Crickey!

My fascination with the Sydney Opera House is akin to that of my love for the Eiffel Tower. I have quite a few pictures of the iconic building now -- I find it to be very majestic. Last night, after going to Ryan's Bar and Orbit Lounge Bar, we went to the Opera Bar, which has incredible views of the Opera House -- there were fun prints that were being projected onto the white outer shell (if you will) which made it even more fascinating. The Orbit Lounge Bar was also unique in that it slowly rotates around, giving viewers a complete 360 degree view of Sydney. We were out with a group of John and Pete's friends -- all of whom are so nice and funny. There is always lots of great banter with the Aussies. 

Yesterday, Desi and I woke up around 9:30, took our time getting ready, and then walked along to the Collaroy bus stop where we got a lift to Wynyard stop, then sprinted to get our next bus that took us to Town Hall. We met up with Pete, James and Andy, two school friends whom Pete works with at KPMG. Pete had made reservations at East Ocean Restaurant, a Yum Cha restaurant, which is what Americans refer to as Dim Sum. The food was absolutely delicious -- I am currently riding on a tofu high. Peter's friends were really funny -- terribly sarcastic, which Desi and I loved.

We parted with the boys on George Street and walked down towards the harbour -- stopping by Woolworths so I could find some ABC (Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Cashews) Spread -- which ended up being small and rather expensive, and probably something that I could find at Whole Foods. Or at least I hope I can. The next stop was at Myre, which was a big shopping center filled with expensive makeup designer labels. Granted that the majority were brands we have in America, Desi and I still managed to have a great time walking from counter to counter trying on blushes, eyeshadows, perfumes, etc. It's a girl thing.

After we were all done up, Desi and I continued on our path towards the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), which is right  next to the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. There were a few exhibits that I really enjoyed and some I thought were a bit bizarre -- which, in all honesty, was probably the artist's intention. MCA closed at 5 PM, so we got kicked out, and knowing that we had half an hour to spare before John got off work, we wandered around the city some more, eventually stumbling into a large group of men in business suits (ow ow!) at Ryan's -- ironically where we had plans to meet up with everyone later on. 

I am so sad that today is my last day in Sydney. I never want to leave! Melbourne is going to be very fun too -- I'm excited about seeing the Pattens. But getting back to America and going back to school?! Not looking forward to that one teeny tiny bit. Almost done though -- I need to keep thinking positively.

Lots and lots of love,

Ailee