The final entry... possibly?

I'm home. It's Christmas Eve, actually 8 minutes until Christmas Day. I'm jetlagged, I guess... as much as I'd like to deny myself the unpleasant sensation...

"Santa" just came downstairs and plopped a few presents under the tree... Much more indiscreet than I had expected, and he (she) looks different than I thought... looks significantly like my mother in her pajamas... zombieing (yeah, that's right, I turned it into a verb.) around in a dazed, tired state.

She peeked around the corner to see my eyes quizzically staring over the computer screen at her.

"What did you expect?" she mused, "Santa?"

I laughed. Ah, the simple pleasures of innocence! I remember my sister and I used to sleep in the living room every Christmas Eve and leave cookies and milk by the fireplace... in order to attempt to 'catch' Santa in the act of gift giving; we failed miserably.

It doesn't feel like Christmas actually... not because of the lack of the man in the red hat with the frilly white fringe... more because yesterday I was in 104 degree weather in Australia and now I'm here, shivering in my purple fuzzy slippers looking at pictures and memories of this era that has just now come to a close.

I didn't cry as much as I thought I would; though I did cry at unexpected times. I was tearless the whole time I walked through the newly deserted halls of my living space. My eyes were dry when I walked around a city that had become my stomping ground and now was almost empty of close friends and comforting acquaintances. It wasn't until I began to pack up my stuff that it hit me. I rummaged through old paperwork and personal notes, tore down posters, found old ticket stubs to concerts and galas... etc... you know, each one had a specific memory connected to it. That's when the salty, wet sniffles came on.

I didn't cry when my plane took off... leaving Melbourne. I didn't cry when we landed in Sydney on my layover or when the flight left Australia entirely. I cried when I landed sixteen hours later in San Francisco. I don't quite know why...

Enough of the sad stuff, it didn't take me long to get over it. If there's one thing I've learned through all this, it's that everything is ephemeral; Everything has an endpoint, an expiry date, and that's just something we all have to accept. There will always be sad goodbyes, but goodbyes only bring on the new. And with that, you can create anything you want.



I have no idea how I am going to summarize my adventures since I left Melbourne to travel from Sydney to Brisbane and then onto New Zealand... I'll just do the best I can!

I flew into Sydney on the 11th of November, a day after I finished exams and had a wonderful going away party in Melbourne. I said goodbye to everyone... except Fleur. It was very sad to leave, but I couldn't deny my urge to travel and move. Plus, I knew that Melbourne would never be the same once everyone left; it was a little Utopian bubble for a semester, but I knew that once all of the exchange students were gone, it would never be the same.

I stayed with a friend from Santa Cruz, Ross, in Sydney. He took me into his house, fed me, showed me all of the northern beaches and essentially treated me like royalty. I am eternally grateful.

Fleur met me on the 14th of November and we proceeded to pick up our transportation/home for the next two weeks: a Wicked van who earned the name Suzie somewhere along the way... (For some reason unknown to me, Fleur and I proceeded to name every inanimate object that we acquired on the road trip... there was a bouncy ball named John, a soccer ball named Jacob and a backpack named Benjamin... and more, don't ask me why...)

Here's Oh Suzanna at her finest...


Yes, she was a beaut. After the long, slightly dangerous (due to my inexperience at driving on the LEFT side of the road...) unintentional detours we took through the city, we arrived at Fleur's cousin's house in Coogee, just outside of Sydney city. Luckily she had arranged for us to sleep there for the night and we would leave semi-bright and early in the morning.

Here we caught up with my friend Tyler Erwin from UCSC who just so coincidentally happened to be in Sydney at the same time. I invited him to join our road trip under the condition that he lay on the bed in the back the entire time and chip in a bit on gas-money and what not... He accepted! So, we had our three musketeers.

Tyler:




We left around 10 in the morning and drove to the Blue Mountains. It was a windy, steep road, but I was getting the hang of the left side driving deal. Tyler couldn't have enjoyed the bumpy ride, but he lay stretched out in the back, silently reading his book without one complaint. He is a lovely travel partner.

The blue mountains were beautiful... and they actually appeared to be blue, a fact that I was (stupidly) unaware of...



This is a photo of the famous "Three Sisters".

After the blue mountains we continued our journey north... We passed through Newcastle, Port Mcquarie, Coffs Harbour and a few others. We slept three in the back of the van... as much as it might sound like sardines, it was surprisingly comfortable! We cooked on our camping stove and loved every minute of the warm weather, good company and desirable locations... but there was still some place we had our minds on... someplace a liiiiittle bit further north... You might have heard of it? It's called... BYRON BAY.

It was as if Byron Bay had this magical propelling force... pulling Fleur and I in that general direction. We had only planned to stop by and spend a few nights there, but for a few good reasons, we felt the gravitational pull... we HAD to get to Byron, immediately. No other towns on the way really compared...

So, we decided to, or rather I decided I was up for long drive all the way there from Port Macquarie. I was the only one who could drive the beast, you see, because Fleur doesn't have her drivers license and Tyler was uninsured to drive, as well as illegally squatting on Suzie's territory.

So, we made the drive. Sure enough... we fell back in love with Byron Bay. The weather was impeccable, the surf was decent and everything was good... we found a nice spot to park the car on the side of the road and slept the night there, unbothered. We were so elated to have found the perfect spot to camp, just outside of town! It was that afternoon that we were warned about horrific rangers that drove around at four AM waking up van-dwellers...They seemed like mythical creatures to us because we had found the best camp spot; these horrible rule-enforcers surely hadn't yet discovered it...

Another day went by and we drove Suzie back to supposed "safe-zone". We dozed off...

BANG BANG BANG!!!!!!!!! We were awoken by an unnecessarily hard banging on the window of the van.

"WHY ARE YOU CAMPING HERE!!!!!!!???????" Said a monstrous manly voice.

I cracked one eye, still in dream land... I didn't answer... Was this part of a nightmare I was having?

"WHYYYYY ARE YOU CAMPING HEREEEEEE?!?!?!?!?!?" The voice seemed to grow louder and more foreful.

Nope this was reality...

"...uhhh...I don't know?" I replied dazed and confused.

"YOU HAVE THIRTY SECONDS TO MOVE!!!!" The voice boomed "BEFORE I GIVE YOU A 300 DOLLAR TICKET!!!"

At that, my broke ass scrambled up into the drivers street, eyes still slits... puffy... prematurely open.

I attempted to start the van... sometimes Suzie takes a little extra lovin' to get started in the morning... She's an old girl, you know... So... I failed, twice, to start her up. Third time's a charm! Her engine revved... and I began to drive around aimlessly, with no apparent destination, Fleur and Tyler still in the back, startled and hardly conscious. It was still dark outside. I looked down at the faint light of the digital clock: 4:00 AM.

So, that was that... our encounter with the devil rangers. After that, we discovered we could sleep at this carpark at The Pass; a glorious right hand point break. The only catch was, the rangers came around every morning around 8:00 AM, so we had to be up early... We woke up at 7:00 AM, just to be safe and avoid any such incidences as the one mentioned above...

The next day, we just so happened to run into our dutch friends whom we had met on our previous visit to Byron Bay; Ron and Bas. They were also traveling in a van. We were very excited to see them. In turn they introduced us to a few of our new best friends:

Stephan (a.k.a Frenchy... due to his European origin) He is a wonderful traveler, just getting to know the English language. He's an extremely talented photographer also... very inspiring



We also met two Swiss boys, Sebastian and Phillip. They were amazing... so lighthearted and so much fun! We had GREAT times with them in Byron and also in Surfers Paradise and Brisbane. They were surfer dudes who were living out of their car, just like us.


Sebastian on the left, Fleur in the middle, Phil on the right.

We had barbeques every night... we chilled all day and surfed and simply enjoyed ourselves. It was beautiful. I love the living-out-of-a-van lifestyle.



The boys perplexedly studying up on their "Anglais":



So, let the goodtimes roll... We ended up spending another entire week and a half in Byron, which left us less time to explore Surfers Paradise and Brisbane, but we didn't mind... Byron was beginning to feel like home for me... and I knew I would have to say goodbye to it sooner or later, but Fleur, she had plans to come back and be an aupair there.

We left Tyler in Byron, by his own will, of course. He had a bus to catch, back to Sydney to meet up with some other travelers and friends who he had met traveling through India... I knew I'd be seeing him soon in New Zealand... of course we were coincidentally flying into Auckland on the same day... figures. Ha!

After we were thoroughly unready to leave, we forced ourselves to move north to Surfers Paradise, a much more built up city by the sea. All the youngins were on school holidays, just graduated high school, and were running rampant throughout the town. This, mixed with the mile-high buildings, made for an interesting and different experience in comparison to Byron... BUT, luckily, a friend of mine who I went to high school with, Mariann, saved us. She invited us to stay with her in her beautiful apartment, which made it feel a bit more homey. Thanks a million to her for taking us in on such late notice... She is truly an angel. She showed us around the city a bit...and took us out that night.

It just so happened that our favorite Swiss were in town as well... So, we got a beer and caught up with Sebastian and Phil... Then, it came time for another sad goodbye, or so we thought?

On to Noosa, a last minute decision... but surely a good one. Noosa was the antithesis to Surfers Paradise, which seemed to be just what we needed at the time. Noosa is a quiet little surfer town which is known for its impeccable longboard waves... the cruisy longboard style sort of reflects the towns entire vibe...

Here, we had a vegetarian and make-shift Thanksgiving dinner... it was Fleur's first one!! We barbequed of course...

Then it was time to hit Brisbane... Here we were scheduled to meet up with one of my good friends whom I had met in Melbourne, Arnikka... She's such a character and my heart is filled with so much love for her. She's got short bleach blonde hair, a white shiny smile and you can always catch her wearing her real fur coat and chewing fragrant, red and sweet strawberry gum. She loves astrology and isn't afraid to tell you exactly how she feels about anything... I always thought that she would be the PERFECT person to play the lead role in any movie or book... Like I said, she's got character.

Arnikka:



Brisbane would have felt like any other hot, muggy city without the help of Arnikka and her wonderful family... They took Fleur and I in, cooked gourmet meals for us and carted us to all the spots the locals go. I got along fantastically with Arnikka's family... by the time three nights had passed, I already felt like part of the family...

Arnikka, Fleur and I:


Also, after those three nights passed, Fleur and I could anticipate a very sad time coming: the time for us to say goodbye, at least for a little while... We both tried to pretend it wasn't coming, but it sure came up too fast. The night before we parted ways, we exchanged travel books and wrote pages and pages to each other expressing how much we appreciated the friendship we had created. It made me realize how close I had truly become to this tall Dutch woman... She had become a best friend to me in such a short period of time... It also was time to leave Suzie... another end to a short-lived, but wonderful era.

Like I said, all good (and bad) things come to an end (DUH), regardless I'm not one to say goodbye without a sniffle... Of course, the goodbye to my other half (FLEUR) was tear-jerking... for the both of us. I dropped her off at the bus station so she could catch one back to Byron. We were both a complete mess... hugging and exchanging "I love yous", BUT I know I'll see her again soon... I have this image in my mind of her face, streamed with tears, as I drove away, crying to myself.

I dropped Suzie off at the depot.

It just so happened, like so many things have been just-so-happening to me lately, that the Swiss were in Brisbane the night before I left! Fleur had already gone, and I wanted to see my friends one more night! We grabbed a beer and reminisced about how quickly time flies... Then, oh yet ANOTHER goodbye...

And it sure does... The next morning I had to say adios to Arnikka and her family. Her mother drove me to the airport (much love to Shaz for taking such good care of us...)

It was time to embark on yet another journey... New Zealand!

That's a-whole-nother story... I'll write more when I feel more awake.

I am going to attempt to shake off my jetlag by closing my eyes and counting sheep (an animal that you can look forward to hearing HEAPS more about in the coming chapter... there are more sheep in NZ than people...)



Much love...
Goodnight and Merry Christmas!!

Too much!

Ah, I have too much to write! I'm now in New Zealand after a three week road trip through Australia with Fleur... and my good friend from UCSC, Tyler. I've been keeping track of my travels in my own books, but I'll give the extreme update once internet is free again.

In a nutshell, New Zealand is breathtakingly beautiful. I feel like I'm walking through a painting... The air is crisp and clean and the people all say hi when they walk by. I could get used to this.

I'll be writing more later...

It's spring in the city...

Spring has painted the leaves green on all the trees that line busy streets...
The sun is bright,
I'm promenading down the street,
heading home,
working to evade the masses of people in dark clothes...
(Who would have thought that black would be the 'in' colour in Melbourne even in spring...)
I've got a slight smile on my face as I stroll, content and alone,
the old, fallen and forgotten leaves of fall are crisp and dry,
they drag across the pavement with the breeze,
I can't help but make a detour to crush them with my shoe...
I chase them playfully as they flee from me.
Goodbye wintery Melbourne fall... hello plentiful spring,
cloudless sky,
an engine ignition,
a squeeky tram,
beats, bass, a car stereo,
hushed conversation,
dragging feet,
distant laughter,
deep breath,
open mind...

Ah, yes, the city is peaceful.

And it's all downhill from here...

I feel like time is a little red balloon traveling up and up and up and now... now it's losing momentum...

After Byron Bay, everything hit its peak. Time is no longer counting up, it's counting down. How long have I been here... almost FOUR MONTHS! My oh my, how time does fly. Two months left for me... Two weeks of school, six weeks of travel. The past few weeks have been packed with study for me... Melbourne is losing it's sparkle... The travel bug has entered my system yet again...

I don't quite know what to write about... Not too much new here. What's been making me happy lately? My friends! I feel so lucky and blessed with good people in my life... I'll give you a quick rundown of a few of the people who have touched my soul... Without them, I don't know what I would do...

(Make no assumptions... This is not based on order of favoritism!)

Fleur (Fleurtje, Hubby):

Fleur is from Holland... Amsterdam to be specific. She's at least six feet tall and makes me feel like a midget. When we hug, I fit perrrfectly under her chin. It's like it was meant to be!!! She's got long legs and a wonderful smile. There's something very special about her... Maybe it's her tendency to find the positives in everyone and everything... Maybe it's her spontaneity... or maybe it's just her downright amazingness. She's so wonderful that I have to make up words like "amazingness" to describe her... SHES INDESCRIBABLE! She's my hubby and my true, true friend. Whenever I get blinded by petty worries, she always sets me on the right track. For someone her age, she surely has a lot of wisdom to share. I know she gets embarrassed when I flatter her, but I have to be honest she is one beautiful person inside and out... I look forward to our road trip up the east coast of OZ!!! I can't wait to see where our impulsive tendencies and adventurous ways will lead us next!!!

Camille (Old Greg, Mizzy, Mizzle):


Camille hails from the city of Los Angeles. Originally she is from Arizona, but she attends Occidental College in Southern California. Scholarly, EH? Camille is one of a kind... Ah, she brings me so much happiness! Another person who I surely could not live without here in OZ... From her exquisite cooking skills and propensity to unintentionally make very strange noises when I least expect, she is full of life and always keeps me on my toes. There is never a dull moment when I'm with Camille; she's like a sister to me. It baffles me that I have only know her for four months and I already feel like we know everything about each other. Like Fleur, Camille is extremely positive and always finds the good in each moment. We've had some of the greatest times and I am going to miss her with a firey passion... BUT, since we live in the same state, you can be entirely sure we will be seeing each other frequently... Which will be necessary, because I know when I don't see her for a couple days, I usually get withdrawls.

Dan (Dan-Man, you need a nickname):

Daniel Rosales! D-man is American... He goes to the same school as Camille in LA. He is originally from New Mexico. Well, in all honesty, sometimes I worry that Dan and I might rip each others heads off... We have about as close as you can get to a love-hate relationship as you can get. Naw, that's not true, there's no hate involved! Dan is one of my best friends here... He's one of those people who you can always count on. Now that I think of it... He's never, ever let me down since the day I met him! There was a moment in Byron Bay when I saw how much he cared about me: I had just gotten hit in the ear with my surfboard (YES, it happened again...) and was bleeding... I was walking up the beach, laughing at myself because of my bad surfing luck... When Daniel saw my injury he reacted like a father, sort of... We had been arguing a bit that day, but as soon as he saw I was in need of help, he was right there to do everything he could. He reached into his pack and pulled out his medical kit and treated me with antibiotic ointment, gauze and some love. This is sort of a metaphor for how Daniel looks after his friends... Daniel is an amazing person and I am reminded of it constantly... The little things he does almost daily really add up and remind me of how wonderful our friendship really is... like an arm around the shoulder, home-cooked tacos, a call just to say hello, or even the nickname I have earned; "skankatropolis" (meant to be sarcastic...yes). This is a friendship that will last forever, no matter what we do or disagree on... D.R. is a legend!!

Bianca (Roomie, Room):

Roomie is from Australia, a small town about two hours south of Melbourne. She's a rocking, tan, surfer babe... Bianca is a little ball of energy. I feel like her huge, beautiful, blue eyes are constantly taking in everything around her... feeding her mind with new information about the world and herself. Sometimes I forget how young my roommate is... She's got such a mature demeanor! She's been all over the world and experienced things that most people have not. She's got so much knowledge, but is also always learning and sharing her new insight. If there is anyone I can talk to, it's her. We've spent countless nights talking until the earliest hours of the morning, sharing our ideals and opinions. I couldn't have been blessed with a better roommate! We get along perfectly and together make the best of life!! She keeps me energized and excited and I love her to death...

Caitlin (C-money, Chippy):

Yes, that's her on the left with the glasses on...
I met Caitlin surfing in Byron Bay. She's a Canadian woman... From Vancouver actually. She's been away from home for the past two years, traveling around the UK and Australia. I overheard her talking about Melbourne while surfing at the wreck and I immediately jumped into the conversation, telling her she should come to Melbourne and visit me... It was an instant connection. I was heading in and I told her "Come find me on the beach, I'll be in a yellow bikini!" About an hour later, she found me... we swapped numbers and pretty much spent every day together in Byron Bay until she left. A couple weeks later, I got a call from her telling me she was coming to Melbourne... I told her I would put her up for a few days until she could find a job and get back on her feet. She's been sleeping on my floor ever since! It's been a week and we've spent almost every waking minute together... AND we haven't even gotten sick of each other. I don't think I could get sick of her...She is so lovely! She has big green eyes and has a wonderful outlook on life. She has a wild tendency to break out in song or start whistling... Sometimes she doesn't even notice she's doing it. This girl is so chipper and happy all the time, its impossible for it to not rub off on you!!! Ah, the wonders of traveling... You meet some of the best people.

To be continued... I'm going to go eat some pizza... LOVE YOU ALL!

Oh, Byron Bay...

Brace yourselves... This is going to be a long one...

Wednesday the 16 of September 2009.

Pitch black. We arrived at the Arts Factory Hostel at 1 AM after a long, quasi-stressful and expensive cab ride.

For some odd reason, Fleur Juliette, Dan-man and I had assumed that shuttles run 24 hours from the Gold Coast Airport to Byron Bay... FALSE. Stranded. We stumbled along, ungracefully lugging our overweight boardbags toward the deserted bus stop. It didn't take long for us to understand the mistake we had made... After speaking and reasoning with a concierge who was far too bubbly for the hour it was, we assessed our options:

A. Spend the night in a hostel and catch a bus in the morning: 190 dollars.
B. Catch a maxi-taxi now: 180 dollars (A deal that was sworn by the driver of the taxi to be the cheapest in town)
C. Walk to the public bus station, take the bus to New South Wales and take a cab from there: 180 dollars.

We went with option B! If we split it three ways it would be sixty each. Everyone was tired and beginning to get the hunger-grumps anyway...

We arrived. Pitch black. We stumbled around looking for an open area to pitch our tent... Finally we found a suitable spot.


This is me hammering in the tent pegs with a frying pan... Can you sense the state of crazed delirium that I was in?

In a restless flurry, we ignorantly left our bags strewn around the campsite.

Fleur and I climbed into our tiny tent. NOTE: This tent requires serious, hardcore snuggling in order to fit two. Fleur, who happens to be six foot something had to bring her knees to her chest into fetal position to fit while I could (sort of) stretch my extremities to (almost) their fullest extent. Ah, the benefits of being a shorty. Yup, spooning came into effect every night. I was the little spoon... A few days into our trip we earned the nicknames of "Hubby" (Fleur) and "Wifey" (Me) due to our snuggly sleeping arrangement.

Here's a photo of our camp.



I quickly drifted into dreamtime... only to be awoken by a loud, foreign and repetitive sound. It was coming from just outside the tent right by my head!

"FLEUR!" I shook sleeping Hubby, "FLEEURRRRR!!!!"

She turned over in a daze, cracked one eye, and made a face that implied that I was crazy for being up this early.

"Do you hear that?!" I asked, whispering.

The sound erupted again! It sounded as if somebody was shaking a plastic bag full of metal spoons.

She opened both of her eyes, wide. Our eyes locked and I could tell the same sort of thoughts were rushing through our minds... Was it human? An animal? If so, how big? Was it dangerous? Did it want our food? Or more importantly our lives!?!?!? No, just kidding about that one haha.

"Should I go look outside?" Fleur asked.

Right when we decided we should scope out the scene...

"AH, FUCKING BUSH TURKEY!!!" An unknown male voice hollered in a European accent. Apparently the noise had awoken him too.

Still inside of the tent, I called out:

"What is it?!"

"Ah, just a bush turkey, got ahold of your bag."

This was our first introduction and encounter with firstly the infamous bush turkeys that would irritate us repeatedly over the next two weeks and secondly Jonas Bunge, soon to be known as "GERMANY", our exuberant German tent neighbor.

Once we decided to actually wake up, we unzipped our tent to daylight. Before us lay a beautiful, lush green forest. Suddenly, a strange feathered animal scampered by. That's when I was visually introduced to the vicious creature that had stirred me from my slumber! The bush turkey:





Cheeky little buggers... They had gotten into Fleur's toilet bag. Over the two weeks we were there, I witnessed them stealing all sorts of things... from ramen noodles to underwear to toothpaste. They're equivalent to Raccoons...

Walking around the campsite in the daytime, it didn't take long for me to realize that I was going to love Byron Bay. The weather was perfect: not too hot and not too cold. The people, especially at the Arts Factory, were vibrant, full of life and wonderful. The vibe was ON. This was my kind of place... I felt like I had been living under a rock in sub-zero degree Melbourne. Okay, the temperature is a bit of an exaggeration, I know... but, it's still pretty damn cold.



Guitar Players in the mists... Arts Factory


When people ask me what I did in Byron Bay, I don't have many of the "standard" and "exciting" stories that people 'ooooh' and 'aaaah' over. No, I did not go skydiving, nope, no bungee jumping. Naw, I didn't even feed a kangaroo! So, what DID I do... one might ask. Well, one might also say that I truly did a whole lot of NOTHING. AND IT WAS GLORIOUS!! I camped, read, surfed, chilled, napped, ate, chatted, napped, surfed, read, ate and it was so amazing. I was in great company all the time. I had my hubby, my DanMan and my Mizzy (Camille), who joined us a week into the trip. I also met some of the most beautiful, amazing people:

Marcus, a.k.a. "Cous Cous"...Our quirky little German neighbor who instantly became one of our best friends.

(Cous Cous and his first timtam)

Jonas, a.k.a. "Germany"...Also German. A legend. Only a true legendary figure could earn the name of his entire country.


Florian, a.k.a. "Flow"...An extremely easy going and positive Swiss dude. Really felt the bond with this one.



Ron and Bas...Two chiller Dutch boys who were touring Australia in a camper van.

(Above: Bas, Ron, Flow)

Caitlin...A lovely lady from Vancouver who I met surfing at the Wreck.

(Dante, Caitlin, Myself and Germany)

Lionel...From Belgium and has one of the most contagious laughs you will ever hear. Bought a van to travel around Australia... We nicknamed the van "Fatass Christine".


Dante...A cute skater boy from Sweden who worked at a hostel down the road from ours.


Aaron...Awesome guy from Philadelphia... Loved his dreads. Just dripping with good vibes.


The three Frenchmen: Ben, Thomas, and Olivier.


(There they are...The three frenchies fishing...Olivier, Ben, and Thomas' back)

(Ben with his huge fish that he caught)

(Olivier and Ben being french)


HUMAN PYRAMID!


JUMP!


SHAKA GNAR GNAR.


This is Filip Manfredsson.

Will somebody give him a medal PLEASE? A medal for being spontaneous, positive and always fun... Filip also studies in Melbourne and joined us about halfway through our trip. He was a key component that added to the sheer bliss of the trip.

I realize now... I can't really put into words exactly how wonderful Byron Bay actually was. Also, looking back in retrospect, I ask myself... was it actually that great? I feel like sometimes people are culturally expected when asked about their (usually) short vacation time to answer with words like "amazing" "so good" "perfect". Not many people return from a trip with words like "fine" "boring" or "okay"... But in all honesty, life under any circumstances will be full of ups, downs, arounds and upsidedowns... Who am I to define WONDERFUL? But if Byron Bay wasn't wonderful, then I don't know what really is... It had its many ups and of course its few inevitable downs.... Maybe it WAS the short time we spent there that made it so good... I mean the human psyche is bound to yearn for more after a given period of time... Regardless, I sure as hell wasn't ready to leave!

I realized, I thrive on spontaneous moments... somebody please run by in a banana suit or kiss me when I'm not ready for it!! What is life without these sorts of moments? I want to skinny dip at four AM, play mudfootball, strike up a random conversation, explore the unexplored, surf under the full moon, make love on a mountaintop, dance til my legs break and OH the possibilities!! Boredom isn't a word in my vocabulary. (I fully just contradicted myself, but you get the point) Boredom. (I said it again, just for kicks)

I saw the sun rise from the most easterly point in Australia! It was beautiful.

Life is too good to me right now. Here's a confession... It's so good, that I am a little scared for the future. It can't always be this plentiful! I am so grateful... Grateful to be in good health, grateful to have a family who is SO generous and loving... I hope one day that I can be as good of a parent as my mom and dad. I love them so much... truly blessed. I am grateful for my glorious friends, old and new. I am grateful for the present. I am grateful for past moments that have hurt me and caused pain... I have learned so much from them. I am grateful for you taking the time to read my words! My heart feels like it will explode of gratefulness!

Life is good now. Life was good then... Life will be good in the future... It's all just different shades of good. Each moment brings meaning to the next.

I guess I'm just feelin' the love right now... It comes and goes. Nobody is high forever. I do feel we must capitalize on moments of inspiration such as these... I'm a bit delirious, but it feels good.

"GOOD" -- the word of the blog. Get to know it... Like it... love it...

P.S. Anybody who has made it this far into this blog without skipping is truly dedicated... Sending the love!

Ah, alas, there is so much more to say I reckon...

We lived on a strict budget in BB... Included oatmeal (which we calculated to be eight cents a serving), peanut butter, bread, soup, fruit... Oh, and there was 2 DOLLAR PASTA NIGHT every Tuesday... You got a pretty good sized bowl of pasta and a free drink for two dollars... Can't go wrong!

Got to know my surfboard a lot better... Nicknamed her Luna :) She's a beaut. Here we are together... Out in the water waiting for a wave at "The Wreck"... My favorite surf spot of the trip. It breaks right onto an old shipwreck... How cool/eerie is that?

Wrap it up now girl........

"Love the life you live, life the life you love"

...A quote stolen from the inner wall of the toilet stall in a public bathroom in Byron Bay. It was located right next to another equally philosophical poem: "Cats have nine lives, humans have one, screw my boyfriend and you'll have none" Both of which have remained in my mind... for different reasons...

Byron Bay was a completely unforgettable experience. It had its goods, its interestings, its outrageously funs, its insightfuls, its confusings, its crazies... It reminded me of who I am in my preferred setting.

This is not to say that I have become someone else at any point in my travels in Australia... I've reinstated and put into play a previously sought out theory: BE HERE NOW (Thank you Mason Jennings... couldn't have said it better myself). There isn't enough time to be complaining about the present scenario, dwelling in the past or waiting on the future. Now, I'm no philosopher, but what I've learned is to make the best of NOW.

I'm back in Melbourne now...
I've applied these ideas to my life recently because I'm here, living in this vibrant city. I'm no city girl...(SMALL TOWN SANTA CRUZ HOLLA BACK!) I feel like a fish out of water at times here, but that doesn't mean I'm not having fun and making the best of it! I wear my peacoats, my boots because WHAT THE HELL, when in Rome, right?! I can't deny my connection with the life I was living in Byron Bay: camping, surfing and meeting all sorts of penniless travelers, but I'm here now and I'm appreciating the positives!


Little old me....

Well, not much else to say. Thanks for listening... Stay tuned... Til next blog, this is your homegirl Mir signing off...

LOVE to the tenth degree!!!!!!!!!

Bikes, boats, bartending and BYRON BAY!

BIKES:
I got a call from my friend Tom:

"Hey Miranda, would you like a bike?" He asked.

"Hmmmm, I don't know, I'm rather broke. How much you selling it for?"

"I'm not selling it, I am giving it to you. I don't have room for it anymore!" Tom said.


So... I gots a bike!


My new bike!


Can't say it's much of a 6 speed racing bike, but it is amazing: rusty, vintage and was surely loved in its prime. I love it now... I get to go on all sorts of outdoor adventures around the city. ALSO, the SUN is starting to shine and the weather is shaping up! Perfect time of year for a bike ride to the beach.



Here's Tom on his bike in the park.

As for BOATS:
I went on a cruise of the Yarra River! It was a MUSEX (Melbourne Uni Student EXchange) function. All of the exchange students were invited to participate in this "Booze Cruise" as they called it.



The theme: Dreams and Nightmares. Was having a bit of trouble with that one... Until my friend Damo informed me that he was being a rockstar. He then suggested that Camille and I be his groupies... How that relates to a dream or a nightmare, I'm not sure... I guess its like this: Groupies are a rockstar's NIGHTMARE and it's the groupies' DREAM to meet the band. So, it worked out.




The cruise was great fun. We slowly glided down the Yarra River, the city lights reflecting, vibrant and lively, on the black water. Of course, nobody was paying attention to the beautiful vistas and cityscapes. Everybody was too busy swarming the open bar and grooving on the D-floor!



BARTENDING:
Lets just say my current restaurant job is, hmmm, not the best. The pay is mediocre and the boss is a bit of a, for lack of a better word, jerk face. The other night, I buttered bread for THREE HOURS. Can you imagine doing that?

It went like this:

Grab bread from pile, smear butter, put bread in the box, bread, smear butter, in box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box, bread, butter, box...

Slave labor.

I was in the backroom with a girl from Iran, Mika, and a girl from Columbia, Sandra, for hours. As I snatched bread from the pile, Sandra continued to cut bread. I kept grabbing and grabbing, but the pile never dwindled. We were like a human machine: a procession or progression line or whatever it's called.

During the manual labor, I bonded with the foreign girls. We talked about cultural differences, the war, marriage and its ups and downs, life etc... We also bonded over the bread torture. Sandra told me that one girl got stuck on SOLO bread duty for SIX HOURS. Mika told me that she once did it for the entire day. Once 1:30 AM rolled around, and there was STILL bread to butter, it hit me...

I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE! I can't butter bread all day... I can't. There has to be another job out there. That's when the new search began...

BARTENDING:
It happened quick. Quicker than expected... It was like a sign from god (if there is a god?). I was walking home from work at 2:00 AM with a pizza box under my arm, when I saw her. Kelsey, a wonderful British blondie who just radiates; I get good vibes from her every time she is around. She was crossing the ROD (round about of death).

SIDENOTE: The ROD is a scary roundabout that I have to cross every day: there is no structure to the ROD, no crosswalks (Australian's call crosswalks ZEBRA crossing he he) no organization. It's a free-for-all. You have to cross at the EXACT right time to avoid being hit by oncoming cars and trams. You don't just cross one road either... You have to cross THREE to get past the ROD. It's like that video game, Frogger... I don't know if anyone has ever heard of it, but it's where you are a tiny frog trying to cross a busy highway without getting hit by a car, except for this is real life and I am the frog... Sorry for that rant. Anyway, back to business......

So, I saw Kelsey. I asked her what she was up to. She told me that she had just gotten of work. I asked her where she was working and she said Turf.

"Are you hiring????" I asked eagerly.

"Actually, YES, we need a new bartender!"

And it was like 1, 2, 3 after that! I turned in my resume the next day and I spoke with the manager and he told me I could start Monday, which is today! So, yes, bartending. As of tonight, I will officially be a bartender.

It's extremely convenient because the Turf Club Hotel is literally directly next to where I live. I'm so excited to start! Here is the link to the website if you would like to check it out:

http://www.turfclub.net.au/


Lastly, BYRON BAY:

I leave for Byron Bay on WEDNESDAY! I absolutely cannot wait. Ready for sun, surf and the beach...

That's all for today!!

Lots of love,
Mir

The Dream

No, for all you adolescents out there, I am not talking about the pop (or rap or hip-hop or R n B) sensation...

I'm talking about this crazy dream that I had the other night. I'm going to tell you about it, but for the sake of, well, a lot of things, I am going to keep the people in it anonymous as well as leave out a few parts... hehe

SO basically you are getting the edited version.

The dream:

I came home to Santa Cruz for one week, but once that week was up, I would return to Australia. I was lying in bed with a boy. We stayed in bed all day just talking and laughing and enjoying each others' company.

I teleported (you know how dreams work, you can't really explain how you got there, but you just did) to an indoor arena in which a woman in a pants suit was giving the exchange students a lecture about life and how we should all be living it. I began to feel very stressed out and pressured.

The same boy came and picked me up in his arms. I told him that he looked strong and he jokingly told me to shut up. He carried me far far away from that stressful situation to a beautiful amber-colored field. The whole way he carried me, I cried because I knew that I would have to leave soon. As we sat in the field, I told him how upset I was that I was leaving. He told me to live for the moment, appreciating each one for what it is.



Then I woke up...

That's the end. Not sure exactly what it indicates, but I know I can take a lot of meaning from it. It was a powerful one.

The low down

First and foremost:
HI GRANNY AND GRANDPA! Hello to the rest of the family too: Jules, Adie, Ricky, Louisa, Papa! So nice to have skype dinner session with you guys... Love you all.

I'll start with the topic of the day: Procrastination. Story of my life these days...

Concentration (on school) is hopeless when you have so many other “important” tasks to conquer: swimming, cooking, skyping, gazing blankly into space… You know how it goes. Last night, I was determined to finish my paper. I even left movie night early! I was sitting in front of the computer starting perplexedly at the screen full of tiny words that I had already plonked into the Microsoft Word template… body paragraph… conclusion… site…your…sources…

AH! Need distraction! At that exact moment, my roommate, Bianca (who will now be referred to as Roomie, because that is how she is known to me) entered the room. Another young man trailed her. What impeccable timing… saving me from being fully engulfed by my tedious, mind-numbing, monotonous, and unexciting work.

I quickly learned that Damien (nickname: Sewelly (you should understand by now that everyone in Australia has a nick name…along with every location, noun, verb, etc…)) was an Australian boy from Brisbane, who Roomie had met travelling around Ecuador last year. He was down in Melbourne for some work and was staying in a very posh hotel just down the road from here called “The Raddison”.

Post tea, cookies, chocolate and chats, I decided it was time for me to get back to my essay (I know, family, you are proud of me for my studious ways...). So I closed the wall (we have a retracting wall in our room; it is divided into two sides and if you want privacy, you can close your wall) and began to look at the screen once again...

"Roomie, you want to come to the Radisson and get room service and take a spa with us?" Roomie said to me... (We call each other roomie)

She then informed me that we could put the room service on Sewelly's company card. Sewelly said we could spend the night because he had a HUGE bed and he would drive us back in the morning. Now, tell me... What do you think I did? What would YOU have done?

We arrived at the Raddison around 12:30 AM. The concierge looked a little puzzled at our unbalanced ratio: Two girls and one guy.

"Is the spa open?" Sewelly asked the man at the front desk who then proceeded to shoot a dirty look at Roomie and I, then back to Sewelly.

"It closes at 11," He stated, glanced back at us, "my apologies."

So hysterical!

We headed up to the room feeling like rebellious royalty. We opened the door to find, yes, a massive bed about three times the size of the ones that we were used to sleeping in at RMIT village. Roomie and I jumped onto the bed and sprawled out, fully appreciating its dimensions. After pillow fights, tea and more chatting, it was time for room service.


Here's Roomie and Sewelly deciding between the Filet Mignon and the Escargot.


No, I'm just kidding! But we did get a bottle of 30 dollar champagne and a plate of dips with pita bread... mmm, LUXURY! haha

Here's Roomie and I with the goods:






We popped the cork (CELEBRATION!) and started our feast. We compared travel stories, our dream lives, and ideal partners. Good, sophisticated fun. Once two o'clock rolled around, we all decided it was time to go to bed.







"SHOTGUN MIDDLE!" Sneaky Sewelly... haha, probably the best call though. The middle would have been the ideal spot for any guy, I'm sure. We all piled into the bed: Myself on the left, Sewelly in the middle and Roomie on the right. For three in a bed, it was ridiculously comfortable.


That's the end... Oh, and by the way, I got up earlyish this morning to study, so don't you worry, family, I will finish my essay. Now, I should really be getting back to it... This blog writing has really proved to support my procrastination. Back to the drawing board!

X's and O's
-Mir