Oi, Sydney!

I really love self-proclaimed vacations. They really truly are the best, especially when you know all of your friends are stuck in class, whether that is in Australia or back home in the US. While they were all doing that, I was traveling to Sydney for 6 days with Hamish and Holly.

Courtney and the 2 H's. Speaking of "H" Australians pronounce "H" like "HAY-CH". It might be the oddest thing about them. Saying it the way they do doesn't even make sense. I'll give them "Zed" cause that sort of makes sense.... Except, why must they change all the sounds of the letters? Honestly. Regardless.

Sydney was amazing. We stayed at a 4 star hotel right in the CBD, about a 10 minutes walk from the harbour. We were able to afford it because we said there were only 2 adults in the room, and we then snuck Holly in. We almost got caught a few times, but we were able to drunkenly sort that out, though I don't really remember how we were able to do that...

It was Hamish's first time on an airplane before, by the way. Crazy stuff! Anyway, the first full day was spent doing touristy things. We went up the Sydney Tower and got an awesome view of everything from the harbour to the airport and even the SCG (Sydney Cricket Grounds). Then we went down to the harbour and walked up to the Opera House and part way over the harbour bridge. It was beautiful and we were loving the gorgeous weather. Later in the day, we met up with Stephen at a bar in Coogee Beach where he lives, and saw him play his guitar at a pub. We also hung out at Bondi for the afternoon.

Holly and I at Bondi

It was so great cause I got to see both of my cousins, as well as 2 of my friends from High School who moved back out to Australia with their family after being in the US for 7 years. Also, made a few new friends through Stephen, and of course saw Joel. We spent a lot of time down at Darling Harbour, which was beautiful and my favourite spot in Sydney. We also did a harbour cruise, which gave us awesome views around the city, and climbed the pylons on the bridge, which was the cheaper alternative to climbing the bridge. Also took a few trips on the awesome monorail! We went to Oxford Street, the gay part of town, and partied there, and also went to a pub in the city, and utilized our awesome hotel for some pre-drinking awesomeness.

Stephen, Me, and Holly at Darling Harbour

We had a few hilarious experiences. Firstly, Anzac Day was amazing. Besides the fact that we woke up early thinking things would be open to shop and wasted a few hours walking around, it was one of the best days. After meeting up with Joel and Andrew, we all wandered around for a while trying to find a pub that wasn't overflowing. Anzac Day, for the Americans reading this, Anzac stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. On this day, they celebrate the fallen, and celebrate by getting drunk and playing 2-up. 2-Up is apparently illegal on all other days except Anzac Day. So as one can expect, its a huge party day. We ended up at a pretty chill pub, and watched the Footy game (COLLINGWOOD VS. ESSENDON- YEAH MAGPIES!)... After a few drinks, we were all feeling pretty good and decided to head out. On the way out, we ran into group of people made up of a woman my mothers age, a man older than my father, and 3 young hot army guys. We figured they knew each other, but it turned out, the older man was a stranger to all of them, but like true Aussies, they bonded over beer. The woman and man were both drunk, and the 3 younger guys kept apologizing to us for their behaviour. We had a long conversation with them- the man is a pilot for Qantas and flies the A380! Stephen and I got excited and we thought he might have been our pilot on the day we flew here, but he checked his schedule and he wasn't flying that day. Oh well. Anyway, the woman's son was in Afghanistan, so she asked us, as awesome Americans, to say something to him on video. It was funny. Then, the best part.... The man opens his wallet up and hands me 5 bucks for a drink. The woman calls him cheap, and then the young army guy opens up his wallet and hands me 20 dollars. Feeling cheap, the old guy hands me another 5. We ended up with 30 dollars... and then the weird questions started coming about what ELSE we would do for money.... we promptly left before it got any weirder.

Pre-drinks at the hotel with Hamish, Steve, Holly & I.
P.S. Holly curled my hair <3

The second hilarious experience was Holly and I were sitting at the Opera house. Some Chinese tourist who spoke little english came up to me and said "picture". Assuming he wanted me to take a photo of him, I stood up and was promptly told to stand in place. Holly as well. Then his friend took his camera and snapped a photo of us 2 Americans and the Chinese guy. He didn't get that we weren't Australians... so I am now in some tourists photo album. Wonderful.

Sydney Harbour

Another last funny thing, was that I really wanted to use the word "Oi" in a text. Aussies says Oi all the time, and seem to use it in whatever context. So I decided to be Australian. And in a text message I wrote, "Oi, me too". Which in the context, made absolutely NO sense. And Hamish, my Australian friend, laughed at me for it. But it's fine, I was drunk. A perfect excuse for anything and everything.

All in all it was a great trip. Sydney's weather was gorgeous. I love Melbourne, though, and it was great to be back!

For the Good Ole' Collingwood!

Last night, Laura and I went to the MCG for a Footy game: Collingwood Magpies vs. Hawthorn Hawks. This was the first Footy game I went to at the MCG, though I went to a pre-season game at Etihad Stadium earlier in March. The MCG is an amazing stadium: holding close to 100,000 people. Last night's game had an attendance of 67,000 people. Let me tell you, the roar of the crowd was crazy.

MCG on a different day (Sold out!)

As I was sitting there with Laura, I thought about the population of Australia: 22 Million. Therefore, if you were to make 220 MCG stadiums, you could fit the entire country into them. How rediculous is that! It's so crazy that a country with such a large land mass, can have so few people.

Anyway, Laura and I made a decision to be Magpie fans, since her roommate barracks for the Magpies, and my friend Hamish does too. It was a really good game, and the Magpies kicked the Hawks asses. Footy is one of my favorite sports to watch- I mean, how did I live without this sport for so long? They wear no protective gear, only a mouthguard and probably a cup. But, it is so violent, with guys getting hit and injured all over the place. Last night, one guy got hit so hard that he was knocked out cold for a good few minutes. They brought out the stretcher, and he was carried off the field. This is a common occurance in Footy.

Getting the crowd excited!

For those of you who are from back home, here is a glimpse into Footy. Footy is NOT rugby. It is known as Aussie Rules Football, and it's like no other sport, though it could be like a mix between American Football and Rugby, but a million times better. Check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hqosNvv5E

At the end of the game, they play the team theme song. Laura and I vowed to learn the words by the time we go to the next game. It makes me want to dance every time I hear it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2bKb6pF24s

There is the link for your entertainment. Anyway, it was a great sober night, and we got some bubble tea after in Chinatown, and watched some street performers do a duet on the guitar. Absolutely beautiful.

A non-Sober Day in May at the Footy- Laura and I

The rest of my weekend will now be spent procrastinating, which is what this blog entry is a result of, and attempting to write a Behavioural Economics paper. I have 700 words out of approximately 3,000. We shall see how far I get into it, but it must be done by Wednesday morning, since on Wednesday night my friend Hamish and I are going to Sydney for 6 days! I am super excited. More to come later, plus photos from my trip, soon!

Bogans, Kangaroos, & Keep to the left!

It's been a great trip around Southern Australia with my parents. Left Tasmania after a lovely time with Sue and Gordon. We explored lots of where they live- in Primrose Sands- like the beach, an the Tasmanian Devil Park and Port Arthur, the old prison. We also had a huge family reunion with long lost relatives who lived in Tas! I will definitely have to go back there before I go home in July- or when I move back! It was gorgeous and so relaxing.

Mom, Dad, and I at Port Arthur

After Tasmania, we flew to Adelaide- which was really nice. It was a cute, quiet, laid back city and we did a lot of walking around. We went to an Aboriginal museum, Ayers House, and did some tourist shopping. My Mum's eye was bothering her, so we went to the ER and turns out she had pink eye! There is something weird about my family and pinkeye, because we get it all the time!

Anyway, we had some delicious meals in Adelaide- and I got to have some crocodile, kangaroo, emu, wallaby.... I think that about covers it. The first night we ate at a pub, and my parents were all weirded out because we ordered the food at the counter- which is something that isn't really done in the U.S at a place where you are going to eat dinner. But the food was amazing and it was really fun. We ended up walking back from dinner and saw a nighttime art display, of some artwork being projected onto a building. Pictures to come.

The next night, we as we were walking to dinner, we stopped along an overpass, on the sidewalk. My Mum was taking photographs, and I stood next to her, looking down at the traffic passing below us, and the tram tracks. I decided to check my phone, and reached into my purse.... grabbed my phone.. and then it accidentally slipped out of my hands... and FLEW off the overpass! I watched it land SMACK onto the cement, on the tram tracks, about 30 feet below. I couldn't believe I had just dropped my beloved blackberry off an overpass! I bounded down the stairs to down below, and went to pick up the pieces of the phone- everything was all in one piece, but the battery and back of the phone had come off. Luckily there was no tram coming, and I put my phone back together. The whole time my Dad was saying "There is no way this is going to work again"... and he was waiting for my "tantrum" to start.... well, to everyone's disbelief, my phone WORKED! I have had no problems with it... it's very confusing, considering when I dropped it 2 feet onto the bathroom floor last summer it broke... I guess I was just very lucky!

Anyway, after Adelaide, we headed to Kangaroo Island, on a dinky little 33 seater propeller plane. The flight was only about 25 minutes, and turned out not to be bad at all. I had never been on a plane that small, but it was pleasant. We rented a car on Kangaroo Island and drove to the otherside of the island, away from Kingcote and got to our hotel, which was gorgeous and was set back in the bush. There was wildlife all around! We went through the national park and saw lots of seals! We also stopped at a wildlife park where we saw all the native animals, and I fed lots of Kangroos. One slobbered all over me! But it was cute. Also had a conversation with a parrot. That night, at our hotel, we were sitting at dinner on the enclosed veranda- and the resident kangaroo hopped in and started sniffing around the table!

The next day in Kangroo Island, we headed to Kingscote and stopped along the way at a Sand Dune, which was totally awesome but felt out of place. It was a huge Sand Dune and people were sledding down. I wanted to, but I didnt have a sled and cardboard didn't work.

Me on the top of the Sand Dune

Later on, we made a surprise stop at Sandra's Bed and Breakfast. I had met Sandra on the wine tour up in the Yarra Valley, and was told of her B&B- so my parents and I headed over to her place. It was so nice to see her- I'm so glad we got to stop by. After that, we stopped at a honey/bee producer and had a little tour and taste of honey. Delicious. Only a few kms down the road, was our hotel and we checked in and quickly headed to see a Pelican feeding at the harbour. Later that night, we went on a penguin tour!

Pelican Feeding

Overall, Kangaroo Island was great- we saw SO much wildlife. Wild Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, gowana (huge lizard thing), seals, lots of birds! It was so wonderful to experience it all. We flew back to Adelaide on the dinky propeller plane, through Kingscote Airport- with no security. We got to the airport early (As my mother always is early) and nothing was open yet. It was hilarious.

Arrived in Adelaide yesterday but rented a car and drove out to the Barossa Valley. It is a beautiful wine region, that specializes in the production of red wine. We went to Peter Lehmann, Jacob's Creek and Penfolds. My favorite was probably Jacob's Creek, which we visited this morning at 10am. It was a nice morning boost. After staying overnight in a cute cottage accommodation, and trying wine at Jacob's Creek at 10am, we headed down to Mt. Gambier.

Jacob's Creek, Barossa Valley

From Mt. Gambier we drove back along the Great Ocean Road, stopping at all of the main attractions, which I had seen on my first trip out there. It was particularly windy and cold that day, so our stops were brief. We did a Treetop walk, which was totally awesome- the metal walkway is elevated in the treetops. So neat.

All and all, it's been a great tip. We've done so much, seen so much and had quite a few laughs, particularly about my parents new vocab word: "bogan," in which they enjoy using freely and in the wrong context.

After we arrived back to Melbourne, we had a few touristy days together. Mum and Dad went off to explore while I had class, and then when I had my Tuesday off, we went to the Melbourne Gaol (pronounced Jail), which was super cool and was the site of the execution of Austalian's version of Jesse James. After experiencing what it would be like to be arrested, we headed off to the MCG where we took an hour and a half tour of the stadium, getting to see the locker room and upscale bars that we wouldn't normally be able to see. We also got to sit on the players bench.

Us at the MCG!

It was amazing being able to see my parents!

I Am Descended From a Convict...

One upon a time, many years ago, my long lost relative who is dead now, stole a calf.... To feed his hungry family in England. He got busted... and as punishment, along with thousands of other convicts, got shipped off to paradise...errr, Australia. I wish my parents would ship me off to Australia as punishment (Oh wait, is that what this semester is?)...

Anyway, today I learned that my great great great (great?) grandfather was a convict. Totally awesome, right!? Indeed. Apparently, it is something to take pride in here in Australia! Of course, the crimes were petty, so, no I'm not boasting about a murderous relative. I am officially, therefore, 1/16th Aussie. TAKE THAT. After this relative had children, his children went over to New Zealand, and started the Lindsay family, which my mother came from.

Here's my relative arriving in Australia... kidding.

My parents arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning! I surprised them by meeting them at their hotel and it was so exciting! We walked around the city and went to the QV market and then I showed them where I live. We ate dinner on Lygon Street at an Italian Restaurant that convinced us to eat their by offerring a free bottle of wine and Bruschetta. YUM!

Yesterday morning, we left Melbourne and flew to Tasmania. Gordon met us at the airport! Gordon and my Mum have been friends for 40 years- when they both lived in NZ. Gordon married Sue and they moved to Tassie recently. They let us stay at their place, which is in Primrose Sands, about an hour outside of Hobart in the countryside, but on the beach. Absolutely gorgeous. After exploring the area yesterday, we woke up bright and early and drove into Hobart for the Salamancia Market, a famous market, HUGE, in Hobart. They sell the most amazing things- all locally made, and yummy food too. It was a great time, and lots of money was spent on gifts... then we all hopped in the car and drove out to the countryside to a pub, where we met up with my Mum's long lost cousins and other relatives. There were about 30-40 people there- all of whoom I am related to. Mostly people older than my parents, but some younger children as well. I had 2 Tasmanian ciders and fish and chips, very much Aussie. It was great. Had some amazing meals cooked by Sue the last 2 days, and it's been so amazing. Its been chilly, between 14-16 C (around 60) but its gorgeous.

Learned yesterday that there are these ants, and have been seen in Sue & Gordon's front yard, that can jump up, bite you, and kill you. Talk about wild.
So far, I am alive.

Gorgeous Landscape, Primrose Sands

One more day in Tas, then to Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and the Barossa Valley. So excited and wonderful to be with my parents.

Wine, Wine, and more Wine. Did I mention Wine?

This past Sunday, me and my friends Katie, Laura and Casto took a wine tour of the Yarra Valley. I woke up early to do a little bit of homework, since I knew I would be unable to do so when I returned from the wine tour. Casto and I left UniLodge and walked down to Federation Square where we met up with Laura and Katie. The bus was already waiting for us, though it didn't say the name of the tour company on it, so we didn't know, and we were standing at the corner waiting. Katie's phone rang, and I looked over to the bus and saw a man on the phone standing near the van... and I realized it was the guy calling Katie. Both David (the driver) and Katie realized this, and we had a laugh and hopped in the van.

I sat up in the front seat and had a nice chat with David, the driver. We spoke about all sorts of things- the US, my studies, his family. He actually just moved to Australia from Kenya, a year ago, with his wife and two children. That's right! A white Kenyan. He said in Kenya there are about 100,000 white people to about 30 million total citizens. Talk about being a minority. The drive to the Yarra Valley was about an hour - hour and a half. It was quite enjoyable and beautiful with the mountains surrounding the valley. The people in the van got very situated with each other, and I felt a bit left out being all the way in the front, but I was able to sit in the back later on, which was great.

The Yarra Valley

We visited 4 wineries on our tour. The first winery was De Bortoli Winery. This is one of Australia's largest wine exporter. They handpick about 75% of the grapes and are all organic and do not use any pesticides. We started our sampling, with perfectly measured tastes. At first, we thought we could only taste the ones they offered us, but soon we found the menu and were told we could ask to try any of them. We ended up trying probably 15-20 wines. Of course, we began to lose track. A quick glance at the watch, assured us, that we were in fact alcoholics: 1130am. And already tipsy.

Casto, Laura, Katie and I with our first sample of wine- Completely sober!

After some fun photographs, we hopped back in the van and headed to our next destination. With everyone loosened up, the talking and laughing in the van began to increase. I sat in the back and started talking to our new friends: a family originally from Scotland, but living in Australia now. Stephen, who is 23, moved to Australia when he was 3 years old, so he is basically Australia. His Mum, Linda and her sister Kathleen, who would be around my parents age were on the tour, as well as their friend Sandra, and Christopher, who was basically family of theirs visiting from Scotland.

Cheers!

We arrived at the second winery, Train Trak. We explored the grounds a little bit, and found out that they were not picking grapes this year. It has been a rough year for them economically, as a micro-winery, and they decided it would be more economical not to pick the grapes. After some sampling of several wines (at least 7) we were ready for lunch. By this time, we were all friendly with each other, and took several group shots.

Group shot #1

Wine is very much an ice breaker, and before I knew it, I felt like we had all known each other for ages. There were also 2 girls from Australia on our tour, and they were really sweet too, though not as wild as the Scots! We headed into the beautiful dining room which had an amazing view looking out to the valley and vineyards. The food was just as amazing as the view. To start, they poured us all a full glass of wine. Uh oh, this was going to definitely push me over to the edge.. of drunkness. The meal started with some warm bread and anti-pasta. Main course were 3 different pizzas which we all shared. The first pizza was a 3 cheese, the second was a tomato, basil and prawn (I took the prawn off, yuck), and the last pizza, my favourite, was sausage. We ended the meal with coffee, but I didn't have any, and instead asked for more wine. My offer was declined, since our table had used up their 4 bottles of complimentary wine. I was sad, but it was for the best.

Everyone at Lunch

By this time, everyone was sufficiently full and drunk and we hopped back in the van after David hurried us along. Poor David, having to deal with a bunch of drunk people. The ride from Train Trak winery to Yering Station was absolutely hilarious. We were all singing to the radio and dancing in our seats and being crazy. I literally felt like I had known the Scots for ages. It was an absolute ball... you'd have to be there to understand.

Stephen Dancing, while the van is in motion..

We got to Yering Station, which had a tremendous view....but don't ask me for any history, because I do not remember. We tried several more wines and Katie and I noticed a guy in a shirt that said I ___ NY. It looked like a skateboard where the ___ was... but we didn't understand it. So we went to talk to them. Turns out they were from Australia, and he had never been to NY. But it was a fun conversation, drunken on our parts. Then we had a photo shoot in which we all passed around an enormous bottle of wine and posed in a cowboy hat.

The bottle is bigger than I am!

After David coaxed us into the van, we headed to the 4th and last winery. On the way there, the Scots opened a bottle of wine and passed it around the van... and we all took turns chugging. It was absolutely hilarious.. and so very illegal. But we were all having a good time. The last winery was Chandon. They seemed to specialize in sparkling wines. After a tour around the grounds, and being told off by a tour guide (Stephen's fault cause he tried to do a handstand against the wall but promptly fell over), we finally got to the tasting room. Stephen and I went up to the tasting bar and had a few tries to decide which we wanted to our complimentary glass of wine to be. We decided on the Sparkling Cuerve Riche, a sweet, delicious wine. I ended up buying a bottle to give to my parents when they arrive tomorrow, for 31 dollars. While the group of us sat and drank our Sparkling wine out of plastic cups (thank goodness), that is when we all realized just how intoxicated we were. First, Stephen spilled his wine on Katie and in her hair. We decided we needed to go outside, since we were basically making fools of ourselves and went running around the grassy area. Not sure whose idea it was, but Stephen began picking us up one-handily, and he took turns on each of us. I was mesmerized.

I am obviously highly amused by Stephen's ability to pick Laura and I up!

Soon, it was time to go, and it took ages for us to get back to the van. After some falling over on the grass, we all made it back to the van. David was so amazing for being patient. The Scots bought some more wine, and we passed around 2 bottles and sang more songs, such as "You Are My Sunshine" and other tunes on the radio. It was an absolute shit show. At a toliet stop, Stephen hung out the window, ripped his shirt off, and we all posed with our heads sticking out the window. Don't ask.

One of the funniest moments of the whole day

We arrived back in Melbourne at who knows what time. We said bye to our new friends, in hopes to see them again, and stumbled up Swanston Street. Katie, Casto, Laura and I stopped at McDonalds to get 50 cent cones... and it was a complete blur.

We allegedly got 50 cent cones?

Casto and I ended up being too lazy to walk back, so we Trammed it... had some dinner, and my grand idea was to go to the library, since my internet wasn't working in my room, and I was apparently anxious about getting homework done. Casto and I staggered to the library... and tried to configure my internet. We actually got it to work.. though I don't know how. After who knows how long, I turned to him and said, "We need to get the fuck out of here".

This photographs sums up the Bus ride

And that was my day. Hopped into bed early, around 11, and went straight to sleep.
What a wild day in the Yarra Valley. It was so much fun, especially since we met Stephen and his family. A day to never forget.... or remember.

And if you would really like to get a better idea of how amazing this day was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LxjjhOFNqk

The Great Ocean Road

So this took me a few days to get around to do it.. but, here goes!

Today, Sunday the 21st, Steven and I took a trip down the Great Ocean Road. It was absolutely incredible. It was an early Sunday for us, but we woke up at 7 and were waiting out front of UniLodge by 730 for our tour guide Bryan to pick us up. We went with the tour company A Tour With a Difference- run by a family- Grace and her husband, Bryan, and her son, who I think is also named Bryan. Anyway, we got picked up, and were on the tour with 2 people from Asia, 2 lesbians from Sydney who were totally awesome, a woman from California who was here on business who was really sweet, 2 women from Queensland, and a couple from Las Vegas, who were a bit irritating and way too American for me.

Steven and I at the entrance to the Great Ocean Road

The sun hadn't risen yet as we drove through the city and we saw some hot air balloons in the morning sky! It reminded me of when I went hot air ballooning in Arizona when I was younger, and having to wake up around 330am or 4m to go ballooning. It made me want to go again, in Australia. It took a little over an hour to get to our first spot, where we had breakfast. Breakfast for the day was crackers with Vegemite, and Lamingtons, which are like a spongy chocolate cake with coconut rolled on the outside. I also had some tea, since I was getting sick, and my throat was very scratchy and my voice was going. I stuffed my face with Lamingtons.. having 3 or 4. And a few crackers with some vegemite on it. I have to say, that stuff is growing on me.. it is great in small quantities... just not spoonfuls (which I actually ate once in New Zealand to prove a point- that Americans can handle it...)

Biscuits and Vegemite & Lamingtons for Breaky! Steven is enjoying his tea!

It was still quite chilly, but the sun was starting to get higher in the sky, and it felt nice with the cool breeze. Steven and I had a look around the gorgeous beach, ate our food, and then hopped in the van. After breakfast, we drove down the road to Bell’s Beach. Just as we got to Bell's beach Bryan pointed a field out to us that has kangaroos in it, a lot. Unfortunately there were none that day! Bell’s beach is where a famous surfing competition is held each year over Easter, so some parts were restricted and we only stayed for about 15 minutes. Enough time to get some nice photos.

Sun still Rising over the Beach at Breakfast

After these 2 short stops, we finally set out for the Great Ocean Road. We stopped at a lighthouse, which was picture perfect, with a little bit of red at the top. It reminded me of Rhode Island, I guess lighthouses do. As we drove more, Bryan handed out some lollies. They were SO delicious and were very soothing on my scratchy throat… We had many stops along the road throughout the morning, and Steven and I hopped in, but it was so nice to be able to see SO many things along the way.

Steven at the Lighthouse

After we saw some wild koalas in the trees, we ended up in a cute little beach town. We had a brief rain shower but it quickly cleared up, thank goodness. Steven and I opted not to do the lunch they provided, per suggestion by Katie, and we were happy we brought our own food. I had some left over pasta, and that wasn't enough so I got a delicious zucchini and cheese soup. It was a huge bowl and was served with some delicious herb bread. Steven got some fish and chips and we sat outside. We had a few minutes left, so we went down to the beach and got a beautiful view down the coastline and even could see the lighthouse we had visited earlier!

Wild Koala sleeping in the trees

After lunch, we drove some more and ended up in a temperate rainforest. At this point, Bryan stayed back in the car, and his wife Grace, or Mama Grace as Katie calls her, gave us a tour through the rainforest. This rainforest gets the most rain in all of Victoria. I ran into Tanya Sabharwal and Amanda McCarthy, who were visiting Nikita in Australia- and I had hung out with them in Melbourne Friday and Saturday. We had a feeling we would meet up somewhere along the way because we knew we were doing different tours of the Great Ocean Road.

Me, Tanya, and Amanda randomly meeting in the rainforest!

We kept on driving, and we ended at some of the best well known spots along the Great Ocean Road known as the Gibson steps, the 12 apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. Steven and I enjoyed the Gibson steps the most. We walked down several steps and got to this huge secluded beach with enormous cliffs in the backdrop. We ran along the sand, and put our feet in the water. It was surprisingly warm, even the the air was cold it was so refreshing. We played around like little kids for a while, running away from the waves. We both agreed we could have spent the whole day there.

The best place along the Great Ocean Road

Next we went to the Twelve Apostles. All of these are huge limestone cliff formations, both on shore and out in the middle of the water, that have been shaped by the waves over the years. The formations were unbelievable. There aren't Twelve Apostles, like the name suggests. In fact, throughout the years, several have disintegrated into the ocean. Ran into Tanya and Amanda again! Stalkers, HAHA, just kidding!

Steven and I at the Twelve Apostles

Only a few minutes down the road was the Loch Ard Gorge, which was my second favorite stop on the trip. It was like a paradise, surrounded by cliffs. Steven and I posed for a photo, and we didn't realize how close we were to the water and we ended up getting soaked up to our knees- Steven more- so than I. It was breathtaking. We also saw an awesome rock formation known as the Razorback, and Steven and I saw a super huge Ant on the ground. I also saw a man that looked like my grandpa.

Me at Loch Ard

Our last stop of the day was the London Bridge. According to Katie Souza's blog: "The London bridge used to be a two-span bridge, but the section that connected it to land actually collapsed in 1990. Crazy story: there was a young couple on it when it started collapsing, and they had just enough time to run to the other side, where they were stuck and had to wait for a helicopter to rescue them! I think it would be crazy to see something like that crumbling down. Luckily the couple was not hurt at all but people aren’t allowed to explore any of the formations anymore, they have lots of paths leading to safe viewing areas". Thanks Katie! I am too lazy sometimes.

What remains of London Bridge

We stopped for dinner in another beach town where Steven and I had yummy salami, sun-dried tomato, olive, and pesto, paninis. Then we all hopped in the van and had our two and a half hour drive home. We arrived a little after 9, and we were the first drop off. I fell asleep for about 30 minutes in the car on the way home, listening to Muse, I was exhausted. Steven and I shared my ipod headphones, and it was really nice. It was so much fun being able to share this amazing experience with him. Unfortunately, I was starting not to feel good. My adrenaline that had been pushing me through the day had worn out. I was so lucky that my sickness held off- because I felt amazing the entire day, but when I got home, I had a fever, and was sick all day the next day.

The Great Ocean Road was a truly amazing experience, once which I will take with me wherever I go. Such beauty cannot be mimicked anywhere. I feel truly lucky to have been able to see everything I saw today.

Along the Great Ocean Road, it truly is Paradise...

Operation... kill Courtney's computer!

Tribute to my Old Dell Inspiron 1520... *cue the sad music*

What remains... 2007-2010.

Today I was sick and stayed in bed all day. I wanted to go to Uni, but I couldn't drag my sick feverish self out of bed. Not to mention that I almost fainted as I lost my vision for about 5 minutes. Was not too fun, and therefore my friend Stuart summoned me to stay in bed all day. Since I was afraid to be alone for a little while after my nearly fainting episode, Stuart stayed in my room for a while, and I decided to let him take apart my old, broken computer, piece by piece and show me what the inside looked like, and what kind of work goes into a computer.

First he took out the RAM and other stuff, and removed the bottom plate off the computer, removed the screen... and then things went from there. He pulled plastic apart and wires out and broke my computer down to the core components. It was a very entertaining thing to watch (and made me a little sad to really be saying goodbye to the computer I loved for 3 years)... and the interior of a computer is so cool looking and it all seems so complex. It was so awesome watching him take it apart, and I couldn't help but take some photos after it was pulled apart...

I forgot to take a before photo, but here is what it looked like before:

This here is the motherboard and is the root of all evil.. well, at least, it was the part that died on me and caused me to have to buy a new computer.

Here are the various chips and such, such as the CPU & Ram

Metal and plastic framing that Stuart pulled apart in order to open up the computer and the screen.

Here is the screen, and keyboard and all the other various wires and such.

The amount of screws that had to be removed in order for this to take place...

And that is all. My old dell is no more. It will (sort of) be missed.

R.I.P Old Dell