Happy Halloween: Melbourne Style

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.  Naturally I was disappointed when I discovered that it isn't a big celebration here in Australia.  While there were a couple parties here and there, it was NOTHING compared to an American Halloween.  No trick-or-treating.  No jack-o-lanterns.  No slutty halloween costumes.  Thankfully, one of my friends (who is also from America) was having a Halloween Party at  his house.  Even though it was only a small get-together, I was excited for the opportunity to dress up.

{SUPERHEROS}

{I WAS A PIRATE}

{MY ROOMMATE WAS SPONGEBOB}

{ATTEMPTING TO MAKE PYRAMIDS}

Uni: Free Lunch

Every Tuesday during the semester, the University of Melbourne hosts a free BBQ and concert outside of the Student Union.  It's their way of supporting local bands... and my way of saving money!  I'm a huge fan of the veggies burgers.. they're crispy on the outside and have spinach-cheesy deliciousness on the inside.

{WAITING IN LINE AT KELLEY'S FIRST FREE LUNCH}

{THIS WEEK'S BAND WAS FAT GOLD CHAIN}

{THEY WERE QUITE A DUO...  JUNGLE MAN & STRICTLY BUSINESS}

 {PEOPLE GETTING INTO THE MUSIC}

{THEY HAVE SAUSAGES & VEGGIE BURGERS ON WHITE OR WHEAT BREAD}

{THEY EVEN SERVE FREE BEERS AND CIDERS! YOU WOULD NEVER SEE THIS IN THE STATES}

{OF COURSE WE OPTED FOR PEPSI SINCE IT WAS 1PM ON A TUESDAY AFTERNOON}

{KELLEY AND HER VEGGIE BURGER}

{ME NOMMING ON MY VEGGIE BURGER... SO DELICIOUS!}

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

{THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP IS A SMILE IN YOUR CUP}

FUN FACT: Melbourne is practically the coffee capital in the world!  No matter where you go there are dozens of types of coffees to choose from... and each cup  is made to order; None of that pre-made stuff that you find at Dunkin Donuts!  This picture is just instant coffee since we can't afford a deluxe coffee/espresso maker for the apartment.  Regardless, it gets the job done... with a smile nonetheless :)

Bubblers in Melbourne

Considering most people in the U.S. uses the term "water fountain," I assumed the word "bubbler" was only a Massachusetts/Rhode Island thing.... Come to find out, they use it here in Australia!  Who would've guessed!?

{AQUA BUBBLER}

{I LOVE THAT THEY HAVE A SEPARATE SPOUT FOR WATER BOTTLES!}

Around Melbourne: Royal Park

Spring is here, and the weather has been beautiful!  After researching running routes around Melbourne, I discovered that there are a bunch of parks scattered throughout the city.  Yesterday, Kelley and I decided to explore one.  I'm so happy we did.  It felt great to get out of the stuffy apartment and into the fresh air.  I forgot how much I like walking.  And now that I have a walking buddy, I have a feeling I'll be doing a lot more of it!

{PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE SCENERY}

{ROYAL PARK} 

{ENTRANCE OF ROYAL PARADE PARK}

{PARK WILDLIFE}

{WE FOUND A BOOMERANG... OR PART OF A BOOMERANG}

{IN FRONT OF THE CITY SKYLINE]

{WIERD LOOKING PINE CONES ON THE TREES}

{A PRETTY FLOWER KELLEY PICKED FOR ME}

Meet Mali the Elephant

For the 150th anniversary of Melbourne Zoo, people designed and donated a bunch of elephant statues.  They put them all around the city starting August 20th.  Unfortunately, they go back to the zoo today.  I did, however, manage to snap a some pictures with a few of them before they relocated.  Some of them are really elaborate!

Click HERE or HERE for news articles about the painted Mali elephants

Come to Australia Song

FUN FACT: Australia is home to 8 of the 10 most deadliest animals in the world.  They even made a surprisingly catchy song to attract tourists to the ferocious wildlife...

MORE FUN FACTS I STUMBLED UPON:

1. Some Australian spiders are huge enough to shrug off a bullet.
2. The Great Barrier Reef contains more digested surfer remains than anywhere else in the world
3. For every 619 vicious animal killers, there is one Australian who will claim, "Oh, relax! He's not gonna hurtcha!" They are lying.

Haha thought the last one was kinda funny. Anyway, it's always good to be informed. Now I just don't want to leave the safety of my apartment for the remainder of my visit ...just kidding! (...kind of)

Things I'm (Finally) Getting Used to in Australia

1. NOT REFRIGERATING EGGS.  It's weird to go to the grocery store and see eggs piled next to the tupperware containers.  Or walk into convenient stores and see them in cardboard boxes on the floor.  I still haven't bought or eaten eggs since being here.  The fact that they're not refrigerated kinda freaks me out.

2. NOT TIPPING.  I'm not used to going to a nice restaurant and leaving a $10 tip for a bill that's over $100.  I once tipped at the bar and the bartender goes, "that's a very American thing of you to do"

3. WRITING THE DATE.  In America we write MM/DD/YY here they write the day first so it's DD/MM/YY.  It's confusing when you see events scheduled for 10/09/12. I automatically think October 9th.  Really they mean September 10th

4. DRIVING ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD. I never know which way to look when I cross the street.  I almost got hit by a car my first week here because I was looking the wrong direction.  Additionally, the driver sits on the right side of the car.  I remember seeing a dog in the front seat and thinking "is that dog driving the car!?"  Then I remembered Australia's passenger side is America's driver side...

5. AUSTRALIAN EXPRESSIONS.  When people greet you they don't say "how are you?" or "how's it going?"...  instead they combine the two and say "how are you going?"  It seems a little redundant and I didn't like it at first, but it's finally catching on.  And instead of saying "have a nice day" they say "cheers" or "see ya later" (I still don't understand the whole "see ya later" thing; I am almost 100% sure that I will never see that person again in my life)  Instead of saying "you're welcome" they say "no worries." And breakfast is called "brekkie."

Day in Pictures: Productive Sunday

I didn't leave the apartment today so I don't have any fun Australian adventures to share.  However, I was very productive.  I managed to cross most things off of my to-do list, which is always a big accomplishment for me!

{TOP LEFT} I am now on a strict budget so I need to avoid going out to eat as much as possible.  In honor of my budget diet, I put together a meal plan that incorporates the food I already have in the apartment.  Now I just need to stick with it!

{TOP RIGHT}  For my first home cooked meal, I made the most delicious grilled cheese with tomato, garlic, and oregano.  This whole cooking for myself thing could be kinda fun...

{BOTTOM LEFT} My roommate picked up pancake mix at the grocery store today so we had "brekkie for dinner"... my favorite!  We got super gourmet and added strawberries, bananas and dark chocolate shavings - sooo delicious

{BOTTOM RIGHT} And of course, no Sunday is complete without a fresh coat of nail polish.  This week's shade: Smokin' Hot by Essie

Apartment Cooking: Chips & Guacamole

The kitchen in my apartment is very basic: no oven, no food processor, only a mini fridge.  As a result, I'm always looking for easy recipes that don't require too much equipment.  Lately I've been craving chips and guacamole, but I can't find basic wheat tortilla chips anywhere in Australia.  To improvise, I made my own chips.  The result?  A cheap (<$2.50 per serving) and delicious treat.

{QUEEN VIC'S MARKET SELLS MINI AVOCADOS, WHICH IS PERFECT FOR SINGLE SERVINGS}

Tortilla Chips

Ingredients:

-1whole wheat tortilla

-1/2 C. canola oil

-sea salt

Directions:

1. cut tortilla into even triangles

2. heat canola oil in a shallow frying pan

2. once oil is hot, add a tortilla triangle

4. once edges are brown, flip over for a few seconds

5. remove with a slotted spoon and place on plate with a paper towel

6. continue process with remaining triangles

7. sprinkle with sea salt

Guacamole

Ingredients

-1 mini avocado

-1/2 small tomato

-squirt of lemon juice

-sea salt and pepper to taste

-other spices (I used oregano and cayenne pepper)

Directions:

1. mash avocado and dice tomato

2. combine all ingredients in a small bowl

3. mix and enjoy

serves 1

Five Things: Saturday Stroll

Since I stayed in last night, I had tons of energy this morning.  I decided to make the most of it and go for a walk downtown.  It wasn't a very productive day, but it was nice to snap some pictures and get some fresh air (despite the unpredictable weather).  Melbourne CBD is always busy on Saturdays.  Lots of tourists and families... After two months of living in the city, I'm finally learning to tolerate crowds.

{PUMPKIN PANINI FROM QUEEN VICTORIA'S MARKET. MY NEW FAVORITE}

{SAINT PAUL'S CATHEDRAL ON SWANSTON STREET}

{THE SEAGULL TOOK A LIKING TO THE STATUE. I DON'T THINK HE MINDED THOUGH}

{HAIR AND MAKEUP TENT FOR MELBOURNE SPRING FASHION WEEK]

{SPORADIC RAIN SHOWERS}