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You know when you're so tired but can't muster the energy to drag yourself up those stairs to your nice fluffy pillows? That's what I am now. So, why wouldn't this be the best time to scribble a little something into this online journal of mine?

If you look at the top of my blog, see where it has a link for you to click on Next Blog >> ? Ever done it? I just did it to see what would pop up. It took me about 17 clicks to get through all the baby blogs. I'm surrounded by babies on this thing! How did that happen? I finally made it through the stories of dirty diapers and ended up at an Obituary. That's when I knew it was time to drag myself to bed.

holy crappers...i'm employed!

Six months of unemployment passed me by quicker than I could ever have imagined. Mind you, the last month of that was my searching and being unsuccessful at finding something. I tried the temp agencies which is actually what I did want in order to allow for the flexibility. The dread of that idea? Having to work in an office, 9-5, yanno - routine.  I took a break from that for a reason!

Luckily, had someone looking out for me. Phil let me know that they were looking for new people at Global Gossip, so I went in for an interview and I got the job! (Thanks Phil!) I started on Monday, completed 4 days of training and the true test will be on Monday when I open the store for the first time. Eeek! It's part time, a relaxed atmosphere and I think I'm going to have a good time with it. Hope it's all smooth sailing, but I know how to deal with troublemakers in my regular world so I'm sure I'll do just fine here too! Will let you know of course...

tiki taane

Last night I had the best time at a concert than I have in a while. Those of you who know me, know that I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on shows in my lifetime so this says a lot. Phil and I went to see Tiki Taane at the Hi-Fi in Melbourne.  He is an artist from New Zealand whose music is a blend of Maori traditional music with heavy bass/rap/hip-hop/electronica and throw in the occasional reggae. It was just an amazing energy that filled the fairly small venue.

His band made the show a very different experience from what you hear on the cd. The bass vibrated through you. His father, a guest vocalist, brought the traditional Maori to life and it was great to see him rock out too! We danced the night away and all I know is that my body was sore when I woke up. It was a great show that made the soreness worth it!

Check him out at http://tikidub.com/ or his YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/tikidub

i'm not ready

I've been having a lot of dreams lately so vivid that I wonder what my subconscious is trying to tell me. Many of them are old memories where people that I've known forever are being replaced by new faces that I've met. Some of them are brand new and of things that I hope will happen but haven't yet. Others are nightmares that I hope to forget. In any case, they're keeping me up at night.

I've been planning my trip around this place as my time here ticks down. I want to see everything. As the wallet won't allow this, regardless of the number of credit cards it contains, I have to decide what I can do it the limited window I have given myself.  At the end of February, I will be off to Mardi Gras in Sydney for 10 days with Phil and (hopefully) Lee.  This will be mixed with visits to the Blue Mountains and the famous beach surrounds. Can't all be in the city hub. That's booked.

When I return on March 8th, the plan is this: Go over to New Zealand for 3-4 weeks (where I must do my bungy jump and skydive), then come back and do a tour from Adelaide to Alice Springs, and find a way to get up to Darwin and over to Broome. In either December or January I will have to see the Great Ocean Road to Kangaroo Island trip and at least a little but of Tasmania. Did I forget to throw in the Whitsundays? *cry* I know, so sad that she's trying to fit in all these travels... I just feel that time is running out and that May flight is entirely too close by. The one that's supposed to be taking me home.

I'm not ready.

into a convent i go

Took part in an evening meal with the boys at a place called "Lentil As Anything" located in the Abbotsford Convent. It's a not for profit, vegetarian restaurant that serves a buffet meal themed differently each night. The choice this evening, African. It's a simple idea. You can take part in the meal and pay what you feel. No fixed price. Seating is set up in a large room and spills out into a garden area and that is just a section of the historic building. The sisters of the Convent of the Good Sheppard took care of the grounds since the 1860's. After getting home, I looked it up and actually want to go back and wander the grounds. Love when a little local history and architecture grabs my attention.

a little bit of racism

As sad as it is, I believe that everyone practices a little bit of racial discrimination. We have all had a moment where something has happened with a single person or group and we have attached a label to the entire country they came from. I'm guilty of that, you probably are too. Don't go and deny it too quickly...

Today I was on the tram coming home at about noon. There was a group of guys that came on and I knew right away that they were going to be trouble. Some of them were visibly drunk and that lead to loud and obnoxious banter between them. As long as they kept to themselves it would have been fine. Things turned when an Indian man came on the tram and made the mistake of sitting near them. Obviously not realizing his mistake, he would soon learn it. At this point, one of them went up to him to harass him and started to say things like, "You're not from here" and touched his turban. He then proceeded to take out his penis and shove it in the guys face and ask if he wanted to touch it. The man tried to push him away.  I felt so bad for him. Partly for not saying anything, and partly because no one helped him. Had the drunk guy been alone, maybe someone would have stood up to him but when there is a group, it's automatic fear (on my part anyway) that they'll do something worse to you. We were at the front of the tram so I'm certain that the driver knew what was happening but didn't say anything. The other people were generally over 60 and probably just didn't want to get involved. He finally left the man alone but then proceeded to walk around and cause a scene anyway, play fighting with his friends, climbing on to the handrails pretending to do things to ticket machines as if they were a person. Imagination is yours, his zipper was still down and I just didn't know where to look.

A few minutes later, I was happy to hear that they were getting off. Sadly, the Indian man got off at the same stop. I think he was on his way to a job interview, suit, clipboard in hand. As the tram moved away I looked out the window and saw that they were still walking around him. I felt sad for him. What that guy did was obscene, his friends not stopping him was awful as well.  I wish I had said something. Unfortunately, fear gets you sometimes.

tattoo...check!

Another item on the Mission 30-ish list is checked off! Yesterday I went down and finally got my tattoo. The whole experience was...odd...awkward? Ben, the guy that did my tattoo looked like he was twelve. Baby face I tell ya. He was uber new it seemed too. Concentrated a lot which was good for me but left a lot of quiet moments. It's on my inner wrist, left arm and is much larger than I planned but I liked the design that they came up with (even though it took a few attempts) so I went ahead with it.

Thankfully, it didn't hurt as much as I expected! I wasn't sure what to expect really but Chrystal explained it perfectly. Imagine a pin being scratched along your skin. A little sharp, but bearable. When it was done, it felt like a bad sunburn. It was more a feeling of numbness that took over. The awkward part came after the job was done and they were trying to figure out what to charge me. I didn't know where to look. Since he seemed new, he didn't seem to know what to do either. Anyway, at the end of it, it was cheaper than I had expected, bigger than I expected and less painful then I expected! I didn't cry, or whine, but laughed and had a good time. What should I get done next? Decisions, decisions.

boo!

Halloween brings memories of dress up, jack-o-lanterns, crunchy autumn leaves and begging my mom not to force me to wear a coat over my costume. This year it brought 33C temperatures which lead to a trip down to St. Kilda beach with my lovely housemates Chrystal and Phil, to suffer as we were surrounded by many beautiful people. Well that wasn't the intention obviously, but man, people looked good on that beach! To end off the day, flippin creepy movies which explains why I'm still up at this hour! I'm not one for scary movies but I'm trying, and how could I say no to it on Halloween?

First movie, The Grudge.  Sarah Michelle Gellar has to be one of the worst actresses to be cast in a lead role. Yeah, she may have cut it as Buffy and all but that's where she should have stayed, the small screen. In any case, I remember why I didn't want to see this movie when it was first out. CREEEEEPY! Probably didn't help that there was a thunderstorm happening outside our window. Lightening, pouring rain and scary movie.

Good thing that for movie two, Silent Hill, we indulged in a strong beverage to take the edge off. Really it was just Chrystal and I that are the scaredy cats.  This movie is a mind game from beginning to end but I still really liked it. Messed up for sure.  It was moving along when I had my freak out moment and I recognized one of the characters as someone who I've actually talked to. Stephen Hart, "the voice of the Current" (I'm assuming this is still the case), was on my screen. Holy crappers. His character had the unfortunate luck of being killed by some vines or something of that nature. Thems the breaks!

OMG - How could I forget the most exciting part of my day - I have an appointment for Friday afternoon to get my tattoo done! Hope the design comes out as I have it in my head. I'm afraid that this will be the beginning of it all. I already have been looking into other things that I want done in the future and I haven't even had the first needle prick of this one. I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it! Eeeeek! And with that, it is obviously time for bed since I'm at the cheesy song lyric portion of my show... goodnight all.

always the gawker stalker

Waiting for the tram the other day, listening to my tunes on the trusty 'ol iPod and I heard a woman's voice behind me. "How long until the tram?" "Just under 10 minutes" I responded. She was an old woman looking very disheveled. She asked me again as if she had forgotten. After checking the time I said "8 minutes". I stood back and just watched her for a while. She kept playing with her change but had nothing else. No bag, no coat. "How long ya reckon'?".  "Should be soon, about 5 minutes." She grabbed my sleeve and asked where I was going and I told her that I had a doctor's appointment at the shopping mall at the end of the line. "Oh that's good." She started to say something but I couldn't understand and she started to wander. I stepped out on to the street to see if the tram was coming and when I turned back, she was walking away just playing with her change again. I don't know why it left me with an uneasy feeling. I felt sad for her. I hope that when I get to be whatever age she was that I am lucky enough to have all my wits about me. I don't want to grow old and be missing out on something as valuable as a healthy mental state.  I just watched her go off into the park. Just an odd moment.

Moonee Ponds has become quite the perfect locale for people watchers like myself. Thankfully it's gotten sunnier so I can hide out behind the sunglasses and not get noticed as I stare.  We're approaching the classy time of year in town where the locals get all dressed up for the races.  It's serious.  November 3rd is a holiday in this state specifically for the Melbourne Cup in Flemington. Hard core. Saturday they were out in full force for the events at the Moonee Valley Racecourse which is about five minutes away from us. It is close enough that we could hear the national anthem being sung!  Earlier that morning we saw some of the neigbours leaving in their fancy suits and dresses and hats. I kinda wanted to go, but I don't do dresses!  I decided to go out and purposely walked by the track just to see if there was anything exciting going down. I turned the corner and I saw dozens of people watching the big race through the fencing.  Some were hanging off the fence, some had telephoto lenses taking photos.  I wish I had my camera to capture it - when will I ever learn?  There was so much energy from the crowd so it was neat to see.  If I'm ever in Melbourne at this time of year again, I'll be sure to check it out.  As I continued along past the grounds (and the crowds), I thought I had seen it all. I hit Queens Park and it was jam packed. I felt so out of place. People were having picnics in their fancy gear! Amazing how liquored up people can get in the middle of the afternoon! Whodathunk it? Then I ran into a wedding! Well, not run exactly, but I did walk through a shot of the bride and groom. In my own defense, I didn't see the bloody photographer hiding in between the trees.  I suppose that I should have figured something out when I just saw the couple sitting on the park bench. Really... not sure if I would have sat there in my fancy white dress. Oh yeah right, I don't do dresses and I'll be dead before I ever get caught in one of those!!

Back to Queens Park, it really is lovely during the day. Big trees, lots of open space, a big pond.  I haven't explored enough of it  but know enough to stay away from one part of it, the cottage.  Rumour has it that the Curator's Cottage in the park is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who died there during the influenza epidemic in 1919.  The cottage was a temporary hospital at the time.  Never seen a ghost so can't say if they're real or not but I'm not interested in finding out.  The idea freaks me out as is.  At night, the whole park freaks me out and I won't walk through it alone.  Actually I get freaked out enough when I walk through there with Phil because he purposely tries to scare me.  Ah the mind games.  How many times did I write freak? Goes to show that I must be one! Did I mention at all that there's bats in the area? I've seen them at night while walking home.  I'll just be sure to stay away from both this weekend... no need to be surrounded by ghosts and bats for Halloween! Eeeeeeek!

as I hold my breath

The hiccups have come to me again. Every day for the last however many weeks it has been! Once or twice a day for a short amount of time but annoying nonetheless.  At least I wasn't the poor 15 year old girl who had them continuously for FIVE weeks (thanks Wiki)! So, I am holding my breath on an off a lot of the time to try to get rid of them.

My resume has been sent out to a dozen or so agencies/companies and I sit and wait for someone to call. I want something that doesn't require thinking, in and out, nice and easy.  Lazy ass? Perhaps.  Smart long term vacation planner? I think so! 

I've been confused for being American a number of times this week.  Funny how quickly I correct the poor person on the other side of the conversation.  I'm not sure why I do... I watch American programming on television, we follow what the Americans do in almost everything, heck even the daylight saving time is all messed up because we had to follow them. But we just don't like being considered American. It's a funny thing really.  Ah, but Thanksgiving we do first (anyone know why? I don't remember that class in elementary school)! Thanksgiving came and went last week and I got asked what I did. Since it's not celebrated here I didn't even really give it too much thought unless I was on Facebook and saw the comments by others. But on Sunday, Moonee Ponds will be the site of a replacement thanksgiving dinner with folks met at the hostel along the way. Should be a good time.

Very random posting tonight, but I'm allowed since it's my blog. Who is actually reading out there...? Shoot me an email! *click here*

i still haven't found what I'm looking for

I hate U2, well Bono actually and the rest of the poor guys just get lumped in. Why title this after one of their songs? Just seemed appropriate. It's been a couple of weeks of emotional ups and downs. For the most part it's been good but when it gets bad, it's just that.

I got word, though three weeks after the fact, that another one of my friends died while I was over here. This one a car accident. He was 33. I tend to hold my emotions in but this one I couldn't even say out loud without bursting into tears.  Though, I apparently did it quite elegantly and left the room in time (hopefully before the ugly cry came out!).  It's different when it happens this way and you know that you didn't get that chance to give them the last hug and kiss goodbye.  I'm just sad.  I've been doing other things to distract but I still sit with a heavy heart.  Over-dramatic and sentimental much?

I am in my fourth month into this crazyness here.  I don't want to work. My brain knows that I should though because if I don't find something to occupy my time, I'll go into a dark spin of "I don't know what I'm doing here".  But, I'm not ready to come home. I do miss my family and friends, but there is nothing pulling me enough to go back there yet. 

A good day away from the city found us travelling along the Great Ocean Road on Saturday. The weather was more than we could hope for on a spring day.  Sun and warm air.  Actually the sun was a bit much in the wrong direction so the shots didn't turn out as good as I could have hoped but I'm a bit too picky when it comes to my photos.  Check it out and just imagine how gorgeous this stretch of coastline is. I will be sure to go back a few more times yet.

Click to enjoy the Great Ocean Road.

For now, I search for trips to go on, courses to take or some volunteering opportunities to make themselves evident.  If for nothing else than to have people get off my back and not ask me about it for a while.  Until next time...

van diemen's land

Forgot to mention a really good movie I went to see on Monday night - Van Diemen's Land. The tag line: Hunger is a strange silence. Who doesn't love a little cannibalism in a movie?

Check out the trailer and other good stuff here: Van Diemen's Land

It's the story of Alexander Pearce, one of eight convicts that escape after being sent to Australia in the 1800's.  Van Diemen's Land was what the Europeans called Tasmania at that time. I don't know if this is going to be released outside of Australia, but do give it a chance if you see it out there.  It's gruesome at some points but the story is told so well and the scenery is gorgeous.

The reason we even heard of it is because one of the guys that works at the hostel I stayed at has a starring role in it.  Who knew that the guy who had to break the lock on my locker (after I forgot my keys inside it for a second time!!!) could act! We were impressed anyway and hopefully it does well! Way to go Paul... his character is a pretty nasty mofo though. Loved it. So yeah, go see it!

there's a cat in my yard

There are a lot of cats that roam the streets of Moonee Ponds.  They don't realize that if I just breathe in enough of their dander it can give me a massive asthma attack. They are cute too, just a hazard to my health.  I just had a little visitor in the yard but didn't grab the camera quickly enough.  He just came up to my door and checked out the place.  We weren't interesting enough I suppose since he turned around pretty quick and moved on.

Last Thursday, Phil, Lee and I went to check out a taping of the 7PM Project at the channel ten studios.  It's been a while since I'd seen a taping of anything and my first here.  Happens the same all around, only here, they feed the audience sugar!! I know the CBC is the nation's broadcaster and the candy budget would be outta whack, but it makes for a tasty experience! The 7PM Project, for those that don't know, is a 1/2 hour news program that makes news fun. It takes topics from the news (not the overly sad and depressing stuff), and puts a spin on it.  Their slogan - It's news, but not as you know it. It's a good show! Check it out: 7PM Project.

Our housewarming get together was on Saturday night and although it was a small, very small, gathering of people, we had good times! Baked some cookies for the event which went well with the rice krispie squares made by Chrystal (which included pink marshmallows - can't find a regular bag of marshmallows around here!)  and all the other goodies.  Can't forget the lovely punch which went over very well and quickly... tasty! It's home now.  Amazing what furniture does to a place!

Sorry. That's all I got.

no, not you, her...

I went out tonight to see the boys of Tic Toc Tokyo and Spiral Stairs with my new flatmate Chrystal.  As we got to the door we were greeted by security who asked for our I.D. Aw shucks, really?! Damn, I forgot it at home. I didn't even think of it. *start of panic attack*

Bouncer looking at me with a straight face: No, not you, her. *super quick end of panic attack*

Memories flood back from our trip to Melaka in Malaysia.  At one point, on our way home, somebody asked the taxi driver to guess our ages.  This is after he asked why we weren't married already. Don't get me started on that subject!!  Anyway, he turned to me and said, while pointing his finger at me - "Her, she's old..." WTF? How old did I look?! "Too hard to tell with white people." How rude is that?!

Anyway, I fully understand that I'm getting older. That still doesn't change the fact that I'd still like to be asked if the person I'm with is!! Sheesh. Grandma ain't ready to take out the knitting needles just yet!

End of rant.

by candlelight

This evening I come writing to you by candlelight. What could be any more romantic? Lemme tell you, I can think of a number of things.

It is night two of living with no power. It would appear that we were to have told somebody that we moved in to avoid the electricity being shut off. Funny that. The plan is for them to come flip the on switch tomorrow during the day.

** Blaring alarm interruption here **

Right... so it's just after midnight and I just had a mild heart attack. Not literally of course. The alarm system went off and scared the bejeezus outta me. Good thing we knew where the bloody number was written down because we were able to disarm if only for a moment. After a minute it went off again! Right, Loreto, call the number on the panel. Phil, take care of the alarm. Super nice guy picks up and I explain the situation as the alarm goes off again. He figures it's the battery since it hasn't received a charge. I need a screwdriver and a step ladder. Um, just moved in and don't have either of those things. After a little running up and down the stairs, got the trusty butter knife and chair. At this point, security guy said I could hang up since I'd need the use of both hands. Smart. I wish I had caught his name but I think the alarm went off just as he said it. Back to the battery. Shorty McShort here could barely reach and when she did, didn't know which cable to unplug. I then made reference to this being like a plug on a bomb and being too scared to pull one, so Phil finished it off.

** back the the regularly scheduled blog entry **

What was I saying...? Right, as proven by the incident, I have come to realize that I don't know jack about house related issues. I'm used to having a superintendent to call up or have had one of the men in my family around. I say I'm a self sufficient feminist. I think I need to work on that. I need to learn how things work, household or otherwise. What if there was no Google available when I needed to do something? *shudder at the thought* I have got to learn the basics. Put that on the list...

For now, laptop battery is dying along with the one in my brain. Time for bed. Bonne nuit!

friendly aussies

I have a tendency to fall asleep in anything that moves. Planes, trains, automobiles. It moves, I fall asleep like a baby. Maybe it's something I should get checked out.

Yesterday I was riding the tram on my way home and my head kept bobbing. I hadn't slept well at all the night before which may have explained things. Almost dropped my phone twice. I'm sure that I finally slept for a good 5 minutes until I heard "WAKE UP!" WTF?! Buddy who was sitting directly in front of me was laughing and I did laugh a little too but, who does that?! I think he was just jealous that I was able to do it while he was suffering through this ride. He started the conversation saying that he didn't know how I could fall asleep on a tram.

He was a truck driver who I pegged to be in his late 40's/early 50's with a shaved head and rugged Aussie look. You know the one. He had come down from Queensland, the state with permanent temps in the 30's and 40's year round. He had the day off and thought he'd go around town but it was too cold. He grew up here and didn't know why I'd want to live in Melbourne. He got out as soon as he was old enough. At this point I figured he'd been dropped as a child and didn't know what he was talking about. This city is amazing!! That aside, I told him that I was Canadian and 20C on a winter day wasn't something to complain about. His response - "I always wanted to go to Alaska". Um, yeah. That's not Canada. I told him that if he wanted cold, come visit in January when Toronto easily gets to -30C with the windchill. Forget about some other parts of the country!

Him: "What's that in Celsius?"
Me: "That is Celsius."
Him: "Why do the Americans still use the other system?"
Me: "I don't know, they like to be different."

He starts to tell me that he works with some freezer trucks where the temperature gets to -40F and "that's fuckin' cold". No shit.

Him: "Know what that is in Celsius?"
Me: "Yeah, -40C, that's when the conversion equals the same." Dumb stare. Why am I talking to him?

Asked if I skied. "Nope, I'm not an outdoor kinda girl."
"What's the point of living somewhere with snow if you aren't gonna ski?"

This is pretty much how most of the conversation went. Luckily at this stage a guy sat next to him and diverted the conversation. Trucker was lost and young guy was able to say where we were. At this point I was desperately wishing that the tram would either move faster or I was just gonna get off anyway. I took the opportunity to say adios and stood next to the door.

It's still hard to get used to how friendly they are here. I'm from the concrete jungle where you don't talk to people. Sheesh. All I wanted to do is sleep. Dang I sound bitchy.

oh happy day

It's been three nights since I moved in to the new house. First night in an empty house was a bit odd because it was the first time in I don't know how long there was no one sleeping nearby. I was alone. New noises to get used to. I've watched too many scary movies. Let's face it, I'm a wimp.

The roomies have now moved in and it's all good again!

I should say, as much as I hated living in a hostel long term, I will miss meeting people along the way...

New chapter in Melbourne begun!

there's always a first for someone

It was gonna be a quiet night at the Workshop. Just a few drinks with a few friends. It was a great little bar with great music and neat artwork. Atmosphere was very cool. I hate beer but had no problem having it last night. But the mood to dance was on for me at least... luckily, the boys were itching to go to Peel. A night out with the boys amongst the boys.

We talked Sarah into going to her first gay bar and even though she went kicking and screaming, once her headache was gone, she had a great time! For a straight girl, it's a good place to have fun dancing without needing to put on a show. Good tunes, a mini-workout on the dance floor, and in last nights instance, a drag show. Sarah had such a great time with it, she got a fab pic with one of the queens!

Good times.

oh laura

My safety blanket left last night... Laura has started her travels making her way home to Canada. Although I made the promise to myself to get out of my comfort zone this year and try new things, I wouldn't have made as good a transition with people here as I have. So thank you Laura and I'll see you somewhere on the planet again someday!

Laura and I went out for dinner on Tuesday night in hopes of finding a really good meal. Both craving red meat! Got harassed as we walked along Hardware Lane with almost every restaurant promising a round of wine on the house. Too bad I don't drink wine. The menus did look really good but not in the mood to pay with my left arm for the meal.

We decided to try out something in Chinatown. Arriving at Spicy Fish, we figured it was a good choice because it was so busy. As we waited to order, I noticed that no one really had food on their table so there was no way of picking something tasty based on looks alone. Staying on the safe side, we ordered Special Fried Rice and Beef with Vegetables. As soon as we ordered we saw the platter of boiled Chicken feet being carried out. Ew, no thanks. Then I saw it. The "beef". If it was from a cow, I do not know what part and I don't wanna know. What I do know is that as soon as I took that first bite, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to swallow it. The meat was boiled and covered in a coagulated sauce making it slimy. We made a go of it but didn't do too much damage to the plate. Thankfully the vegetables were fine and the rice was good. We decided we had had enough and Laura suggested we make a run for it. Funny idea but there's no way these legs were gonna get us out of there quick enough and not trip along the way! When we finally did get out of there, we were laughing so hard at how bad the meal was and how desperately we needed to get a really good dessert to make up for it! We walked to Degraves and found one place still open with a good dessert menu. Chocolate mud cake for Laura, strawberry cheesecake for me. Could it be any better?! The nasty memory of that meat will always stay with me, but it made for a fun time with my bud.

Yesterday, Laura, Phil and I took a quick walk around town for Laura's last day and Spring has finally sprung. It was the first day in...I don't remember how long...that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. First stop, visiting our friend Lee who was working the 1930's era lift at David Jones. It was the old school ride up and down three floors. Loved it! Next stop, construction site worked by the company Hooker Cockram. So what, we were reduced to kid like jokes but that is a hilarious name! What better way to end the afternoon then to go to Treasury Gardens and have a sit down and take in the sun and sights?

Take a look at what we saw while were were there.... could they be any cuter?!?!

tick tock...

I'm back in Hostelworld. Was hoping that I wouldn't have to come back here. You get used to having your own room and not having to tiptoe about. It's a short term visit this time because we were approved for the house we wanted! Yay! Just need a move in date and we're good to go.

In the meantime, we get to share in the laughs at the happenings in the common rooms, bunk up with friends and shake our heads in disbelief at some of the people up in this place!

This last weekend and stretching right through tomorrow is Laura's send off. Friday had the promise of a bar hop and karaoke booked at 2am, we knew we were in for some laughs along the way. We ended up at some bar where I felt like I needed to break out my granny sweater. Apart from the staff, I was (or was close to being) the oldest one there. Even the music being played was from when I was in highschool and it was, *sniff*, considered retro!!! When did I get so old?! Dinner, cake & ice cream last night, and we shall soon see what tonight brings.

Benefit to being in the city centre again - there's actual stuff to do and only a few steps away. I guess I should get out there! It's sunny in Melbourne again!

my asian vacation

Note: Here's a little catch up on the first half of August... yeah, I'm that slow.

I know, how can one have a vacation from a vacation? I can't believe that there's actually people reading this. Looks like I fell off the planet on August 6th and I haven't been updating. Thanks to those who keep reminding me. Really....!

After my trip I came back and did nothing for a good couple of days... ok, maybe a week. Then it was hardcore searching for a new place to live as the woman who's flat we're in is returning in just a few days. I don't want to go back to the hostel life! Two applications are in and now the time is just passing as we wait. I'm not gonna have any nails at the end of this.

Now, on to the not so brief write up of my time in Asia. The key is to write everything down before you forget. Lemme say that the week or so happened so quickly that it's a good thing that I wrote things down! Grab a beverage or some snacks, here we go...honestly I'd fall asleep without a little coffee on this one kids.

August 6

I went to the hostel that night to meet up with the girls there. It had only been a week since I had left there to move in to the flat but it seemed like FOREVER! I kept hearing that everyone was stressed out because they didn't know what the plan was. As much as I'm the type of person who LOVES her itineraries, this time I knew that the first three days didn't belong to me. Whatever they wanted to do was alright with me since I had another day in KL to myself before heading off to Singapore in case we didn't get to something I wanted to do. We left that night at about 10pm to make sure that we checked in at least two hours before the flight which was due to leave at 12:45 am. We walked out to the taxi at Flinders and Swanston and got a fun taxi driver who had lived in Canada briefly and more importantly, didn't mind blasting the music in the cab. He was lucky enough to be serenaded by Laura. The song - Power of Love by Celine Dion. From the beginning, full length and quite the powerful performance! People in the cars around us were just looking in at her. So funny!!

When we finally got to the airport, we learned that our flight had been delayed until 2AM!! *sigh* We didn't need to rush down. Guess it was time to get comfortable! A lot of wandering around later we got on the plane. Tiny seats lemme tell ya so it's a good thing that I got an aisle seat. Luckily it wasn't a full flight so we were all able to get comfortable seating after moving around.

August 7

Our flight got in at about 9am and as we walked down the flight of stairs to the tarmac, we immediately felt the change in temperature. It was easily 35C. I had grown accustomed to my 15 degree winter weather in Melbourne! But as much as I hate the heat, it still felt pretty nice! Immigration was fairly easy to get through. With all the Swine flu commotion, we walked through temperature heat sensors. Not sure what they actually do since anyone walking through it would be hot from the weather outside, but who am I...? Outside, instant culture shock. This was the first time I had stepped outside of the western world. There was so much to see and I wasn't sure where to start. We made our way to KL Sentral which was the main gateway to the city after coming in from the airport. The bus to KL Sentral was busy so we didn't get to sit together. No worries though as I was meant to fall asleep anyhow... couldn't though since we were on a breakaway bus that I was sure was gonna die on the highway. It was so rickety on there but as I looked around, no one else seemed to worry about it. Turbulence on a plane I can handle, this I wasn't sure about. Made it safely to the station though and we were off to the hostel. I have to say that until I was en route to the country, I didn't know that Islam had the strongest religious presence there. It was most evident by the women who wore their burqas which I had only ever seen on television or in pictures. I truly don't understand why they have to wear it, or in this heat, how they were able to. Something I need to learn I guess. I'm open to hear about it!

After a short ride on the monorail, getting lost on the streets thanks to the directions by various locals (including police officers) we finally found the Paradiso Bed & Breakfast. As we walked in all I heard was a man's voice saying "Loreto....? Where is Loreto?" Dude, it's kinda creepy walking into a strange place and people picking you out eh? I was the only one he would deal with as my name was on the booking. Seemed like a nice guy at first. Hostel wasn't horrible but let's just say not as advertised. As Sarah took a nap to catch up on sleep she didn't get on the plane, the rest of us went in search of food. What better place than Pappa Rich? First meal in Malaysia, was a western meal. I'm such a wimp. The neatest thing about the place that I wish I had taken a picture of was the little buzzer system that they had on the table. On the corner there were three buttons: call, bill or water. Want one of those, press the button. So we did. Cool. They don't bother you otherwise. Nothing worse than having a mouth full of food and waitstaff asking how things are.

After our meal, Laura saw the sign for the place that would give me the biggest laugh of the trip. The Reborn Spa was waiting for us. It was here that I signed up for a 20 minute Reflexology Fish Foot Massage. The other girls got a combo deal of that with a one hour back massage. Ticklish Lo couldn't handle that. They grabbed me first to sit at the long shallow pool of water that looked like an aquarium tank in the ground with hundreds of sucker fish. I knew it was going to feel funny but I didn't have a clue of the shock that was about to hit me!! Imagine the feeling of hundreds of bugs crawling around your feet. The feeling of the onset of pins and needles for 20 very long minutes. The feeling was so indescribable. There was so much laughing and crying and because of my reaction, the other girls took another 5 minutes before they would even get in. I just have to say that I took it for the team. It was so freaky and I would SO do it again!!!!

After the 20 minutes came and went, I went for a walk while I waited for the girls. Standing in front of the spa, I was approached by a man who offered me a card with a picture on it and it was meant to bring me peace. I said no thanks. Not that I didn't want peace and all that jazz but I know when someone wants money. So I said it, sorry, no money. "Not looking for money" was his response. Mmkay. So he tried to give me a bracelet. Again, I don't have money to give you. Not looking for money. He handed me a book where I was to write down my name, address and donation. Ha, money! He then went on to say that he wasn't looking for money for him, it was the cause... the search for peace that he was looking for a donation for! Oh well then, lemme see what people have given you then.... sure here's some cash! Um no. He walked off in a huff and mumbled what I assume weren't the nicest words for me. Good times.

After the girls came out all relaxed, we checked out the strip of town we were in, we went off in search of a hotel with a pool for the next day and somewhere to eat dinner. After a very long search, we settled at the Rum Jungle for dinner, went back to the hostel and just shy of midnight, found a hotel and yes, it had a pool!!

August 8

This morning we had to get up early in order to check out and move to the next hotel and then off to Melaka for the day trip we wanted. We checked with the transportation desk at the hotel on how we could actually get to Melaka. We knew that if we took a bus we could probably get there in a couple of hours by paying $10 each way. OR, we could get our own taxi driver who was willing to stay with us for the day, drive us around and only pay $5 more. Let's pause and think about this shall we?! Show me to the taxi! I should really listen to my friends. All I heard was Phil's voice in my head saying never trust a man with a mustache. So true was the case with our taxi driver. He was nice enough at first, insisting that whatever we wanted could be done. I had the image of old Portuguese style architecture, bright colours and good food in mind of the day. For the most part the ride was fine until we got to a toll. Long lines made us think that we were going to be there for a while. Not so, my friend! This guy starts to talk about how people are so stupid to wait in line for anything. The phrase that we would use a lot for the rest of the weekend was "Easy, I show you!!" Buddy speeds up along and tries to nudge his way into the line. Of course no one is letting him in... so he nudges a little more. This was on my side of the taxi so I'm thankful that I'm wearing a seatbelt but I'm just waiting to get crunched. After a few attempts, and nervous laughter on our part, he makes his way through and we are passed the first toll! *phew*

The numbers of palm trees we saw along the way were incredible. Fields as far as the eye could see. Our driver told us that Palm Oil was their number one export. Confusing since every August the area along the coast and all the way into Kuala Lumpur is covered in a haze from the fires burning the same trees down.

We eventually made our way into "Melaka". More like the Safari that we had no interest in being at. We somehow got weaseled into going to this safari park, paying for our driver to get in, and then ended up at some animal show that he insisted we see. We obviously were still not comfortable with the whole situation we were in and sat there for the most miserable animal show I have ever seen. You hear about those places that don't treat animals properly. This had to be one of them. I saw a black bear that was so thin that it looked like someone dressed in a costume rather than an actual animal. It was so sad. I didn't enjoy it a bit. Thankfully Laura convinced this guy that this wasn't where we wanted to be and he drove us to the right spot.

Once we got to Melaka, the town, we checked out the market, saw some of the old churches that were there from the 1700's and ate at this cute back alley place that had really good food. Best part of our trip to Melaka was the rickshaw ride with our driver Dan. He took us around for half an hour and showed us some of the different temples and churches. What made it a good experience is that he actually gave us a history of the different buildings and made the stops to show us the inside of these incredible buildings. I loved it and I actually wish that we had been able to stay in the town longer and got to see more of the sights. We loved Dan!

After our drive back into the city, we dropped our stuff off and hit the pool. This is where I realized that I can't swim!! Maybe I can but I haven't been in a pool in 20 years and I actually had a bit of an anxiety attack. At least I didn't drown. So much for learning how to dive! Well there's still time to get to the pool and learn it again. Maybe it's like riding a bike? Evening had us split, Laura and Myriam with room service and Sarah and I getting out to the Thai Club & Bistro where I indulged in a yummy steak. A nightcap of Raspberri vodka and we were ready for the next day of activity.

August 9

A 7am wake up for the long wait at the Petronas Twin Towers. Since the towers have a free ticket system, we had to get in line that early in order to secure a spot on one of the elevators taking us up to the 42nd floor. We ended up with a 4:30pm ticket. That gave us enough time to hit the Central Market and Chinatown for some shopping. Nothing better than hawkers yelling "Best price for you" every two steps you take! I ended up getting a pair of runners that only cost me the equivalent of about 15 bucks and I love em! When 4:30 hit, we were at the towers and made our way up for the 10 minute visit. It's very bizzare the system that they have. In the end, 10 minutes is really all you need. The view is ok, not very high up and in my opinion, not really worth the wait. But hey, it's one of those things that you can say you did. KL Twin Towers, check.

Sarah & Mims, didn't really know you before going on this trip but had a great time, good laughs! Laura, we still have our freak out moments over being together in Australia, dude, we went to Malaysia!

It was time for the girls to go home and leave me alone. I was sticking around for another day and then moving on to Singapore.

August 10

You know how there's culture shock in any new city you visit? Although I had been here with the girls for a few days already, there is a certain amount of comfort when with others. Now that I was flying solo, the city seemed so foreign and I didn't know which way to turn. Asking many people for directions (thank goodness they widely speak English), I found the city bus that I was hoping would get me to my destination. I had already made the decision to go to the Batu Caves just north of the city. The site is a Hindu Shrine surrounded by limestone caves. In order to see the inside of the caves, one has the joy of climbing 272 steps behind the gold painted 140 ft tall statue of the Hindu deity, Murugan. For those who like tropical climate, and climbing that set of steps, this is the place for you. That morning the temperature had already reached 34C plus humidity. Nice. Actually, it was a good climb and I was happy to see that there were others, many others, who were less fit then I am!

Once I made it to the top, it was a totally different world. The caves were so high and surrounded by rich greenery. It was in a moment of gawking at the skies that I landed smack dab in the middle of a pigeon and monkey fight! WTF? Where the heck did they come from? Well I had seen plenty of pigeons and I knew that there were monkey's living in the cave but I hadn't seen any yet so let's just say that I was caught off guard. Being a tourist attraction, you find plenty to buy, including animal feed which is what they were after. Some of the kids in the cave just through the food out and all the animals went after it. There goes Loreto, flailing about because all she sees is flapping wings and hears screeching from the monkeys who are trying to get their hands on the prize. I am just thankful that I wasn't the only silly tourist caught in the crossfire. It was embarrassing enough to be caught up in it, can you imagine doing it alone?!

I had seen enough and decided to make my way back to town. I went ahead and became the cheesy tourist and jumped on a Hop On/Hop Off bus. SO should have done this at the start. I love this kind of intro to the city because it gives you an overview of where things are and you can gage if you want to see certain things again or just skip it. Frankly, it was cheap. As is everything in Malaysia if you have a western currency. Overall, I'd like to go back to Malaysia but Kuala Lumpur kinda freaked me out. Way too busy! I will need to go back to check out all the different countryside areas that I didn't see on such a short trip.

August 11

Today was a fly day. Boring!

I had two hours until boarding so I stopped for brekkie at Cafe Espresso. I liked the message on the wall -- Pause...take your time. Enjoy. There's a time to cook a good breakfast and a time to brew a good coffee. Ah tasty! As much as I would have liked the Sardine pastry, I think I made a good choice with the Chocolate brownie to go withe the Cafe Mocha!

I was looking forward to the hostel I was staying at because it was considered a Flashpackers, yanno, my kinda thing. It's called Habitat Hostel and the rooms were supposed to be based on the Japanese pod beds which were like capsules. When I got there I didn't get an actual pod, same ol hostel bed. Only thing that made it better was that it was the metal bunks that other hostels have were nowhere to be seen. Tomorrow, off to see Singapore!


August 12

In keeping with the hop-on/hop-off tour idea, Lo signed herself up for the Hippo Tours! How fun does that sound?! I didn't know where to start so the first tour I took was called the Heritage Tour. This took us through the historical districts of Singapore. The colours were brilliant and the architecture was amazing. You could be smack dab in the middle of Chinatown and walk a little bit and be surrounded by the temples in Little India covered by the different deities. One of my favourite buildings was the Sultan's Mosque in Kampong Glam. I knew I wanted to go back there. When we got back to the starting point, I took the City Tour which took us through, well, the city, but mainly to the shopping district on Orchard Road. Need designer wear, this is where to get it. I dunno, that kinda stuff just doesn't float my boat so I didn't go in to the malls that covered the street. Nice to drive by the glamour but that's as far as I go!

For a midday tour, I went on the Hippo Boat tour which took us along the river and then to the Merlion. This is the symbol for Singapore based on the story of the rediscovery of Singapore by a prince who thought he saw a mystical beast along the shores that had the head of a lion and the tail of a fish. The afternoon was spent wandering until it was time to join what I thought was an evening tour of Singapore. The city by night is a photographer's dream and although I'm not quite there, I still wanted to see it. Turns out the brochure needs a little updating since what it was actually transportation to Sentosa Island for a show. No thanks! I went along with another girl from Kenya and enjoyed a walk around the island and stopped to eat an ice cream on the beach while the sunset hit. Not too shabby an ending to the day!

August 13

For my last full day in Singapore, I decided to head out to the Jurong Bird Park and then head back on the Heritage tour to go to the area of Kampong Glam where I could take a closer look at the Sultan Mosque, and finish off with an evening walk back to hostel through old colonial area and along Orchard Road back to my hostel.

Birds. They make me laugh. It was a great walk around the park where I saw so many different species. Species... is that right? Anywho.... I'd never seen the bright pink flamingos or the crazy looking emus so up close. The parrots were entertaining too. Honestly, took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many pictures!! What was I thinking?! But really, tell me that this guy isn't the funniest thing you've seen?!








I spent a good couple of hours checking them out and then made my way back to the city for the last Heritage tour ride. I got off in my favourite area around the colonial buildings near the Supreme Court and Parliament. Ready to take the close up pictures of the places I liked best. OMG - batteries dead. This was the extra set of batteries! I made some new friends on the streets of Singapore and basically asked where I could buy new ones. This area was becoming a ghost town because it was after 5pm. Thankfully after my fourth attempt, I found someone who knew and I was set to go! The weather was still gorgeous but finally the heat was bearable, so I started my walk back to the hostel. Along the way I encountered a practice session for the one year countdown to the Youth Olympics that Singapore was hosting. Came across a really great dance troupe and witnessed some technical difficulties... are amps supposed to smoke like that...?



August 14

My trip was over. I wish I had gone to Singapore for much longer than I did. I underestimated how much time was needed for a city state. This was my very long travel day back to Melbourne - who gets up at 5 am for this kinda crap? I first had to fly back to Kuala Lumpur and hope to make my connecting flight to Melbourne. Thankfully I did! I had a long midday flight, didn't sleep too much but scored a two seater to myself! After I finally made it home, my fantastic flatmate Phil got drinks ready with our new Absolut Raspberri vodka, we caught up and stayed up until the wee hours of the morn... honestly one of the funniest people I have ever met! Great ending to a long day!

For more pictures click on one of the following links:

Kuala Lumpur & Melaka, Malaysia

Singapore

pompeii, dali and travel

On Monday, we went out to the Melbourne Museum and saw the "A Day in Pompeii" exhibit. Although I had been to Pompeii in 2003, I was looking forward to seeing the exhibit here in Melbourne. I was able to see some of the artifacts with a little more attention to detail this time as in Pompeii I was part of a larger tour group and it felt a little more rushed. It was higher level detail shall we say? We didn't have that much time to actually go through all the sites then. The main thing that I noticed (which shows how little I know) is that they were more advanced in 79AD then I thought. The artifacts were behind glass for the most part but overall, great display! Best part had to be the 3D video which showed what the 24 hours after eruption of the volcano was like and how it covered the town. The actual video, though interesting, had nothing on the simply FAB 3D glasses we had to wear. If only they allowed pictures to be taken inside. On until October 24th - http://museumvictoria.com.au/pompeii


Yesterday, Phil (my flatmate) and I went to the National Gallery of Victoria and saw the Salvador Dali exhibit. I have to be honest and say that I didn't really know too much about his work apart from mentions in Art History in that college class oh so long ago... That was before I cared about this kind of stuff. His work really is fascinating. It ranged from paintings to films to jewelry. The jewelry was really great to see as it was the least expected. Part of the exhibit showed some of the films that he is credited with. One of them, Un Chien Andalou, was a black and white film from the 1920's that played out some freaky imagery that is meant to show as a dream sequence. I don't know that I would ever be able to understand how his mind worked, but I can appreciate his talent.

For those of you in Melbourne, you have until October 4th to go see it! http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/dali

My faves:

The hand. The remorse of conscience 1930










 



Figure on the rocks 1926














As for today... nothing yet, but tonight I travel to Kuala Lumpur and to Singapore on Thursday! When I return, I will have pictures of my own to show! How's that for a week of culture?!

lazy sunday

A lazy Sunday afternoon after a good night of laughs and music with friends... and perhaps a little too much vodka.

I'm finally out of the hostel and living in a pretty nice flat just north of the Melbourne CBD. It's amazing how much sleep I was losing there until I got to my nice and cosy new bed and had a full night of sleep! I haven't been updating much, sorry, just not much in the mood.

For those not on Facebook, here are a couple of links to some photos from Melbourne and a weekend trip to Sydney.

Click here for more of Melbourne


















 
Click here for more of Sydney

a sad ending

This morning I got the email. Although expected to come any day, I dreaded opening it. My friend Yadira passed away after a lengthy battle with Cancer. We became friends after meeting 4 years ago at the Ceeb. We clicked with our shared love for Jon Bon Jovi, good food, and our mutual distaste at the thought of ever having children. As people started to find out that she was sick, the questions she dreaded and the overly sympathetic looks started coming in. I didn't ask those questions, mainly as a protective mechanism, I suppose, as I knew I didn't know how to deal with it. I was happy to be her entertainment outlet. For her, it was enough to be the reality TV junkie with her and the celebrity gossip provider. I'm sure she would have preferred American Idol, Dancing With The Stars and People magazine all day any day over this.

I'm glad I got to see her before I came to Australia, but in my selfish way, I kinda expected her to be there when I got back. For her, the pain is finally over. In a better place as they say?

I will miss her. r.i.p. Yadira.

i love this city

I figured I should probably change the heading on my page that doesn't include body parts.

Over the last few days I have finally been out and taken some pictures. Easier to do when you're in the middle of a tour group and aren't the only one looking like a tourist. Melbourne has the greatest laneways. In them you can find little cake shops and cafes to amazing street art. For now, I leave you with a taste...

I'm on my way out to get some more!

i can see your vagina because you're my mommy

Yeah I guess that's a good title... sorry for those of you that get get squeamish with that word. lol.

It's funny what kids say and how embarrassed parents get when they say it. Ironically, this was said at the public restroom at the Observatory. I was minding my business, when a woman came in with what I assume was her 3 or 4 year old boy. At that age, we all know there is going to be sharing of the stall with mommy. That's just the way it goes... well, the little boy did his bit then it was mommy's turn. Next words: "I can see your vagina because you're my mommy." She had the nervous laughter and said, "I guess that's right". He continued, "And I can see daddy's penis because I'm a boy too. I looked at Andy's too but his looked funny!!" And he started to giggle uncontrollably. Next I hear the flush, mommy rushing him out, saying "I think you just gave to much information for one sitting."

I don't know why this was so entertaining to me but it was. Teach them the right words and they will use them. It just reminded me of the scene in the movie "Kindergarten Cop" where the boy stands up and says "Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina". True enough...

it's an alpaca - hanging rock is that way

The intention was to get up and leave the hostel bright and early. Laura and I were in search of a rental car. The mission: get her bridesmaid dress fitted and ready for shipment to Canada.

Is it completely impossible to get a decent price on a same day rental without all the hidden fees? I guess their advertising works since we went to all the places that advertised $30 rentals. Funny how those weren't available and the only thing they had was way more. So we went to the cheapest place only because we could return it late tonight and it was cheaper than other places. Off we went to a sketchy mall north of the airport and Laura got the dress done!

We went out to the parking lot, got into the car and.... nothing. The car wouldn't start!!! Battery dead, caput! What the hell are we gonna do?? We were out of the city. Laura looked at me and realized I wouldn't have a clue of what to do, I'm passenger/navigator material only. We got out of the car and stood in front of it and just stared. Anybody gonna give us a boost? Anybody? We went for the stereotypical search for a man to help us. We didn't think that Mama and her baby were gonna cut it (sorry ladies, the feminist in me failed and I let this decision go Laura's way). One of us had good karma or a horseshoe up their ass because a minute later we see a truck pull in with "Battery Repair" written on the side of the truck. Are you kidding me?! It was the local RACV guy (think CAA roadside assistance) taking his break at the mall or something. Laura went over and asked for a boost and he (thankfully) said yes! Ten minutes later we were ready to get back on the road and didn't charge us.

We decided to test our luck and continued North. Along the freeway we saw a sign for a winery along the way so we thought we would stop off there. Goona Warra Winery. It was small and cute but very quiet. We took a quick walk around the winery and got ready to continue the drive. We got back in the car and... nothing! The bloody battery was dead again, or so we thought. Laura called the rental company this time and complained because it had only been a couple of hours and they gave us a shit car. They told us to call up RACV on their dime and all we hoped was that it wasn't the same guy from the mall boost. Not our fault but that still would have been embarrassing! Luckily not, he did something or other and said it was the modulator (is that a real thing)? *stunned look again* Uh, ok, whatever. Are we gonna breakdown again?? That's all we cared about. No one likes to have a car breakdown but who wants it to happen in a foreign country, english speaking or not? The secret was to lock and unlock the car with the little clicker thingamabob instead of the key.

Seriously? Yeah, seriously. That's what Laura had to continue to do throughout the day.

Next stop on the agenda was Hanging Rock. There was a story turned movie about a group of girls that went up on Valentine's Day in 1900 for a picnic. Throughout the day, word is that a few disappeared never to come back. Sounds like a good reason to go check it out. En route we came across a field with cows we hadn't seen before and actually stopped to take a picture. Can we say tourist?! Next on the animal viewing was an alpaca. We didn't know until we made the mistake of stopping on someone's driveway to take a picture. Turned out to be a one way drive of sorts and they were coming at us. They looked annoyed. We backed out and before we made it all the way out, cranky-ass lady got out of her car, came over and just stood over Laura in the driver's seat. Laura mentioned that we were heading to Hanging Rock and that we just stopped to see the animal and we didn't know what it was. Laura being her bubbly self, cheery, yanno, Canadian, Aussie's love Canadians! Cranky-ass lady wasn't as cheery and just said "it's an alpaca - hanging rock is that way". We understood the look and it meant get off my damn driveway and don't come back! Almost ruined our day - we found our first mean Aussie!

Along the winding roads and steep inclines we drove through the Macedon Ranges to Mt Macedon and finally to Hanging Rock. We got a work out climbing Hanging Rock but it was worth it. It was a great view and the only thing that would have been better is if the rain would go away. We could see that the sun was trying to peak through the clouds. Guess what we saw as we walked along the path - a cute wallaby! He was just sitting there eating berries. I should say - Laura had to point him out. I was looking the other way and all she said was "get your camera out!" I don't think I've ever been that close to an animal in the wild. I'm a city girl remember? He didn't run from us and let us take way too many pictures trying to get the perfect one. I think the only reason he finally hopped away was because he was bored with us.

Overall a really nice day out of the city and I finally took some pictures. Lovely scenery and good laughs after the crazy car stress. I really need to learn the tricks of my camera and get creative. I see too many people with stunning pictures and I realize how amateur I really am. I guess that's one way to make use of my time! In the meantime, be happy with these.

For more pictures from the day click * here *.

it's amazing what restlessness will do

Travel pages won...

I'm going to Sydney for the weekend of July 24-26 with a girl I met in the hostel who was also itching for a weekend getaway. Since that won't get the restless itch to go away, on August 7th I will be going to Malaysia and Singapore for a week! Love seat sales! It was only AUD$260 round trip. Seriously, wouldn't you have booked too?!

an unusual meeting

They say everything happens for a reason and I believe that's true.

The day was a bit of a mess and it started with the fact that I had forgotten my map of where I was going. This led to getting on the wrong tram in the wrong direction. Instead of asking someone, anyone, for directions, I figured a couple of hours to find my way would be sufficient. Or not? I had two appointments about 15 minutes away from each other and I booked them way too close together. By the time it was 5pm, the first appointment time, I had given up on finding that house. I made my way to the second because I at least remembered where I was supposed to be getting off there. That's where the memory ends. How am I feeling like grandma at the age of 30-something? I thought I at least remembered the vague route. What did the ad say, 2 minutes to the beach? I knew exactly where that was! Logical pattern in the city planning so I start to walk the grid. It was getting way too dark in a strange neighbourhood and where I come from, girls don't play this game. I walked for about 20 minutes and finally stop at the first place that was open, a church. It was dark in the long corridor but at the end of the hall I saw a light. I walked in and was asked how I was. Lost. That's for sure. She didn't know where my destination street was either. Turns out that room led to the library so the internet saved the day again and we realized we were only 2 streets away!

When I finally arrived at the house, I took a quick tour and then sat down for an interview of sorts. I wasn't expecting that. It really became a conversation about what I was doing here in Melbourne. I gave the usual response - I'm here on a work/travel visa and I hope to settle here for the winter, save up some cash and then get out and travel some of Australia and New Zealand and maybe hit up a little of Asia and then go home.

She told me about the year she was 21 and left with some money in the bank and started her travels around the world. She was just so passionate about the places she went and what she did as she told the story. She asked again, "What are you doing here?!" If the purpose was ultimately to go home, what's the point of actually going anywhere? Shouldn't it be about the journey? The point of travelling shouldn't be to check off that master list of places you want to see if you're not experiencing the culture, the food, the atmosphere and the people around you. She was right. Why did I travel 16,000 km if I was just going to go work 9 to 5 in an office? It's not like it was something I hadn't thought of or heard before, but I needed to be reminded.

So in the end, this random woman whose house I was just planning on living in was not only telling me that I wasn't getting the room but that I should leave the city as well! I left energized and ready to pack my bags. Rational Loreto is coming out though and messing it all up. In the meantime, I've been trying to figure out what to do next. If I go, Melbourne will be here when I get back and the likelihood is that it will be much warmer so should I set my sights on the travel pages?

Am I too young to have a mid-life crisis? I'm being so bloody indecisive on what I want to do. *sigh*

Better question: If I am having an early mid-life crisis, why am I writing this on the internet?!

who doesn't love a penguin?

It's been a week and a half since I arrived in Melbourne. I think I'm finally over the jetlag I wasn't expecting to have. I am currently "living" at the Greenhouse Packpackers hostel. I still can't believe I'm living in a hostel. I am meeting a lot of people but happily have my buddy Laura J around to have a piece of home.

For those of you who are lucky enough to come to this gorgeous city (trust me, for food, culture, architecture, it beats Sydney by a mile!) don't listen to those who are trying to sell you a trip to Phillip Island to see the penguins. The other night a group of us went down to St. Kilda beach and at the end of the pier arrived to the spot where the penguins come in from a long day out in the ocean. We did get there a bit late so we only saw three of the little animals but boy were they CUTE! Only problem, no flash photography allowed. Didn't stop people though and one of the poor buggers looked dazed and confused because of it. He waddled then fell off a rock! No worries though, he was ok and went along and joined his family. I'll have to go back another day when it's a little earlier so I can see more of them together.

In other news, I'm off to see a house today and hopefully will have a new place to live but if not, I guess hostel life isn't all that bad...?

if only i could see vancouver by daylight

I always said I wanted to come to Vancouver and here it is in the dark. I have an hour to go for the next boarding call for my flight. It's 11pm Vancouver time, 2 am Toronto. It's been a long day already and I am ready for my nap! So far, Air Canada hasn't sucked. Key word "yet"? We had a bumpy landing but everything else has been good to go!

Dang I'm boring when I've had no sleep. But at least I can surf the net thanks to Vancouver Airport free WiFi. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Oz. Pretend I have an accent from now on. It may make the notes more entertaining. :)

ticket booked.... again! countdown is on!

In 7 days I will be on Air Canada flight AC 033. Thankfully a tentative agreement has been met with AC and it's union so hopefully my flight will be fully stocked with happy pilots and flight attendants!

It's a good thing I'm a good sleeper because I've got just over 24 hours flying time to fill up. The selection of in flight entertainment doesn't look all that entertaining. But really, how many movies can I actually sit through?

I hope I have a nice seatmate or it'll be a loooooooooooooong ride! Think a Hugh Jackman look alike may get on there?

Melbourne, here I come.

a week of goodbyes... for real this time!

The last week was 60% stress and 40% relief. Stress that I wasn't gonna get it all done, relief that it didn't really matter because my actions don't lead to life or death in the workplace. If it does, somebody better let me in on it!

I had the pleasure of having a get together almost each night (and a lunch out in the rain!) with friends and colleagues to get our last chats in, bits of gossip and really good laughs. It's nice to know that someone cares enough to take time out of their day to say nice things about you. Thanks to those who wished me well, gave a toast, or sang an Abba song... Without getting out of control cheesy, I really do appreciate it even if it does make me blush in a ridiculous shade of red! And that was before the hugging began!

No more work.... Lo is on vacation! CBC, I hope to see you on May 17, 2010!

may day

Today was supposed to be my last day at work. Best laid plans is it? Working until the end of May since I have re-arranged my itinerary. I don't have an actual flight booked YET but I know I'm headed straight to Oz and jetting out from there. Everything happens for a reason. I'm just waiting to find out mine. But no, it ain't cuz of the Swine flu!

What a crazy world we live in...

great friends and great laughs

I'm a very lucky girl. I have great friends that care enough about me to take time to wish me a bon voyage and surprise me in the process.

First stop - Friday night with my best friends Sabrina and Tania. Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls stopping for dinner at the Keg. Apart from it being warmer on the street then in the restaurant, my steak and Keg sized Strawberry Daiquiri were a welcomed treat. Lemme tell you, I love a flirty slot machine. Give a little cash and it gives a little something back... After a bit of fun there we went back to the hotel and they surprised me with a cake and going away gift. I had to take a picture and as soon as I figure out how to get it off my cell phone, I'll share it with you. Morning buffet breakfast and another try at the slots before heading home... great fun even with the late night and EARLY wake up call!

Saturday afternoon was supposed to be a quiet get together with Syma. Dinner for two... so why was it a table for 6 that we were being seated at? I don't do surprises. This time they got me! I think I'll still be full in a week from the ginormous meal at Peter's - yum. Thank you Syma, Daniela, Margaret and Jackie for coming out in torrential downpour! Gorgeous roses, fun giftcards, a travel survival pack with all the necessities. And of course the lovely Hugh... hopefully I'll find me one of those treats over there! ;)

Off to dreamland...

what am i doing?

When travelling, there are things about me that are well known - I don't camp, I like hotels and privacy is key. I'm not a Mountain Equipment Co-op kinda girl. So why is it that I'm debating which hostel membership I should look into getting and sitting here pleased about my backpack purchase?

Must remember to step out of my comfort zone this year.

the countdown is on...

The ticket has been purchased - I'm off to Oz once again - with a few stops along the way.

The plan is to fly out of Toronto on May 7th making my way to Bangkok, Thailand. I'll roam the northern countryside until the 14th where I will join a tour travelling down through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Then I arrive in Australia on June 1st to start the real adventure! I'll make time to visit the neighbours in New Zealand, hit Japan for a week in mid-April 2010 and back to home sweet home.

The plan doesn't quite meet the 2009 deadline of hitting 5 countries but I'm certainly a step closer to it.

This is insane!