended to. Crazy.

I bet that you look good on the dancefloor.

Song: "I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor" by Arctic Monkeys

May 21st

Today was optics in the morning, and then I was off to be the student representative for my optics and my physics class for the Physics Student Liaison Meeting (aka I was told there was free lunch and was "elected" to represent everyone's opinions on class).

The liaison meeting was weird, because it was me and three of my professors, plus about 4 other professors and about 4 other students. I expressed my grievances and gave my opinions and told them that we all really wanted a stapler in the physics computer lab. They laughed, but that might have been the most serious thing I said the whole day. I was stunned about how panicked I was over the whole thing, and how shaky and not confident my voice sounded. I felt really out of my element. But there were free sandwiches and chocolates, so that was cool.

After that I came home, and waited until it was time to finish up my physics assignment with Jay. We worked and then went to ubar for student night. It was mildly entertaining. Half of our crew never made it, which I found out while texting on my bed to see if the party was still going on elsewhere. I was going to join them, and instead I fell asleep.

Too many legs under the table, too many reasons for trouble..

Song: "Let's Make Out" by Does It Offend You, Yeah?

May 3rd

So strangely enough after going to sleep at 7pm, you wake up relatively early the next day. Surprise. Well, I had seen through some email that Kings Cross was having a food festival today and I decided that since I was awake, I should go.

I walked to the bus stop, and on the way I actually saw the equestrian park being used. There were a ton of horses.

The bus ride was smooth. On the bus I ran into Lisa from my aesthetics class and her friend who were going to the opera house and pancakes on the rocks. They were fun ride companions. After I got off the bus, I saw a sign for a festival going on in Darling Harbour, and since I had nothing better to do, I went to check it out. Most of the stuff happening was in the evening, but it was fun to stroll through anyway. After that, I got to the cross without any difficulties and I found that it was much nicer in the day time.

Fountain:

From Kings Cross Food Festival

I thought it was interesting that we were essentially equidistant from Germany in both directions. The numbers are cut off, but it's about 16,000 km each way to Berlin and Frankfurt.

From Kings Cross Food Festival

rainbow in the fountain:

From Kings Cross Food Festival

The festival was vibrant, and had lots of interesting things to eat. I had some butter chicken, chocolate mousse and a cheese plate. Delicious.

I stayed for a bit and then meandered back to QVB to catch the bus home. The walk was refreshing.

From Kings Cross Food Festival

From Kings Cross Food Festival

From Kings Cross Food Festival

Then I went home, and at 3pm (1am, EST) I met up with my lovely roommate from back home and celebrated her birthday with a glass of wine "at" her birthday party. Like usual, my video crapped out in 30 seconds, but it was fun.

I then pretended to work on my lab report briefly. Good times. I passed out early and decided to save it for Monday morning.

A seven nation army couldn't hold me back...

Song: "Seven Nation Army" (White Stripes cover) by Nostalgia 77 feat. Alice Russell (I think this is it on YouTube, not completely sure though)

March 18th

After the evening the night before, staying awake for Wednesday morning class was a little difficult, but I made it. I went to do my grocery shopping at Macquarie Center, grabbed some guacamole and chips and Justin found me. We went shopping together again.

I also needed to get postcard stamps, so I went to the post office in the basement of the center and got some. I feel like something else happened but I can't remember it.

Justin and I walked home and I dropped off my groceries. I had lab later and we finally got to do a different lab after working forever on the Noise one.

I had told my new Australian friend Shadé that I would come to her meditation session today and I was really excited about it. After the gym, I rushed home and got ready to go.

I hopped in her car (first ride in a personal Australian vehicle) and me and three others went back to her house for this meditation session. It was really peaceful and there were beautiful readings while we relaxed which made me thing of Wesley Foundation back home. I miss those guys.

Pretty candles!

From Shots around Macquarie

I met a bunch of really interesting people, all with different stories. I met Shadé's mom and brother, who were both really fun, and everyone I met just seemed really chill and down to earth. It might have had something to do with the meditation session before. Shadé's grandmother made baba ghanoush on bread and there were all sorts of other delicious foods afterward.

Shadé made me try a sausage roll, which are fairly big here I believe. I'm not sure how to describe it. Kind of like a pig in a blanket, but instead of "a blanket," it's a full sleeping bag and instead of "a pig", it's finely ground sausage meat. Apparently it's best with tomato sauce, which is Australian for ketchup.

Shadé was playing some awesome music while we were eating and one of the coolest ones was a jazzed up version of "Seven Nation Army." Too cool.

I had a great time, and I made it back and got some work done, and watched the end of Lost. It was a lovely evening.