this is a week of food because besides having fun with food, i don’t have much time to have fun with the other things that Sydney is dripping in
whenever i’m at any of the public libraries, the postcard rack is ALWAYS advertising a new film festival (i’ve mentioned this a few times; i’m still very impressed and proud of this city’s denizens)
if there isn’t something to do indoors, at night, there’s ALWAYS something to do outdoors, whether you’re into beach sand in your speedos or bike polo
(i do neither)
anyway, i don’t normally have no-time, i only have no-time because i’m sprinting uphill to catch up on three weeks’ worth of homework (see previous posts for: funeral and fun; ok i hate to alliterate like this; i know many people say that their grandfather is the coolest badass, but…that dude, whose carefree, content, Let’s Go Eat Satay Beehoon attitude i grew up with, was a rare gem of a man)
grilled tuna steaks; i’m using the blue skillet on the left — the pot, pan-with-red-stuff, and white bucket were the remnants of C’s cooking earlier
(again, because i don’t know what you know: C is a mother, whose daughter i live with (but C comes along, free-of-charge, with the daughter, R*); C is taking adult learner classes to get accreditation in Australia, with the hopes of migrating here from Hong Kong; C works hard and works late into the night, using a solitary IKEA floorlamp to illuminate her 2am textbook-reading, saving the living room lamps from burning utility bills)
(*they share a double bed in their en-suite bedroom; this arrangement makes me wonder whether it ever gets awkward or unbearable, given that they occasionally raise their voices to each other (or rather, C screams and R replies), for matters such as: C is late for work, as a kitchen hand in a nearby mediocre (she says) cafe, but C insists on folding clothes/drying cutlery herself, which causes one or both of them consternation)
anyway, the power discrepancy in the house is such that: C can leave her dirty dishes in the sink and “it’s fine”, but if i were to leave so much as a spoon, you can bet a good dollar that she’d come knocking on my door, asking me out of my room, to tell me my mistake and that, “nevermind!, i’ll clean for you this time”
this semester is the first time in my life that i am keeping a dedicated record of my expenses
the excel categories are: STUFF, LONG-LASTING FOOD, FRESH FOOD, FUN FOOD
so, it’s a new game, with myself, to see how cheaply i can eat per diem
i never used to do this in Boston because expenses never felt crazy, and i never had to write down my expenses to confirm that they were reasonable and good value
biking to an outlet mall 7km away to get some hiking shoes
my selfies are primarily to show b what i’m doing
and/or to show that i’m wearing the same shit every day
anyway, i pick up a pair of non-waterproof shoes, a pair of hiking pants, and an embroidery hoop + thread + a big rectangle of fabric
all but the last few items were on sale
Sydney is hopping expensive
i assumed that a city/country with a larger population and a larger market, would see cheaper goods
but there are many things that are cheaper in Singapore/Boston than in Sydney
if you were to ask me ‘would you recommend/promote Australia/Sydney as a destination for school?’, it wouldn’t be easy to say Yes or No
there are many international students though, and many fellow Singaporeans
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