Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Highlights!

Prepare yourself for a mega-essay. Sit back. Relax. Make yourself a cup of tea (English Breakfast if it's avaliable).

I don't really know where to start, so I guess I'll begin with the plane trip over. IT WAS TERRIBLE. The plane was full, crying babies were everywhere, and I slept for about 40 minutes in total. Oh, and Horrible Bosses is pretty much one of the worst movies ever...When I got off the plane at LAX (sorry, 'hopped' off the plane at LAX ;) ), I felt like a walking zombie, and this feeling was taken up a notch when I walked outside of the airport to be met with ABSOLUTELY FREEZING WINDS. I arrived at my home for the next two weeks (an insanely beautiful home in Newport Beach) and unpacked without trying to fall asleep/die from exhaustion. As soon as Bella came home from school (one of my long-time BFF's whose house I lived at for the two weeks), we hit up Fashion Island (that and South Coast Plaza are shopping heaven on earth) where I fought with all my might not to blow all of my money on my first day. I went a bit crazy at Forever 21 and Zara.....

That first week was insanely awesome. I literally went shopping every single day, and bought so much stuff that when it came to packing to go home, I almost couldn't fit everything in the four suitcases. I think the highlight of the first week was being able to experience the two different faces of LA. On Wednesday we had lunch at a beautiful restaurant in the heart of Rodeo Drive, and when walking around the area I walked past the most expensive car in the world! Then, on the morning of Thanksgiving, we volunteered to feed the homeless in Santa Monica. It was such an eye-opening experience, to see families with kids my brother's age lining up to receive free meals, clothes and haircuts.It was so well organised and I was so happy to be given the opportunity to help out. After volunteering, we headed back home where I had my first ever Thanksgiving lunch! The house looked absolutely incredible, and before long it was filled with people and overflowing with food...I ate so much I was thinking whether it was possible for a human to explode. The day after Thanksgiving is 'Black Friday' which is pretty much Boxing Day sales on steriods. We got up at 3.30am and headed over to South Coast Plaza where I nearly went crazy...think Zara jeans for $25...the best was being able to experience Black Friday sales at Forever 21, where the one at South Coast Plaza is the national flagship store. Downside was having to que for AN HOUR TO PAY.

One of the other highlights from the first week was going with friends to a HIGH SCHOOL FOOTTTBAALLL GAAAMMEEE. Exactly like the movies, complete with cheerleaders. Oh, and my friends' school smashed the other team. After the game we went down to a beach called Pirate's Cove and climbed down in the dark to find some kind of spooky caves. I also showed them 'coning', where you ask for a soft serve at drive through McDonalds and then when it comes to getting it, you just scoop of the ice cream and leave the worker holding the cone. So. Funny. Another funny moment was going to a local deserted park where some friends launched a pretty much illegal rocket which went so high that it went above the clouds. The funny part was not when it's parachute failed and came crashing back down to where we were standing, but when the cop came and we ran from them holding the wires. I was convinced I was going to be electrocuted!

On the Monday of the second week we hit up the one and only DISSSNEEEYYLAAAANNDDD. There were literally NO QUES for any of the rides, so we'd go on each ride 4 times in a row. Last time I was there Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were closed, so it was SO GREAATTT to go on them! Indiana Jones, the Tower of Terror and California Screamin' are officially my favourites. The funniest part of going on all of these rides heaps of times was working out where the camera is and when it takes the photo, so we'd work out hilarious stuff to do for the photo. The best was one of the times we were on the Tower of Terror, and it takes the photo as you plunge to the bottom. In the photo everyone is absolutely freaking out, and then in the corner is Phoebe, Bella and I asleep. The definite highlight of the day however was having lunch at Club 33, which Bella's mum managed to get us into. It's a private club in a secret location which Walt Disney built for his friends and associates. All the public sees is a door that says '33', and you press a buzzer and are then asked for your name, and if they let you in, you enter an old-fashioned lobby where you go up in an old service-elevator to the dining room. THE TOILETS WERE THRONES. Thrones. Oh, and the food was the best I've ever had.

Another great day was near the end of my trip, where my friend Polly took us (in her awesome Mini) to 'Inspiration Point' in Corona Del Mar (one of the most beautiful places ever) for a picnic (with the best takeaway Italian food in the wwwoorrrllddd). It looks out to the ocean, and along to coast you can see Newport Pier and the beaches! So gorgeous. That night I had a very American experience-we went to find a Christmas tree with Polly and Dominic (I arrived to discover that him and I were wearing almost matching outfits hahaha)! The places where you buy the trees look and smell amazing-just heaps of pine trees with lanterns every where! I took lots of photos like a true tourist.

DOT POINTS:
-Got obsessed with The Vampire Diaries. Stefan may or may not be the sexiest person on the planet.
-Ate a lot of fast food...so delicious. 'Animal Styles' fries at In n Out could quite possibly be the most delicious food on Earth. That and the chicken and fries from Chick-fil-A.
-Became used to seeing dogs in prams at malls with their own Starbucks cups.
-Saw the hotel in Beverly Hills featured in Pretty Woman (one of my all time favourite movies)
-Perfected the Southern Californian accent. I now have an American alter-ego called Kelly Carter.....she's in 12th grade at Newport Harbor High, is a cheerleader, and has a boyfriend at USC. Trololololololololol.
-All the kids have awesome cars! The student parking lot at my friends' school was full of Porsches and BMWs....soooo jelly.
-The 'Shirley Temple' drink is heaven in a drink.
-Disneyland is literally the happiest place on Earth. I may have had a big smile wacked across my face when I got a photo with the one and only Mary Poppins!
-OREOS WITH DOUBLE THE CREAM INSIDE. HEAVEN.
-Got Bella obsessed with One Direction. Success.
-Actually had a GOOD COFFEE IN AMERICA! It was from this cool place called Portola Coffee Lab, which looks like a science lab and the people who work there wear lab coats...
-Saw the worst movie I've ever seen-Blue Crush 2. Words cannot describe how bad it is.
-It was so great to just catch up with old friends and relax somewhere other than Sydney. I also made heaps of new friends which was really cool. It made it sadder to leave though!
-I swear one of the best things about America is its candy. Except Red Vines-They literally taste like poison.
-Frozen yoghurt is amazing. There's a place where you can get it (can't remember what it's called....), and there's a million different flavours and even more candy that you can put in it. I put so much smashed Peanut Butter cups in mine that I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack.
-Had a suitcase full of Disneyland stuff for family Christmas presents! I LOVE DISNEYLAND.
-I was going to stay an extra two weeks but all the flights were booked out! Sad face.
-Got addicted to bagels. A 'toastie', a toasted bagel with ham and cheese, is officially my favourite breakfast.
-One of the things I love the most about the OC is that when I'd look one way I'd see the beach, and the other way I'd see snow on the mountains!
-Did I mention my new-found love for Vampire Diaries? One scene actually made me cry. And I literally NEVER cry in movies or whilst watching TV. Awkward.
-Steve Madden combat boots for $50. Wot offff eeettt?
-The shower in the ensuite to my room turned into a sauna and even had a bench. Life complete.
-Became similarly addicted to the 24 hour Christmas radio station. Increased my Christmas spirit by 100%
-In Newport, if something is 'dodgy', they say 'sketchy'. Saaahhh sketchy.
-I never used my $1 bills, so by the end I had 31 $1 bills. I couldn't even close my wallet. Kind of looked as though I was a stripper...
-Managed to eat the giant $8 'Party Packet' of peanut butter cups in a day.
-Slept for 10 hours on the plane trip home.Yeah, what of it. The plane was pretty much half empty so I literally got to lie down to sleep. W00000000t. As soon as I was picked up from the airport we went for coffee. Consider addiction to coffee stronger than ever.