Best Country Tourism Ad: Don't You Want To Visit Now?

Tourism Australia Ad

I've been to over 26 countries and I've seen a lot of tourism ads inviting people to visit their country. It's a little on the 'It's a small world' side, but very catchy. Don't you want to visit now? Enjoy!

She's Called It

PM Julia Gillard v. Tony Abbott

Labor Leader & Liberal Leader

Not one to ever be a political pundit, I had to comment on the biggest news in Australia. It’s been a short-lived premiership and Australia’s PM of 3 weeks (she assumed office at the end of June 2010) has called an election for August 21st. This is somewhat peculiar to me.

Not quite familiar with the parliamentary system with exception to flashes of Comparative Politics AP (thank you Mr. Greer), I know that the leaders of the two leading federal parties, Labor and Liberal, will be going head to head for the biggest seat in the government.

What I don’t understand is, why now? If you have your cake, why tempt to give it away? The only reason I could find is that the Australian government must have a general election every 3 years when there is a change of power in the parliament. In this case, Gillard, who was never elected, but appointed because former PM Kevin Rudd stepped down, must now have an election for the sake of democracy.

According to weekend polls, this contest is pretty split. 52% of the public favor Labor while 48% favor Liberal. However, the story is different in terms of who the public favors as their PM. 55% of the public favor Labor leader and current PM Julia Gillard against a 32% rating for Liberal leader Tony Abbott. All I know is that whichever side wins the majority, their leader takes the premiership.

Some of the core issues, more like buzz topics, are education, climate change and refugees (or asylum seekers as the media calls them). Julia Gillard tried to persuade East Timor’s president to allow Australia to create a detention center there. Questions loomed of who will pay for it and who will govern it circulated the minds of tax-paying Australians. One town in the state of Victoria wants to house the asylum seekers by creating their own detention center to improve their economy. Does that mean that they intend on giving these people jobs? Without proper citizenship, won’t they be treated like second-class citizens, a form of slave labor? Aside from the circular reasoning, the reason why they want to bring in the asylum seekers is that rural life is hard right now. The news reports that Australia is heading into a 3% budget surplus. Urban areas are doing great, but what about those drought-driven farmers in the rural areas? Employment is high in the urban areas, but extremely low in the rural areas, thus affecting productivity and the economy of the interior. It’s a double-sided coin really. Rural areas are at times even giving favorable treatment to immigrants for farm work allowing for them to earn much more than they would in their home countries, but these farmers are discounting Aussie residents or even Working Holiday Visa holders from the opportunity to earn some cash and extend their visa.

*Working Holiday Visa allows outsiders to work in Australia for a year, but cannot work under one employer for more than 6 months. It is a visa meant for travelers who want to earn more money while they travel. I have said visa, but am seeking permanent residency through company sponsorship.

With this 5 week campaign underway, I watch the news anticipating the next mud-slinging political antic. First on the agenda is each side’s campaign slogan.

Labor: Let’s Move Australia Forward Together

Liberal: Stand Up For Australia

Abbott attacks Gillard for her party's slogan because it infers that Abbott will take Australia backward. Furthermore, he thinks the slogan assumes voters are simple-minded or stupid. Does that mean Abbott thinks the Australian public is a bunch of handicaps?

Despite the accusations, they both know this will be a tough fight. Gillard wants "a robust election campaign" because she believes that "election campaigns should test their leaders." Abbott affirms that he would face a "filthy campaign."

*Quotes in courtesy of the Herald Sun

The Abbott Family Parody
It Compares the Liberal Party to a Creepy Distrustful Family

Kevin O'Lemon Liberal Party Ad

It Compare Former Labor PM to a Lemon

A lot of commercials have shown anti-Abbott infomercials because he apparently cut $1 billion from hospitals and is a "liar" when it comes to work choices or union capabilities. These below-the-belt classless ads are my favorite part of this whole celebration of he-said she-said.

Another hot topic is the rise in income for PMs. What’s interesting is Gillard has yet to comment. I think they’re all filthy rich politicians who want more of our tax money.

*As a non-resident, 29% of my income for my first 6 months goes to the government. Then, I give 15% until I leave.

The deadline to get on the electoral role is 8pm Monday July 19th. Of the 20 million citizens of Australia, 1.4 million aren’t enrolled. This doesn’t leave much time for the last-minute crowd. She calls the election on Saturday and expects 1.4 million people to get on the role by Monday night? Even the electoral commission didn’t get a heads up. At least the U.S. allows its citizens to register up to 20-30 days (dependent on the State) before an election or primary.

On a lighter side, Tony Abbott loves working out and promises to teach surfing lessons. Each has gone all over Australia and kissed hundreds of babies.

Beyond what each party is saying pro their party or anti the opposition, the biggest concern for Australian residents right now is the debate on Sunday July 25th. Apparently, Gillard and Abbott are participating in a public televised debate on the same night and the same time-slot as the Master Chef Australia finale! Media speculation asserts that broadcasters will move the debate one hour earlier to appease the public and capture viewers. What will the public tune to? My money is on higher ratings for the cooking show. Can you believe the power of cooking show?

Master Chef Australia & Pavlova

Since I’m addicted to Bravo’s Top Chef, it was really disheartening to know that I wouldn’t be able to get it in Australia, much less Korea. To replace my hunger for reality TV cooking competitions, I found a suitable replacement; Master Chef Australia.

It is also a reality TV cooking show that has an interesting media formula. Being a communications major, I constantly critique any media I use. Like most reality competitive shows, it has contestants, hosts, and judges. Usually, contestants face off each week during a prime-time slot in 1-2 challenges; one being minor to win an advantage while the other being an elimination challenge. At the end of each week’s show, a contestant is eliminated. The winner at the end wins money and extra promotional prizes. Master Chef Australia takes these concepts and full-out assaults the media landscape.

First of all, it airs 7:30-8:30pm from Sunday to Friday! That’s a show that airs 6 days a week! Each day is a different challenge.

Sunday: Challenge Night. It is a night with two challenges. The first being a Mystery Box of ingredients. Afterwards is the Invention Test where contestants are to prepare a themed dish with a main ingredient chosen by the winner of the Mystery Box challenge. The bottom three competes the following night for elimination.

Monday: Pressure Test. It is where the previous night’s bottom three are to replicate a dish. The worst of the three is eliminated.

Tuesday: Celebrity Chef Challenge. It is where the winner of Sunday’s Invention Test competes against a celebrity chef in the celebrity’s cooking style. The amateur is given a head start. If the contestant scores higher than the celebrity, he or she is given a MC pin that can be used for immunity for future eliminations.

Wednesday: Off-site Challenge. It is where the contestants are split up into two teams having a task, budget, and specific time frame to finish the challenge. The losers face off in an elimination the following night.

Thursday: The bottom two of the losing team during Wednesday night’s challenge cook head-to-head. The loser is eliminated.

Friday: Master Class where the head judges Gary, George, and a celebrity chef teaches the amateurs new techniques. This is a nice end to their schedule because they have gone through the stress of an elimination and can now sit back and watch their heroes showcase their expertise; unlike Top Chef where we NEVER see the judges cook. By demonstrating their own talents, the judges create a sense of audience approval. We know they are good chefs (otherwise they wouldn’t have been asked to judge/host), but now we really know they are good because we see it. Furthermore, they create a sense of community with both the contestants and the audience. The judges are inviting like university professors and the audience and the contestants find that they too can cook like the judges.

They began with 50 then the judges whittled them down to the Top 24 where they face-off in 14 weeks of competition. The winner gets 100,000 AUD and a book deal.

In addition to all the publicity the show has at its coveted time-slot, the show has had developed spin-offs, a magazine, an exclusive Cole’s (biggest grocery store) advertising deal, shout outs from almost every talk show and newspaper, and an enjoyable rising rate of cooking school enrollments. This show has really taken the Australia media universe by storm! Whether I’m walking around Cole’s or glancing at free newspapers on the train, I cannot miss one Master Chef personality dominating the communications mediums across Australia.

I’ve really enjoyed this show a lot especially since I only have 5 free channels and this show airs at the perfect time almost every night. Because I’ve been following these contestants every night, I feel like I’m right with them through the entire process. Furthermore, I feel like I’ve gotten closer to understanding and appreciating Australian characteristics; sense of humor and colloquialisms.

Some words I’ve discovered from hearing them on Master Chef.

Cracker-Really Good
“That dish is a cracker!”

Motor-Move Quicker
“Guys, we have no time. We’ve really got to motor.”

Reckon-Think
“I reckon that dish needs more seasoning.”

Fiddly-Tedious Work
“You hardly see crabs on the menu because they are so hard to clean. Crabs are fiddly.”

Quibble-Complain About
“Judge _______ is the expert. I can’t be one to quibble about it.”

To top off my experience here, I’ve had my first celebrity sighting! She’s not the biggest celebrity, but since she’s on a show that Australia loves that airs 6 days a week, this is pretty exciting. I was walking around Chinatown looking for my first Chinatown meal when I walked into a bakery still looking for Pavlova. Right outside the door, a group of 6 young women were sitting at a long outdoor table at a Chinese restaurant. There, closest to the wall I saw her. Courtney Roulston. She was eliminated and brought back onto Master Chef. I knew this was her, by her hairstyle, face shape, clothing style, and of course her voice! Unmistakable! I kept looking back at her without being too obvious. Tempted to take a picture, I withheld my urge since a) that’s completely inappropriate and b) I don’t know how to turn off the flash on my cell phone. Either way, it’s the final week of the show, and I got to see her out and about in Sydney’s Chinatown enjoying herself looking like any one of us.

Courtney Roulston of Master Chef Australia
Top 6 Contestant

So the Pavlova search…

In the first episode of Master Chef, the top 6 of 50 contestants were chosen to do a Pressure Test. They had to replicate Donna Hay’s (Aussie Martha Stewart) Pavlova. It is a meringue cake with a soft eggy interior and a sugary crust topped with whipped cream and fresh fruits. It named after a ballerina who toured here in the 1920s and is part of the national cuisine often served during the holidays. Since seeing it on the show, Dave and I have been on a hunt for it. Being a national dish, I expected to easily find it. Reading blogs, posts, and classified, we went to bakeries all over town and failed. After seeing Courtney Roulston and having my first Chinatown meal, I desperately wanted some sweets. That Chinese Soy Sauce/MSG really gets me. Across the street from where we ate was a small lowly bakery with two slices of Pavlova in the window! Probably the worst standard of the national dessert (they used canned fruit and it was insanely sweet), I didn’t hesitate to order it. Mission accomplished! Next food adventure…kangaroo!

Pavlova

Merengue Eggy Cake

Enjoying a Large Slice of Pavlova in China Town, Sydney

I Won Da Money!

FIFA Fan Fest

Darling Harbour, Sydney

I'm so lucky that I arrived in Sydney to catch the rest of the World Cup group games.  Arriving on June 16th, I was just in time for the big group match between South Korea and Argentina.  Even more lucky, FIFA decided to place Sydney as one of six places in the world to hold their FIFA Fan Fest.  Chosen for its cultural diversity, beautiful harbour backdrop, and accessibility, Darling Harbour is the perfect spot to gather 30,000 people to enjoy every game at all hours since Sydney is eight hours ahead.  Although I have had to watch more games at midnight or at 4:30am, it was been such an experience to be in another country that is also participating in the games.

 

FIFA Fan Fest Decor

Giant Blow Up Soccer Ball & Big Screen

On our second night in Sydney, we trekked down from Balmain across the harbour to the FIFA Fan Fest for the 9:30pm South Korea match against Argentina.  I knew Sydney was a diverse city, but I had no idea that there were so many Koreans living here.  I felt like I was back in Seoul cheering with the Red Devils since I saw so many Korea flags waving and lit-up red horns in the streets.  I passed by flag vendors and yelled "대한민국!" (dae han min guk), which means Republic of Korea.  It is part of Korea's chant during sporting events.  They responded back with the same chant.  I was right at home.

한국 파이팅  (Han Guk Hwaiting!) or Korea Fighting!

The Red Devils Cheering on Korea against Argentina

Although South Korea lost, it was such a familial feeling to be surrounded by Koreans cheering on their team.  I wished I was wearing the red horns and the flag around my neck.  I at least wanted one of the 한국 파이팅 (Han Guk Hwaiting!) or Korea Fighting! t-shirts.  Although I'm not Korean in face, I'll always be Korean by stomach.  I'm so glad that I'll find plenty of Korean food here!

FYI: there is no "F" in the Korean language.  It is replaced by "Hwa".  So when referring to fried chicken in Konglish, it is really hwaried chicken.  On a side note, since Dave and I have been here, our friends back in Korea have been Facebook cheering for us typing, "Hwaiting Shave!"

My Winning Ticket

12-1 Odds for Netherlands Winning 2-1

With the coldest Winter Sydney's faced in 60 years, Dave and I have opted out of watching the games at Darling Harbour.  Now that we live so close to King's Cross, Sydney's party hot-spot, we have been watching the games at Dragon Lounge, a 5 minute walk from our apartment.  This place has huge screens and $5 pints of Tooheys, Australia's Budweiser.  We've been getting there an hour early to secure front row center seats.  But before the game starts, we'll go over to TAB or totalisator agency board.  It is a place that broadcasts horse races primarily, but takes wagers from the public on almost any sports event.  When you walk in there are touch screens displaying the sporting events.  In my case, I clicked World Cup and then Netherlands v. Brazil.  You can bet on a win, loss, or draw.  You can also bet on final scores within regulation time.  You can even bet who will be ahead at the half and who will win at the end of regulation.  Each of these instances are backed with odds and winning payouts.  It cost only $5 too.  Dave wagered that Netherlands would draw with Brazil and his odds were 3.5 to 1.  With his $5, he could have won 3.5 x 5 = $17.50.  I felt a little more assured in the Dutch so I wagered them winning 2-1 with a 12 to 1 odds.  With my $5, I ended up winning 12 x 5 = $60!

*The blog title is a movie quote from one of my favorite movies Vegas Vacation.  Chevy Chase and his family the Griswalds meet an old man who has been playing Keno everyday and is sad that he doesn't have a family like his to share his winnings.  He plays dead and drops the winning ticket, and Chevy Chase, who lost all of his family's savings, ponders whether to pick it up or not. 

 

Finding Out I Won (Night)

& Collecting My Winnings (Day)

So excited with winning (since I never win at anything ever), I took pictures after the game at 2am and pictures before collecting the $60.  That day, Dave and I ate out twice!  This is very big for us since we are unemployed and have to watch our food budget.  That day we ate at a restaurant for the first time since arriving in Sydney at a delicious Mexican food casual restaurant called Mad Mex.

FIFA Fan Fest During the Day

Darling Harbour, Sydney

 

FIFA Fan Fest

The Entrance & Mini-Soccer Game

With only four games left, I'm sad to see the World Cup go by so quickly.  As stated in previous posts, I love soccer and very much look forward to this event that only happens every four years.  The next World Cup will be in Rio de Janeiro 2014.  Fingers crossed for my myself and my blog to experience it first-hand there!

Kangaroo Crossing

Kangaroo Crossing Sign

I love how these really exist on roads here.

After 21 hours of traveling, I arrived in Sydney, Australia on June 16th. With $500 AUD in my pocket, I picked up my luggage and took a WELCOME photo at the Sydney Airport only to be accosted with a smile by security. “No pictures.” I’ve yet to read the Aussie tone. They sound so friendly, but could it be condescending too? Let’s go with friendly. Seeing the Australian basketball team leave the airport (not as cute as the Rugby team I just saw on Sex and the City 2), I wondered how Dave and I would get to Balmain Backpackers.

Welcome to Sydney
Sydney, Australia Airport

Back at Incheon Airport in Seoul 21 hours ago, Dave and I came to our first road block. At the check-in counter, China Air gave us our first reality check. Each passenger is only allowed 20 kg. Dave and I had 50 kg each! We figured that by North American standards, each passenger was allowed two 50 lb bags and that if we were over, we’d pay the excess. Researching beforehand, Air China claimed that 1 kg would cost 1.5% of the highest priced economy one-way ticket. At the airport, that figure turned out to be 1 kg for 32,000 won. We set aside a lot of t-shirts, old shoes, all my DVDs I bought at Yongsan, and most dear to my heart-- my backpacking backpack.  Starting at 900,000 won in excess baggage fees, we shaved off 10 kg, therefore spending 650,000 won. Ouch.

 

Our Lives in 8 Pieces of Luggage
2 Duffles + 2 Suitcases + 2 Backpacks + 2 Laptop Bags

This is what happens when you move away. It’s a life cleanse. We literally threw out the “trash” to make room for our new lives in Sydney. With our massive bags, we opted for a taxi to our hostel. It cost $55 including “tolls”. The hostel manager told us we were ripped off since there is no such thing as paying “tolls” and that we should have only paid around $30. Great. Aren’t first-impressions everything? Despite this let-down, our spirits weren’t crushed. We set-off for the city to see Visa First, the company that handled our visas. Immediately, they set us out to take care of our bank accounts and cell phones *excuse me, mobiles. Although we paid Visa First a lot of money ($440), they really made our transition into Australia painless. We had our Working Holiday Visas, tax file numbers, bank accounts with ANZ, and sim cards with Vodaphone.

Our spirits were later crushed when we returned from the city to finally move into our 4-person dorm. It was a converted room with gypsum board as a wall. It smelled of cannabis and dirty socks and our two roommates had claimed the bottom bunks since October 2009. Always ones to look on the bright side, we repeated meditations of “This is only for a little while.” We stayed only 3 nights.

We moved to Maze Backpackers right in the Sydney CBD. More expensive ($350) than the $280/week spent at Balmain Backpackers, we at least had our own room and a clean kitchen. For 6 days, we ate nothing but pasta or ramen. We didn’t know how long we’d be unemployed or homeless. During those 6 days we frantically searched for apartments and jobs. We were impeded by lack of internet at our hostel. City wireless is $1/15 minutes or $10/day! We would go to Visa First, but then our backs would get stiff sitting on stools. We would go to Gloria Jeans or McDonalds but the connection was spotty. Finally, I found the city library with free connection. During those 6 days we visited 15 properties between 5 and 15 km away from the CBD—mostly walking. These places varied from shared student housing to studio apartments. In Sydney, rent is per week. At first we wanted to pay less than $250 per week. Those places included either very grungy rooms living with other university students or very lavish serviced apartments where 16 people would live sardine-style in two rooms. The Sydney rental market was not what we expected. We upped our maximum to $300/week. We found a completely different realm of properties. We saw cute studios fully furnished in better areas closer to the CBD. We had a hit-and-miss when we found a studio in Paddington with a gorgeous view of the bay. The owner dismissed us even when we even offered our passport photos, bank statements, and resumes after she got an offer for $310/week. We finally got our studio when we went to one last inspection on the eighth day of living in Sydney. Already broken and tired, we walked completely across town to see this last inspection. We walked to the quaint neighborhood of Darlinghurst with only 10 minutes to spare. Scared of my laundry list of inspections on Saturday that would have us running together or separately to overlapping 30 min time-slots all over town, we were really hoping this would be our last inspection. We saw a very modern studio apartment with a queen sized bed, night stands, desk, armoire, and mini fridge and were sold. The next day, we walked over 15 km to and from the realtor’s office, the hostel, and the post office to hand off resumes, visa proof, drivers’ licenses, passports, and money orders for the deposit and rent.

First Apartment Together

Top Left Window, Victoria Street, Darlinghurst

Luckily, we were approved and we moved in the next day. That night we celebrated by cooking our first meal, that was not pasta or ramen; lamb chops, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots with steamed jasmine rice. We joked about buying a bottle of wine each dancing naked around the apartment, but we decided to save that for the day we get jobs.

First Home-Cooked Meal
Steamed Rice & Veggies with Lamb Chops

During this whole housing ordeal, we applied applied applied with Seek and other job boards. It’s been two weeks now and Dave finally got an offer to do a 1 month contract of data entry and I have two PR internship interviews tomorrow. They say Patience is a Virtue. This mantra has been one of the most challenging for us so far. I’ve been rejected or ignored more times than I’d like to see on my Gmail account. Dave and I have had more reality checks than we’ve experienced in our relationship. And I’ve never worried about my financial future as much as now. Nevertheless, I’m very happy with this move and wouldn’t change anything at all.

Home Sweet Home

Sydney Opera House