Arrival and Lunar New Year

I saw the movie Arrival last night and I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend. It very fitting to watch a movie that highlights the importance of communication and correct translation between cultures, as well as the importance of working together with allies rather than alienating them.

I also got to enjoy a walk around all the Chinese lanterns that are at Circular Quay for the Lunar New Year. Multiculturalism is one of the things that makes this country, and so many others, wonderful places to live.

6 Degrees of Separation

The wonders of social media...

Watching the Australian Open live last night, it's awesome and weird to watch Serena Williams crush it and know that I only have two degrees of separation from her. Yeah right, you say. But it's true. 

I went to high school with several people that ended up going to UVA with Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. If I go into those old friends' photos, there are pictures of them just casually hanging out with Alexis. In case you didn't know, Alexis is now engaged to Serena Williams. Hence, at some point, there's a chance my Facebook and Instagram feeds will show photos from what will be their no-doubt, amazing wedding. 

Twenty years ago before the existence of social media, this is the kind of thing that I probably wouldn't have known. I'm sure you, the reader, probably have a similar connection or two that you may or may not be aware of. 

Australia Day at Palm Beach

Yesterday was Australia Day. We did what a lot of Aussies do, and spent part of the day on the beach with friends, ate BBQ lamb, and played some boardgames. In the evening we watched some of the Australian Open, which was actually decent (considering I am normally not interested in tennis in the least). Who knows, maybe next year we'll be celebrating Australia Day on a different Day? There's a big movement to change the date. 

Whatever the day they choose to celebrate it, and however imperfect this place is, I am grateful I currently live in a country that gives free healthcare, paid parental leave, affordable education, the world's highest minimum wage, and the freedoms of speech and press to its people, and doesn't try to suppress scientific research. I am grateful that this country has common sense laws that protect people form gun violence and food that is not safe to eat, and has clean drinking water.

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

More Ace and Holly, FTW!

For those that missed my previous post a long time ago about Ace and Holly, they are my favorite guys to spot in Moore Park with their trainer. It is a pleasure to see them enjoying an afternoon in the park because they do nonstop amazing tricks and genuinely look like they're having fun the whole time. Many a time have they distracted us from playing ultimate. 

I found this new video that was posted of them recently...

Dai Aoki, thank you (and Ace and Holly) for making us all smile. We definitely need it, the way 2017 has started.

The Women's March

We attended the Women's March in Sydney. It was really awesome to flow along with a sea of people who all want some of the same things I want to happen. I'm very happy that the event, and all the other related demonstrations, were peaceful (as far as I am aware). I wouldn't have gone if I thought there was a chance that it wouldn't be a positive event. I'm also glad that I have friends, women and men, who participated in marches in at least 15 other cities around the world. I have never seen anything like this in my lifetime, and it was cool to be part of it.

3 Year Expat Anniversary

It is the eve of our three year anniversary of moving to Australia. Three years ago we packed up our lives and flew across the Pacific. Little did we know that, in the first few days and weeks of of being here, some of the people we met would still be our friends. And, that we would end up deciding to stay long enough to get our permanent residency. I suppose I did a reflective post not too long ago, at the end of 2016, so I don't need to constantly reflect on the same overlapping events. But I will say this... Australia has been pretty good to us. I now understand why most people that come end up staying longer than they planned. 

Well, that escalated quickly.

I realized this morning that the soil was rising up where my sprouts were growing. When I moved some of it, I found that a lot of them had already grown several inches under the soil, rather than pushing through. The only annoying thing is having to wash them a thousand times to get all the soil off them (because some bits kind of get tangled into them). Less than a week since I planted them, I ate my first bowl of sprouts today with a little bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Here is the garden status update. The sprouts and spring onions are growing super fast. The dill is shyly peeking out, as is the basil. Can't wait to start eating this stuff!

Snorkelling at Shelly Beach

Today we went snorkelling at Shelly Beach and snorkelled in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. We saw several kinds of fish that I can't be bothered to try to identify and two large wobbegong sharks (about as long as we are tall). One was very active - quite the sight, considering they are normally nocturnal. We swam along above it for what seemed like 10 minutes, until it disappeared into a kelp forest. 

It's pretty cool that there's decent snorkelling just a ferry ride away from where we live. I definitely recommend Shelly Beach over Gordon's Bay, although that could simply be partially because of luck and/or weather and currents.

Crash Course Politics: Freedom of the Press

I just stumbled upon this great PBS video series that is great for teaching (children or adults). This particular episode is pretty poignant.

Green Thumb?

In addition to the death of my friend recently, I've heard about several other recent deaths or friends (or family members) of friends falling ill. Partially because of this, partially because I have a little free time right now, and partially because Michael encouraged me to do it, I decided to plant our little urban garden to create new life (even if it is only plant life). I also think this will improve the quality of our own life, even if only by a teeny tiny bit, so that will help with our resolutions.  

If all goes well, we will have aloe, strawberries, clover sprouts, dill, basil, mint, and spring onions all growing. If all does not go well, we will have some potato sacks and pots full of dirt. In my experience, aloe is pretty easy to keep alive, so I'm fairly confident about that one. The herbs will probably live until we go away for a week or more and neglect them at some point. The sprouts and strawberries are kind of a stretch, and I will be proud if I can get a harvest out of them at all. If this ends up being a success, I'll probably get a few more herbs or veggies to add to our balcony garden.

I will post photos if there is noteworthy progress...

Show and Tell #3

I still use my downtime to relax and color on occasion, so I thought I'd share a few more of my completed ones. Mind you, these are several months' worth of pictures.

Roses from my Friends

This weekend I did another anti-gravity yoga class, which was a lot more fun than the first time because I didn't feel motion sick at all. I also enjoyed a lovely "ladies' picnic" (essentially a bridal shower without all the gifts) for a frisbee friend who is going to get married close to Easter. It was a floral theme, so everyone was wearing "girly" outfits. The funny thing to me was that almost all the women there were incredible athletes, but if anyone saw us all sitting there eating canapes and sipping champagne in our sundresses they would have no idea. Many have played at the elite level of ultimate frisbee, some were long-distance cyclists, I think we had one tae kwon do black belt, one just got back from sailing in the Sydney to Hobart race, and I'm sure others had accomplishments that I didn't even know about. The whole time I was thinking, if we made a pickup team with all these women, it'd be a damn good team. 

On the way home from the party I got the sad news that one of my friends back in the states had passed away. He was a friend I was not particularly close to in recent years, but had seen at a reunion of sorts when I was home visiting over the summer. He was a fellow video store employee and also a regular where I waitressed at one point. He will be remembered as a gentle giant who was usually smiling and easy-going. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but you don't expect someone in their early 30's to just be gone one day. Like a mutual friend said (I'm paraphrasing), if there's someone you've been meaning to catch up with lately, stop putting it off or making excuses. You never know when it's your last chance. While I'm sad Boyd won't be around anymore, I am grateful I got to see him at the reunion and I have one good last memory of us all hanging out together.

Clothes Swap and 000

I hosted my first successful clothes swap in the new place. The goal was to get rid of more than I acquired, which I think I just barely did. Everyone else walked away with a few things too. And, luckily for me, one of my friends with a car offered to take all the leftovers to a donation place. 

Towards the end of the evening there was a knock at the door. It was my short, elderly male neighbor saying he needed help calling 000 (the 911 equivalent) because he was having trouble breathing and having chest pains. At first I was confused, because he was telling me these things in a relatively normal voice and calmly handed me his phone. It wasn't the kind of dramatic display in the movies where someone clutches their chest, gasps for air, and falls to the floor. Anyway, fortunately, one of my friends who was over is a physiotherapist. I called her over to the door and she knew all the right questions to ask and what to say to the 000 people. The ambulance arrived in about two minutes, and off it went with my neighbor. It's good to know if we ever have an emergency, it's just that easy to call and an ambulance comes immediately. Hopefully, Mr. #11 is okay now and getting some rest. 

Anti-Gravity Yoga

Yesterday I tried anti-gravity yoga for the first time. Despite having moments of mild motion-sickness, I really enjoyed it. You literally become disoriented (I have been assured by the instructors that this is very normal the first few times you do it), and a few times I found I just needed to come out of my hammock and stand on the ground and watch for a minute. I also recommend not eating much before a class.

It literally decompresses and stretches out your spine even more than normal yoga, which feels awesome. Not to mention, you get to swing around and feel like you're Tinkerbell or Peter Pan. The moves look really complicated if you've never done them before, but once the instructor breaks them down for you into a few steps, they're actually pretty simple. 

Walking out the door of the class, I ran into a teacher from one of the schools where I regularly teach. I probably appeared kind loopy while I was getting "grounded" again, but he seemed to understand since he had taken the class before too. 

Maybe one of the best parts of taking this class for me? It was "free" because I redeemed my bartered time to take it. I'm definitely going to go again.

No Cafes For You

One thing about the Aussies is that when they go on a holiday, they really go on a holiday. Lots of non-chain businesses are still closed for the holidays. A lot of "mom-and-pop businesses" take up to three weeks off for Christmas/New Years, including all my favorite tea/coffee cafes. It's annoying because even if you look up the hours online and it says a place is open, you can't count on it this time of year. I guess I can't complain because I'm not back at work yet, but come on! Give the people what they want.

Happy 2017!

The transition from 2016 to 2017 has me even more introspective than usual. 2016 had so many ups and downs, I think we'll all still be recovering for quite a while. I usually scoff at resolutions, but I am actually going to try to be healthier in the new year. I sometimes exercise and eat healthy and partake in stress-relieving activities, and I'm going to try to do all those things more. I'm going to try to be more positive and worry less. I don't care if it's cliche.