I finished reading A Passage to India a few weeks back and came across this interesting blurb in the appendix:

Peter Burra's Introduction to the Everyman Edition

Perhaps it is chance, more than any peculiar devotion, that determines man in his choice of medium, when he finds himself possessed by the obscure impulse towards creation. The distinction between the functions of one art and another is not clear; they have a tendency to overlap, to merge, even to identify themselves, in a manner which prevents definition. They have one common subject for discussion - the life that is lived and known by men; and since it is not at once apparent why men who are intimately involved in living that life should desire to contemplate so immediate an experience in any remoter way, another activity (criticism), as old as themselves, has attended upon the arts from their beginning, which has constantly and variedly, but never quite satisfactorily, attempted to explain the reasons for their being. In the advanced state of everything - of life, that is, and our ideas about life - that we have achieved today, people have set themselves to define the difference between the real life which we live and the life which the arts present to us. That such a difference exists is in itself sufficient indication of how advanced we are. Various processes have led to the existence of these conditions, and the most important is the artist's practice of 'selection'. 'Most of life,' says Mr Forster, for example, 'is so dull that there is nothing to be said about it'; and even if you disagree with that - Mrs Virginia Woolf, for her part, seems to suggest that the whole of life is so significant that not one fleeting impression should be missed - the fact remains that real life is chaotic and formless, and the artist is faced with the problem of confining his impressions of that life into a space which is infinitely smaller than itself and with at least one of the dimensions removed. He has no other alternative, therefore, than to select what seem to him its most significant parts, and to arrange the chaos into some sort of an order. Inevitably the life he presents is something much neater and tidier than the diffuse reality. It is probable that most people take the impressions afforded by art - especially the novel - so much for granted that they sincerely believe life itself to be quite a neat and tidy event and suffer from shock or melancholy if something occurs to disturb their belief. Paradoxically, the more actually 'like' life a work of art is, the more nonsensical it appears to them. One of the most interesting aims of modern writers and artists has been the attempt to dispel this illusion of life's tidiness.

step up.

work has been my only means of consistency these days. i'm continually struggling with making the effort in friendly relations. i constantly reminisce, i think pleasant thoughts of friends who are going about their lives in the same city, and yet i find it so difficult to make that one simple coffee call.. my energy is up, i'm happy, really not a lot to complain about; although i realised how inefficiently i can, and have been spending my 24 hours in a day. so, here's to making that effort; if only a miniscule blog post that then diminishes my aspirations into cyberspace, hopefully the blatant self-reflection will now make it happen. it's out there.

night and day.

after stooping with ave and stewey, watching lightning flash through the changing leaves lining college avenue, i walked in the house to darryl laying down some keys in the dining room. dim lighting, peaceful serenades sweeping through the empty house. there's nothing like a little piano to lift the spirits.

wot is rolling steady and i'll hopefully be getting more hours on the next schedule; the coworkers all easy going and fun to pass the time with. today we played travel-sized "guess who" during a lull in clientele. last night i worked my first bartending shift at a new restaurant in the city called "the fainting goat". it's a very chill, friendly atmosphere. i felt comfortable behind the bar, and by the end of the night i had a good portion of the drink menu down. shaking martinis, garnishing ceasars, and muddling mint leaves for mojitos. the food looks delicious, although i haven't had a chance to try any dishes yet. i feel like it's a good fit for me, and i'll only be working there a couple nights a week. a clothes retailer by day, and a mixologist by night.

employed.

i've officially been a working girl since sunday. it's pretty great. the legit wot in the southland. all the anxiety and unwanted anticipation i had leading up to this point was for nothing. now i look forward to my shifts, and when i have days off i wish i could work for someone else. yes, this is what i have become. pathetic, desperate.. broke. however i have also been thoroughly enjoying the time spent at home when i am not at work. i've been reading lots of books these days. jeannette walls' "the glass castle" was a riveting story about her growing up with an alcoholic father and a mother whose head was in the clouds. a quick read, but hard to stomach at times. days without food, parents who don't believe in doctors and hospitals, living in garbage and filth - and that's when they actually had a roof over their head. an incredible and beautifully written memoir. and i just started into "a passage to india" by e. m. forster.

please either give me your shifts to work, or call the house. i may be in need of some human interaction.

gibberish.

i didn't come on here with anything to say in particular; but i figured i'd shoot the shit and see what happens. you may possibly have to bear with me..

back in regina: a city that is very dear to me, perhaps only for the people it hosts. i'm feeling both the pull to get back on the road, and the feeling to settle into routine (at least loosely), and it's killing me being stuck in the middle. these days i just chill at the college house watching battlestar galactica, and ponder on job possibilities while i slowly tackle my resume.. of which i only intend on handing out early next week, as i have a date with my friends cabin sunday/monday. i've bumped into some sweet people: new acquaintances and old. i'm very excited to re-learn regina, as it applies to me a year later. new job, friends - referring both to those which i have only just met, and those which i knew a year ago who have inevitably grown and changed. my social anxiety is fading, but i am still coping with serious stacy-withdrawal. i've enjoyed a fabulous weekend in winnipeg at my cousin's wedding, danced all night with the spandiards and fam. and since relocating, i've seen some pretty great shows: foxwarren, molten lava, matt goud, andy shauf, the wooden sky (best show). very happy that the weather has warmed up, danelle's in town, and my dearest katie will be around for a few days! in a nutshell: i'm feeling fine, a little bored/anxious to do something, but otherwise stoked on life and friends.

adjusting.

tomorrow marks two weeks at home. it's impossible to explain what i've gone through during those 14 days. a rollercoaster of emotions.. nothing beat the excitement of walking through that airport terminal knowing that my family was waiting for me on the other side. that night, the college house hangs were amazing. but by the end of that night the only word that i could use to describe my feeling was overwhelmed. by the end of the weekend i became overly anxious and actually had terrible anxiety from the thought of running into familiar faces while i was downtown. some unnecessary pressure i'd put on myself for some unknown reason.. i escaped to the farm for a week of garden veggies and hangs with the relatives. came back somewhat refreshed, but still with a feeling of urgency, like this wasn't going to last. there was need to keep up a hectic pace. i have finally reassured myself that with my fund situation, i'm hardly getting out of regina, nevermind the country.. so i will be seeing a lot of these people in the months to come.

my daily routine seems far too lonely without the solid company of stacy. it's been an action-packed few weeks, but when things slow down i can only think of how much i miss her. i lucked out with some pretty sweet friends.

today..

i am going home.

currently sitting in the vancouver airport and i cannot stop smiling. these two weeks on the west coast have been great.. (so relaxing! ha) it has been so good for me to cope with all the little things going through my head while here instead of the inevitable overloading of senses and emotions with all my family and friends around. so regina.. foxwarren.. prairies.. i'm ready!

see you soon.

update.

the gala thursday evening was lots of fun. it was hosted by a finalist from one of those 'next top model' shows. there were silent auctions, a catwalk with some cool pieces, and it was bartended by danelle and yours truly! free wine, a perk - especially since we had planned on 'attending' the event and not working it - :) it was coordinated by one of danelle's friends as the final project for her entertainment business management degree; and she needed volunteers. i think we enjoyed ourselves more than had we merely been part of the audience.. and we got free gift bags, too. how posh.

friday i spent the day swimming in a 'lake' at the park.. it was a beautiful day and it turned into a beautiful evening with the most colorful sky. we unexpectedly came into free weekend passes for the folk fest and showed up that evening in time for iron & wine. he was charming and witty and wonderfully talented. i look forward to seeing his set and checking out others when it rolls through regina in a few weeks. afterwards we dashed downtown to catch a few bands at another venue.

saturday morning we found ourselves in northern vancouver at a film studio helping construct a pagan church. (random, i know.) this extremely talented construction set worker and his set decorator fiance decided they were going to build their own church, haul it down to arizona in sections on the back of a semi, and get married at the site of 'burning man' [a huge sustainability music festival where absolutely everything that is brought in (stages, food, everything) is taken out again. no traces left behind..] it's in the middle of the desert. insane. that night, another show and great hangouts.

all morning and right into the late afternoon of sunday was spent at third beach. we had a good crew of friends and lots of laughs. when the sun started getting pretty low we picked up and moved to the theatre for a late show.

monday brought melissa to my doorstep. we spent the morning catching up on the last month of each others lives; discussing feelings about being back in canada and going home, the mysterious future.. the afternoon was spent running around with her adorable 18 month old nephew, elijah. what a sweetheart! it was our third and final goodbye. i have no doubt we'll see each other again.

i spent today at the most westernly point of the city, rec beach. it was a scorcher, and the water was cold. perfect combo. old spruce trees blocked the view of skyscrapers and all i could see were mountains and the open water.

west coast lovin.

vancouver so far:

on saturday morning i went to work with danelle at the race tracks.. it was full of old bukowski's and women heavily made up, holding onto that shimmer and hope of winning big. i lost $2. mostly i just watched the horses, they were beauties. she got done early and we went down to the beach to take advantage of the fabulous summer weather. that night we went to a back yard party with a band playing and had hubba bubba bubble blowing contests and made interpretive art.. you probably had to be there. it was a pretty good party.

sunday we went out for breakfast with a few of danelle's friends then had a pretty mellow day. went to supper at kyle's parents' place and then went to see the vancouver orchestra playing a free concert in the park.

monday i hung out with julia all day.. walked around the city, drank some tea. great talks and great weather. that night danelle's parents took us out for supper and then dropped us off the the farmont for a swim, sauna, and hotel party with the girls. we wore robes and drank champagne. :)

tuesday we spent the whole day at the aquarium with danelle and her parents.. there was a new baby beluga whale! too cute. and so many sweet underwater things. that night we went out to the movies and watched "up".. cute story. it was in 3-D so we wore glasses; the things they can do with computer animation these days is amazing..

wednesday i spent the day cleaning and organising danelle's room as a surprise.. she just moved in and didn't have time to do it yet because she's been working so much. then i walked down to a park and watched dogs running around and splashing in the lake. then last night we biked down to a sikh temple for a free vegetarian meal.. so many amazing indian dishes.. i haven't eaten like that since india.

thursday, today, i am relaxing. beautiful weather outside. i'll have to check out another park or beach or something. tonight we are going to a cancer benefit gala.. getting all dolled up and supporting a cause. there will be live entertainment, julia is doing the opening music.. local celebrities and such.. should be fun! i've certainly been keeping myself busy. only one more week tomorrow and i'll be back in the queen city!

vancouver/tim hortons.

so after having a straightfacedavoidingeyecontactgoodbye with stacy, because dragging it out only makes things that much harder; i turned my back and headed into the airport, only to have a slight breakdown after turning my first corner.. (i am my mother's daughter, after all.) it's so hard because as much as i see myself as being independent, stacy has kind of been my other half for the entire year.. so it was really hard to go off on my own knowing that i would be crossing the ocean and unable to hang out with her for at least a year to come! but, that is life.

and here i am in vancouver! first thing i did once i got through customs was grab some sweet sweet timmy ho's. i don't even know what exactly it is about that place, but it's both delicious and so canadian that i couldn't resist. 3 buses, a skytrain, way too much walking and the help of many kind strangers later, and i am sitting in danelle's room anxiously awaiting her return from work! our currency looks absurdly disproportionate; i'm actually quite certain the coins have shrunk since i've left! and the bills are much too big. i also felt highly uncomfortable riding the bus on the right side of the road! it felt so wrong! funny that my own country will take some getting used to..

tairua.

stacy's flat is starting to feel homie, and i have nothing but good things to say of stacy's flatmates(conor a canadian; sara and andrew kiwis). for the last two days, stacy andrew and i rented a car and got out of the city.. we went south to 'tairua' where his mom owns a house. a beautiful two hour drive of green hills and mountainsides, farmland, animals and water. our first night down we bbq'd up supper and played some cards, relaxed. our second day we headed down to 'hot water beach' for a unique spa experience! geothermal water comes up through the sand in a few different places on this strip of beach, so you just need a shovel, and you make your own disposable hot tub. a good excuse to play in the sand! afterwards we did the 'cathedral cove' walk up and down along the shoreline which brings you down into this secluded beach with huge caves and tunnels and a waterfall. i can only imagine what the south island has for scenery as i am doubly impressed with the north island thus far.

so here we are. back in the city. me, having a panic attack coping with the pros and cons of leaving tomorrow. stacy and i have just dined-in and are going out for 'reminiscing' drinks. we are not allowing each other to get emotional..

auckland.

we made it! got in around 4, and by that evening we had already lunched, walked a good portion of the downtown area, viewed two apartments, and stacy put a down payment on a beautiful mod two story flat. the next morning we moved into a different hostel, one a little less expensive [and slightly resembling our infamous melbourne residence!] and as we should have realised, full of sketchy characters.. we went grocery shopping and found the next morning that almost all of our food had been taken from the community kitchen! maybe we should've just paid the extra $5 a night..

yesterday we did a free city tour, which was so great. we got taken around to the different harbours, up to 'mount eden' which is an old volcano with a symultanous view of both the pacific ocean and the tasman sea.. watched someone do a base jump off the sky tower, [which stacy has a fabulous view of from her huge balcony!] and got to do the harbour bridge walk.. when we got up to the top, two people in our group decided to bungy jump, one guy even getting his head and shoulders dunked in the water! pretty cool.

this morning we moved in, did some shopping, starting to make the place feel like home for stace.. right now we're just lounging in the living room with the new roomies while the rain is just starting to clear up outside.

sydney.

final australian destination. we've been couchsurfing with john, who has been great. he has a quaint little apartment in a beautiful area of the city. saturday night he took us out to bondi beach for food and a view of the water and skyline. on sunday stacy and i caught up with gerard; we met four couples down by the harbour for lunch [referred to as "the suspects"] absolutely fabulous company, lots of laughs.. wined and dined with sydney's elite. walked along the harbour to the opera house which is just a beautiful building, very impressive. apparently they have recently been granted 600 million dollars for an interior facelift! uncanny amount of money. monday was warm and sunny. dropped off the rental car, then that afternoon stacy and i took the ferry out to manly. saw the beach and just enjoyed the boat ride through the harbour and surrounding views. today was our last day in sydney. we walked into town a bit, picked up a few last items. wanted to eat something 'aussie' for lunch, and then went for pad thai.. (oops)

the last six months have been a whirlwind, that's for sure. i can still remember the initial shock of leaving asia and settling in melbourne.. then uprooting again for two months on the road. when we said goodbye to the car - which although she was hideous, served us well - the finality of getting on another plane really hit, but it wasn't sad. life is just constantly moving forward whether anyone likes it or not, so this chapters on it's last page. newzealand is next. walking back to john's this evening we were talking about leaving and how long we've been travelling together.. both baffled by how much we still enjoy each other's company(!) and how strange life will be when it's time to part.. still unreal that that will happen any time soon.

newcastle.

since breakfasting in balina on pancakes while dolphin and whale watching, we left our little nook in lennox head. couchsurfed a night with the host of all hosts, ross, in coffs harbour. we cooked up a moroccan feast and enjoyed the company of his brother, sister-in-law, and two quebecians who were also surfing there before we continued south to newcastle. we are currently staying with melissa's aunt, [a newfoundlander] and her uncle and cousin.. they have been so fabulous.

went to a reptile park and saw wombats, platypi, a swamp full of alligators.. there were little shows put on by the staff to tell you about different reptiles and spiders, you could touch most things and get a really close look. they had a 5.5m crocodile which looked more like a dinosaur and was extremely intimidating, even behind the fence.. and an 8m long reticulated python, weighing 150 kilos, so about 340 pounds. [oh, and it's the only kind of snake known to eat humans(!)] kangaroos and wallabees hopped around freely or relaxed in the sun, you could pet them if you liked.. it was a pretty cool park, we quite enjoyed ourselves.

otherwise: more feasting, and great wine! it's sean's birthday today so we celebrated by going out this afternoon with maureen (auntie) and toured through a champagne house and three or four different vineyards.. ended up deciding on a bottle of 'dolce per tutti' for dessert in a glass! the wind had a chill with it, but the sun was shining. i can think of a few family members who would've had a great time with us today. tomorrow we're crashing mel's cousin david's 17th birthday party (he shares the date with my two sisters on the 23rd), and then stacy and i are off to sydney saturday morning.. it's that time already. having to say more goodbyes just hasn't quite sunk in yet.. one more day to cope/deny..

lennox head.

airlie beach: hung out by the lagoon all afternoon.. swam.. walked the main strip.. lots of tourists, haven't seen that many young people in one place in awhile. then to rockhampton where we couchsurfed with this guy named samuel; wonderful gentle soul. lots of good talks, a bed (!), and we all got together with heidi and clare the next afternoon for a bbq by the river.. i don't know how those girls do it, they're modern day kerouac's, i swear. this is a brief overview of their two weeks on the road: they start driving, by the time they reach 1770 - yes, that is a place - they are completely out of both money and petrol. stranded there for four days, they sell a fishing pole for $20, dog sit for an afternoon and make another $30, and make it to rockhampton to meet us in time for heidi's birthday. we left them having no plans other than doing some fruit picking on a farm somewhere north.. i have no doubt that everything will work out just fine. always does.

hervey bay: voluntarily jumped out of an airplane at 14,000 ft. spectacular views of fraser island, it's lakes, the sandbars surrounding the islands.. the open ocean, turqoise and deep blue swirls; an aussie's interpretation of the northern lights. what a thrill hanging out the open doorway of an airplane before jumping, 60-second free fall. fastest minute of my life. once our chute opened (yay) everything slowed down, spinning in circles, checking out the scenery. surreal. i saw two dugongs swimming in the ocean below before coming in for a landing on the beach. knees and feet up, and my bum was in the sand before i knew it. still buzzing from this experience.

from there we spent about 4 days or so in noosa, hanging out with chris and his friends. great to catch up for a bit before he headed off to vietnam, and we continued down the coast. brisbane for a night which included a really bad keanu reeves movie and myself on the couch with a terrible head cold.. a drive along surfers paradise.. stopping in byron bay to eat lunch by the water, stacy and i eating ours out of tin cans.. and now, lennox head where we have full run of a trailer in a caravan park which is wedged nicely between the coast and a lake with black tea tree water..

PART IV: townsville/magnetic island.

since the tune-up, and getting kicked out of a campground before we even got out of the car (some people should not be allowed to work in customer service!) we spent an afternoon in townsville drinking coffees, window shopping and taking advantage of the waterpark that was basically 10-year-olds and under.. [we had more fun]. at 4 o'clock that afternoon we boarded the ferry, car et al, to magnetic island for the weekend. a place that prides itself in 320 sunny days a year..

five days later: still here! an incredible little island with tons of bays and beaches, walking paths, and spectacular weather, how could we leave so soon? we've set up camp at the koala sanctuary here and are feeling quite at home. sunday morning we splurged for an all-you-can-eat champagne breakfast; put them out of business. we sat outside in a garden area with a few animals that they bring out and tell you about, you can hold some of them and take pictures.. we all got to hold a cockatoo, melissa put some seeds between her lips and it plucked them out and shelled them with it's hammer-like tongue.. (their beaks don't close fully so you can see what's going on inside their mouths while they eat). they brought out a crocodile, a python.. we got to pet a koala bear.. and after all of that, we hit the white sandy beaches to bask in the sunshine. and that is exactly what we've done every day since. tomorrow we take the ferry back over to townsville, and head down to airlie beach.

PART III: daintree.

after another rainy day at ellis beach we continued north to daintree, home of the oldest rainforest in the world.. we settled into our cabin, grateful to be out of our tents for a night. spent a relaxing afternoon walking around the beach and swimming in a watering hole, and an evening of dominos and card games. this morning we woke and walked 5km through the rain forest.. assuming it was a boardwalk, we were ultimately unprepared for what ensued: hanging to vines lock-armed for dear life, a downpour, leeches and badly marked trails.. we came through unscathed, although chris missed a few blood suckers who got under his socks, and mel found one on her bum in the shower! we saw a python hanging out on some rocks, and hella big spiders everywhere. no crocs though.. heard a story about a 53-year-old man who went fishing with his wife a few weeks ago; went to get some supplies and never came back.. the only thing they found was his watch!

now we are back in cairns, dropping chris off at a hostel to be reunited when we get down the coast to noosa. we're townsville bound. get as far as we can tonight, and drive the rest in the morning. we've already put on 5000 km so it's time for the wagon to get a tune-up in the morning..

PART II: cairns/ellis beach.

after camping a night just outside of townsville, we spent the morning/afternoon soaking in some rays at mission beach. the five of us were prancing around the sand and in the waves wondering where everybody else was! although it's winter in aus, it was at least 26 degrees and the water was beautiful. making it up to cairns, we stopped in at the tourist info center only to discover that the stinger nets had just been taken down that day and that swimming had not previously been advised! thank goodness we didn't all get a shocking surprise while we so naively splashed in the surf.. we time things well. during the same visit we also learned that the following day was to be the calmest day of the year, p-e-r-f-e-c-t conditions for scuba diving the great barrier reef. locals and tourists alike jump at the opportunity for weather like this because it's impossible to predict. you can't book a dive in advance and count on the weather to hold.. we found a boat with room for five and booked on the spot for the following morning. stacy and chris did two introductory dives, mel and sean are certified and did two dives as well, and i stuck to snorkelling. [fish are not my fortay!] we got an hour and a half out on the boat, and saw waves breaking on the reef in the middle of the nowhere.. it looked really cool. as frightened as i was initially, and as frightened as i continued to be at some points, the experience was surreal. it's a whole new world, an entirely different dimension. we don't belong there, and the things that do are so impressive and fascinating.. the coral itself was all sorts of colors and sizes and shapes.. some moving, some still. the fish were anywhere from a few inches long to about three feet.. i held a sea cucumber.. saw a giant clam.. two sharks.. flying fish.. and an unknowable number of other things every color of the rainbow. oh, what a day.

currently at ellis beach, cleanest beach in queensland. our campsite is directly beside the water, a spectacular view of palm trees and islands.. this is paradise. we spent all day yesterday on the sand and in the water, and woke to rain. hoping it will clear soon and we'll have another sunny day.

PART I: outback/coast.

here are some blogs that i've been unable to post due to lack of internet connections; i will put them in sections for those of you who would be otherwise overwhelmed with a chapter-book-blog:


our first night in alice springs we decided to find a little patch of unclaimed land to camp instead of paying $50 for the same thing in a designated campsite. settling in for the evening, we woke to bright lights and a gruff voice calling out, "it's the police; open your tents"

positive that we were getting kicked out and had to pack up camp at 2am we groggily obliged. however much to our surprise, they were actually after two guys who had just robbed a place and were seen headed in our direction. [should that have been a relief?]

the next night we couchsurfed in this guy dave's apartment while he was off working in the bush for the week.. we were extremely gracious of him letting five people take over his space while he was away. and we took full advantage of the pool and all facilities, enjoying a day of watching movies and laying low.

back on the road, we passed the ufo capital of australia.. the devil's marbles, the pebbles.. (how these formations came to be, i have no idea. i've tried to find out but perhaps it's a mystery?) intruigingly beautiful. we passed tenant creek, mount isa.. termite mounds reaching up to at least four or five feet spotted the ground on both sides of the road and continued as far back as the eye could see..

we pulled into julia creek for a night, setting up camp right by the water. took a walk down a back road at sunset and watched the gold and orange spread over the fields on the horizon. it felt like home. we all lay out on the picnic table and did some star gazing before bed, the southern cross and shooting stars overhead..

we were all super amped to stop in at this dinosaur museum at hughender, but then nobody actually went inside because it cost too much! (stacy caught a look in the window) instead we sent postcards and enjoyed the outbacks best malts and burgers at a little diner down the street. after townsville, the coast. a phenomenal view of the sparkling water, winding roads, valleys and mountains and orchards.. sugar cane fields and banana trees on both sides of the road.. the smells of summer.

the outback/alice springs.

the scenery has been changing daily.. ground gradually being replaced with red sand. we camped out at this one place with a sign reading - 'population: 22,000 sheep, 40,000,000 flies, 30 people'. another sign for a destination that is 500km away, the next available stop on the almost straight highway..

coober pedy was a simple little town, riding the coat-tails of old opal mines for tourism.. (oh, and they had the spaceship from the movie "pitch black" with vin diesel.. [obviously the real reason we went there..]) we stayed the night 34 steps underground in a cave-like hostel. drove out to the 'dingo fence' stretching 5300 km, and also to the 'moon plain' [which looks like you're on the moon, basically.. or maybe mars]. red dirt and broken rock spread along the surface with the 'breakaways' jutting in the distance. it was pretty phenomenal, although a difficult ride for our poor station wagon weighed down by 5 people, backpacks and camping gear..

we saw a herd of wild horses galloping through the dessert, emus, and mutant-sized birds (eagles the size of men).. hoping to climb ayers rock, we drove out to urluru; unfortunately it was expensive to enter the park, and we didn't have a clear sky so our hopes of catching sunset and watching the rock change colors were shattered.. instead we checked it out from a distance and continued on to king's canyon, taking in a small walk that evening, and a beautiful 6km hike around the rim this morning.. "the roadies" - an old couple with an assortment of instruments (and costumes) played a free show at the bar by our campsite last night and we each found ourselves on stage at some point in the night, embarrassing ourselves (and each other).. i've never felt so hick, and i'm from foxwarren..

presently in alice springs in need of some groceries and a camp site for the evening.

mount gambier/adelaide.

we left melbourne with the wind at our backs.. nothing but the open road and endless possibilities. taking the scenic route along the 'great ocean road' we passed through a series of changing landscapes.. waves crashing against the cliffs.. flat prairies, rolling hillsides, rain forests, extinct volcanoes.. we drove through one stretch with charcoal remnants on the right, and luscious green on the left; an aftermath of the treacherous bush fires australia has been subjected to in the past months. while out walking, we saw a wombat, some kangaroos, and a koala bear.

our first campsite had quite a unique view; the backyard of a roadside gas station.. [it was raining and we were losing light so it was crucial we got the tent up while we could]. we woke cold, damp, yet undeterred. the second night we set up our tent in a secluded hillside campground. it was too wet to make a fire, but we cooked dinner over our little gas stove and cozied up into our sleeping bags for some much needed sleep. this is what followed:

'crunch.. crunch..'
me: 'did you hear that?!'
[stacy gets the flashlight to go check it out].
chris: (screaming like a 13 year-old girl) 'something ran across my face!'

two beady little eyes staring back at us.
a mouse. lesson number 1: never leave the tent open.

as we pack up camp and head into mount gambier to spend a few days with stacy's friends, i notice that my cereal bag has a hole in it. so does stacy's. kind of looks tattered.. another mouse! in our car this time. this is getting personal. bad karma? are they following us from 238 faraday st? i am hoping that we've seen our last of small rodents. although, we are heading into the outback tomorrow..

mount gambier was a very relaxing few days.. we saw a 'footie' game - australia's spin on a mix of soccer, football, basketball.. and who knows what else. got a huge bag of apples straight out of an orchard, and a few more groceries to prep for our next stint of camping.

we are currently in adelaide, couchsurfing with a man named steven. tomorrow morning we pick up melissa and sean at the airport and continue north, coober-pedy-bound.

on the road again.

wednesday morning marks a new chapter in our travels. waking early, throwing our few possessions into the back of a stationwagon along with a few tents, stove, some chairs, a table.. and we're off. saying goodbye to our mouse ridden, dilapidated brick building that i'm sure would not hold up against inspection; to little genevieve's cafe which has fed me and put some cash in my pocket; the state library, the coffee shops, clare and heidi, our incompetent landlord ernie.. and the thousands of nameless strangers we've inadvertantly interacted with in the last almost four months..

we will drive west along the great ocean road, camping in freezing temperatures [figuratively.. it doesn't get below zero here] to mount gambia where we'll shack up with jess and luke for a few days.. to adelaide where we will pick up melissa and her boyfriend sean, to conquer the outback together in all it's glory. our tentative route heads north, on the only road available to us (ensuring we will not get lost), and gradually veering northeast until we reach water, then heading south along the coast all the way to sydney.

i'm not sure how available internet connections will be; but you will be kept informed as much as possible..

growing up.

in the last 3 days i have played out my life hundreds of times. starting in august: everything from job possibilities [to remaining unemployed], to university possibilities (aka. degree[s], exchange programs, course loads, summer classes), to cities i would like to live in, to potential jobs post-uni, to future travel plans, to the joys and downfalls of having/needing money.. from the things i enjoy; the things that interest me, the things i think i could see myself doing for a long time, the things i want to do while i'm young, the things that i can and cannot do when i'm old.. it's utterly fantastically overwhelming thinking about the future. i know i need not stress about it; time will pass as it does and my decisions will sway with the opportunities that unpredictably and inevitably come.. and yet i cannot help but worry that my dreams and goals are all extremely diverse, and somewhat opposing, and that i will forever be unsatisfied. is this normal? i need to be consoled.

easter.

the long weekend was spent taking in a few art gallerys down by the river.. walking around and relaxing at a few parks in the city.. checking out a gig at the comedy festival.. sleeping in.. having some wine.. reading some books.. in other words: we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. don't have to tell these three how to chill to the max.

chris: huge thanks to your easter parcel that came in last week. it was such a treat! (literally).

this four day week has been creeping by slowly; not sure how that is possible, but it's kind of nice. seems to always go a little too quickly for my liking. we have less than 3 weeks left in this city we call home..

rambling.

globalization: a word that has been on my mind a lot lately. i just finished reading the book "a fortune-teller told me" by an italian journalist, tiziano terzani. he is warned by a fortune-teller in hong kong that it is dangerous for him to travel by plane in the year 1993, and on a curious whim, decides to oblige and avoid air travel for the year. journalism brings him all over south-east asia.. by boat, bus, train, car.. his descriptions of particular cities and countries take me right back to the dusty roads and palm trees. tiziano meets with several famous fortune-tellers; some meetings set up by friends, some through random "chance" (or is it?) although the story involves continuous contradictions as to whether these 'seers' actually 'see' or whether it's all a pile, i felt in the end that it all kind of made sense and i liked what he had to say. he also put a particular amount of emphasis on what he felt and saw through the simplicity of travelling by land which is lost when you hop on a jet and arrive within hours to a destination far from the one you left. we're living in a world that is progressively materialistic.. the west is taking over. not new news. this is extremely prominent all over asia, tiziano saw it 15 years ago, i saw it myself in the last 8 months, i'm sure to a greater extent as the cycle continues.. languages, customs, buildings, knowledge of the past, lost. it makes me feel helpless, and yet at the same time more willing to sit and listen, to learn from my elders, and take a lesson from the generations before me. needless to say, i enjoyed the book.

the land of oz.

another rather balmy day today in melbourne.. 30 degrees or so and intensely humid. just stepped in the door with chris after a run around the university grounds. i feel like i just went for a swim.

chris got back a few days ago from a random two week stint on the gold coast visiting a friend. he had a marvelous time, came back tanned and more enthusastic than ever about our roadtrip heading in that direction (if that is even possible). we are happy to have him back. melissa, on the other hand, has been given the boot. and by that, i mean that she's completely ditched us for her loverboy back in seoul, south korea. so, through various coping methods, i've actually convinced myself that it was us who forced her to leave. she returns on may 5th, just one day before we hop into a station wagon and drive around australia for a couple of months.

we've taken to checking out victoria market every saturday afternoon to load up on fruits and vegetables for sick cheap. and by that, i mean standard canadian grocery store prices: a steal-of-a-deal here in a city that doesn't sell a non-refillable cup of coffee for less than $3..

still seeing lots of clare and heidi - our english companions from sihanoukville, cambodia. we usually get together on weekends, and this one coming up involves a rock star themed house party! stacy already has her outfit planned. i have an impressive supply of imagination when it comes to dressing these days due to my selection of clothing articles [or, lack thereof], so i'm sure i can come up with something.

time is flying, people are coming and going, relationships are growing..
lots happening these days in my little world down under..

tectonic plates.

two days ago i survived my second earthquake, and witnessed my first. i was in my room, alone, about 5 o'clock in the evening.. it was fairly windy, and i was on the bed reading when suddenly the entire room began shaking. the window pane was rattling, and i thought, my god it's windy.. then quickly noted the water on our beside table was rippling.. the roof seemed unstable, and this was very obviously starting at the foundation of our not-so-new house. it was over before i knew it, lasting about 10 seconds; but it really shook me, if you know what i mean. however it was out of my mind before the girls even got home that evening, and i was only certain after reading the paper the next morning that it was, in fact, an earthquake. got a 4.6 on the richter scale - apparently our second in two weeks. must've slept through the last one.

oh, and of course when i said summer was on the out, i was implying that yesterday we got up to 30 degrees and we're supposed to get 33 tomorrow.. monday - hurricane warnings? icestorm?

fire. wind. rain.

they say melbourne weather is crazy. "four seasons in a day".. but hearing someone toss out the saying is a single breath does nothing but downplay the truthfulness behind those words..

one day it was 45 degrees, the next 25. i was beside myself thinking 25 was cold.. however, never have i experienced a temperature drop of 20 degrees in less than 24 hours. back home it sure doesn't fluctuate that abruptly, although sometimes i wish it would.. when it's -30 i could do with a -10.

we've been here almost two months. during that time, the province of victoria has experienced australia's worst natural disaster to date. hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned.. over 200 deaths.. the number of homes destroyed is unimaginable. intense heat [mid to high 40's] paired with intense winds [one day they reached 150 km/h] and drought [0.6mm of rain in january - 1.6mm in february]. not the best of combinations that's for sure.

it has been raining on and off for the past week. still not enough, but it has brought comfort.. the fires are out and people are rebuilding. summer is on the out and i still don't own a pair of jeans..

these days.

i've been finding it more difficult to blog as the days play out our stint in melbourne. it's partially because my writing has been uninspired, and partially because i feel life as i currently know it has nothing on the past six months and is therefore a drag. i am trying to change/correct this.

five days a week, on my way to work, i walk past this window with a creepy manequin in the corner. i know it's there, but i still get scared every time. every. time. i think it has to do with the fact that it's still dark and i have watched far too many scary movies. i also have three shadows on said walk, because of the positioning of the street lights.. they have made me jump on occasion. i am such a wuss.

when i get to work, there is a stereo in the closet by the grill that plays radio hits while i work. i enjoy music to pass the time however i have quickly discovered that their station of choice plays 3 songs, repeatedly. they are: the 'new' kings of leon song which was great until the zillionth time.. some techno crap.. and some song about san fransisco that i unfortunately know all the words to, because there are five of them. this begins at 6am and continues throughout my 7.5 hour shift.

usually when i get home i shower, eat lunch, and either call canada or take a nap. the afternoon is spent at the library, a park, or hanging at home with or without the roomies. week nights i'm in bed around 10. weekends 10:30.. (it's tough abruptly changing sleep habits!) on occasion my phone will ring. it's usually stacy or melissa asking if i would like to meet them at the library, a park, or at home. we've found a few good second-hand shops which tend to slip into the agenda every now and then.

last night i went to see attack in black and moneen at a little venue not far from our place. also, today chris mccrae joined the melbourne network and we found ourselves wandering around the soundwave grounds watching music by the likes of minus the bear, every time i die, say anything, new found glory, saves the day and such.. we arrived late and i missed an acoustic set from none other than mike herrera. i have let the family down, but mostly just myself.

regardless, these last few days shake routine which is nice.

innings and outings.

the misery signals show sunday night was so much fun. really great to see a familiar face and watch some good music.. and it worked out so well, because of anywhere they could've been playing in the city, the venue was a 10 minute walk from our place. bonus.

getting back into the groove of work this week wasn't bad at all, until wednesday hit. tuesday night we went out for cheap movies and watched "he's just not that into you." we had some good laughs and overall enjoyed it. complete chick flick, but i'm sure that's obvious from the title. so, half way to the weekend and waking before the sun started to wear me down. i don't think i did a thing that evening except call home, went to bed early, and re-fueled for the rest of the week. now the problem is i can hardly make it past 10pm on weekends and i'm absolutely spent.

friday evening we met up with heidi and clare for indian food at a little restaurant a few blocks from their place. a bottle of wine, good company, and good food. recipe for a fantastic evening.

and yesterday, stacy's friend jesse and her boyfriend luke came to stay with us for the night. originally from kenora, she's been living out here for over a year and is going to school close to adelaide. we went out for food and drinks with them last night and are just gearing up for pancakes and a movie. best day ever.

life in general.

first thing's first: neither stacy nor i are working for the other balwin at present. it is for the best. stacy and melissa are continuing into '09 with more english teaching; both are tutoring mostly korean students, choosing the hours, and are getting paid a decent wage. melissa is also working a few shifts at a cafe downtown called "schnitz". i myself work monday to friday at a little place a 10 minute walk from our house.. it's a cafe slash sandwich shop slash burger and springroll joint slash pasta and noodle lunch extraordinaire, ran by a chinese couple. i am up at 5am every week day.. and ssslowly adjusting into a morning routine. it's pretty killer.

tuesday was stacy's birthday, and instead of going out and doing something exciting.. we spent the evening in our room, in bed, watching 'friends' on her laptop. it was phenomenal. i was asleep by 10. we are planning a proper celebration for the near future.

yesterday was valentine's day and so the girls got all dolled up in sweet dresses we second-hand bought this week, went for a vietnamese feast, and out for some drinks. our first social excursion as a trio since we've got to the city, almost a month ago! about time.

and tonight misery signals are in town so we are going to check out the show. i'm pumped.

the 5th baldwin brother.

over the weekend we met up with clare and heidi, two girls we spent a lot of time with while in sihanoukville, cambodia! they're living here now, in a suburb just over so we're looking forward to spending more time with them. it was great reminiscing on life in cambodia and mutual friends whereabouts.. also, on sunday night i got to see the hold steady for free. kind of great.

we were employed on monday morning, and as of tuesday afternoon were once again unemployed. for the first time in my life i quit a job for reasons other than changing cities. [it's kind of a great feeling, but i'll try not to make a habit out of it..] all three of us got jobs at a company called zest, campaigning for a charity called amnesty international.. we stood on the street for 8 hours a day trying to get people to sign up for at least two years to a charity i knew very little about besides the few lines i memorized in order to get other people interested.. basically, i became that one person everyone hates.. the one you try and dodge while you're walking down the sidewalk. i heard every excuse in the book, some familiar, some just impressive. the reasons for leaving were simple: morals were shot, i felt the company didn't have the charity's best intentions at heart.. and, i couldn't go to work every day knowing how much i would dislike myself had i been any other person walking by me.. so, i quit.

today stacy and i had a trial run at a restaurant just a few blocks down. our boss is an exact duplicate of alec baldwin. he's italian, and from first impressions, he's not very nice. although i have to assume, because he spoke less than 5 words to either of us.. so, stacy starts tonight at 6 and i'm in tomorrow at 6. should be interesting, hopefully it's good. (if not, i'll just quit!)

hot hot heat.

an absurd heat wave has rocked our world.. it's been 40+ for 3 days now - up to 45 yesterday - and i feel like melting. yesterday we went on a [mandatory] mission to buy a fan (zero fans or any type of air circulation exist within our premises..) only to find absolutely every department store within the area was sold out. it was like a movie: double-sided shelves empty, with stickers showing the once utopic aisles.. we've been jumping in cold showers every opportunity.. towels in the freezers for a few minutes of wonderment.. there isn't even a breeze in the evenings so it's impossible to sleep.. so today we beat the crowd to the new shipments and snatched up two fans from a huge pile, loaded them into the carts, and looked around for a few minutes.. by the time we reached check-out there wasn't a fan left. they mostly just blow around hot air, but it's something..

predicting 30's for next week! fingers crossed..

week one.

so we've found a room in a house full of globe trotters.. two german guys and a gal, a chinese girl, two indian guys, a korean, an american, and the three of us! sounds outrageous, however with everyone's schedules working in our favor we've even come home to an empty house.. the room is a decent size and the area we're in is unbeatable. everything one could need is within a 5 minute walk, and for anything else there's an intricate tram system. we've handed out resumes wherever we've seen "help wanted" in the window.. doubtful we'll get hired at the 'hobby shop' selling model glue and cars (?) but it's worth a shot! you just can't be picky at this point in the game..

on friday evening we met up with anthony and some of his friends for drinks downtown. we had lots of fun and really enjoyed the company.. we've been invited out on a friends' boat at some point in the near future as well.. never hurts to have a friend with a boat! saturday morning found stacy and i at 'ceres' an environmental group which runs on donations and volunteers.. they have a pile of bikes/bike parts, and every tool you would need to fix them up, along with helpful advice for those as clueless as myself. for $25 we rode home in style..

melissa got into town saturday night so we got her all settled in and caught up on the last two months.. informed her of what the city has to offer, showed her the ropes, you know how it goes.. on sunday afternoon we headed down to federation square to meet up with anthony and a slew of couchsurfers/hosts giving out "free hugs," then continued on to lawn bowling, an infamous way of spending a sunny afternoon down under..

monday was australia day.. we met up with melissa's cousin and some of her friends and drove out to venus bay to relax in the sun, cook some food on the barby, play some cricket on the beach.. afterward we went to one of the girls' homes for supper where i met her mother, a woman originally from winnipeg, who knows where foxwarren is, knows my uncle russ, and whose best friend flew to manitoba last weekend for my grandma's funeral. once again reinforcing what a small world we're living in! wonderful family who has assured us we have a home away from home if we ever need it.. great day, capped off with a walk over the pier to see all these little penguins hanging out on the rocks, completely wild.. they're out fishing at sunrise and by the pier sundown.. then to a park full of fuzzy little possums.. by the time we got home we were all completely spent.. i think i was out before my head even hit the pillow..

today we dropped off more resumes, went for a bike ride, and decided to have a relaxing evening at home. it's been quite the week and we're all more than happy to have some down time!

melbourne.

darryl is now a tv star in bangkok following his debut on khao san road.. stacy and i were mistaken for australia soap stars at a coffee shop in thailand.. and our group of travellers has quickly diminished. now, the boys are gone back to the cold, followed by christine. it was so hard to say goodbye, per usual, however i will never forget the times shared. helluva trip! very hard to comprehend that the asia portion is over. we're back to an altered version of the 'real world' and are currently checking out apartment listings in melbourne. we've been couchsurfing with a guy named anthony in a quiet suburb just outside of the city.. in the two short days we've had to look around we've conquered a good portion of the area! the city is great, good vibes, lots to see and do. tons of parks and cafes, basically whatever you're looking for. we've both got cellphones now, so that makes apartment hunting easier, although we still haven't found a place. hard with 3 girls unable to sign a lease! (and on a budget to boot).. we're looking at a place tonight and keeping our eyes open for second-hand bicycles which will make transportion cheap and easy. what more to say? busy, but life is good. i feel as though we will have zero problems settling down for the time being.. but we have plenty of people to visit up the coast in due time!

grandma hamilton.

three days ago the world lost a wonderful lady. my grandma. it came as quite a shock for everyone because it all happened so quickly. i will not be there tomorrow to attend the funeral, but i will be there in mind and spirit.. i will be there to give you all big hugs and reflect on her amazing life. i'll forever remember walking over there for crib tournaments.. [king's crib especially, grandpa made the board himself..] tea.. family gatherings.. fresh meals from the garden.. their porch hosted many good conversations.. she had a kind heart, she was a role model. her smile lit up a room, and i will always remember her. i love you, grandma.

boat/bus/bangkok.

as the days passed in koh phangan, the tide continued to creep in farther and farther.. our first day there we had plenty on beautiful sand to lay out on, and slowly, there was no beach left! the calm water was replaced with hectic waves.. and disappointingly, this meant the girls were unable to dive because of the rough water conditions..
and [quite unrelated], i almost got killed by a coconut. did you know that they take the lives of 300 people a year? if you're sitting around, always ensure a safe distance..

koh phangan is world reknowned for it's full moon parties. and it just so happened to be a full moon on the 10th of this month. we figured it only made sense to check out all the hype.. met a few english guys and a gal, hopped in the back of a pickup, and off we went. we all had an amazing time, walking up the beach covered in thousands of people.. dancing.. there was some face paint going on.. a party, clearly. got home at a reasonable hour.. [of course that has different meaning when you're in thailand]..

so the next day was spent relaxing. no sun, and no beach because of the waves.. watched a few movies on stacy's laptop and went to our favorite food spots. we had left our flip flops at the english guys' cabin because we had been down the beach by their place before leaving for the party. so two days later, we went to pick them up, only to find that they had checked out. at a loss, we asked the front desk if they had found any sandals in cabin 4. they said no. we asked again, they said no. walking away, stacy calls my name. i walk up to her and she's pointing at a pair of sandals, [clearly mine] sitting on the porch of another cabin. the door opened, and a thai guy stepped out. i told him they were my sandals and he nods.. then reaches in and pulls out steen's sandals that were just behind the door. then we ask where the other two pairs are and he points across the resort to a bar on the beach.. so we walk over there, and in a pile of about 5 pairs we found ave's.. and off to the left, still wet from being worn in the water, were stacy's! apparently they had all been claimed and distributed throughout the staff..

went out for our last dinner on the island, then walked down to the beach for a beer. we had met two canadians that afternoon and they were down there, so we pulled some tables together and spent the evening hanging out with them and the english girl, charlie, that came with us to the full moon party. she is flying out the same day as the boys, so we decided to travel up to bangkok together. the next morning we were on the most violent boat ride of life. 4 hours of massive waves, (it was like that scene on "stand by me" with the pie eating contest..) i was the only one in our group of 6 that got sick, but i was certainly not the only one on the boat.. i wont go into details, but it was awful. wobbly and depleted, we reached land. then we got on a bus and drove 8 more hours..

so here we are in bangkok once again. it marks the beginning of this trip, and the end for some. darryl and ave fly early tomorrow morning so they'll have to leave for the airport around 4am. we'll spend the day together and stay up until we have to say goodbye.. which i really don't want to do! a few more days, and it will be time to say goodbye to christine.. rough week.

rocking and rolling.

walking up the beach one evening just before sunset, the four of us stumbled upon a little blob.. looking closer to investigate, we realised it was a baby octopus that had been washed ashore with the tide.. it was still breathing, so ave ran to get a branch, and we carefully scooped it up and returned it to the ocean.. what an amazing looking creature. our good deed for the day.

there was a big raggae concert at the end of the beach one night so we went over to check it out. what a good time. the most popular local band, they played lots of bob marley and a few thai classics that steen and i have heard many-a-time.. didn't want to the night to end. they estimated about 600 people were there that night, which is the population of the island.. the crowd all swayed a little, you couldn't help but be swept up with the beat..

our last night on koh phayam ave, steen and i decided we'd go for a walk up the beach and have a beer. we went to 'my bbq bar' which is where we spent new years eve, then walked down to the end where the raggae concert was held a few nights before. sitting up at the wood we met this guy named 'tu' - the most enlightened and wonderful man i have ever met. cleary a hippie, with his long hair, headband and shirtless.. he talked about his life growing up in thailand, practising yoga.. studying dance in some tiny town in india close to the tibetan border.. he talked about flying to america just for a music festival.. about karma and energies and all sorts of things. the guy was 45, looked like he was 30. didn't have a wrinkle on him, and wouldn't. he lives a stress-free life. all he preached was love and happiness. he invited us to his place in bangkok and said he would cook us all a big meal when we're in the city..

so. steen and i have been in charge since stacy left, which was been about two weeks.. in those two weeks the only thing that went according to plan was going to karon beach, our first stop.. everything else has been 'slightly' flukey, but part of the adventure.. so, to keep shaking things up, steen booked us a bungalow for koh tao - except that the bungalow was on koh phangan instead! finding this out the evening before we were leaving, we had to coordinate this new set of plans with stacy, who just recently got off her plane in bangkok.. we got a van from ranong to the east coast, and just missed our boat by a matter of minutes.. staying the night (none of us even know the name of the place) we caught it the next morning at 7am and arrived just after noon. staying at rock garden resort, we have two little cabins with shuttered windows opening right onto the water.

so.. here we are in koh phangan! who knew? i'd like to see what the two of us could do had we been planners from the start.. now that would be an adventure worthy of documentation!