Okay so where was I, I'd just been offered a job i think??? So that was the mark of a good weekend and put me 50% at ease as i was one step further away from becoming a hobo on the street. The following days was hot, like really hot. Like so hot that even when you just lie on the beach you get narky cos its so hot. But you know, you have to soldier through the hards time, don't you?! I spent the day at Coogee beach, which was full to the brim with saturday revellers complete with their coolboxes. I met up with some girls who i'd first met in L.A. and we just caught rays. Then that evening I headed into town to catch up with Duncan from the Kiwi bus and his two mates from Vietnem, well they weren't actually of vietnamese origin, he'd just met them there. The girl was what i'd describe as priper Australian, small and nice but with a voice so high-pitched and talking at a speed worth of an entry into the guiness book of records I could barely understand what she was saying for the first hour. When the communication barriers were knocked down (about 2 glasses of wine later) things got a lot better, and it turned out to be a good night, with good company.

On the Sunday I was reunited with Nif, however she had a special friend in tow, special in the tag-a-long and touched by the hand of god sense. He was just plain weird. And he was a brummy so he felt he had some common ground with me. How wrong! Still, we were nice and tolerant and polite and then made sure he got on the first train to Blue Mountains possible. Nif and i hit Bondi for shopping and mooching and went for a drink to use her 2-4-1 vouchers at a bar attached to the hostel she was staying in. Unfortunately she had multiple vouchers, which ment it ended up a bit messy, incorporating those little devils: jagerbombs. Why is it that my trip so far will be forever remember by jagermeister and red bull? This needs to be substitued.. Though its definately a point of travellers convo.

the next morning i was booked in to do an RSA course (Responsible Server of Alcohol) that is a requirement of all waiters, bar tenders and dwarfs. How ironic that i went to the course seeing triple, looking green and with a blood alcohol level comparable to someone from Club Release. The course taught me some gems of info that i would never have thought of before - not to serve anyone underage, not to serve an intoxicated person.... However i like the rule saying you can actually tell parents they need to look after their kids that are running about and you can even chuck them out if you wish. I was also taught about a man who in 100 minutes drank 4bourbon & cokes, 17 tequilas, 34glasses of beer bfore going to work, and dying. Don't do it kids!The thing i like about Australia is that it's so politically incorrect it's like a sketch show.

On Wednesday Nif and i shared our last moments together in Manly, a short ferryride from la Opera house, it's another pretty sweet beach town with all the usual get up - cafe's, plam trees, sushi rolls, hot guys. I still haven't ventured full force into the sea though - my novella about Australia has put paide to that idea, Cheers Mr Bryson and your tales of sea snakes, shallow water sharks, bluebottles, jellyfish, rays and small children. We did some charity work that night and befriended (i use that term in the loosest sense) the loners in the bar hoping to make me some more friends so that I don't end up a loner in a bar. After a succession of quick conversations it became pretty evident how they came to be loners in the bar. Plan B it is then.

Work is going okay, though its taking me a little while to get used to the 'fine dining' way of working. Food is minamalist (which is good cos it makes the plates easier to carry) and includes dishes like 'raw Kingfish with white balsamic and capers'. I think i need to do some research and broaden my veggie eyes. I'm expected to know the history of the ingredients too , seriously who really cares the circumference of a petit pois or how long the cows cheek has been cultivated for. After slaving away on a 12hour shift and polishing 1729 pieces of silver you can imagine my joy when i found out they'd rota'd me for 45hours the next week. Happy days. Less of the working more of the holiday visa me thinks!

Oh, and on a final note, i encountered an Australian who said the word "strewth" as part of his everyday speech. God Bless.