Australia Actually: August 2014

August 24, 2014- Docklands, Ramen, & A Birthday!

by Chelseawroteit - 3:01 AM

Last Thursday, I got the chance to explore the DFO [ direct factory outlet ] at the Docklands. Unfortunately, we only had 30 minutes to roam around... which was secretly a blessing because I was very tempted to "invest" on a pair of suede ankle boots. HAHA. It's been 3 days now, and i'm still thinking about them. I'll probably come back and buy the suckers -___-

Taken on our walk:

Docklands is gorgeous. If I could live anywhere in Melbourne, it'd be in an apartment overlooking the Yarra river. #ballin

Then I met up with Jesse at the train station so we could go to McDonalds. The urge to eat fries this week was overwhelming... btw, have you seen that video of a guy smoking a Mcdonalds french fry? (link) I saw it a day after pigging out on fries. It's scary to think what sort of chemicals they've been dipping it in. What' scarier is how many times i've been eating it in a month. I'm definitely gonna make an effort to avoid their fries from now on :(

On the other hand, we went back to Ajisen Ramen to try their other Ramen flavours. I know, most of the things I/we post about are food- related, but food makes us happy! It's probably time to make an effort to eat cleaner since Summer is just a few months away from now, but we'll see what happens about that. Our palates are too drawn to sweet / salty / spicy foods.

Top: Ton Katsu Ramen

Bottom: Spicy Beef spare ribs

This Saturday we celebrated Karina's 23rd Birthday @ The Local Taphouse. Quaint but busy rooftop bar + good food + coworkers = awesome. I didn't even get ID'd! I guess they're a bit more lax about drinking eh? jk. It was nice to see people outside of work! They had a night of drinking ahead of them, but Jesse and I took it easy and went home after having our second round of dessert.

I'm definitely not the drinking or partying type (anymore). I do not like alcohol, and I can't stand loud noises for long periods of time either because of my tinnitus & hyperacusis. [side note: be careful of loop diuretics].

Saturday night might've been short and sweet, but it was definitely fun :)

C, S & K

Dark chocolate bread pudding with spiced honey sauce. SAWWW GOOD

...with the Bday girl and her Chocnuts!! hahahhaa

I gave her red wine and two packs of this filipino peanut candy.. because I knew she had a thing for it. haha. Happy birthday again girl! You made all our nights :)

Love,

Chelsea

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Life Instyle { Melbourne 2014 }

by Chelseawroteit - 8:07 AM

We were on our way home (from watching a film) when we passed by the Royal exhibition building and saw that some people were gathering in front of it. I was curious because this massive, beautiful building would usually be closed whenever we passed by it. I've always wondered what it looked like on the inside.

The banner hanging by the front door caught my eye-- I remembered seeing the name of the event on the visit melbourne website. I had even scribbled it down on my to-do list, but eventually forgot about it. Life Instyle is a boutique retail trade show where business owners get to showcase their latest products and buyers can purchase by the bulk for a wholesale price.

Royal Exhibition Building

The whole first & second floor were filled with exhibitors

Details

It crossed my mind that having a job as a "merchandise buyer" might be a cool thing. Imagine choosing things to buy as your job! I could buy things all day if I could!

View from the top

Best tasting fries ever, with the best Aioli dip ever

We collected so many business cards, flyers and pamphlets because they're just so darn quirky & creative!

Mr & Mrs

Nest looking hub!

Yes, I would like to have a pineapple-looking plant on my desk

Sun is settling down.. and it's time to call it a day!

XO,

Chelsea

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August 19, 2014- Feeling Better.

by Chelseawroteit - 5:29 AM

Got sick twice in a row.. Never mind though, I got better on the third week! I'm just ecstatic to finally get rid of the sniffles *knocks on wood*. This weekend Jesse and I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy on IMAX at the Melbourne Museum. I think i'm gonna find some excuse to pay $28 for a movie there-- it's the third largest IMAX screen in the world. Have you guys seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet? I highly recommend it. My fave scene was them escaping from prison!

I also dragged my lovely coworkers along :) Pictures were taken with Karina's phone! In case you were wondering, yes that is a bottle of wine that they brought into the cinema. LOL. The candy bar actually sells them.

Candy bar = Where you get popcorn, drinks, tickets, and apparently, wine

I have a confession. (no, I don't have a drinking problem...) I'm the type of person who can actually get really shy and awkward if I don't feel a "connection" with the other person right away. Lately i've been really pushing myself to not get intimidated easily. I always thought "small talk" was useless... and that most people just gossip anyway. But there's more to it than that. It's a chance to show someone how down to earth you are. I used to worry so much about how to talk to people, what to say, etc.. I was THAT GIRL who'd miss out on what the other person would say and just laugh and walk away. Nowadays, I ask them to repeat themselves then i'd come up with a reply. There's still a lot that I have to work on.. it's all a part of getting better in communicating :)

After the movie, J and I got off Swanston and walked towards Chinatown. It felt AMAZING to breathe fresh air and just be around people again, as i'd been in bed from Wednesday til Saturday afternoon. We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. They used white wrapping paper in place of a table cloth (!!) and there was a minimum of $18 per person. haha. In the end, it was worth it because the food was good!

Waiting for the food!

Spicy Salt & Pepper Calamari, Special Fried Rice

Not in picture: Tea & soup

Post dinner: Went across the street to get some dessert. We got the green tea & red bean shaved ice @ Dessert Story.

I told myself i'd try at least 10 more things from the menu!

*drools*

That's about it for this weekend!

I'm now on season 4 (ep. 8) of Doctor Who, and finally starting to warm up to the idea of having Donna as a companion :)

This week I jammed to:

Sheppard- Bombs Away (Geronimo)

Glass Animals- Gooey (love the album!)

XO,

Chelsea

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Wandering Around Chapel Street

by Chelseawroteit - 8:26 AM

Throwback!

My first time going to Chapel Street was with Karina and Jesse.

I immediately liked the vibe it gave off-- plus it was a food and shopping district = Heaven

We ate a Hanoi Hannah. K & J had a beer and we tried to yell at each other and make conversation through the overly loud music that they were playing inside.

Later on, K took us to her favorite gelato place {Skinny Dippa}. We talked about life and future travel plans...

My favorite gelato place is still Messina, though :P

After saying bye to Kari, Jesse and I visited the Chapel Street Bazaar.

There were so many quirky little things to get, and the place was massive!

I found these retro cameras interesting. Who needs a filter when your camera is fifty years old?

Oh Micky you're so fine, but I can't take you home with me cause I already have enough junk in my trunk ^__^

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August 2, 2014- July & Some August

by Chelseawroteit - 8:44 AM

I've been working (somewhat) full time hours for the past month now. Even though it's just 5.5 hours per day and not the full eight, i'm there monday to friday. I'm very proud of myself actually. LOL.

Things i've learned to appreciate:

1.) The money that I earn.

I used to never worry about paying for rent/food/transit passes because my parents would cover those. All I had to worry about was saving enough money for my next travel destination, or the next time I wanted to eat out or go shopping. I know, #FirstWorldProblems right? It's still a form of independence, but totally different when it comes to surviving in the real world. I can only imagine what happens to the money brain when kids & mortgages come into the picture. Now that i'm responsible for paying rent, groceries, transit passes, gas & water bills, credit cards, etc. i've learned to curb my spending habits and become less selfish about where I wanna put my money.

2.) Being confident / Acting confident.

And the best way to do that is by doing a good job with a good attitude. I'm aware of the fact that not everyone will like me or even respect me. If that disrespectful person is my boss, then i'd quit. I want a manager with great communication skills! Besides, if they already don't respect me what are the odds of getting a promotion or a raise (unless i'm part of a union)? If it's a co-worker, i'd just have to assert myself and learn how to meet them halfway. Ultimately, the most important person to impress would the boss(es). If they see how hard I work and how consistent I am, naysayers won't be able to prove a point against that.

3.) Stress less / Know how to "Refresh".

I've found sort of a refresh button for everyday stresses & boredom: Listening to a new album, watching a quick motivational video, reading an exciting book. On my 15-20 minute walk to the train station I either listen to music that gets me excited or just open a video on youtube and listen to my fave youtubers while I walk. Basically anything that puts me in a good mood. I even make breakfast that I look forward to eating. LOL. And even though my break at work is only 15 minutes long, I literally appreciate the last 2 minutes that I get to just close my eyes, slow my breathing and empty my mind before going back in.

Jesse and I saw "The Voice Australia" tour at Hisense Arena yesterday. We also ran into one of the contestants for The Voice Kids- Bella! That would be us with her in the collage that I posted above. Then we realized that it was our first concert together! haha. We got to see The 1975 before leaving Calgary, but that was in a club though. Surely that doesn't count as a proper concert?

One of our resolutions this week was to clean our room (and the washroom hehe) thoroughly. We vacuumed the crap out of the carpets, wiped/swept everything with dust in it, and scrubbed the place back to life!