Where I live

I've been blogging for a while now, and I haven't told you where in Sydney, Australia I currently reside. I often thought of my hometown as boring, because I've grown accustomed to my area. It was only recently that a friend of mine pointed out that those who aren't locals are fascinated by the place I live in.

So, I live in a place where one street shall be considered the equivalent to the CBD. In that 200 metre strip, you'll find there's a recurring pattern which starts out like this:

1. A restaurant which mainly sells this:


2. This:

I never understood why there were seven pharmacies alone in this street. But, if I do get sick, I know there's a prescription drug out there to suit my needs.

Lastly, this:

Bit like the ubiquitous amounts of pharmacies in my area, it's the same with mobile phones. It's great that I could select a wide range of mobile phones with brilliant deals.

However, where I live, it's far from the university I currently attend. Some days, I'll have to get up at 5.30 am, just to make to my 8 am lecture on time. It seems anywhere else in Sydney would be closer to my university.

But then, I think of all things I'll miss. The 6 am ritual of purchasing freshly baked bread rolls filled with pork and salad just makes my mouth water.

You will see old women who make Vietnamese desserts, cured pork from home and selling various Asian herbs and spices on the streets during the weekend. At times, I'll strike up a conversation with some of them - but it abruptly ends as they pack their goods in the trolley and sprint away whenever an approaching Council Officer comes along.

Speaking of food, did I mention how I live in a place that's well-known for Asian food? How could I leave the delicious food from around the world which is literally outside my door step?

Then there's this homeless guy that sits at the train station. His black eyes squinting through his square spectacles, mangled jet black hair and a long beard with patches of grey. His skin is dark and uneven. Last year, I gave him some sandwiches. When I turned around, he gave the sandwiches to another homeless lady, then scavenged the bin to find left over Vietnamese rice paper rolls.

You can get sweeped up with the local drama of my hometown - which restaurant makes the best crispy skin chicken, to whose child has graduated from medicine, whose child is now opening up another pharmacy, to other important issues such as who's gain weight, who's lost weight, who's gotten a divorce and most of all, who went overseas recently to get plastic surgery.

I found it hard to describe my hometown in words, but it is a town with it's own quirks. And in the words of Kenneth Slessor, "You find this ugly, I find this lovely."

Happy reading!
5ft0