So hello again

Current location: Singapore

If you may be wondering why I am still blogging... it's because I'm SO over shopping and there's nothing else to do apart from shopping or eating here in Singapore. I guess I could go watch a film but it's just as expensive as it is in Melbourne and things are so censored it's not funny!

Speaking of food... it's fantastic, as always. I'm enjoying the mildness of Singaporean food compared to what it was in Thailand. 4 days straight of spicy Thai food really gets to you after a while and especially when you have a sensitive stomach as I do. Not to say that the food was crap - it was brilliant... the best Tom Yum soup I have ever had, the best spicy calamari salads, everything. Thai food is probably one of the most flavoursome foods in the world... just the ingredients that they use - lots of lime, lemons, fish sauce, dried shrimp, chili. It's all very intense. I was got sick towards the end of the Thai trip. I'm not sure what it was but my stomach was in pains that I have never felt before. We had this raw sea crab in papaya salad which was DEEVINE but since I was the one enjoying the raw crab (whilst everyone else was grossed out), I was the only one who got sick.

On the last night in Bangkok (and on one of my sickest nights) we went to this German restaurant. It's huge and like a beer hall (they also brew their own beer there) and has two storeys in a way that on both floors you can see this stage that is right in front. It's not really German German... it's more a Thai adaptation of what a German restaurant is like and altho you can see the German influences here and there, it's not really German at all. And they had stage acts and people singing on stage and omg the cheesyness almost killed me. So you get these Thai girls in skimpy dresses and knee high boots (oh how cliched) singing Madonna's Hung Up, Mary J Blige's Family Affair... y'know... man... I was like "Oh kill me now." I much prefer them singing their local pop music which is in Thai and a whole lot more convicining. Still my illness and the loud screechy voices really got to me!

Meh I'm blabbering so I will go.
There's just so much about Bangkok to talk about!

xx

Cleanliness is a virtue

Current location: Singapore

Back in Singapore from Thailand. Before I go on about my trip, I must say I am SO INCREDIBLY CUT regarding this Franz Ferdinand thing. First I miss out on their solo show in Melbourne because of this trip and SECONDLY, Franz are playing in Singapore AND Thailand the week after I leave. I mean seriously. Last year it was that issue with Interpol. The month that I go to New York (that's where Interpol comes from), Interpol comes to Melbourne. What gives! Bad bad band karma I have. What the hell did I do in my past life?

So back to Bangkok. Unfortunately our very short stay forbade us from going to places apart from the city of Bangkok. I really wanted a day trip up to the Tiger Temple - this temple run by Buddhist monks who look after and raise tigers, especially those cubs whose parents have been poached. Time wasn't on my side and so I just spent most of the days shopping. As I said, during our previous visit we did our fair share of sightseeing in Bangkok - there's only that much of sightseeing you can do in a city, y'know?

During our shopping visit there were a few things I found rather amusing and would like to point out:

• Taxis are sooo fussy!! If you're not going in the direction that they intend to go then forget it, they aren't going to take you. This makes sense as it DOES happen in a lot of countries but in Bangkok, I have never found it harder to hail a taxi to get back to our hotel. Get this, we were rejected by three taxis once. And it's not like our hotel is out in the sticks!
  
  
• Watch out for the taxi drivers who can speak English. They usually like to con you by taking you for a round trip and blaming it on the traffic and so you have to pay him more due to the meter going haywire on increased distance. They also talk you into doing things that you really shouldn't. It's best to just get a taxi driver who understands no word of English. You'll spend the taxi ride in the peaceful ambience of screeching Thai pop music.
  
  
• Bangkok looks incredibly dirty. And it is. On the outside. Hazy, dusty, exhaust fumes linger about that you can't even see nearby buildings very well. Take a toot toot and be prepared to emerge black. But somehow for some reason, their toilets are incredibly clean. Compare this to say Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. KL looks gorgeous on the outside. Nice buildings, trees, fauna... but compare its toilets of similar kind to that of Bangkok, Bangkok beats it BY FAR. I encountered not one squat toilet and my god you even have people wiping the seats for you.
  
  
• Brings me to service - labour is so cheap in Thailand that you get people wiping your toilet seat for you, people pressing the lift button for you and people who will step in the way of an automatic door sensor so you wouldn't have to do it yourself! How neccessary! And they will bow with their hands clasped together in prayer form at the same time. You will feel like you're God or something.
  
  
• The poverty gap (or as economists refer to the Gini coefficient) is huge. You're either really filthy rich or down right poor. You can take a bus for 5 Baht (AUD 15 cents)... you can get by okay with a few Baht... but that's scraping it. And for these people there is no hope of ever going overseas or travel because their money is worthless elsewhere. There is no government support and it's seriously a trap. I work as a casual in a clothing store in Melbourne... I am not qualified in any profession (yet)... I earn 510 Baht ($17) an hour. That's 200 Baht more than what a Thai Taxi driver will earn in a DAY. I can't help feeling like a total fraud. But if I, as an unqualified individual, can earn $17 an hour, so can anyone else in Australia. This implies that anyone can go to Thailand for holidays and live like royalty.
  
  
• And indeed EVERYONE goes to Thailand for holidays cos everything is dirt cheap. Beer for less than $1 and a Bacardi Breezer for $1.20 (not that I drink this but i checked up on the price out of curiosity). For every 5 people you'll see, 2 are tourists.
  
  
• Here's an interesting fact. You can double park in shopping centre carparks but if you do, you must have your handbrakes off. This is so that people can roll cars around if they are in their way! How bizzarre!! So here we were rolling cars around. This implies that if you do double park, be aware that you may find your car on, at extremes, another level.
  
  
• I was browsing the kids toy section in a departmental store in Bangkok just to see what kids there play with these days... and I found... get this... A SPERM SOFT TOY!!! And next to it... A CONDOM SOFT TOY!!! I was cracking myself! And people were looking at me funny! Don't they get it?! Wow explicitness in the kids section!! And there were pillow cases saying "I am a virgin"... Buahahahahahhaha... Most amusing things I've seen for a long long time. Oh sex in Thailand prevails.
  
  
• Speaking of sex... the red light district has an entrance sign that says "Red area ahead! Are you READY?! Enjoy playing!"
  
  
• Traffic lights have countdowns. So you know how much longer the light is going to stay green, red or amber. I quite like the countdown on the red. 3, 2, 1... DRAG!!! As I said previously, I am so scared of looking out ahead when in a taxi. People drive like nutters. And when you reach an intersection, there is no look left look right or even give way. It's 'just go'. It's a first come first serve basis it seems. So even if you have ten cars coming towards you at 60km/hr at an intersection, you just go... and pray that they will stop for you... and in most cases they do... or atleast slow down. They usually slow down then they get to around 5cm proximity to you.
  

Ah... but that is all I want to say now... I have spent too long on the net already... it's time to walk around Singapore now and do more shopping haha. I love being in S'pore because I know the city well and I just do and go wherever I want. I'm also enjoying the cleanliness of the city sans pollution and dust after the week in Bangkok. Yesterday I chewed gum forgetting about the no chewing law... I realised halfway. I couldn't find a bin and so I was like sucking on it trying not to look obvious that I have gum. I have never felt so illegal in my life. Then I found a bin and I threw it in and it (just my luck) got stuck on the side of the bin on the lining and the guy next to me looked at me with eyes wide as saucers as if I just lit a joint.

See you in Melbourne!
xo

It's bangers in Bangkok!

Current location: Bangkok, Thailand

Okay so I'm here for a very short time only but I tried my best to get on the internet JUST so I can blog from Bangkok :P

This is my third day here and it's pretty much been a bit of a shopping & relaxing fest. We haven't been doing much sightseeing because we did a lot of that the last time we were here. All I want to do is just soak up the local culture and have I!

The people here are extremely friendly and on average far better looking than most other Asian countries that I have experienced. Everyone is very polite and at the hotel you even have someone pressing the lift button for you! At a bookstore that I went to yesterday, they wrap your books in quality plastic as soon as you purchase them, for free! The shop assistants bow to you whenever you leave a store, as do the bellboys in the hotel, ... pretty much anyone there serving you or thanking you for visiting.

The roads and traffic is a bit of a nerve racker!! When in a taxi (or any car for that matter) it's really not a good idea to watch the road in front of you. Just let the driver do what he is doing because I think he knows what's best... seriously. Cars just change lanes whenever they want, they are 2cm right behind you, indicators don't mean anything and pedestrians get the shorter end of the stick. Like most Asian countries it is not necessary to wear seatbelts in the back seat... however when drivers drive they way they do here, I don't see why they shouldn't have it! I am (most of the time) holding onto the door handles for dear life. Having worked at Autoliv and understanding how important seat belts are... I just get stressed watching the driver.

There's lots more to talk about but I have to stop now. Oh but one of the most important observations so far is that when you're haggling, don't bother if you're trying to get 160 Baht down to 150 Baht. 10 Baht is only AUD 30 cents and I think the person selling the t-shirt to you needs that 10 Baht more than you need your AUD 30 cents. So be reasonable and do the community a little service! ;)

xoxo

Grrreetings from Changi Airport

Current location: Singapore

Having a short stopover in S'pore before my flight to Bangkok, Thailand. I'm using free internet here and its a laptop 'sample' and they have somehow encased this laptop in this protective casing so that people don't steal it and I tell you, i feel like I have major finger typing issues. It's like the keyboard is in a square bucket 5cm deep and my fingers are protruding down from the rim of this bucket. I look like the biggest retard.

We just travelled overnight and I hardly got any sleep in the plane (I never do) and especially coming straight from the Big Day Out, I'm absolutely exhausted!!

I just bought myself some duty free Clinique Superbalm which is very cheap (much more in line with the prices in USA). I peeked into the box and there were TWO superbalms in there. I don't know whether that's a mistake on their behalf or that I just won the lucky dip.

In the plane they announced "There are severe penalties for travellers bringing illicit drugs into the country" and over recent events, I was thinking "No shit!"

Yeah, Singapore isn't anything new to me so I'm not entirely excited. I mean, I love the place but cos I've been here a million times already it's like "meh!" The cultural experience has been experienced and its just another shopping and food stopover for me ;) I'm looking forward to Bangkok because I haven't been back since I was about 10. Lots of cultural aspects to soak up there.

Anyways, I shall beg adieu as some dodgy guy is waiting behind me to use this bucket encased laptop.

Ta ta.

xo

Give me an E, U, R, O, P, E what does that spell?

Spells "Georgina is going to EUROPE!"

Yes, having caught the travelling bug and feeling all good and happy about travelling (add on the huge hunger to see the world), I am planning on a 2 month backpacking trip to Europe at the end of this year (Summer 2006/2007).

Now, as you all know I am working on a massive thesis this year and will take a lot of my time. This translates to "Georgina will not be working that much anymore" and I won't be able to save as much as I would like to or normally would. This brings me to my humble request that all PRESENTS given to me this year should either be money or something related to my trip (i.e.: backpack, travel guides, maps, Swiss army knife, pocket torch, etc... (but please check with me first before you buy me something completely useless)).

I have made a quick calculation and in order to realise my dreams for this trip, I will need to save $700 a month. Like whoa hang on a minute! I don't even MAKE $700 a month! Plus, having just gotten back from my trip to America less than 5 months ago my bank account hasn't been rightfully replenished yet. And so the pleading starts. You know, I'd offer you some handsome cream but it looks like you already got some! Yes, you ARE the nicest person in the world (not to mention so immaculately good looking) and therefore you would most be willing to...


to "Georgina's EUROPE or BUST Fund"
That's right ladies and gentleman - I have a fund. Send your money securely over Paypal (the reputed online money transfer system) directly to ME from your credit card or bank account by clicking on the above "Make a donation" button! I would prefer denominations of around the order of $1000 but I will accept offers as low as 2 cents (although this may come with a slap). Every bit counts... squeeze that penny, y'all!

Of course I won't just take money from you! What do you think I am? Chopped liver? The kind (and stunningly gorgeous) people who donate to this fund and therefore making my trip possible will receive:

- a postcard from the preferred country that I shall be travelling to
- 1000 karma points
- a short espresso from my coffee machine
- life long satisfaction which sounds like "I made someone's dream possible. I am therefore a humble and worthy person. I'm most definitely going to heaven. I can feel it."
- be allowed to have a photo taken with me at a chosen location (2 photos max)

I don't see how anyone can forgo an opportunity and priviledge such as the latter. So you know what to do... collect your poo change, add them up, put it in your bank account and SEND IT MY WAY! ;) Your life will be better for it!

xoxoxo

Last day...

Current loaction: East Village, NYC

I am very sad today... it is our last day.

[hijack] I am sad too. I want to live here, dammit! I don't want to go home. I want to stay in this fantasyland forever. Bugger reality. [/hijack]

Sorry, please excuse my friend. She has become demented with sorrow. As have I.

The last few days in NYC have been just out of this world. On Friday we got to spend the entire day with Franz Ferdinand - something that I still cannot believe happened. So spontaneous, so livin' it!! On Thursday, I had a procedure that has left a piece of art on me for as long as I live - yes, a tattoo. Yesterday (saturday) we saw Spamalot with David Hyde Pierce (whom I also met a few days earlier after watching Avenue Q on Broadway). Also a few nights ago we went to have tea at Teany - a little tea place owned by Moby. Massive selection of teas I must say!

We had lots of plans for this week but half of them were realised due to sudden changes such as the above. I came to NYC believing that I won't get the chance to see Spamalot. We found out that you can get standing tix released on the day of the performance. The box office opens at 10am and we got there at 9am one morning and there was this queue. Since tix were so limited, we missed out 2m away from the box office. We came back earlier at 8am the following morning - again, we missed out. We tried 7.30 the following morning and we got the last 2 tix.

So basically, the last 3 mornings were spent sitting on the hard concrete on 44th street off Broadway outside the Shubert Theatre (home of the longest running musical, Chorus Line) for hours hoping to get tickets. It was like Groundhog day because the same tour guide that takes a bunch of tourists around broadway at 9am passed us every morning, at the same time.

Something I regret so much is not getting to go to see the galleries in Chelsea - I can't believe we didn't get that done. It's been really hot in NYC and we've been waiting for a cool day to do that. When we found our cool day, Franz Ferdinand taping was on... - so I was kinda not going to let anything stand in the way between me and Franz Ferdinand!! Haha.

I will miss New York. It is such an amazing city - I am so so so sad I'm leaving it. There's so much to do here... you will never be bored. I'm not a huge fan of the people - its kinda an unfriendly scene... there's not much community love - ie: no one smiles at you in public... but I can so live here if I had my family, friends and loved ones... It would be so fantastic.

I have to go now... get ready to leave for the airport....
I'm SO SAD - I can't believe this trip is now over! :(

*sniff*

Do you want to.

Today. I. was. in. the. new. Franz. Ferdinand. Video. Clip.
Today. I. was. at. the. studio. all. day. and. watched. them. film. the. clip.

Today. I. hung. out. with. Franz. Ferdinand.

Right now. I. can. die. happy.

Lollapalooza photos

Here's a bunch of really cool photos from Lolla that Iana put up. Check it out!
1 - 2! Yeahhh!

CLICK HERE for Lollapalooza pics!

PS: I wrote this massively long post detailing my trip to Chicago - but THE BROWSER JUST HAD TO FUCK UP!!!... I lost it all and now I can't be arsed.

I did something super wild today. Well,... sorta. It was painful. Details to come ;)

Lollapaloozing!!

Current location: Chicago, IL

Right this moment Robyn has blocked yet another toilet (she's on 2 and I'm on 1) and poor poor Andy is now trying to unblock it.

We just came back from a huge day at Lollapalooza - sooo much fun! And staying at Andy and Iana's place in Chicago is just so cool. They have a really nice apartment - right in Broadway - the gay capital of Chicago. Everyone here is so openly gay it's amazing!! But apart from the gay location, the apartment is so full of personality. Every single corner of the apartment has either a photo of Orlando Bloom or John Lennon or an equal rights post card ... it's just how I would have my apartment.

Anyway... back to Lollapalooza!!! Today we saw the Kaiser Chiefs, Cake, Pixies, The Black Keys and Weezer. There were other bands playing too but we could only fit those in. Kaiser Chiefs are soooo good live!! I think that was my highlight... and not to mention The Black Keys... wow. I have a LOT of photos... but will post later! Andy wore a skirt today - yay!

Tomorrow we'll be seeing Louis XIV, Ben Kweller, The Arcade Fire, spoon and The Killers. We're all planned out.

Before we arrived in Chicago, we spent a day in Pittsburgh which is a lovely city and much bigger and metro than I had expected from a once small steel town. We spent a whole chunk of the day at the Andy Warhol museum and it was the best fun I've EVER had a museum - the installation were interactive (the silver clouds!!!) - we were just prancing around this room with giant floating silver pillows in mid air!! I love Andy Warhol....

I have to go and have a shower, everyone is watching Futurama....

ADIOs!!!

Philly Cheese Spread :P

Current location: Philadelphia, PA

In Philly! 2 hrs bus ride from NYC... $10 from Chinatown - brilliant!
Spent the day at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Science - pretty cool - but the highlight was watching a visual animation to a 35 minute Moby mix in the planetarium. It was totally SICK. Wow... it felt like you're inside the music... so real that I almost threw up due to the motion sickness you get haha. I'm sure that most of you know what being in a planetarium feels like - but for those in doubt... you sit underneath this huge dome and the entire dome is a projection screen. So you're looking up the whole time and you see nothing else but screen because it's that big.

We went in thinking it was a space show (which I really wanted to see cos you know how I love everything about space - yes, I'm a nerd) but we got something even better. The visuals to this Moby mix was amazing - really high tech computer graphic work playing with so many themes to different music. As expected from Moby, David Bowie's 'heroes' was included. From meditating Buddha hands to glow stick raving robots, you travel through visual excess alongside songs by Moby himself, the Flaming Lips, Audioslave, Radiohead, etc. Truly amazing. The best thing I've ever seen big screen.

My relative here bought me a pair of Spongebob pyjama pants!! And I just had some Philly Cheese Steak for dinner and wow.. huge..! And yummy.
Philly is a really pretty place... i wish we were here longer. Definetly coming back.

GOTTA GO!
xo

Pittsburgh tomo.

A long drive through Pennsylvania...

Current location: Manhattan, NYC

After just over a week in New York, we're on our way to Chicago tomorrow!
Here's the route.

1st stop: Philladelphia, duration 1 day
2nd stop: Pittsburgh, duration 1 day - Andy Warhol museum visiting period.
3rd stop: Chicago!

Total travel time will take around 21 hours. Thank god for the stops in Philly and Pittsburgh!!

We'll be coming back to NYC the following Monday. That's FLYING :P

Here's a few highlights for today and the last few days.

United Nations
Yesterday we had a tour inside the UN. It's on International Territory so we officially left USA for those few hours. Getting in included metal detectors and scanning of bags. Our tour guide was this Asian dude so I had no idea what he was going on about - I had to think twice about everything that he said - and so I was cooped in my own world and admiring the things that we saw and assuming my own descriptions are somewhat correct. We got to see the Security council, the Socio-economic council, (god damn I forgot the name of the other council...! That's how much I learnt... Trades Council?), and the General Assembly. Very inspiring to sit in these rooms where so much important and influential disccussions take place from representatives from all member countries around the world. Looks exactly like what it does on TV! Actually... a lot bigger...

Disturbingly, we also learnt that $700 billion is spent annually on military equipment world wide. And less than 1/3 of this amount is spent on people (i.e.: clean energy, health, infrastructure, etc). It is really sad and cliched as it is but its "so 1984".

Throughout the UN there is artwork including sculptures that promote the theme of peace. It is remarkable and incredibly heartwarming because you get the sense that such a big organisation is working towards this one common and important goal. And to think that the George Bush decided to go to war against the UN's will!! *gasp* How disrespectful!!! :(

I think everyone who visits New York should go on this tour. The UN promotes so much tolerance, acceptance and knowledge about the world we live in. The bookstore has a lot of really good publications including "Children in the world today", reports and journals on the AIDS progression in Africa, economic reports, and so so much more.

Kristeen Young / Staten Island Ferry
So last night we had another go at this over 21 event - Kristeen Young's gig. Got there and we couldn't get in... and even when my friend (who's friends with Kristeen) tried to get us in, the manager wouldn't budge. *sigh*. The Delancey is a cool place it seems apart from the friggin 21+ limit.
I got 2 free Kristeen Young CDs of which I always wanted (not available in Australia) so that was sweet!!

Failing that we went to take the free ferry to Staten Island and then back to Manhattan again. The view was beautiful as you travel right pass the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island... with the night Manhattan skyline. We stood right at the front and the sea breeze was just beautiful. The view was slightly haunting. It was rather foggy and the lights from the distance made the sky glow red. Going towards Staten Island was like going towards this huge fort - the imagery can just allow you to imagine cannon balls shooting out from the tops of buildings.

On the way back to Manhattan it was like it was on fire... the sky was so glowing red. A little flaming island in the distance.

Chinatown
So crowded. So big. So humid. So many asians.
What else can I say? Just imagine Melbourne's Chinatown 20 times bigger. It's big enough to be a suburb.
We had afternoon tea in this very nice old coffee shop and ate cha-sew-paus and filtered chinese coffee. There was a resident cat in the coffee shop and he's so friendly!!

Empire State Building
Hahahahahaha... typical.
The view was great but the line was irritatingly LONG. I was busting to go to the loo too.
Standing there and looking over Manhattan and beyond just really shows what a huge city New York is. HUGE.

OK i have to run and pack for my trip...
Til then... Happy Lollapalooza-ing! Oh, that will be me ;) HAHAHAHA
I'm so lame.

xoxoxo

"Thanks for coming out on this very balmy New York evening...!"

*updated with photos*

Current location: NYC

Some quikc highlights of the last few days.

Spooky Ghost Show
Last night Spooky Ghost played a show at The Living Room on Ludlow St and WE WENT. Spooky Ghost, aka Gerry Leonard, aka David Bowie's lead guitarist!

The story was rather interesting. Strictly a 21+ venue (they check EVERYONE's ID) we got into a bit of situation. I was waiting outside hoping to see a Bnetter because there was BOUND to be Bowienetters there. Then I spotted Luis who was helping Spooky unload his guitars so I was like "LUIS!!" and all was very exciting getting to meet Bowienet's nicest guy! Then I said to him that we have a problem and that we can't get in. Leeza showed up shortly after and after Luis had a talk with the bouncer, Leeza was suddenly our stepmother. And we had to behave ourselves and not drink - very easy. So we got in!!



The venue is very intimate and there were small little round tables with chairs around the stage... very New York. So I met the whole NYC crew which was amazing because they are just the coolest people in the world. And they were good friends with Gerry and Earl Slick (David Bowie's other lead guitarist). EARL SLICK was hanging out with US! And I told him who I was because I met him when he played in Melbourne. He remembered me and still has my piece of paper that I gave him! AHHH!!



It was a fantastic night out. I'm so glad I joined Bowienet because we've just met the best people and my America trip would so not be the same.

MoMA
ALSO - yesterday we went to MoMA with Dick Mac. 2nd time lucky! MoMA is amaaaazing. Dick Mac took us to level 4 and suddenly I was standing amongst some of the worlds most famous paintings. Van Gogh's Starry Night, Cezanne's Bather, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon... paintings and works that I've been admiring only in books. Also surprise surprise, Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time was there too! And it's TINY!

And yes, with Starry Night... wow...

I actually got into trouble immediately following taking a photo next to it. I was told off for BRUSHING IT WITH MY SHOULDER and was threatened to be kicked out!! But I hardly touched it. The security guy just had this massive flag pole up his arse or something. How anal. We sure kicked his ass when we showed him the photo we took - EVIDENCE. Then he goes "You touched it AFTER!"... He can go lick himself.

The museum is bigger than the NGV (well, what isn't?). 6 levels full of modern art including some of the most cutting edge works of today. It is my mecca. I would so love to have my work there one day... but the rate I'm going at the moment, I don't really think so.

Kayaking on the Hudson River
And today? We went KAYAKING ON THE HUDSON RIVER!!! It was a very memorable experience because just imagine kayaking around this bay area with the Statue Of Liberty on your right and the Manhattan skyline on your left. It was simply breathtaking.

I had my own kayak and kayaked as far as I possibly can get and just to get the most incredible view. Unfortunately I couldn't have a camera with me as I was drenched myself. You should have seen my soaked butt. I have a few photos but they are to follow as I'm too lazy to do it now. Posting photos is rather time consuming...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp
God damn!! I love it!!! We saw it at Time Square tonight at AMC, which had close to 30 cinemas in one single building, dedicated 5 whole screens for the film. Besides the typical kids come in, kids do silly things, kids get kicked out business, the plot was unexpected. Willy Wonka's character in this version of the film is just incredible. He is completely different to how he was portrayed in the book and in the first film but for some reason, it just suits perfectly and makes so much sense.

Johnny Depp is the best actor for the role - I can't imagine anyone else doing the same. Really hit the spot and ohhh man... I was just blown away by his performance. Completely. In the book and the old film, Willy Wonka always came across as a very nice guy but had this whole level of mystery behind him - where he came from, how he got there, why he's there... this film completes it and more. Like an extended fan fiction of the book itself that comes across as official.

I left feeling very satisfied because the film finally had a well deserved actual ending.

Brooklyn Bridge tomorrow!!

5th Ave is evil.

*updated*

It crept up behind me, entered my bag and sucked up the money out of my bank card!!

Seriously, shopping is FAB here.

MAC eye shadow is $12 for each pot... that's like less than AUD 20. And Lancome Juicy Tubes are $16 compared to AUD 46. Exchange rate? 1.33 AUD to a USD. Score!

It's really easy to get around town in New York. Subway or bus - you can get anywhere and the trains come so often you hardly have to wait that long (unless you're at the subway at 2am of course). It's not like Melbourne where you have to walk like six million miles to get to a station. We got the whole MTA system down pat on our first day.

Other random New York observations:

Shoe shine stores! The one in Rockefeller Centre today was PACKED! We stood outside stunned watching all these people getting their shoe shined.

L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, Lancome, Dior - all very cheap here. But SK II is costs a bomb.

I don't think they have cordial here... They have Kool-aid and it's powdered. POWDERED!!

Supermarkets are small but with an okay selection of everything you need to get by. The gourmet salad bars and incredible delis make up for the miniscule selection of margerine.

Guys tend to make comments when you (not entirely refering to myself but also comments made to other women) wear mini-skirts and such. They also make very sexist comments and no wonder feminism is so much more prevailant here. Comments such as "Daamn baby, why don't you buy me a hot dog?", "Daamn look at those shorts on that bitch!" I don't know about you but the latter is definitely slap worthy in Melbourne!

Which brings me to the subject of "Just ignore them". And people do. There is hardly any eye contact on the subway - New Yorkers are very good at minding their own business. So if you get some crazy dude muttering how he wants to dominate the world (I had this guy sitting opposite me today going on about how this world is so fucked up and he wants to get rid of "fucking immigrants" and how he'd do so) or some guy wanting to sell batteries for a dollar, or even a man busking in the train beautifully singing "O Happy Day", everyone will have their heads down or a blank stare straight ahead. It's rather entertaining to see. I think I'm the only person in the subway looking at other people.

Like Melbourne, jay walking is totally acceptable in New York. Unlike LA. When they are absolutely NO CARS, people still wait for the light. Incredible!

Taking photos in the subway is totally uncool. People look at you funny. (This is something they DON'T ignore - I think they have negative leanings towards tourists...)

I hate how the tax system here works. ADD THE FRIGGIN TAX TO THE PRICE SO WE DON'T GET THIS MASSIVE SHOCK AT THE CASH REGISTER! OR WHEN I WANT TO BUY A $5 SANDWICH AND I ONLY HAVE A $5 BILL!!!

There still seems to be a huge segregation between the black and white. I hardly ever see them hanging out with one another. I'm sorry if this wasn't PC.

Major cities in America tend to be very PC. Or atleast try to be. Which is good of course. But sometimes I don't know when I'm going to offend. Australia isn't very PC.

There is massive snobness going on in the upmarket stores. I mean, even DKNY for christsakes and their stuff isn't THAT good to begin with. Such as today, I wandered in with my $10 polo tee, a year old Dangerfield mini-skirt finished off with a pair of pink and white Dunlop Volleys. They wouldn't even look at me. Same with Hugo Boss. I tried on a $1869 dress, looked as though I was interested, and said it looked shit on me. Muahahahaha. (Well, it did. I wasn't lying.)

The subways don't smell as bad as Paris.

Lacoste is extremely expensive. WHY WHY WHY!!
But A|X is much cheaper :)

Ok, I've ran out of things to say because I can't think of any more right this moment!! I mean, these observations aren't even deep. God, I've turned into a bimbo! But pardon me, I'm tired... and I don't seem to have a care about the world right this moment apart from little funny and not very challenging trivia.

Adios!

The Met and some random New York photos!

Current location: NYC

The plan for today was Central Park. But it was raining when we woke up so we decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I am now armed with enough souvenirs to satisfy a bus load of Japanese tourists. Nothing wrong with being Japanese of course.

We were allowed cameras (no flash) inside the Met and here is a selection.

Kiss me my lips are so sexy.


Or I'll have your head.




My first Lichtenstein experience came with great excitement.


Overwhelmed with the famous Jackson Pollock painting.


The museum is MASSIVE. No wonder it is conpared to the Louvre. We were there almost all day but we barely scratched the surface. If I were to see everything I would have had to spend a week there atleast. Skipping a lot of stuff like Medieval Art, tribal African Art, etc etc for the paintings. The paintings of the Met's collection is stunning. I could go on forever but I won't. I used to read up on artists and stare at their work in books. Today I saw many of these paintings for the first time in real life. Completely overwhelming experience. I am also a new fan of Leger and Georgia O'Keefe. I never knew their work was that good til I saw it in person. Museum going is such a brilliant experience and far better than what books can give.

---

And now that I have the chance to post pics, here's a small selection of the last few day's highlights.

So is this Central Park?


Yes it is!




I just love how you can escape this whole world of concrete and glass and enter lush gardens (and a HUGE one too - its several miles long) just like that.

At FAO Schwarz!


A building on 5th Avenue.


Inside the Trump tower - I told you it was GOLD! :P


In SoHo on Broadway - A|X is right behind me! See the flags? ;)


Ok well that is all right now.
I have tried to post some Time Square pics but they are totally stuffing up!! WTF!!!!
So next time ;)

Adios!

Shopping on Madison and 5th Ave tomo!!

"God I hope that's not some kind of museum...!"

Current location: NYC

Today we headed off to 53rd Street armed with the excitement of finally getting to go to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) AND finally meeting Dick Mac (this really really cool guy I met off BowieNet but who's left but now keeps a very very interesting and informative blog). We were only to be completely devastated (my face went white) when we discovered IT WAS CLOSED. @(#^#@()!@_#$&^#*@(!@)@__(#$*&#&@*@!!!!

So Dick Mac, Robyn and I ended up going for coffee just to chat and get to know eachother (in real life this time!) and it was great. Dick Mac is such a friendly, articulate and entertaining person who knows a hell lot about art! It was a short lived meet up as he had to go back to work but was a lot of fun nevertheless! I hope to see him again this week when we can actually get into MoMA ;)

We spent the next few hours browsing the MoMA stores believe it or not! I bought myself an Andy Warhol ideas book and a MoMA pencil. COOL.

Being totally hungry as fuck, we then went to this gourmet supermarket around the corner and bought ourselves some yummy dill chicken wraps and walked over to Central Park for lunch.

Central Park - is stunning!!
Just imagine you're walking through these streets filled with tall buildings - concrete, glass, people, taxis and exhaust fumes surround - and suddenly entering this lush forest-like garden where you can't see any buildings sticking above it because you're directly on the south end (Central Park is a few miles long). It's so surreal!! And once you walk into Central Park, from the east and west sides you can see all this lush green-ness and beautiful tall buildings in the backdrop. It's like you're in peaceful paradise in the heart of the biggest city in the world. I found this extremely exciting and I was just bursting with happiness for being there.

After lunch we walked down 5th Avenue to 46th Street near Time Square to go watch Fantastic 4. 5th Ave - oh my god. Wow. On 5th we went into the Trump Tower right next to Tiffany's & Co. As seen on TV, Trump Tower is completely almost gold on the inside. You feel like you've walked into some kinda gold ingot and got stuck. Magnificant as it is, Trump is the biggest ego meister in the world. In the Trump tower you would feel as if he was God or something - his face everywhere, his name on everything (including bottled water which claims to be "the best bottled water in the world"). Sure he may own pretty much everything in New York but really there must be a limit to how many times your face appears on random objects! Should I buy a singlet top with Trump on it?

We made our to 46th Street to go watch Fantastic 4 at this massive theatre - the biggest cinema I've ever seen. 25 cinemas in one building.. and the building didn't even look that big!! They were just one on top of the other or something cos we had to go up a fair number of floors just to get to ours.

The film was your typical super hero film y'know - which played on less themes than Spiderman - but the reason why I watched it was because it was set in New York. It was so exciting watching scenes set in places you saw just that day! There's this scene shot in Time Square too. When the film finished, we walked out only to see the exact same Time Square!! SO EXCITING!!!

Time Square rocks!!

Anyways I have to go. We're going to The Metropolitan Museum of Art today! And as Dick Mac said yesterday - it is compared to the best art museums in the world such as the Louvre. WOOHOO!!

xoxoxox

Strange as they are.

Current location: New York City

Everyone must drink black coffee here. Cappucino's are like close to the bottom of the list and latte's are almost non-existent. They also don't have long blacks. Just short - and they are just known as espressos. Ok, so a typical coffee menu looks like this (in reference to actual cafes, not corporations like Starbucks - which is like a virus because it's everywhere!!!). Brewed coffee, something else, something else, tea, espresso, double espresso, cappucino, etc etc.

In Starbucks, may I also mention, a cappucino is 5c less than a coffee frap. It must seem like cappucino's are like a delicacy or something - not an everyday ordered thing?

Moving on!
Yesterday we did laundry in the morning and then followed by an afternoon stroll down Broadway in Soho. We definetly need more time there!! We barely scratched the surface...
Came home for some dinner and then dressed up and went to Time Square.

I tried to upload some pics (and I have) but Blogger has full on stuffed up their image uploading system and so they aren't here. Hopefully I will put them up another day when I can get my ass around to.

Time Square - you gotta be there to really experience it. It looks fantastic on post cards, in film and on TV but it's nothing close to standing right in the center with all the lights going off around you. It's like this HUGE concentration of light in less than 500 sq m of space. It's absolutely stunning and a complete feast for the eyes. We got there at around 10.30pm and the place was PACKED. We were there until half past 12 and it was still packed. And you know what's also on Time Square?? The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.!!! As in one in Forrest Gump! It's an actual restaurant with this cute shrimp as their mascot. It's great. So thematic.

We were on the subways at around 1am-ish and it felt like it could have been 3pm in the afternoon. Totally normal. Totally safe. You couldn't even do this in Melbourne... Well I would feel rather dodge.

And we're talking NOO YAWK, baby.

Today we dragged ourselves out of bed after a very late night. We took the New York subway for the first time (and got kinda confused) and met Michael (that's THE 'Spence' from Melbourne Uni) on 8th Avenue for brunch in Chelsea. We went to this cafe called The Viceroy right in the heart of Chelsea and I had my best brunch ever - a Scottish smoked salmon florentine. Poached eggs on top of a generous serve of smoked salmon on top of a bed of creamed spinach drenched in hollandaise sauce. Exquisite. Double espresso too, of course!

Mmmm... mmm!

After being totally full, we went to hunt down some of New York's best cheesecakes. I already had some last night (omg it was the best I've ever had) but for some reason, there's some major rivalry of "New York's best cheesecakes" going on around town. So we can't just settle with one place y'know.

From Chelsea, we hiked all the way to The (Greenwich) Village through SoHo (which not to be compared to the one in London because SoHo really stands for "South of Houston"). It was so hot and humid I thought I was going to faint. SoHo, I must say - is brilliant. A creative hot spot where artists would line their work along the street for sale and galleries popping up here and there between streets of the best shops (such include A|X (hehe), Miss Sixty, MAC, Ralph Lauren, Otto Tootsi Plohound, Resurrection, Ana Sui, Triple 5 Soul, Vice etc etc). It's MY kinda scene ;)

Here are some pics I briefly took today during our walk. We will be dedicating a whole afternoon to SoHo tomorrow - very excited.

Some things you'll only find in New York...





Then after some more heavenly cheesecake, we went for a brief visit to Wall Street. Ahh, the New York Stock Exchange - future workplace? Uhhh... who knows!!



We then took the subway mistakingly for Brooklyn (ie: the wrong direction) when we were supposed to go up north towards the Bronx to visit Cloisters Museum. So we spent a solid hour or so riding the subway.

Cloisters was suddenly a huge change in scenery. There were suddenly no big tall buildings and lots of glass. It was just lush gardens and a castle looking thing overlooking the ocean. It didn't feel like New York at all and it's certainly not a placed I would have visited otherwise. So I'm glad we went.

We were meant to go straight to Central Park to check out a gig by The Blind Boys from Alabama but Robyn and I decided to take a bit of a round trip to Herald Sq and shop at Macy's!



It is sale season and the prices are to die for. Robyn bought this cute Ben Sherman mini skirt for USD 13.08!!! And a Calvin Klein top for USD 14.60. Unbelievable. I on the other hand was slightly unlucky as I could never find anything in my size. *Sigh*.

After Macy's we decided to head on home.
It is so easy to get around in NYC on the subway - it's great. In LA, it is close to impossible. We never ended up going to the Getty Centre or MoCA because we couldn't figure out how to get there! Well, we did but the buses never came!! Arghhh... You'll definetly NEED a car in LA, or you're stuffed.

New York is a brilliant city, that's all I can say (except for the coffee, believe it or not)!! There's so many great gigs happening every week. This friday I will be going to Spooky Ghost (that's Gerry Leonard, David Bowie's lead guitarist) show again! I saw him in Melbourne last year and I'll see him again this year - yay :)

To the topic of coffee - they don't know how to froth in America. I had the worst froth in LA and according to Michael, I don't think it is improved in NY. Melbournians, we are very lucky we have brilliant milk in our coffees.

There's a lot of trees around town. It's a very beautiful looking city with amazing buildings. Even the townhouses look gorgeous. Even if they aren't sparkling clean, there's something about its 'brickyness' and the fire escapes that make it so unique. I thoroughly enjoy walking around NYC compared to LA. I never really enjoyed walking around LA cos there are so many dodgy people there! You are always on constant alert in LA... I never felt this fear in New York. There was never once we didn't go on a bus and not encounter some crazy person talking about how they wrote Madonna's Lucky Star.

The only place that was pleasant in LA was of course, Beverly Hills - but even that is inaccessible to us very unfilthy rich mortal beings.

Anyways, I have to run.

More another time :)

PS: We have been making dinner of all sorts and doing our own laundry. We are becoming very domesticated :D

Smile, say FUJI!

Photo time, my friends.

In LA we took 664 photos alone. Here's a very modest selection.
Click on the images to see a bigger version.


I have found... my destiny :P


Well, aren't I sexy?!


Ahem! That's my car! Outside the home of the Oscars, no less.


Now did I mention that Johnny Depp is really big?


Insert generic caption here.


Disneyland!!


Bein' toony.


My favourite boys ;)


With some friends that we made at the hostel. Aussies, no less ;) We went to Universal Studios together.


After a long day at Universal Studios.


Purdy.


So, does YOUR kid come here? Judy Garland did!


4th of July festivities :P I'm so patriotic.


Eat me. American style.


Johnny Depp is inside. I swear!


That white bit was not incidental!


This photo does no justice to the size of this slice.


I'll afford to shop here... one day.


Movie star shot with Robyn and Alison on our last day in LA.

Ok, that's all for now folks. Right now I'm writing a big summary post about LA... But that'll take time and might just be posted at the end of my entire trip.

For now, its NYC from now on!! ;)

xo

World class chefs & Giant Robots

Current Location: NYC

We are COOKING DINNER!
Went to the store today and bought some groceries and now we're cooking dinner. No recipes either - cos we're too good.
Of course its just the simple bolognese with penne and extra mushrooms and lots of yummy onion... HAR HAR. So amateur. So good!

This arvo we went to a local flea market near Tompkin's Square and walked along 9th Street and checked out a whole lot of vintage stores. It's good. There's not a lot of tourists here unless you're more the adventurous kind. We went to this arty-asian-influenced-pop store called Giant Robot with some really awesome art books (THIS CITY HAS SO MUCH ART!). Really alternative yet pop stuff. The soft toys are just so cool! I bought myself an Ugly Dog and some badges to stick on him. Robyn also bought the same.

Whilst I was at the counter getting some information off the guy who works there - he was giving me the address for this exhibition of one of his mates who is an artist. I saw a couple of his books and they are really good. The store was also deco'd with their own artwork. Whilst I was waiting, I was chatting to the other dude who was working there. Talking a bit about Australia and then he asked "So who are Jay and the Doctor? They called me up for an interview one morning and woke me up!" - and I was like "DUDE! They are the hosts for the morning show on Triple J!"

"Are they really on national radio?"
"YES!"
"What music do they play?"
"All the indie stuff! They are great!"
"Oh that's cool"
"What on earth do you do to get interviewed by them?"
"I direct and shoot video clips"
"Cool!"

And then we continued chatting and realised that we both were going to Lollapalooza. He'll be shooting a band for a video clip - how cool! We made friends! Maybe we'll get to hang with bands at Lolla now ;)

9th street is very beautiful. Lush with lots of leafy trees mingled with old vintag-y type townhouses and stores which are underground (kind of). Walking around NYC is like as if we were living there. Grocery shopping, flea market shopping, mingling with the locals, having keys and opening the door to an apartment on 12th street. I felt so at home, so safe and everyone is so friendly. I was browsing a high end vintage store and they were playing the Ziggy album. This sparked a conversation between myself and the store owner about Ziggy and how good the album is.

We just had dinner (very yum, to my surprise). Robyn's washing up and we're going to walk around the corner to a cheesecake store. Apparently its the best place in NYC for cheesecake. NEW YORK CHEESECAKE, BABY!!!!

Okay, will go now.

xo G

PS: I'm lurvin' this city!

And its a very sunny NY!

Current location: Manhattan, NY

Compared to last night when we arrived today is such a beautiful day with cute clouds that you'll find on The Simpsons intro. Last night it was muggy and depressing as the hurricane had just passed through the east. It's gone now so the weather can only get better from now on.

Right now I'm sitting on a trendy red desk with the funkiest computer I've ever seen. The keyboard folds up into the monitor and the monitor turns into this swanky digital clock. It's a Sony Vaio - I've never seen this model before! I'm also eating some breakfast with some orange juice. There's a lounge in front of me and a TV with some very eclectic euro-asian deco. Yes, I'm in my dad's cousin's apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Such a change from a dodgy hostel back in LA! We don't have to lock up our bags or be on constant alert for dodgy people. And it's so swanky!

Before I go on, I will finish talking about last night. This is the land of take out. You have NO idea how good the food you can get by taking out. I had the most amazing pasta last night and the tastiest spinach/goats cheese (slightly fried, no less)/balsamic salad I've ever had. You can't get this shit in Australia. You can order take out from some of the finest restaurants in NYC. It's awesome.

After dinner we went for a walk around the block with Kumar (a japanese shiba dog - he's so beautiful). Apparently the Lower East Side was a very druggy, seedy place back in the 80s. It's had a major makeover and its just as safe as any other part of town. On the way from the airport, the suburbs had a lot of similarities to those of Melbourne. Nice Victorian type houses (only smaller and invariably cuter) and lots of trees and grass. Atleast they make an effort to make this place look nice unlike LA! In LA, only Beverly Hills looks nice. Everything else is a shab.

As we drove into the entrance of the tunnel expressway thing that takes us right into downtown NYC, you can see the New York skyline. You see these in photos but it's not the same when you're actually seeing it for yourself. It is MASSIVE. I was so excited yet almost afraid by the monstrosity of the city. Going through the tunnel you see nothing. Then suddenly at the exit, you're smack bang inside that city that you saw earlier. And all you do is automatically look up in awe of the size of the buildings. The architecture, the boldness, the chicness, the yellow taxis, the wetness, the smoke coming up from the subways... I was like "I'm here... I'm HERE!" - what an amazing city! I had never noticed these things when I was here ages ago. To me back then, it was just another city that we were visiting.

I woke up half and hour ago - which meant that we slept in til 12noon!! We were still in LA time and had no idea. So basically... we wasted half our day. Today we're going out to get some groceries and do some laundry. Then check out some vintage clothing around here - apparently the East Village is the best for that.

Will chat more later.
I will post a more decent and composed post about LA when I get the time. Right now there's way too much to check out and do in NYC :)

xo G

We made it!!!!!!

Current location: Manhattan, NYC

I have finally made it to the city that I've been so DYING to visit for such a long long time. This is so exciting! On the bus from JFK airport I saw the city skyline and my heart almost skipped a beat. I've never been so excited before about any place!! (It wasn't the same when I was here when I was 10 ok?!)

So I have to keep this short. Just got into our apartment and ordered 'take out'.

Will write more later...

YAY!!

Cosmetically enhanced.

Current location: Hollywood, CA

So I have some extra time to blog some more!

I shall add some extra detail to what I wrote yesterday. So the BBQ that I went to was organised none other than Roger (RoginLA), my Bowienet buddy from LA. A little gathering with some other Bowienetters. After being treated with a nice traditional American BBQ, we headed indoors to the living room where Roger, Scott and Frank (Boys Keep Swinging!) played a small little Bowie tribute gig. Setlist included Slow Burn, Fantastic Voyage (which was beautiful), Boys Keep Swinging, etc etc! A great selection of Bowie songs, no less - something you'll only find from hardcore Bowie fans. Even David Bowie himself couldn't muster up a better setlist!

The hostel I'm staying in is just off Hollywood Blvd - which is why I'm constantly walking up and down Hollywood Blvd. I like it here and much better than I had imagined it would have been. We thought we had a fantastic room UNTIL this psycho moved in. Firstly, she chucked her bags (four 70 pound suitcases) all over the room so when we got home late from Disneyland, we couldn't see and so we tripped all over these man-sized suitcases. Then we decided to turn on a side lamp because we JUST had to see. What a nerve, she sat up and yelled at us to turn off the light! I was about to say "Excuse me, are you stayng in a hotel? Because we aren't" But she looked like a total psycho. I didn't want to mess with this one. So we obeyed!!

Robyn and I left the room feeling banished just so we could talk. I felt so sick in the stomach and wanted to throw up. We suddenly felt really homesick because we didn't feel safe in the room. I was actually really scared of that woman!! Later that night she went to the toilet, stormed her way there and slammed the door. Hipocrite!! She also talks to herself and makes really strange comments. She leaves dirty underwear all over the floor and leaves poo stains on the toilet.

She stayed another night in the room and finally last night, she moved out (to another room, the poor suckers). It was happiest day of my life. We were soo relieved. Now since 4 days has passed since the day she's been here, the WHOLE hostel is complaining. She must be banished!

Moving on. So I kinda bagged Hollywood Blvd yesterday. It's not THAT bad. I mean, it is really tacky but so much has happened here and in this neighbourhood. In fact, everywhere in LA! Especially if you're fascinated with famous people, this place is heaven. Hollywood, though it doesn't seem so when you're actually staying in it, is so huge for this country. So you can imagine why its so filled with souvinir stores and tacky clothing stores that spoil the true beauty of the boulevard. TOURISTS!!!

Thanks to Scott, we got a free CityPass each which includes free tours to Beverly Hills and a special insider Kodak Theatre tour. So we did that today. Saw a whole bunch of star homes in Beverly Hills (they are amazing!! I so want to live there) - such a beautiful neighbourhood. Such a contrast to everywhere else in LA. We also drove down Elm Street which the name has been changed to Elm Drive after the murders that took place aka Nightmare on Elm Street.

The day before, we walked down Sunset but had no idea the significance of the place other than Johnny Depp's Viper Room etc. Today we had a proper tour of the boulevard/strip and a LOT of dodgy things have happened I swear (involving very famous people, of course) - more details later.

Ok, running out of time again - I'll be quick.
Also walked down Rodeo Drive (Oh. My. God.) and a few of the people on our tour bus spotted Larry King which was mildly exciting.

Got back to the Kodak Theatre and had a really awesome tour of it. We got to go inside (there were only 8 of us!!) and see everything. From VIP VIP rooms to the actual theatre... it's amazing - will talk more about this later.. running out of time!

Tomorrow we shall be taking in some art - thank god. I'm so over these touristy things. We'll be going to MoCA and the Getty - plus some extra shopping.

New York this Friday!! Yay!

xoxoxo

PS: I FINALLY FOUND DAVID BOWIE'S STAR ON THE WALK OF FAME. MY LIFE PURPOSE HAS BEEN FULFILLED!!!!!!

LA, LA, super tack!

Current location: Hollywood, California

YAY I have internet!!
Or more like - I have time to go on the internet!

Robyn and I stumbled into LA early early Saturday morning (feeling like utter frauds, explanations later) and have been out and about on our feet since. The first thing I noticed about LA was that IT STILL SMELLS THE SAME. I don't know. Something about that desert air mixed with the ocean foggy type thing. The last time I was here I was a puny 8 year old and as they say, smell is the form of sense that will conjure up memories the most. And that's what it had reminded me - that it all smelt the same. I don't remember anything else, like how LA looked like.

To my surprise it reminded me a lot of Kuala Lumpur. The hazy white spanse of sky. The lack of green. The concrete. The peeling paint off concrete. The spaghetti freeways. The heat. The humidness. We took this Super Shuttle from the airport to our hostel and since Hollywood was the furthest, we had to go through a lot of other areas such as Silver Lake, umm... I can't remember the names. A lot of these places were really run down. Palm trees everywhere. It was like we were driving through the streets of Kuching! Nothing like what I had expected.

Speaking of which, picture a strip of sex shops with random stores in between selling really skanky type shoes (maybe those stores you'll find in Springvale), tacky souvenir stores selling t-shirts which say "Hollywood" on them. Chuck a really long row of stars in the ground outside these stores and voila - Hollywood Boulevard. The Kodak Theatre and Grauman's Chinese Theatre is smack bang amongst these things... no, not glam.

So the first day we spent walking up and down Holly Blvd trying to stay awake. We hadn't slept for more than 24 hrs and were about to pass out. Especially in that heat! Did some shopping on Hollywood & Highland and yeah took photos... we weren't into walking through masses of tourists. Not at the time. Not anytime!

On Sunday it was Disneyland - need I say more about this place? Other than it was soooo dangerously happy! Which was refreshing in a way. An escape from reality if you will. We had to leave in a hurry to take the shuttle back to our hostel so we were running for the exit during the fireworks - so many great sound effects... so many inspiring words... I was fighting back those tears! Unbelievable!

Monday was July 4th - that's right - independence day!!! It's a huge thing here and we celebrated it in the best way possible - a typical American BBQ in the heart of suburbia (ie: Burbank) with a group of the most fantastic (and very gay) men! We went to "the store" (aka the supermarket) - god, they are HUGE. And then we went to Frank's place to cook. We lounged in the backyard with the US flag draped out the window, drank, ate pickles, corn on the cob, cheese burgers... !! And watched fireworks from the Hollywood hills... Which started catching on fire which was rather funny.

Ok i have 6 minutes left so I'll RUSH THIS.

Today was universal studios... FUN!
Omg so much to say ... so little time....
Will write more soon!!!

Till then...
Miss you all..
Keep in touch!

xoxoxo

Jetset George WELCOMES YOU

Welcome to Jetset George. Thank you for traveling with us on this fantastic voyage into the depths of Georgina's descriptive travel experiences.

Please be aware that this is a non-smoking flight between 5am and 5.03am, all meals will be served cold as our microwave is broken, and there are no emergency exits.

There are however some bright yellow rubber ducks stored underneath your seat that squeak when pressed. If in the event of an emergency and you survive the crash into the ocean, please wave and squeak these ducks until a random passing helicopter spots you.

Emergency Rubber Duckling (ERD): Stored under your seat, compliments of Jetset George

Okay, so in other words, welcome to my travel blog! In anticipation of my whirlwind tour of the USA (as I would like to believe because it makes me sound like a famous musician) in July, I have created this blog to serve as a means of updating and communicating to you, my friends & family, about my daily/weekly/fornightly (?) experiences when I'm out and about travelling. So technically, this won't be a blog just on my trip to America but hopefully one that I will use for a long time in the future for all my other travels in which I plan to realise when I have more of that so-called disposable income (i.e.: Y, for you commerce geeks out there).

In the mean time, Robyn and I (my traveling buddy for this trip) are getting very excited as we leave in just over three weeks. Amidst the exam stress, we have managed to organise time to renew our passports, visit our travel agent, plan some round trips by train/bus, how much money we should restrict ourselves at Disneyland in order to have enough money for other random acts of shopping (i.e.: clothes, clothes, shoes and clothes) and of course, food.

Right now, we're in heavy discussion about plans to attend Lollapalooza - which is terribly exciting in my humblest humble opinion. Let me demonstratively demonstrate this demonstration:

Crazy!
Well, I shall not exhaust this brand spanking squeaky-fresh-like blog with my random thoughtless comments any further. But please consider on returning in approximately 3 weeks (or maybe in between now and 3 weeks in case I have some more interesting thoughtless comments to share, but I beg to differ) to read up on our trip!!

Til then,

xx Georgina