Birthday Travelganza Part 3: Sydney

The official halfway point on my birthday tour, Sydney embraced me with open arms. I didn't realize how much I missed the smell of the ocean until I arrived back in Bondi. I'm seriously going to miss going for morning runs along the beach...big time.

It was so great to see old friends again and say a farewell to this beautiful country of Australia.

Had a nice big dinner at Bondi Pizza with both my Canadian and Aussie friends 

Enjoyed many open bar nights on the rooftop patio of Diageo (the nights got a bit blurry)

Had a good old fashion Aussie BBQ with the Whalley Family- my long lost Aus relatives. 

How cute is this little munchkin? I'm going to miss her big time

Another thing I'll miss about Australia? THE COFFEE.

 None of this drip business- everyone here is a barista even in their own kitchen.

I find it rather fitting that I'm ending my time here in Sydney where it all began. Over the past 6 months I have learned so much and met some really great people. I couldn't think of a better way to ring in my 25 years of living than by going out and actually living it. 

Goodbye for now dear Sydney... I will most definitely be back.

Next stop: NYC

My take on Coffee

My story begins a long time ago, when my dad’s side (the Italians) would sit around at family functions sipping on espresso and sharing laughs and stories. To me, coffee was an essential part of life…and today, it is my life.
After trying to sit here this fine Monday morning in an attempt to study for my last exam, I simply could not go on with the pounding headaches and a thirsting body for the liquid brown drug people call ‘coffee’. This week I promised myself I wouldn’t drink one cup, but I can't do it...call me weak.

I really don’t think it’s such a bad thing. People make it out to be such an unhealthy addiction, but come on there are WAAAYY worse things I could be doing to my body right now. 

But then I got to thinking about the act of ‘going for coffee’. Thousands of people around the world have joined this coffee-drinking phenomenon and I think pop culture had a lot to do with it. Think about it: Coffee isn’t just a liquid brown drug; it’s a social ritual.
If we were just looking for a stimulant, there are obviously more powerful options out there. Yet, coffee has the capacity to be used as fuel, pleasure, instant gratification, relaxation, and not to mention, its legal.

Yet, I'm learning after living in Toronto for merely a year, that coffee defines social status. For example, someone seen drinking a Tim Horton’s coffee vs. someone seen with a Starbucks Grande latte are two very different things.

Starbucks has more of an individual value seen through the diversity of blends available, the serve-yourself creams, and sugars, an aura of creativity, etc. which all emphasize that when you buy a starbucks coffee, you’re not just buying a coffee. You’re entering a whole new experience. It’s like an entry into a privileged and sophisticated world (and you can purchase a CD from that world on the way out).

Tim Horton’s on the other hand, is something more for the masses (and construction workers) Rather than concentrating on choice, it concentrates on the familiar (you're options are after all limited to regular, double double etc). 

But in all honesty… I’ve realized that whether I'm drinking a Starbucks or a Timmy's, its not something I need to be seen with in public. I’m just fine sitting here drinking my home brewed cup of coffee… with 2 spoonfuls of sugar.
Just like Mary Poppin’s put it… it helps the medicine go down. ;)