Which way?

G and I have tickets for Tokyo on May 31st. For nearly two years we have had the goal of moving to Japan to teach English, eat lots of okonymaki (sp?) and soak up the electric, cray cray fun of Tokyo. The plan was to work part time and finish off some projects and to fill in some time before moving back to Sydney next year, when I will get a post-doc position and we can buy a puppy.

Everything was on track- we had interviews set up, plane tickets, G resigned...

Then there was an earthquake. And the Tsunami. And the nuclear shiz and lots of people lost their homes, lives and families.

We went to an information session for a teaching company on Tuesday and not once did they even mention what was happening, preferring to go through their usual Powerpoint presentation that featured an overuse of the words 'customization' and 'freedom'. When I voiced my concerns, they laughed. They said that the media was exaggerating and everything was fine in Tokyo. When I suggested that learning English may not be many people's priority at the moment (and there may not be much work for us) they cryptically said 'you will get out of the role what you put back in.'

We are very sad about what is happening in Japan at the moment, but on a more selfish level, we are confused. Should we still go? Should we go somewhere else? Where should we go? With minimal money, an album to record and a thesis to edit? I like food, warmth, meeting local people, relaxing and not working very hard (I'm being brutally honest). I like either interesting cities or complete isolation.

We lived in Bali in 2009 for a while and it if weren't for the lack of employment opportunities there I would be tempted to return. But I also crave something different, something jarring and unusual. Melbourne's shinyness wears off more and more every day. It's colder and darker and I promised myself I wouldn't wait out another Winter here. Most importantly my body and mind have set themselves to 'depart'- I am ready to leave May 31st- to pack up our stuff and go somewhere. I'm just not sure if that will be Tokyo.

Here are some snaps from my Sydney weekend. Visiting Sydney is weird, it feels like home, because I lived there for nearly ten years and because I have a huge chunk of friends that always make me feel so loved and envelope me in warm, gripping hugs. But then it also feels distant and strange- things have changed since I moved, people are doing different things and when I wander around I have the aching confusing and tingling awe of a tourist. But I'm not.

I was up for the weekend to take care of some Uni stuff and see some old friends and a very new baby (see above). I was hoping for a wedge of sunshine, so I could go back to Melbourne and say 'I LOVE Sydney weather.' But all I got was sticky, humid, rainy days.

It started to pour as we walked through the Botanical Gardens so I went into the shop searching for protection. Umbrellas were $69.95. This poncho was $3.95

On Friday night, after playing with baby Thomas we went into the Cross for a quiet glass of wine. JJ and I were sitting in a bar, thinking about going home when Facebook informed me that a group of friends were dancing about 50 metres away at another club. I surprised them by stopping by- they had no idea I was even in town.

When we took this photo I said 'Pose for the blog Jo!'

I am, as you can tell, an excellent dancer.

On Saturday we went for a walk around the Rocks and tried to have lunch at Greenhouse (after hearing such amazing things). It was very busy and there was a line that was too overwhelming for my 11am hunger. I love Greenhouse in Perth (my friend works there) so was a little disappointed not to have eaten some of their grown-on-the-roof produce.

This is my lovely friend K. We met up at Bondi Social Club for drinks late on Saturday afternoon. There were TWO hens parties happening in the bar and JJ was the only boy amongst a sea of women playing games and drinking cocktails out of oversized novelty glasses.

I was overwhelmed by the Hens parties. So we went to Bondi Beach Burrito, where I ate this amazing plate of meat and other stuff.


And then the next day, hungover and sticky and tired we went to a friend's house and made a leisurely Sunday roast- lamb, veggies and roast beetroot salad. With lots of yummy wine. That was my favourite part of the whole weekend... sitting around listening to music, playing with Thomas, making Thomas cry (accidentally) and talking nonsense.

I'm on my way to Sydney! And I'm wearing this necklace I bought at macys in San fran. It actually spells 'love' but you can't see that in the mirror!

Nails are sportsgirl atomic.


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Things I have eaten this week...

At Next Door Diner : Oven roasted beans, smoky eggplant, cucumber and yogurt. And warm kalamata olives.


At home: Greek salad and tzatziki.

At home: slow cooked (7 hour) leg of lamb with roast potatoes and pumpkin.

At I Absolute Thai: Fish with ginger and vegetables.

Connected- Chunky Move

On Friday night G and I took my lovely almost-sister J to see Connected for her birthday.

Connected is a dance piece by Melbourne contemporary dance company Chunky Move. I've seen a few of their performances and loved everyone of them- they're always interesting, unusual and absorbing. I mostly enjoyed Connected, the first half was amazing, with simple, but engaging and emotional dance moves. Whilst dancing, the performers also build a sculpture on one half of the stage- a visceral, yet mechanical structure that eventually becomes a part of the performance and physically connected with the dancers. There were some beautiful moments and at one point J turned to look at me and apparently I was sitting with my mouth open and staring at the stage in awe. Nearly drooling. However, I didn't enjoy the second half... there was a twist in the storyline that didn't seem to fit and while in the past Chunky Move have successfully blended voiceovers and personal stories with dance, in this case it seemed awkward and unnecessary.


I wore this purple Seduce dress- the bodice is covered in silver sequins and it's knee length and quite flowing.

Massive wallet

Look at this massive wallet I just started using- black with gold hardware from Zara. It is bigger than my foot! And is very heavy, but holds everything and had lots of compartments. A relief after using a mimco coin purse for so long.






don't be concerned about my
mangled looking fingers.



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Courage!

Courage! Says Brian Eno and I needed it tonight as G and I stalked the Collingwood streets plastering random lamp posts and poles with band posters. Always looking around for someone to stop us. Always using the same system- me holding the A3 paper to the pole, he winding the tape around- me ducking carefully as the tape comes back around. We walked for nearly an hour up one side of Smith St and back down the other. We took the time to look into darkened restaurants and plan future dinners and scan the crowds that gathered on the sidewalks for the busier bars and cafes towards Gertrude Street for people we know. I felt ill walking past the bakery- sickly sweet smells and full of scurrying, busy people about to start work for the night.

It was warm and the air had a Jasmine smell that I only associate with Sydney, have never smelled here before.

This is what I'll remember, when we're living in other places- the rough wood on my palm as I press the paper on to the pole; G always walking two steps ahead of me; how it felt like a journey even though it only lasted an hour because of the purposeful way we talked and how thirsty I was.

NOTT

Nails of the day, opi mad as a hatter over sportsgirl caribbean







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What are you really thinking about just now?

That's what the Oblique Strategies generator just pulled up for me. And honestly it might feel good to write down all the things that are in my head, because it's very overwhelming:

I hate my job (see picture above). It's in a soul-draining office, with little respect and mean managers and what I do seems so irrelevant and meaningless.
G has threatened to find this blog and read it and I know he will only make fun of it.
I really need to do my nails, usually I paint them every couple of days, but they're looking shabby and I HATE it.
I am only halfway through my thesis and it's due in three months.
I loved Gwyneth's Oscars dress.