In some ways, I suppose I always knew what the subject of my final post on this blog would be. I just wasn’t sure how the content would write itself.

As they say, hindsight is always 20/20. Perhaps it was rather prophetic that I should have chosen “lostinsydney” as the username many moons ago. I remember it took me quite awhile and I wasn’t entirely happy with it, but it all worked out quite well if I may say so myself.

The idea was straightforward – moving to a new city, finding myself constantly lost in the streets and sights, but hopefully at the end of the stint I can tell everyone that I’m no longer lost Down Under.

Needless to say, I have found myself lost countless times, and I blame it on the terrible urban-planning and absolutely nothing to do with my map-reading skills whatsoever.

I get asked quite frequently how the time in Sydney was and what we thought of the place, and more often than not, I’m not entirely sure how to answer.

On a personal level, my time in Sydney was on fast-forward, slow-motion and pause – all at the same time. Two and a half years flew by, and that’s quite the understatement. It’s true what they say as you grow older, time and tide wait for no man and even though the days are long, the years are short. And yet, the days seem to crawl by on a humdrum basis. And at the end of 2.5 years, whatever steps taken in one direction seemed to be cancelled out by the same number of steps in the other. Pause.

Thanks everyone for sticking around and keeping up with the shenanigans here in Sydney. To those of you who comment, I really appreciate it. It keeps me sane and somewhat fulfils my dream of being a writer with readers. To those of you lurking in the dark – shame on you! Nah, I’m just joking. I do it too. But thanks for quietly keeping up with what I’ve been up to, and it is comforting to know that that when I next see you, things will be the same. Almost.

Sydney, thanks for all the memories.

In the meantime, I’ve packed my bags, left my job, and returned the housekeys.

I’ve lost a little of myself here, for better or for worse.

And perhaps more poignantly, I’ve lost some things that I love.

But this time, it will be different.

This time, I know it will be found in Hong Kong.

Cockroach in the kitchen.

Earthworms in the courtyard.

I’m sitting in the living room at 4.13am.

F*#& THIS S*@&!!!

I’m going to GET YOU ALL TOMORROW.

Someone tell me wtf is the purpose of a mosquito? I might have studied this back in primary school, but at 4.18am I’m hard-pressed to remember what their contribution to the ecological system is. What pests do they help get rid of? Why is there such an evil animal that SUCKS BLOOD? And the best part – leaves you itching? Leeches can as least serve a medical purpose. But mozzie bites? Why the hell do bats get connected to vampires?? Mozzies make SO much more sense!

WHAT THE *$#&! The cockroach just crawled to the living room and because I can’t get to my beloved swatter in time I just stomped it with my favourite bathroom slippers!!

UUUUUGGGGGHHH. I HATE YOU. YOU!!!!!!

(And all the above takes place in SILENCE because the husband is sleeping peacefully upstairs).

Japan next week?!? Keep your fingers crossed for me peeps!! Aieeee!!!

See you all back home soon

I had some Christmas vouchers from the office that I needed to use up and decided to sign myself up for a barista course!

The lesson was pretty intense – I stepped into the room and there were about 20 of these badboys staring at me. Have to say I was pretty excited to have a go at them! Eee can’t wait!

Fortunately, there was only 3 students this morning (they can go up to 15-20 per class), which allowed the instructor to give more attention to each of us. Jay the instructor was really cool and knowledgeable, not only did we learn how to work the machines, but we had a little bit of lesson on coffee history, coffee processing and differentiating coffee beans.

After the brief sit-down lesson, we got our hands (and clothes) dirty with milk frothing and coffee pouring! I got to make a few cappucinos, lattes, flat white, mocha, chai latte, long black, short black…

…and I had a sip each time I made a cup, so you can imagine how high I was by the end of the lesson! Well, I didn’t want to waste the coffee because otherwise they all end up in the blue bucket!!

Yep, not a pretty sight.

TADA! Ok, these aren’t pretty. I did a few good ones but my thirst got to them quicker than my camera. My cappucinos had a foam dome and all that jazz!

Now I just need to get myself one of those machines…

The irony is that I haven’t had a single cup of coffee since the barista class! The reason being 1) I no longer have an office to go to where I have access to coffee and milk 2) I’m too lazy to dress up just to walk to the nearest cafe for a coffee 3) I’m too lazy to dress up just to walk to the nearest convenience store for instant coffee.

So all I’m left with is random teabags I have at home from our various hotel stays. I’ve had four cups since this morning and I still feel like taking a nap because the caffeine just doesn’t cut it for me. To me, tea is like a coffee-wannabe. Sorry, I know it’s harsh but it’s true!

Oh coffee, how I miss thee. (I got it to rhyme!)

I want my Noguchi coffee table! Or a replica at least. Heh.

Alright I know updates have been few and far between these couple of weeks but everything suddenly went craaaazy!

As you would have figured from the last entry, I’ve said my final FINAL farewell at work. Shan’t dwell on it too much for now because it just gets me a little down.

And I suppose the bigger announcement is that we will be moving out of Australia very VERY soon.

What this means is I have been doing craploads of packing, which is therapeutic and mind-boggling at the same time! Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m a pretty untidy girl on most days (okay, every day) but I am very methodical AND pedantic about the way I pack. Which way what is facing going in where. Do NOT mess with my packing. To make matters worse, I’ve got to separate things into 1) hand luggage 2) air freight 3) ship freight, which as you can imagine is quite a nightmare. Will I need this immediately? Can I wait for it to arrive in 2 weeks time? Is this a long term item which I will only need when we move into our actual apartment? What all this means is that it is taking me a bloody long time to pack.

Amidst the packing, I’m running all over the shop doing everything that I need to do! As in, I have heaps of vouchers to use up so I’ve got myself signed up in the next couple of weeks for:

- Barista course (yes, I will be certified! how freaking cool is that??)
- A $100 haircut at Toni & Guy (came as a voucher which I HAVE to use. Thinking I should go for a mad fantastic radical haircut to make my money’s worth eh? Ideas?)
- Daytrip to Port Stephens, which will include dolphin watching, 4WD and sand-dune rides!

Along with all the fun stuff, I’ve got to terminate lease, broadband, phonelines, bank accounts, gas and water connections… gaaahhhhh!!!