MIPH Orientation week - The climb has begun !

The rose-coloured glasses are off and I am hit with reality at 8:30 am on Tuesday, Feb 2010. From the beginning (filing out my application papers) I knew that I am going to be putting myself through yet another climb (up hill) but as always, I overestimate my capabilities and when I get faced with my challenge (again, which is completely self inflicted) realize what I have done.

But just like always I give myself 2 choices: put ur head down and walk away from my (self inflicted) dare, OR (the choice which seems to end up being selected each time) hold your breath and go for the ride. For some reason, I set myself up to each challenge and you would think that over time I learn and realize my pattern of behavior. Wrong!

Instead, each time I say to myself: "well, you signed up for this, so show me what you got". (Why isn't backing out ever an option? Why can't I just say, not this time?) Even though life can be difficult to manage on its own, I seem to add the whip cream on top like it was no one's business.

And so here I'm sitting with whip cream in hand, in a boiling hot country surrounded by wonderful people (both school and life) trying to figure out how I'm going to manage everything I have signed up for. Just remember, that this has happened in the passed (it's bound to, I'm a dreamer), so I am not surprised that I'm sitting in the middle of a tiny dilemma. (Whether we are talking about today or in the future, no surprise will ever match the story about completing my undergrad). But I still shake my head and smile because: Oops, I did it again !

It's only the first day. Hearing each professor introduce themselves, talk about their experiences and meeting people in class today who seem to have the same interest as you (both in life/career) is priceless. However, if I am planning to spend more 'priceless' time with these wonderful people I need to come upon some funding for my living expenses ASAP :-)

Overall, I am still very happy to be here and find it surreal that I am doing what I signed up for (a year ago) ... now I just have to figure out how I'm going to manage life in Brisbane :-)

Any suggestions ?

xoxo
R :-)

Gregory and I in Melbourne - Vacation before the grind

After spending a few wonderful and relaxing days in the Gold Coast I was packed up and ready to hit the road yet again. I was heading to Melbourne to visit a friend from university who I have wanted to visit for the passed 3 years. A year ago she was in Korea and I was hoping to make it out there but it looks like Melbourne will be our place to rock out :-) (just as fun !)


<-------------------- meet Gregory :-)

To make sure people aren't too confused, Gregory is my new companion on the road. It is a bright tangerine-red backpack who I did not name, I purchased it with such name already embroidered on the front as you can see in the picture to the left

So I threw Gregory on my sun-burnt shoulders and I was off to Melbourne to meet up with Amanda. I have to stop and think for a bit and try to remember what we end up doing for an entire week because it was action packed !!! We wasted no time :-) Day 1 Checked out the Market, it was filled with wonderful foods (we ended up choosing a 3-curry Indian platter and was just amazing !), art and live music. After a few glasses of sangria we were off to check out the different booths and items for sale! This is where I fell in love with the 'happy pants' !!! These are basically MC Hammer pants but BETTER !! They are mostly made of polyester or linen material and are just too fun to describe ....so here check it out :-)






















After more browsing and trying out this and that, we enjoyed some folk, reggae, and soca/calypso music played at the market. Melbourne is definitely turning out to be a hip place and I'm already enjoying my visit here !



Day 2
Great Ocean Road here we come !!!!
Amanda and her roommate (and brother) have planed a day to check out the 12 Apostles which are located along the Great Ocean Road. After a some research we decided to skip the day tour (offered by several companies) and do it on our own. We rented a car and the 4 of us took off for a road trip !!!!!

I have seen many beautiful things in my life, but this road trip was just something out of the ordinary. I have never been surrounded by natures beauty for 3.5 hours along the cost while driving in and through rain-forest parks. There were several lookout points along the way and we had to drive by a few otherwise we wouldn't make it to the Apostles in time (before sunset). It was a long and rainy drive but so worth every minute of it !

Once arriving to the Apostles, the rain had eased up just a little, and fog set in. Worried that we won't get to see much of anything, the fog actually added to the experience. The sight was beautiful and with the fog it created an aerie scene.













































On the way home we happen to drive through some sort of National Park (we believe) because the climb up the hill was over an hour or so and speed limit was kept to 20kph. At first we didn't really think much of the winding road and overly tall trees. However, once we realized that the road is taking much longer than before and we did not remember keeping the speed limit so low before, then it hit us that we were off our original path. But needless to say, it was definitely worth getting lost because the drive was just too beautiful to miss :-)



At this time I would also like to mention that driving on the left side of the road has become second nature to me lol. We rented a car for this trip and I had the privilege to drive half way there and back and loved every minute of it. It was one of my goals to drive in this country of 'backwards and upside down' (all said in joking manner), and to have it checked off my list so early was just too much fun! I still have to rent a scooter though to fully experience the roads down under. But at least I can assure you that I am set on the road rules. Oh and one tip for anyone thinking of driving on the left: over correcting to the left is quite common (I hit the curb just once) so ride the median line and just breathe :-)






Days 3 and 4
Friday and Saturday were both a night out on the town. Met some new people, had a few drinkskies, and danced the night away !!! Over all great times all around :-)








































Day 5
Off to the beach !!!






Sunday we spent all day at the festival. There were several stages set up with live music. There were fun events to try out as well: ride a bull, try out being an anchor man for news and sports, get your picture taken with movie starts on a green screen, dance in a silent disco ....etc !





Bars and clubs were packed from early on, there was a beach volleyball tournament going on as well and so much more! Also, got to see some nice places: Luna Park is an old fashioned amusement park still kept up to modern times.





































At night we headed down by the water front to welcome the penguins home. Supposedly, the penguins stay out fishing till sundown. Once it's too dark for them to see the fish they all come home to the rocks where they find a place to sleep for the night. They are so cute and very brave. The penguins which don't mind the public eyes are called Hollywood because they aren't afraid of the people. There are others who prefer to come home without anyone greeting them. Those little guys find a spot away from the crowd. There was a strict rule (enforced by a few conservation officers) no flash camera allowed, so they used a red light instead to try and capture a look at the cute little fellas.

While we waited for the sun to set, we were amused by the size of the jelly fish that were washed up on the shore. There were many of them everywhere and just enormous in size. Nature's strangest creatures but I'm so fascinated by them every time I come across one. These were some form of a blue jelly, but I have also seen the blue bottle jellies that sting quite hard when they wrap around one's leg. These are two completely different species of jellies though. I had to touch these large ones to see what they feel like, and it's the feel of gelatin used in Synchro swimming to keep our hair back. So amusing !





































Day 6 and 7
Discovering the city of Melbourne


I had a chance to spend some time on my own and take a look around the city and the sights it has to offer. Melbourne would be a fun place to live since there is always something to do/ somewhere to go. While I was visiting, ACDC was in town and people wearing ACDC shirts everywhere. I also just happen to learn that the band is native to AUS. 10 year and I had no idea they were Australian. Something new everyday.

One day I had the chance to see the parliament, the Melbourne museum, walk around the city and get some shopping done. The second day I took advantage of the free city shuttle bus, mostly sat and listened to the commentator. The only place I got off the bus was at Federation Square because I was curious to see the aborigines art exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria. I finished the bus tour at the Southern Cross train station where I caught another bus to the airport. I only found out later that Southern cross is the name of a constellation only seen from this part of the world and it is the constellation used on the Ozi flag. Again, something new :-)















































Oh so much fun packed into such little time. On my way flying back to the Gold Coast I also met an interesting fella. He was doing his PhD in the Gold Coast, but besides that what fascinated me about him was that he could say (if I remember correctly) in 19 different languages "Life is beautiful". I think I have found another goal to add to my life list. Just fabulous :-)

Over all, had a wonderful time in Melbourne. Lived off on sushi each day and spent my time with amazing people and friends. Once I arrived back into the Gold Coast I stayed with Kaley and Toby another few days, soaked up more sun, but this time no sun burn at all (oh and watched a ton of Olympics with Kaley ...Go Canada Go)!!!!

1. Szep az elet!
2. Life is beautiful!
3. Viaţa este frumoasă!

It's not a bad start to the count.

Love and miss you all
xoxo
R :-)

Burn, baby burn - Surfers Paradise Feb 2010

I had a fabulous experience visiting friends in Surfers Paradise (never judge a book by its cover - SP looked intimidating when I first saw the beach front from inside a car on the way back from Byron Bay, but spending the weekend here got me hooked !!). But now it is time to pack my bag and hit the road again to re-unite with more great friends in Melbourne.

However, before my next adventures, I thought I would re-cap why I look like a lobster again. Ida, I am not trying to out-win you on contracting skin problems first, I am just plain not careful enough !!!

Byron Bay-sun-burn was totally expected even as I applied spf 55 multiple times. I used sunscreen knowing that I won't survive the day with out the white stuff. However, anticipation and all, my efforts have failed me that day.

Surfers-Paradise-sun-burn occurred due to meteorologist misinforming me of the weather for Monday, Feb 8,2010. They called for a weekend and weekday of overcast and flooding due to heavy rain fall. The rain-forest-kind-of-weather has lived up to it's name, so much so that there were serious floods in cities only 20 min from us (2 lives were lost due to plain ignorance-if I can say that). Such weather was guesstimated to hold out till Tuesday, Feb 9th. After heavy rains on Sat and Sun, I believed the Meteor-guys, without a doubt. Monday morning we wake up, head to Sea World, and sure enough when I look outside there are thick clouds (left over from the weekend) and just as I enter the park, rain starts up. However, by 10am there is blazing sunshine everywhere :-)

I figure, since I am in/out of theaters, underwater aquariums, and other show experiences, there isn't much danger from the sun. WRONG! I should have spent 30$ on sunscreen today (at Sea World) because I just raised my skin-cancer-chances by another 20% !!

Today, I have finally said: enough of my naive-ness and purchased 500mL of sunscreen to use as if it was O2. I will be lathering this stuff on no matter what the forecast prepares me for. It's time to take action! If I plan on accomplishing some of my goals in this lifetime, it would help if I stick around a bit longer :-)

Overall, Surfers has been wonderful to me, and so have my hostess and host :-)
Lessons from this trip includes:

1) Kangaroo meat taste yummy, even though I think it's a creature too cute to consume

2) Sunscreen was invented for this continent (specifically), therefore: NO EXCUSES

3) Sting rays feel rubbery and jelly (to touch) at the same time

4) I should have been a marine biologist (remember when I went to the University of Hawaii-info-session in high school ?), and not listen to my GP - STILL, no regrets :-)

I am now off to Melbourne at 6am (tickets were on discount!) and hope to see, learn, experience more!!!

xoxo
R :-)


Pictures to capture the view:

"My life list" - inspired by Mary L.

It is Friday, Feb 5,2010 and I arrive to Surfers paradise. I had a great time reconnecting with long lost friends and getting to know the city. We had some time to hit the beach, swim in huge waves, dry off in the breezy sun, eat loads of sushi for dinner, walk around the market along the beach shore, and then head to bed at around 11:30pm so I can be ready for the next day's adventures.

Books on my list: from my personal library at home

I have grabbed a few interesting books off Julie's selves and I only remember a few titles:

Moral Disorder - Margaret Atwood
Travel light - ?
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho (nostalgic)

(3 others which I cannot remember)


Current read on the road:
Freakonomics (still on it) - finished
Say your one of them - finished

I will keeping this page up to date :-)


xo
R :-)

The Girl Most Likely - Rebecca Sparrow

It is close to 2 am on Friday and I am still not packed for my 2 week adventures. I need to get some things done in the morning before I catch the train at noon to the Gold Coast, but I feel the urge to blog before I head to bed. I can always pack in the morning.

For the passed, oh just over 48 hours I have been caught up with reading a book I found amongst the collection at my new place. The lady I live with used to be a librarian plus her hobby is still collecting and reading books. Great on my part because just before my departure I was a little disappointed that I wasn't able to bring my precious book-collection with me. But, just as Marcus pointed out, there are libraries and bookstore in Australia too (always the clever one). And sure enough, of all the places I could rent out, I end up living (practically) in my very own and private library. Just my luck I guess :-)

So after finding a few books that looked interesting to me, I end up reading The Girl Most Likely by Rebecca Sparrow first. I start reading and can't seem to take any breaks as I go on. I do get groceries one day, and go out shopping for clothes another, but I get the book finished just over 2 days. When I place the book on the shelf I wonder how on earth can a book grab my attention like this and can be so parallel to my experience in so many ways. This is not a book about saving the world, or about sociology or psychology in any form. Well, I'm sure one can argue, but it's just a story about a girl and a very tiny experience in her life and how she ends up coping with it. It is laugh out loud funny and at times other emotions come through as well.

I guess I find it so strange to have read this book as my first Australian author from Brisbane, and only living here 2 weeks I can get her jokes. Ladies, if you get a chance read it, gents, if you get a chance read it :-) Just for fun !

This book also got me thinking about some of my goals that are sitting on my list waiting to be crossed off. Mary, I am still owing you that list, stay tuned! Writing a book is one of them. However, reading this book puts out a challenge for me in accomplishing my goal to write a book. If this book already exist then who would want to read about my experiences? I do have loads to talk about my life and experiences of growing up amongst different cultures, making sense of these cultures, and so on. I will have to take more time and think about the direction my book will take so one day it will grab my readers' attention for 48h straight :-)

g'night
R :-)

46 Hawken Rd, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, AUS

I have a place now !! Check it out, Google-it, satellite-it !

I'm one of 3 students, and living with a couple who are native to Queensland. I find them very entertaining (also travelers), and the house just feels extremely homie. I could have walked and walked and walked some more, and roomed up with strangers, but once I stepped foot in this place, all furnished, I said why bother for something else when this place feels just right.

I am super excited now! I had a tiny 'worry' about finding a place (once I started the actual ground work) and realized that I have to settle in somewhere sooner than to wait till school starts. This way I can move in my stuff, and then head off to visit some friends. This house was meant to be mine since: I called, checked it out, and moved in all on the same day. And there was someone else the couple was waiting on to see the place, but after some time they told me to come and see it anyways (I think they were done waiting for the girl before me). Someone's loss is my complete luck!!! And now I am relaxed and 20lbs lighter for getting this one checked off my list.

This is just my room, but the rest of the house is just amazing. Beautiful wood kitchen, hardwood floors, and books are stacked all over (the woman was a librarian, and the gentleman has literature and communications background).




MY first few days have been interesting as well (never a dull moment in this land). Believe it or not, there are more furry and leathery friends I would like to introduce you to. Meet my new friends the gecko family. I have not had the chance to name them all, and well, I think there are some who stay and some who go (each night), so I would say this house is quite the high traffic area for them. They are fast and great at keeping the house clean from bugs, so there's a bonus. There is one very cute little gecko who I think is a regular to my bedroom. Reason being: I am starting to recognize the patterns on his skin. While reading in my bed today and watching a chick-flick on TV, this little gecko constantly came over to me to make sure I was doing ok. He must have, because he only came to hang out with me when I got teared up to the silly movie (hate when I get so sloppy over movies).

So, every time this tiny gecko came over to see me, I stopped tearing up and started to laugh out loud (lol). By the end of the movie I have decided to give this little guy (only) a name. Ladies and gentlemen please meet my new friend Homer (hahah it's only fitting, unless you have a better one, feel free to share you ideas).

Look very closely beside Lammie. In this picture he is hanging out with his buddies Lammie and Buzz.


Homer does like to hang out with the big boys. They are teaching him how to be a sleek hunter. Again, look carefully, Homer is the tiny dot between the two large geckos.


Now, the furry friend I have to introduce through Google images (I have to mention this so I am not plagiarizing). This is not a picture I took, but it's a perfect representation of what I saw on my way home from the grocery store, hanging out on the electric wires near my house. I have not named this 'precious' fellow, but I am sure something will hit me in the next couple of days. These guys hang out just outside my window and each night they try to decide who owns the territory under my window seal. A little noisy at times, but let's not forget, I am the one who decided to come and live in a tropical climate, therefore I have to get accustom to all creatures living near by.

Just because I don't have a name for these creatures, then are called a possum. Cute huh?



Ok, I think that is a all for now. If you would like to know/see more of my place just call me on skype and I can show you around :-)

Miss you all!
xoxo

Jan 2010 - Byron Bay

Road trip to Byron Bay with 2 Canadian girls and 3 Ozi boys. I have enjoyed getting to know the city of Brisbane and find it very entertaining with the city lights at night, and amazing places to visit and things to do, but also I have enjoyed the exotic looks and feel of the place. However, let's talk about looks of other places more down south on the coast. Once arriving to Byron Bay I truly started to believe that I wasn't just in another city/place adding (another) initial to the end of my name.


I am living my dream (and if this is a repeat I apologize) but I am truly living what I have been wanting to do. I feel as if: I have signed up to do more education, for the better I hope, and along the way they threw in a free all-inclusive vacation. "Why not? She's worked hard up to now....let's make her last year worth while".

Once arriving to the open beach, I was shaking my head: how did I get this lucky. I am on the beach, sun on my face (maybe even too much sun, but at this point I am not even thinking about that), luke-warm salty water, and it's all real. Hahah, ok so some of you have comprehended the fact that I am living in an awesome place (even before I got here), but to me it is still a little surreal!

After my first round of sunscreen, I head to the waters, the waves are awesome, not overly large, just right for the little youngsters around me that are learning to surf. I can't wait till it's my turn to learn, but for this trip, I'm sticking to body surfing. Once rested and dry, the group decides to check out the light house, called the most eastern point of Australia. After applying round 2 of sunscreen this is what you see on our walk ...



Sand, water, rocks, and trees. These pictures do not do justice to the sight, but I have never seen such strong coulours in nature. During the walk we are all sun-kissed (I can already tell my skin is done for the day), and getting thirsty and tired. Once we re-fuel with some fish and chips, decide hey, why not check out Surfers Paradise on the way home. We have energy to swim some more (forgetting that we are already burned to crisp).

We arrive to Surfers, and my mouth drops. Ever since I knew this place existed I had a clear image in my head when I hear 'Surfers' Paradise' ...



..however, the picture above is still Byron Bay. I was not able to take a picture of Surfers' because the large concrete buildings didn't allow for much view that I felt a need to capture (now this is said when sitting in a car). It is definitely a happening place, but completely not what I have pictured. Not a bad place to visit at all, I do enjoy the city feeling combined with the beach right next to it (I need to experience this place some more, up close and on foot). But I guess I am just used to being on the beaches in Canada, and they are usually surrounded by nature, and little/ no skyscrapers in sight (Vancouver is an exception to this rule, but I was always a tourist there, not a regular).

I am still very excited to visit some friends at Surfers and have the full Gold Coast experience, but now I fell much more in touch with reality. Byron Bay does have a more hippy feel to it, which some of you know, is right inline with my taste :-)

The gang ended up driving through this place, we were just drained from the sun, 3rd round of sunscreen would not help us now, and it was too busy for a sunset swim. However, I really appreciated the eye-opening experience, and now I know to do a little research on a place before I invade and conquer it lol.

I am still planning on a Surfers' invasion ...but waiting for a perfect time: when I am all charged up with energy and ready to party !!!

Still Byron Bay :-)


Light house - Byron Bay