Hello, hello!
Tomorrow I head to Sydney! Lots of things to see, namely the Opera House and Harbor, but also the Blue Mountains and the statue of Mr. Matthew Flinders and his cat, Trim. I'm hoping to try out kangaroo pizza at the Australian Hotel, too! I return on Tuesday, and am not sure if/when I'll have access to the Internet. Send emails, and I'll reply to them as I can. = )
New Photos Up:
Three Events
Aussie Slang:
*bulldog = rabbit ear paper clip thingy
*robot = traffic light (this is actually South African slang)
*chook = chicken
*billy = pot (i.e., as referenced in Waltzing Matilda)
*swag = a large sleeping bag
Our final schedules were made available this week. Here's what mine looks like (not too shabby at all):
*Creative Writing- take home exam during Week 13 (this week is Week 9, BTW)
*Australia Culture & Society - exam during Week 13
*German - exam on June 19 (2 weeks of studying after Week 13)
*Core Project Management - exam on June 20
After my last final I hope to do some sight-seeing. Main goal is Uluru, but it's going to cost a pretty penny. I'll keep you posted with my plans between the end of finals and my return.
Countdowns:
*Sydney in 1 day!
*Adam visits in 10 days!
*Adam's 22nd Birthday in 32 days!
*I return to to the US in 72!
A random tidbits:
*I learned in German class the other day: "kohls" is the German word for cabbage. Haha.
*I am sending a lot of mail home in the next day or two.
*The best hot chocolate I've had here came from Dusk, a coffee/bar at QUT's equivalent of "The Union."
*It's becoming chilly enough here in the evenings that I may be investing in a space heater. Crazy.
Okay, must be going. Have a great rest of the week, and I'll post when I get back from Sydney! Cheers!
-Amanda
Monday, April 28, 2008
Latest on "White Lightning"
NINE DAYS UNTIL ADAM ARRIVES!!! YES, I'M PRETTY DARN EXCITED! NINE DAYS!
Adam's been pretty busy studying up for Finals week. He's knocked one out and has two tomorrow, then one on Saturday (yuck). Aside from studying he's also been working with Feras on a freelance website project. I'm excited to see the end product! Those two are brilliant with programming.
During Dead Week Adam was pretty busy, too, with finishing class projects and research papers. Towards the end of the week Adam had some friends from Indy up for a visit - Grand Prix weekend! They hit the Cactus, the Hookah, and did the Breakfast Club thing - I'm SO jealous! Another year has gone by, and I've still not experienced Grand Prix at Purdue. I'll get to that another time, I suppose. Any way, over the weekend Adam did a session of roofing for Habitat for Humanity and celebrated Passover with a nice family dinner. I miss joining him for his family dinners; they're always so wonderful.
In other news, Adam and I are playing a game of 20 Questions via email. We've started a fresh game of Chess. Neither of us has lost any pieces, and it's too early to tell who's got the upper hand. I'm determined not to throw away my Queen, haha. Speaking of games, I've been in touch with Lauren, Adam's second-oldest sister, and she is going to join us in our next game of Scrabulous. = )
I'm in the works of securing accommodation for Fiji!!! That will be the end of the bookings for his visit - I'm so proud of myself for keeping up on it. The hard planning will make for a smooth vacation. My mother taught me well.
All righty, I need to get to my tutorial. Cheers!
-Amanda
Adam's been pretty busy studying up for Finals week. He's knocked one out and has two tomorrow, then one on Saturday (yuck). Aside from studying he's also been working with Feras on a freelance website project. I'm excited to see the end product! Those two are brilliant with programming.
During Dead Week Adam was pretty busy, too, with finishing class projects and research papers. Towards the end of the week Adam had some friends from Indy up for a visit - Grand Prix weekend! They hit the Cactus, the Hookah, and did the Breakfast Club thing - I'm SO jealous! Another year has gone by, and I've still not experienced Grand Prix at Purdue. I'll get to that another time, I suppose. Any way, over the weekend Adam did a session of roofing for Habitat for Humanity and celebrated Passover with a nice family dinner. I miss joining him for his family dinners; they're always so wonderful.
In other news, Adam and I are playing a game of 20 Questions via email. We've started a fresh game of Chess. Neither of us has lost any pieces, and it's too early to tell who's got the upper hand. I'm determined not to throw away my Queen, haha. Speaking of games, I've been in touch with Lauren, Adam's second-oldest sister, and she is going to join us in our next game of Scrabulous. = )
I'm in the works of securing accommodation for Fiji!!! That will be the end of the bookings for his visit - I'm so proud of myself for keeping up on it. The hard planning will make for a smooth vacation. My mother taught me well.
All righty, I need to get to my tutorial. Cheers!
-Amanda
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Holmes Quote
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., (August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was a physician by profession but achieved fame as a writer; he was one of the best regarded American poets of the 19th century. Wikipedia Entry
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (check out that killer mustache!):
Here is the quote:
"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." -Oliver Wendell Holmes
Since researching Holmes I've learned that the source where I first saw the quote had modified the quote itself slightly. Holmes originally said "new idea" rather than "new experience." It's almost the same thing, but the term experience applies more directly in a traveler's mind.
I really like this quote because it is so simply true. After having a new idea or experience - or both - a person is changed. Thought and experience are such dynamic things to the human mind. There is no doubt in my mind that I will return to the US as a different version of myself. I'll be me, but with some new perspectives because I've been stretching my mind for several months. I'm sure I've noticed some ways that I've changed, and I'm sure I haven't noticed some ways that I've changed. The latter is what I'm excited to see through my family and friends when I return and visit with them after having been gone for so long.
-Amanda
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (check out that killer mustache!):
Here is the quote:
"A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." -Oliver Wendell Holmes
Since researching Holmes I've learned that the source where I first saw the quote had modified the quote itself slightly. Holmes originally said "new idea" rather than "new experience." It's almost the same thing, but the term experience applies more directly in a traveler's mind.
I really like this quote because it is so simply true. After having a new idea or experience - or both - a person is changed. Thought and experience are such dynamic things to the human mind. There is no doubt in my mind that I will return to the US as a different version of myself. I'll be me, but with some new perspectives because I've been stretching my mind for several months. I'm sure I've noticed some ways that I've changed, and I'm sure I haven't noticed some ways that I've changed. The latter is what I'm excited to see through my family and friends when I return and visit with them after having been gone for so long.
-Amanda
Stranger Than Fiction
I just finished watching Stranger Than Fiction with the flat mates.
Before I get started, I'd like to point out that this is the first time in ages that I've sat and written about something immediately after the matter. I'm excited because the thoughts are so fresh in my mind, and I'm a dork for being as excited as I am. Regardless of my level of dorkiness (if that is even a word; I wonder because it has the little red squigglies under it (and so does "squigglies")), I'm going to post about this film which I find to be great and excellent.
So here's a photo of the movie's cover (some eye-candy for you folks who tend to skim = ):
A few links if you're interested:
Official Website
IMDB Website
Trailer
And if you're still with me, I'll begin sharing my thoughts:
To start with, I'm going to pause because my chai tea, biscuits and chocolates are ready for me - BRB.
Okay. To start with (goodness, I feel like I'm some kind of quirky author (or am I?)). Oh, for heaven's sake. To start with! I loved the movie. But why? Maybe because I relate to the main character: Mr. Crick, portrayed brilliantly by Will Ferrell, an actor who has been steadily growing on me since Elf. And how do I relate? Well, we both share characteristics of OCD. Hmm. Not really OCD, but you guys know me: I record just about everything with pen and paper, I like numbers, I get caught up in the details, and so does Mr. Crick. I don't go so far as he does with the OCD behavior; at least I don't count the number of strokes when I brush my teeth yet. Any way, he's an IRS agent who hates his life. I don't relate there because, well, I love life, but any way - I liked his character. He's really sweet, caring, and he's just stuck with live-life-block (if you've seen the movie, you'll get that little play on words).
So the film starts off with the following narration:
"This is a story about a man named Harold Crick and his wristwatch. Harold Crick was a man of infinite numbers, endless calculations, and remarkably few words. And his wristwatch said even less. Every weekday, for twelve years, Harold would brush each of his thirty-two teeth seventy-six times. Thirty-eight times back and forth, thirty-eight times up and down. Every weekday, for twelve years, Harold would tie his tie in a single Windsor knot instead of the double, thereby saving up to forty-three seconds. His wristwatch thought the single Windsor made his neck look fat, but said nothing."
After becoming very distraught in hearing a disembodied woman's voice talk about how he brushes his teeth, Mr. Crick realizes he may be the main character in a fictional narrative written by the amazing author, Karen Eiffel: the modern queen of tragedy. Yes, this poses quite a predicament for Mr. Crick. From the moment he hears a voice - one that only he can hear - narrate the words "Little did he know that this simple seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death," Mr. Crick becomes very interested in the story and, most importantly, its ending.
When he heard the words "little did he know" Mr. Crick realizes several things, namely that the voice he is hearing is omnipresent meaning that it's not a made-up voice in his head (well, the psychiatrist still recommended prescribed medication, but he wasn't too keen on that idea). Also, after discussion with Dustin Hoffman's character, a literature professor, Mr. Crick learns that he is being written into either a comedy or a tragedy. ...
Darn, this isn't a synopsis, it's my thoughts of the movie. So I'll get on with them: in the beginning of the film everyone watching seemed to be hooked, laughing here and there at the comical parts. I was really engaged, even throughout the duration of the movie, where some folks decided it got too "strange." Naturally, when the movie had ended, people sat and talked about it. I can't say much of what they said for it would give away the ending, which I thought was done very well, but I will say this: when posed with the question of "what is the moral of the movie?" I have a simple and concise answer for you: death is inevitable, but that doesn't matter, so live.
I loved the ending, and, again, I can't say much here, but it was done creatively. I liked the narration; Emma Thompson has quite a lovely voice (by the way, she played Professor Sibyl Trelawney in the Harry Potter movies). I think you'll agree that Karan's outspoken thoughts on why she did-something-that-I-can't-disclose-or-it-would-ruin-the-movie... Okay, this is difficult to explain - but if you see the flick, I'm sure you'll agree with me that her ending thoughts are really meaningful and true on a level deeper than just writing an ending to a book.
I highly recommend the film, especially if you like quirky stories (think Scoop and Elizabeth Town) that break the mold, have a little comedy, have a pinch of romance, has to do with books, or if you just want to see Will Ferrell talk to his tooth brush. I think I'm going to have to own this one... of course I'll have to purchase it in the US since Aussie DVDs might mess up the settings on my laptop's DVD player. Hmm. Any way... yep! That's all I've to say about the film.
-Amanda
[[EDIT: I really liked the use of green apples through the movie.]]
Before I get started, I'd like to point out that this is the first time in ages that I've sat and written about something immediately after the matter. I'm excited because the thoughts are so fresh in my mind, and I'm a dork for being as excited as I am. Regardless of my level of dorkiness (if that is even a word; I wonder because it has the little red squigglies under it (and so does "squigglies")), I'm going to post about this film which I find to be great and excellent.
So here's a photo of the movie's cover (some eye-candy for you folks who tend to skim = ):
A few links if you're interested:
Official Website
IMDB Website
Trailer
And if you're still with me, I'll begin sharing my thoughts:
To start with, I'm going to pause because my chai tea, biscuits and chocolates are ready for me - BRB.
Okay. To start with (goodness, I feel like I'm some kind of quirky author (or am I?)). Oh, for heaven's sake. To start with! I loved the movie. But why? Maybe because I relate to the main character: Mr. Crick, portrayed brilliantly by Will Ferrell, an actor who has been steadily growing on me since Elf. And how do I relate? Well, we both share characteristics of OCD. Hmm. Not really OCD, but you guys know me: I record just about everything with pen and paper, I like numbers, I get caught up in the details, and so does Mr. Crick. I don't go so far as he does with the OCD behavior; at least I don't count the number of strokes when I brush my teeth yet. Any way, he's an IRS agent who hates his life. I don't relate there because, well, I love life, but any way - I liked his character. He's really sweet, caring, and he's just stuck with live-life-block (if you've seen the movie, you'll get that little play on words).
So the film starts off with the following narration:
"This is a story about a man named Harold Crick and his wristwatch. Harold Crick was a man of infinite numbers, endless calculations, and remarkably few words. And his wristwatch said even less. Every weekday, for twelve years, Harold would brush each of his thirty-two teeth seventy-six times. Thirty-eight times back and forth, thirty-eight times up and down. Every weekday, for twelve years, Harold would tie his tie in a single Windsor knot instead of the double, thereby saving up to forty-three seconds. His wristwatch thought the single Windsor made his neck look fat, but said nothing."
After becoming very distraught in hearing a disembodied woman's voice talk about how he brushes his teeth, Mr. Crick realizes he may be the main character in a fictional narrative written by the amazing author, Karen Eiffel: the modern queen of tragedy. Yes, this poses quite a predicament for Mr. Crick. From the moment he hears a voice - one that only he can hear - narrate the words "Little did he know that this simple seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death," Mr. Crick becomes very interested in the story and, most importantly, its ending.
When he heard the words "little did he know" Mr. Crick realizes several things, namely that the voice he is hearing is omnipresent meaning that it's not a made-up voice in his head (well, the psychiatrist still recommended prescribed medication, but he wasn't too keen on that idea). Also, after discussion with Dustin Hoffman's character, a literature professor, Mr. Crick learns that he is being written into either a comedy or a tragedy. ...
Darn, this isn't a synopsis, it's my thoughts of the movie. So I'll get on with them: in the beginning of the film everyone watching seemed to be hooked, laughing here and there at the comical parts. I was really engaged, even throughout the duration of the movie, where some folks decided it got too "strange." Naturally, when the movie had ended, people sat and talked about it. I can't say much of what they said for it would give away the ending, which I thought was done very well, but I will say this: when posed with the question of "what is the moral of the movie?" I have a simple and concise answer for you: death is inevitable, but that doesn't matter, so live.
I loved the ending, and, again, I can't say much here, but it was done creatively. I liked the narration; Emma Thompson has quite a lovely voice (by the way, she played Professor Sibyl Trelawney in the Harry Potter movies). I think you'll agree that Karan's outspoken thoughts on why she did-something-that-I-can't-disclose-or-it-would-ruin-the-movie... Okay, this is difficult to explain - but if you see the flick, I'm sure you'll agree with me that her ending thoughts are really meaningful and true on a level deeper than just writing an ending to a book.
I highly recommend the film, especially if you like quirky stories (think Scoop and Elizabeth Town) that break the mold, have a little comedy, have a pinch of romance, has to do with books, or if you just want to see Will Ferrell talk to his tooth brush. I think I'm going to have to own this one... of course I'll have to purchase it in the US since Aussie DVDs might mess up the settings on my laptop's DVD player. Hmm. Any way... yep! That's all I've to say about the film.
-Amanda
[[EDIT: I really liked the use of green apples through the movie.]]
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Lindbergh Quote
In my travel journal there are several quotes. Some quotes I jotted down from a travel book geared towards women who are traveling alone, others are from the travel journal itself as they are provided on some of the journal pages. I'd like to share some of these quotes and what they mean to me.
The first one is a quote by a lady named Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Anne contributed time and time again to aviation and literature. She was a pilot and assisted in surveying transatlantic routes, and she wrote about her travels in books and journals. Wikipedia article.)
"It is difficult today to leave one's family and friends... and yet, when it is done, I find there is a vitality ot being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than ever." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Her words have become a favorite quote of mine. It is very hard to pick up and leave loved ones, especially for a long period of time. It's been hard getting through these last couple months without being able to have dinner with my parents, go run with my Mom or watch a movie with Adam... And just like Anne says, when we do leave, we fill in the emptiness with a renewal of life. Not that my pre-Australia life was in dire need of renewal, but this was an amazing opportunity. I once read a quote that "Luck happens when someone grabs on and goes with an opportunity." This trip is that sort of thing: I've been very lucky and yet, anyone can be just as lucky.
Back to the quote, Anne hits the nail on the head with her description of how life rushes back in: everything is more vibrant. I wasn't particularly fond of her choice of words in using "void." My loved ones are still a major part of my life even when I'm traveling, which is why "fuller than ever" makes such an impact on me: life was full before I came to Australia; now it's fuller. And I suppose life isn't really "richer, more vivid" or "fuller than ever," it's just new to you all over again because you're in a different setting, gaining a fresh perspective. And that's what traveling is to me: a way to make life that much fuller, and a way to gain a new look at life. Traveling has opened my eyes to so many things, thoughts, ideas, concepts, things I've never thought of or realized before. Simply put, traveling is amazing.
-Amanda
The first one is a quote by a lady named Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Anne contributed time and time again to aviation and literature. She was a pilot and assisted in surveying transatlantic routes, and she wrote about her travels in books and journals. Wikipedia article.)
"It is difficult today to leave one's family and friends... and yet, when it is done, I find there is a vitality ot being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than ever." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Her words have become a favorite quote of mine. It is very hard to pick up and leave loved ones, especially for a long period of time. It's been hard getting through these last couple months without being able to have dinner with my parents, go run with my Mom or watch a movie with Adam... And just like Anne says, when we do leave, we fill in the emptiness with a renewal of life. Not that my pre-Australia life was in dire need of renewal, but this was an amazing opportunity. I once read a quote that "Luck happens when someone grabs on and goes with an opportunity." This trip is that sort of thing: I've been very lucky and yet, anyone can be just as lucky.
Back to the quote, Anne hits the nail on the head with her description of how life rushes back in: everything is more vibrant. I wasn't particularly fond of her choice of words in using "void." My loved ones are still a major part of my life even when I'm traveling, which is why "fuller than ever" makes such an impact on me: life was full before I came to Australia; now it's fuller. And I suppose life isn't really "richer, more vivid" or "fuller than ever," it's just new to you all over again because you're in a different setting, gaining a fresh perspective. And that's what traveling is to me: a way to make life that much fuller, and a way to gain a new look at life. Traveling has opened my eyes to so many things, thoughts, ideas, concepts, things I've never thought of or realized before. Simply put, traveling is amazing.
-Amanda
Today I Met an Unfriendly Aussie
Today I met an unfriendly Aussie; this was a first for me. Quite an unpleasant experience, really. Here's what happened:
I went to Coles for a few items, less than 12, so I went to one of the busy express lanes. In front of me are 3 people: one being helped and two waiting in the queue. The guy waiting closest to me has a shopping cart and items in the seat part of the cart. I push up my own cart behind him, but there's a DVD stand kind of in the way and, since I didn't want to block the flow of traffic to my left, I pulled up behind him in a diagonal fashion.
Moments later a squat, buzz-haired and unhappy lady walked up and stood in a spot such that she made a triangle with myself and the guy in front of me. It seemed as though she thought she was in line behind the guy in front of me. I thought for a moment, wondering what she was doing. It was pretty clear she intended to check out in the lane, but as the line behind me had grown by several people, I thought it my duty - and a favor to her - to point out that the end of the line for this particular register was back that way, pointing towards the end of the line. My exact words were "Excuse me, Ma'am, the end of the queue is over there." I didn't raise my voice. I didn't say it in any sort of demeaning way, but instead an informative, kind way. Just pointing out a fact.
She rounded on me and got very nasty. "I know where the end of the line is. Don't bark at me like that. I'm not stupid. I'm actually very intelligent." All the while I just kind of gaped in awe at the backfire of my intentions which were to inform her in case she wasn't aware. I was at a loss for what to say at first but found my words and said, "oh, okay." Apparently she was aware, and I didn't need to interact anymore with her. Just as I was turning away she snapped, "I'm with that guy behind you, but I felt like waiting here instead."
I was completely disgusted with her behavior. First of all, why not just wait in line with your friend rather than appear that a, you don't know where the end of the line is, or b, you're trying to cut line? Secondly, I thought she had a poor way of expressing her so claimed intelligence in being so rude towards me.
Any way, as the guy in front of me was checking out he turned and said with a smile, "good luck." Not sure why he chose those words, but I appreciated that he was acknowledging how ridiculous she was acting. I overheard her talking to her friend who was waiting in line behind me (as any normal customer does in a line), and she was going on about how I was trying to insult her intelligence and how I was accusing her of line-jumping. The guy she was with kept telling her to hush up and to quit it. I certainly don't blame him for being so embarrassed to be associated with that lady.
I'm not sure why I got so emotional about the episode but as I was checking out I had tears welling in my eyes. I'd been made to look like a bad guy when I had purely good intentions. I am thankful for having been raised in an environment that taught me how to politely handle situations like that, and I sincerely pity that lady.
I'm also very thankful that she was the first (hopefully the only) unfriendly Aussie that I've come by. Everyone else here is really kind, and helpful. Goodness, I remember asking for directions when I first arrived and the local practically followed me to my destination just to make sure I got there okay. I suppose I was going to bump into a person like that lady sooner or later. At least it's over. I hope she has a better day tomorrow.
-Amanda
I went to Coles for a few items, less than 12, so I went to one of the busy express lanes. In front of me are 3 people: one being helped and two waiting in the queue. The guy waiting closest to me has a shopping cart and items in the seat part of the cart. I push up my own cart behind him, but there's a DVD stand kind of in the way and, since I didn't want to block the flow of traffic to my left, I pulled up behind him in a diagonal fashion.
Moments later a squat, buzz-haired and unhappy lady walked up and stood in a spot such that she made a triangle with myself and the guy in front of me. It seemed as though she thought she was in line behind the guy in front of me. I thought for a moment, wondering what she was doing. It was pretty clear she intended to check out in the lane, but as the line behind me had grown by several people, I thought it my duty - and a favor to her - to point out that the end of the line for this particular register was back that way, pointing towards the end of the line. My exact words were "Excuse me, Ma'am, the end of the queue is over there." I didn't raise my voice. I didn't say it in any sort of demeaning way, but instead an informative, kind way. Just pointing out a fact.
She rounded on me and got very nasty. "I know where the end of the line is. Don't bark at me like that. I'm not stupid. I'm actually very intelligent." All the while I just kind of gaped in awe at the backfire of my intentions which were to inform her in case she wasn't aware. I was at a loss for what to say at first but found my words and said, "oh, okay." Apparently she was aware, and I didn't need to interact anymore with her. Just as I was turning away she snapped, "I'm with that guy behind you, but I felt like waiting here instead."
I was completely disgusted with her behavior. First of all, why not just wait in line with your friend rather than appear that a, you don't know where the end of the line is, or b, you're trying to cut line? Secondly, I thought she had a poor way of expressing her so claimed intelligence in being so rude towards me.
Any way, as the guy in front of me was checking out he turned and said with a smile, "good luck." Not sure why he chose those words, but I appreciated that he was acknowledging how ridiculous she was acting. I overheard her talking to her friend who was waiting in line behind me (as any normal customer does in a line), and she was going on about how I was trying to insult her intelligence and how I was accusing her of line-jumping. The guy she was with kept telling her to hush up and to quit it. I certainly don't blame him for being so embarrassed to be associated with that lady.
I'm not sure why I got so emotional about the episode but as I was checking out I had tears welling in my eyes. I'd been made to look like a bad guy when I had purely good intentions. I am thankful for having been raised in an environment that taught me how to politely handle situations like that, and I sincerely pity that lady.
I'm also very thankful that she was the first (hopefully the only) unfriendly Aussie that I've come by. Everyone else here is really kind, and helpful. Goodness, I remember asking for directions when I first arrived and the local practically followed me to my destination just to make sure I got there okay. I suppose I was going to bump into a person like that lady sooner or later. At least it's over. I hope she has a better day tomorrow.
-Amanda
I Love Rugby!
The rugby game last night was really great! First of all, I had some great company! I sat next to Inga and Alice who is from London and knows a bit about Rugby rules. She helped me out when I got lost in the beginning of the game. After the first 15 minutes I understood the game. It's a lot like NFL but still very different. At the rugby game I made several observations and noted some random things:
*Brisbane Broncos colors are burgandy and gold (at first I thought I was at a Quidditch Gryffindor match, I saw so many gold and red scarves!)
*Rabbitohs colors are red and green (horrid unless it's to do with Christmastime, if you ask me), and I thought they looked like little elves running around. It really hurt my eyes to look at their rally socks or their striped jersey shirts.
*yesterday's game took place on ANZAC day, so they had a cool ceremony; I enjoyed the lone trumpeter's bit
*I had chocolate milk and cookies to which Sara said, "Amanda. Chocolate milk and cookies. Now, is that rugby food?" as she held up her plastic cup full of beer, haha. It was funny.
*There was an RC blimp floating around the stadium - random
*the cheerleaders were pathetic: they were all fake tanned, wore hot pink skimpy outfits, half were horrid bleach blonds, all looked like Barbies. They didn't tumble or do anything fun, they just waved around. They were basically models with pom poms. Terrible. The same cheerleaders performed for both teams, and there was a cheerleading mascot of a hot pink wart hog. Yeah, I didn't really get it. I think these cheerleaders cheer for whatever team is playing at the stadium. I dunno.
*The Broncos mascots went over to the Rabbitoh's main section (although Rabbitoh's fans and Bronco's fans were totally mixed through the stadium), and there was no hostility. If a rival team's mascot came to the Purdue section that mascot would be boo'd or shunned and then Purdue Pete or Rowdy would come over and save the day! At rugby games they were all friendly with one another, taking photos with the opposing teams mascot - didn't make sense to me.
*there were fireworks after each Bronco's score - pretty cool
*rugby games have two 40-minute halves
The final score was 32 Broncos to 18 Rabbitohs. Yay for the Brisbane Broncos! Click here for the details on the game at the Broncos website. Photos will be up shortly. I promise.
After the rugby game we walked home and while everyone went to a house party, I crawled in bed, chatted with Adam and called it a night. Everyone stayed out pretty late and made a rucous, but lucky me, I had my ear plugs.
Today I've been having a light breakfast, chatting with Adam, and am about to go lay out and study some German. I plan to read and journal, as well. Later today I'm not sure what I'll be up to. I've no big plans for this weekend except to get busy with my Australia research paper.
Today is National Pretzel Day, so if you can, go eat a pretzel for me since they're hard to come by here. I've not seen any! Oh, I miss Auntie Anne's!
I'm losing in Chess. Well, I've made a come back move that currently has Adam in check, but I'm still hurting. I lost in Scrabble, haha - but it was a lot of fun! Adam won, and Karan took second. We've finally started a second game. I kicked off the first word with "tickle." Dad and I are neck-and-neck in Battleship. Ah, games are so much fun!
I learned the other day about Aussie marriages. Divorce rate for Australia is slightly worse than that of the US. 46% of Aussie marriages end in divorce while ony 45.5% of American marriages end with divorce. Neither are very good statistics, but any way. On the happier side of Aussie marriages, they celebrate mostly the same way we do: rehearsal nights, wedding day and ceremonies, reception, etc. But, what I thought was pretty interesting, some Aussies have their marriages take place while scuba diving! They call them underwater marriages. Crazy! Goes to show how closely tied Aussies are to their beaches and water life. Breeze through this! Here she's in her wedding dress!
Okay, I'll post about the creative writing stuff later. Time to sunbathe!
-Amanda
*Brisbane Broncos colors are burgandy and gold (at first I thought I was at a Quidditch Gryffindor match, I saw so many gold and red scarves!)
*Rabbitohs colors are red and green (horrid unless it's to do with Christmastime, if you ask me), and I thought they looked like little elves running around. It really hurt my eyes to look at their rally socks or their striped jersey shirts.
*yesterday's game took place on ANZAC day, so they had a cool ceremony; I enjoyed the lone trumpeter's bit
*I had chocolate milk and cookies to which Sara said, "Amanda. Chocolate milk and cookies. Now, is that rugby food?" as she held up her plastic cup full of beer, haha. It was funny.
*There was an RC blimp floating around the stadium - random
*the cheerleaders were pathetic: they were all fake tanned, wore hot pink skimpy outfits, half were horrid bleach blonds, all looked like Barbies. They didn't tumble or do anything fun, they just waved around. They were basically models with pom poms. Terrible. The same cheerleaders performed for both teams, and there was a cheerleading mascot of a hot pink wart hog. Yeah, I didn't really get it. I think these cheerleaders cheer for whatever team is playing at the stadium. I dunno.
*The Broncos mascots went over to the Rabbitoh's main section (although Rabbitoh's fans and Bronco's fans were totally mixed through the stadium), and there was no hostility. If a rival team's mascot came to the Purdue section that mascot would be boo'd or shunned and then Purdue Pete or Rowdy would come over and save the day! At rugby games they were all friendly with one another, taking photos with the opposing teams mascot - didn't make sense to me.
*there were fireworks after each Bronco's score - pretty cool
*rugby games have two 40-minute halves
The final score was 32 Broncos to 18 Rabbitohs. Yay for the Brisbane Broncos! Click here for the details on the game at the Broncos website. Photos will be up shortly. I promise.
After the rugby game we walked home and while everyone went to a house party, I crawled in bed, chatted with Adam and called it a night. Everyone stayed out pretty late and made a rucous, but lucky me, I had my ear plugs.
Today I've been having a light breakfast, chatting with Adam, and am about to go lay out and study some German. I plan to read and journal, as well. Later today I'm not sure what I'll be up to. I've no big plans for this weekend except to get busy with my Australia research paper.
Today is National Pretzel Day, so if you can, go eat a pretzel for me since they're hard to come by here. I've not seen any! Oh, I miss Auntie Anne's!
I'm losing in Chess. Well, I've made a come back move that currently has Adam in check, but I'm still hurting. I lost in Scrabble, haha - but it was a lot of fun! Adam won, and Karan took second. We've finally started a second game. I kicked off the first word with "tickle." Dad and I are neck-and-neck in Battleship. Ah, games are so much fun!
I learned the other day about Aussie marriages. Divorce rate for Australia is slightly worse than that of the US. 46% of Aussie marriages end in divorce while ony 45.5% of American marriages end with divorce. Neither are very good statistics, but any way. On the happier side of Aussie marriages, they celebrate mostly the same way we do: rehearsal nights, wedding day and ceremonies, reception, etc. But, what I thought was pretty interesting, some Aussies have their marriages take place while scuba diving! They call them underwater marriages. Crazy! Goes to show how closely tied Aussies are to their beaches and water life. Breeze through this! Here she's in her wedding dress!
Okay, I'll post about the creative writing stuff later. Time to sunbathe!
-Amanda
Friday, April 25, 2008
Package from Adam!!!
I absolutely LOVED the package Adam sent me! I received it a couple days ago and cried when I watched the DVD he made for me! It was entirely sweet of him to video-tape my friends and family so that not only he but all of my close ones could send their love my way! Oh, it was wonderful. And I loved the slide show! I hadn't even seen a couple of the photos before. Oh, it was a beautiful surprise! Thank you SO much, baby! I love you! And I love everyone who was in the video! Thank you so much for thinking of me while I'm abroad! I miss everyone, and I'm working on a "reply" to all the questions and such in the video.
So John's visit went well. Monday we slept in a little, had a bite to eat, sunbathed at the Parklands and then I saw him to the station where he caught his train to the airport. Thanks for visiting, John! It was a pleasure!
I've gathered that Aussies and Europeans do not favor PB&J. I know. They're weird. I have a PB&J practically every single day for lunch. They don't know what they're missing out on. Or maybe I don't? Apparently Vegemite is really tasty if you like soy sauce? Vegemite sammiches are the Aussie equivalent of PB&J in the sense that kids here grew up on it. John told me about cheese spread that they have here. After he mentioned it I kept an eye out for it at Coles, and, sure enough, there was tons of cheese spreads. I'll have to try it sometime.
As most of you back home surely know, there was an earthquake last night. I saw about the clip below and was surprised. I've not heard about anyone being harmed, so that's good to know.
The U.S. Geologic Survey confirms that it was a 5.4 magnitude on the Richter scale. The center of it was 24 miles southwest of Vincennes, just inside the Illinois line, near West Salem. It was felt in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. For some people, it lasted 10 seconds. For others, as long as 45 seconds. If it stays at a 5.4 magnitude, this will be the strongest earthquake in Illinois history. The last Illinois earthquake with comparable magnitude was in Olney on June 10, 1987.
A couple countdown numbers:
Less than 80 days until I return to the US. I'm getting sad...
15 days until I get to hold my baby!!! God, I cannot wait to see that handsome man!
I leave for Sydney next Thursday! Exciting! Lots to see there!
Here's some Aussie slang for you:
floater - meat pie served with mushy pea soup
fruit loop - idiot
goodonyermate - good for you, well done!
hoo-roo - goodbye
This week was good. Classes are going well, and I've plans to knock out my Australia research paper by the end of next week, before Sydney. I also realized that I need to start studying for the finals... Later I'll be posting some stuff about my creative writing class. I got some feedback from the tutor, and I want to share.
In other news, I was invited to attend a conference at IU in the fall. It's for students in Indiana who've just returned from Study Abroad/Exchange trips. I'm excited (plus reimbursement from Purdue - yay!).
Today I rolled out of bed and ran 5.4 miles. It was really great. I added a little section to my running loop. After that Inga and I laid out at the Parklands for a couple hours. I tried to nap but it was pretty unsuccessful, then I got up, showered, and here I am.
Tonight a group of 20 of us are going to a rugby game! I'm so excited! I've never really watched it, but am really interested in it. John kind of got me going on it a bit when we were at dinner, and there was a game on. Any way, should be a great time!
Me holding on my hat atop the ferry to Fraser Island:
Inga and I after our fabulous dinner at Wings at West End (Vietnamese goodness) [note how I am the one pulling faces this time, hehe!]:
More photos to come. I just wanted to get a post up since there was much to chat about.
-Amanda
So John's visit went well. Monday we slept in a little, had a bite to eat, sunbathed at the Parklands and then I saw him to the station where he caught his train to the airport. Thanks for visiting, John! It was a pleasure!
I've gathered that Aussies and Europeans do not favor PB&J. I know. They're weird. I have a PB&J practically every single day for lunch. They don't know what they're missing out on. Or maybe I don't? Apparently Vegemite is really tasty if you like soy sauce? Vegemite sammiches are the Aussie equivalent of PB&J in the sense that kids here grew up on it. John told me about cheese spread that they have here. After he mentioned it I kept an eye out for it at Coles, and, sure enough, there was tons of cheese spreads. I'll have to try it sometime.
As most of you back home surely know, there was an earthquake last night. I saw about the clip below and was surprised. I've not heard about anyone being harmed, so that's good to know.
The U.S. Geologic Survey confirms that it was a 5.4 magnitude on the Richter scale. The center of it was 24 miles southwest of Vincennes, just inside the Illinois line, near West Salem. It was felt in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. For some people, it lasted 10 seconds. For others, as long as 45 seconds. If it stays at a 5.4 magnitude, this will be the strongest earthquake in Illinois history. The last Illinois earthquake with comparable magnitude was in Olney on June 10, 1987.
A couple countdown numbers:
Less than 80 days until I return to the US. I'm getting sad...
15 days until I get to hold my baby!!! God, I cannot wait to see that handsome man!
I leave for Sydney next Thursday! Exciting! Lots to see there!
Here's some Aussie slang for you:
floater - meat pie served with mushy pea soup
fruit loop - idiot
goodonyermate - good for you, well done!
hoo-roo - goodbye
This week was good. Classes are going well, and I've plans to knock out my Australia research paper by the end of next week, before Sydney. I also realized that I need to start studying for the finals... Later I'll be posting some stuff about my creative writing class. I got some feedback from the tutor, and I want to share.
In other news, I was invited to attend a conference at IU in the fall. It's for students in Indiana who've just returned from Study Abroad/Exchange trips. I'm excited (plus reimbursement from Purdue - yay!).
Today I rolled out of bed and ran 5.4 miles. It was really great. I added a little section to my running loop. After that Inga and I laid out at the Parklands for a couple hours. I tried to nap but it was pretty unsuccessful, then I got up, showered, and here I am.
Tonight a group of 20 of us are going to a rugby game! I'm so excited! I've never really watched it, but am really interested in it. John kind of got me going on it a bit when we were at dinner, and there was a game on. Any way, should be a great time!
Me holding on my hat atop the ferry to Fraser Island:
Inga and I after our fabulous dinner at Wings at West End (Vietnamese goodness) [note how I am the one pulling faces this time, hehe!]:
More photos to come. I just wanted to get a post up since there was much to chat about.
-Amanda
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Update via Email to Adam
Hello, darling!
It was such a sweet surprise to wake up and see an email from you this morning! It made my day so bright, and what a wonderful start!
It sounds like you had a good time at The Cactus with everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed the Piano Bar and had fun dancing. Yeah, I can only imagine the length of the line with it being Grand Prix week; I'm surprised the place wasn't packed, though. Mmm... I long for Hookah!
A light-up frisbee? That's pretty cool. I'm sure you enjoyed throwing the disc around. You'll be happy to know I've spotted a few nice locations for some frisbee, so don't forget to pack one. = )
Did you dress up for Breakfast Club?! Jeesh - an hour wait! Yuck! Sounds like it was a great Breakfast Club, despite the wait. I can't wait to celebrate with you again this fall! I was thinking about doing Sandy Olsson as one of my costumes.
Glad to hear you made it through the HfH session, and I'm glad the weather was bearable.
Mmmm! What I would give for a home-cooked meal! God, I can't wait for Thanksgiving, haha! How are Jade and Lauren? The 'rents? The pups?
John Pav's visit is going well. His flight was delayed Friday night, so we finally got to my place at 4am on Saturday, haha - poor guy. He's had quite a bit of transit-trouble. Any way, we got up 2 hours later, and headed to Stradbroke where it rained all day, haha. It was still fun with John Pav and Inga, though. When we were at Brown Lake (a tea tree oil lake) it wasn't raining (yay!) so we splashed around a bit, but I didn't even have my suit on since I predicted crappy rain. Any way, we went to a beach but it was pouring so we went to town and visited this Aboriginal art shop - a lot of really neat stuff there. I saw a few I'd like to buy, but they were still out of my budget. If I make it to Uluru I'll be sure to get some Aboriginal art work. Still, we had a nice time, the three of us.
We got back around 5:30 and went straight for dinner at the pancake place on Charlotte. SO good! Not so great service-wise, but the meal was very satisfying after a long, dreary day. We got back to my place, napped, showered up and the three of us went to The Dunda Bar. Spent a while there, then headed to the Brew House. The Dunda Bar was all right; we had fun dancing to some good non-techno music. The Brew House was great, though, because there was a live band. You would have loved them! They were playing Fuel, Third Eye Blind and some classic rock. I really enjoyed their cover of Shimmer and Blue Suede Shoes/Memphis song (not sure of its title).
Today we all slept in. I cleaned the kitchen because I couldn't fix breakfast in a filthy kitchen, and it had gotten pretty bad. So I cleaned up and made some scrambled eggs and toast with Nutella. I had some strawberries and watermelon, too. Not sure how John Pav turned the fruit down; he must be ill.
We freshened up and I took him on a stroll of Brisbane. We tanned for about 45 minutes since it turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. We strolled through the Sunday markets, walked along the river bank, went through Queen Street Mall, down through the Botanical Gardens, around QUT campus, and had dinner at a cafe in the Queen Street Mall. We've just got back, and I've got to work on a post for Creative Writing that's due tonight.
Sounds like everyone in the house is going to be going out tonight for Judith's birthday - destination: Normanby's. Drinking is scheduled to start around 7p so I'll probably hold of until 8 or 9, then we'll head out. Should be fun and not too late of a night. Tomorrow I've got lots of errands I want to run. Not sure what I'll do until John's gotta leave for his flight. We'll probably hang out and then I'll walk him to the train station. I've got some research due for German, too. Damn, almost forgot I had to do that still.
Well, you should send some photos if you can! I'd love to see them! I'll be sure to get mine posted soon. Although I'm still behind with posting the Easter Holiday ones, haha. You know me...
I love you, baby.
Love always,
Amanda
It was such a sweet surprise to wake up and see an email from you this morning! It made my day so bright, and what a wonderful start!
It sounds like you had a good time at The Cactus with everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed the Piano Bar and had fun dancing. Yeah, I can only imagine the length of the line with it being Grand Prix week; I'm surprised the place wasn't packed, though. Mmm... I long for Hookah!
A light-up frisbee? That's pretty cool. I'm sure you enjoyed throwing the disc around. You'll be happy to know I've spotted a few nice locations for some frisbee, so don't forget to pack one. = )
Did you dress up for Breakfast Club?! Jeesh - an hour wait! Yuck! Sounds like it was a great Breakfast Club, despite the wait. I can't wait to celebrate with you again this fall! I was thinking about doing Sandy Olsson as one of my costumes.
Glad to hear you made it through the HfH session, and I'm glad the weather was bearable.
Mmmm! What I would give for a home-cooked meal! God, I can't wait for Thanksgiving, haha! How are Jade and Lauren? The 'rents? The pups?
John Pav's visit is going well. His flight was delayed Friday night, so we finally got to my place at 4am on Saturday, haha - poor guy. He's had quite a bit of transit-trouble. Any way, we got up 2 hours later, and headed to Stradbroke where it rained all day, haha. It was still fun with John Pav and Inga, though. When we were at Brown Lake (a tea tree oil lake) it wasn't raining (yay!) so we splashed around a bit, but I didn't even have my suit on since I predicted crappy rain. Any way, we went to a beach but it was pouring so we went to town and visited this Aboriginal art shop - a lot of really neat stuff there. I saw a few I'd like to buy, but they were still out of my budget. If I make it to Uluru I'll be sure to get some Aboriginal art work. Still, we had a nice time, the three of us.
We got back around 5:30 and went straight for dinner at the pancake place on Charlotte. SO good! Not so great service-wise, but the meal was very satisfying after a long, dreary day. We got back to my place, napped, showered up and the three of us went to The Dunda Bar. Spent a while there, then headed to the Brew House. The Dunda Bar was all right; we had fun dancing to some good non-techno music. The Brew House was great, though, because there was a live band. You would have loved them! They were playing Fuel, Third Eye Blind and some classic rock. I really enjoyed their cover of Shimmer and Blue Suede Shoes/Memphis song (not sure of its title).
Today we all slept in. I cleaned the kitchen because I couldn't fix breakfast in a filthy kitchen, and it had gotten pretty bad. So I cleaned up and made some scrambled eggs and toast with Nutella. I had some strawberries and watermelon, too. Not sure how John Pav turned the fruit down; he must be ill.
We freshened up and I took him on a stroll of Brisbane. We tanned for about 45 minutes since it turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. We strolled through the Sunday markets, walked along the river bank, went through Queen Street Mall, down through the Botanical Gardens, around QUT campus, and had dinner at a cafe in the Queen Street Mall. We've just got back, and I've got to work on a post for Creative Writing that's due tonight.
Sounds like everyone in the house is going to be going out tonight for Judith's birthday - destination: Normanby's. Drinking is scheduled to start around 7p so I'll probably hold of until 8 or 9, then we'll head out. Should be fun and not too late of a night. Tomorrow I've got lots of errands I want to run. Not sure what I'll do until John's gotta leave for his flight. We'll probably hang out and then I'll walk him to the train station. I've got some research due for German, too. Damn, almost forgot I had to do that still.
Well, you should send some photos if you can! I'd love to see them! I'll be sure to get mine posted soon. Although I'm still behind with posting the Easter Holiday ones, haha. You know me...
I love you, baby.
Love always,
Amanda
Friday, April 18, 2008
3XC1T1N6 W33K3ND !
This week I made excellent progress in my goal of trying out as many coffee houses and ethnic cuisine as possible. I'm very happy to report that I tried Thai and Vietnamese dishes this week, as well as The Coffee Club and Origins chai tea (even though it's just the packets - I've become obsessed with chai tea). The Thai was very different with the coconut milk-based soup, but I did like it. I especially enjoyed the Vietnamese Crispy Beef dish; plus Inga joined me for dinner that night, and we had a great time catching up with one another.
Classes are going well. I had two oral exams in German this week, both of which I feel good about. We just finished one of Mel Gibson's first movies, Gallipoli, in my Australia Culture & Society class - I liked the movie, despite its abrupt ending. My Core Project Management class has had a change of pace lately: my team and I have been cranking out assignments (and doing well on them) but we have a two week break between now and when the next assignment is due. Also, lecture has been canceled for the next 4 weeks (we'll still have work, but it's nice to have the 2 extra hours free on Wednesdays). Which leaves Creative Writing; I love it. I am really enjoying thinking outside the box, learning how to critique peer's poetry, learning about poetry and now short story fiction. I'm working on a poem that's due this week; I'll post it sometime tomorrow. Oh yeah, in my Australia class I learned that palm trees are not native to Australia - they're imported and referred to as weeds. Found that interesting.
Another thing I've noticed about Australia is that men will jog/run in anything. Actually, Scottish people, too (Iain, hehe)! The other day Iain and I ran around Brisbane; he was sporting a collared shirt and khaki cargo shorts! At least he had tennis shoes!
I booked a hotel room for the first weekend Adam visits in May! We'll be staying at the Cavvanbah. = ) EEEE! I can't wait!!! We're both very excited!
Stumbled upon this video the other day. If you ask me it's pretty cool; I really liked the creativity of putting the sound effects to the "hand motions." The guy in the red shirt cracks me up - he's always going crazy with his eyes and tongue, haha!
John Pav arrives in Brisbane tomorrow night! I'm so excited to see his familiar face! We may or may not go out tomorrow night since his flight gets in after 11pm, but tomorrow we're going to Stradbroke Island for the day with Inga, some bar hopping that night, taking it easy or maybe some shopping on Sunday, then to Normanby's for Judith's birthday. A lot of fun stuff is in store!
I've been reading a book called Date with the Devil. It's actually three short stories in one book, all tied together with the common theme of a girl going on some sort of blind "date from hell." I really enjoyed the first story, and I'm really into the second one now - just about to finish it and start on the third. = ) Next book will be either Deer Hunting with Jesus, King Kong or (hopefully) Silence of the Lambs. We'll see how it pans out.
Next weekend the flat has a themed party planned. As per Rasmus' idea (which is kind of stolen from the American frats), each room is going to have its own theme and shot. I've laid claim on an 80s theme (fitting, huh?) and OJ & vodka shots. = ) I'm excited to make a tubular play list!
I've a couple photo albums up from Easter Holiday:
(1) Sun 23MAR - Part 1/2
(2) Sun 23MAR - Part 2/2
As for today, well, it was rough. I learned some things today that were quite upsetting. I'm not sure how to best handle some of the situations, and others I'll have to grit my teeth and bare... But, despite all of the chaos of this afternoon, Adam was there for me. I can't tell you how thankful I am for him! I love you, honey!
So Adam and I have tons of plans for after my return from Australia. Among the many is a camping trip! We're thinking of a weekend later in August, and it will probably be his crew + me. = ) Mmm - a full-fledged eggs-pancakes-sausage-bacon-toast breakfast! Puppy chow and Chex mix! Brats with the fixin's! Hamburgers, mac 'n cheese, chips - yum! Plus, Adam has mentioned the possibility of taking the boat so we could get out on the lake! His family's boat holds 10!
Mom, Dad and Sam just got back from a weekend in Pennsylvania for one of Sam's national wrestling tourneys. Sam's team took 2nd overall, up from previously best of 7th place! Individually Sam did very well with a record of 4-3 against some tough competition. I'm very proud of him! And I got to Skype with him today! It's not often that I catch him online. Any who, during the visit, Rachel and Ethan met up! I'm so bummed that I missed a chance to visit with them, but I'll be sure to correct this when I return to the US! (Side note for Sam: I painted my nails with a polish you bought me! I think of you whenever I see the gold glimmer on my nails!)
I'm losing terribly to two geniuses in my Scrabble game - who's idea was that, any way?! Hehe! Adam and Karan are killing me with their word/puzzle skills! It's quite amazing what these two can do with a few lettered tiles. In chess Adam has taken several of my pawns, but we're almost even aside from that. I'm learning lots about how to play the game. In Battleship, with Daddy, we've sunk each other's 4-length ships, and now we're working on our second ships. I had quite a few mis-hits there for a streak of turns, haha. Win or lose, it's fun all around!
Tomorrow holds a lot in store before John Pav's arrival: laundry, working on my research paper, poem and short fiction work for class, and studying some German. That, and maybe a few errands. I'm out of bread; this is unacceptable. The other day I realized that bread, eggs, cinnamon and butter were necessities for me these days. And chocolate. Can't forget chocolate. = )
-Amanda
Classes are going well. I had two oral exams in German this week, both of which I feel good about. We just finished one of Mel Gibson's first movies, Gallipoli, in my Australia Culture & Society class - I liked the movie, despite its abrupt ending. My Core Project Management class has had a change of pace lately: my team and I have been cranking out assignments (and doing well on them) but we have a two week break between now and when the next assignment is due. Also, lecture has been canceled for the next 4 weeks (we'll still have work, but it's nice to have the 2 extra hours free on Wednesdays). Which leaves Creative Writing; I love it. I am really enjoying thinking outside the box, learning how to critique peer's poetry, learning about poetry and now short story fiction. I'm working on a poem that's due this week; I'll post it sometime tomorrow. Oh yeah, in my Australia class I learned that palm trees are not native to Australia - they're imported and referred to as weeds. Found that interesting.
Another thing I've noticed about Australia is that men will jog/run in anything. Actually, Scottish people, too (Iain, hehe)! The other day Iain and I ran around Brisbane; he was sporting a collared shirt and khaki cargo shorts! At least he had tennis shoes!
I booked a hotel room for the first weekend Adam visits in May! We'll be staying at the Cavvanbah. = ) EEEE! I can't wait!!! We're both very excited!
Stumbled upon this video the other day. If you ask me it's pretty cool; I really liked the creativity of putting the sound effects to the "hand motions." The guy in the red shirt cracks me up - he's always going crazy with his eyes and tongue, haha!
John Pav arrives in Brisbane tomorrow night! I'm so excited to see his familiar face! We may or may not go out tomorrow night since his flight gets in after 11pm, but tomorrow we're going to Stradbroke Island for the day with Inga, some bar hopping that night, taking it easy or maybe some shopping on Sunday, then to Normanby's for Judith's birthday. A lot of fun stuff is in store!
I've been reading a book called Date with the Devil. It's actually three short stories in one book, all tied together with the common theme of a girl going on some sort of blind "date from hell." I really enjoyed the first story, and I'm really into the second one now - just about to finish it and start on the third. = ) Next book will be either Deer Hunting with Jesus, King Kong or (hopefully) Silence of the Lambs. We'll see how it pans out.
Next weekend the flat has a themed party planned. As per Rasmus' idea (which is kind of stolen from the American frats), each room is going to have its own theme and shot. I've laid claim on an 80s theme (fitting, huh?) and OJ & vodka shots. = ) I'm excited to make a tubular play list!
I've a couple photo albums up from Easter Holiday:
(1) Sun 23MAR - Part 1/2
(2) Sun 23MAR - Part 2/2
As for today, well, it was rough. I learned some things today that were quite upsetting. I'm not sure how to best handle some of the situations, and others I'll have to grit my teeth and bare... But, despite all of the chaos of this afternoon, Adam was there for me. I can't tell you how thankful I am for him! I love you, honey!
So Adam and I have tons of plans for after my return from Australia. Among the many is a camping trip! We're thinking of a weekend later in August, and it will probably be his crew + me. = ) Mmm - a full-fledged eggs-pancakes-sausage-bacon-toast breakfast! Puppy chow and Chex mix! Brats with the fixin's! Hamburgers, mac 'n cheese, chips - yum! Plus, Adam has mentioned the possibility of taking the boat so we could get out on the lake! His family's boat holds 10!
Mom, Dad and Sam just got back from a weekend in Pennsylvania for one of Sam's national wrestling tourneys. Sam's team took 2nd overall, up from previously best of 7th place! Individually Sam did very well with a record of 4-3 against some tough competition. I'm very proud of him! And I got to Skype with him today! It's not often that I catch him online. Any who, during the visit, Rachel and Ethan met up! I'm so bummed that I missed a chance to visit with them, but I'll be sure to correct this when I return to the US! (Side note for Sam: I painted my nails with a polish you bought me! I think of you whenever I see the gold glimmer on my nails!)
I'm losing terribly to two geniuses in my Scrabble game - who's idea was that, any way?! Hehe! Adam and Karan are killing me with their word/puzzle skills! It's quite amazing what these two can do with a few lettered tiles. In chess Adam has taken several of my pawns, but we're almost even aside from that. I'm learning lots about how to play the game. In Battleship, with Daddy, we've sunk each other's 4-length ships, and now we're working on our second ships. I had quite a few mis-hits there for a streak of turns, haha. Win or lose, it's fun all around!
Tomorrow holds a lot in store before John Pav's arrival: laundry, working on my research paper, poem and short fiction work for class, and studying some German. That, and maybe a few errands. I'm out of bread; this is unacceptable. The other day I realized that bread, eggs, cinnamon and butter were necessities for me these days. And chocolate. Can't forget chocolate. = )
-Amanda
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I'm Going to Sydney!
The other night everyone met up and we hashed out the flights and hostel bookings for Sydney! We're leaving on Thursday 1MAY and returning on Tuesday 6MAY. 5 nights in Sydney! I am excited! We're staying at the "Legend Has it Westend" hostel; Inga recommended it. = ) It'll be me, Sara and Maija (flat mates upstairs), Alice (flat mate downstairs) and Peter (friend of the house and fellow German student). Should be a good trip! I'm glad I don't have to go by myself like I would have if I went before classes started and before I met anyone here. Yay for Sydney! 42 P. Sherman Wallaby Way, Sydney Australia! Haha, if I see a sign that says Wallaby Way in Sydney, you can bet you'll see a photo of it on here!
My family just got back from a weekend in Pennsylvania for a national wrestling tournament for Sam. They met up with Rachel and Ethan and said Sam's team took 2nd! I can't wait to catch up with them about it all! Mom's sending photos, too!
I posted some Easter Holiday photos - I know! Finally! Here's the link to photos from Saturday, 22MAR08: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2349716&l=b31e6&id=13700420
I meant to have this in the previous post. Here's Iain and I at The Three Monkeys:
Also meant for this one to be in the previous post. I took this photo to convey the atmosphere of The Three Monkeys. Looks comfy and cozy, huh?:
-Amanda
My family just got back from a weekend in Pennsylvania for a national wrestling tournament for Sam. They met up with Rachel and Ethan and said Sam's team took 2nd! I can't wait to catch up with them about it all! Mom's sending photos, too!
I posted some Easter Holiday photos - I know! Finally! Here's the link to photos from Saturday, 22MAR08: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2349716&l=b31e6&id=13700420
I meant to have this in the previous post. Here's Iain and I at The Three Monkeys:
Also meant for this one to be in the previous post. I took this photo to convey the atmosphere of The Three Monkeys. Looks comfy and cozy, huh?:
-Amanda
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Photos Work Again!
Woo hoo! Photos are uploading again! Here are lots for your enjoyment!
Toby, myself, Inga and Iain about to leave for The Victory Thursday night:
Me and Inga at The Victory having fun:
After finding the non-live games through itsyourturn.com and not seeing Scrabble among the game choices I hit up Google to help me find one. Scrabulous.com was the answer and so Karan, Adam and I are playing! Here's the board as of 3.15p today:
And the score (please take note that I'm in the lead; pay no attention to the fact that Karan and Adam have their turns yet to go this round, tee hee!)
A fun photo Karan sent me of her, Ed, the girls, Carly, her husband and Mikey (I'm guessing Amber was playing photographer) - they just finished building Ava & June's Christmas present:
Another one Karan sent: the girls Easter Egg Hunting
This photos is from the ferry ride back to continental Australia from Fraser Island two weekends ago:
At Fraser Island we tried to get a group shot of everyone jumping in the air; here's yours truly:
We sometimes have company over for a late-night snack:
Mom sent this one; Creasy and Cali celebrating Creasy's birthday on March 21st:
Here are images of the first post card I bought while in Surfer's Paradise last weekend:
And the second post card I bought there:
Yesterday Inga, Sara and I went shopping down Boundary Street. None of us bought anything with the exception of my purchase of The Kite Runner (supposedly an amazing story) for a steal of $3! After that we laid out, came back, had some Swiss cheese and crackers over conversation about childhood stories we're told (eggs are egg-shaped so if they roll down a hill it will curve instead of go down (haha, what, Iain?), if you eat bread crust your hair will be shiny and pretty, and eating the skin of the apple is healthy for you (although the general consensus was that this is a fact). Fun convo! I sewed my bronze shoulder bag since the strap had completely fell apart, haha. I love that bag, though. It's all better now.
Today I had some breakfast and went to lay out at the Parklands with Inga. Very nice time; worked on my snail mail. I got to chat with Adam, and later I'm going on a run with Iain. Then it's more German studying for this girl (oral exams this week!).
-Amanda
Toby, myself, Inga and Iain about to leave for The Victory Thursday night:
Me and Inga at The Victory having fun:
After finding the non-live games through itsyourturn.com and not seeing Scrabble among the game choices I hit up Google to help me find one. Scrabulous.com was the answer and so Karan, Adam and I are playing! Here's the board as of 3.15p today:
And the score (please take note that I'm in the lead; pay no attention to the fact that Karan and Adam have their turns yet to go this round, tee hee!)
A fun photo Karan sent me of her, Ed, the girls, Carly, her husband and Mikey (I'm guessing Amber was playing photographer) - they just finished building Ava & June's Christmas present:
Another one Karan sent: the girls Easter Egg Hunting
This photos is from the ferry ride back to continental Australia from Fraser Island two weekends ago:
At Fraser Island we tried to get a group shot of everyone jumping in the air; here's yours truly:
We sometimes have company over for a late-night snack:
Mom sent this one; Creasy and Cali celebrating Creasy's birthday on March 21st:
Here are images of the first post card I bought while in Surfer's Paradise last weekend:
And the second post card I bought there:
Yesterday Inga, Sara and I went shopping down Boundary Street. None of us bought anything with the exception of my purchase of The Kite Runner (supposedly an amazing story) for a steal of $3! After that we laid out, came back, had some Swiss cheese and crackers over conversation about childhood stories we're told (eggs are egg-shaped so if they roll down a hill it will curve instead of go down (haha, what, Iain?), if you eat bread crust your hair will be shiny and pretty, and eating the skin of the apple is healthy for you (although the general consensus was that this is a fact). Fun convo! I sewed my bronze shoulder bag since the strap had completely fell apart, haha. I love that bag, though. It's all better now.
Today I had some breakfast and went to lay out at the Parklands with Inga. Very nice time; worked on my snail mail. I got to chat with Adam, and later I'm going on a run with Iain. Then it's more German studying for this girl (oral exams this week!).
-Amanda
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Email Happiness
Today I was overjoyed with two emails from two wonderful people:
Karan sent me a lovely email complete with photos of Ava, June and their new play ground. And Adam sent me such a sweet email simply saying that he loved me. Highlights of my day!
Also wanted to say that I've started reading Date with the Devil and I'm reading it like mad! It's a quick read, and I really like the style and story. I can't wait to see what happens next in the book! Oh, I love to read!
Mom, Dad and Sam are in Pennsylvania right now. Sam's wrestling in a national tourney this weekend, and they get to meet up with Rachel and Ethan! I wish I could be there! I've instructed Mom to pass on my hello and love to Rachel! I miss her so! Good luck, Sam! Knock 'em dead!
Oh, yeah! Tonight at The Three Monkeys we were talking about how the Beckham's named their children after the location they were born at. If I was named that way I'd be called Anderson. Eh, that's an okay name. But Sara - she would be Spotsylvania. Now that's a name: Spotsylvania Merganthal. How awesome is that?! = P I'm not going to attempt what Inga said her name would be as it's all Norway gibberish with a sing-song way to it, hehe. But! I did learn to count from 1-10 in Norwegian tonight! Yay for learning new languages!
-Amanda
Karan sent me a lovely email complete with photos of Ava, June and their new play ground. And Adam sent me such a sweet email simply saying that he loved me. Highlights of my day!
Also wanted to say that I've started reading Date with the Devil and I'm reading it like mad! It's a quick read, and I really like the style and story. I can't wait to see what happens next in the book! Oh, I love to read!
Mom, Dad and Sam are in Pennsylvania right now. Sam's wrestling in a national tourney this weekend, and they get to meet up with Rachel and Ethan! I wish I could be there! I've instructed Mom to pass on my hello and love to Rachel! I miss her so! Good luck, Sam! Knock 'em dead!
Oh, yeah! Tonight at The Three Monkeys we were talking about how the Beckham's named their children after the location they were born at. If I was named that way I'd be called Anderson. Eh, that's an okay name. But Sara - she would be Spotsylvania. Now that's a name: Spotsylvania Merganthal. How awesome is that?! = P I'm not going to attempt what Inga said her name would be as it's all Norway gibberish with a sing-song way to it, hehe. But! I did learn to count from 1-10 in Norwegian tonight! Yay for learning new languages!
-Amanda
This Week
This week flew by especially fast for no apparent reason. Nothing too much went on this week aside from uni and going out last night. Inga, Iain, Neil, Rudy and his visiting girl-friend, Gemma, and I went out to The Victory. The drinks were half-price so I treated myself to a White Russian. It was pretty good and so was the music. Actually, a little too much techno and not much variation, but a great time nonetheless. Tom and I left around 1.30a and on the way back home he told me a hilarious story about a spider in his bedroom and how he had to get Judith to help him get it, haha! I think I've met more Aussies who are arachnophobic than international students. Got home and chatted with Adam before he had to run to his exam, then it was to bed for me.
Today I slept in until 11, did some stuff around the room, had some cereal. Inga and I went to the parklands for a nice sunbathing session; it was the first time it'd been sunny enough in almost 3 weeks. I was so happy to get out and relax and soak up some rays. Afterwards we grabbed some kebabs and we just finished watching The Outsiders, haha - childhood story/movie - it was fun. Inga and Sara lapped it up, haha. And now we're just about to go to The Three Monkeys here in West End for some coffee and hanging out. When I return I will be pulling my own teeth to get myself to study and prepare for my German text next week.
Edit: Just got back from The Three Monkeys. I. Absolutely. Loved. That. Place. The atmosphere was the epitome of what I feel a coffee shop should be: warm, eclectic, lounge, unique, interesting. It was perfect - Adam, you're going to love it. They had Chess and Scrabble boards, tons of Three Monkey figurines (some were of four monkeys? I know the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys but I'm not sure what the fourth one represents?). I went with Inga, Sara and Iain - great company. We chatted about lots of stuff over our drinks and cakes - I had a NY baked cheesecake (delectable!) and a bowl of Chai (yes, it was served in a bowl? - but oh, so good! But not so good as Vienna's - gosh, I miss going there with Adam...). But yeah, we had some good conversation: Lucky Charms and how they are banned from Scotland, our stripper (first pet's name + first street lived on) and soap opera names (middle name + current street lived on), double jointedness, hiccups, honey shots, music (Sara has played the piano for 13 ears and also plays the drums - oh, I can't wait to take up piano again!), and a ton of other interesting things. = ) An evening well spent for sure!
Tomorrow it's supposed to be warm, bright and sunny again, so Inga and I are going to shop a bit (we need jeans with the chillier weather) and then we'll lay out some more. Tomorrow night I'm not sure what's going on.
Some new slang for you all back home: she'll be 'right = sounds like everything will be okay; oi! = hey, you!
New lollies I've tried:
*Picnic (Honey and Almond)
*Strawberry & Cream Shortbread
*Assorted Family Cookies
*Assorted gummies from the Kelvin Grove candy shop
Oh, a bit more about the weekend I went surfing: after the surfing we drove up to Surfer's Paradise. Inga and I had lathered up in sunscreen just in time for the rain to come down on us, so we browsed the shops. I bought 2 new shirts and 2 post cards and 2 pairs of earrings. Two was a big number for me that day, I suppose. We each got a yummy Boost smoothie and then rode back home to QUT to call it a day.
So I've finally figured out when I'll be paying my visit to Sydney: Thursday, May 1 to Tuesday, May 6. I'm going with Sara, Alice, Peter and maybe some others? I thought about going alone but why not go with friends! More pictures, more stories, more fun! Plus I'll get to meet up with Maya - she was an Exchange student at Purdue last fall and is back in Sydney now. Also in travel news: Sara and I are planning to see Uluru after exams end instead of New Zealand as we've deemed NZ as worthy of a trip of its own someday.
On another note -I've discovered the awesome concept of online non-live game playing! I'm playing Chess with Adam, Battleship with Dad, Checkers with Mom, Othello with Chucky, and Scrabble with Adam and Karan! Oh, it's so fun! I think it's a really neat way to keep in touch with friends and family back home. = )
Yep. I'm going to work away on some snail mail, email and get some rest for tomorrow. Lots of love!
-Amanda
Today I slept in until 11, did some stuff around the room, had some cereal. Inga and I went to the parklands for a nice sunbathing session; it was the first time it'd been sunny enough in almost 3 weeks. I was so happy to get out and relax and soak up some rays. Afterwards we grabbed some kebabs and we just finished watching The Outsiders, haha - childhood story/movie - it was fun. Inga and Sara lapped it up, haha. And now we're just about to go to The Three Monkeys here in West End for some coffee and hanging out. When I return I will be pulling my own teeth to get myself to study and prepare for my German text next week.
Edit: Just got back from The Three Monkeys. I. Absolutely. Loved. That. Place. The atmosphere was the epitome of what I feel a coffee shop should be: warm, eclectic, lounge, unique, interesting. It was perfect - Adam, you're going to love it. They had Chess and Scrabble boards, tons of Three Monkey figurines (some were of four monkeys? I know the "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" monkeys but I'm not sure what the fourth one represents?). I went with Inga, Sara and Iain - great company. We chatted about lots of stuff over our drinks and cakes - I had a NY baked cheesecake (delectable!) and a bowl of Chai (yes, it was served in a bowl? - but oh, so good! But not so good as Vienna's - gosh, I miss going there with Adam...). But yeah, we had some good conversation: Lucky Charms and how they are banned from Scotland, our stripper (first pet's name + first street lived on) and soap opera names (middle name + current street lived on), double jointedness, hiccups, honey shots, music (Sara has played the piano for 13 ears and also plays the drums - oh, I can't wait to take up piano again!), and a ton of other interesting things. = ) An evening well spent for sure!
Tomorrow it's supposed to be warm, bright and sunny again, so Inga and I are going to shop a bit (we need jeans with the chillier weather) and then we'll lay out some more. Tomorrow night I'm not sure what's going on.
Some new slang for you all back home: she'll be 'right = sounds like everything will be okay; oi! = hey, you!
New lollies I've tried:
*Picnic (Honey and Almond)
*Strawberry & Cream Shortbread
*Assorted Family Cookies
*Assorted gummies from the Kelvin Grove candy shop
Oh, a bit more about the weekend I went surfing: after the surfing we drove up to Surfer's Paradise. Inga and I had lathered up in sunscreen just in time for the rain to come down on us, so we browsed the shops. I bought 2 new shirts and 2 post cards and 2 pairs of earrings. Two was a big number for me that day, I suppose. We each got a yummy Boost smoothie and then rode back home to QUT to call it a day.
So I've finally figured out when I'll be paying my visit to Sydney: Thursday, May 1 to Tuesday, May 6. I'm going with Sara, Alice, Peter and maybe some others? I thought about going alone but why not go with friends! More pictures, more stories, more fun! Plus I'll get to meet up with Maya - she was an Exchange student at Purdue last fall and is back in Sydney now. Also in travel news: Sara and I are planning to see Uluru after exams end instead of New Zealand as we've deemed NZ as worthy of a trip of its own someday.
On another note -I've discovered the awesome concept of online non-live game playing! I'm playing Chess with Adam, Battleship with Dad, Checkers with Mom, Othello with Chucky, and Scrabble with Adam and Karan! Oh, it's so fun! I think it's a really neat way to keep in touch with friends and family back home. = )
Yep. I'm going to work away on some snail mail, email and get some rest for tomorrow. Lots of love!
-Amanda
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Going How the Wind Blows
In my Creative Writing Class we were assigned to write a free verse poem.
Going How the Wind Blows
Traveling all around, never before have I braved this off beam side of passage
Accelerating obliviously, six and thirty above and beyond
Series of horizontal curves, uphill and back down, they came one after the other
Making additions to my anamnesis, intangible souvenirs
Adventure, stepping with comfort left behind, I face uncertainty
Not with me, Care is working diligently elsewhere, free from my mind
Integrating these thrills, making better the greatest present I've ever been given
And I'm winding down two roads at the very same time
The winds tangle up mane and mind
Rocking out to music that everyone knows or very soon does
At first so bothered but transforming to really know my own motto
Very uncertain of what the next four and twenty bring
Excitement builds for the slapdash scheme
Lets make a game of it, shouts of "yellow!"
Sunshine through the panes, such welcomed warmth
Then, in tutorial this week group members critiqued one another's free verse poems. Here is a critique from Patrick White (the most poetically educated of the group whereas I am the newb):
Form: Free Verse
Metre: N/A
Rhyme: N/A
Alliteration: “my mind” “welcomed warmth” “slapdash scheme” “mane and mind”
Asonance: “mind, time, behind” “motto, yellow” “uncertainty, free, obliviously”
Consonance: “beyond, mind, build, braved”
Theme: Driving, breaking law, adrenaline, carelessness, freedom.
Language: Excellent visualisation. Language invokes a stark image of freedom.
Improvements: Fewer “and, the, but etc”
Overall Patrick loved the poem! He said it dripped with freedom and adventure and all the things I wanted to convey through the words. He especially enjoyed the visuals I created through the words. He didn't, however, pick up on the TASMANIA TRAVELS part of the poem, hehe! But this was a good thing because I didn't want it to be noticed right away. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, look at the first letter of each line. Clearly the poem is about my adventure in Tasmania over Easter Holiday. Such a great trip and so many wonderful memories!
-Amanda
Going How the Wind Blows
Traveling all around, never before have I braved this off beam side of passage
Accelerating obliviously, six and thirty above and beyond
Series of horizontal curves, uphill and back down, they came one after the other
Making additions to my anamnesis, intangible souvenirs
Adventure, stepping with comfort left behind, I face uncertainty
Not with me, Care is working diligently elsewhere, free from my mind
Integrating these thrills, making better the greatest present I've ever been given
And I'm winding down two roads at the very same time
The winds tangle up mane and mind
Rocking out to music that everyone knows or very soon does
At first so bothered but transforming to really know my own motto
Very uncertain of what the next four and twenty bring
Excitement builds for the slapdash scheme
Lets make a game of it, shouts of "yellow!"
Sunshine through the panes, such welcomed warmth
Then, in tutorial this week group members critiqued one another's free verse poems. Here is a critique from Patrick White (the most poetically educated of the group whereas I am the newb):
Form: Free Verse
Metre: N/A
Rhyme: N/A
Alliteration: “my mind” “welcomed warmth” “slapdash scheme” “mane and mind”
Asonance: “mind, time, behind” “motto, yellow” “uncertainty, free, obliviously”
Consonance: “beyond, mind, build, braved”
Theme: Driving, breaking law, adrenaline, carelessness, freedom.
Language: Excellent visualisation. Language invokes a stark image of freedom.
Improvements: Fewer “and, the, but etc”
Overall Patrick loved the poem! He said it dripped with freedom and adventure and all the things I wanted to convey through the words. He especially enjoyed the visuals I created through the words. He didn't, however, pick up on the TASMANIA TRAVELS part of the poem, hehe! But this was a good thing because I didn't want it to be noticed right away. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, look at the first letter of each line. Clearly the poem is about my adventure in Tasmania over Easter Holiday. Such a great trip and so many wonderful memories!
-Amanda
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Back Home Fries
A quick post about some loved ones back home. = )
Chucky is ecstatic about his new toy: a motorcycle (eek!)! I'm so very happy for him, but at the same time I worry like mad. He better be careful out there! Any way, over the weekend he got to know his baby on a couple rides around Anderson with our cousins Josh and Jared and one of Chucky's high school buddies, Ian - and then about 30 other bikers. I'm sure they all had a blast. I must admit that I do look forward to the ride Chucky promised me for when I return! = )
I've been chatting with one of my favorite people a lot lately: the one, the only Jordan. He's had a couple bumps lately but graduation is steadily getting closer, and he's excited about starting a new chapter of his life. He'll be working for Abbott in Chicago, and I'm excited to pay a visit sometime! In the fall he has promised to visit Purdue - I totally can't wait to go out with all the guys like the old days. Maybe I can scrounge up a camping trip for September?
Jordan also performed well at the Association of Information Technology Professional's National Collegiate Conference (aka AITP NCC). It was held in Philly this year, and from what I hear everyone really liked the area. Jordan, Jared and Tyler all did really well, winning many places for Purdue! I'm so proud of them!
Quick blurb about Adam's visit: today I booked our 5 night stay on Daydream Island in the Whitsunday Islands! Yippee! Flights and bus rides are all figured out for the entire trip, now we just gotta figure out where we're staying for the first weekend he's here (Byron Bay) and where we'll stay in Fiji. = )
-Amanda
Chucky is ecstatic about his new toy: a motorcycle (eek!)! I'm so very happy for him, but at the same time I worry like mad. He better be careful out there! Any way, over the weekend he got to know his baby on a couple rides around Anderson with our cousins Josh and Jared and one of Chucky's high school buddies, Ian - and then about 30 other bikers. I'm sure they all had a blast. I must admit that I do look forward to the ride Chucky promised me for when I return! = )
I've been chatting with one of my favorite people a lot lately: the one, the only Jordan. He's had a couple bumps lately but graduation is steadily getting closer, and he's excited about starting a new chapter of his life. He'll be working for Abbott in Chicago, and I'm excited to pay a visit sometime! In the fall he has promised to visit Purdue - I totally can't wait to go out with all the guys like the old days. Maybe I can scrounge up a camping trip for September?
Jordan also performed well at the Association of Information Technology Professional's National Collegiate Conference (aka AITP NCC). It was held in Philly this year, and from what I hear everyone really liked the area. Jordan, Jared and Tyler all did really well, winning many places for Purdue! I'm so proud of them!
Quick blurb about Adam's visit: today I booked our 5 night stay on Daydream Island in the Whitsunday Islands! Yippee! Flights and bus rides are all figured out for the entire trip, now we just gotta figure out where we're staying for the first weekend he's here (Byron Bay) and where we'll stay in Fiji. = )
-Amanda
Sunday, April 6, 2008
I Learned to Surf!
I just cut my bangs. On my own. Well, I did have some trusty advice from Sara (thanks!). For the most part you probably won't notice a difference in the photos, but what I did was added some thickness to the bangs and made the cut more of a rounded pyramid versus the previous cut of a from one side of my forehead to the other. They were getting too long any way. I'm happy with the (new-to-me) look.
Went to the Dunda Bar (aka the Down Under Bar) Wednesday night. It was Ladies' Night and Wet T-shirt Contest Night and Dirty Dancing Night, so, naturally, the entire flat was going. Iain and I weren't drinking that night, but we went out for an hour or so. (See link to the photos below.) It was a fun time. Inga's cousins were visiting from Sipan (not sure of the spelling, but it's some remote South Pacific island) and Goril (the girl, name is pronounced "gord-ill" - the r is a rolling r and sounds like a d - Norwegian names... hehe). Any way, Goril won the Dirty Dancing contest, haha - the photos Inga showed me! Goril was trashed by the time I got there, and she'd already left, but Matt, her husband was still around. Sara and I had to explain the true meaning behind Soulja Boy's Superman dance to Morten, hehe. Good fun, over all, though I'm not much of a Wednesday-night partier.
BIG NEWS: I learned to SURF yesterday! And I am REALLY SORE today, haha! Oh, man - it was complete fun! Inga and I trekked to QUT, a group of 20 of us bussed down to Currumbin Alley (about 30 minutes south of Surfer's Paradise in the Gold Coast). We did some safety and instruction lessons, then we were off to give it all a go. First of all let me say this: people you see surfing make it look like a piece of cake. People you see surfing for the first time make it look like that nasty dish Aunt Petunia always brings to Thanksgiving. It was really hard, fighting the waves to get in the back (behind the waves so you can ride them in), but if you can persist and just keep trying, it IS possible! Yay! I would say that I got 4 or 5 good rides yesterday. The instructor told me I was one of the best beginners there that day. Now that may not be saying much, but it was enough motivation to keep trudging into the waves and going again and again until my body was able to feel what it's like to really get up and surf. After my body felt the correct feeling of surfing, it was easy. I loved it. I don't even mind feeling so sore today, haha. Trying to put my hair in a pony tail was a challenge. I can't wait to "teach" Adam how to surf when he visits! As far as photos, I gave my camera to Zarina (the QUT trip advisor lady) who was "okay" with the camera. She stood really far away and obviously didn't figure out the zoom feature. Any way, I'm in a good number of the photos. Check 'em out!
Other new photos up: New Year's Eve & New Year's Day
Here's some randomness for ya: I was doing some homework on a bench on campus earlier this week. Some guy walked by and said hello. Then he told me about how a year ago a small bit of Fool's Gold (the movie with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConneghey (however his name is spelled)) was filmed on the QUT campus! He could have been just crazy, but I've no real reason to think he was making it up. I've not seen the film, so I don't know, but if you have seen the film and there's an older looking court-house like building, that just may be the one on the Garden's Point QUT campus!
Oh, guess what! John Pav - a guy I got to know a bit before I left for this trip and who is studying abroad down in Melbourne at Monash Uni) is visiting me in two short weekends! He booked his flight earlier today, and when he gets here I'm going to show him around Brisbane and we'll go on a trip to Stradbroke Island for a day! Yippee!
Tried some new lollies over the last week:
*Violet Crumble (Nestle's version of Cadbury's Crunchie bar)
*Bounty (a bit strange tasting version of a Mounds bar)
*Mars (I think the US has these but I'd never tried it - very tasty, just like a Snickers without the nuts - Snickers are so much better, though)
I'm about 3/4 done reading Brave New World. I'm really enjoying it! Huxley's ideas of how life would be if children were hatched instead of born (which, in this story, is a socially expelled way of life), how some people caught in the middle of both worlds (the futuristic and the "current") have to cope - I think there's more to that part of the story but I've not finished the book, so this is all I know so far. Any way, it's becoming a favorite book. Thank you to Adam for the inspiration to read it!
Iain recommended I read Deer Hunting with Jesus soon so we could discuss it. At first I was pretty set against it (weird for me since I never turn down a book), but he swayed me into interest. So I might read that book in a few reads' time. I think next I'm going to read a happy book... maybe Chocolat or Date with a Devil.
I've got quite a bit of slang for ya:
*mozzie - mosquito
*nong - idiot
*olds/oldies - parents
*petrolhead - car enthusiast
*Rafferty's Rules - having no rules
*sunnies - sunglasses
*tall poppy - a successful person rising above others (frowned upon, hence the notion to "cut down the tall poppies" so everyone is equal)
*unit - flat, condominium
*wog - illness, like the flu
*yakka - hard work
*zeds - sleep, "stack some zzz's" (z is pronounced "zed" here. likewise, h is pronounced "haytch")
*Aussie Salute - waving away annoying flies
*bathers - swimsuit
*crash hot - wonderful, the best
*Drizabone - brand of waterproof wax coating (dry-as-a-bone, Aussies smear syllables together a bit)
Well, that's enough for today. Hmm... maybe I can squeeze in another Easter Holiday post. I really should. Okay, I've talked myself into it. But first I have to study German for a bit. = )
-Amanda
Went to the Dunda Bar (aka the Down Under Bar) Wednesday night. It was Ladies' Night and Wet T-shirt Contest Night and Dirty Dancing Night, so, naturally, the entire flat was going. Iain and I weren't drinking that night, but we went out for an hour or so. (See link to the photos below.) It was a fun time. Inga's cousins were visiting from Sipan (not sure of the spelling, but it's some remote South Pacific island) and Goril (the girl, name is pronounced "gord-ill" - the r is a rolling r and sounds like a d - Norwegian names... hehe). Any way, Goril won the Dirty Dancing contest, haha - the photos Inga showed me! Goril was trashed by the time I got there, and she'd already left, but Matt, her husband was still around. Sara and I had to explain the true meaning behind Soulja Boy's Superman dance to Morten, hehe. Good fun, over all, though I'm not much of a Wednesday-night partier.
BIG NEWS: I learned to SURF yesterday! And I am REALLY SORE today, haha! Oh, man - it was complete fun! Inga and I trekked to QUT, a group of 20 of us bussed down to Currumbin Alley (about 30 minutes south of Surfer's Paradise in the Gold Coast). We did some safety and instruction lessons, then we were off to give it all a go. First of all let me say this: people you see surfing make it look like a piece of cake. People you see surfing for the first time make it look like that nasty dish Aunt Petunia always brings to Thanksgiving. It was really hard, fighting the waves to get in the back (behind the waves so you can ride them in), but if you can persist and just keep trying, it IS possible! Yay! I would say that I got 4 or 5 good rides yesterday. The instructor told me I was one of the best beginners there that day. Now that may not be saying much, but it was enough motivation to keep trudging into the waves and going again and again until my body was able to feel what it's like to really get up and surf. After my body felt the correct feeling of surfing, it was easy. I loved it. I don't even mind feeling so sore today, haha. Trying to put my hair in a pony tail was a challenge. I can't wait to "teach" Adam how to surf when he visits! As far as photos, I gave my camera to Zarina (the QUT trip advisor lady) who was "okay" with the camera. She stood really far away and obviously didn't figure out the zoom feature. Any way, I'm in a good number of the photos. Check 'em out!
Other new photos up: New Year's Eve & New Year's Day
Here's some randomness for ya: I was doing some homework on a bench on campus earlier this week. Some guy walked by and said hello. Then he told me about how a year ago a small bit of Fool's Gold (the movie with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConneghey (however his name is spelled)) was filmed on the QUT campus! He could have been just crazy, but I've no real reason to think he was making it up. I've not seen the film, so I don't know, but if you have seen the film and there's an older looking court-house like building, that just may be the one on the Garden's Point QUT campus!
Oh, guess what! John Pav - a guy I got to know a bit before I left for this trip and who is studying abroad down in Melbourne at Monash Uni) is visiting me in two short weekends! He booked his flight earlier today, and when he gets here I'm going to show him around Brisbane and we'll go on a trip to Stradbroke Island for a day! Yippee!
Tried some new lollies over the last week:
*Violet Crumble (Nestle's version of Cadbury's Crunchie bar)
*Bounty (a bit strange tasting version of a Mounds bar)
*Mars (I think the US has these but I'd never tried it - very tasty, just like a Snickers without the nuts - Snickers are so much better, though)
I'm about 3/4 done reading Brave New World. I'm really enjoying it! Huxley's ideas of how life would be if children were hatched instead of born (which, in this story, is a socially expelled way of life), how some people caught in the middle of both worlds (the futuristic and the "current") have to cope - I think there's more to that part of the story but I've not finished the book, so this is all I know so far. Any way, it's becoming a favorite book. Thank you to Adam for the inspiration to read it!
Iain recommended I read Deer Hunting with Jesus soon so we could discuss it. At first I was pretty set against it (weird for me since I never turn down a book), but he swayed me into interest. So I might read that book in a few reads' time. I think next I'm going to read a happy book... maybe Chocolat or Date with a Devil.
I've got quite a bit of slang for ya:
*mozzie - mosquito
*nong - idiot
*olds/oldies - parents
*petrolhead - car enthusiast
*Rafferty's Rules - having no rules
*sunnies - sunglasses
*tall poppy - a successful person rising above others (frowned upon, hence the notion to "cut down the tall poppies" so everyone is equal)
*unit - flat, condominium
*wog - illness, like the flu
*yakka - hard work
*zeds - sleep, "stack some zzz's" (z is pronounced "zed" here. likewise, h is pronounced "haytch")
*Aussie Salute - waving away annoying flies
*bathers - swimsuit
*crash hot - wonderful, the best
*Drizabone - brand of waterproof wax coating (dry-as-a-bone, Aussies smear syllables together a bit)
Well, that's enough for today. Hmm... maybe I can squeeze in another Easter Holiday post. I really should. Okay, I've talked myself into it. But first I have to study German for a bit. = )
-Amanda
What Adam's Been Up To
Before I post more about my Easter Holiday, I want to post about how things are going with Adam, his family, us, and our plans for his visit!
With three exams and a presentation, last week was pretty busy for Adam. He made it through well, just as I expected, with some high scores! After the rush of midterms, this coming week shouldn't be too bad for him, class-wise.
Aside from class, he got his living arrangements for next year sorted out. He was having trouble finding something for the fall semester only since he'll be Studying Abroad in Italy next spring. He contacted the Study Abroad office, asked around for anyone who was going to be studying abroad during the fall, and guess what! He's signed a one-bedroom lease for a room in a four-bedroom apartment at College Station. He's going to live there in the fall, then a random person whom he contacted through the Study Abroad office is going to take over in the spring when Adam's in Italy. Brilliant! I'm so glad that worked out so well for Adam. Plus! College Station is pretty close to where I'll be living with Nick Peelman; just right down the road!
Adam and I have been working on our plan for when he visits. At first we were thinking something like this:
1st weekend: road trip to Uluru
2nd weekend: sail around the Whitsunday Islands
3rd weekend: Fiji
We scratched the road trip to Uluru since it's so far away, too long a drive for 2 people, and with my classes the dates were too few. Then we thought, well, let's do a road trip from Brisbane to Sydney to Adelaide and back to Brisbane. Had to scratch that because we learned that the weekend in the Whitsunday Islands was going to be pretty expensive. So here's what we're doing now:
1st weekend: Byron Bay (staying in a hotel or a cabin for 3 nights, surfing, relaxing on the beach)
2nd weekend: Whitsunday Islands, specifically looking into Daydream Island
3rd weekend: Fiji
So right now we've got our Greyhound bus trips booked to and from Byron Bay for that weekend. Got some good deals on it with the Buy One Get One Half Of promotion (yay!). Currently I'm working to find a nice hotel or cabin for the weekend. I'm most interested in a rainforest cabin resort that is a few miles out of Byron Bay. = ) I'm waiting for his feedback on a few places I looked into, so we'll see what happens.
After Adam's exams and presentations he was able to unwind with a special visit from some Indy friends, Dick and Danielle. They all went out for a good time at the Neon Cactus (oh, how I miss that place). He said he had a great time. For the weekend he went home to celebrate his grandparent's 57th anniversary! (Congratulations!!!) While home he also went out to dinner with his parents and friends Kevin and April, then to see The Rolling Stones at the IMAX.
When I got back from Easter Holiday I learned that Adam had visited my family for an Easter dinner (Mom said he loved Grandma's hors d'oeuvres and left-overs.) Any way, he said he had a great time and my family enjoyed his company over the holiday. I really wish I could have been there, but (hehe) I was in Tasmania. = P
Hearing about how he'd been spending time with my family got me to thinking about how I'm missing his family. I'm sad that I am so far away and unable to join him to family events like birthday and anniversary celebration (oh, I miss his family). So, I asked Adam to give me the latest news on what everyone's been up to. Here's the scoop:
Ed & Karan have recently finished remodeling their bedroom. I'm sure it looks wonderful, judging by the rest of their house and how awesome the decor is. Karan has also just finished her first rasterbated image. I can't wait to see it!
Amber & Mikey are doing well, keeping up with their little angels, Ava and June (who turns 3 on May 12!). Adam said that Ava has really taken to her Uncle Adam (awe!), and that Junie is starting to talk more! = )
Lauren & Wyatt recently returned from Peurta Vallarta (I bet that was a great trip!), and Jade is living it up in Chicago. So, as you can see, Adam's family is doing very well. But I miss them so!
*Sigh... 33 days until May 9th. Oh, I get giddy thinking about it! That weekend in Byron Bay I'm going to teach him (well, do my best to "teach" him, haha) to surf! = )
-Amanda
With three exams and a presentation, last week was pretty busy for Adam. He made it through well, just as I expected, with some high scores! After the rush of midterms, this coming week shouldn't be too bad for him, class-wise.
Aside from class, he got his living arrangements for next year sorted out. He was having trouble finding something for the fall semester only since he'll be Studying Abroad in Italy next spring. He contacted the Study Abroad office, asked around for anyone who was going to be studying abroad during the fall, and guess what! He's signed a one-bedroom lease for a room in a four-bedroom apartment at College Station. He's going to live there in the fall, then a random person whom he contacted through the Study Abroad office is going to take over in the spring when Adam's in Italy. Brilliant! I'm so glad that worked out so well for Adam. Plus! College Station is pretty close to where I'll be living with Nick Peelman; just right down the road!
Adam and I have been working on our plan for when he visits. At first we were thinking something like this:
1st weekend: road trip to Uluru
2nd weekend: sail around the Whitsunday Islands
3rd weekend: Fiji
We scratched the road trip to Uluru since it's so far away, too long a drive for 2 people, and with my classes the dates were too few. Then we thought, well, let's do a road trip from Brisbane to Sydney to Adelaide and back to Brisbane. Had to scratch that because we learned that the weekend in the Whitsunday Islands was going to be pretty expensive. So here's what we're doing now:
1st weekend: Byron Bay (staying in a hotel or a cabin for 3 nights, surfing, relaxing on the beach)
2nd weekend: Whitsunday Islands, specifically looking into Daydream Island
3rd weekend: Fiji
So right now we've got our Greyhound bus trips booked to and from Byron Bay for that weekend. Got some good deals on it with the Buy One Get One Half Of promotion (yay!). Currently I'm working to find a nice hotel or cabin for the weekend. I'm most interested in a rainforest cabin resort that is a few miles out of Byron Bay. = ) I'm waiting for his feedback on a few places I looked into, so we'll see what happens.
After Adam's exams and presentations he was able to unwind with a special visit from some Indy friends, Dick and Danielle. They all went out for a good time at the Neon Cactus (oh, how I miss that place). He said he had a great time. For the weekend he went home to celebrate his grandparent's 57th anniversary! (Congratulations!!!) While home he also went out to dinner with his parents and friends Kevin and April, then to see The Rolling Stones at the IMAX.
When I got back from Easter Holiday I learned that Adam had visited my family for an Easter dinner (Mom said he loved Grandma's hors d'oeuvres and left-overs.) Any way, he said he had a great time and my family enjoyed his company over the holiday. I really wish I could have been there, but (hehe) I was in Tasmania. = P
Hearing about how he'd been spending time with my family got me to thinking about how I'm missing his family. I'm sad that I am so far away and unable to join him to family events like birthday and anniversary celebration (oh, I miss his family). So, I asked Adam to give me the latest news on what everyone's been up to. Here's the scoop:
Ed & Karan have recently finished remodeling their bedroom. I'm sure it looks wonderful, judging by the rest of their house and how awesome the decor is. Karan has also just finished her first rasterbated image. I can't wait to see it!
Amber & Mikey are doing well, keeping up with their little angels, Ava and June (who turns 3 on May 12!). Adam said that Ava has really taken to her Uncle Adam (awe!), and that Junie is starting to talk more! = )
Lauren & Wyatt recently returned from Peurta Vallarta (I bet that was a great trip!), and Jade is living it up in Chicago. So, as you can see, Adam's family is doing very well. But I miss them so!
*Sigh... 33 days until May 9th. Oh, I get giddy thinking about it! That weekend in Byron Bay I'm going to teach him (well, do my best to "teach" him, haha) to surf! = )
-Amanda
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Easter Holiday: Saturday Night Mayhem
They coax me into going, and on the way to the train station I'm telling myself that everything will work out. We take the train and fly out to Hobart, arriving at 9pm.
So we land in Hobart at 9pm, take a $50 taxi ride to the city center, and head straight for the hostel that screwed us over with the glitch in the system since our 5 reserved beds were non-existent. Reception was closed by the time we arrived, so we called the night manager. He bumbled down the stairs and we explained that it's Easter weekend, Hobart is fully booked, it's 8 degrees Celsius outdoors and we have no where else to go; can you help us out? He said he had no available beds for us but that we could take the lounge for the night. YES! I bed he'd never seen folks so happy to be offered measly couches for the night! He gave us the key to the day storage, we stashed our packs and went on a hunt for some grub.
We wandered around, finding a pizza join. The pizza was pretty good, and we randomly bumped into Soyoung and Ivan! Turns out they, too, were spending their holiday in Tassie! (I'd met each of them a couple times previously, our flat mates all tend to meet up when we go out as a big group.) We hit a couple Hobart pubs together, finding one that had a really great live band who covered a lot of Green Day! I ordered up a White Russian! (Yay for the place having milk, as opposed to the last place I tried ordering a WR.) Good: the drink was one of the best I'd ever had. Bad: it cost me a whopping $12.50. Oh, well.
I ended up turning in early, leaving with Soyoung and Ivan since they'd had a long day; this meant that I got first dibs on the lounge, hehe! I chose a couch next to the TV, despite its noise; the couch I chose appeared to be relatively new. I read, post-carded, did some journaling, popped my ear plugs in and got what sleep I could. No, it wasn't great, but it sure beat sleeping on the streets of Hobart in 8 degree weather. By the way, Tasmania's weather is crazy: 34 degrees through the day, then the Arctic winds come up and drop the temperature to the likes of 8 degrees (this is all in Celsius). Kind of like an extreme version of Indiana?
So we got into Hobart, managed for the night and had no real plans for the rest of the trip, aside from hiring our car Sunday afternoon. This was all very chaotic for me, haha - you should have seen me Saturday before we caught the train. I was a wreck. Any way, I came to terms with what it really means to "wing it." And this was all very good for a person like me, because I'm the type who has everything so planned out, down to when I'm going to brush my teeth kinda thing, haha. I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea. Any way, the lack of planning ended up being good for me. I'm happy I faced the fear of not knowing where I'm going to stay at night, not knowing where I'm going day-to-day, and just going with the flow. Funny, "go with the flow" has been a personal motto. I guess I got out of vibe with it lately. Glad to see I'm back in touch with the phrase on a very deep level, haha.
That's the Easter Holiday installment for today. Up next: Sunday's Adventures!
New photos up: Misc.
Facebook Videos Up:
*The Chicken Dance
*Tamara the Killer Kangaroo
*A Home Among the Gum Trees
-Amanda
So we land in Hobart at 9pm, take a $50 taxi ride to the city center, and head straight for the hostel that screwed us over with the glitch in the system since our 5 reserved beds were non-existent. Reception was closed by the time we arrived, so we called the night manager. He bumbled down the stairs and we explained that it's Easter weekend, Hobart is fully booked, it's 8 degrees Celsius outdoors and we have no where else to go; can you help us out? He said he had no available beds for us but that we could take the lounge for the night. YES! I bed he'd never seen folks so happy to be offered measly couches for the night! He gave us the key to the day storage, we stashed our packs and went on a hunt for some grub.
We wandered around, finding a pizza join. The pizza was pretty good, and we randomly bumped into Soyoung and Ivan! Turns out they, too, were spending their holiday in Tassie! (I'd met each of them a couple times previously, our flat mates all tend to meet up when we go out as a big group.) We hit a couple Hobart pubs together, finding one that had a really great live band who covered a lot of Green Day! I ordered up a White Russian! (Yay for the place having milk, as opposed to the last place I tried ordering a WR.) Good: the drink was one of the best I'd ever had. Bad: it cost me a whopping $12.50. Oh, well.
I ended up turning in early, leaving with Soyoung and Ivan since they'd had a long day; this meant that I got first dibs on the lounge, hehe! I chose a couch next to the TV, despite its noise; the couch I chose appeared to be relatively new. I read, post-carded, did some journaling, popped my ear plugs in and got what sleep I could. No, it wasn't great, but it sure beat sleeping on the streets of Hobart in 8 degree weather. By the way, Tasmania's weather is crazy: 34 degrees through the day, then the Arctic winds come up and drop the temperature to the likes of 8 degrees (this is all in Celsius). Kind of like an extreme version of Indiana?
So we got into Hobart, managed for the night and had no real plans for the rest of the trip, aside from hiring our car Sunday afternoon. This was all very chaotic for me, haha - you should have seen me Saturday before we caught the train. I was a wreck. Any way, I came to terms with what it really means to "wing it." And this was all very good for a person like me, because I'm the type who has everything so planned out, down to when I'm going to brush my teeth kinda thing, haha. I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea. Any way, the lack of planning ended up being good for me. I'm happy I faced the fear of not knowing where I'm going to stay at night, not knowing where I'm going day-to-day, and just going with the flow. Funny, "go with the flow" has been a personal motto. I guess I got out of vibe with it lately. Glad to see I'm back in touch with the phrase on a very deep level, haha.
That's the Easter Holiday installment for today. Up next: Sunday's Adventures!
New photos up: Misc.
Facebook Videos Up:
*The Chicken Dance
*Tamara the Killer Kangaroo
*A Home Among the Gum Trees
-Amanda
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Count Downs
Today marks my having only 100 days left in Australia. I am becoming mopey about having to leave Australia already (so is Inga). And at the same time, I am excited to see friends and family again upon my return to the USA.
Today also marks me and Adam having only to endure 35 more days before he visits here in Australia! I can't begin to explain my sheer happiness and excitement to see him!
Today also marks me and Adam having only to endure 35 more days before he visits here in Australia! I can't begin to explain my sheer happiness and excitement to see him!
My First Sonnet: Father's Coin
Father's Coin
The day I left he gave to me a coin.
So priceless, old and dull, my memories.
To keep it near, he bid to me. To join
Me on my journey. Silver, salt in breeze.
The token his before now mine, at ease
I am to think of it. He held back tears
And tucked the coin. There were no extra fees.
In this fine moment I could see its years.
The tarnished silver chip of metal, Nears
Another journey to be had. It gave
My father things a many, he still steers
Me distantly. Again it rides a wave.
Now gazing patiently in palm it lies.
My trip begins at home and ends with skies.
The day I left he gave to me a coin.
So priceless, old and dull, my memories.
To keep it near, he bid to me. To join
Me on my journey. Silver, salt in breeze.
The token his before now mine, at ease
I am to think of it. He held back tears
And tucked the coin. There were no extra fees.
In this fine moment I could see its years.
The tarnished silver chip of metal, Nears
Another journey to be had. It gave
My father things a many, he still steers
Me distantly. Again it rides a wave.
Now gazing patiently in palm it lies.
My trip begins at home and ends with skies.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Easter Holiday: The [Final] Plan[s]
This is the first entry of several posts on my Easter Holiday in Australia. The title is very descriptive, isn't it? Final? Plans, plural? What?
Originally, just after Adam and I had scratched the road trip plans to Uluru (too far away and not enough time to make the trip worth while), Inga and I decided we'd go together. A week away from Easter Holiday, and the flights monopolized, we couldn't really afford the trip. So the next plan was to hang around Brisbane and do things locally (i.e., Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the Lookout, Roma Street Parklands, etc.). Okay, so that will do; save some money, take it easy... Friday night myself, Inga, Neil, Iain and Rudy decide to make a 5 day trip to Tasmania - haha!
You should have seen me - I was freaking out! Thoughts going through my head: where are we going to stay? Hostels will be booked. The whole of Hobart (Tasmania's capital) will be booked as it's Easter weekend. When are we going to buy food? Everything's shut down this weekend! How are we going to get around? How much are flights? What was that noise? Shoot! The wind blew my door shut and I'd left the bolt thrown so now, in this crazy state of mind, I am locked out of my room, and the landlords aren't available until Monday. But no worries, Tom had a hanger-on-a-stick-device designed to snatch room-key-rings through the window. So I climb out on to the shelf around the second floor, and I hook my key with this hanger, haha - Inga has the photos.
So I've regained access to my room, thank God, and now we're all back to figuring things out for this Tasmania trip. We get a good deal on flights (departing Brisbane Saturday) and book them. Next we book a hostel for Saturday night. Okay, so we have our flights and our beds for the first night. Okay, I'm warming up to the idea of going on this trip.
Saturday we spend all afternoon packing. We have to leave the house at 3 to get to the airport in time to catch our plain. No problem. Then Iain informs us that our hostel's booking was actually a glitch in the system because the hostel is actually booked and we have no where to stay. WTF, mate?! Status: non-refundable flights booked, 5 nights of no planned accommodation, me about to pull my hair out of my head, Inga and Rudy still gung-ho about going.
They coax me into going, and on the way to the train station I'm telling myself that everything will work out. We take the train and fly out to Hobart, arriving at 9pm.
And now I'm going to increase the suspense by making you check back again soon for the next Easter Holiday entry to see what happened next! Muahaha!
-Amanda
PS - Another Facebook photo album: River Cruise 19FEB08
Originally, just after Adam and I had scratched the road trip plans to Uluru (too far away and not enough time to make the trip worth while), Inga and I decided we'd go together. A week away from Easter Holiday, and the flights monopolized, we couldn't really afford the trip. So the next plan was to hang around Brisbane and do things locally (i.e., Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the Lookout, Roma Street Parklands, etc.). Okay, so that will do; save some money, take it easy... Friday night myself, Inga, Neil, Iain and Rudy decide to make a 5 day trip to Tasmania - haha!
You should have seen me - I was freaking out! Thoughts going through my head: where are we going to stay? Hostels will be booked. The whole of Hobart (Tasmania's capital) will be booked as it's Easter weekend. When are we going to buy food? Everything's shut down this weekend! How are we going to get around? How much are flights? What was that noise? Shoot! The wind blew my door shut and I'd left the bolt thrown so now, in this crazy state of mind, I am locked out of my room, and the landlords aren't available until Monday. But no worries, Tom had a hanger-on-a-stick-device designed to snatch room-key-rings through the window. So I climb out on to the shelf around the second floor, and I hook my key with this hanger, haha - Inga has the photos.
So I've regained access to my room, thank God, and now we're all back to figuring things out for this Tasmania trip. We get a good deal on flights (departing Brisbane Saturday) and book them. Next we book a hostel for Saturday night. Okay, so we have our flights and our beds for the first night. Okay, I'm warming up to the idea of going on this trip.
Saturday we spend all afternoon packing. We have to leave the house at 3 to get to the airport in time to catch our plain. No problem. Then Iain informs us that our hostel's booking was actually a glitch in the system because the hostel is actually booked and we have no where to stay. WTF, mate?! Status: non-refundable flights booked, 5 nights of no planned accommodation, me about to pull my hair out of my head, Inga and Rudy still gung-ho about going.
They coax me into going, and on the way to the train station I'm telling myself that everything will work out. We take the train and fly out to Hobart, arriving at 9pm.
And now I'm going to increase the suspense by making you check back again soon for the next Easter Holiday entry to see what happened next! Muahaha!
-Amanda
PS - Another Facebook photo album: River Cruise 19FEB08
Photos & st00f
Ah, back into the groove. Went on a 45 minute run yesterday. It was pretty bad since I snacked on some gummies while I laid out before the run, but I'm very happy I ran. Felt sick afterwards, and Inga wasn't feeling well either so we laid on my bed and chatted a bit. It was a nice discussion.
Today has been very good. Got a lot of rest last night, up at 8, breakfast with some great OJ, chatted with Adam = ) and headed to class. We watched a movie today and class let out early. I've just grabbed lunch from Subway (forgot to pack my PBJ), and here I am!
Some photo links:
-Adam's Ultimate Frisbee photos (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2344834&l=c54e3&id=13700420)
-Baugher Christmas 2007 Party (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2344842&l=bb418&id=13700420)
-Bennett Christmas 2007 Party (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345056&l=6f4ff&id=13700420)
-Norsk Pub Crawl & The Fox (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345205&l=f43c0&id=13700420)
-International Student Pub Crawl (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345185&l=0e9b3&id=13700420)
Some differences between the USA and Australia that I noticed over Easter Holiday:
-backpacker accommodation is much better in Australia than in the USA
-Jetstar (a local Australian flight servicer) has no complimentary drinks
-Tasmania has heaters in the hostel rooms and Queensland has fans
-pay phones are all over the place
-round abouts are abundant
-Tasmania hot water turns are on the right side of the sinks
I've tried some new lollies:
-Maltesers (like Whoppers but with a lining of caramel, I think?)
-Pantheon Nougot (there was a small bar of this in the Valentine's pack from home, but they make them in big bars, too)
So what am I up to this week? Well, tomorrow I'll be on Kelvin Grove most of the day. I'll probably be low key or go for a run (depending on if I manage a run in the morning or not?). Friday I'm planning on laying out and enjoying the day. Might run errands if they pop up between now and Friday (hopefully not). Saturday I'm going to the Gold Coast and LEARNING TO SURF!!! I can't wait! Inga is going, and maybe Rudy, too! Also, some girls I met at Fraser Island are going on the trip to surf, too: Amy and Sammi.
Oh! There are some new videos up on Facebook. They are from Fraser Island. Darn, just learned that I can't share Facebook videos like I can the photos. If you're on Facebook be sure to check out the videos. If you're not on Facebook, make it so and then add me as a friend! = )
-Amanda
Today has been very good. Got a lot of rest last night, up at 8, breakfast with some great OJ, chatted with Adam = ) and headed to class. We watched a movie today and class let out early. I've just grabbed lunch from Subway (forgot to pack my PBJ), and here I am!
Some photo links:
-Adam's Ultimate Frisbee photos (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2344834&l=c54e3&id=13700420)
-Baugher Christmas 2007 Party (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2344842&l=bb418&id=13700420)
-Bennett Christmas 2007 Party (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345056&l=6f4ff&id=13700420)
-Norsk Pub Crawl & The Fox (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345205&l=f43c0&id=13700420)
-International Student Pub Crawl (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345185&l=0e9b3&id=13700420)
Some differences between the USA and Australia that I noticed over Easter Holiday:
-backpacker accommodation is much better in Australia than in the USA
-Jetstar (a local Australian flight servicer) has no complimentary drinks
-Tasmania has heaters in the hostel rooms and Queensland has fans
-pay phones are all over the place
-round abouts are abundant
-Tasmania hot water turns are on the right side of the sinks
I've tried some new lollies:
-Maltesers (like Whoppers but with a lining of caramel, I think?)
-Pantheon Nougot (there was a small bar of this in the Valentine's pack from home, but they make them in big bars, too)
So what am I up to this week? Well, tomorrow I'll be on Kelvin Grove most of the day. I'll probably be low key or go for a run (depending on if I manage a run in the morning or not?). Friday I'm planning on laying out and enjoying the day. Might run errands if they pop up between now and Friday (hopefully not). Saturday I'm going to the Gold Coast and LEARNING TO SURF!!! I can't wait! Inga is going, and maybe Rudy, too! Also, some girls I met at Fraser Island are going on the trip to surf, too: Amy and Sammi.
Oh! There are some new videos up on Facebook. They are from Fraser Island. Darn, just learned that I can't share Facebook videos like I can the photos. If you're on Facebook be sure to check out the videos. If you're not on Facebook, make it so and then add me as a friend! = )
-Amanda
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Relatively Recent Random Recollections
This post is just exactly what its title says: random thoughts from relatively recent times.
I wanted to share with you all that I am really excited about going to Fiji! Of course my main excitement is because I will be spending the weekend there with Adam. Another source of excitement is that my Grandpa Baugher served in Fiji during WWII. I love to think of him singing his Fiji song and telling me stories about watching movies in Fiji and seeing the Fiji men sneaking around to watch the movie, too. I just wanted to share that bit with you guys. I love my Grandpa, I'm proud of him, and I'm excited to visit somewhere he once was.
I've been trying all sorts of new candies! Some Australian and some Norwegian! Tonight Inga shared Non-Stops with me - they are basically M&Ms that look like Sprees. Very tasty as it's chocolate. = ) Australian lollies: Curly-Wurly, Kit-Kat Cookie Dough and Picnic. All quite yummy!
I've not forgotten to post about some Aussie slang!
*face fungus = beard and/or mustache
*Gabba - QLD Cricket ground at Woolloongabba
*half your luck = congratulations
*icypole = frozen lolly
*stiff shit = tough shit (haha, Inga got a kick out of that one when Tamara (more on her in an up-coming post about Fraser Island) used the phrase)
*jaffa - orange-flavoured choclage ball
*kark It - die
*lippie - lipstick
I finally got a phone! I'm an Optus member using the cheapest, most basic phone ever. It's a pre-paid plan, so that's a bit different. It was nice being phone-free, but it's also nice to have a form of communication with loved ones back home if any emergency was to arise and they needed to get in touch with me quickly.
Sam's girlfriend had her 15th birthday about 2 weeks ago (I found out late) but want to wish her a Happy Belated Birthday! Sam, tell her to expect a birthday card and small gift in about a week and a half. = )
I got two letters today! One from my dear Kristin and one from my Momma! Each brought so much happiness! Speaking of packages, I got an Easter package from home the day before I left for my Easter Holiday! There were "swee-eez" (<--- that's how the Scottish say candies, haha) and a card and a little stuffed bunny who sits upon my bookshelf! I loved it! Thank you so much everyone!
Having such an awful diet on the Noosa trip inspired me to devise a workout plan. I went through one of my Women's Health magazines and took some notes on recommendations of what exercises to engage in and how often/week to do them. I created a little monthly map of what to do and plan to put it into effect starting Sunday. This week is going to be the warm-up week to ease me into the plan. Watch out Mom and Adam, I'm back in business for that Nike+ Challenge!
I bought a new book recently: Chocolat. Iain told me about this gem of a second-hand bookstore down Charlotte Street - such a wonderful little shop! Millions of books - old and new about EVERYTHING! I spent an hour there and left with a single book, haha. I'm excited to read it, though, and then watch the movie.
So this week it's back to school. Today I finished unpacking from Easter Holidays, chatted with Adam (always the best part of my day!), reworked the plan for when Adam visits, did the email and Facebook thing, grabbed much-needed groceries and went to German lecture. I also began organizing my photos from break. I've got round about 850 photos. I know. "Good Lord, that's ridiculous" is the correct response, haha. I won't be able to upload all of them to Facebook even (well, maybe? but it would take me ages), but I'll sure to get the good ones up at least - there will be plenty, don't worry.
For now I'm going to get some stuff done around the room, read and get to bed. I love you all and miss you all! Let me know how things are back home! It's always so pleasant to hear from you guys!
-Amanda
I wanted to share with you all that I am really excited about going to Fiji! Of course my main excitement is because I will be spending the weekend there with Adam. Another source of excitement is that my Grandpa Baugher served in Fiji during WWII. I love to think of him singing his Fiji song and telling me stories about watching movies in Fiji and seeing the Fiji men sneaking around to watch the movie, too. I just wanted to share that bit with you guys. I love my Grandpa, I'm proud of him, and I'm excited to visit somewhere he once was.
I've been trying all sorts of new candies! Some Australian and some Norwegian! Tonight Inga shared Non-Stops with me - they are basically M&Ms that look like Sprees. Very tasty as it's chocolate. = ) Australian lollies: Curly-Wurly, Kit-Kat Cookie Dough and Picnic. All quite yummy!
I've not forgotten to post about some Aussie slang!
*face fungus = beard and/or mustache
*Gabba - QLD Cricket ground at Woolloongabba
*half your luck = congratulations
*icypole = frozen lolly
*stiff shit = tough shit (haha, Inga got a kick out of that one when Tamara (more on her in an up-coming post about Fraser Island) used the phrase)
*jaffa - orange-flavoured choclage ball
*kark It - die
*lippie - lipstick
I finally got a phone! I'm an Optus member using the cheapest, most basic phone ever. It's a pre-paid plan, so that's a bit different. It was nice being phone-free, but it's also nice to have a form of communication with loved ones back home if any emergency was to arise and they needed to get in touch with me quickly.
Sam's girlfriend had her 15th birthday about 2 weeks ago (I found out late) but want to wish her a Happy Belated Birthday! Sam, tell her to expect a birthday card and small gift in about a week and a half. = )
I got two letters today! One from my dear Kristin and one from my Momma! Each brought so much happiness! Speaking of packages, I got an Easter package from home the day before I left for my Easter Holiday! There were "swee-eez" (<--- that's how the Scottish say candies, haha) and a card and a little stuffed bunny who sits upon my bookshelf! I loved it! Thank you so much everyone!
Having such an awful diet on the Noosa trip inspired me to devise a workout plan. I went through one of my Women's Health magazines and took some notes on recommendations of what exercises to engage in and how often/week to do them. I created a little monthly map of what to do and plan to put it into effect starting Sunday. This week is going to be the warm-up week to ease me into the plan. Watch out Mom and Adam, I'm back in business for that Nike+ Challenge!
I bought a new book recently: Chocolat. Iain told me about this gem of a second-hand bookstore down Charlotte Street - such a wonderful little shop! Millions of books - old and new about EVERYTHING! I spent an hour there and left with a single book, haha. I'm excited to read it, though, and then watch the movie.
So this week it's back to school. Today I finished unpacking from Easter Holidays, chatted with Adam (always the best part of my day!), reworked the plan for when Adam visits, did the email and Facebook thing, grabbed much-needed groceries and went to German lecture. I also began organizing my photos from break. I've got round about 850 photos. I know. "Good Lord, that's ridiculous" is the correct response, haha. I won't be able to upload all of them to Facebook even (well, maybe? but it would take me ages), but I'll sure to get the good ones up at least - there will be plenty, don't worry.
For now I'm going to get some stuff done around the room, read and get to bed. I love you all and miss you all! Let me know how things are back home! It's always so pleasant to hear from you guys!
-Amanda
To Noosa Con Inga
Oh, I hate it when this happens. This post is about my trip to Noosa with Inga from the 14th of March - ages ago. My apologies for falling behind a bit with my blog. Also, no photos in this post because I can't upload at my house. But it's okay! I've posted the Noosa photos and many others to Facebook! Here are the links:
South Bank http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339742&l=326a5&id=13700420
Chucky's BDay http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339762&l=a30ee&id=13700420
Lily http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339792&l=73337&id=13700420
Random in Australia http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339810&l=20158&id=13700420
Sam's Wrestling http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340148&l=7e56e&id=13700420
Surfer's Hard Rock & Cheers http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340214&l=8e45e&id=13700420
Surfer's Club Hopping http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340203&l=653eb&id=13700420
Surfers Beach http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340238&l=51aad&id=13700420
Maroochydore YHA and trip to
So for the trip to Noosa Inga and I left on Friday, and, because Noosa was totally booked, we stayed at the Maroochydore YHA, a favorite hostel of mine. That night we hung out at the pool, had some great discussions about life, love and everything in between. Inga shared some Norwegian "Sour Patch Kids" with me; they're called Laban Sure Skrikerunger. No idea about pronunciation, but she helped me with the spelling. = ) They're really good - just like Sour Patch Kids (which I added to the list of things I am requesting Adam bring over when he visits, haha), but they're gummier.
Our hostel room was shared with some German girls. I had some reviewing to do so Inga randomly picked phrases from my German-English dictionary and I worked them out. One of the Germans jumped in and taught me a few things and helped me out. It was fun. Inga was obliged to share the only German phrase she knows with the girl who laughed quite a bit. The phrase Inga knows is "I have sauerkraut in my leather pants." Haha, she is a goof.
There was also a Danish girl in our room. She was working and traveling and about to leave for the US. She quizzed me about what fun stuff there is to do in the US, and I helped her out. Inga helped, too, as she's spent a year more than I on the West Coast. Learning about and telling about fun stuff to do here and there is a fun aspect of staying in hostels. You meet all sorts of people and it's so interesting to see how you change them and how they change you just after knowing them a night or two and probably never seeing them again.
Saturday Inga and I tried walking to the Sunshine Plaza but an oncoming bus driver pegged us as totally lost (which we were) and let us hop on for a two-stop ride to the plaza. Of course "we had our tickets." = ) At the plaza Inga and I indulged in some smoothies. She always gets a banana one (I got to try it - very yummy) and I opted for a berry blend. We looked at a leather purse shop and I almost lost my handheld camera, haha. Luckily some kind person turned it into the Police Beat for me (thank you whoever you are!). We were waiting for our bus to the Noosa National Park but had some time to kill so we smelled all sorts of perfumes. There were several I liked, but I think my favorites were Jennifer Lopez's Deseo and Estee Lauder's Pleasure's Intense. Other top scents of all the ones we tried are Salvator Ferraguamo: Incanto Shine, Incanto Charm, Incanto Dream, Versace Medusa, Gwen Stefani's LAMB, Miracle So Magic!, Euphoria Blossom, Kate Moss' Kate, Kylie Minogue's Darling. So ladies, if you wear any of those, I say you have a great sense of perfumes!
So we finally caught our bus to Noosa. We walked along the path to the park and saw this gorgeous beach; of course we stopped for a couple hours, haha. It was so nice - Inga loved the waves and my polka dot bathing suit top strap decided to break, haha! After the pit stop at the beach we go to the park. We went on a nature walk and enjoyed the Australian woods. We saw a koala, a little lizard and a really cool spider. It was very nice. I was hoping our path would take us along the ocean, but we were on another side of the park, I guess. We also were cramped for time since dusk is around 6pm here, and we didn't want to get caught in the woods when it became dark.
So we headed back, caught the bus back to Maroochydore and hung out at the hostel. Oh, on a side note, my diet this weekend was absolutely wretched, haha! I don't recall ever eating so poorly in my life! Started the trip with donuts, chocolate at every opportunity, Whopper with fries, cream & shortbread cookies, ice cream, smoothies, more chocolate, crinkle chips, lime and black pepper chips (so good, though!), cheeseburger and milkshake, pizza! Horrid! The only positive items in the diet were 3 apples over the course of the weekend, haha.
Sunday we checked out of the hostel and went to Mooloolaba for the afternoon. I bought a nice, purple bikini since polka dot had to be trashed. The new one is an $90 suit that was on sale for $40! Poifect! And I love it! Any way, Mooloolaba was nice (especially since it was sunny this time). Too soon we had to head back to Maroochydore to catch our Greyhound back to Brisbane. We got back with some time to spare so we had dinner at Hungry Jack's, right across from the bus stop. We decided to head to the bus stop at 4.10. The bus was late and we decided to check our tickets - go figure we'd missed the last bus to Brisbane! Whoops! So we trekked back to the Maroochydore YHA, haha, and booked one more night. Same room, same girls, haha! We picked up some drinks and chips and had another evening of fun. We chatted and made the best of the rotten situation. We got another bus ticket booked and left Sunday morning. = )
On the way back to Brisbane I finished Picnic at Hanging Rock. It's also a film that Michael (my Study Abroad advisor) recommended I watch sometime. It's an Australian film based in Melbourne. I saw the book at the library one day and decided to read it before I saw the film. I also read reviews about it before I started the book. The reviews gave me a bad taste in my mouth about the book since they were saying the film was so much better and that the book was really slow and had an awful ending. The plot is that a group of school girls go on a picnic at Hanging Rock, but some of them are doomed to never return or be found. It's actually a true story of the events that took place in 1900. After finishing the book I realized I really did like it after all, even with having read the negative reviews. The way the author depicts the nature, and explains the horrors of the tragedy is really done well. I wouldn't recommend reading the book unless you want to get into some Australian literature, but it was still a good book, nonetheless.
I'm currently reading Brave New World. Started it while in Tasmania. I'm off to a slow start due to Easter Holiday, but I plan to get into it tomorrow when I lay out. Adam has three favorite novels: Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code, and Brave New World. I'd already read Dan Brown's books (A&D is an all-time favorite), but I'd not read the latter. I am excited to get into the book more since it's one of Adam's favorite books. = ) I think reading people's favorite books is a great way to get to know them a little more. So far I'm really enjoying the world Huxley imagined.
The week before Easter Break I ran and began eating right again. I logged 3.5 miles before leaving for Easter Break to find that I am very behind now, a week later, haha! Mom and Adam are WAY ahead of me but I'm really happy for all the miles they've logged! Way to go, guys! = ) I had my first Assessment at QUT: German. I got the score back today, and I did very well! I even got a sticker to say so, haha! I'm really proud of myself for tackling another language! It's challenging but fun, too! Sunday I had to post a closed form poem for my Creative Writing course. I wrote a sonnet about the coin my Daddy gave me the day I left on this trip. I'm certainly no poet, but I do enjoy writing and am loving the course.
Random: in V Block (aka the Library on campus) there are 3 Salvador Dali paintings. One is Landscape with Butterflies, another is Clock, and the last is painting of things that compose a face but I couldn't find it via Google. Any way, really great painter and I know Adam likes Dali, so I wanted to share. = )
Okay, that's the post for now. There's another one coming after this!
South Bank http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339742&l=326a5&id=13700420
Chucky's BDay http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339762&l=a30ee&id=13700420
Lily http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339792&l=73337&id=13700420
Random in Australia http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2339810&l=20158&id=13700420
Sam's Wrestling http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340148&l=7e56e&id=13700420
Surfer's Hard Rock & Cheers http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340214&l=8e45e&id=13700420
Surfer's Club Hopping http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340203&l=653eb&id=13700420
Surfers Beach http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2340238&l=51aad&id=13700420
Maroochydore YHA and trip to
So for the trip to Noosa Inga and I left on Friday, and, because Noosa was totally booked, we stayed at the Maroochydore YHA, a favorite hostel of mine. That night we hung out at the pool, had some great discussions about life, love and everything in between. Inga shared some Norwegian "Sour Patch Kids" with me; they're called Laban Sure Skrikerunger. No idea about pronunciation, but she helped me with the spelling. = ) They're really good - just like Sour Patch Kids (which I added to the list of things I am requesting Adam bring over when he visits, haha), but they're gummier.
Our hostel room was shared with some German girls. I had some reviewing to do so Inga randomly picked phrases from my German-English dictionary and I worked them out. One of the Germans jumped in and taught me a few things and helped me out. It was fun. Inga was obliged to share the only German phrase she knows with the girl who laughed quite a bit. The phrase Inga knows is "I have sauerkraut in my leather pants." Haha, she is a goof.
There was also a Danish girl in our room. She was working and traveling and about to leave for the US. She quizzed me about what fun stuff there is to do in the US, and I helped her out. Inga helped, too, as she's spent a year more than I on the West Coast. Learning about and telling about fun stuff to do here and there is a fun aspect of staying in hostels. You meet all sorts of people and it's so interesting to see how you change them and how they change you just after knowing them a night or two and probably never seeing them again.
Saturday Inga and I tried walking to the Sunshine Plaza but an oncoming bus driver pegged us as totally lost (which we were) and let us hop on for a two-stop ride to the plaza. Of course "we had our tickets." = ) At the plaza Inga and I indulged in some smoothies. She always gets a banana one (I got to try it - very yummy) and I opted for a berry blend. We looked at a leather purse shop and I almost lost my handheld camera, haha. Luckily some kind person turned it into the Police Beat for me (thank you whoever you are!). We were waiting for our bus to the Noosa National Park but had some time to kill so we smelled all sorts of perfumes. There were several I liked, but I think my favorites were Jennifer Lopez's Deseo and Estee Lauder's Pleasure's Intense. Other top scents of all the ones we tried are Salvator Ferraguamo: Incanto Shine, Incanto Charm, Incanto Dream, Versace Medusa, Gwen Stefani's LAMB, Miracle So Magic!, Euphoria Blossom, Kate Moss' Kate, Kylie Minogue's Darling. So ladies, if you wear any of those, I say you have a great sense of perfumes!
So we finally caught our bus to Noosa. We walked along the path to the park and saw this gorgeous beach; of course we stopped for a couple hours, haha. It was so nice - Inga loved the waves and my polka dot bathing suit top strap decided to break, haha! After the pit stop at the beach we go to the park. We went on a nature walk and enjoyed the Australian woods. We saw a koala, a little lizard and a really cool spider. It was very nice. I was hoping our path would take us along the ocean, but we were on another side of the park, I guess. We also were cramped for time since dusk is around 6pm here, and we didn't want to get caught in the woods when it became dark.
So we headed back, caught the bus back to Maroochydore and hung out at the hostel. Oh, on a side note, my diet this weekend was absolutely wretched, haha! I don't recall ever eating so poorly in my life! Started the trip with donuts, chocolate at every opportunity, Whopper with fries, cream & shortbread cookies, ice cream, smoothies, more chocolate, crinkle chips, lime and black pepper chips (so good, though!), cheeseburger and milkshake, pizza! Horrid! The only positive items in the diet were 3 apples over the course of the weekend, haha.
Sunday we checked out of the hostel and went to Mooloolaba for the afternoon. I bought a nice, purple bikini since polka dot had to be trashed. The new one is an $90 suit that was on sale for $40! Poifect! And I love it! Any way, Mooloolaba was nice (especially since it was sunny this time). Too soon we had to head back to Maroochydore to catch our Greyhound back to Brisbane. We got back with some time to spare so we had dinner at Hungry Jack's, right across from the bus stop. We decided to head to the bus stop at 4.10. The bus was late and we decided to check our tickets - go figure we'd missed the last bus to Brisbane! Whoops! So we trekked back to the Maroochydore YHA, haha, and booked one more night. Same room, same girls, haha! We picked up some drinks and chips and had another evening of fun. We chatted and made the best of the rotten situation. We got another bus ticket booked and left Sunday morning. = )
On the way back to Brisbane I finished Picnic at Hanging Rock. It's also a film that Michael (my Study Abroad advisor) recommended I watch sometime. It's an Australian film based in Melbourne. I saw the book at the library one day and decided to read it before I saw the film. I also read reviews about it before I started the book. The reviews gave me a bad taste in my mouth about the book since they were saying the film was so much better and that the book was really slow and had an awful ending. The plot is that a group of school girls go on a picnic at Hanging Rock, but some of them are doomed to never return or be found. It's actually a true story of the events that took place in 1900. After finishing the book I realized I really did like it after all, even with having read the negative reviews. The way the author depicts the nature, and explains the horrors of the tragedy is really done well. I wouldn't recommend reading the book unless you want to get into some Australian literature, but it was still a good book, nonetheless.
I'm currently reading Brave New World. Started it while in Tasmania. I'm off to a slow start due to Easter Holiday, but I plan to get into it tomorrow when I lay out. Adam has three favorite novels: Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code, and Brave New World. I'd already read Dan Brown's books (A&D is an all-time favorite), but I'd not read the latter. I am excited to get into the book more since it's one of Adam's favorite books. = ) I think reading people's favorite books is a great way to get to know them a little more. So far I'm really enjoying the world Huxley imagined.
The week before Easter Break I ran and began eating right again. I logged 3.5 miles before leaving for Easter Break to find that I am very behind now, a week later, haha! Mom and Adam are WAY ahead of me but I'm really happy for all the miles they've logged! Way to go, guys! = ) I had my first Assessment at QUT: German. I got the score back today, and I did very well! I even got a sticker to say so, haha! I'm really proud of myself for tackling another language! It's challenging but fun, too! Sunday I had to post a closed form poem for my Creative Writing course. I wrote a sonnet about the coin my Daddy gave me the day I left on this trip. I'm certainly no poet, but I do enjoy writing and am loving the course.
Random: in V Block (aka the Library on campus) there are 3 Salvador Dali paintings. One is Landscape with Butterflies, another is Clock, and the last is painting of things that compose a face but I couldn't find it via Google. Any way, really great painter and I know Adam likes Dali, so I wanted to share. = )
Okay, that's the post for now. There's another one coming after this!
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