Backyard to Bush

Just a few things near home and around the Sydney area that I’ve found really beautiful in their simplicity.

Like I said guys, I’d like to show you a different side to Sydney. Here’s step one.

Join me on the path and see even more…

Lots of love,
Ryan

Death of a Chocolate Bunny

Yes kids, that’s a reference to Miller’s great work.

And sadly, a chocolate bunny did die… it was crushed underneath the wait of its own Easter egg bundle. Don’t believe me?
See for yourself:

R.I.P Bob.

Love Ryan.

Ready to write!

It’s been quite a while hasn’t it? Not since that silly little post about Valentine’s Day have I written something for my lovely followers!

I’m here to let you know that I’m taking a step into tertiary education on Monday and I’ll be starting my Journalism course at UTS. I’m rather excited and over the past week I’ve been popping on by campus for the various orientation sessions and already made some amazing friends. Wednesday was a particularly fun day because it ended in the evening with Ofest, so there was lots to see, do and (drink). ;]

Here’s some little snapshots of my action around Sydney from the past week.

Can’t wait for monday,
Your journalist to be,
Ryan :]

The closest an Aussie gets to Turkey

Someone once made me fall in love with the Middle Eastern gem after quoting a joke as told by Canadian comedian Dane Cook. It was something about stealing Turkey and “naming it Chicken”.

Since that moment last year, my eyes have seriously been set on hitting up the salt slopes of Pamukkale, the cultural hotspot of Istanbul, and the politically rich Ankara. So it comes as no surprise that yours truly had to raid his kitchen when he got home from Europe in search of some yummy turkish flavours, but when I got there, the cupboard was bare…. and so, I headed to Pasha’s in Newtown with some friends and gorged on some of the finest Turkish cuisine in Sydney.

These photos are a couple of weeks old, but all I can say is Turkish food + Shisha + BYO + 6 friends = pure happiness. :]
Enjoy…. and if you’re in the neighborhood, head over to that lovely little restaurant!

Lots of love,
Ryan! :]
x

Aussie Day BBQ

Someone once convinced me that it was in an Australian’s nature to be more lazy than laidback…. I guess they kind of have a point there…. but when it comes to our national holiday on the 26th of January, I wouldn’t have a clue which of the two it would be. This years festivities, much like every day of summer so far, was rained out… or, the weather forecasters promised heavy rainfall, so I decided to stay at home during the day.

Enter the Aussie BBQ. Lots of lamb, a fresh salad, and dollops of precious water. Liquid gold as we call it down here in the sunburnt country. So here are a few shots of what a real BBQ looks like. Sorry to TV shows such as Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules, but an Aussie BBQ is nowhere near that glamorous. It’s rough and ready just like the people… and most certainly a little bit tender and chargrilled from the heat. ;]

It’s good to be home. Nice to eat my own foods again too, where I know exactly what’s in them! :p WAYY better than blood sausage! ;]

Stay cool kids.
Ryan :]

Sydney Festival, Parramatta

For those who may me wondering how I’m doing, I’d like to let you know I’ve been catching up with a lot friends and I’ve even gotten my job at General Pants Co. back! :]

Anyway…. this weekend, as I’ve been on a serious budget, I managed to check out a few things in Parramatta that were part of this years Sydney Festival. On Saturday night I met with some friends and we watched a concert “under the stars” (there were two stars in the sky) at the Old Kings School Site and saw the brilliant Busby Marou, the country music queen Kasey Chambers and the sultry Dan Sultan… some amazing talent. It made for a great show…. seriously great show. AND IT WAS FREE!

On Sunday night I returned to Parra with a friend and watched a bizarrely brilliant burlesque-like show called Briefs in Sydney Festival’s Idolize Spiegeltent. It starred six sexy men from Ipswich, Queensland. If anyone ever has the opportunity to see this, PLEASE do. It’s worth the thirty bucks.

Here’s a few snaps of Parramatta and the Sydney Festival venue.

Hope you’re all well. :]
Ryan
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I Still Call Australia Home

For a few days, it felt incredibly strange being back in the land down under…. where women glow and men plunder. I found the 24 degree celsius temperatures too hot, I found the wide open spaces strange and I found the sound of every bogan repulsive. But in a way, I’ve come to realise over the past week, that that’s all part of Australia’s rough and ready charm.

I seriously won’t forget my year away in Germany. But after seeing Sydney’s majestic harbour and spending a day with a friend in Luna Park on Sydney’s Milsons Point, it was clear to me where my heart lay all along; here in this gem of an antipodean paradise.

So here’s some photos for those who are dying to see what it’s like looking over that expanse of water between my city’s harbour shores. Hope you enjoy. :]

Wishing you all the best. :]

Ryan
x

Kirbs, I feel the same way.

“Gay marriage and regular marriage are like bikinis and bras. They’re both exactly the same thing but only one is accepted by the people of society.”
- stolen from Kirby Davis’ Facebook wall, who in turn stole it from Tumblr.

There’ll be justice one day, I’m sure. Just keep swimming through the dirt. We’ll be in the clear real soon. :]

Strangest feeling in the world.

No, it’s not having a baby move inside a mother’s belly, it’s not the numbness surrounding my fresh septum piercing and it’s definitely not about what happens to every man when he (and his best friend) wake up in the morning.

I’m referring to being back home in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, after a year living in one of Europe’s oldest cities, and Germany’s third oldest. I miss it already. Everything here feels as if it’s part of a Salvador Dali dreamscape. My vision is warped and all I’m seeing is pretty colours, hardly seeing the Sydney, or home, I once knew. I’m not sure if it’s the jetlag after a 28 hour trip or it’s the strange Australian food… but all I can say is, if I’m not feeling back to normal within three weeks, i’ll still be asking myself “what the bloody hell am I doing here?”.

Augsburg, I miss you baby. And to all those people who are wondering where a blog about a year on exchange goes from here, it doesn’t stop. Those cute little Animails cartoons shall be frequently posted and I shall simply move my home base from Germany to Australia, so expect a lot of lovely pictures of Sydney! She is a beautiful city, I have to say… it’s just a little hard seeing all her beauty when I haven’t slept well in the past 96 hours.

A very tired chump,
your Ryan. :]
x

When Ignorance Isn’t Bliss

There are [many] times a year when I look at myself in the mirror and see how far in my life I’ve come to become the strong person I am here today. And with assistance from one little thing, I’ve been comfortable and happy living in this world… completely ignorant (and perhaps beneficially intentionally). It means that I’ve never looked deep into the negative aspects of the universe… but there have been numerous occasions this year when I’ve found that clichéd expression is really out of tune.

Ignorance is not bliss. Living in another country for a year, I’ve been asked a number of questions about my country, and not all of them have been roses. They’ll go from the silly and absurd, to the amusing and plain insulting.

Here below I’ve included a short list of some of my favourite questions, along with a few that other exchange students from Australia have been asked about our motherland.

1. Is there winter in Australia? – Sweden
2. Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? – Denmark
3. Can you buy potatoes in Australia? – Germany
4. Does it rain in Australia? – Denmark
5. Do you have chocolate in Australia? – Switzerland
6. Are there cows in Australia? – Germany
7. Do people drink milk in Australia? – Finland
8. Do you have facebook in Australia? – Belgium
9. Is there a bridge between Australia and New Zealand? – Sweden
10. What type of washing machine does one use in Australia? – Norway
11. You speak Australian in Australia, right? – Denmark
12. Have you heard of wireless internet? – Sweden
13. Where exactly in America is Melbourne? – Austria
14. What language do you speak in Australia? – Germany
15. Don’t you have giraffes in Australia? No? What about Lions? – Denmark
16. Is it true you have a kangaroo in your garage instead of a car? – Germany
17. Do you have hot water in Australia? – Austria 
18. Have you ever met an aboriginal? – Switzerland
19. Do you have mobiles in Australia? – Denmark
20. Don’t you speak spanish in Australia? – Brazil
and last but not least, a girl from Perth got asked this:
21. Have you ever walked to Sydney? – Austria

So my dear friends, I have to point something out… don’t ask dumb questions… in this day and age, I’m certain most countries have access to milk, chocolate and potatoes.
Half the stuff you say sounds ridiculous I’ll have you know… and the other half isn’t embarrassing, it’s irritating… and depressing to know that you’re clueless. ;]

Now what can one learn from this?
When you travel overseas, don’t feel obliged to ask every question under the sun… it’s called Wikipedia. That shit has all the answers. ;]

Ryan
x