14 October 2009

Stuff I Like - October

Holy %#@%ing crap! It's Melbourne! (These guys are in the CBD)

1) Melbourne
Last night I landed in Australia after a grueling 8 hours trapped in a cylinder with people incapable of parenting their children. I must admit, although
I am sad - even kind of gutted - about leaving Asia, arriving in the calm and clean oasis of Melbourne is nice. I wasn't expecting the sub Arctic (well, 11 degrees C) temperatures but the fresh rainy air reminds me of home and I ate the best veggie burger ever - so I am feeling happy. Today my friend Lindsay (whom I am staying with) showed me the CBD (which, I am informed, is never called 'downtown') and we bummed around her place in St Kilda. Tomorrow? Sydney for four days. Any suggestions on things I should do?

Align Centre
Heres is a link to the original poster for the film - hilariously inappropriate. Did the ad men watch the movie? This movie?

2) Harold and Maude
I half-assedly watched Harold and Maude when I was about 14 – it came on Bravo or somesuch channel and I think I was on the phone for most of it. I went the last half of my life claiming to have seen it, thinking I had seen it – but when I watched it on my flight from Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne (on my laptop peeps, Air Asia has not gotten into cult classics or anything) I realized that I hadn't. I have been missing out All. These. Years. It is the ultimate Violet Dear film – featuring the strangely eccentric rich ( I do love my Grey Gardens), a skinny weird boy (meet S, ladies and gentlemen) and macabre scenes of faux violence (I've never met a zombie film I didn't like). Plus, Ruth Gordon's Maude reminds me of my wacky Grandma – and even looks a wee bit like her.

I can't help but think that perhaps if I had been paying more attention so long ago my current crush on Bud Cort (at the age he was when playing Harold) would be more age appropriate. But then again, I hear he likes older women....

I bit blurry, but you get the picture. Ha! Pun!
3)Shoes
So I like shoes, right? I bought two pairs in Manila and I love both. Yay! Yay Shoes!

4)Louis CK
Because his standup has finally made me feel okay with and hell, even proud of my lifelong hobby of choosing someone who is standing in a line with me and thinking of irrational reasons to hate them, y'know, just to pass the time.

5)Travel Cutlery
Some people need carabiners to secure their mountain climbing gear or for other similarly strenuous athletic endeavors. Not me! The only one I own holds all m' forks and spoons together. It's quite fitting really – I have specific travel accessories that ensure that no matter where, no matter when – I'm good to eat. Need something sliced? Have you been presented with soup? Got some pasta to twirl? I'm at the ready, like some gluttonous version of James Bond or Inspector Gadget.…..because while you are trekking up Everest or repelling down a cliff face somewhere I'll be in the cafeteria eating my fucking face off. Priorities, people.

....And 1, 2, 3 - collective "awwwwww!"
6) S, my amazing partner
When I woke up yesterday morning in my room at the Tune hotel next to the LCCT terminal in Kuala Lumpur I leisurely stretched out on the big comfy bed, checked the fast and affordable wifi and then had a hot shower with the best pressure in all of Asia. Oh wait, this isn't about my love for Tune hotels? It's about S? Oh, right..... After having the lovely shower and then blowing my hair straight with the amazing hair dryer (sorry, I'm getting there) I rummaged around in my bag and found a tiny memento that S had slipped into my backpack in Manila without me noticing. We bought some similar ones as gifts in Ubud - that means that he has been toting these around for over 2 months. Swoon. It makes me even sadder that I won't see him for a month...

11 comments:

sk said...

It was a lot of difficulty getting it into your bag. I kept saying like "why don't you go pay?", "I'm going to check the room for things we might've forgot," etc. and I only succeeded when I explained that I would bring your bag downstairs with mine. I think that's very Canadian of me -- I couldn't think of any reason for you to abandon your bag except for an act of courtesy.

xo

TD said...

Sydney - so many things to do! But since you love eating, here are my suggestions.
1) You'll go to circular quay to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House and all that. But don't buy any food there - horrendous and over priced.

2) I know you've just been in Asia for a year, but if you have time, spend a half day somewhere like Cabramatta (Vietnamese), Bankstown (on the less commercial/Western side of the train line you'll find awesome Lebanese sweets and yummy pho) or Auburn (Turkish, Lebanese, even some African).

3) In the city, there's two great dumpling places. You can hit the chain Din Tai Fung in World Square. I would recommend, however, you try Seabay. It's on Pitt St just opposite World Tower/Square, has yummy dumplings and hand made noodles, you can take away what you don't finish, and if you go with two or three people can usually eat yourself silly for no more than about $15 a head.

4) The Newtown/Erskenville area has some good shopping and cafes along King St, and the yummiest Israeli cakes are to be found at Shenkin on Erskinville Road.

5) And finally, for more cake-y goodness, try Zumbo in Balmain (there's a street-front patisserie or a sit-down chocalate shop down the road). It's a bit out of the way (depending on where you're staying) but Balmain's a cute suburb and Zumbo is the Sydney pasty chef celeb of the moment.

There - my top 5 food tips for Sydney! Enjoy, and can't wait to read about Sydney through your eyes :)

HereBeDragons said...

Love the statues! They're great.

Jessica O'Neill said...

Tenille - Thank you, what an amazing list!

CupHolderGuy said...

Hello,

I came across your site from a Google alert for "travel accessories". Since my product's blog is related to this, and because Google is fond of content related links, I was hoping you'd be interested in a blogroll link exchange. This is where I link to your site, and you link to mine.

For examples of this (under the "Blogroll" category on the right side of my blog), for more information on my product/blog, or to contact me, please visit http://oh-4.com/blog .

Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Jeff

TD said...

But oh my - I forgot anything by the beach!

You can always get the ferry from circular quay to manly, buy some fresh prawns or fish and chips, and then sit on the beach to eat them.

If you want an icon, however, try and nab a seat on the deck at the North Bondi RSL. The food's nothing spectacular but it's cheap, the serves are large, it's consistent, and the prices of the drinks won't be beat. But oh - the view!

Anonymous said...

Thats tight! I like it! I like the stuff U like, (except for shoes, they've always been my enemy). And Harold & Maude is worth watching about every 2 years till I die. Subtle performances and the camera work on that film is so often overlooked.

Oh! and by the way...we all swooned with U. CLASSIC!

trashtastika.com said...

Hehe...I too was gonna say "come to Newtown!" cos that's where I live and it's really cool. Very alternative, lots of gays, vegos, goths, students and hippies. It has an amazing strip of restaurants - including a shitload of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants in both normal and vegetarian options.

And while you're in the Circular Quay/harbour area, go to the Rocks - great pubs, some very old and historical.

I assume you'll check out Bondi Beach - but walk around to the next few beaches - Tamarama, Bronte etc..as they are nicer and smaller, and it's a lovely walk.

I also recommend Watsons Bay and buy some fish and chips at the shop near the water. Or eat (and drink!) at the pub and watch the sun go down. Leanne :)

Unknown said...

In a man’s brain sadly there are no synapses that will allow him to utter to others things like-“do my feet look big in these” or ‘do they come in strapless’. His brain is taken up with trivial things like ability to tell left from right or the compass points.
A woman will walk by the store see the perfect shoe. Doubling back she has to try them on, her feet just knowing which side they belong,(labels are so passe') and although not a necessity, they will go with that new handbag cause they are just the right shade of aspic. She knows in her heart she must have them, it is time for new shoes. A man will feel the cold earth or the rain through a hole in his and think the same thing. I am amazed by your ability to have a sense of direction and your giddy shoe inclination. you go girl!

Pat said...

Glad you made it safely to Down Under. Looking forward to your posts. Those shoes/sandals rock. S is so cute putting that in your bag. :)

jomo said...

Harold & Maude is one of my very fave films. Everyone should be made to watch it, lots. Beautiful beautiful. Love love love. Jo xxx

 
UA-37934446-1