Sat’day
Today was Recovery Day! It was an absolutely amazing day filled with friends, food, pool time, bouncy Velcro walls, and whatever other crazy things we did that day. Funny thing, I needed Sunday to recover from Recovery day!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Friday the 15th
Friday
Farwell dinner was tonight! I got to wear my new purple mini dress! So fun and pretty! =] Everone looked so spiffy! We hung around the courtyard and mingled a bit before group pictures. Then we headed over to Teds Dining Hall for dinner, which was actually just finger food and desserts. During dinner there were several speeches on the subject of farewell and awards. The ironic thing is that we have Reunion Ball in 2 weeks from the day of Farewell. After the speeches and the slideshow I played jenga with people in 510. Caught a ride with Angie’s friend to the after party at Kingstreet Hotel. Stayed until they closed the top floor (exclusive for IH) then Mark was nice enough to give me his seat in the cab. =] I wasn’t ready for bed yet so I decided to chill with Matt. We watched Shutter Island. The soundtrack was absolutely terrible, but the movie was interesting.
Farwell dinner was tonight! I got to wear my new purple mini dress! So fun and pretty! =] Everone looked so spiffy! We hung around the courtyard and mingled a bit before group pictures. Then we headed over to Teds Dining Hall for dinner, which was actually just finger food and desserts. During dinner there were several speeches on the subject of farewell and awards. The ironic thing is that we have Reunion Ball in 2 weeks from the day of Farewell. After the speeches and the slideshow I played jenga with people in 510. Caught a ride with Angie’s friend to the after party at Kingstreet Hotel. Stayed until they closed the top floor (exclusive for IH) then Mark was nice enough to give me his seat in the cab. =] I wasn’t ready for bed yet so I decided to chill with Matt. We watched Shutter Island. The soundtrack was absolutely terrible, but the movie was interesting.
ICC Arts Show
Thursday, 14 October, 2010
Tonight we had the ICC Arts Show! I choreographed a dance solo with the help of my dancer friend Laura! The whole show was pretty amazing. We had singing solos and duets, original compositions, dances, and drama performances. It was a really lovely show with a great turnout!
Tonight we had the ICC Arts Show! I choreographed a dance solo with the help of my dancer friend Laura! The whole show was pretty amazing. We had singing solos and duets, original compositions, dances, and drama performances. It was a really lovely show with a great turnout!
8/10/2010
The last week of the holidays was pretty uneventful. I just hung around with people and finished a little uni work. Friday was a pretty chill night. Had a few drinks with people in Teds and just hung out. They were all ready to go to bed around 11, but my friend Matt and I wanted to do something, so I randomly commented (haha you know me) that I would normally go to the beach on a night like this... His eyes lit up and he said lets go!, and everyone else wasn’t so keen on the idea. So we went by ourselves. Drove to Nobby’s Beach and walked downthe beach, played with the waves like little kids all the way to the breakwater. We walked the breakwater and sat on the rocks and watched the waves crash over them. We sat there for quite some time just gazing a the ocean, waves, the city behind us. We changed rocks to the fishy-smelling side, but the rock was more comfortable (as a rock can be! Lol). It started raining around 2 am but seemed to only be over our heads. We stuck our hands out and felt no rain there. We got up and moved to the light tower. He and I were both skinny enough to squeeze through the ladder and climb up to the top! LOL! It was cold as so we climbed down after a short time. Climbed into the cool fort-like area just below. It was so much warmer! Around 3-3:30 the choice between food and staying became a prominent question. Food won eventually! It started raining halfway down the beach back to the car and then started pouring! We had a good run in the rain!
Sat’day/Sunday
Slept in a bit, lol. Tonight we went to MJ Finnegans. It was pretty cool, no one was overly drunk and we all had a good time. Holly’s Birthday was the next day so this was a celebration for her. Earlier in the day Holly, our Norwegian friend Geir, and I made a Liisa-friendly German Chocolate cake. We got back from the club around 2 and a few of us decided to hang out in Matt’s room with the Xbox. Lol. We had a good time and a good cuddle puddle too! This lasted until again our stomachs decided our next plan of action. So we went back to my house and I cooked everyone brekkie! It was delish! Alex, Holly, and I walked to the playground past the train station after brekkie. We played on the merry-go-round, fell off the merry-go-round and sat and watched the morning evolve over the lake. We walked back and I watched a movie while Holly slept through it. After the movie Nattie and I went shopping! Then had Chinese with Holly and some of her housemates for Holly’s birthday. The rest of the day tried to stay awake long enough to go to bed without waking up at 3 am and not being able to sleep again.
Sat’day/Sunday
Slept in a bit, lol. Tonight we went to MJ Finnegans. It was pretty cool, no one was overly drunk and we all had a good time. Holly’s Birthday was the next day so this was a celebration for her. Earlier in the day Holly, our Norwegian friend Geir, and I made a Liisa-friendly German Chocolate cake. We got back from the club around 2 and a few of us decided to hang out in Matt’s room with the Xbox. Lol. We had a good time and a good cuddle puddle too! This lasted until again our stomachs decided our next plan of action. So we went back to my house and I cooked everyone brekkie! It was delish! Alex, Holly, and I walked to the playground past the train station after brekkie. We played on the merry-go-round, fell off the merry-go-round and sat and watched the morning evolve over the lake. We walked back and I watched a movie while Holly slept through it. After the movie Nattie and I went shopping! Then had Chinese with Holly and some of her housemates for Holly’s birthday. The rest of the day tried to stay awake long enough to go to bed without waking up at 3 am and not being able to sleep again.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Port Macquarie! 30 Sep-4 Oct
Port Macquarie 30 Sep-4 Oct
Went up to Port Macquarie with my housemate Angie. First dropped off someone at the airport and then hit the road! I fell asleep of course. Got to Angie’s house mid-arvo. Had some lunch and then she took me on a walking beach tour of the town. It was so pretty! Met her mom, Natalia, at the store and got a lift home. Heaps good! Natalia made this amazing chicken, fish, and prawn curry for dinner. Angie made a fruit salad for dessert. Watched telly for a while then went to bed. Got up early for the sunrise! So beautiful! Went back to bed. Ang took me on a walk to Lighthouse Beach and the Lighthouse and then we had lunch, showered and went to the koala hospital. So sad/cute! Afterwards we went into town for coffee/smoothies. Took 3 tries but we got some eventually. Lol. After those she dropped me off at Susan’s house. I had a good time with Susan while the kids were playing shy! Lol. Susan made a good chicken stir-fry for dinner.
Got up, played with Lydia and Zachary. Ryan still wasn’t feeling well, poor little mate! Lydia, Susan and I went to the shops and the Koala hospital for the family fun day. It was a little wet but we averted a bit of the wet by seeing the Roto House. Yummy green curry chicken for dinner.
Played with the kids for a bit then went on a run down to Lighthouse Beach and down the beach a ways and back. Felt good to move again, my ribs didn’t hurt so badly. In the arvo I watched the National Rugby League Grand Final match with Jason and some of his friends and the kids occasionally. Susan made a DELICIOUS veggie risotto for dinner. It was amazing!! Stayed up and chatted for a bit then tried to hit the hay. The storm kept me up for a while though.
Played with the kids for most of the day. Lydia mostly, Zach with the Wii and Ryan when he let me. Lol. Watched Monsters, Inc. And then Angie came to take us both back to Newy. It was a good trip and great to see Susan again!!!!
Went up to Port Macquarie with my housemate Angie. First dropped off someone at the airport and then hit the road! I fell asleep of course. Got to Angie’s house mid-arvo. Had some lunch and then she took me on a walking beach tour of the town. It was so pretty! Met her mom, Natalia, at the store and got a lift home. Heaps good! Natalia made this amazing chicken, fish, and prawn curry for dinner. Angie made a fruit salad for dessert. Watched telly for a while then went to bed. Got up early for the sunrise! So beautiful! Went back to bed. Ang took me on a walk to Lighthouse Beach and the Lighthouse and then we had lunch, showered and went to the koala hospital. So sad/cute! Afterwards we went into town for coffee/smoothies. Took 3 tries but we got some eventually. Lol. After those she dropped me off at Susan’s house. I had a good time with Susan while the kids were playing shy! Lol. Susan made a good chicken stir-fry for dinner.
Got up, played with Lydia and Zachary. Ryan still wasn’t feeling well, poor little mate! Lydia, Susan and I went to the shops and the Koala hospital for the family fun day. It was a little wet but we averted a bit of the wet by seeing the Roto House. Yummy green curry chicken for dinner.
Played with the kids for a bit then went on a run down to Lighthouse Beach and down the beach a ways and back. Felt good to move again, my ribs didn’t hurt so badly. In the arvo I watched the National Rugby League Grand Final match with Jason and some of his friends and the kids occasionally. Susan made a DELICIOUS veggie risotto for dinner. It was amazing!! Stayed up and chatted for a bit then tried to hit the hay. The storm kept me up for a while though.
Played with the kids for most of the day. Lydia mostly, Zach with the Wii and Ryan when he let me. Lol. Watched Monsters, Inc. And then Angie came to take us both back to Newy. It was a good trip and great to see Susan again!!!!
Melbourne! 24-27 September
Friday 4:20 AM
Woke up and got dressed for the flight to Melbourne! Told Sean Happy Birthday and then waited for Emma and Josh with Liam. Josh drove us all to the airport for our 6 AM flight. It’s about a 25 minute drive to the airport. Got there and breezed through security (I still can’t get over how lax it is here compared to the States,) and then I got a small coffee while the woman behind me got a shot of vodka!! We had checked in for the flight the night before so it was a very short wait to begin boarding the Airbus 320. I read my book, Shadow Child, during the hour and 15 minute flight. We took the Airbus shuttle from the Tullamarine Airport to the train station (Southern Cross). We walked to Flinders Street Station to meet with Holly who had arrived the morning before. From there we took a tram to our hostel at the Pint on the Punt. It was a neat little Irish pub downstairs and a hostel upstairs. Holly and I shared a room with two other Americans. Liam and Emma got the private room. Holly, Emma, and I walked down to the 7 11 and grabbed some food for lunch.
Once we were settled in we just napped (Liam and Emma), read/wrote (Holly/me, me/Holly). We did that until dinner time. We ate downstairs at the pub and had the special! Liam’s friend, Brendan, came and met with us. From there he took us to the Crown Casino. That place was ginormous! Once inside it looked like it went on forever! There were so many slot machines, blackjack, roulette, poker, etc. tables! It was incredible! We went to the Tangerine Bar first where the security lady would not let Holly or me in because we didn’t have Australian ID or our passports. She was really rude about it, but I just tried to chalk it up to a rough night. We just went to the bar next to it that had so many screens it was hard to tell what was going on! Liam and Brendan had a beer while I watched the soccer game and talked to Emma and Holly. After the boys finished their drinks Brendan took us in the back way of the Tangerine Bar and we got in no problem. Weird as! We wanted to be in this bar because they have a pyrotechnic show every hour on the hour. We caught the tail end of the 9 o’clock show so we hung out on the deck until 10.The boys had more drinks (of course) lol. Emma and I got waters for the girls and inside the bar this random guy starts apologising for stuff he did to me in primary school! Then he asked me how to break up with this girl he was seeing! Emma saved me and we went back outside. The fire show was pretty cool! Worth waiting an hour for! After the show we went downstairs and Liam won $20 dollars at roulette! Yeww! We got some food/dessert and then went to the sports bar. I got a Strongbow and while I was drinkin it the bouncers asked for my ID. When he saw my birthday he was really embarrassed when he told his mate, “she’s 20!” I just smiled and told him no worries. It was funny how apologetic he was when he gave me my license back. Watched a bit of rugby and then we headed out. The walk by the river was really cool. There are so many street artists and the architecture of the buildings was beautiful! The bridges and the plaza were really cool. We tried to take a tram home, but Brendan ended up putting us on the wrong tram that took us way out of the city! It was all good; we just took a taxi home. Then bed time!!!
Sat’day
Woke up around 9, showered and headed down to the pub for breakie. I was the first one up so I read a magazine while I waited for everyone. Whoo hoo. :/ When everyone was ready we walked to St. Kilda Beach. Walked through the park and down the pier. Explored the break water for penguins. Saw a couple way back in the rocks! Also saw a water rat. The boats in the bay were pretty cool too. We could see the city skyline pretty well from the pier. After seeing the penguins we decided to take the tram into town and wandered down Collins Street. Had lunch at a Thai place in one of many arcades and then a delicious watermelon/raspberry smoothie. then we walked down to the big block arcade and looked around the fancy shops. The allies and side streets off the main streets are full of cute little shops and restaurants. The whole city is simply amazing! The whole city was abuzz today because it was the Toyota Australian Football League Grand Final! Tried to get tickets but it was too late by the time we knew the final was the same weekend as our trip. So we just watched the match between the St. Kilda Saints and Collingwood Magpies in Federation Square on the big screen with a whole bunch of people. The atmosphere was zinging with electricity! We only stayed for a while because Liam was bored. So we headed up the river and walked through Kings Domain Park. We saw the Shrine of Remembrance. Daddy would have loved it. It was a memorial for all of the soldiers and veterans who fought in every war Australia and New Zealand were involved in. It was awe-inspiring and beautiful. Liam and Emma were tired so they left before I was finished. So Holly and I stayed at the park a bit longer while they napped. We had dinner at the pub again. Holly and I split the calamari and it was delicious! Tonight was the Bangarra Dance Theatre performance! Of Earth and Sky was shown in the Playhouse Theatre. The show was AMAZING! I wish there were words to describe the way I felt when I was watching it! It was extra special because I discovered the company on the plane over here.
Sunday
Everyone was super tired but I was still up at 9. Went downstairs for tea and let Emma and Liam sleep a bit. Liam wasn’t feeling well so around 10:30 AM we girl to the tram and then a train to the Melbourne Zoo at Royale Park! We saw gorillas, giraffes, penguins, baboons, even baby elephants! Ah! It was so much fun! Especially the seals at feeding time! Oh and the monkeys! Soo cute!
When we had seen everything we took the train to Melbourne Central to meet Liam and Brendan so we could swap keys. The boys went off to do their own thing and Emma wanted to nap, so Holly and I went back to St. Kilda. We walked through the park and then sat on the beach for the sunset. Then wewent back to the breakwater to watch the penguins. Really cool to see but COLD!
My friend Leslie and I are both studying abroad in Australia and we both happened to be in the same state/city! After some serious effort on the trams she made it to the pub for dinner. Oi, it was so good to see her again! After dinner the four of us went to the Eureka Skydeck, the tallest building in Melbourne. Emma, Leslie, and I were the only ones to lay down and look 285 meters below on The Edge! The view of the city is unbeatable from there! So incredible! We stayed until they kicked us out then got some postcards and a thimble. We tried to get ice cream but everything had just closed. Neat window shopping though. Walked Les back to her tram and then crashed into bed.
Monday
Woke up around 9 and packed up to check out. Slow start to the morning but we took a tram into the city and walked to the State Library of Victoria. It was so cool! There were exhibits and the architecture was beautiful. After the library Liam and Emma got sushi. Then they went to a shopping district on the south side of the city. Holly and I went to the Old Melbourne Gaol. We got treated like criminals and were thrown in gaol. After that we wandered through the gaol in the rain and got our mug shots taken. The we partook in the re-enactment of the trial of Edward “Ned” Kelly. I was Ned. Holly was a witness. I learned more about the most famous bushranger in one day than I ever thought I would! Lol We had sometime before we needed to meet with Emma and Liam so we decided to go shopping on Colin and Bourke Streets. Ripcurl, JettySurf, SportyGirl, Dotti, and some other way cool high end shops. Found this AMAZING dress that was just way too much. I had to tear myself away from it! Haha me and a DRESS! Oh and Mum should be proud of me for going into an Adidas superstore and not buying anything! It was fun seeing all the boutiques and designer stores in the city. Holly and I got Starbucks for the first time in months! Met Liam and Emma in the library, they grabbed dinner, and then we caught the tram to the Airbus to the airport. At the airport it was funny putting Emma’s new shoes in Liam’s bag. I had to wear Liam’s new hat on the plane. (I was the one who looked the best in it, weird as). The flight was good. Only bad thing that happened was that my ears wouldn’t equalize the pressure. Other than the ears it was an amazing trip!!! Heaps good! Great start to the uni holidays!
Woke up and got dressed for the flight to Melbourne! Told Sean Happy Birthday and then waited for Emma and Josh with Liam. Josh drove us all to the airport for our 6 AM flight. It’s about a 25 minute drive to the airport. Got there and breezed through security (I still can’t get over how lax it is here compared to the States,) and then I got a small coffee while the woman behind me got a shot of vodka!! We had checked in for the flight the night before so it was a very short wait to begin boarding the Airbus 320. I read my book, Shadow Child, during the hour and 15 minute flight. We took the Airbus shuttle from the Tullamarine Airport to the train station (Southern Cross). We walked to Flinders Street Station to meet with Holly who had arrived the morning before. From there we took a tram to our hostel at the Pint on the Punt. It was a neat little Irish pub downstairs and a hostel upstairs. Holly and I shared a room with two other Americans. Liam and Emma got the private room. Holly, Emma, and I walked down to the 7 11 and grabbed some food for lunch.
Once we were settled in we just napped (Liam and Emma), read/wrote (Holly/me, me/Holly). We did that until dinner time. We ate downstairs at the pub and had the special! Liam’s friend, Brendan, came and met with us. From there he took us to the Crown Casino. That place was ginormous! Once inside it looked like it went on forever! There were so many slot machines, blackjack, roulette, poker, etc. tables! It was incredible! We went to the Tangerine Bar first where the security lady would not let Holly or me in because we didn’t have Australian ID or our passports. She was really rude about it, but I just tried to chalk it up to a rough night. We just went to the bar next to it that had so many screens it was hard to tell what was going on! Liam and Brendan had a beer while I watched the soccer game and talked to Emma and Holly. After the boys finished their drinks Brendan took us in the back way of the Tangerine Bar and we got in no problem. Weird as! We wanted to be in this bar because they have a pyrotechnic show every hour on the hour. We caught the tail end of the 9 o’clock show so we hung out on the deck until 10.The boys had more drinks (of course) lol. Emma and I got waters for the girls and inside the bar this random guy starts apologising for stuff he did to me in primary school! Then he asked me how to break up with this girl he was seeing! Emma saved me and we went back outside. The fire show was pretty cool! Worth waiting an hour for! After the show we went downstairs and Liam won $20 dollars at roulette! Yeww! We got some food/dessert and then went to the sports bar. I got a Strongbow and while I was drinkin it the bouncers asked for my ID. When he saw my birthday he was really embarrassed when he told his mate, “she’s 20!” I just smiled and told him no worries. It was funny how apologetic he was when he gave me my license back. Watched a bit of rugby and then we headed out. The walk by the river was really cool. There are so many street artists and the architecture of the buildings was beautiful! The bridges and the plaza were really cool. We tried to take a tram home, but Brendan ended up putting us on the wrong tram that took us way out of the city! It was all good; we just took a taxi home. Then bed time!!!
Sat’day
Woke up around 9, showered and headed down to the pub for breakie. I was the first one up so I read a magazine while I waited for everyone. Whoo hoo. :/ When everyone was ready we walked to St. Kilda Beach. Walked through the park and down the pier. Explored the break water for penguins. Saw a couple way back in the rocks! Also saw a water rat. The boats in the bay were pretty cool too. We could see the city skyline pretty well from the pier. After seeing the penguins we decided to take the tram into town and wandered down Collins Street. Had lunch at a Thai place in one of many arcades and then a delicious watermelon/raspberry smoothie. then we walked down to the big block arcade and looked around the fancy shops. The allies and side streets off the main streets are full of cute little shops and restaurants. The whole city is simply amazing! The whole city was abuzz today because it was the Toyota Australian Football League Grand Final! Tried to get tickets but it was too late by the time we knew the final was the same weekend as our trip. So we just watched the match between the St. Kilda Saints and Collingwood Magpies in Federation Square on the big screen with a whole bunch of people. The atmosphere was zinging with electricity! We only stayed for a while because Liam was bored. So we headed up the river and walked through Kings Domain Park. We saw the Shrine of Remembrance. Daddy would have loved it. It was a memorial for all of the soldiers and veterans who fought in every war Australia and New Zealand were involved in. It was awe-inspiring and beautiful. Liam and Emma were tired so they left before I was finished. So Holly and I stayed at the park a bit longer while they napped. We had dinner at the pub again. Holly and I split the calamari and it was delicious! Tonight was the Bangarra Dance Theatre performance! Of Earth and Sky was shown in the Playhouse Theatre. The show was AMAZING! I wish there were words to describe the way I felt when I was watching it! It was extra special because I discovered the company on the plane over here.
Sunday
Everyone was super tired but I was still up at 9. Went downstairs for tea and let Emma and Liam sleep a bit. Liam wasn’t feeling well so around 10:30 AM we girl to the tram and then a train to the Melbourne Zoo at Royale Park! We saw gorillas, giraffes, penguins, baboons, even baby elephants! Ah! It was so much fun! Especially the seals at feeding time! Oh and the monkeys! Soo cute!
When we had seen everything we took the train to Melbourne Central to meet Liam and Brendan so we could swap keys. The boys went off to do their own thing and Emma wanted to nap, so Holly and I went back to St. Kilda. We walked through the park and then sat on the beach for the sunset. Then wewent back to the breakwater to watch the penguins. Really cool to see but COLD!
My friend Leslie and I are both studying abroad in Australia and we both happened to be in the same state/city! After some serious effort on the trams she made it to the pub for dinner. Oi, it was so good to see her again! After dinner the four of us went to the Eureka Skydeck, the tallest building in Melbourne. Emma, Leslie, and I were the only ones to lay down and look 285 meters below on The Edge! The view of the city is unbeatable from there! So incredible! We stayed until they kicked us out then got some postcards and a thimble. We tried to get ice cream but everything had just closed. Neat window shopping though. Walked Les back to her tram and then crashed into bed.
Monday
Woke up around 9 and packed up to check out. Slow start to the morning but we took a tram into the city and walked to the State Library of Victoria. It was so cool! There were exhibits and the architecture was beautiful. After the library Liam and Emma got sushi. Then they went to a shopping district on the south side of the city. Holly and I went to the Old Melbourne Gaol. We got treated like criminals and were thrown in gaol. After that we wandered through the gaol in the rain and got our mug shots taken. The we partook in the re-enactment of the trial of Edward “Ned” Kelly. I was Ned. Holly was a witness. I learned more about the most famous bushranger in one day than I ever thought I would! Lol We had sometime before we needed to meet with Emma and Liam so we decided to go shopping on Colin and Bourke Streets. Ripcurl, JettySurf, SportyGirl, Dotti, and some other way cool high end shops. Found this AMAZING dress that was just way too much. I had to tear myself away from it! Haha me and a DRESS! Oh and Mum should be proud of me for going into an Adidas superstore and not buying anything! It was fun seeing all the boutiques and designer stores in the city. Holly and I got Starbucks for the first time in months! Met Liam and Emma in the library, they grabbed dinner, and then we caught the tram to the Airbus to the airport. At the airport it was funny putting Emma’s new shoes in Liam’s bag. I had to wear Liam’s new hat on the plane. (I was the one who looked the best in it, weird as). The flight was good. Only bad thing that happened was that my ears wouldn’t equalize the pressure. Other than the ears it was an amazing trip!!! Heaps good! Great start to the uni holidays!
MojoSurf!
10 September, 2010
MojoSurf trip began today!!! :D The bus was late picking us up but it at least picked us up at uni and not in Hexam. I never actually found out where that is. Lol. I got to hang out with Bridget again! The bus ride was about 4 hours. I don’t know where we actually went but it was a private camp with their own private section of beach in the bay. I bunked with Bridget and 10 other people. 11 girls and 1 guy. Bahaha! Whe we got there it was around 1 AM so we just stayed at the bonfire by the beach for a little while. I forgot my contact case so I had to sleep with my contacts in. Oops! We only got about 4 hours of sleep, because wake up was 7 am!
Sat’day
Breakfast was gluten free and yummy! Lesson brief was at 8 and they first lesson at 8:30. My group just hung out in the hammocks and chilled in the sun. We got our wetsuits and hiked out to the beach around 10. We spent a good amount of time learning about waves, the proper board for a person, and different techniques for getting up on the board. Once we got in the water I stood up after about my fifth try! I was so excited! The rest of the lesson went pretty well. I wiped out plenty of times but I stood and rode waves heaps! The instructors called us in for lunch and then we just laid in the sun for a couple hours. Aiden (the cook/surfer who was super attentive to my allergies) water bombed us! It was heaps funny but I didn’t like having a wet towel. Lol
The other group went for their second surf lesson and we headed for the beach. We had a soccer game and the camp dog, Grummy, was a hilarious asset to both teams! The arvo surf was a bit tougher because the tide was going out so the waves were dumping waves. I still managed to get up it just took a while to get the hang of it again. Tweaked my old MCL injury and had to call it a day about 3 minutes before everyone else got called in. Took care of the boards and hung up the wetsuits. Got to take a shower! Yay! Dinner was the most amazing chicken I’ve ever had! :D After dinner we played Jenga to see which table had to do the dishes. For the first in 10 years our group took Jenga as far as Jenga can go! YEWW! Since that didn’t decide it there was a wheat-bix eating contest. Wheat-bix is normally heated and mashed with hot water/milk so you can imagine eating it dry as fast as you can! Yuck! My group lost so we had to do all the dishes. No bigs, it was a good bonding experience. Played cards with people and then went down to the bonfire. I have never seen so many stars in my life! This place was absolutely beautiful! It was mind-bogglingly breath taking!!! I called it a night around midnight because I was in the early morning surf group. There wasn’t much point though because I woke up when all the drunkies came back. Pooh on them
Sunday
This morning required no long talks. Just get your board and go out there! I paddled out with Jordo (one of the surf instructors) to get closer look at the dolphins and whales. It was awesome as! The surf was kinda dead so we had to wait a while between swells quite a bit. Sometimes I just sat on my board and stared at the ocean. It was a pretty chill morning. We got to surf extra long because the second group didn’t all come out (they were a bit hungover). After my knee bummed out for the day just laid in the sun with everyone until lunch. We had a good lunch, ordered our pics and then loaded the bus for home. Slept a lot on the way back to Newy. I was quite sunburnt after that day. I took the piss for it. Lol. Did laundry, watched a movie and then went to bed. It was the best weekend EVER!
MojoSurf trip began today!!! :D The bus was late picking us up but it at least picked us up at uni and not in Hexam. I never actually found out where that is. Lol. I got to hang out with Bridget again! The bus ride was about 4 hours. I don’t know where we actually went but it was a private camp with their own private section of beach in the bay. I bunked with Bridget and 10 other people. 11 girls and 1 guy. Bahaha! Whe we got there it was around 1 AM so we just stayed at the bonfire by the beach for a little while. I forgot my contact case so I had to sleep with my contacts in. Oops! We only got about 4 hours of sleep, because wake up was 7 am!
Sat’day
Breakfast was gluten free and yummy! Lesson brief was at 8 and they first lesson at 8:30. My group just hung out in the hammocks and chilled in the sun. We got our wetsuits and hiked out to the beach around 10. We spent a good amount of time learning about waves, the proper board for a person, and different techniques for getting up on the board. Once we got in the water I stood up after about my fifth try! I was so excited! The rest of the lesson went pretty well. I wiped out plenty of times but I stood and rode waves heaps! The instructors called us in for lunch and then we just laid in the sun for a couple hours. Aiden (the cook/surfer who was super attentive to my allergies) water bombed us! It was heaps funny but I didn’t like having a wet towel. Lol
The other group went for their second surf lesson and we headed for the beach. We had a soccer game and the camp dog, Grummy, was a hilarious asset to both teams! The arvo surf was a bit tougher because the tide was going out so the waves were dumping waves. I still managed to get up it just took a while to get the hang of it again. Tweaked my old MCL injury and had to call it a day about 3 minutes before everyone else got called in. Took care of the boards and hung up the wetsuits. Got to take a shower! Yay! Dinner was the most amazing chicken I’ve ever had! :D After dinner we played Jenga to see which table had to do the dishes. For the first in 10 years our group took Jenga as far as Jenga can go! YEWW! Since that didn’t decide it there was a wheat-bix eating contest. Wheat-bix is normally heated and mashed with hot water/milk so you can imagine eating it dry as fast as you can! Yuck! My group lost so we had to do all the dishes. No bigs, it was a good bonding experience. Played cards with people and then went down to the bonfire. I have never seen so many stars in my life! This place was absolutely beautiful! It was mind-bogglingly breath taking!!! I called it a night around midnight because I was in the early morning surf group. There wasn’t much point though because I woke up when all the drunkies came back. Pooh on them
Sunday
This morning required no long talks. Just get your board and go out there! I paddled out with Jordo (one of the surf instructors) to get closer look at the dolphins and whales. It was awesome as! The surf was kinda dead so we had to wait a while between swells quite a bit. Sometimes I just sat on my board and stared at the ocean. It was a pretty chill morning. We got to surf extra long because the second group didn’t all come out (they were a bit hungover). After my knee bummed out for the day just laid in the sun with everyone until lunch. We had a good lunch, ordered our pics and then loaded the bus for home. Slept a lot on the way back to Newy. I was quite sunburnt after that day. I took the piss for it. Lol. Did laundry, watched a movie and then went to bed. It was the best weekend EVER!
Friday 3 September, 2010
Today was a field trip to the Australian Museum in Sydney. Bright and early got on the bus with the other students in my Aboriginal Studies Class. We spent the morning at the museum being guided through the indigenous Australian exhibit and the rest of the museum. Then we loaded up to go to lunch. I was starving so I just went to Maccas with the others. (Bad idea because I got really sick ). Slept all the way home. Hehe I’m good at that.
Got back in time for the IH Soiree Dinner! My house was South American. I dressed as a military officer from Chilé (pics on facebook). It was a lot of fun seeing everyone’s costumes and hte dinner was pretty good. The kitchen staff made me special chicken! The after party was pretty good too. Had it at Bar 121, it was pretty nice for a social gathering. We played pool, danced, talked on the lounges. It was a pretty cool place. A bus took us all back and then I hung out with people in 510. Discovered that I’m a viper at beer pong! Haha, my partner drank and I took all the shots. It was a good system.
Got back in time for the IH Soiree Dinner! My house was South American. I dressed as a military officer from Chilé (pics on facebook). It was a lot of fun seeing everyone’s costumes and hte dinner was pretty good. The kitchen staff made me special chicken! The after party was pretty good too. Had it at Bar 121, it was pretty nice for a social gathering. We played pool, danced, talked on the lounges. It was a pretty cool place. A bus took us all back and then I hung out with people in 510. Discovered that I’m a viper at beer pong! Haha, my partner drank and I took all the shots. It was a good system.
Week 5
Joined iLEAD (an international leadership program) and went to the first seminar at Newcastle City Hall.
Went on a Reality retreat this weekend. Drove out to Bulahdelah where one of the uni church supporters gives use of their cabin. It was really neat! There was a separate cottage for the girls to bunk in! Pictures of the whole place are on facebook. We got there Friday night and just hung out and played games and drank hot cocoa. fun as! I had a terrible sleep but I was okay just like normal. Saturday morning was beautiful. We had a big breakfast of bacon on the barbie, eggs and toast. (Gluten free toast!) After breakie we had some quiet time and then a group Bible study. Then we split off into smaller groups and had a wonderful discussion. I had to leave early because of Beks engagement party but had a wonderful time anyhow. Got a ride home with Amy. Got to Beks place and no one was there so went back upstairs got some food and came back and then the party started! Haha stayed there for a while and then got a ride to town with Holly and Emily by Rhi and met up with Liam and Sam. Had a pretty good time with them and watched a movie with Sam and Holly.
Sunday Nattie and Emma took me and Holly to the beach for a memorial service for my Aunt Hilda and her Aunt Dottie. We bought some flowers and stood on the rocks and tossed them into the water. It was really beautiful and I was so appreciative to Nattie and Emma for being there.
Went on a Reality retreat this weekend. Drove out to Bulahdelah where one of the uni church supporters gives use of their cabin. It was really neat! There was a separate cottage for the girls to bunk in! Pictures of the whole place are on facebook. We got there Friday night and just hung out and played games and drank hot cocoa. fun as! I had a terrible sleep but I was okay just like normal. Saturday morning was beautiful. We had a big breakfast of bacon on the barbie, eggs and toast. (Gluten free toast!) After breakie we had some quiet time and then a group Bible study. Then we split off into smaller groups and had a wonderful discussion. I had to leave early because of Beks engagement party but had a wonderful time anyhow. Got a ride home with Amy. Got to Beks place and no one was there so went back upstairs got some food and came back and then the party started! Haha stayed there for a while and then got a ride to town with Holly and Emily by Rhi and met up with Liam and Sam. Had a pretty good time with them and watched a movie with Sam and Holly.
Sunday Nattie and Emma took me and Holly to the beach for a memorial service for my Aunt Hilda and her Aunt Dottie. We bought some flowers and stood on the rocks and tossed them into the water. It was really beautiful and I was so appreciative to Nattie and Emma for being there.
August 20-21 Trip to Sydney for the Weekend
Friday Morning
It was craziness trying to get everyone packed into the car and ready to go. I was ready and came over to Teds to meet everyone. Then Holly needed my phone charger and meds so I had to run back. Then Jono wasn’t even finished packing! Natalie and I just sat outside on our bags, waiting. Eventually everything was settled and we piled into Jono’s car for the road trip to Sydney! Tim got shotgun (as per usual in Jono’s car) and the girls got the backseat. Jono’s car had been broken into a couple of weeks ago so there was no music except for the iPad (which you could barely hear in the car). So we played I Spy almost the whole way there. Circles and cats! Squres and Colours! I was so glad that Jno was driving because I am pretty sure that he is the only person on Earth who actually likes city driving! Weird as, yeah?! :P Sydney is an incredible city. We found a Wallaby Street but there is no such place as 42 Wallaby Way Sydney. We even Google-mapped it. Sad hey?
We got into Sydney in decent time and found Nat’s dad’s apartment pretty easily with the bossy GPS. ;) From there we decided to go to the Broadway Mall and meet our friend Khema there. Had Maccas for lunch (I had Gloria Jean’s coffee ). The boys were looking for Samurai swords for some random reason. They were super expensive in the first shop we went into so we left there and went down to Patty’s Market. That place was huge!!! There were so many booths and stalls filled with all kinds of things! Jerseys to swords to fans to dolls to UGG boots! You could easily get lost in there and spend all day trying to get out. We made sure we were on each other’s heels the entire time. Luckily Khema knew her way around. We found some swords the boys were happy with and I helped Nat pick out a fan and Holly a cute turtle figurine.
At this point because we had left Newcastle so late we were rapidly running out of time before we had to meet Tim’s brother. So we took Nat home because she wasn’t feeling well. The boys changed and we were off. We parked outside a Maccas near the university and walked to the uni theatre. We met Chris and went out for some Thai food before the show that Chris was on the production team for. Jono actually liked Thai food! That was his first time trying it and he LIKED it!!! (He is an incredibly picky eater.) The food was delicious, but there was too much and we couldn’t get take away boxes. Before the show we walked around campus and saw the library and the physics lawn. Before we knew it, it was show time! The production was really funny. It was more like a bunch of mini skits and dances and songs. It was very unique and very entertaining. “This pillow pulls together the entire colour scheme!” A male saying this with arm motions. Bzzt! Answer! Hehehe. Hilarious! After the show we joined the cast and crew at Churchill Sports Bar where I had my first hard cider (and first alcoholic drink). It was not bad except for the bubbles.
We stayed for a while and then headed back to Nat’s and watched an episode of NCIS. Then the boys stole our bed, so Nat slept on the lounge in the lounge room. I was so tired and over all the crock the boys were throwing at us so we managed to fit me, Holly, Jono, and Timmy on the bed sleeping width-wise. Somehow I ended up on the floor wrapped in some decoration blanket thing and Timmy stole the entire doona. I woke up to Jono saying that he and Holly were spooning to stay warm. Hehe it was a very funny/awkward situation in the morning.
Sat’day
We parked in the Broadway mall like yesterday, grabbed a morning snack and then hopped on a train to the Circular Quay at Darling Harbour. We walked around a bit and got some great photos of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Met Khema and Emma at the Sydney Opera House and took pictures on the steps. We couldn’t spend a lot of time with them because Jono and Timmy booked IMAX tickets for Inception. It was pretty cool because Sydney has the world’s largest IMAX theatre but I couldn’t sit still for the movie. After the movie we walked around the boardwalk and took pictures from the skyview and fountains. Before going home we rode the ferris wheel! It was fun! We found the car much more easily this time. (Last time the boys didn’t pay attention to where they parked in the carpark and refused to listen to Nat.) Had a sleepy ride home. Then Holly and I went out on the town with some of my roommates. Twas a good night! Went to an Irish pub (Finn and Chools), then the Kent Hotel for an IH birthday and finished the night off at MJ Finnegans! Cider was involved.
It was craziness trying to get everyone packed into the car and ready to go. I was ready and came over to Teds to meet everyone. Then Holly needed my phone charger and meds so I had to run back. Then Jono wasn’t even finished packing! Natalie and I just sat outside on our bags, waiting. Eventually everything was settled and we piled into Jono’s car for the road trip to Sydney! Tim got shotgun (as per usual in Jono’s car) and the girls got the backseat. Jono’s car had been broken into a couple of weeks ago so there was no music except for the iPad (which you could barely hear in the car). So we played I Spy almost the whole way there. Circles and cats! Squres and Colours! I was so glad that Jno was driving because I am pretty sure that he is the only person on Earth who actually likes city driving! Weird as, yeah?! :P Sydney is an incredible city. We found a Wallaby Street but there is no such place as 42 Wallaby Way Sydney. We even Google-mapped it. Sad hey?
We got into Sydney in decent time and found Nat’s dad’s apartment pretty easily with the bossy GPS. ;) From there we decided to go to the Broadway Mall and meet our friend Khema there. Had Maccas for lunch (I had Gloria Jean’s coffee ). The boys were looking for Samurai swords for some random reason. They were super expensive in the first shop we went into so we left there and went down to Patty’s Market. That place was huge!!! There were so many booths and stalls filled with all kinds of things! Jerseys to swords to fans to dolls to UGG boots! You could easily get lost in there and spend all day trying to get out. We made sure we were on each other’s heels the entire time. Luckily Khema knew her way around. We found some swords the boys were happy with and I helped Nat pick out a fan and Holly a cute turtle figurine.
At this point because we had left Newcastle so late we were rapidly running out of time before we had to meet Tim’s brother. So we took Nat home because she wasn’t feeling well. The boys changed and we were off. We parked outside a Maccas near the university and walked to the uni theatre. We met Chris and went out for some Thai food before the show that Chris was on the production team for. Jono actually liked Thai food! That was his first time trying it and he LIKED it!!! (He is an incredibly picky eater.) The food was delicious, but there was too much and we couldn’t get take away boxes. Before the show we walked around campus and saw the library and the physics lawn. Before we knew it, it was show time! The production was really funny. It was more like a bunch of mini skits and dances and songs. It was very unique and very entertaining. “This pillow pulls together the entire colour scheme!” A male saying this with arm motions. Bzzt! Answer! Hehehe. Hilarious! After the show we joined the cast and crew at Churchill Sports Bar where I had my first hard cider (and first alcoholic drink). It was not bad except for the bubbles.
We stayed for a while and then headed back to Nat’s and watched an episode of NCIS. Then the boys stole our bed, so Nat slept on the lounge in the lounge room. I was so tired and over all the crock the boys were throwing at us so we managed to fit me, Holly, Jono, and Timmy on the bed sleeping width-wise. Somehow I ended up on the floor wrapped in some decoration blanket thing and Timmy stole the entire doona. I woke up to Jono saying that he and Holly were spooning to stay warm. Hehe it was a very funny/awkward situation in the morning.
Sat’day
We parked in the Broadway mall like yesterday, grabbed a morning snack and then hopped on a train to the Circular Quay at Darling Harbour. We walked around a bit and got some great photos of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Met Khema and Emma at the Sydney Opera House and took pictures on the steps. We couldn’t spend a lot of time with them because Jono and Timmy booked IMAX tickets for Inception. It was pretty cool because Sydney has the world’s largest IMAX theatre but I couldn’t sit still for the movie. After the movie we walked around the boardwalk and took pictures from the skyview and fountains. Before going home we rode the ferris wheel! It was fun! We found the car much more easily this time. (Last time the boys didn’t pay attention to where they parked in the carpark and refused to listen to Nat.) Had a sleepy ride home. Then Holly and I went out on the town with some of my roommates. Twas a good night! Went to an Irish pub (Finn and Chools), then the Kent Hotel for an IH birthday and finished the night off at MJ Finnegans! Cider was involved.
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