DUDE! I'm Loving It!

Melbourne has proven to blow me away each minute!

After I finished up my blog, I walked over to the National Gallery of Victoria. I didn't go inside, it was too late in the day to take my time, so I sat outside against the art sculptures and focused on my next leg of travels.

Bird chillin with me.

I didn't really have a plan, just knew I'd be leaving during the weekend sometime.

I called a few Kangaroo Island WWOOFing places -- all of which were too busy. So I decided to call the lady that owns a Beach bungalow in Adelaide. She picked up and apologized for not getting back to me sooner -- I had called her from the airport on Friday. She said if I could only stay for 3 days, she'd love to house me. SH-WEETT! She must know how boring Adelaide is -- so a few days would be a perfect fit! Plus, it'll get me over to Perth much sooner.

We spoke a little bit about the living situation -- I'll be staying in the lounge room on the couch and be doing a few household chores for her. Hey. It's free accommodation and free food. I can put up with anything.

After hanging up with my new WWOOF host, Barbara, I was so excited I called my mom. Little did I know she had gone out of town and my bro was staying at her house. We chatted a bit about our lives and all was good.

I decided to text Mr. Denby, to see if he was still in Melbourne and of course he had already left. BUT. He turned around just to be able to see me -- one. more. time.

Man. I feel special.

So, we met up where we "first met" and went and had a beer on the balcony of a restaurant called Blue Train. It overlooks the Yarra river which runs through Melbourne's downtown area. We had a great little chat about his job -- he's an elementary school teacher of 3-4th graders. How cute! He was telling me about his kids and how much he really enjoys his job.

*my heart melts*

We were going to say our goodbyes, but instead we heard some live music coming from the bar downstairs. It's an Irish pub called P.J. O'Brien's and there was a one-man band singing Irish ditties that, of course, everyone in the pub knew. It was really wonderful.

Denby invited me to see his band play on Wednesday -- he's in a band with his mom.

Not. Lying.

He plays bass and his mom plays the violin. Too. Cute.

I said yes, but later on I found out there isn't a late night train from his hometown, so I'd have to stay the night. Not sure I'm ready for that........

Anyway. We said our goodbyes -- awwwkkwwaarrdd -- he's a nervous little guy, so it wasn't the best of hugs...it was like a half hug with our butts sticking out.

Anyway. I met up with a guy I met from the net a few months back -- when I still was in the States. We went to a drive-in movie, yes I know what you're thinking, and, being that this was my first time EVER to a drive-in, I was more than enthusiastic about the movie. THE MOVIE. Not him. Not him in the slightest, actually. Although he was rather attractive. Romanian to be exact.

Anyway. That was night and I walked my happy ass home to my hostel in North Melbourne.

The next morning, I woke up ready to move into my new hostel. Had breakfast with Gemma (whoopty-doo!) and then took a cab to Urban Central. I got there around noon, but couldn't check in til 2pm, so I setup shop in the kitchen on my laptop for the next TWO HOURS.

Finally, two hours were up and I made my way to check in.

"Oh sorry, our clean-up crew is taking too long, check out is at 2:30pm"

So, I went into the bar area and watched some movie with George Clooney. I was just starting to get into it when, BAM, the damn barmaid turns on the lights and turns the movie off.

Huh? Weird. But whatever.

I check in and get to my HUGE room. There are two bunk beds but there's so much room! I love it! Another girl comes in, she's actually from San Fransisco. So we get to chatting about our experiences thus far and she takes off to meet a girl she met online.

Another girl, who had already been staying there, comes in and we talk about where she's been, that she's leaving the next day to go to Sydney and she's from Switzerland -- on her way home in a few days.

I leave her to go meet up with Minelle and Tracy and some of Tracy's new co-workers. We meet up at a bar called Young & Jacksons -- right across the street from Findlers station and Federation Square. Of course, they're on the rooftop which proved to be cool...but not that cool -- we couldn't see anything but walls and the tall buildings next to it. Eh. We were still outside and that's cool.

We move on to a bar called The Public Bar. It's a $5 cover charge and after looking in the mirror, I decide it would be in my best interest NOT to drink. But. The jugs (pitchers) were only $4.50. I mean. I can't resist that!

So, we start drinking and Paul, Tracy's co-worker at a coffeeshop, who's from the UK, starts cracking me up. This guy is so funny. We just go back and forth making fun of accents. We had the Aussie hillbilly accent, the Dirty South accent, the Ghetto accent, etc. We didn't stop. All night we kept going back and forth. It was a bit...O.O.C. -- out of control.

We left that bar and went to this dive in the middle of the city. You would've NEVER known it was there unless a local took you. Luckily, Paul's very friendly so he's gotten to know A LOT of people. Not sure the name of this place but it was located at Elizabeth St and Abeckett St. You go up 2 flights of stairs and then you're in this really chill, relaxed atmosphere. We sat and chitchatted while Tracy fell asleep. She left shortly after and then we decided to do a few shots.

The first being, tequila. Paul's choice.

That quickly brought back memories of Mexico. Oh dear god, did that bring back memories. Eeek.

We started talking about modern art and how f'd up it is. We actually got to thinking and BAM, we officially have our own idea for a new piece. We're going to win a Pulitzer price. or something comparable. I think. Maybe one day I'll explain it to you. But the piece's name is SICK.

After another shot, called Skittles (say that with a British accent) which is cointreau and red bull -- and yes, it actually does taste like skittles, we moved on to a bar you would NEVER find on your own. NEVER.

It was located in Chinatown down a dark, dark, graffiti'd alleyway. An alleyway you'd only go down if you didn't value your life. But hey! I'm in Melbourne, with two people, what could go wrong?!

It was called the Croft Institute -- located on Croft Ave. It was designed like a 1950's mental institution with syringes and straight-jackets sporadically decorated around. The colors of that place really made you feel like you were in a mental institution. It was pretty awesome. Paul ordered all of us a mojito, minus the soda and the rum. What does that give you? Oo -- tequila, apple, sugar water and mint. W.T.F.

Paul & Minelle doing what they do best.

Anyway... after a few sips of those...it was time to take care of business. The worst part being...the ladies' bathroom. I thought I was going to die. There was no light except for a soft blue hue and there was definitely a stretcher located in the bathroom.

I. Couldn't. Pee.

I had to go use the men's bathroom since it had a bit more light. But yes. I ran down the stairs fearing for my life. FEARING.

Anyway. We all decide it's time to call it a night. On our walk home, Paul and I kept doing our ridiculous country/ghetto/southern/redneck accents all the while Minelle kept telling us to be quiet. She was definitely playing the Mom role that night.

A sign for a bar -- on the sidewalk.

We walk by a bar that's still open, and being the curious threesome we are, we decide to walk in. Too bad the bartender was a DICK. He tells us he'll serve us, but we have 5 minutes to drink it. Of course, I want nothing to do with the asshole-ish bartender, but Paul decides to have a shot of vodka. Belvedere to be exact.

He loves it and I profess it's my mom's favorite vodka. Awwwww.

Afterwards, Paul and Minelle hop a cab back to Richmond area. And I walk my happy ass home. This place is really that cool that a girl can walk home by herself. Well. I did contemplate how heavy my purse was and how much damage it could really do. And I say, heaps. Besides. I felt safer walkin in the streets in the dark all by my lonesome, more so than that damn ladies' room at the Institution. Srsly.

The best part -- when I walked into the hostel, I ran into a guy I worked with at the Peat's Ridge Music Festival during New Years. HOW RANDOM!

He recognized me right away and took me over to meet his friends. We played a round of pool and then I called it a night.

Woke up the next day feeling grrrr-eat and took a 10K walk around Albert's Lake.
It's right up Clarendon st which I found all kinds of cool bars, cafes, restaurants and shops. Thrift shops included. (Don't worry, I held myself back).

Here's a good idea of the kinds of "artwork" you'll find on Melbourne's walls.

Then I met up with Minelle (and Gemma..ugh) for lunch (um, a veggie steamed bun from some Asian shop -- delicious!) and walked over to Tracy's coffeehouse. Minelle's looking for a job and thought she'd talk to the boss to see what kind of hook-up he has around Melbourne.

Minelle and I walked to the Big W (comparable to Wal-Mart) so I could buy me some new pants. I told you. My ass is getting too big. We found this AMAZING shop (called the QV) that had pretty much anything and everything you could want. I love discovering things in Melbourne. It's so easy and so much better than the touristy stuff!!

We split our ways, she went to see the movie "He's just not that into you" -- which I've already seen and I went home to change.

Yes. I said change. I found a Hot Yoga place just a couple blocks from the hostel. It's a $19 introductory fee and you basically can go as much as you want for 10 days. I say, no prob -- I'm only here for 5...why not go twice a day.

Yeah. It sucked. I sweated my life out and had to sit out a few times. That sh!t is crazy hard. It's called Bikram Yoga. Which is the practice of yoga in the HEAT. The 40 degree heat. And by 40 Celcius, I mean 104 degrees people. Insanity. The first few minutes were okay, but the next 75 minutes of the class (for a total of 90 minutes) was crucial. I wanted to die.

Die.

Now, I did try it once in Jax, unsuccessfully I might add, but thought I'd try something different while in Australia. And you know what -- I felt special that I got through it and convinced myself to go at least one more time...

Count my words. Count 'em.

Off to dinner in Lygon street (a.k.a. Little Italy) so I can consume more calories than I burned today! Yay, Fatty!

Let us bow our heads...

Well after a night like that, one must be saying to themselves, "it can't get any worse than that! It's all uphill from here!"

Wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Just. Plain. Wrong.

I woke up about 9am, ready to take on another glorious, sunny day in Australia. I had made plans yesterday to "treat" myself to the Museum of Contemporary Art in The Rocks (near the Sydney Harbour).

After getting my ass in gear, I was on my way to Circular Quay, listening to my ipod and rocking out. My lip still hurt and it'd worsen during the night.

But I carried on and was ready to take in some Art.

I hopped off the bus, gathered my things and decided to walk through the train station. At Circular Quay there are a ton of musicians and street performers, which the train/bus/ferry station is known for. I looked up, saw the Museum and decided this would be an opportune time to capture the moment. I stopped near the railing along the Harbour Bay and began to put away my ipod, unload my camera and check my phone all at once.

DISASTROUS COMBINATION.

Take a guess -- which one was it? Oh. No worries, wasn't an important one at all.

JUST. MY. CAMERA.

It jumped right out of my hand, cracked against the concrete and *SPLASH*, right into the lovely Harbour water. You know when people say things happen in slow motion. Yup. That's the same thing that happened here. I gasped, I watched and *plop* it was gone. GONE.

If that camera was waterproof, I would've seriously jumped right in there after it -- not one 2nd thought.

I stood there for about a minute. Looked around to see if anyone else noticed (which, of course, no one did) and walked over to the museum. This is one of those moments you really just need to talk to someone. Especially with someone that you can tell repeatedly how effin' stupid you are.

Yup. I called my mom.

I sat down on the stairs of the museum and cried. Again. This is starting to become a daily ritual. Not a healthy one either.

She calmed me down and before you knew it, I was off, walking along Pitt St to find an electronics store. Sorry, but I really can't go a day without my camera....or at least a camera. Bought myself a new Sony - nothing fancy, just something decent enough to get through my time here in Australia. Which I'm starting to question how long I'll really be here. "Stick it out" says my adventurous, masochistic side. "Get the H outta here" says my brain...and my self-esteem.

And. FYI. I'm glad I didn't jump in after my camera. I walked back to take a picture of my camera's new resting place and saw a sh!tload of jellies swimming around.

That situation could've easily gone from bad to worse in .25 seconds.

I walked back to the museum because by golly -- that's what I came into the city to do damnit!! I was really glad I did too because I saw some really F'd up art. I loved it. Especially this one.

All of the artist's statues lacked heads. It was something else. Very intriguing. That's a picture of a postcard, by the way. I only was able to take 4 pictures on the camera's internal memory stick.

I also really thought this art struck home.

There were four mirrors on the wall -- each were broken in their own way and distorted your reflection differently. It spoke to me -- it helps explain my emotional state right now and all my crazy experiences I've been having since coming to OZ. Sometimes the pieces fit, make sense, other times, I feel like an incomplete puzzle.

Afterwards, I hopped a bus to go to Bondi since Melanie and I needed a few supplies for our "camping adventure" happening tomorrow. Little did I know what big ticket items we were in need of -- ugh -- and I ended up carrying around big bags of groceries. I felt like a total tool. However, I will let you know that I am an amazing bargain shopper and I win when it comes to spending very little on items that are usually more expensive.

After that extravaganza, I finally was en route to Coogee. Yay. Home away from home. Well, I hopped another bus and picked the best seat "in the house." Whoops. Wrong again. It started to downpour, which made me happy because I missed walked around in it, however, the bus decided it wanted to take leak. And it wanted to take a leak on my head. That bus, basically, pissed all over me. Some old lady was sitting next to me and kind of just looked and smiled. WTF?! Once the bus came to a stop, I told her to get her ass up so I could move. Jerk. My ass was completely soaked. Everyone just looked at me with a pitiful smile. Way to go me.

So. Let's take a few minutes and mourn the loss of one of my very good friends, Mr. Camera. He was really, really good to me, but I guess his time was up. After purchasing my new camera, I reflected on why bad stuff keeps happening to me. But, perhaps, this is a sign. A sign that I need to let go of what I know, what I remember about how things are supposed to be, and open myself up to new opportunities. New, Australian opportunities. I'm stuck in this, "well, back home..." phase and it's just not working out for me. How about, "Well...here in Australia, they do it this way and that way rocks." Oh boy. I think I have some learning to do.

Anyway. The nice folks at Sony were kind enough to find a few pictures taken with me and my camera. We grew very close over this past year so it was hard to lose one another. Here's a slide show of a few events we attended.

Mr. Camera and I betting on horses at the Randwick Races, Boxing Day, 2008.

Mr. Camera lounging on a beach chair in Anguilla, The Carribbean, January 2008.

Our favorite passtime, napping, Sunday Afternoons, circa 2008.

Meant for each other, December 2008.

In loving memory
Mr. Camera.
Devoted Camera, Devoted Friend.
Thanks for capturing all the good times.

Down Under. Officially.

I have arrived. Here I am. In Australia. In freakin Sydney Australia. Whoa.

I'm not gonna lie, my flight over there was awesome. Although my 14-1/2 hour flight sounded absolutely dreadful, I freakin loved every minute. I watched like 18 movies, drank a beer (Victoria Bitter thanks to the suggestion from my friend Jess) and ate. A lot. I know, totally strange.

So. Here I am! I haven't been to bed yet and met some crazy people at the airport. Only to meet even more weirdos as the time goes on. 

Tonight -- Drinks with the program that helped me get over here. Hopefully I'll meet like-minded people? Job? Please?!?

Tomorrow -- Orientation at 10 am. This better give me some better bearings or else I'M OUT! Off to some other city...looking for some fun Outback. BRING. IT. ON.

Much love to all of those who have been in contact with me! And especially those who chose to be so supportive! Keep in coming..this is just the beginning!