Surviving Sydney: My Home Away From Home Episode IV

Shopping for groceries in our neighbouring suburb of Randwick has become a weekly affair and very much part of my life in Sydney. I tend to buy groceries on my way home from school just so that I won't have to specially make a trip there and back home again. The two supermarkets in Randwick are located along Belmore Road which is within walking distance of our home.

Royal Randwick houses several shops including a fast food restaurant, a salon, a news agency, and a supermarket which I frequent.

My shopping philosophy: In-house brands are comparatively cheaper than the rest and they're probably just as good.

Surviving Sydney: My Home Away From Home Episode III

In appreciation of the excellent Mexican-Turkish feast both Katies had prepared for us, Jesse and I decided to cook up a storm too! =) We wanted to treat the girls to some exotic Chinese cuisine but we figured that we should start with something simpler. And so we recreated the ever-popular fried rice - the Asian way since I'm Asian and Jesse's half Asian in a sense (he's an American-born Chinese with Taiwanese parentage). For the two of us who barely knew how to cook, this was an achievement...

Our fried rice is marvellicious!!!

Surviving Sydney: My Home Away From Home Episode II

I've been eating a lot more these days, partly because of the cold weather (winter's freezing cold in Sydney and the winds are so strong, they seem to be able to pierce through my flesh! Okay, I'm exaggerating but you get the idea right?) and also because I'm generally quite free besides having to hit the books and laze around on the couch :).

My housemates and I try to cook our own meals as often as we can to save money but since I can't really cook, I've resorted to making sandwiches for lunch and pasta for dinner which are still edible but are certainly not as sumptuous as what mom and dad usually prepare for me back home. Sigh... in case you're wondering how much of a spoilt brat I can be, no I'm not. Haha... I'm just reminiscing the good old times I've had with my family and friends back home. =) You can't imagine how much I miss them now.

My first home-cooked meal in Sydney - a mouth-watering bowl of piping hot spaghetti with lots of mini sausages!

Just when I thought I was going to have spaghetti for dinner every night and that I'd be happy to have a change in menu every once in a while, both Katies decided to grant me my wish, putting their cutlery skills to good use as they whipped up a Mexican-Turkish meal to whet my taste buds. But it was no ordinary indulgence...

...so much so that I couldn't help but drool over that sumptuous spread!

Enjoying a taste of Mexico and Turkey in Sydney, clockwise from top: Chicken kabab, taco and quesadilla (pronounced as "kay-sir-dee-year").

A gastronomical experience: I finished four tacos while Katie, Jesse, and Katie ate two each.

Surviving Sydney: My Home Away From Home Episode I

By a stroke of luck, I met a few exchange students from the states who also happened to be scouting around for accommodation. We hit off pretty well on our first encounter. They were a bunch of easy-going and friendly guys and girls who didn't mind having a Singaporean boy tag along on their hunt for the ideal home.

From left to right: My American friends - Katie, Cade, Katie, and Jesse are business students from the University of Texus at Austin.

Cade has had a place to stay even before he arrived in Sydney but he told us his parents had to pay A$5000 for his room in a house in Coogee which he's now sharing with 15 other foreign students. Meantime, Katie, Katie, Jesse and myself began our search for suitable lodging, viewing 6 different housing options over 7 days. Jesse and I had gone to visit a house and an apartment situated beside each other along Botany Street which was barely a five-minute walk from school. The former accommodation, however, appeared eerie while the latter was beyond inhabitable condition.

Yet, the both of us remained hopeful. Together with the girls, we went to view a couple of other apartments near campus; they appealed to us but each time, we were left disappointed as the owners insisted on either a six or 12-month lease. We were slated to complete our studies in under five months and to rent a place beyond that duration seemed illogical.

Just when we thought that our seemingly neverending quest for that ideal accommodation would again be futile, we were delighted to find an apartment which we fell in love with at first sight. A fully furnished 2-bedroom apartment along Byron Street in Coogee; the place's a 20-minute walk to campus and it's just what we were looking for. As a bonus, the apartment's only a five minute walk to Coogee beach.

Not wanting to worry about being homeless, we were determined to make that Coogee apartment our new home in Sydney. As you could have imagined, we were extremely excited to move into our new home but we had to get our contract signed and pay a 2-week deposit as well as a 6-week bond, of which we gladly obliged, before we finally got the keys to our apartment.

Within a week, I moved from Pitt Street to Avoca Street...

...to Cuthill Street...

...and finally to Byron Street in Coogee where I can now call my home.

Our living room is as stylish as can be!

Our kitchen is where simplicity is beauty!

Yay! I've got an Ikea showcase for my bedroom!

Both Katies share this larger bedroom which is where comfort meets practicality, I think.

Our sunroom (which supposedly faces the sun) is the ideal place for a nice bronze tan in the comfort of our home.

Oh, and how could I ever forget about our all important bathroom which came complete with a squeaky clean toilet bowl...

... a miniature wash basin with the option of having either hot or cold water or both and (drum roll)...

a bathtub!!! Hmmm... and so this is my new home in Sydney - a pretty luxurious resort-like apartment within walking distance of the beach!!! Cool huh? :)

Surviving Sydney: The Uncertain Episode II

I arrived in Sydney on Tuesday, 10 Jul, a week ahead of orientation but because I couldn't secure on campus accommodation, I had to put up at a backpackers' inn in town. Thinking that I could find lodging really soon, I had only planned to stay at the inn for four nights but I was sadly mistaken when my attempts of finding suitable permanent housing were rendered futile by the fourth day.

Standing outside Kingsford Smith Airport, I waited in anticipation for Bus Number 7 to bring me to my backpackers' inn at Pitt Street.

Like other passengers, I waited for the bus out in the open under freezing temperatures of between 13 and 15 degrees celsius.

The ride to Pitt Street on this "bus" made me A$10 poorer.

Cruising on the highway alongside this plane made me feel like I was about to take flight again.

As I caught glimpses of more planes, it suddenly dawned upon me that I had left home for more than 24 hours and I began to miss home really badly.

And so I travelled through the suburbs...

...and into the city.

I encountered a quieter part of town...

...with its public transport system neatly in place.

I tried to smile for the camera despite feeling terribly exhausted and homesick.

Then, I entered the city centre.

And all was well when I FINALLY got to my first residence, albeit a temporary one.

But I was briefed on the house rules as soon as I shut the door behind me.

And I was made to part with A$20 as deposit in case I ran away with the keys to my room.

Even then, I thought that the place looked pretty decent...

...complete with lockers, public phones,...

...an aquarium, tourist brochures...

...lots of tourist brochures...

...and more brochures...

...and cooking facilities...

...as well as a couple of washing machines and dryers.

After getting that temporary relief from knowing that I'd have at least a roof over my head for the first four nights, I settled down for my first meal in Sydney - honey chicken with rice at a thai eatery just across the road.

Then it was on to my first dinner in Sydney - fish fillet with rice and tartar sauce at an American cafe down the street.