The beauty that is Covina...

You know the quote, "You never know what you've got till its gone?"...

I feel like that sometimes when I come home to Covina.  I feel like I have given it a bad rap and haven't been appreciating the beauty around me... To combat this, I have been taking pictures of the beauty in my backyard that I have been too blind/ignorant to see :) Enjoy!

Front of my mom's house :) love the fall colors! 

San Gabriel Mountains 

My street! 

More of our mountains after a week of rain down here and snow up there! 

More snow! Taken right by my dad's house

The view every morning when I go to the gym- can you blame me for going so often? :)

Conclusion: There is so much beauty in our day to day lives.  Take a minute to appreciate it!

Ps. I really wanna hike these mountains! Man I miss backpacking... any takers!? :) 

Hannukah and All Things Merry

Hannukah (like most Jewish holidays) are sneaky little buggers.  They come in and out of life without a second glance because they aren't monetized, commercialized and "Americanized" like most Christan holidays out there. Not that I have anything against Christian holidays!  I am a HUGE fan of Christmas as I grew up 1/2 in a Christian home and I love the idea of creating your own holiday traditions so who knows what mash up of Christian/ Jewish/ Buddist/Hindu/Agnostic/ Pagan ( ;-D) holidays I will celebrate in the future! 

In any case, I realized that my few and far between Australian readers may not know what Hannukah is so I have compiled a little info and pictures to help explain! :) According to wikipedia (the go-to site for info, yes I am rolling my eyes as well) Hanukkah , (the Festival of Lights) is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the second Temple in Jerusalem.  Direct Link to the Article here.  The story of Hannukah has to do with a lack of oil needed to light the eternal light that burns in all synagogues.  The miracle of Hannukah is that the oil that should have lasted for only one day lasted for eight.  To honor this miracle we eat lots of goodies fried in oil (potato pancakes, donuts etc) and light a candelabra called a Hannukiah for eight nights.  

Our latke before and after pictures :) 

 Makeshift Hannukiah at Liz's house because we didn't have enough candles... 

 Hannukiah at my house (I made that when I was little!) :) 

Ps. I got a new camera recently so more pretty pictures to come! 

Catch up time! :)

Los Angeles really has some pockets of goodness and when Tellu and Maarit were visiting a few weeks ago we tried hard to hit them all! One of my friends from Berkeley is a native LA-ian and so he gave us the tour  including some trendy bars/ restaurants in West Hollywood.  I have learned that West Hollywood is truly the place to see and be seen! We also went to Santa Monica and Venice beach, which is very close to where I work.  Venice beach reminds me a lot of Berkeley.  Lots of crazies out but the truly marvelous part is the mix of people and activities, cultures etc that mingle along the boardwalk.  We rounded out their time in LA with a trip to soup plantation (all you can eat buffet that actually rocks) and Costco (of course).  I had a marvelous time with them but they really made me miss the other Australian friends that I have left behind...

I hope everyone has had a marvelous Thanksgiving.  My mom and I drove up to Berkeley to see my sis and have a belated Thanksgiving with my cousin mark in SF on Friday.  He lives in an area of the bay called "Foster City" which was a beautiful little town right on the bay.  He shares a beautiful, waterfront house with some friends  and it was interesting to see a new part of the Bay Area.  Below are some pictures from our festivities :)
The rest of our weekend has been pretty low key.  I went to the farmers market this morning with Dan and Kristin which was great fun (despite the rain) and my sis got an awesome backpack for her trip to Argentina/ Uruguay at the North Face Outlet.  Unfortunately I was too small for all the backpacks but I hope to find my own perfect fit soon! ha ha

Thank you for everyone who has touched my life in the past and present.  If you are reading this you must mean something to me and I am thankful for you all! Happy Thanksgiving! xx

YAY Social Life!

Tellu and her friend Marit came into town today on a stop of their world tour and we had a blast... and the fun is still not over! I will be sure to update you all later but I just want to say that all is well and I will write more about my actual fun weekend later :-)
Here are some pics of Tellu and I from Australia, in case you forgot what she (or I) look like (since I haven't written in so long!) he he

Falls Festival 2009

First AFL game- Brisbane Lions! 

Race Day :) good times! 

YAY for Australia friends coming to visit! Makes me super happy! :-D 

Two Lessons

Part un: 

Up until this point I had not really grasped any illustration of personal growth due to my 13 months in Australia.  This weekend I took the coastal train down to San Diego to visit my friend Becks.  She came and visited me in Australia for a month and she kept mentioning how she felt she had grown even in that month away from the states.  Sorry to divulge your feels Becks, but she feels more independent and a generally stronger person.  I thought I hadn’t changed.  I thought I was still that same person from high school and then college to now.  Turns out I am wrong.  At one point in the weekend Becky and I talked about how we are thankful for the fact that we got out of LA for college.  I didn’t get into UCLA and at the time I remember feeling pretty bummed because I thought I would be unhappy if I didn’t live close to my family.  When my mom first dropped me off at Berkeley I cried, but I am so thankful that I ended up there.  In any case, when it came time for Australia I didn’t feel scared at all.  A year away from home, psh, I can do that.  I went without knowing a soul and yet I remember feeling happy and comfortable almost instantaneously.  One of my friends gave me four letters that I could open at different points in my year there and they were labeled “when you are homesick and just want to get on the next plane home” to “wanting to move to Australia forever” (or something to that degree).  In that 13 months, I opened all of them but the intense homesick one (which I opened at the end just for kicks).  My long winded point is that I really feel that I did grow in the past years and I am only now realizing it… hopefully my next adventure will be just as rewarding!

Part deux:

I have been an intensely shy person.  Not to the point of social crippling but definitely to a strong degree.  Yesterday, I proved that I am growing out of this and again, I have Australia to thank.  Becks and I stopped at the beach yesterday before I got on the train and we not only met, but chatted to (for over 30 min) these two guys from Spain.  The exchange started with the usual “can you take a picture for me” question which really can be the ultimate ice breaker if used correctly ;)  I complimented one of the guys on his California sweatshirt, written in the Coca Cola script, he mentioned that he got it in San Francisco, and we launched straight in.  We talked about Nor Cal vs So Cal (he agreed Nor Cal rocks, reminds him of Europe) and then talked about Spain and travel and the El Camino walk (he was very impressed with my Spanish knowledge).  Thirty minutes or so later, we were exchanging phone numbers so Jose could give me a call when he moves to Hollywood (his dream) and starts making music.  Pre-Australia there is no way I would have started a conversation with someone and given out my number.  AND to top it all off, I started another conversation on the train ride back with a guy from LA that was reading Orwell’s 1984.  My my, look how I’ve grown! :) 

I guess these adventures out of our comfort zones are the best medicine/ learning experience that can ever be discovered.  I am sure all you adults know all this stuff, and I am sure my family told me this would happen, but it is nice to learn all this stuff alone!  Again, next big adventure- BRING IT!!  :-D  

Workin' Gal!

After a relentless 3 weeks (big whoop I know) of looking for a job I have landed a Digital Marketing Assistant position at KNOCK KNOCK, a company that designs and manufactures office and general organizational materials.  Their motto is “we put the fun in functional” and I have to say, the office resonates that motto.  (Check out their amazing stuff here).   With bright orange walls, a magical never-empty pretzel container and two dogs underfoot, it is hard to think of the place as a conventional office.  Of course the Venice Beach location doesn’t hurt and the people in the office embody the laid back vibe of the town.  Of course we all get work done (but in a fun setting; just as work should be).  Lunch time is always a unpredictable event.  On Thursday, three people had an in-depth conversation about “soggy” vs. “moist” and which foods/ objects fall under each word. 

What does a Digital Marketing Assistant do? To summarize my job: I am compiling a list of their current media contacts, will find more contacts and then pitch our products to them.  Common advice from established business people is often “learn how to sell” (yourself, a product, etc), and I am starting another step in understanding how to brand myself and the products/ company I am endorsing.   Another aspect of my job will be public outreach through social media like twitter, facebook, blogs etc.  I think that the company has an amazing product but has not yet learned how to really establish themselves (especially in the websphere) and that is where I will come in.  I have a few innovative ideas about how to get the ball rolling and I will slowly feed them to my boss, Krista. 

Well the downside of this job (outside of the minimum wage which will barely cover gas money, kidding… sorta ;) )  is the drive.  It is in Venice and LA traffic is a terrible, unpredictable beast.  Last week was a veritable mix of hit and misses and I hope by the time Dec 15^th rolls around (my last day) I will actually have a good sense of the area and how to get around in the least amount of area possible. 

Things I have already learned: there are two Starbucks close by and I have written down the bathroom key code for each :) (very necessary).  I have a new website I am obsessed with: google analytics, which compiles tracking information for Knock Knock to see how their visitors find out about them.  I have learned the back end of the site and managed to take down products as necessary.  I have discovered that Venice Beach is actually a very cool part of Los Angeles… but still does not compare to my beloved Bay Area ;) 

Missing that big 'ol Aussie county...

I am sitting in my sister's room listening to "My Island Home" sung by Christine Anu and searching through hundreds of "job possibilities" on numerous websites.  When I came back to the states in November I talked about what I missed from the US (toliet seat covers, yogurt in bulk from Costco) and now that I have returned home I feel that it is only fitting to share what I am missing about that big island across the sea. 

My song choice isn't really that random, by the way.  I have been listening to a lot of Australian music lately.  I have my "Australia's Greatest Songs" mix, the mix of artists from falls festival (the concert from last New Years) and some other random artists thrown in.  Sometimes the songs just bring on general nostalgia and other times I get a sharp pang of sadness when I think about Krystle (my housemate) singing at the top of her lungs or Al and I dancing like crazy people at falls.  All good memories but the longing is still there...

I miss the amazing weather (when it wasn't raining) and the beach that stretched for miles and miles.  I miss being able to say that I "lived" there.  I wasn't just a tourist, I was a resident for a short while. 

I miss my friends at the gym and that gym in general.  I know this is lame but the fitness instructors at my Australian gym were absolutely incredible.  I knew then that they were amazing but I still didn't appreciate what I had until it was gone. 

I think that is the overall lesson from my experience.  I had an incredible life there and although I did realize it I didn't fully appreciate it until it was gone.  I didn't fully intend to write a wrap up of my experience today but I guess it just sort of unrolled... my word (ala "Eat, Pray, Love") to describe my experience is fleeting. 

Family Fuzzy Feelings :)

I come from a family separated by many miles and 40 or so states.  My dad's family is spread out in Virginia, Minnesota, and Indiana (mainly) and my mom's family is from the east coast; specifically Connecticut and New Jersey.  For those of you who have no idea about US geography (because you aren't from here or because you failed high school geography like many other Americans :) ), these states are extremely far from California.  

NOTE: I do have some other family from my parent's marriages that are in CA/AZ and who I love very much but for the sake of this blog entry I am discussing my family that is far away.  

I know that every family has their own traditions that they share but I think the distance makes our family traditions even more special and important in my mind.  It is kind of like a long distance relationship, every meeting is extra sweet because of the distance in between.  My dad's family is characterized by trips to the lake, strawberry shortcake, rhubarb (everything), barnyard canasta, fishing, and my grandma win's Christmas cookies (so basically... food :) ) 

My mom's family is defined by GOOD bagels, lobster, white fish salad, amazing corn, blueberries until our face changes color, excessive schedule planning, and lots of cultural adventures.  I have realized that two of my most distinctive qualities come from my mom's side: my constant planning and my habit of packing snacks even if I am leaving the house for 20 min or so... :). The planning is from my grandma who always has a calendar out with a stack of articles on things for us to do and a pencil in hand to ensure we get as much out of our stay as possible and the snack packing is mirrored in my mom's daily activities.  I think Todd appreciates the second and not the first but each of their quirks are seen in my daily manner.  Anyone agree? :) 

This trip back east has been no different :)  Tonight we are sitting down (outside) to attack some lobster, yesterday we made the shlep down to New Jersey to see my Aunt and Uncle and today Grandma, Grandpa and I made a trip to Gillette Castle.  It is an enormous house overlooking the Connecticut river that William Gillette designed and built as his retirement home.  This is the man who brought Sherlock Holmes to the stage and played him more that 1,300 times and yet his design of the house is almost as impressive as his theater repertoire.  It is a huge, three story mansion built with different kinds of wood, locally found stone, secret passageways and amazing views.  I highly recommend googling Gillette's Castle or clicking HERE as this "house" was really one of a kind!  We (basically Grandma) always seems to find some museum or interesting place that we haven't been to yet and it is such a treat to have someone else thinking of things to do! I have to admit that I am nervous about Todd visiting because Covina is not the greatest and I am thinking I may have to hire some friends or something to keep him occupied ;) 

Actually I am very excited for the possibility of sharing my family traditions with someone else.  Rachel, my friend from junior high loves coming over for our Jewish food and we love sharing our family/ cultural traditions with her.  Thank you to all my family that has nurtured and introduced the traditions that I treasure so dearly today.  It makes the distances seem small and the time between visits short and sweet.  I am really enjoying my family time and also counting down to the next opportunity we have to create memories and share our traditions :) 

Whirlwind last weeks...

My final few weeks were full of tearful goodbyes, celebrations, good friends and lots of good food.  Todd and I celebrated our one year anniversary (festivities orchestrated by me) by having a super date.  On Saturday July 24^th , we rode our bikes to Burleigh Heads and enjoyed brunch by the ocean while watching surfers , kids and their harassed looking parents.  We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some errands via bike which was really fun and very environmentally friendly of us :). Our super date came to a close with a night in surfers which ended up being fairly short because we were both tired from our biking adventure that morning. 

The next weekend Todd and I tried to hike into Stinston Wreck which was a hike that we had tried to plan for months, but something always got in the way… We ended up leaving the house earlier than expected and by the time we arrived at the start of the hike we only had a few hours of daylight left.  We walked 300 meters in and were confronted with a swollen river and a log straddling the river as our only means across.  We proceeded to wrap our legs around the log and crawl across.  Fifteen minutes later we had managed to inch ourselves across.  We were wet, muddy and the sun was already beginning to set.  Another kilometer or so in, we discovered that the trail was becoming harder and harder to follow so we decided to set up camp by the river (on the trail) and attempt to get to the site on Sunday.  We knew it would be a big return trip but figured it was worth a shot.  Two hours later we had set up camp, had tea (dinner) and were playing cards in the tent.  We discovered that we only had one bedroll because of some packing errors and were laying across a tree root in our hot, stuffy tent.  We quickly agreed that this was just not meant to be and so we headed home, with a celebratory stop at McDonalds on the way.

The following weekend, my final weekend in Australia, was spent in Sydney with Al and Gav (two of Todd’s friends from work).  We were originally supposed to run the city to surf, a 14K run from Hyde park to Bondi beach, but Todd and I decided to be lazy and so Gav and Al showed us up by their impressive running abilities.  Todd and I used that morning to walk from Bondi (where our hostel was) down the cost to the neighboring town of Bronte.  It was a beautiful morning and it was nice to get some exercise without hurting our joints through running :)  The previous day, Todd purchased a GPS and so he spent much of the morning trying to figure it out to make sure we didn’t get lost on the well marked, self explanatory path we walked down.  After Al and Gav finished the run we all met up and then Todd and I managed to meet up with Miles in downtown Bondi.  I really had an amazing time meeting up with Miles.  The time flew by and I think we are both happy that we have kept in touch throughout our time in Australia. 

Our weekend concluded with a night on the town with Al and Gav.  We went to a classy wine bar and then moved the party to a BYO Mediterranean restaurant where Todd discovered a new region of food that he really enjoyed.  Woo experimenting! :)  I am really glad that we spent that weekend in Bondi.  It was a new part of Sydney that I had not seen and the endless houses on hills reminded me a lot of San Francisco’s architectural silhouette.  Saying goodbye to Al after that weekend was, once again, really tough.  I met him within the first month of being in Australia and I don’t think I have ever met such a kind, spiritual, funny individual.  I really had an amazing time getting to know him and I really hope our paths cross again in the future.  

Al and Roman (two friends I miss a great deal) at Moreton (another weekend) 

Straddling two worlds

I know that I have yet to really conclude my last few weeks/ days in Australia and I will but not today... I think it is hard for me to write about it coming to an end because I am still in denial that it is the case.  I miss Australia.  I miss the beauty of the land and the people that I met there.  I miss the life that I had and yet at the same time I am glad to be back and start a new part of my life.  I am currently in Berkeley visiting lots of friends from school etc and it has been amazing to catch up with them all but right now it still feels kinda fake... I mean of course I am glad to see them but there is still a part of me that is rebelling against discussing my experience in Australia in the past tense.
I updated my cover letter and resume this morning so I can start applying for the dozens of jobs I have saved in my "indeed" profile (excellent website, by the way).  I know this is all stuff I have to do it makes the "grown up" part of life all the more real.  I am looking forward to finding a job, and interviewing with different companies (I am weird, I know) but it all takes a bit to get used to.
Next week I am visiting my grandparents/ mom's family back east and I am very excited to see everyone but I feel like with each passing day I am getting further from Australia; and I don't like this feeling one bit.
I guess all I am saying is that I will tell you all about my last few weeks in a bit but right now I still want to hold on to it and not let it all come to a close.

And the Verdict Is...!

Well it wasn't really a competition but I have had an overwhelming response from people that I should continue my blog when I return home so I will be doing just that :) Speaking of votes, mom, Jan, and I got REALLY into Master Chef Australia when they visited and I have to say that Australia's overall response to the show is just massive.  Over 10% of the population tuned in (more than the percentage for American Idol) and the upcoming election debate was postponed an hour so that it would not interfere with the competition :)  Amazing what TV can do! ha ha.  Although I am not up to their caliber I do have some recipes that I have been changing/ working with etc and I will be sure to start writing more about my cooking in the months to come.  And finally, here are two more of my recent paintings that I have completed for Todd and Russ.  I still have two more in my brain at the moment and am looking for some "get my butt into gear" inspiration :)

Explanation: Russ plays guitar ALL the time; i guess it doesnt look like a
guitar though, neither him nor Todd knew what it was :) ha ha

Multi panelled painting for Todd; he loves lines and angles; hence the triangles;
I made if for him to decorate his living room while he sells his apt

Tassie -> Whales (the animal ;) )

My second trip to Tassie was just as much fun but unfortunately much shorter than my first.  Mom and Jan and I flew in on Saturday morning, waited for Todd at the airport and then started our speedy journey.  We fit in lots of Foster family time, a stop at the Raspberry farm for jam and fresh ice cream, BBQ, and a trip to the Nut, this Ayres Rock shaped formation on Tassie coastline.  It was a beautiful 3 km walk around the top.  We saw a wallaby in the wild (mom was ecstatic!) and then proceeded to the town bellow (Stanley) for some amazing fish and chips from this eccentric place with a lobster on the roof :)

Our trip came to a rapid close and we left on Monday for Sydney! Sydney is much different from Melbourne.  Melbourne is just a gorgeous city in itself and doesn't attempt to brag about its splendour.  Sydney is also beautiful but a tourist town through and through.  Most people say they would love to live in Melbourne but visit Sydney and I think this is a very good way to sum up my feelings for it.  With my mom and sis, I did much of the same as I did when Steph and Anna visited.  We walked a ton, visited Darling Harbour, saw the bridge, and took a few ferries.  The variations in this trip included a visit to the oldest Synagogue in Sydney, a tour of the opera house, trip out to the blue mountains, and a visit to the Sydney zoo.  The synagogue was beautiful with stained glass windows and place for a choir, and the tour guide was informative and gave everyone a surprisingly good overview of Judaism.  I was very impressed overall and was glad that we took this little cultural side trip :)

Blue Mountains 

The blue mountains were beautiful and blu-ish but I find most mountains are during a certain point in the day... It was still a very worthwhile trip but I was more impressed by the zoo :) I am a sucker for cute little animals even if they are in a cage.  We saw a seal show and I think I was as amused as all the little kids around us :) The elephants were cool although our experience was dwarfed by Janet pronouncing that they are much cooler in the wild.. duh... she saw them in Africa, lucky girl :)

The opera house tour was led by a 65 year old (or so) woman with an entertaining way of mingling her own stories with the history of the opera house.  She talked about how her favourite show there ever was sumo wrestlers from Japan and how she remembers our dear governor, Arnold, competing for the Mr. Universe title.  Although the price of tickets for a show weren't as high as the most expensive price ever for a show ($850 for one ticket!), we still felt that the ticket prices were a little ridiculous and so our opera house experience ended.

Inside one of the theaters at the opera house

From Sydney we went back to the Gold Coast for ONE day, ha ha in which we pretty much did nothing but gear ourselves for the trip up north.  We flew into a small town called Prosperine and then took a bus to Airle Beach, the home of the Whitsundays.  At this point, the cold mom had infiltrated Jan and my immune systems and so we weren't feeling up to much.  We walked around the tiny, touristy town for a day and debated which ridiculously expensive tour we would splurge on.  We couldn't decide if we wanted to go to the Whitsunday Islands or to the Great Barrier Reef (which was HEAPS more) but in the end we decided to live large and on Tuesday we headed out bright and early to venture to the Great Barrier Reef.  The snorkelling was, of course, very enjoyable although the water was a bit chilly for my still ill self and so I spent the rest of the totalled 4 hours on the reef in a glass bottom and submarine boat so I could see the amazing coral and sea life without constant shivering :) The glass bottom boat was truly miraculous and gave me a very different view of the reef.  We cruised along the top of the reef instead of just on the side, the view we got from snorkelling.

I have to say, however, that my favourite part of that day was the whales! Since landing in Australia I have seen many sea turtles and dolphins in the water but no whales up until this point.  At one point there was a few humpback whales showing off their flippers only 50 meters from the deck.  I could actually see the barnacles on their skin? hide? Unfortunately, we were all smart enough to think that the others were bringing a camera and so we have no pictures of them but we met a very nice couple from Canada who promised us shots of the whales.  If we receive them I will be sure to post them!

Ok I am now off to tackle my growing list of things to do before I go.  I have a few more adventures to tell so come back soon! :)
ps. since my adventures by the sea are ending soon I would like to know if you all want me to continue writing when I get back state side?

Marathon Travelers!

The city hopping has come to a close and my time in Australia is winding down :(  I have 12 more days here and then who knows! But that is not the point of this entry.  The end of my time here post will come later :)  Now I want to comment on what an amazing time I had with my mom and sis (and Todd) when they spent 4 weeks down under.  

They started in New Zealand for a week which I was unfortunately not apart of and so you will have to ask them about that portion of their trip :) They started their Australian adventure on July 3rd and we had non stop fun.  The trip started with a one night camping experience at the foot of Mt. Warning.  I have already talked about this but to recap: camped at the foot of Mt. Warning, boom fire, jaffles, bags, climbed Mt. Warning  and then celebrated that night with some tasty burgers in Coolangata and then collapsed into bed happy, sore, and ready to start puddle jumping!  

Melbourne was first and what a BEAUTIFUL city it was.  What everyone says is true.  The architecture is unique and the skyline is breathtaking.  Mom had to stop on every corner to take a picture of one of the dozens of public art sculptures scattered throughout the city.  Throughout our trip we used Lonely Planet to help guide us in the direction of scrumptious food.  Lonely planet never let us down and one day we went to this place called Pellegrini's, which was a small place right out of Italy (not that I have been there :) ).  Structurally it was long and small with a kitchen in the back and a strong wooden bar running the length of the restaurant.  It was quite clearly a family owned restaurant and the sons shouted food and drink order back at their mother cooking in the kitchen.  It was delicious food and a wonderful step into a different world.  

The highlight of the Melbourne trip for me was the Tim Burton exhibit at the ACMI.  The exhibition is on loan from the New York Met and it was a wonderful collection of his movies, sketches, notes and childhood school papers that gave us a glimpse into the mind behind movies such as Edward Scissorhands, Alice in Wonderland (2010), and my personal favorite: Big Fish.  In the next gallery over there was an exhibit that embodied my thesis.  It showed the history of American and Australian film.  Although I felt a bit chagrined at first, I soon put my mind at ease because the exhibit was not as detailed or interesting as my paper (if I do say so myself :) ).  

Our time in Melbourne finished with a bang as mom and I ate fish and chips and beer after watching fireworks over the Melbourne Docklands.  Jan was feeling a bit sick and tired so she did not join us but mom and I had a marvelous last night out before heading the next morning to Tassie.  

I apologize for my lack of pics in this section.  I did not have a camera with me and Jan has yet to upload facebook pictures for me to steal so you will just have to wait! :)  More of our adventure to come! 

G'day Mate!

The first few months of my relationship with Todd included lots of blank stares and "umm... what?"s.... Americans may think they have slang but Australians practically invented strange slang.  Some of it makes sense and some... is just plain nonsensical :) Here is a list provided by my dear friend Becky.  This is small in comparison to Todd's dialect and "slang dictionaries" you can find online but these are the words of note she wrote down during her visit in April.  Thanks Becks!!!

Australian	American
bloke	guy
speed humps	speed bumps
dinner	lunch
tea	dinner
footpath	sidewalk
heaps	lots
breaky	breakfast
trolley	cart
Maca's	McDonald's
keen	interested
stuffed	screwed
sorted	figured out
pissed	drunk
ey?	what?
buggered	exhausted
chemist	pharmacy
spewed	vomited
duner(?)	comforter
eski	cooler/ice chest
tighty	hot/cool
pudding	dessert
torch	flashlight
trading hours	hours of operation?
corriander	cilantro
crisps	chips
chips	fries
prawns	shrimp
sunnies	sunglasses
stubby holder	beer sleeve
how you going?	how are you?
arvo dacks mate	afternoon trousers friend
thongs	flip flops
sandshoes	sneakers
no wuckas (from "no wuckin furries")	no worries
bushwalking	hiking
in the bush	in the wilderness
I've been really slack	I've been slacking off
tomato sauce	ketchup
try	goal (like at a sporting event)
light globes	light bulbs
cuddle	hug
rubbish	trash
way out	exit
toilet	restroom/bathroom

"Fostering" Gold Coast Adventures

For the last week I have had the pleasure of entertaining (and being entertained by) Todd’s family (whose last name is Foster, fyi…:) ).  Val and Tony (parents), Jodie (sis), Lara and Blake (Jodie’s adorable children) and his Auntie Trini flew in last Sunday and were with us until Monday.  Lots of shopping, eating, swimming in the pool and gabbing ensued and I really enjoyed getting to know them all better. 

I love my friends’ families.  I love my family too! (don’t worry!) I just mean that I love meeting other people’s families because it reveals something new about my friends.  Todd has a lovely family.  They are kind, loving and really have each others’ backs.  It is clear why Todd has turned into such an incredible person himself (he had loads of help ;) ). 

Todd’s niece and nephew (Lara and Blake) are 5 and 3 (respectively) and the cutest little kids.  Of course any children with an accent become instantly cuter especially when they give “cuddles” (the Australian word for “hug”).  Todd clearly adores them but hanging around children for a week has made him decide to wait till 50 to have them (ha ha).  Being around them for a week reaffirmed that they are hard work but definitely something I look forward to tackling (don’t worry, not yet!). 

Mom and Jan are here now and we spent the weekend introducing them to Australia by dragging them on a camping trip and then climbing Mt. Warning.  It was a much longer hike than I remember but we all survived with a smile on our face, but the spring in our step was left at the top… ;)  We had amazing luck camping because although we shared the space with more people than we anticipated, we snagged a little wall-less hut with a fireplace.  We made our typical “boom” fire and taught mom and Jan how to play “bags” (a Foster family card game).  We Americanized the Jaffle sandwich by making some with peanut butter, honey and banana and played badminton on a court that Todd marked out with his blue surveying paint.  It was nice to get away from the city for a bit and have some good ‘ol, no electricity required fun! 

Mom, Jan and I leave in a few hours for Melbourne and then Tassie is next finished off by Sydney.  I will not have much time to write but I promise to take good notes!!! 

Picture Time: 

Lara, Blake and I :) 

Todd being a great uncle and playing airplane

Todd, Roman and I on the top of Mt Warning 

Jan and I on the top of Warning (she is still taller, shucks :) ) 

How I amuse myself :)

So many of you have asked me what I do during the day now that I am done with school.  I have to warn you all that you may be jealous of my relaxed and personally productive schedule.  I am still a gym enthusiast and have discovered a new love of painting.  I took an art class in my last semester at Cal and I did one painting for that class but have wanted to experiment some more.  With all my free time, picking up this new hobby was a given! Below are some pictures of what I have done so far: (judge nicely as they are literally the first three paintings I have ever done, well minus stuff I made for my parents when I was little :) )

First Painting for art class-

Frangipanis for Krystle (my housemate) 

A picture of Guy kite surfing :) ( my other housemate) 

Road Trippin AUS

I have always loved road trips (although I am sure my mom would disagree).  So I guess I will be more specific: I love all the road trips that are in my cognizant memory.  My friend Liz and I (from Berkeley) made road tripping from LA to Berkeley an amazing and exciting 7 hour experience.  We would often sing songs at the top of our lungs, have meaningful conversations and eat lots of bad foods.  After all, that is what road trips are all about! Right?

Last weekend, by the amazing and sort of ridiculous tradition of Australians’ celebrating the Queen of England’s birthday, Todd had a four-day weekend.  We tossed around lots of ideas but finally settled on a four day road trip with no real destination or plans; we just headed south.  Ahhh yes, I forgot to mention this and I know Todd was extremely excited about this part of the weekend and would be devastated if I left it out: Friday night we went rock climbing.  Yes on real rocks, yes with all the proper safety equipment and yes it was hard.  It wasn’t so much the height that really got to me but the fact that hauling my 60 kilo frame up a wall is hard on my arms and legs and reaching the top once was quite enough.  Of course I forgot to look out once I reached the top which is really a shame because we were at Kangaroo Point and the Brisbane river and city lights were glistening behind me.  Oh well, next time! By the way, Todd was scared too ;-P

Back to the drawing board, Saturday morning Todd and I intended to leave around 12 but after heaps of errands and chores around the house we finally hit the road at 5… when it was already dark… We both joked about how we should just sleep at his place that night and leave instead the next morning but trucked on to Ballina, a beachside town near Byron Bay (south of where I live, known as one of the most famous beaches in Australia, kinda reminds me of Santa Cruz for all you Americans…).  We shelled out and paid for a patch of grass in a caravan park for the night and grilled hamburgers topped with hummus, lettuce, beets, tomato etc.  The next day we decided that paying for grass in the middle of a town is very silly and downloaded a very helpful iphone app on Todd’s phone which showed us National Park campsites ($10 a person at most).  We followed this for the next two nights and stayed in two beautiful places.  Sunday morning we drove inland towards Wollomombi waterfall, the highest waterfall in Australia.  We stayed Sunday night right near the falls and at a freezing 1,400 meters above sea level that night.  We were not prepared for the cold or the rain that kept us company all weekend but we managed fine with wood fires and bedtimes of 7:30, which kept us warm in the tent :) 

The next morning we ingeniously packed up the inside of the tent with the fly still standing so that our tent would still be dry for the next night (my brilliant idea ;)) and then headed to the falls.  After admiring them for 5 min or so we decided that it was way too cold, and let’s be honest: we were way too lazy, to walk down closer to the falls and we headed to Coffs Harbor.  This is where Guy (my house mate) is from and the location of the Big Banana (Australian businesses have a fetish for large fiberglass figures, but heck they are good marketing!).  After walking up mutton bird island (where they go to lay eggs) we headed out of Coffs and towards home.  We stayed our last night at Station Creek which was a park that we had completely to ourselves.  We made another big “boom” fire (as Roman says) and Todd introduced me to another Australian tradition: Jaffles.  You take two pieces of bread, butter them and put them butter side down on the jaffle iron (kinda like a waffle iron).  They you place cheese and ham or egg on the bread and put it straight in the fire.  It was amazing.  Gooey cheese and toasted, slightly burnt bread, perfect camping food! (although smores are still better ;) )

Todd and I wandered through some small towns and shops on the way back North and observed the road trippin rules: singing, bad food, and meaningful conversations.  Amazingly, he isn’t tired of me yet! Ha ha :)  It was an incredibly perfect weekend and even the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits!


More pieces through pictures: 

We stopped at this "scottish" town- basically a normal small town with scottish themed telephone poles and banners up and down the main street.  Cute idea! Heck, it encouraged us to stop! 

Todd packing up the tent from the inside out while it rained (second night) 

Our picturesque campground from the 3rd night 

Coff's Harbor 

Beautiful rock pools/ tide pools right by the beach 

Map of our trip courtesy of Todd :) 

Survival of the Fittest

Here it is! My project that consumed my life for the past few months :) Click HERE and it will take you to the Google Docs version.  It is not the best quality/ formatting so if you want me to send you a real copy over email just let me know! Also, please don't point out errors, I don't want it to be like a movie that was just released and then given bad reviews.  My movie is in the theatres and there is no turning back! If you do see errors, pat yourselves on the back because you are smarter than I! :) ha ha
More stuff to come on my amazing road trip to Coff's Harbor with Todd!

And per request from Aunt Cheryl, here is a picture of those huge sand dunes from Morton :)

Slice of paradise just a hop, skip and a jump away :)

 There is a little island directly east of Brisbane called Morton Island.  My adventure crew had never checked it out before because it is fairly expensive to get to and a few of us are on fairly tight budgets so we have never given this place “a go” before (that’s some Australian phrasing for ya ;) ).  In order to help celebrate my recently earned freedom; Al, his new girlfriend (Katelyn), Todd, Roman, some of Todd’s friends from work and I headed to Morton on Friday morning for some 4 wheeling, snorkeling in shipwrecks (amazing), surfing, and LOADS of yummy food.  Morton was absolutely gorgeous.  It mirrored most of the beautiful beaches here: white sand, crystal clear blue water, prehistoric looking shrubbery, blue endless sky etc.  I think the close proximity to Brisbane made the experience even more unreal.  At one point we climbed up these HUGE and I mean HUGE sand dunes.  Huge to the point where we would reach the top of one only to find an even bigger one towering behind.  As we stood on the top of the tallest one we could see Brisbane’s sky scrappers silhouetted.  It was fun to wiggle my toes in soft, white sand while looking out at civilization. 

4 wheeling is a new favorite hobby of mine.  I know it is probably not the best for the environment but at least these tracks are not paved and so don’t require more damage by construction workers coming in and stomping around while pouring asphalt.  We are always sure to drive on the tracks and it is really fun to go traipsing around the bush in Todd’s Toyota Hillux.  I kinda feel like a mix of Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones and it is SO much better than the rides at Disneyland. 

I am really going to miss these trips when I go home.  I have such an incredible (but small, ha ha) group of friends here and I am going to miss hanging around the campfire with them; swapping stories, comparing food, playing cards, competing for shooting star sightings.  I am constantly bugging them about coming to visit so I hope they take me up on the offer!

Here are some pics from this weekend:

Sunset from the first campsite

Our second campsite guarded by two Toyota Hilluxs ;)

Todd and I after snorkelling :) 

Roman and I :) note his broken arm- he just wrapped it 10 times and snorkelled anyways!! crazy :) 

Morton seen from the lighthouse 

Beautiful Australian beaches... just the best! 

And just like that, the stress melts away!

My mind has been a ball of stress since I last wrote and I am just starting to massage it all away! It is pretty darn amazing.  Last Thursday, when I turned my paper in, I didn’t feel relief.  I wasn’t overjoyed and I was honestly still experiencing post-turn it in anxiety.  Now I am finally beginning to relax and I have sooo many of you to thank for allowing me to reach this new Zen place ;)

Mom, Sally, Grandma Sherry, Becky, Todd, thank you SOOO much for reading through my countless drafts and keeping me sane.  I could not have done it without you all!! 

Poor Todd had to witness my stressed out self for the first time.  Mom is completely used to my freak outs and one day when I called her crying she said, “I have been waiting for this, surprised it hadn’t happened before..” ha ha thanks mom :)   But she knows me! Me and my bipolar stress fits.  Todd dealt with it admirably and brought me flowers that are on steroids or something as they are still beautiful a week and a half later (no joke- and they are still fresh! Not the dried version that will soon be their fate). 

Through it all I managed to still have fun and squeeze in an AFL game in Brisbane and some other assorted activities (like starting and almost finishing the first 3 seasons of dexter- only 12 episodes each ;) ). 

If anyone is interested in slogging through 75 pages of thoughts on marketing, distribution and exhibition in the film/ tv industry you can find my paper on google docs but I will attach the link in the next post (it is still being approved/processed through google).