Sydney!!

 I finally arrived back in Sydney. Through a friend, I found a place to sublet for two weeks while I looked for a flat of my own for the duration of my stay. Holy cow did I luck out. The apartment was one floor below the penthouse of a building in Kiribilli and it overlooked Sydney Harbour. I had a glimpse of Sydney Harbour from the train when I stashed my luggage before I went to Perth. However, waking up to a view of the bridge and opera house every day for two week was a real treat. The only sad thing is I won't be here to watch the New Years fireworks, which are suppose to be amazing.

 Because of the high cost of living in Sydney (it seems to be on par or even higher than Manhattan, but I don't have any statistics for that), many people rent out rooms. While looking for a place to stay, I quickly realized that my original plan of finding a furnished studio (1 1/2 for you Montreal folks) was not going to happen, and that I was going to have a flatmate or two or three. It was interesting meeting the various people and seeing the various areas. I had picked some neighbourhoods, but it was suggested I increase my search area, and I did.

 I saw everything from places that were basically a glorified dormitory (they said if I liked Korean food, which I do, they would even feed me) to some real dumps. I did find a place in an area that is close to uni, and I have great flat mates, so I couldn't be happier. However, it is quite a process, and makes me appreciate the relatively low cost of living in Montreal and having a place that is just my partner and me.