London Friends

It has been a blast coming to London and seeing old friends and checking out the place. Whilst sight-seeing has been good (Tate Modern, London Eye, British Museum, Portobello Markets etc) the real reason has been too catch up with people. Having gone to a party on Saturday, it was amazing how many Sydney-siders have made this journey over to London to do their thing. It made the concept of living here a lot easier to imagine for me.

There were a few special people that made this trip worthwhile, and I was glad to have spent some decent time with them in terms of outings, dinners, lunches and poker to see how their lives are now. I have to admit that I'm not that good with emails (2 months between replies is a fairly standard time period) so seeing them face-to-face was a real joy. It's also great to know that even without that regular contact, there are friends who will always have something to share, something to laugh about, something to remember.

Thanks to everyone I saw for making the effort to come out and taking time to see us. You've made me feel like I'm back home :) Please come and visit me in New York!

The List of Lasts

We're hitting the final stretches of this move, and compiled is a list of things done over the past week that I won't be doing for a while:

1. Last Karaoke session (with End of the Road to finish it off)
2. Last Harry's (dog with chilli con carne, BBQ and cheese sauce)
3. Last Sydney friends gathering (enough with the farewells already, I hear)
4. Last Hoyts (Transformers was great fun, Megan Fox is hot!)
5. Last drinks in Sydney (strangely not Privos, as people expect, but Pier 26)
6. Last Privos (it has to have a separate mention!)
7. Last family dinner (so many nieces and nephews around, they're at the cutey stage at the moment, will be all grown up when I get back)
8. Last volleyball game with my team of 8 years (tonight's the semi-finals)
9. Last sleep in Crows Nest (still looking for renters!)
10. Last day at work (hoping that the New York office is as good as The Bond)
11. Last drive in a car (walking to the office from now on!)
12. Last train ride (surely NY metro is better than CityRail)

All good memories. Next post will be from Honkers. The adventure has started!

Good Friends

Apologies to my avid readers that I'm behind on my Sunday post by a factor of two days. The administration over the last few days coupled with work has made blogging a lower priority, but I will endeavour to keep up the postings (especially in Europe!)

Having some of my good friends over for a BBQ on the weekend made me start to realise that it's going to be very sad to leave Sydney. My friends are my lifeblood, and moving to a new city, whilst exciting for Bec and I, will mean a lot less good friends around. I'll miss the poker games, the X-Box nights, the board games, the dinners, the Singstar/Guitar Hero, the general hanging out with people that I've known for a very long time. Sure we'll meet new friends there, but it will take a while (if ever) to get to know them to a point of sharing old jokes, laughing at stupid things and generally being as much as myself as I can be. It hit me pretty hard.

However, I realise how lucky I am to live in an age where email is a click away, I can hook up a video link via the internet, and even airfares are affordable enough for a visit. But it's not the same as being together in one city. I'm sure a lot of my other international friends have gone through this ritual and survived, so I'm sure there is light at the end of the tunnel. I did it once before, going to Sweden, it should be ok.

To all my buddies, I'll miss you all, take care of yourselves, and more visits to New York! :)

International Friends

There has been (and continues to be) a spate of friends making the journey overseas. Whilst the majority are heading to the UK for some European lovin', there are others who have taken the Asia route, working from places like Singapore and Beijing.

Am I envious? Of course, I think that any overseas experience is something eye-opening, both in the people you meet and the cultures you encounter.
It's character building and shows you just what you are capable of, when faced with problems that you cannot rely on friends and family to assist with.
It helps bring out the more extroverted/social side of you, as you're forced to meet new people in the search for friendships that used to come so easily.
It shows you places and sights that you would never see in Australia, places so seeped in history that Sydney feels like it was born yesterday.

Within the next few years, that trip will be made. However, I would like to think that going over will help in some way to advance the career. I feel that I am past that age where I can go over and just stuff around. The hardest thing is going overseas blind, without the security of another job lined up. Maybe I am too risk-adverse!

To those that are leaving or are currently overseas, take care of yourselves. I hope that our friendships do not dim due to the distance. I am sure that you'll have a wonderful time. Find what you're looking for, and remember to save a spot for me on your couch when I come visit!

Damn! eight cheap calls already:

you're welcome any time kev...when we get a place and couch that is!!
mushiejc (link) - 22 May '05 - 23:57

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al - 26 May '05 - 00:38

Sorry Al, your cheap Mandarin call just doesn't cut it on this english website :)
JookBoy (link) - 26 May '05 - 05:54

dude, if it's any consolation I'm shit-scared about this Japan trip. That's despite my language skills, research into the country (hehehe), contacts (I know about 50 people over there already, mostly Japanese), savings, etc. In fact, I don't think anyone has ever been more prepared for an overseas adventure than I am right now! And yet I'm still scared (and excited of course) of the unknown.

Do it, dude. If you come to Japan you can crash at mine for as long as you want.

RC
randomcow - 08 June '05 - 11:19

having been there done that, one day it'll be nice to say i'm doing it again :)
alvina - 15 June '05 - 11:00

RC, I'm sure you're going to have an awesome time. Can I subscribe to your mailing list of activitiez? :)
Thanks for the offer for Japan, it's one of the many places to have to revisit.

Alvina, do it again!
JookBoy (link) - 15 June '05 - 15:35

well, I own the domain name randomcow.com so I'll probably be putting a blog or something on there. It will probably be slightly different style to a lot of the travel blogs out there though, though not too different to yours, where you have well-thought-out articles. Actaully, there will be well-thought-out essays, pictures, and stories of wacky adventures. Just have to make sure I find time to update it :)

RC
randomcow (email) - 24 June '05 - 09:22

Greetings from Vancouver! It's been 3.5 months since my departure and even though I miss home, the best thing about being overseas is knowing that so many of my friends aren't in Sydney anymore, so I'm not alone in this journey of self discovery.

Do look me up if you're ever in the area!
Wendy - 28 June '05 - 05:11

A Dedication

To Jen and Des,

I was trying to write something meaningful in your guest book, but 12:05am after a long day wasn't helping the focus :)

You are probably the first couple in our close group of friends that's getting married, and for that I congratulate you. It takes a lot of mental preparation, both economically and emotionally, to go through a wedding, and I'm sure you both will be glad that the ceremony's all over and you get to relax on your honeymoon for a while!

I believe you two make a wonderful husband and wife, and yet I have this feeling that there will not be that much of a change. As a couple, you have managed to keep that delicate balance between friends and your own relationship so that we never feel we've lost contact. Hopefully there will be no change to that balance, and that you guys will always be there for me, as I will be there for you.

UK does not seem that far away now, for you both and (hopefully!) for me. It will be a new chapter in our lives, and I'm sure it will be a blast (remember to go to Scandanavia during the summer, tanned babes everywhere...not that you care, right Des? Actually, that reminder was really for myself :P)

Your speech that night was all quality Des. You just have to restrain that part of you that has to qualify all your statements. Although I heard from Manda that when you said "I've known over the last three years that you were the one, I think...", that the "I think" was actually the start of the next sentence! :) Punctuate properly! I think you should give Jen the speech so that she knows what you were really trying to say haha

For some of us in the group, we might take a little bit more time to get to this goal that you have achieved last night, but we're all working on it in some little way. You both have shown me that love is real, and that, through thick and thin, it's worth it in the end.

"From today, until forever, I promise to love you, I promise to hold you...." What a song!

love, Kev

Damn! two cheap calls already:

Congrats Des and Jen once again. Beautiful wedding, classic speeches and gorgeous bride. Stunning groomsmen and bridesmaids too.
Addy (link) - 19 September '04 - 04:58

Thanks Kev for your sweet words! I'm pretty sure nothing with change either - except maybe more serious arguments over who will be the lady/fella of leisure - but for sure that we will always be around for you too (esp for lots of the goss that u might want to share! :)).

Thanks for being one of our closest friends and for all your hard photo posing for the wedding!
mushiejc (link) - 20 September '04 - 19:28