Saturday 6th of December

Hey! I am currently typing this, at my new place of residence. Let me tell you the tale of how I came to be in this strange and magical place, a wondrous place...
It started on Thursday, a worrying day to be sure. For days before that, Tom had been starting to voice his concern over his near lack of residence to his old roommate, Melano, who was giving unhelpful advice like "You should have been doing this weeks ago."
Tom realised the blessing of hindsight, but this didn't aquire him a place to stay.
He told his boss at work of his plight, and the kind man let Tom have the fateful Thursday morning off, to look at a few houses he'd found on the internet. Tom was particularly hopeful of one place, which had three other people sharing the house, but a room to himself had been advertised.
On the morning of Thursday, Tom awoke early, using all three of his alarms. He quickly dressed, and ran out of his hostel, The Jolly Swagman, his home for the last eight weeks. He realised just how nice it was, once he was being ejected from it.
Visiting a house in the middle of the city, Tom inwardly chokes when being told the bond is $1000, and then rent each week is $300. He doesn't expect to pay that much, not when he still draws breath.
He leaves that rundown house, and sprints across the city to another possible place. This one is a whole apartment for $300 per week, and as the house Tom had just visited was shared by around five others and Tom had to share a room, this next place seemed amazing. An apartment to himself, overlooking the harbour and containing a pool and a gym. The couple who lived there were going on holiday for three weeks, and were renting out the place while they were gone. Tom was planning on booking into a hostel or motel in advance, once he'd settled into this apartment.
However, as Tom was running to the possible apartment, he was phoning the woman who lived there, as he'd written down the exact address at work and hadn't brought it home. But the woman never picked up! In desperation, Tom phoned a friend who was at work, and asked for the address. He got it! Rushing to the tower block, still phoning the lady, he was greeted by a porter who was friendly, but couldn't help our hero. Tom was left standing in the street until 15 minutes had passed since he was supposed to have been looking around the apartment. He was crushed. He needed a place to live, and chances of finding a place now were slim. He didn't want to have to pay $1000.
Spotting a convenience store on the corner of the road, with internet inside, he went in, glancing at the time. He was allowed until about 12 noon, then he had to start going to work.
Tom went on the computer, and went on Gumtree, a renowned site for apartments and rooms to share. Finding anything under $180 and fairly nearby would be perfect, he thought to himself.
Phoning up mobile numbers on possible places, Tom once again loses the flicker of hope that swells whenever a good find appears. In the end, at 12.30, he gives up. The best place so far has been a room to share, living in a house with five Thai people. Tom could only just understand the address he was given. Walking to the bus stop, and climbing on the bus, he collapsed onto a seat, wondering what he was going to do.
Sleep in a fire escape? Crash at friends places, until his wanderings led to a place?
A single tear escaped his eye. He was getting scared.
Jerking in his seat, Tom reached for his phone, which was vibrating in his pocket. An unknown number was on the screen.
"Hello?"
The responding voice was female, middle aged and asian. It told our friend that her name was Cook, and she was ringing him because he rang her about half an hour before. Tom explained that he had seen a place to rent, and she replied that she was indeed renting out a room, for $180, and it was available immediately.
"Available immediately?" Those words flashed in his vision.
Tom told her that he would be there tonight, after work, and thanked her immensely. She laughed, saying it was no problem, and that she would wait up for him.

Well readers, that's how I came to be here. I paid on the night, and moved in yesterday. I have a room to myself, with a surprisingly comfortable bed. The people here are quiet, like the neighbourhood, and it's a twenty minute bus ride into the city.
There are a few niggles. Things keep breaking, like the blinds, and the cockroach density mass is higher than the human mass. But I'm only here for nights, I'm working hard still. Just came home from my Saturday shift, even staying on an hour longer that was originally asked for. I can still see my friends at the hostel, I'm even going out tonight. And also, Coogee Beach (one of the best, apparently) is about twenty minutes away walking. I saw it on Google Maps, it seems to have nice cliffs, so I might go for a run tomorrow.


I can't think of much else to say. I think I'm losing a bit of weight, because I don't have the energy to cook when I get home, I just buy sushi on the trip back, or have nothing. But at work, Mcdonalds and fish and chips are a regular lunch and breakfast, so I need to burn that off. I hate eating it, but at work I'm always famished.

Starting to miss people now. I don't miss England, I don't want to come back yet, but I would love to see everyone. Friends and family. Oh well, facebook and Skype can settle that, slightly.
Well dear listeners, for fear of boring you I shall depart. All the best.
"Fear can hold you prisoner.
Hope can set you free."
(Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption)


Hey hey guys and dolls, hope you are all hunky dorey, funky as a monkey...
Today is Tuesday, it's about 11.45. I bought an external harddrive, and it arrived today, so I'm moving pretty much everything off my laptop onto the external. Hopefully will speed up the laptop. Turns out when you copy films from Blockbuster, there's a limit as to how many films, haha.
Anywho...
The house is now much nicer than it was when I arrived. I've settled in a bit, I've met the couple who rent the other room, a really nice Irish pair who are very friendly and good company. And the woman who owns the house, Cook, actually gave me dinner tonight, calamari and octopus in a spicy chinese sauce. So yeah, this place is growing on me. All I need is a fan for my room, and it'd be awesome.
Work is calming down now. Apparently tomorrow is going to be the last twelve hour shift, so if I'm lucky I may be able to reclaim the remnants of my social life. Only kidding, last Saturday I went out with loads of hostel chums, crashing the night at their place. The worst thing about my location is that buses don't run that late into the night, so if I go out with mates, it's either not for long or an all nighter. Nevermind...
Remember I mentioned buying a journal to write my thoughts in? Either I havn't had time, or my thoughts haven't been so melancholy lately, but I have yet to write in that book. That could be a good sign, I think.
Ah yes, possible news. There are some mountains outside the city, called The Blue Mountains. I am planning a trip, an excursion, hopefully some weekend. I will buy a second hand rucksack, a second hand tent, a knife and other essentials, get a train to near the bottom of the mountains and then walk up, taking however long it takes to get up there. Duke of Edinburgh award should come in handy here. I need to do something, I've been cooped up at work for too long, and this energy has been lying dormant, waiting for an outlet. So that is my plan.
I will try to stay off the main trails wherever possible, and will stay out of campsites unless unavoidable.
I hope the view at the top is worth it, I've been told it is.
So in the next few weeks, or maybe after Christmas when work slows down/stops, this might happen. I still need to see Emma, a friend of my mums. I tried seeing her ages ago but it didn't work out. Her place is further away than I thought, and not too easy to get to. I'll try phoning her soon, I'd like to see them before Christmas. Annoyed at myself for having let it take this long.
Starting to miss a few people. Not horrendously, but every now and then something pops up to remind me of someone.
I think I've run out of news. Nothing new is really happening lately.
Speak soon friends.

"I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return. In fact I mean not to."
(Bilbo Baggins, Lord Of The Rings)