You Don't Miss Your Water Till The Well Runs Dry

Coming back to Australia for five weeks has to be one of the best things I have done this year (not including any European travel destinations).

Landing back in Perth, it felt like I have never left, which can both be a positive and negative thing. For a start, the familiar faces and sights are a bonus! Secondly, as everyone says, the weather in Perth has to be one of the best in the world! No over-exaggeration!

Coming back to attend two lots of weddings was the main excuse, but also as an excuse to see my family and friends. After 8 months of absence from Perth, I expect to see a complete change in everyone. In reality, this wasn't the case... I guess it is positive in a way as that means I haven't missed out too much and I can nicely slot back in my friendship groups.

I have to say that being away for 8 months have let me clear a lot in my mind. One important realisation is how much I have taken my family and friends for granted. You don't realise how important they are till they aren't around you (hence the correlation to my post title). Secondly, being away from Australia, a place I have lived in my whole life is a lot more awesome then I thought it was. You would always hear me saying to my housemates: "They only do this in Australia..." or "You would love Australia...".

Don't get me wrong, I love England and being away from home, but it has made me more appreciative of all the things I have. I am the most content I have ever been in my life and I really hope that those around me can feel that too.

So if you are reading this, pause for a sec and think about what you have. Stop that whinging and complaining and learn to appreciate all those around you. Don't take things for granted and be satisfied with what you have achieved and own. Oh I feel so wise at the moment :)

Chapter Twentytwelve- Sydney

I can't remember how many times I have visited Sydney over the years but I guess this time it is more to visit friends, rather than being a tourist. I didn't even bring my camera! I'm very lucky to have met a group of friends that I knew through Sam and it certainly is different to come to Sydney this time round without my best mate around.

Again, it feels a bit different visiting Sydney this time as I lived in a suburb (with my friend) away from the city and was given a more local view of Sydney. One of the first visits was to 'The Grounds' which is a new hip cafe located in Alexandria that was voted as Sydney's best brunch cafe. The cafe is located in an industrial area which i guess makes it even more 'exclusive'. As it was a Saturday, my friends and I expected a long wait and boy was the weight long (70 minutes to be exact)!

Another interesting place I visited was 'Sculptures by the Sea' which was along Bondi Beach. Back in Perth, there has been a similar exhibit which unfortunately I have not visited before. I really liked how the sculptures were spread along the cliffside which made you also explore and interact with the beautiful surroundings. Some examples taken on my phone:

Another highlight of my Sydney trip was catching up with a friend that I had met when I was in Turkey. As she had a car, she was able to show me places that I was unable to access by public transport such as Botany Bay, Cogee Beach and the neigbourhood she lived in. She also organised dinner at a restaurant in Bondi called Hurricane to eat the most delicious ribs I ever had! She also organised a 4 hour bike ride around the city, starting from Centennial Park and going through the local streets of Sydney. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Sydney from another perspective.

Sunset at Botany Bay

As my friends had to work during the weekday, I did my own exploration, starting with brunch each morning around the local neighbourhood of Sydnham. To be honest, I didn't really remember visiting a lot of places but I did remember going to the Fish Markets to have my Oysters!
In a way, I was trying to imagine seeing myself live in Sydney and see if this city could become my future residence...

A dozen of fresh oysters were barely enough...

I'm not really sure when I will be back in Sydney but the next time I'm back could be when I decide to move there?