It's about 2:30pm and I work in a couple hours so I'm trying to pass the time a little. It's hard living in a small town, there's really not much to do when the nearsest city is an hour away. I really miss my car, and RJ said he would give me his to travel but there is one problem... it's manual. He was trying to give me driving lessons a while back and he said, "now put your foot on the clutch" and my response was "what the hell is that?" So you see my problem. Oh well, it's not big deal. Flights are pretty cheap and I still have my horrible Greyhound pass. I also might be able to bum a ride off this girl I met to Gold Coast. I guess we'll see, but I will have to figure this out soon. I have the option to go to Gold Coast at the end of February with free accomodation at a resort, but I still want to go to Sydney and Byron Bay before hand which means I would have to leave like next week. I could also travel with this girl, or I could do my own thing. I'm sure whatever happens, I'll have a great time no matter what. Besides that, I am having a great time here. I am working hard but my job is going well now, it's money and great experience as well. Me, RJ and a couple of his friends took a trip to his friends cabin in Sandy Point this weekend. It's about a 4 hour drive from here which I slept the whole way because we left at 6am. We were there for about 3 days and we had a blast. We got caught in a rip tide though when we went swimming which was a little scary but fortunately we got out ok. We arrived back on Monday night and yesterday was my only day off for the rest of the week so we went to the beach and met up with some friends for dinner. So many people make fun of my accent, but they love it at the same time. I've said so many words or phrases wrong though which they've had to correct me on, especially at work. Ketchup is tomato sauce and a sweater is a jumper and so on. I'm learning a lot though and I'm picking it up slowly. I'm going to go figure out some things for my trip so I will get going but I'd love to hear from you all and I'll keep blogging! Ta!

I found this cool web site on Sarah's blog so I though I'd try it out. It's a great way to procrastinate or just waste time!

Since I can't figure out this computer and put my photos on, I posted some from Google of places I have been in the last while so you get an idea.

The top four pictures are from Bendigo (about an hour from Gisborne) which is a really nice historic town and also the 3rd largest mining town in the world.









This is a photo of Roombas (where I work)

This is a war memorial on Mt Macedon where I went hiking. It's a gorgeous place with a great view about 45 minutes from Gisborne. When it's dark, you can see a shadow of the cross in the sky which is incredible.

Maybe the small town is getting to me, maybe it's the heat, or maybe it's just being a girl. In any case, I've officially taken pathetic to the next level. So it started out with a bottle of wine and a block of chocolate for breakfast, now it's ending the day pigging out on leftover Chinese food at midnight. Do you ever feel that even though nothing is right and you're in such a bad mood that everything just seems... well, funny? See, in the past month, I had $200 go down the drain, and then another $150 just recently. I even lost $2.50 in a damn pop machine. It may not seem like a lot to you but at the moment, I really can't afford to waste a dime. Is this life? I hate to seem cliche but really, is this growing up? If so, someone please give me my childhood back. Like Lindsay says, "that's life, it's just one problem after another." I mean, I have had it pretty great lately so maybe it's balancing out. By the way, ignore my other blog because I spoke to my "temporary parents" and everything is just fine between us. I guess we all fight when we've had too much of one another. I fight with my parents all the time, it's just natural. Don't get me wrong, Christine and Lindsay are really great people, but like all people, we get frustrated. Christine made me a sarong, they bought me lunch today and I even got a foot bath and dinner served on a tray after work last night because my feet were so sore. I was on my feet for almost 7 hours straight in $5 opp shop heels that made my feet bleed, talk about brutal. Besides my feet, work was great last night. It was super busy being a Saturday night but everyone was awesome and I had so much fun. I did get yelled at by a customer who "had two terrible meals and never wants to come back again" but other than that, it was great. The night before was nice too, I didn't really mention that in the midst of all my recent complaining. I went out for dinner, just to get away by myself and it was great. I was so relaxed. Today was nice too because I went to a town called Bendigo which I wish I had my camera for. I know my Dad would have loved it because it's the 3rd largest mining town in the world. Amongst all the big tourist cities, we tend to miss out on these little hidden treasures when we travel. Tonight (before my recent freakout) I made some beautiful jewelry which was quite fun. I know, I'm a nerd. I guess I never really told you exactly why I freaked out earlier. I've had this really expensive mp3 player for only like 3 months and now it's shot. I can't do too much about it either because I bought it 18 hours away from here. I just feel like I work so hard, and money get's thrown away so easily which I also learned from my "non-refundable" bus ticket incident. I was talking to RJ tonight and I realized, I'm not the only one. He's dished out so much money on a car that won't even start, a phone that's shot after a month, etc and we just laughed about it. I didn't feel so bad either after he found a tiny, thick hair in hid teeth much resembling, well, you know where I'm going with this. After venting to 4 people and writing a journal entry, you feel a little better, that's for sure. I know things will turn up, they always do. I just need to be positive and maybe stop resorting to junk food when things aren't going right. I am starting to get love handles that were never there before, that's probably not a good sign. RJ was laughing at me and said in like 5 years, I'm going to balloon if I keep it up. I need to look out. If I put on 20 pounds and start collecting cats, let me know that I have a problem, thanks. Im going to go to bed now. Here is my advice for the night, don't buy Creative products or eat carbs after 9pm. Stick to your walkman if possible, maybe your VCR too, and eat carrots or peaches instead of chips. Technology, combined with the powerful forces of fast food is slowly killing us people! Oh yes, and if you're in a bad mood or feeling a little unstable, don't blog because people might think you're insane. Good Night!

Melbourne Photos

Here are a couple photos from Melbourne. Sarah took the top two. I still can't figure out how to put my photos on this computer so I stole them from her. It gives you a bit of an idea what I've been up two though, even though there a bit old. Enjoy!



Twelve Apostles

Kangaroo

Central Melbourne

I want to go home!

So today I am having my first official miserably depressing day here. It's 11am and my breakfast consists of a bag of chips, a 250 g chocolate bar and a bottle of merlot. I was going to go into Melbourne today but I figured I'd stay home alone with the dog, eat a lot, and cry until I have to go to work at 5pm. I did exercise this morning which made me feel great, then I got ready to go out with my "Australia" parents but they came home to bitch and snap at me about everything. I believe they think I'm a mind reader and because I'm not, I'm starting to feel a little unwelcomed. See, I try my best though to please them by cooking, cleaning, working 2 jobs, grocery shopping, going to bed by... oh yes, curfew, waking up early, taking care of the pets and even holding my pee until morning so they can sleep, even though I unfortunately can't. I guess it's not enough, but I really don't know what to do. I would pack up and leave for Sydney which I was ready to do, but when I'm just starting to get settled into a good job that I worked so hard to get, it makes things awkward. I did have a really nice evening last night though. I went out for dinner at a great Chinese restaurant, drank half a bottle of wine, read a really good book, and had amazing dessert. It was nice to get out on my own for a while. Oh, I do miss home. I got a call from my sister and it made me really want to go home. I miss my Mom's cooking, and her loving heart, my Dad's goofy jokes, hanging out with Sarah, playing with my dogs, and cuddling my cat. I also miss my friends, my cousin (that's you Becs), my job, my car, the Old Spaghetti Factory, a decent shower, and just relaxing all day long without a care. The weather is miserable today too, it's humid and rainy. It's also "that time of month" which may be making things worse than they are. Once I make a little more money, I'm off. I can't wait to travel up the coast! Well, enough about my complaining. I'm going to go do something productive, maybe. I might just read for a bit. I'm sad, and a little proud to say that I have polished off my chocolate and chips throughout the course of this journal entry. I'm still working on my wine though, I'm not THAT disgusting. Now, I'll just have to wait and see whether or not it all stays down. Oh how sad I have become. I guess we all need days like this, I just wish I didn't have to work, blah. Well, time to go. I'm sure next time I talk to you, it will be on a lighter note. Have a fabulous day!

Update!

Well, it's not been too exciting here in the little town of Gisborne, except for the little bit of rain that shocked us all! Everyone was out collecting it, quite sad actually. Makes me appreciate how much rain Vancouver gets, and we all hate it so much. But honestly, now that I've been here, it's better that we have it than not. Travelling sure makes one appreciate what they have, I know I do. I am having a great time though! I started my job, which is going ok. It's very stressful being a waitress, I sure do appreciate them more, that's for sure. Today I was the only one on the floor, and almost every table was full. The kitchen was beeping me, the bar was beeping me, the customers kept asking me to get things while I had a billion other things on my mind, and everyone was yelling at me! Oh man, I felt like crying. In all that mess, I ended up dumping a plate of sauces on a customer. She was super nice about it though, so was the manager so that didn't go as hellish as expected. I also called tomato sauce ketchup, which is a big no no. So after work I went to the bar down the street and had a big glass of Shiraz, then I got home and crashed for an hour. Now, I'm about to eat peach crumble so all is well. I'm still working as a painter, and I may have a job at a video store if all goes as planned. Anyways, I'm off for the night! Cheers!

I got a job!

Well, I finally did it! I got a job in Gisborne! I applied for it yesterday and I got a call two hours later saying I have it! So I'll be working at a restaurant called Roombas about 5 minutes away from where I'm living. It's a really nice bar/restaurant and I'll be waitressing which I've never done before. I'm a little nervous but they seem desperate... I mean, they want me because of my awesome skills and my girlish charm. I'm also working as a painter, but I haven't yet painted. I've just been sanding and scraping and I must say, it's a real treat! Haha kidding... I feel like a man, but it's money! Everything is working out great! I have been having nightmares though so I haven't been sleeping much. It's really neat to experience the real Australia! I like doing "the tourist thing" but it's cool just living and experiencing everyday life. Kangaroos are everywhere, there's scary bugs, pancakes are considered wierd, they don't tip, water is like gold, people are crazy (in a good way) and most of the time, they look at me as if I'm on another planet. Today I asked at a store to put my clothes on hold and the woman's like "well do you want them or not?" I found out that they don't do that! I also found out the hard way that pop is NOT refillable. The lifestyle is very different, but I'm getting used to it. The water shortage is difficult though. I wish we could send rain from Vancouver! We're legally only supposed to shower for 4 minutes where I'm staying because it's so dry. It's kind of sad. But over all, I love it here. I'm really tired though so I'm off to eat cookies and watch my new favourite show, Black Books. If you have never heard of it and you're sence of humour is as twisted as mine, you seriously have to check it out. Good nite to all!

P.S. I'm sorry there's no photos, I can't figure out this computer very well... I will post them soon though.

Things are looking up!

Hello one and all, it is midnight here in the little town of Gisborne, Victoria on a very hot and humid Tuesday night. Last time I wrote, things weren't going so great but now they are getting so much better. I am finally getting over my horrible illness and I have pretty much been adopted into my friend's family. I even have my own room and I'm eating like a pig, eeeh! His Dad also offered me a painting job which will be well... interesting. Since I'm not so keen on that and he thinks I'll probably quit after half a day, the next few days will be dedicated to job searching so wish me luck! Honestly though, during the last few days I have been so relaxed and content. I have this amazing feeling that everything will work out just fine and that I am here for a reason. What that reason may be, I'm not sure yet but I know I will get a lot out of this experience. Oh, and about new years eve... it went really well which was a complete shock! I didn't go to any crazy parties, or watch fireworks at the Sydney Harbour Bridge like planned but it was really nice. I spent a quiet night with his family watching the fireworks on TV, eating some great food, and listening to my friend play his bagpipes. It's nice to actually remember your new years eve, hehe! I went on a really cool hike on this mountain the other day and it was amazing! Even though I was sick and felt like dying on the way up, it was worth it. The view was so peaceful and beautiful, I felt like the only person alive at that moment. I really felt like I was experiencing Australia for the first time. I even got bitten by some wierd Aussie bug, and then pet this crazy looking animal that I forgot the name of. I've learned so much about Australia in the last few days as well which is cool. I also saw this really amazing looking bird just in the back yard and a spider inside the house that can give you flesh eating disease so I'm a little paranoid. Tomorrow I am going to a youth conference with my friend so that should be fun. Also, my American friend who I met in Sydney is coming down so we're going to hang out one of these days which I'm excited about. Well I'm off to bed, please keep sending emails or leaving comments because I look forward to hearing from you! I hope you all had an amazing new years and God bless in 2007!

P.S. Please wish me luck in my job hunt!