A Glimpse of Chinatown
by
Chelseawroteit
- 8:45 AM
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Flinders Street Station
Rainbow Lights
Mango Snow Ice
http://www.dessertstory.co/
Chinatown At Night
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Yesterday, our Tita Jacque (who we are currently staying with!) took us to Footscray Market. She said it's one of the cheapest Asian markets out here. I say it's Vietnamese town. lol. The last time i've been to a legit "market" (loud, foul smelling, dirty) was in the Philippines!
There were vendors yelling for us to buy fruit from them, and samples left and right. Mind you, they all tasted delicious. I only lingered around the fruit area because the meat and seafood area creeped me out and made me feel nauseous. Like the cereal I had for breakfast was gonna make a comeback.
I actually have a fear of uncooked seafood... and I don't mean sushi. I mean severed fish heads (still thrashing) and slimy dead bodies. Don't even get me started on the meat shops. Jesse loves those. lol.
C: "Jesse, what popped into your mind when you saw
all that meat hanging up by the window?"
Jesse's Thought #1: "My childhood.. and back when my mom would take me
to the market with her"
Jesse's Thought #2: "MEAT = FOOD = HEAVEN"
It's so cute how Aussies call Papayas "Paw paw", as in,
who called the PAW-lice?? bahahaha.
Having some paw paw!
I also got a haircut and dyed my hair red <3
I was kinda shocked how bright it was in the daylight, but i'm
getting used to it now! #spontaneoushairdecisions
Right before leaving Footscray, we bought $3 bubble teas! Yay!
He got the choco-mocha-nut and I got the coconut milk tea.
Tita Jacque still had an hour to kill at the salon, so we decided to hit up the beach from a few stations away. Let me tell ya, I'm really starting to like this city-beach situation. I wonder what Jesse thinks of it?
J: I could get used to this 'city-beach' thing too. I live in a city where 85 percent of the year is in winter-mode. I'd say train stations that put you within walking distance to beaches is a pretty sweet deal. Talk about accessibility!
Even by the beach there are alleyways full of awesome graffiti murals that make amazing backdrops. We'll be posting more beautiful hidden street art as we find them!
Still getting used to being on the other side of the camera :P
C: Nah, I think you look pretty good :)
Til then!
-Chelsea & Jesse
Melbourne in Motion #1
by
Chelseawroteit
- 6:54 AM
Our first grocery haul in Melbourne
(Eggs, Bread, Milk, Cornflakes...the essentials).
Thank goodness Australia has No Name brands! Affordable meals FTW!!
Altona Pier walkway shenanigans!
Jesse having wayyy too much fun on the walkway.
May 20, 2014 - Moving House.
by
Chelseawroteit
- 8:48 AM
I can't quite place the feeling.. I guess it's somewhere between apprehension and awe. Definitely culture shock. After living in Calgary for almost seven years, I had grown accustomed to open spaces and the kind of friendliness that you get from strangers in that city. Life seemed so simple because I had a job, a set of friends, and a roof over my head which I came home to every night.
That's not the case now, isn't it?
I've never lived off of a suitcase.. let alone have to drag it uphill, downhill, and between train platforms when it's drizzling. I've never lived in a city where I didn't know a single soul. Well, I know Jesse. haha. So far, we've met up with Jesse's uncle's cousin and my godmother's niece. We're currently staying at my godmother's niece's house.. whom I just met yesterday, by the way.
Um. That's kinda c r a y ?
We didn't even know the other party existed until a few weeks ago. lol.
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On Sunday we met up with Marman, Jesse's uncle's cousin.
We had the best time walking around CBD (downtown) with him.
We had the best time walking around CBD (downtown) with him.
Melbourne is so frakin' gorgeous.
Thanks Tito Marman! I forgot to take a pic of all the food he spoilt us
with when we stayed over his house. It was so nice to have a sense
of family hanging out with him.
I really missed my family this week, so Jesse had to give me extra hugs.
Thanks Jesse!
Meanwhile, i've given him many nicknames and pulled various pranks on him.
This week we watched a lot of SNL videos. I love the one with the Jay-Z and Solange skit.
Also, i'm on level 63 in Jelly Splash and he's on 75. He doesn't like to admit it, but he's obviously competing with me. I could tell because he casually asked me what level I was on this evening. (Jesse: She's catching up with me on Jelly Splash. I must stop agreeing to help her when she's stuck on a level ;P )
So, to wrap it up.. we finally moved to a new place (Hoppers Crossing) which is about 1.5 hours away from Mount Waverley, where we stayed for the first two weeks. This place already feels a lot homier, and the people here are so kind and welcoming. We're gonna make the best of our stay here before we have to move again =)
Love,
Chelsea
Chelsea
May 16, 2014- Walk in the Park.
by
Chelseawroteit
- 8:10 AM
Chelsea
Majority of the day was spent at home. I kid you not, we were home all day yesterday too!
The more you sleep, the sleepier you get. Plus, breathing all that recycled oxygen inside the
house just made us even drowsier.
On the other hand, our favorite past-time has been grocery shopping and beating our
records in Jelly Splash. I've been showing him all my favorite vloggers on youtube (itsjudyslife, apriljustintv, missglamorazzi, morezoella), and he shares some of his 9gag videos with me sometimes. He wears this pink shirt that I absolutely HATE.. (Jesse: Guess I'll just have to burn the shirt...) but it got stained this afternoon when we were doing laundry... hahahaha.
hahahahhaha
Anyways, since it was too late to travel to the other side of the city, we just opted for a walk around the neighborhood. We came across a high school (which I think they call "secondary college" around here) and a park.
Majority of the day was spent at home. I kid you not, we were home all day yesterday too!
The more you sleep, the sleepier you get. Plus, breathing all that recycled oxygen inside the
house just made us even drowsier.
On the other hand, our favorite past-time has been grocery shopping and beating our
records in Jelly Splash. I've been showing him all my favorite vloggers on youtube (itsjudyslife, apriljustintv, missglamorazzi, morezoella), and he shares some of his 9gag videos with me sometimes. He wears this pink shirt that I absolutely HATE.. (Jesse: Guess I'll just have to burn the shirt...) but it got stained this afternoon when we were doing laundry... hahahaha.
hahahahhaha
Anyways, since it was too late to travel to the other side of the city, we just opted for a walk around the neighborhood. We came across a high school (which I think they call "secondary college" around here) and a park.
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Nice weather for Toms.
SQUIDWARD!
The resemblance is devastating.
And now with the eyeballs. hahahha.
And then there's me, supplier of Oranges and Oreos.
I really hope we find jobs soon, but when the time does come, i'll miss being lazy jane and running on my own schedule! It'll be 3 days til we move to our new place, where we'll be staying for a month. It's all the way across the city. We'll be updating about that soon :) x
Jesse
After bumming around most of the day, fresh air and nature was exactly what we needed.
Every time I travel, I love experiencing the local sceneries and admiring all the differences back home. Walking around the neighborhood here, first thing you notice are the beautiful array of exotic trees, plants and birds. Nice break from pine trees, apple trees and crows :)
We eventually stumbled upon the Mt. Waverley public library and killed time till after sundown. A little someone picked up a big book about chocolate. I could practically see the drool dripping hahaha.
Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive!
After bumming around most of the day, fresh air and nature was exactly what we needed.
Every time I travel, I love experiencing the local sceneries and admiring all the differences back home. Walking around the neighborhood here, first thing you notice are the beautiful array of exotic trees, plants and birds. Nice break from pine trees, apple trees and crows :)
We eventually stumbled upon the Mt. Waverley public library and killed time till after sundown. A little someone picked up a big book about chocolate. I could practically see the drool dripping hahaha.
Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive!
May 9, 2014- Looking For a Place to Live!
by
Chelseawroteit
- 7:46 PM
Chelsea
For some reason, I was really hyper this morning! Jesse and I had two houses to look at today. Both of them didn't work out.
First house (on East Malvern) had a killer puppy which left holes in my leggings. It also didn't have wi-fi!
The second house (around St. Kilda) hosted 10+ people and only had ONE toilet. It felt like a frat house.. although the people were friendly, it was way too loud.
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Walking around Saint Kilda for the first time.
It reminds me of California/LA. Palm trees!!
Chocolate Ricotta Cheescake +
Vanilla Slice
A local tipped us about St Kilda being known for their delicious cakes.
We couldn't resist trying it out for ourselves. Was it worth it? definitely.
Who's that guy over there?!?! hehe. Exactly a year ago, I texted him asking how he was doing. It still blows my mind that a year later, we're in Australia together. So lucky and blessed to have this guy in my life :D
My imitation of a "high fashion" pose. Totally high fashion.
Off to the docks!!!
So beautiful O_O
Looking good, Mr. Tomato! :)
It was still bright when we made our way home. Although it seems so far away from the beach, St Kilda is only a 30-minute bus ride away! That's pretty darn amazing if you ask me.
Random Little Corner:
1.) Taking the transit is KILLING our budget. We're talking $12/day here when we travel from Zone 2 to Zone 1.
2.) Our grocery p/w (per week) amounts to about $20 ish. Not bad!
3.) I have been addicted to Camembert cheese for the last two weeks.
Bye guys! Catch you later :)
How We Got To Australia, Actually.
by
Chelseawroteit
- 7:02 AM
Hi! Chelsea and Jesse here. We're about to share our personal experience of moving to Melbourne [Australia] on a working holiday visa. Now this has been quite a leap for the both of us and here's how it all began...
Chelsea
I recently went through what you would call a "radical change". The end of 2013 forced me to finally come to terms with things that i've been bottling up for years. I didn't like where my life was headed, and I knew I had to do something about it. There had always been a plan A & a plan B for me. Plan A was to become a nurse, plan B was to live in Australia. I made these plans in 2010.
As history would have it, life never goes according to plan. That linear dream of becoming a nurse then trying life out in Australia got mucked up. I decided to quit nursing and pursue Australia in the middle of University. Travelling in the hopes of discovering myself more and being one step closer to finding out what my strengths are. No better way to find out than throwing yourself in a new country with no idea where you'll live, what you'll do, or how you're going to survive for a year, right?
Jesse
Australia. The thought has always crossed my mind, never seriously though, not until just last year. All throughout university, I see friends on Facebook posting pictures of semesters studying abroad in Oz. Even after working for a year and a half and backpacking SE Asia for a month led me to meet people who have lived and worked in Australia. I've never been one to believe in coincidences and firmly believe everything happens for a reason and there were way too many signs this past year for me to ignore.
When Chelsea and I started dating, it became more clear that we shared similar goals, you could say it was the cherry on top, the inspiration I've always needed. We made the risky yet conscious decision to embark on this adventure together. Two heads are better than one! Five months of planning later and here we are, sitting in our room in a house-share in Mt. Waverley, typing out our first experiences in beautiful Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Still feels so surreal. It's funny though, how life turns out sometimes =)