Savor the Moment.

While on Sydney's less than stellar rail system, (hey at least they have one, *coughSeattlecough*) I happened across this AWESOME political sticker plastered to the door near the exit. It reminded me of another political outburst I came across in Europe and I thought I would share them both with you.


John Howard is of course Australia's Prime Minister... and unlike our Republican reaction to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the folks downunder don't have the protection of the two-term rule. There are a lot of reasons for Aussies to hate their PM, but you'll have to ask them. =)

This political poster however, I felt was absolutely brilliant. I saw it in a ski/snowboard shop in Praha. Additionally, I saw an awesome 1.20.09 is a shirt I'd love to get - subtle yet gets the point across. (It's inauguration day, Bush's last day in power.) Check that out if you have the time.

I'd love to engage in more political commentary, but I do believe Agen does a much better job on his blog, Cracks in the Facade.

Riani, over and out.

Call me old-fashioned or childish, but there is nothing better than ice cream on a warm(ish) day (or to stuff your face with when you're blue). While on the Gold Coast in Australia, I visited a strawberry farm - which had homemade ice cream with fresh berries layered through it. I felt like I was five, stuffing my face with the berry goodness!

But I'm back in Sydney now, which has sideways rain, high winds and plummeting temperatures. I'm wearing my leather jacket, two sweaters and my pashmina and STILL freezing! If I wanted this weather, I would have stayed in Seattle.

So please enjoy summer for me. If you're in Seattle, check out my old digs, The Mix and get a "Home Sweet Home" [which consists of sweet cream ice cream (NOT THE YOGURT) with strawberries and graham cracker]. Ooooh, how delightful it is!

Eat some ice cream for me. Please.

Ahhh, the legendary Bondi Beach; home of great surfing, relaxed Aussie culture and the infamous deep fried mars bar with powdered sugar. One of the must-see destinations on my to-do list, Bondi is knowing for its fantastic sunsets, white powdery sand and lack of parking.

Although public transport was available to us, my friend Simon (who I met in a post office line) and I decided to walk to the beach. From the city. We're crazy. But with warm skies and charming boutiques to entertain us along the way, we easily wiled away the hours... (although in the end, we broke down and took the bus at the end - only because we were losing daylight.)

I found Bondi to be charming, but a joke beachwise - considering I lived in Florida for a few years. Still, I did enjoy the amazing views, the cool breeze and dipping my feet in the (COLD) water.

I know. I'm a bad blogger. I've kept you in suspense and haven't been reporting my findings on the forgotten island of Australia. Honestly, I haven't been inspired to, which is more a reflection on me, than on the great land down under.

It's been an interesting leg of my trip so far, and a tough one personally. I'm fighting those little voices in my head that keep asking me, "what the hell are you doing?" (The answer is, "Jumping off the deep end, that's where the pearls are.") I'm trying to stay positive and enjoy the people and places that I visit, knowing that I'm trading in time and dollars to do this... So while I look out the window watching the world go by, I'm also formulating plans for world domination. I'll report more on that as appropriate.

But enough of that self-reflection crap, on to my post!

OK. Imagine you're me, randomly walking through a cold and rainy day - murmuring to yourself about how you could have stayed in Seattle for this type of weather. You trudge along and barely notice the line of Clydesdales standing at attention, or the brightly colored flags that encircle the domain.

But try as you might, you can't get past the business men with their smart umbrellas, or the couple with dreadlocks snuggled close to each other. You notice people from all walks of life: the Prada wearing women with tailored silk-blended wool coats, the back packers and their ripped jeans and loafers, the old man with his 1950's hat and tweed jacket... Everyone seems to be represented here. The question though, is what on earth would possess them to stand out in the cold and brave the rain?

Enter über cool spiritual leader with easy smile and infectious laugh. The Dalai Lama stands a mere 100 feet away from you, and you almost missed him. His Holiness was in Sydney on his Australia tour, and began by thanking the organizers for their time and their money. (Gracious and humorous!) There were many poetic and inspiring ideas and philosophies he shared- but here are a couple that stood out.

(These bullet points were taken from his Holiness's website - since I didn't write anything down while seeing him... I was too memorized.)

His Holiness the Dalai Lama also spoke of peace on that cold rainy day. He preached that peace cannot be seasonal, fashionable or even defined as the lack of violence. Peace is the acceptance and love for yourself and those around you.

To all of you that I can friend, to all of you that I adore... May there be peace in your lives, and may your days be full of laughter and love. I've been selfish these last few months, thinking mostly about myself - happiness comes mostly from what you give, not what you get. Please tell me how I can enrich your life and how I can make you smile.

With affection from Australia,
Riani

Food. My love affair with food spans almost a quarter century and shows no sign of slowing down (thankfully, it doesn't show as much as it could). This trip has been especially awesome for my gastronomic tendencies, since I've found that no matter where you are, there are always intriguing local delights. Some capture your imagination (along with your stomach) and you end up craving them even after you left the country...

In London, it was the Ribena (without it, London tap water would have been even more undrinkable), chocolate digestive biscuits, and Bransdons, which is great with cheese and butter... Yum!

In Kuala Lumpur it was the awesome Teh Tarik and Roti Cenai, although too much of that and you begin to look like an American cheese wagon.

In Australia, it's been the ever-amazing Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I've never been much of fan for ginger beer (or Ginger ale, for my Yank brothers and sisters) but there's something about this stuff that is truly magical.

So magical in fact, that I think I have a problem. There's a bottle on my night-stand, empty bottles in the kitchen and half full bottles in the car. The cool amber colored liquid tastes full and bursting of delicate ginger flavor (you can actually see minute pieces floating around in the bottle!)

Here's a photo of the wonderful stuff. Interestingly enough, the bottle looks like a "stubby," which are stout bottles of beer. It's illegal for you to drink in public in Australia, so it must have looked weird - the Yanky girl walking around downtown Sydney drinking "beer".

On any given day, you can see some of Seattle's most famous pets grazing in their natural habitat. Our beloved giraffes are easily viewed from the highway, and my sisters and I usually wave to them as we drive by (usually on the way to my aunts house, where we feast on yum Indonesian food).

Danielle, curiously enough speaks Giraffenese, which sounds like a cross between a walrus and a lap-dog. (I'm still trying to get her to record it, so I can listen to it whenever I want). It's such a great (made-up) sound, that every time I see giraffes (or our crane "giraffes" at the port of Seattle) it makes me laugh and think of her.

Here's the sign at the Syndey Taronga Zoo, which incidentally has the best views of the city!

Here's a cute little fella hanging out in the sunshine... Look at the views he has! That's Sidney Harbor Bridge, and the city skyline - and since he's tall, he can even see better than I could.

On this journey of mine, I made it a personal goal to visit three countries that I've never been to. The Czech Republic was my first (highly recommended) adventure, and now Australia is my second, while India is still slotted in as third.

Now, I knew that Australia was pretty isolated and far from civilization, but check out these killer flight times:

KL-Syndey: 8 hours
LA-Sydney: 14-15 hours
London- Sydney: 21.5-23 hours

You read right. It was an EIGHT hour flight from Malaysia, which, may I remind you, is one of Australia's closest neighboring countries... But can you imagine coming from London? I mean, add on a couple of hours of packing ,driving to the airport, security checks etc and you're awake and cranky for at least 30 hours.

But let me tell you, Australia is worth all the stale peanuts and crappy movies on 4 1/2 inch screens. Let me plead my case with three images...

Exhibit A: The Sydney Opera House. The first time I saw the Opera House from across the harbor, it took my breath away. Like an armada of silver ships upon the water, the performing arts venue is honestly one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen. (For my lovely following of dorks out there, check out the cool new Symphony the opera house is going to put on...)

Exhibit B: The Sydney Harbor Bridge at sunset... I'm actually thinking about doing the world famous bridge climb, but isn't that so beautiful?

Exhibit C: Sydney's skyline is sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing. I love Sydney because they try so hard to be pretentious, but end up failing miserably because it's just not in their blood.

For example, a girl in the post office line ran after me after I left my wallet on one of the counters (not my best moment). While another time, a random guy bought me coffee as we listened to this great street musician playing beautiful music on a crazy looking guitar. (Starbucks no less!) So Sydney is a beautiful city by the water, and I would recommend you spend a few days strolling along her harbor front and enjoying her beautiful parks.

While in Sydney, I've been able to catch up with some other Jakarta International School friends, which includes the Nolan's. Here's Rachel Nolan and I on the first weekend out...

Ben, (Rachel's little brother) and I were in the same class... Although we never hung out in high school. I asked him if he wanted anything from Indonesia (while I was there visiting my mother) and his only request was some cheap Indonesian instant mocha-coffee stuff. I found it amusing and picked up 5 boxes per his request.

Anyway, below are a few of the first videos I've been able to upload. I'm sorry I haven't been posting many videos from Asia - its just that the bandwidth hasn't been big enough. Australia though, seems to be alright.

Alright, that's it for now. I have to get dressed for a night out with some Aussie Aussie Aussies.

Much love from Sydney,
Riani