Come Fridays, colleagues would ask me what my plans are for the weekends. I think they secretly expect me to say that I plan to conquer the world like bunch of lab mice or hang out with Paris Hilton like Britney Spears before her post-natal depression. Tough luck if they crave to uncover a closet super-hero or a super-famous celebrity. My weekdays are physically and mentally draining. My weekends, whilst meant to be reprieve from the busy weekdays, are spent doing mundane chores such as doing the laundry, cooking, sleeping, and lots more sleeping. If anyone thinks that they're fun things to do, he/she is either not in his/her right mind, or his/her idea of spending an exciting weekend isn't as exciting as he/she would like to think.
Well I managed to break the cycle this weekend. By chance really. PY's (my roommate) mother and sister came down for her graduation ceremony, and whilst she works on Saturdays and I don't, I volunteered to act as their tour guide on Saturday. It was on that day that I realised how little I knew of Sydney and its history considering that I've spent the greater part of the last 4 years in it. KT followed us to the train station before detouring to his office. He spent the whole time on the bus describing almost every building we came across, his introduction laced with historical facts. Left to my own faculties, my introduction would have been more anecdotal rather than factual, and I most probably would have talked more about the weather for lack of better things to say. I should have paid more attention when KT explained Sydney City to me on our public transport trips , rather than day-dreaming on the bus, thinking of what to cook for lunch or what would be the best time to have an afternoon nap. This just emphasises that men are of a different make to that of women.
Needless to say, PY's mother and sister were very impressed with KT's knowledge of Sydney, so much so that not only could they recognise the buldings and roads that KT pointed out to them each time we passed by them, they could even recite almost word for word of what KT told them.
As for my tour guide skills? I haphazardly tried to remember the exits to train stations, the location of the pharmacy at which PY works, the stalls which sell macadamia nuts, where the bus stops were... Basically, I was like my usual scatter-brained self, just that I had two expectant visitors in tow.
No major problems, though. We went home with heaps of chocolates, potato chips, sweets, and macadamia nuts, everything they wanted to buy, and noone or nothing left behind. Great success.
More on Saturday night and Sunday: the PY, mother, sister, and roommate adventure to be continued.
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