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!