The heat from the Australian sun starts to penetrate through my window as I look through it, watching the coconut and pine trees sway. That's the beauty of Sydney -- you get the best (and worst) of the tropical and temperate environments.

I've been here almost two weeks now, and each day makes me fall more and more in love with this city. How long I'll be on this high, I don't know, but I'd really rather enjoy it than bother with how long it's going to last. It's the little things that I love about living that are so amplified by the culture of this city. Sure, commercialism has a lot to do with it, but who really cares about that, as long as the commercialism itself doesn't start taking over your life? I suppose they become the perfect accessories to the beauty of the city. So perfect that they are able to make moments priceless. I'm probably starting to sound incredibly cheesy, but then what's being in love without the cheese?

Top 5 moments of the fortnight:
1. Having (too much) gelato with Pam nearing midnight by the Circular Quay.
2. Having yogurt and berry gelato in a quiet street on a lazy Sunday.
3. Nearly falling asleep on Manly beach whilst basking in the sun.
4. Small talk with the cashier in Woolys, Potts Point:
"Tired? Filipino?"
"Uhm... Both?"
5. Finding the words "just magic" carved into my popsicle stick while sitting by the Opera House steps.

I was thinking about giving this whole blog up (again) because I can't seem to get myself to update as much as my experiences would like to. But as I was telling Choy about my soap obsession, I thought I'd write up an entry about the different smells I have come to love in Sydney.

1. Radiant AquaSave laundry detergent
I opened up a couple of jugs of laundry detergent (liquid over powder) at Coles and none of their scents grabbed me much like Radiant did. And it wasn't because it's an environmentally soap -- biodegradable and phosphate free, designed for fast wash cycles. It just smells like a burst of ocean freshness and freon all in one attractive red bottle.

2. Radox Antibacterial Thyme and Tea Tree Oil hand soap
I found this stuff in my cousins' flat and was immediately drawn to it. It reminded me of the time I used tea tree oil to zap my zits in high school, and how its scent slowly grew on me. I soon realised that tea tree oil kind of smells like an old lady, but whatever, it smells comforting and clean.

3. incoming trains
There is a breeze that flows through each platform a few seconds before the train comes. This breeze is accompanied by a distinctive scent. I can't quite describe it, but it smells like something familiar yet foreign; something clean yet worn out.

4. chlorine in the circular fountain on Potts Point
Chlorine just smells so warm and inviting. Mix that with a beautiful fountain and you've got perfection!



...to be continued

It's barely been 36 hours since I've arrived in Sydney and I already feel like I've eased into the rhythm of everyday life. I realised this as I was walking back to my cousins' apartment after buying my first batch of fruits -- Valencia oranges and green grapes. That brought me to the most amusing and comforting little fact that I, like my mother, take comfort in fruits. It sounds like the most uninteresting thing in the world, but really, I think my person is so enamoured by fruits that my possession of it can make the world seem like a better place.

After Mom, Andie and I went out to run some errands (which of course always includes buying more fruits) last week, Mom and I just sat on the couch admiring the fruits we had bought and arranged on our kitchen counter. We really are fruit-freaks. Andie's become our latest recruit. She'd always pull me to the fridge just so I could get her a bowlful of grapes.

Although I don't really have anyone to share my passion for fruits with here in the southern hemisphere, the thought that the rest of my family is probably enjoying the same thing I am makes me feel right at home here in Sydney.