Monday 18th May.

It has been a busy week, as every one seems to be! Was only at the uni one day last week, on Monday.. only one prof needed help with anything and what with my kindof having lost enthusiasm for the whole thing, I didn't volunteer to do any more days than that. Was busy with other things all week aswell, and really wanted to have one day off to do what I wanted.

Tuesday I did my RCG (responsible conduct of Gambling)- another certificate required to work in any pub with gambling machines. In Sydney there are many 'corner hotels' (where I work is one of these), which are basically like traditional pubs, but with a large emphasis on gambling, they have 'TAB'- betting on horse/dog/whatever races, KENO (like constantly running bingo on TVs) and an entire room full of fruit machines, or 'pokies'. It was pretty boring and more-or-less pointless, all-about 'problem gamblers' and gambling addiction and self-exclusion shemes. Paid $70 for the privledge but had to be done!

Wednesday was moving day, so vacated the park lodge early to head over to the Rooftop Lodge in Glebe. Was a bit apprehensive about moving in, it will only be for three weeks, but still want it to be bearable. First impressions were good, nice staff and roommates, but the room is so MESSY! My inital hopes that it was just a bad-day and that they would tidy it were dashed by day after day of increasing mess upon mess. I hoovered and washed all the dishes but the sink was stacked full again a day later and remained that way. It's just so gross and disgusting, I find it very hard to live with, and I HATE having to wash a cup or spoon up every single time before I can make a cup of tea! I did consider asking to change rooms, but the girls are okay and it could be worse, for sure. Weds afternoon had a shift doing 'cocktail waiting' at the Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour, that I got through work and travel. It sounds a lot more posh than it actually was, basically had to just carry around trays of drinks for a few hours, put food out etc.

Thurs I did the Australian Museum before work (indigenous people, natural history, nature, stuff like that, right up my street), was super-interesting, partic the indigenous people bit, feel I know aus better now I've got a bit of the background stuff in my brain!

Friday was the day that I finally made it to Bondi! Before arriving, I would have thought that I would make a beeline for Bondi, but it's taken me 5weeks to get round to it. First excitement of the day was a trip on a double-decker train to get to Bondi Junction... whoo! Then the beach, gorgeous, beachy, tons of surfers doing all sorts of impressive and groovy things in the water. Then wandered along the coast path for 2hours to get to Coogee, past picture-postcard beaches and rocky bits and stuff. Also passed a million and one runners on the path, every one making me feel unfit and lazy for not doing any exercise here!

Sat was market day in Glebe so spent an hour wandering around great stalls selling vintage and second-hand clothing, shoes, leather, artsy clothes and stuff like that, set myself a 'no-spend' limit for that day, will go back next week and potentially purchase! Then I headed up to the rocks and Cadman's Cottage and the Rocks Discovery Museum for a mega-dose of sydney history (history=last 200years or so!), all very interesting though, and the Rocks Market, which reminded me of the crafty stalls at the folk festival. Work in the evening and the usual assortment of interesting characters, including one guy who came to the bar and asked for his bank statements, we refused to serve him alcohol, he said "it's ok, I dont want alcohol, was told to come into this branch to get my statements", swore he knew it was a pub but that he had been sent here for his statements. All very hilarious but not at all out-of-the-ordinary for the Court House Hotel, there IS no ordinary!

Sunday was a gorgeously sunny day, went to the Art Gallery of NSW, saw various things, including some aboriginal art that I really couldn't appreciate without an explanation of the meaning behind it; without the story it really does just look like modern-art pattern of dots and lines. Sat out in the sun on the grass of the Domain to eat my lunch and I saw a Kookaburra!! Twice! But they were both chased away by seagulls before I had chance to get a photo. Stupid seagulls. The Art Gallery shows free films on weds and sun afternoons, so I watched the first hour of a Korean murder-mystery before I had to leave for work, arthousy and very gripping and just a pain that I had to leave. Have plans to return on weds afternoon to see the next in the series.

Despite having told WTC that I was free to work mon-weds next week, they have not found any work for me, very infuriating, made worse through the fact that those free days will now be empty time for me to spend more money, this I do not need!

So today was my first free day and I made the long 2-hour bus journey to Palm Beach (aka Summer Bay from Home&Away!!).. was hoping for sun, but it was cloudy and grey. Yesterday I couldn't for the life of me remember the home&away theme tune, but I got on the bus this morning and *bang* there it was in my head, and it stayed there all day! I got to the beach, which is long and golden with big waves, such a beautiful area of beach after stunning beach just north of Sydney on the coast. So I walked right along the beach, humming "hold me in your arms, don't let me go..." "closer each day, home and awaaaaay". As I started down the beach, saw a group of people at the end, though they might be filming but by the time I got there, they had disappeared, there was a bunch of cameras and stuff, but no-one to be seen. I waited around for a while but then left. Got the shots I wanted, some of the beach and stuff, to be posted shortly! As I got the bus back, saw the people back at the end of the beach, I think I just missed filming as they were on their lunch break...bad timing! Didn't care that much though, it felt like such a pilgrimage just being there! The beach was quite deserted, I think most of the people walking along it were there to see the home and away setting!

I am spending quite a bit of time here doing stuff on my own. Touristy stuff. But it's okay because I see people at work, and my room mates at home in the evening, but I spend the daytimes doing stuff by myself. It's mostly a schedule thing.. I am good at getting up early, spending the day doing stuff then am tired by about 9pm and early night. My room mates sleep til midday then stay up late at night. I know maybe I should make the effort, but I am just crap in the evenings...