"I made friends with corn cobs when I was little, true story!"

...I said to defend myself to one of the Wolverine producers when he teased me for naming all the animals I meet. Lemme back up...

Monday equalled my last full day in Sydney and since I'd finished my script the morning before-- oh, sidebar please...

I FINISHED MY SCRIPT TWO DAYS EARLY. THAT HAPPENED. IT'S AMAZING, I'M SO SUPER HAPPY AND PROUD OF MYSELF FOR ACCOMPLISHING MY GOAL AND IT FEELS FUCKING INCREDIBLE!!! End sidebar.

I decided to treat myself to a day off from writing and just do exactly what I wanted to do. Today, that was play with koalas and kangaroos and then visit Stella at set and watch Jim work.

Jen turned me on to this Wildlife Park in nearby Featherdale-- okay after collective 2 trains, 2 buses, and 3 hours travel, not so nearby. But these guys were totally worth it.

 

What I learned:
-Koalas stink.
-Koalas are mean.
-Koalas are stoned all the time from the eucalyptus they eat.
-Dingos are dogs?? I thought they were these big weird monster animals. They're not though, they're really cute.
-Bats swivel around by their little feet when they're hanging upside down. It's genius.
-Older Japanese ladies FREAK OUT over koalas.

That's it. That's all I learned. I didn't read any of the placards except for the Dingo one.

My visit to set was magic, as always. This is The Best Set I've ever been on- from the crew to the cast to the producers and Jim, everyone involved could not have been more generous or welcoming. I know I've said it before and I can't say it enough- I love this set. And, of course, NBFFHJ couldn't be a better human being. To get to spend the afternoon watching what I love surrounded by the nicest people I've met was the perfect way to end my gorgeous trip.  

gettin' artsy on the train

this bus station is so far away from Sydney

huge bats = flying foxes = total badass

Peanut and his underbite

 

sorry, can't think of a good caption for this kangaroo because my heart just exploded from awesome

dingos are dogs?! who knew??

Hal is even cute when he's ignoring me

"Anxiety attack. No beach today-"

...is what I texted Stella mid-morning.
 
Rather than go through with some big awesome plans I had for an all day beach hike in Manly, I got side barred by an unexpected anxiety attack brought upon by the realization that I still have no place to live when I get to NYC in less than 3 weeks. That slightly stressful thought broke the seal to all other stressful thoughts that have ever existed and it was downhill from there. When the thought of a nature hike makes you anxious it's time to stay home- so I did.

(Years ago, my step-mom introduced me to the concept, "Where ever you go, there you are." The idea annoyed me then at 21, so you can imagine how I feel about it now.)

The relief I felt at staying home was so great, I began to reevaluate how I was "enjoying" my vacation. I had been adamant with myself about making this a "working vacation", meaning I would spend half the day writing and have the other half off to explore Sydney, be a tourist, whatever, etc. What I was finding, however, was vacationing was starting to feel like work, too. The pressure to see and do was outweighing the desire to see and do, especially since I've become so hyper-aware of how much time I have here before I leave for Melbourne, how much time I have in Melbourne, and how much time I have in Sydney once I'm back from Melbourne.

It's too much thinking. I'm done thinking. (I'm gonna try to be done. For little moments here and there I can definitely try to be done... Okay, I'll try to try.)

After my writing was done for the day, I took the opportunity to pay another visit to The Wolverine set and watch Jim work. (Swoon, movie-making, swoon...) I got the added bonus of getting to chat with Hugh Jackman once again and realizing he's not only the nicest actor I've ever met, but likely one of the nicest people ever to walk the earth. Ever. (He offered me his home in Melbourne for my trip! Then he remembered it was occupied, but MY GOD. I'd only known him a collective 10 minutes. Nice, nice, nice, nice, nice... I love him. )

The rest of my visit to set can be summed up in a few simple pictures...

 

"Only the crap ones had their shirts off..."

...said one of the girls on set to explain why she hadn't joined us to watch the crew guys play lunch-rugby. But I'll back up...

Today I righted yesterdays wrongs by waking up early, kickboxing and getting all my days writing done by lunchtime. Stella arranged to have a driver come pick me up at home to bring me to set for lunch (free! catering! yay!).

Any of my friends who have visited me on set will agree- I hate set visits in general. How do they know? Because I complain about it loudly and constantly. Taking care of a set visitor is the worst thing ever. Second worse is being the visitor- Its like going to your dad's job and sitting in the corner. I never visit anyone else's set unless I have a bunch of friends on the crew and it coincides with lunch because, honestly, there is just nothing to do at someone else's job.

I got to Stella's set (or as its known on IMDB, "The Wolverine") a little more than an hour before lunch. Of course, everyone was busy working. I chatted about horror movies with my new best friend Hugh Jackman (nbd) and watched them shoot til lunch. I have to admit, though I've been off and on sets for the last 12 years, I've rarely had the opportunity to just watch and listen to the director direct, and damn- it was cool.
It was better than cool.

It's easy to get jaded or bored or both about moviemaking (or life...?) if you're not doing what you want to be doing in them. If you don't have a passion for the role you play, it becomes like any other job you do to pay the bills- something you tolerate at its best and dread at its worst.

This set visit was supposed to be the highlight of my day because of the free hot lunch and Stella of it all. I wasn't in the least prepared to have my passion for moviemaking reignited by Jim Mangold or "The Wolverine" of all things, but... that's what happened. These last few years of details, minutia and coffee dissolved and I felt new again. I feel new again...

 lovvvvvve this...
at Fox Studios, a little hint of Baz

i...

love...

I was actually disappointed to break for lunch (that's when you know it's serious), but break we did. After eating like a lumberjack, I followed Stella and Jen to the field to watch the boys play rugby for the rest of the lunch break. I love boys. I love boys playing sports. I love boys playing sports with their shirts off. It was a good afternoon.

rugby.

I decided to hit the Sydney Opera House on my way home (NOT anywhere near on my way home as it turns out) because I'd taken the last couple days off from sightseeing, and was starting to stress. Why stress? All dumb reasons, the main of which being my name is Bianca and that's what I do.

Bus shenanigans to the tune of right bus, wrong direction, right direction, wrong bus landed me still in the general area and I found my way to the Opera House. NOT before I bought and ate another candy bar straight out of the wrapper like a Garbage Pail Kid.

"a unique combination of peanuts,
wafer, caramel & rice crips
covered in milk chocolate"

I have this thing about how I eat a candy bar - its my thing and probably no one else's. I hate eating candy bars straight out of the wrapper like they want you to. Commercials with kids taking a huge smiley bite off the end of a partially wrapped candy bar screams white trash to me. Still, that is what I did today. And I grossed myself out.

"Then why did you do it, you weirdo?" the world asks. Self-sabotage is the best answer I can come up with- that, and the candy bar was unruly enough as I walked that I couldn't dismember it with my germ-covered hands like I like to.

Sydney Opera House is party central

Anyway, I'd heard raves and gushing about Sydney Opera House from every book I've seen, website I've visited, etc, etc. To say my expectations were high was putting it mildly. The Opera House was definitely impressive, but I think the scene surrounding it was more of the charm than I'd anticipated. I hit the Opera House for sunset and there were throngs of people there for after-work/pre-dinner drinks. Though the Opera House is definitely a city highlight, I could see by the crowd that it wasn't just for tourists. I love when locals appreciate a city gem as much as the guide books want the tourists to.

i bet they have the machine from 'Big' here

Another highlight? A cool, creeeeeeepy looking amusement park at the far end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge across the water. I will find it, and I will go there. (I think it's Luna Park after doing a bit of research.)

I saw a sign for the Royal Botanical Gardens and decided to check them out, even though it was officially dark at this point. I learned a garden at night is less impressive than a garden during the day.

Maybe its because I was on set today or maybe I was inspired by Sydney's dark cinematic qualities, but the wind was blowing my hair just right and the streets had the perfect lighting for me to go noir and play "THEY'RE RIGHT BEHIND YOU" all the way home. I made the 20 minute walk back to Stella's in heart-thumping 15 minutes. God, I love that game.



Sydney Harbour Bridge  (see the amusement park??)



Sydney Opera House close up



man do i appreciate a great bathroom
(Syndey Opera House)

Sydney Cove and Circular Quay