the best week yet

Might just be the happiest person in Byron at this very moment.

let's get into why......

I have been sitting in Byron since my last post feeling quite anxious, despite the chilled out vibe that defines this town, to get up and do something. II hit the 2-month mark on Wednesday and I haven't lifted a finger in that time. which isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing, I needed and deserved it, but there's not a whole lot to do in Byron so I was just feeling the urge to make something happen. so on Wednesday, I put the wheel in motion... worked on my resume all day, re-formatting it to fit the type of jobs I'd be looking for here. went for a run that night, first time in 3 weeks (:)) and hit the hay early.

got up at 6:45am the next day to put my name on the campsite waiting list ($13/night rather than $26 to say in a dorm). first day of trying to get a camp site, and I landed a site and a job working at the hostel cleaning the kitchen (working for accommodation - free camping) at the same time. score. good day. felt that it was a bit of good karma being sent my way, as I had been so positive and motivated about it.

celebrated with an 8am yoga class then off to town to finish off the resume, print a bunch and hit the pavement handing them out. started with the places I'd like to work - funky cafes & restaurant/bar combos - and a few others like kebab shops and clothing stores. got good feedback from some and not such a good feeling from others. I definitely had to get my RSA before following up with a few places (RSA is our Serving It Right course). the last place I dropped one at I didn't even know existed, but I had one left and it looked cool. girl said they weren't hiring, but 2 hrs later I got a call from the manager to do a trial on Saturday.

which brings us to today. I've just come from there. my 3-hr trial turned into a 1 1/4 hr trial, at which point he gave me the job.

which brings us back to why I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!

tomorrow I do my 7-hr RSA course, and Monday I go for my first real shift at the restaurant!

it's called "one one one", fairly small-ish (only 17 tables - some inside, some outside), brekkie & coffee & lunch 7 days a week (so I would be off by 4/4:30 most days), dinner Fri/Sat/Sun nights.

I have xmas eve & xmas off so I can still head north to the Sunshine Coast for 2 days to spend xmas with Kate Duffy and her family.

on another, also very exciting note, last night I went to a Tarot card reading class. I'd been wandering to the beach last week and saw a sign for it - $25 for 3 hrs on a Friday night, 6 weeks in a row or you can just do 1 or 2 classes if you want. didn't have any specific expectations of the class, except to learn more about Tarot & the philosophy surrounding it, learn a bit about how to read the cards, if it came to that, and just have fun. it was AWESOME. 3 middle-aged german ladies who live in Byron (all friends), 1 older gentleman who came to Byron for 2-wk vaca and has been here 2 months deciding whether to move here, the wonderful lady teaching the course and her partner who has been reading Tarot for 15 yrs and has a background in psychology, and, Me.

when I did my first reading, for the older gentlemen, I thought he was being kind when he said it totally applied to his situation. but he was being sincere. what was crazy about it was that it was exactly my situation as well (the card was "Aloneness" and the explanation behind it was the difference btwn Aloneness and Lonlieness). The last card I had read for me, by one of the German ladies, I had asked the question - "When I get settled, should I start a business around food". The card I pulled was "Success". The illustration was 6 of the major planets/astrological symbols forming a circle. The symbol underneath the big circle was Taurus. The fact that the 6 major planets aligned meant that I would have all of those supporting me. she explained that Taurus sort of stands for the senses, like a sensory experience, which is exactly what food is to me. she was 110% sure that I should do it. she just said it with so much confidence, like there was no question about it, and I would be silly not to, because it won't fail.

There was more to the course than what the cards said, but it's hard to explain, so let's just say I am even more fascinated with Tarot than I was after I had my first reading back in May, and I do think it's going to play a role in my future. at the moment I feel like landing the job in a type of restaurant that I really like the vibe of, is the first (of many) step(s) in getting to where I want to be in the future. I also don't think that it's coincidence that when I got home after the course last night and checked my email, I had an email from The Arts Institute of Vancouver. I'd requested information from them about culinary courses last September (when I got the gut feeling sitting by myself on my day off on my birthday watching Anthony Sedlak's program on the Food Network), and had been receiving emails from them like mad following that, for about 9 months until I unsubscribed. I haven't received an email from them in months, and there it was last night.

so anyway, that's enough about me. I always feel like I'm blabbing on on this thing! I'll now be in Byron until at least the end of January, and after that, will meet up with Jamie and Corey as well as hopefully Rob and Sheena, and travel more of the East Coast in a campervan! who knows what March will bring, but I can't wait to find out.

must go celebrate now! I have a mini-bottle of champagne in the fridge at the hostel...which I suppose I will now start calling home...waiting for me. it's Pink, which my fabulous friend Jen introduced me to on my 24th birthday which also happened to be around the time I was celebrating my new apartment in downtown Van. it's Friday night at home, so have a drink for me tonight kay? as the aussies say to everything......CHEERS!

byron bay, eh

I'm in Byron! the promiseland! well, I dont know what they call it, but that could be one of its names. not much to report yet, let's just say I'm getting into the groove of it... smoked from a bong last night in a tent (sorry mom & dad, don't show this part to grandpa), did a hatha yoga class in the "little teepee" this morning, followed by a mini nap in a hammock by the pond in the sun, and now I'm off to the beach..........how's the weather there?

:)

ooh, I'm evil. sorry.

more soon,
xoxo

bondi / kiama / brisbane

I'm in Brisbane!

since I left off the last post, I've spent 3 days in Bondi Beach, 4 days in Kiama, 2 days back in Sydney, and 5 days in Brisbane. I have another 5 to go in Brisbane. I flew here from Sydney to meet up with Steve & Jory, who I did the Melb-to-Syd road trip with about a month ago. It's nice to be with friends again. that's the one thing that I've been finding a little difficult -- when you move around hostels too often, you don't get the chance to develop any solid relationships. funny enough, myself and these boys only spent 2 days/2nights together, but they're the closest friends I've made the whole trip. so anyway we're hangin' at a great hostel they've found just outside the city. Then on Saturday (Nov 29th), I head back down south a bit, to Byron Bay. quite excited about this.

so just for a little update & highlights...

BONDI is beautiful, and apparently quite a party spot, but instead I chose to chill on the beach for 3 days straight, went for runs each night before dinner along the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee (well, only made it to Bronte, half way :)), and basically spent the 3 days in solitude. it was nice.

early last Thursday morning I jumped a bus down 2 hrs south of Sydney, to a town called KIAMA, where I met up with Dan whose hometown it is, and we had a great 4 days hanging out. he had 4 days off from his fireman & lifeguard duties, we stayed at his house, weather wasnt great for about half the time I was there but we still got some good activities in. he's got some cool friends, and it really is a beautiful spot along the coast - actually reminded me of Ireland, with rolling green hills, so it's quite a unique combination with the ocean being right there. anyway we drove to a canyon/waterfall up in the mountains one day, if you saw the pics on facebook you'll know what I'm saying when I say it was COOL! we saw the waterfall from one side, where the look out is, which is the extent of most people's visit to it, but Dan is quite the adventurer so he drove us to the other side of it where we hopped in the pool at the top of the fall (took me about 15 mins to be convinced it was safe). just look @ the pics, it explains it all.

Other highlights from KIAMA were:
-having my 1st kebab (YUM!)
-playing with Dan's crazy weiner/crossed-with-something-else dog, Dudley
-being in a warm, welcoming, CLEAN home!
-being thrown into a game of touch rugby with Dan's team - you'd think I'd remember the rules from grade 8! NOT. embarrasing, let's just say that.
-going to visit an old friend of Dan's who just had a baby 4 days earlier, and being in the company of 5 (FIVE!) generations of women, from the newborn to the 90-some odd great great grandmother of the newborn
-witnessing home-made, hand-made Australian beer bong research, parts purchasing and construction for Dan's impending 10-man 'mancation' on a houseboat
-hangin' in the firehall ;) they made me coffee. jealous? lol

I then returned to SYDNEY for 2 days, really a transitioning point, the only highlight being a meat pie with mash, pies & gravy from "Harry's Cafe de Wheels", a Sydney institution from like 1950 or something!

nothing huge to report from BRISBANE so far, other than:
-seeing the new Bond movie as the only girl out with 6 boys :)
-being able to cook good dinners! I've somehow become mother hen
-having met this amazing 70-some odd year old couple (well, brother & sister) on the flight to Bris.
Iris is a spunky 70-ish yr old with a spice for life, and a wholehearted belief in "what's meant to be will be" and that I can do anything that I want to do, change careers, even if it doesn't work out, so be it, try something else, and that your life is pre-determined for you. she wore a gold bracelet with the inscription "Love Tom". being curious I asked about it - her husband, who passed away several years ago, was named Tom. she also has one grandson she was talking about for a while, named Shane. she was a lovely lady and I could have chatted with her for quite some time. I have her contact details and an invitation to stay with her in Wollongong (1 hr from Syd). she was a nice little reminder for me of why I'm here anyway. some might say we were meant to sit together on that plane.

till next time....

CHER, bitches

after I finished my last post I told myself I would go to bed early, avoid the convincing hostel crew at going-out time, and nurse my cold. instead I went out -- I HAD to participate in karaokee night, obviously. sure did do my best Cher impression.

"If I Could Turn Back Time, if I could find a way....I'd take back those words that have hurt you...and you'd say...if I could reach the stars, Id give 'em all to you....." Anyway - you know the song. Yeah ya do. It's one of my faves, as you might know. And I was rewarded for my skills, yes I was. A 2-for-1 Learn To Surf weekend lesson. It's worth $219, so I've got to find someone who does it, and split it 60/40 or something. Regardless, I'll definitely be learning to surf soon.

So that was the highlight of the week.

Highlight #2 would be Wed Nov 5th (or Tues Nov 4th in your case), watching the US election unfold on CNN. A day well-spent.

Highlight #3 - depending on how you look at it - I have mixed feelings - would be waking up after a rough night @ 10am, heading to brush my teeth, being sidetracked by a room full of trouble drinking beer, and joining in. Possibly the worst decision of my trip. The day was good - 14 hrs - a new record - however the next day was not. Unfortunately I had to check out the next day which isnt so easy to do (surprisingly?) when youre still drunk.

I managed amongst all the debauchery to get to the MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art. Felt like an accomplishment. As I was walking home, coffee in hand, ipod in ears, happy as a clam, I looked up as I was walking towards the opera house and there was a bride in a huge dress walking down the steps of the OH, hand in hand with her new husband, photographer trailing behind. It was a beautiful sight. Her cream dress matched the color of the OH perfectly. I teared a little, not gonna lie. ok Ill stop now. then I saw another wedding 10 mins later walking thru the boctanical gardens. kinda weird.

It's Monday today...Sunday I checked out of Original Backpackers Hostel in Kings Cross and moved to Indy's Surfside hostel in Bondi Beach (which is amazingly beautiful, did I mention that in my last post?). The hostel, however, is not. Definite drainage and heating problems in the bathroom, dirty kitchen, and 10 people (5 bunks) crammed into a room the size of my childhood bedroom @ home. It's atroshious (sp?). I hardly slept, as the planks under my top bunk slide around and the matress falls through. Preferred the ground on the camping trip.

I'd like to leave my post on a positive note...but I got nothin', except new pics are up on facebook!

It's a month on Wednesday. Starting to miss home a bit...

missing Melbourne but enjoying Sydney so far

helloooooo! I am finally posting.

So, I spent almost exactly 2 weeks in Melbourne. I feel that I cut that portion of my trip a bit short, but there was a neat opportunity to travel up the coast to Sydney on a certain date, so I took it. How you ask? Um, with some random Aussie guy who has an SUV and does camping trips along the coast, taking 3 passengers with him. the other 2 were 2 CDN boys, just out of high school, hilarious, very entertaining road trip partners. we camped 2 nights on the coast on the way up to Sydney, adam (aussie guy) has the back (trunk?) and the roof all set up for camping, we had great dinners and brekkies both days, campfires, steve playing the guitar + singalongs, boxes of goon (cheap wine), and fairly comfortable sleeps in tents. saw some great south-east Oz coastline and a good story to tell.

Melbourne was great. (um, side note, I just changed the keyboard language to Korean, considered writing the post in that but quickly though better of it). anyway, tons of fun in Melbourne. St Kilda is a great area, its basically the only beach area of Melbourne, with a good backpacker vibe so I met some great people there and enjoyed the hostel there where I stayed about a week. I met a CDN girl, from New West nonetheless, on my first night at the 2nd hostel I stayed at in Melbourne. we met a group of 4 Irish who we continued to see, they were always drinking of course.

highlights of Melbourne were quiz night @ the hostel, after which I went out with a random group on a whim - 2 Irish boys, 1 swedish gal - good times dancing... ladies night @ the hostel with free champagne for about 2 hours, dont remember much after that except the McD's cheeseburger.... meeting up with Renae's brother in-law Blaise, we did a couple nights of drinks, and he graciously toured me in his car along a bit of the Great Ocean Road, which I had to miss a 2-day/1-night tour of due to my decision to drive up the coast with adam.... a saturday night @ the Belgium Beer Cafe, an old hotel/mansion type thing with outdoor beer garden (classy beer garden) with Kelly & Mike and the CDN girl. as far as sightseeing, the Melbourne Zoo (note pics are on facebook)... Fitzroy area & Brunswick Street, an alternative area, very cool to wander around....emm, that's it really, I will have to go back to Melbourne to tick off more sights :)

I've met 4 chefs on the trip so far, in under 3 weeks. Ive taken a mental note of this in light of my search for my next career.

I've also met a zillion Irish. which I'm not taking as a sign of the fact that I am destined to marry an irishman, there's just a shiteload of them travelling in Oz. regardless, I love them.

so Sydney...upon arriving I was fortunate enough to have a local (adam) show us the nighttime view of the harbour, the bridge, and the Opera House. I will have to go back @ night, it is quite beautiful. after staying 1 night @ an overpriced hostel near Central Station, I quickly moved to an area called Kings Cross which is an interesting mix of old & new/dirty & posh - but lots of backpackers here and its been good fun so far. Halloween was my first night and I ended up @ McD's (again) taking pics of 1 of the dudes from the hostel wearing a bunny suit. like a mascot suit. his other 3 buddies were a tiger, a monkey and a panda. an interesting night as a result indeed.

have been lazing around for the last couple days but yesterday I picked up my lazy ass and headed to Manly Beach for the afternoon with a couple really nice English girls. it was a short beach day, but it was only my second once since arriving so it was worth the trip. the walk to the ferry provided a great day time view of the Opera House and the Bridge, plus the ferry ride to Manly is quite beautiful, so both added to the experience of the day.

today I met up with a friend of Jamie's that she met in Paris, who I met once in Van, he's from around Sydney so we met and toured Darling Harbour, the Sydney Acquarium, and popped into a bar to watch the big race @ the Melbourne Cup on the TV. for the Melbourne Cup, everyone in Syd also dresses up for the event, ladies in fancy dresses and big hats, men in suits, and buggers off from work around noon and drinks, places bets, and I think basically hollars at the TV for the rest of the day. it was cool standing in the bar witnessing it.

anyway, I'm spent, and Im sure you're bored of reading at this point, so I'll leave it at that and will report back on further Sydney adventures sooner than 2 weeks! maybe...

worst blogger ever?

don't hate me! I'm just possibly the laziest person in the world at the moment. and I'm loving it :-)

I have been having a great time in Sydney over the last couple days, not doing much but having fun with a few folks @ the hostel, and Melbourne was amazing as well. I was sad to leave but think I'll go back at some point in the trip. I'm only about 3 weeks through and its hard to believe that I still have another 11 months. Is it bad to say I'm not homesick yet? Having too much fun! missing my fam and friends without a doubt, but not feeling a full-on longing for home ;-)

full Melbourne update SOON!

bats 'n possums 'n ... beet root on burgers?

so, I just returned from possum and bat spotting. yup. you heard me right. kelly, mike and I had a fabulous dinner after a lovely leisurely day of shopping, at the large, manic Queen Victoria Market. it reminded me of a combination of markets in Thailand, just a little bit cleaner (thank god). massive amounts of knock-off clothes, jewellery, gadgets and cheap souvenirs, but most importantly, rows upon rows of fruit & veg, meat, seafood, cheeses, breads, olives, dips, etc. very exciting for me. I offered to make dinner tonight so we had an antipasta tray, then butternut squash soup, a spinach salad with cherry tomatoes, strawberries and avocado, and porterhouse steaks. probably only a few of you would enjoy details of the food so i'll refrain. anyway, it was delicious, but of course too much so we walked it off in the park behind their apartment, whilst engaging in a search for possums and bats (flashlight in hand). the bats screech, it freaked me out. I got a pic of a possum for proof.

so melbourne........is a huge mish-mosh. extremely multi-cultural, heavy European influence, anything-goes wacky fashion (lots of black!), crazy back-alley lounges/bars/clubs, huge variation in architectural style, TONS of cafes (coffee is hugely important to Melbournians), an emphasis on art & culture. going back to the bars... last night we hit 4 with a knowledgeable Cdn friend of K & M's. most of them had 3-5 flights of stairs to get to the roof-top patio, all have crazy design and decor and most with art on the walls, and the one that stands out for me, called "The Croft Institute", had a medical theme, all white inside, you head up the staircase the bathroom and it instantly feels like a mental institution...you get to the women's washroom, open the door, it's all white, metal, quiet and friggin' scary, and there's a gurney sitting against one wall. I thought I was in a scene of "Saw". Kinda wishes someone was with me.

anyway, its a very cool city. it makes you realize how *small* Vancouver is.

the first day here I wandered around by myself all day, mostly in the downtown core, i dont have a great sense of direction ;) didn't do too many touristy things, took a free city circle tram just to have a look around, got a cell, hit 2 food joints that had been recommended, one Greek, one Italian, the later was better for the experience, a walk away from downtown in the Italian district, but was a little weird to be eating dinner by myself! but I did it. had a great day all alone, then Friday I did *nothing*. not kidding. just sat around all day after sleeping in. don't be jealous :) met up with Kelly downtown after work, had drinks at a pub down by the river, stood outdoors along with 200 other white-collar workers. it was the first hot Spring day in the city so everyone was out. (they have tons of outdoor/streetside cafes and rooftop bars here, its very refreshing.) met up with mike & their friend joe, had some dinner --- my very first aussie burger with EGG & BEET ROOT. I'd heard about them and was excited to have it. was huge but tasty. and to think I'd almost gone for the kangaroo...

I've booked a hostel for tomorrow evening, so it will be my first true venture out on my own! a couple days later, I will hit St Kilda, a suburb in Melbourne, right on the beach, supposed to be a great backpacker vibe so we'll see how that goes. will let you know! hope everyone's well. xo

I'm in Oz...now what?

Haha. This is my first blog entry ever so forgive me if it sucks.

I arrived in Oz today, starting my trip (adventure / journey / experience / whatever you want to call it) in Melbourne. It was a smooth trip here, got stopped twice for those lovely random checks, in Van and in Sydney, but both times I'm pretty sure the security men were midly flirting, as much as a security guard can, and my packaged smoked salmon from Canada got thru so hey I'm happy.

I think I'm going to like Melb more than expected. It seems like a cool city. All I know so far is they wear a lot of black. I can work with black. It is quite warm today, like a perfect Vancouver late spring day. All I know is that it's not raining. But apparently the weather here can be volatile and unpredictable, so we'll see. Tomorrow I will buy an umbrella, like a seasoned Vancouverite would.

I met up with my friend Kelly no problem at her office building, and will stay here at her and her boyfriend's apartment a few days and get orientated. At this point I am still trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing here! Well, not really, I know why I'm here, I'm just a little shocked still that it finally came, and that I have no plan. Should be good. Wish me luck.

More updates soon,
shan