Yellow Unicorn

After work today I stayed longer to chat and have a drink as our last few customers left and the boys closed up the bar. As I always drink gin and tonic, I decided to mix it up a bit and asked them to make me something more fun. When they suggested a 'Green Dragon' cocktail, Sean's speciality, I turned it down as I knew it had absinthe in it, and so instead they made me a 'Yellow Unicorn'. (Turns out it's a totally made up cocktail (I googled it later) as it's just a Green Dragon with some kinda yellowness to it.... yeah, as you can see, I don't really know what I was drinking.) So, they placed this strange yellow absinthe cocktail in front of me and then proceeded to hollow out a lime, fill the hull with brandy and then set it alight and float it in my drink. The result was this....

Sorry that you can't really see.... twas dark

It had about six different types of alcohol in it and no mixer.... but scarily enough it tasted pretty good!

Maybe I do like absinthe after all!?

B

Internship

I started my Internship at The Brag Magazine today. I had to be in the office at 9.30am this morning and so hopped on a bus just after 9 feeling pretty tired as I'd only had a few hours sleep after going out with Goose and her cousin Marina last night. We ended up in a really cool place called Frankie's - I'll blog about it properly another time. It's been bloody boiling today - 31 degrees! - and so I was just in shorts and a loose top and on the bus I suddenly panicked and started to seriously hope that they weren't expecting me to turn up looking smart. (They didn't, thank god). 

The office is in Surry Hills which is a really cool area of Sydney in the West. Everyone there is super trendy and 'hipster' (as they say out here) and there are tonnes of artsy things going on. Above and below our office there is a recording studio, and just round the corner are loads of cafes galleries and stuff. 

Chris and Lisa, who're the Editor and Arts Editor, are really nice and chilled out and took me through what I'd be doing and how everything works. When I got there, Chris had just got off the phone to the Arctic Monkeys or something... as you do. Basically, what I'm going to be doing is updating the Gig Guide list for the website and writing some reviews of albums and events that are coming up/have happened for the magazine. Very simple stuff but still pretty fun and good experience. My hours will be 10am - 5pm every Tuesday which is nice and easy. I basically just sit in the office at a computer all day and occasionally will run errands and stuff. I'll keep y'all updated if I end up doing anything big for the magazine, like a feature or something, and you can all write in and tell them how fantastic it is. Obviously....

They've not been in this office long and so are still settling in - hence the taped on door sign. I think they did that for me so that I could find them easily... bless. The office is very simple but had everything you need and it jam packed with photographs, CDs, vinyls, massive posters, editorial drafts etc.

A candid shot of the editorial wall

Print screen of the website

I took my lunchbreak at 1ish and Lisa gave me directions to an amazing little deli sandwich shop. It's obvious pretty popular because when I got there, there was a huge queue of people but everyone was just standing chatting in the sun and looking cool and artsy.

Not a very good example of the trendy people, sorry, but I felt too embarrassed to take photos of them so Mr Purpleshirt and Mr Pinkshirt had to do. Plus the flowers look pweetyyyy.

Way too much choice... it was stressful.

The most delicious toasted halloumi sandwich in the whole world. Good choice by me. Well done.

There are loads of cool bars and boutique-y shops around here so I'm going to come and have a hunt about another day. Plus, once I invest in a camera I'll come just to wander about and take photographs, I don't know what it is about Surry Hills, but it's just so damn good looking in such a quirky way.

Anyway, I have a tonne of work to do for tomorrow and I have a Music listening exam and a Spanish grammar exam... AND an assignment due in. Brill. Best get down to it....

B

Off To The Races

Harry (the same fella from this post) took Goose and I to the races yesterday. He works for Coolmore in the Hunter Valley and can get free badges for the members enclosure, and so invited us along. We snapped up the offer as soon as he asked and I asked for the day off work and Goose and I donned our best fancy dresses and headed out for a day at the races!

Royal Randwick Racecourse is just next to my halls, but sadly the entrance nearest to us wasn't the members one and so we had to trek all the way round to the other side. It was boiling already by 12pm and we eventually gave in and took our heels off as it was far too hot and slummed it in bare feet when we couldn't be seen by anyone. Not the most glamorous start to the day....

Stopping for a photo opportunity of the racecourse on our way

When we finally got to the gate we scrambled back into our heels and called Harry to come and meet us with our passes. Here he is looking very important...

Once we got in he took us straight to the members enclosure where we met his cousin, Lucy, and her two friends, who he'd also got passes for. We bought some drinks and sat with them in a nice bit of shade for a while. It was unbelievably hot and everyone was in such a good mood, drinking and chatting and enjoying being so close to the action. Harry tried to explain some stuff about racing, but we were more concerned with people watching and revelling in the  novelty of being somewhere so posh!

Harry being loud and important

Harry and Bean at the races

Hedging our bets... I'm obviously not convinced yet

The members enclosure was amazing because it was right in front of the finish line and we could see all the action on the big screen. Plus it was so close to the bar behind us and the fence where you could watch all the horses parade by was just 50m in front of us - ideal location due to requirement of minimal walking in heels.

The finish line is where the two Rs meet in the middle

The stand behind us with all the bars, betting stands and boxes

I introduced Harry to a friend I met when I went out to dinner the other night who's heavily involved in racing. He was with two friends as well, and one of them's dad used to manage Coolmore! Whatta the chances. I think Harry enjoyed having some proper men to talk some serious race talk with...

Our VIP passes

Fed up of being papped by Goose

Later on we followed Harry up millions of escalators to the members box at the top where we could watch the races from some proper seats. We met loads of his friends from Coolmore and stayed up there for a while, soaking up more posh vibes. The views from up there were amazing, out back was an incredible view of the city in the distance, and then out front we could see right across the whole racecourse and over to UNSW.

Harry's a wee bit sunburnt...

When we went back down, Goose and I decided it was about time to finally place a bet, and so we each put a fiver on the No. 11 horse called 'Hawkspur' in Race 6. We didn't really have a clue who to choose so Harry gave us a little tip to pick that one as he had a hunch it would do well. We watched the race and at first, No. 11 was coming nearly last, however Harry's hunch was right and in the last 200m he suddenly zoomed forward to the front and promptly won! Goose and I were OVER THE MOON and it completely made our day to win $60 on the only race we bet on! Harry saw our faces and quickly reminded us that this was how gambling addictions began... us? Gamblers? Never...

Our winning ticket covering in excited-wine-spillage

Perhaps a bit drunk....

By the betting stands

Collecting our winnings!

We hung around for a few more drinks, and then after the last race finished we left with the crowds and ambled back through the streets with everyone else back home. Lots of people stopped off in various pubs and bars but Goose and I headed back to halls to grab something to eat and have a little nap before we all headed out into town later. 

End of the day

We had such a fun day and it was all for free! Still can't believe we actually won on that race haha. Harry's going to be up at Randwick quite often now as the Summer racing season has started and so this will probably become quite a regular thing. Better buy some more nice dresses!

B