I got inspired to write in my blog tonight because I'm listening to my new music playlist at the moment. Got a bunch of new Australian songs to remember the trip... a lot of House (electronica) music. Really gets you fired up. I like to listen to it while I walk to work, the only problem is that it makes me walk really fast so by the time I get there I'm sweating. haha

Speaking of work, I talked with Graham (yesterday was my last day of my internship) and he's asked me to stay on until I leave. I'll be a paid employee about 20 hours a week... might as well, don't have much else to do and I could use the money! Plus I finally feel like I have the hang of things. I applied for my work visa and tax number last night so I'm starting Friday.

Last Friday Raychel's dad arrived to hang out in Sydney for a week. Mr. Duitch took us girls to dinner and we had the best Barramundi (a light white fish) and (drumroll) some orgasmic chocolate mousse. It was actually called "famousse." We rolled out of the restaurant. Then Raych, Sam, and I went to Orbit bar, this place on the 46th floor of a building that rotated. You sit by the window and slowly rotate so you end up seeing all parts of the city lit up at night. Pretty cool. Pretty expensive. So we could only afford one drink...haha. That's the nice thing about not having any cover. You can go to these ritzy places, feel like a millionnaire and buy the cheapest thing on the menu.

I went to another rugby game last Saturday night to watch Sydney vs S. Africa. I was with the S. Africans so we were rooting for them, but they lost pretty terribly. It was a packed stadium, and I think we had the loudest chick sitting right behind me. It literally severed my eardrum. The boys were in a pretty bad mood after the loss...

We are pretty psyched for the Sex and the City premier next weekend! It's also roomie Sam's 21st bday. It's going to be a packed weekend! They say that every girl in a group of friends can identify with a Sex character, but our group REALLY fits. We have four girls, the same personalities and hair colors as our characters. We'll probably dress up and go out for drinks before the show, I can't wait! More about our escapades later...

Stress is over... for now

Last Friday I finally finished all my mid-terms! I had the laziest weekend of all time... I'm mean, I slept in on Saturday morning and didn't see the light of day. I watched DVDs until 5, at which point it started getting dark. hehe Friday night we had gone to a Mexican restaurant for a birthday party and then dancing afterward. The whole back patio had been rented out for about 40 guests, but the Mexican experience was lacking compared to what I'm used to in the US. Usually the food is cheap, the margs are flowing, and the chips and salsa are free... not the case here. It rare to even find a Mexican restaurant here. That is one thing I'm dying for!

Saturday night I went to a going away party for a girl on the waterpolo team. I've been training occasionally with the girls team just to learn a new sport and have met some great girls. Her house was amazing, a huge piece of land with horses and a recently finished mansion. They cupcakes, snacks, and drinks just kept coming. There were several rooms that the party flowed into; one with a pool table, one with a dance floor, the patio area, etc. It was pretty amazing.

This week is my last full week at Designstreet. Today I am going in a little late because I went to an internship seminar on networking. The lady that spoke was from IBM and gave some valuable info, but I always feel a little panicky after these seminars. I do feel more confident in my professional abilities after this internship though. I will be organizing a meeting with Graham for next week to discuss my progress and possibly get a letter of recommendation for the future. I imagine he will be one of my most valuable contacts, as he has clients at American Express, Sony, etc.

I'm looking forward to my last little trip to Byron Bay to get a good surf in before I leave for China July 2nd. I'm meeting Sam R up there for 4 days...

Cheers!

This weekend was Fashion Weekend in Sydney... Raychel does her internship in this small design company called Fuzz Design and was able to get tickets for us to go to the event yesterday! We dressed in our most fashion-forward apparel and went. The whole venue was set up with cubicles for designers who were selling their clothes anywhere from 50-75% off! I still couldn't afford most of it, but I did get a free manicure from a make-up company and was able to see several models. They had a catwalk set up, but you had to have special tickets to see that, which we did not. It was some of the most stunning clothes I've ever seen... I did find a killer dress for a very good price, and am excited to rock the new style...

Today, I'm just catching up on work. Sorry this was a boring post!

Hello again!

I've been dormant for awhile because Dad was here and then uni started up again. I suddenly realized that I had two research papers and a presentation due within two weeks... so needless to say I've been stressed. I recently (yesterday) started a chocolate detox, and the shakes and nightsweats have begun, which are adding to the stress. haha

Ok, so back to Dad's visit. He arrived early on a rainy/cold Monday morning and we did a lovely walking tour of the city that I made up. Although he was a little sleepy he was in good spirits. Unfortunately, my friends were either in New Zealand or with their friends/family so he didn't get to meet them until the end... I'll talk about that in a bit- get excited. I took him to Pancakes on the Rocks where we had WAY too much to eat. So we walked it off and went down to Circular Quay and took the ferry to Manly Beach. Dad fell asleep. haha. That night we packed our bags to leave for the Whitsunday Islands the next day. Tuesday we went to Darling Harbour and had a bite to eat on the beautiful boardwalk and watched naughty kids debate long and hard about jumping into the fountain. Then we walked the city a bit more and went to the airport to leave for the islands. Upon arrival we discovered that the Whitsunday airport is about the size of my bedroom. That may be a little bit of an exaggeration, but you could literally see all two, yes two, gates when you stood in the middle of the airport. We roamed the hall trying to find baggage claim, which ended up being outside where the luggage cart pulls up. It's a free for all to find your bag off the cart. hahaha! Did I mention that the waiting area is outside? They pulled the benches out to this enclosed grassy area. The huge jet looks a little funny pulling up on the tarmac ouside of the shanty- er "airport". We decided it took awhile because the flight attendants probably had to switch into their baggage claim uniforms.

Anyway, we were going to stay in a hostel because I thought we could save money, but Dad said he was too old for that. So we stayed in this lovely resort overlooking Airlie Beach. It's pretty nice vacationing with the parents. : )

Wednesday morning it was go time. At the skydiving place we decided to go ahead and get the video and pictures with our package and were able to choose the songs for it. Soon the guys called us out and we suited up, received a brief lesson on jumping, and then Dad, this other girl, and I were into the plane. We soared up to the 10,000 ft mark and the view of the islands below is indescribable. Thank goodness for my neon jumpsuit because it was pretty chilly up there. This whole time my instructor had been videotaping and sticking the thing in my face. Pretty funny shots, though. Pretty soon the door was flung open and the other girl, who looked terrified, flew out of the plane. Then it was my turn. There is nothing like the first drop. For a moment I literally thought I had jumped to my death. Your body does not register the feeling for a few seconds. You do a few flips and then fall stomach first at a rate of 125mph. My pictures are funny because the wind pressure kept my mouth open. After about 35 seconds he pulls the chute and suddenly the world slows down. At this point you can feel the air beginning to warm. He let me hold the chute for a bit and do some turns. Before you know it, there's the ground. All the sudden the air got hot and he told me to keep my feet up for the landing. Shortly after hitting the ground Dad came in. We just stood there speechless and smiling. It's really a feeling you can't forget. After we took our gear off we headed inside and were able to watch our videos.

The rest of the afternoon felt like bliss. We were on a high from skydiving then went and stuffed ourselves with fish and chips and layed out by the pool for a few hours. That night we decided to book a sailing trip for the next day so we could explore the 74 islands in the Whitsundays. Neither of us had ever been on a sailboat before and it really was amazing. Dad volunteered to help put up the sail and really enjoyed the boat. After about two hours of sailing we anchored at the world famous Whitehaven beach. It is named for its snowy white sand and didn't disappoint! We were fed a tropical lunch and were able to lay by the crystal clear turquoise water for a few hours. Then back on the boat to sail home. That evening we repacked our bags to return to Sydney.

Friday we had planned on doing the bridge climb, but decided it might not be worth it after experiencing a skydive just a day before. So I took him on the tour of Macquarie Uni. It rained yet again in Sydney, but fortunately we had had great weather in the Whitsundays. That night I made him come out for drinks with my friends and I for ANZAC day, a holiday for Australia that is like our Veteran's day. We (Raychel, Sam, her bf Tef, Dad, and I) went to a little German pub and had some drinks. Pretty soon Jonty and his friend Samuele showed up, but were too late so they couldn't get in. We were all having a good time by then so we went to a different place down the road called Jackson's. Jonty's girlfriends had put mascara on him before he came to meet me so we definitely didn't let him live that down. The bar we went to had slot machines, which is actually pretty common here, and I pushed the button for Samuele and won $5! After Dad bought a round, Jonty bought a round, and Tef bought a round, we decided it had been a fun night and was time to go home. Somehow my old man out did all the guys... hehe The boys had a rough morning the next day and when I went to pick up Dad he looked as if nothing had happened. He'd already been up since 7! haha Anyway, I took him to the airport and we said our goodbyes.

This weekend I'm pulling out my hair to get my psych research paper done... more to come.

BREAK: Be prepared, this is LONG!

Mid-semester break began on Friday after class... we had to leave for Cairns on Saturday morning at 4:15am for the airport. We all decided that we are college kids and are young and stupid, thus making a justification for staying out all night and going directly to the airport. NOT a good idea. The night before was fun, but the taxi ride at 4:15 physically hurt. I slept the entire three hour plane ride. Then we got to our hostel and... there are just no words. We (Kevin, Alec, Raychel, Cydney, and I) walk into our room and there are dirty sheets on the bed and a random Asian roommate chilling on a bed. The bathrooms were, um, scary to say the least. We booked it out of there and layed out at the lagoon (a public resort-style pool with sand) to figure out what to do. Raychel and Alec were walking and stumbled upon a nicer hostel that was actually $5/night cheaper. We got our money back and immediately moved into our new home. There is no beach in Cairns, just a mud/swamp area as it is blocked by the reef, so we just layed out all day. That night, Kevin and Alec had an unfortunate experience, that is only funny in hindsight. They were in a separate room than us girls and their female roommates had, uh, activities with random men all night. Luckily the next night we all moved into a 5 person room together, with two beds in one partition and three in another. I guess you get what you pay for when it's only $17/night...

On Sunday we took a cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and went snorkelling. It was really indescribable. The reef was so shallow you could stand on it, although no one is allowed to, as humans are slowly killing off the reef. We saw so many species of fish, I wish I had studied up before we went. Raychel and I took an underwater camera and had some great shots- BUT we both thought the other had brought it home, so I guess another family will be enjoying our photos. We went to two reef locations to snorkel and at the second reef our group took a short trip on a glass-bottom boat. The guide showed us these giant clams, fish we hadn't noticed, and was pretty funny. They like to make fun of our accents and when we were leaving he said 'latER!' We were pretty exhausted, so we didn't stay out late that night, but we did go to the night market and paid $15 for a 40 minute Chinese massage. It looked pretty shady, but I slept sooo well.

Monday we booked a rainforest tour. The guide was a tiny bit tamer than Steve Erwin, but not much. He took us to all these little places along the route, like a small cheese factory where we ate lunch, and a couple water falls, one of which we swam in. At the place we were swimming, no crocs by the way, Raychel and I really wanted to jump from this rock, but were scared to swim over. So of course we made Kevin go first. I followed shortly after and thought I saw an eel, at which point I began doggie-paddling in frantic circles until Kev told me it was only a log. We made it to the rock and took flight a couple times. Raychel and I were proud of ourselves... :) My favorite part of the rainforest trip was Paranella Park. A Spaniard back in the early 1900s came to Australia and built a romantic Spanish-style home around a waterfall complete with a ballroom, paths all around the home, a tunnel of love, and a tennis court. At all points in the area the waterfall is visible. He was not the best architect, so natural disasters and corrosion have done a number on the place, but it is still the most romantic setting I've ever seen! Anyway, that night was Kevin's 21st birthday, so we went to a nice seafood dinner and had a few drinks. We planned on going out a little later, but once again we were all pooped. The good thing about booking these two trips through our hostel was that we got two nights accommodation free...

Tuesday we just layed by the lagoon all day again. It was 32-34 degrees celsius all week (which is low 90s fahrenheit.) That night Sam Running and her parents met up with us for a drink at dinner, and they were exactly what I expected! Now I see where she gets her bubbly/funny/kind personality. Later, we walked through an Aboriginal art gallery that took my breath away. I never took a close enough look at this type of art, but it is so intricate. They are mostly dots/leaf shapes/and patterns that tell stories and dreams. We also went through a Peter Lik photography gallery. He takes photos all around the world and enhances them with the most vibrant color. If I could decorate my home with only one piece, I would probably choose one of his. Unfortunately, all I could afford was a couple postcards.

We decided not to pull the same stunt we did before departure, so we went to bed by 11 that night. Wednesday morning we were in a taxi by 9am and home by 3:30. When I walked into our little apartment it felt like a 5 star. I'm not kidding. But I can't complain, it was a memorable trip. All my roommates are gone on trips, so tonight Alec, Raych, and I are just blogging, loading photos, and watching TV. Oh, and doing millions of loads of laundry.

If you have made it this far, congratulations! I am now finished until after Dad comes and we have our little excursion to the Whitsundays. Unless we make some memories this weekend... until then- CHEERS!

So Red Bull has about the most genius marketing idea I've ever seen. First, their slogan is "Red Bull gives you wings." They host this event called Flugtag where teams compete to build these rediculous contraptions they think will "fly" and run/bike/push their flying machine over the edge of a ramp that's about 10 meters above the water. The most crazy man (believe me, women wouldn't be dumb enough to do this) is the pilot of the craft and goes down with it. These competitions have been done all over the world, but this was the first one in Australia. 15,000 spectators showed up, which was amazing in itself. We saw giant clocks, an airplane that was shaped like a bee, and my favorite, a giant penguin. The penguin didn't even try to go fast off the ramp, they just waddled it to the edge and it fell off, which was about the funniest thing I've ever seen. These things literally plummet into the water below! Leading up to "take off" the team plays music and does a little dance or some sort of a performance, in which most wore costumes... (male nurses, tu tus, speedos, you name it.) They are scored on performance, creativity, and distance. The furthest one only went lik 20 meters, and apparently the world record is 60m. I hope they were on the booze, because that's the only way I could see someone actually attempting this! Oh, and this was all last Sunday.

Anyway, I had a really stressful week because I had a long paper to write for Aboriginal History. I always think 'there is no way I'm going to finish' and then I pull a miracle. I was printing in the library and when I got back to my computer this Asian guy was messing with it. He said he was really into my paper and wanted a copy to read. I said no that I had class soon... I'm thinking he might have downloaded a copy to sell or plagerise or something... it was sketchy. So I told my professor about it today just in case...

THEN- today I had my last class before a TWO WEEK break! Went to the rec, then got a haircut, then relaxed at the beach for a bit. Tomorrow morning we are leaving at 4:15am for the airport for break in Cairns (the popular place to see the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest.) It's a lot warmer up there so I can't wait! I might just stay up all night since I have to be up at 3:45, I'm in college right?? :) We are planning on snorkeling and stuff... maybe pet a few sharks. You know. More details after the break!

Put some shrimp on the barbie!

G'Day!

I just haven't felt like writing in my blog lately so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Last Thursday I went to my first ever toga party. Yes, I'm a terrible American college student. I somehow managed to make a decent looking toga from my pink checkered bed sheet and we made our way to the campus bar. I couldn't get over that this bar is right next to the library here, while at home we have a DRY campus! Anyway, we get there and EVERYONE is dressed in togas... good fun. Except this one guy who was pranked and told by his friends that it was a YOGA party... he wore a yoga instructor outfit! haha

Saturday night the girls and I went over to a friends of a friends house, where we met some Aussies for a barbeque. They fed us salad, lamb, steak, sausage, wine... amazing. We showed them flip cup (for those of you who knows what that is) and it got pretty intense. Raychel and Jonty had like 5 championships, because they're crazy like that! They like their competitions here. Then we actually called it an early night.

Raychel and I went to another waterpolo match Sunday at a different pool. Let me tell you, we are getting pretty savvy with the sport. Afterward there was live music by Jonty, a friend I met through work, and his brother so we stayed around for that. We finally befriended some Aussie girls, too, who are just beautiful!

The last two days of my internship have been pretty good. We have a new account manager with us now, Tracey, so I'm not the new girl anymore! It's really kind of hard to explain what my tasks are because they are different everyday. I enter a lot of jobs into the data base, type reports up, check/write emails about art changes... that kind of thing.

Cheers!