Sydney!!!!

They say that everything happens in life for a reason. Following the events of this week, I can't even begin to to tell you how true this statement is.

5 weeks ago I booked my flight to Sydney on a whim as a form of encouragement to get me through the end of semester. The plan was to spend time with my beautiful girlfriends who I'd met on my exchange to the University of Florida last year. Checking the dates, I realized that the Sydney film festival was also on during this time and so I decided to call up the Inside Film Awards office and see if they would like some extra hands for the festival. Their response was immediate - "of course! We would love to have you!" Encouraging.

So it was set. I was to fly to Sydney at 2pm on Sunday the 12th of June where I would be until Monday the 20th of June. Unless you've been living under a rock recently, you will know that on that particular day, an extraordinary phenomenon caused almost every airline in Australia to shut down for a 48 hour period thanks to the impressive eruption of a 'nearby' volcano. Goodbye Sydney flight TT6115. Hello Melbourne (again) for at least 2 more days. To say the least, I was bummed. I had been so excited to see my friends and to start at SFF on the Monday night and it was that cold slap of realization that I just would not be doing that that got me a little down. But only for a moment. Realizing there is absolutely nothing you can do about a situation is sometimes the best remedy for a crappy event. In action mode now, I called my darling friend who drove all the way back to Tullamarine to pick me up (again), called my boss asking if I could come in to work (it was the queens birthday weekend for Melbourne) and called IF to let them know I wouldn't be able to come until Tuesday.

The next two days I spent resting, sleeping, catching up with friends and re-preparing myself to fly up to Sydney on the rescheduled flight Tiger put me on for the Tuesday. It wad bizarre but I could feel myself slowly becoming more relaxed. The thing about the last few weeks of uni is you get so used to running around like a headless chook that it takes you a while to stop and realize you don't need to run so fast anymore. Missing my flight allowed me to slow down and I was much more relaxed for my flight on Tuesday which went off without a glitch and I arrived in Sydney on time at 5pm.

Now this is the amazing part. Knowing my shift for SFF was starting at 8:30pm, I didn't see the point in trying to get to my friend's house all the way out in Manly and then back again so decided to head straight to the George St Event Cinemas were with the intention of dumping my bags there and finding something to entertainment myself with until the session. Entertainment could not have come in a better form than the 'pink carpet' premiere of Bridesmaids. I kid you not, the first thing I see walking into the theatre is a long pink carpet, flowers, a bridal arch and posters everywhere for the latest blockbuster movie. I was ecstatic! I love premieres! They're just so...inspiring! They make you want to be that person that everyone wants to talk to which yes, I'll admit sounds a bit narcissistic, but it's a respect thing as well.

So I find a good spot, nestle in quick knowing full well that everyone else in the theatre would catch on to what was happening sooner or later and waited for the guests to arrive. Rose Byrne, Kristin Wiig, Rebel Wilson, Wes Carr, Ricki-Lee Coulter and the director Paul Feig all made their appearances and were super awesome with the crowd. I can never think of what to say to actors and actresses in person unless I'm working with them so just was happy to keep my mouth shut (which kept sliding to the floor each time I saw a new celeb) and snapped away with my newly charged camera.

How could this get any better you think? As some of you may know, I am absolutely obsessed with Damian Walshe-Howling who you should know, played Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin in season 1 of Underbelly. And he was the last celeb I got to see walk the pink carpet. I was beside myself. I don't know where I went but it was a very happy place and I think I am still there now.

So that was the first 3 hours of Sydney! Crazy where life can take you isn't it? Now I've finally settled in, I can go on to tell you all about what I have been up to for the past 3 days (which have been just as jam-packed as my first 3 hours)