Chillaxin

This was the first saturday that i haven't planned to do anything so i got to have a long sleep in, and have a leisurely day. I biked to the store to get somethings for my trip to surf camp, after i talked to lots of people through a combination of facebook, skype, and yahoo messenger...no one can say that i didn't try to stay connected to people back home! Tried to start packing but i have the hardest time packing light. i don't think i have it in my blood and thus making it a struggle every time i have to keep it light.
I was walking back from dinner tonight and a car drove by with its windows down and "sweet home alabama" was blaring out the stereo....i just had to laugh out loud because i doubt that australian even knows where alabama is..hahaha
I'm going out with some friends tonight so I'm starting my holiday celebration, Whoot whoot!
I leave tomorrow for the week so i'm sure the next post will be quite long and story filled....

Oh My Dust!

So, in Australian News, There has been a massive dust storm in NSW (new south wales, where sydney is) that has moved up to 75,000 tonnes of dust per hour. Today in Cairns we started to see the effects of the dust that has traveled up the coast. It was the weirdest thing. It looked like it was going to storm the whole day but that was just dust in the air. It was so thick that you couldn't see the mountains and i was told that in sydney you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. This storm has come at the most inconvenient time with school holiday coming up. Several flights have been canceled but i am hoping that by the time i fly out on sunday the dust will have dissipated by then. I just think its crazy how much can be stuffed up just because of the environment being so dry with an increase in wind speed.

When i thought of australia, i always pictured bright sun and beautiful skies. The picture above definitely proves that Australia is full of crazy weather....i might even be here when cyclone session erupts and then there will be massive floods...."when it rains, it pours" :)

Statistically Significant...

Today was probably the most productive day i have had here in Australia, as far as school work goes. With "spring holiday" just around the corner i had several assignments due this week as well as my first aussie presentation...which actually wasn't that big of a deal because my prof. was on holiday in the states no less and we had a guest prof monitor the presentations for the day. Not only that but half the class showed up so, it was more of a single sided discussion than a formal pressi, which i was perfectly fine with.

Ecology this semester has been a bit of a challenge because it involves alot of statistics and making graphs, using excel, and analyzing data on their version of a statistics program. We have had a practical due every friday and sometimes they are really complicated statistically. Luckily, my prof is very understanding toward those (including me) that are not completely competent in statistics, (even though i have had it twice, and possibly 3 if you count BIO300)...and provids us with pre-made data and is willing to help us make the appropriate graphs.
Today for ecology lab we just went to the computer lab to discuss the last two pracs and the proper way to analyze the data, which i was very appreciative of and decided to just stay in the lab while i was in the ecological/statistical mental state and write some of the labs we had just discussed.

Turns out that i finished the one due for this week really quickly, and decided to proceed onto the next one...I also completed that one in a quick manner and decided that while i was there doing all this i might as well go ahead and do the third one which i also completed. So basically, i wrote 3 pracs in a span of 5hrs. Pretty much EPIC! and so when i come back from break i won't have to worry about turning a prac in for the next 2 weeks :) anything to make life easier.....though i'm predicting October to be a very busy month for assignments.

So after all this hard and diligent work, I felt amazing. not tired, not mentally drained what so ever...it was weird. I was discussing with a friend that i have observed that i tend to do better when i have many things to do compared to when i only have a single assignment due. My only logical conclusion for this is that having more work forces me to manage my time better and therefore become more productive....in comparison to only having one thing due....i don't have to dedicate so much focus into managing time for that one thing so i suppose it feels less of an achievement when i have completed it....

i don't know, maybe that just me, but i have to say that i felt "good" after completing heaps of work at one time. I even went to the gym and ran twice as much than i normally run. Hmm, maybe natural endorphins shouldn't be underestimated!

Next on the list: start getting ready for SURF CAMP! I'm totally excited and hardly nervous at all that i am going by myself...i kinda think that makes it a little more exciting..."Because I'm a Big Girl Now" :) And you never know who you will meet on adventures! ;)

Gracious Blessings

This weekend was fantastic! Probably one of the best i have yet to have! I was able to minister through serving, fellowship with amazing Aussie friends and have a bit of fun in the process.
Where to start.... well on friday morning i went to a weekly Bible Study which was very enlightening. I have been going to this study for several weeks now and we are going through the book of Colossians with which we have just finished with chapter one. I have never been through a study that focuses on every word and its meaning, so though at times it can be quite a headache to think that deeply on a friday morning, the rewards of new found understanding are so magnificent.
Friday night my friend and I were picked up to go up to Lake Tinaroo where we would join in on a "working bee". We had a camp over that night which included, a little pick up game of soccer,a campfire, and staying up super late. Saturday morning we woke up, had a leisurely breakfast, and started to paint the boys "toliets and showers" at the camp.
A little background: Camp tinaroo is owned by the church and they use it for all their camps as well as rent it out to other churches. There are a few families in the church that have taken it upon themselves to care after the camp for the most part and occasionally have members of the church volunteer to help fix it up. This weekend was the young adults turn to help. And as i have learned, Aussies work hard, but they play much harder...
So with that philosophy, we did our few hrs of work, had a terrific lunch and went down to the lake to go tubing, skiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing and some sunbaking for the rest of the afternoon....Watching the sun set on the water is so beautiful! A wonderful reminder of God's Greatness and creativity.
The best part of the afternoon was jetskiing...i got to drive some which is always fun ...But the real task was trying to stay on the jetski when Gary was driving. Gary in a nutshell....the stereotypical australian. Including Accent, sense of humor, interests and job. He works at the mines in the north and gets months off at a time for holiday...apparently he grew up with Joel and his family (caretakers of camp tinaroo) and has been on the lake his whole life, so he was not shy with doing things with the jetski....hence having to hold on for dear-life....
Later that afternoon we all went over to a different part of the lake where there was a slalom course...but to get us all over there, 4 people had to be on the jetski, and 4 on the boat and 2 in tubes pulled by the boat...i was in one of the tubes and gary was in the other and he thought it would be hilarious to try and knock me off my while the boat was still on its way to the new site...very fast might i add..
someone on the boat documented this which looks really funny..but i was pleading with him not to knock me off and resisting with all my might....

Funny enough, he was the one who ended up flying off so i thought that was Awesome and of course everyone on the boat thought so too....

As the sun began to set we had to go back and pack up but the fun wasn't over yet, after some quick showers we all went to a local drive-in in the Tablelands. It was only 9$ for 2movies which i thought was pretty good. However, the movies were G-Force, and Hannah Montana of all things....hahaha G-force was ridiculous, and hannah montana was cute but very cheesy at the same time...Despite that it was a really cool experience, literally...the tablelands get really cold at night and i had to wear my trackies and jumper (sweatpants and jacket :) ) as well as a blanket. I have to say it was quite refreshing to be cold ...these days its so hot and humid but at the same time mostly pleasant.

Sunday, was excellent and adventure packed as well. I directed a photoshoot as a project for my photography class with the help of my australian friends as my subjects. I took like 500 pics and i really only need 3 for my class...That's the best thing about digital cameras, especially if you are trigger happy :) The pictures came out really well and my subjects were such great sports about the whole thing. After several hrs of shooting pics, we went to a late lunch at a great new restaurant called Nandos. One of my favs for sure! then we went to church followed by many of us going to the Night Markets for dinner. after that i went to a friends house to watch "She's the Man" of which we all had seen multiple times and thus were all able to quote the entire movie which was much fun!
So it was three late nights in a row but So totally and completely worth it...and nothing coffee can't help me with later. I am going to miss my aussie friends so much...God has blessed me with their immediate acceptance and friendship and i feel completely blessed to be apart of their lives even if it is only for 5 months. They will probably be the best 5 months of my life, atleast internationally :)

Well, i suppose that was quite a long post, however it was quite a fantastic weekend and i just couldn't wait to share with everyone!
Cheers!

Of Random Thoughts

rrandom pic for a post of random things!

Since the beginning of this adventure i have encountered interesting people as well as interesting situations, and I have thought recently that i often only blog the "big" stuff or most significant, but i figured i'd dedicate a post to the random things in life or atleast in the past 2 months :)

Random point 1: In Australia, the uni system is different. They skew their grading scale so that they can grade harder and make "A's" or (HD's) hard to receive, making the average grade a C which most students accept as an acceptable grade. However, students address their professors by their first name or even nickname. I find this ironic that they decrease the amount of respect expected from the students towards their professors but increase greatly their level of grading...
I personally have not brought myself to address any of my professors by their first name ...it just feels too weird, I will try to purposely do it before my time is finished here :)

Random point 2: On my flights over to Australia, i did not once sit next to any of the people i met up with in LA which i think is hilarious because it was a group flight of 45-50 other students.. :Luckily though, i got the aisle seat so i didn't feel imposing when i got up several times (as directed by mother) to walk around or just to stretch out as much as you can on a plane.

Random point 3: I never really felt homesick, the closest thing to it was when everyone back home started posting pictures from the beginning of the school year and i couldn't help think that if i hadn't decided to go to australia, i would be apart of those pictures and the experiences that go along with them....however, i quickly remember that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and i do love being here, and fortunately, all my friends will be there when i get back and hopefully it won't be too hard to get back in sync with them all! Plus i am really excited about meeting all the freshmen that have joined RUF!

Random Point 4: One of my really good friends that i have met here and has become my travel buddy, is from Maine, and a very accomplished swimmer. the more ironic thing is that her sister teaches at a public highschool in my hometown! oh, It's a small world!

Random point 5: The aussies friends that i have become really good friends with from church are such a blessing. There is even a slight chance that one of them might come back to winthrop to study for a semester, so i promised her Alot of friends automatically, which she thought was funny and i reassured her that it was so true!

Random Point #6:Electrical Outlets...you'd think plugging something in would be easy, yes if you have the right adapter...(Got one that Great!....so why isn't it working...) Well on all outlets in australia you actually have to switch the outlet on...im not sure if this is an energy saving concept but I still get fooled when i plug something in and the power doesn't immediately come on....maybe i'll get it before i leave...oh and as soon as i do, i'll be looking for a switch on the outlets in america... :)

Random point 7: I was down by the marina recently and noticed that each dock was lettered A,B, C, D etc...but they don't refer to them as docks, rather they refer to them as "Fingers" ...so my question is, are boats like dirt stuck under your fingernails? haha

Random point 8: It's amazing how creative you become and how your tastes change when some where new. At dinner they Always have a thing of steamed mixed veggies...and though some may thing they are the blandest thing on the planet...i personally love them and have them at every dinner...which is funny because i wasn't much of a veggie eater before australia....also, Vanilla icecream is a great blank slate for interesting flavors....my favorite so far is the addition of a pinch of instant coffee....there's also the addition of hotchocolate (very original :) and then others have tried peanut butter and others honey as well as strawberry jelly...interesting for sure but i just think ill stick to coffee and coco :)

OH, today they were giving away silver dollar pancakes on campus, though they called them something else that i can't remember but they had jam available to spread on them so i tried it and surprisingly it was kinda tasty....you should try it!

Random point 9: At the Gym they always have the tv on and i happen to always be there when there are cooking shows on...i find this very annoying...im at the gym, im not supposed to be tempted by food!! the worst is when they are making chocolate desserts...i just want to be like REALLY,....i'm trying so hard and this isn't helping!

Random point 10: Well, i honestly can't think of another random point, though im sure once i lay down for bed i'll be like "oh, i should have shared that.." so this can be a (Insert Your Own Random Thought) think of it as my gift of mental clarity to you .... lol

Well, i suppose that should wrap up my random post blog,...if you have continued reading thus far, let me thankyou for hanging in there, and i really hope you don't feel as though you will never get that time back in life,....Hope you have a FABULOUS day! Cheers!

Off into the great blue sea

So i went diving yesterday and it was heaps of fun except for the boat ride there which was extremely turbulent for a boat ride...and i don't normally feel sick on boats so that should tell ya something. The weather was perfect and there were lots of different fish out, several nemos and we got to plat with sea cucumbers and juggle them underwater...and my instructor wanted me to put my hand into a giant clam but i didn't think that was such a good idea....its hard to do other things while scubadiving when you are so focused on your breathing and trying to get water into your face mask and equalize the pressure in your ears...Its alot to worry about besides possibly getting your hand stuck in a clam. It was all good fun and then when we made it back to dry land i went to an outdoor christian concert with a bunch of friends from church ...so needless to say it was a Long day.
I had a sleep in today, and worked on some homework and took it easy. Tonight was Cafe Nite church so i opted to go early to help set up. I found it quite interesting and humorous that they actually had an intense strategy for setting up the tables. One lady made 6 homemade apple pies for dessert and they tasted so good....they even served it with vanilla icecream. yum yum
Tomorrow is monday, again...i feel like they come so fast...this week has to be a productive week, and i am hoping to kick laziness to the curb, we'll see if it goes willingly....haha
~Cheers!

More Pics....

I uploaded more pics to picasa so if you are interested in seeing capetribulation, portdouglas and our croc adventure, have a look!
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/eaglchk/CapeTribulation?authkey=Gv1sRgCJLVkNP10rSCYw#
Cheers!

Cape Trbulation with a dash of technological rebirth

This past saturday, a few friends and I traveled up a few a hours north of cairns to cape tribulation which is historically significant because it is where Captain Cook had troubles with his ship and had to dock to fix his ship. Other than that, cape trib is known for its beauty because its where the daintree rainforests meets the reef. SO BEAUTIFUL! we went onto the beach to each lunch and the water was completely blue and the reef came right up to the shore. On our way up to the cape trib. we stopped in port douglas to have a look around and we found the most cute chapel that is used primarly for weddings. It was so ideal for a "wedding by the sea" and it had a great view from a little window in front of the alter! I really want to get married in sometype of cute little chapel like this,..though i don't think it would be quite possible to get everyone over to auststralia for the wedding at this particular church... though it would be incredible!

Later that afternoon we went on a "croc hunt" inwhich we rode on a boat going up and down a river bank insearch of crocs. and we actually found several which was really awesome to see them in their natural environment instead of behind a fence...it makes the fact that their presence is actually reality and quite a danger, we were told that a local boy that lived on the river was attacked by a croc in the past few weeks and didn't make it...it kinda made me really sad to hear that stuff really happens.

anyways, after we got back from our long day excursion, we went to a friends 21st bday party, Aussie style. Apparently in australia, 18 is significant due to the drinking age, and the 21st bday is really like a "coming of age" where you have a huge family and friends party...there's speeches and whatnot along with a slideshow of your childhood in pictures, and then the there is the giving of the "house key" which apparently is symbolic of your parents accepting you as an adult and thus giving you a key to the house, eventhough most people don't live at home anymore which was the case for our friend so it was kinda ironic.

Sunday i went to see UP in 3D and it was such a great movie, a little tearful in some spots but overall a very great movie, i deff. recommend it! after the movie i went shopping a little and found some great shoes and some other things that were on sale so it was a great time of retail thereapy as we have coined it.

Monday came too fast once again but i was able to restore my computer back to almost the way it was originally, i didn't loose too much just microsoft 2007 because i took it from someone else and don't actually have the cd to reinstall it....im hoping i can just get it from someone else again so i won't have to buy it, thats one expense id rather not have to deal with while abroad...especially when there are soo many other things that money could go towards.

Nexus tonight was really great, i love have good and deep discussion about important and relevant topics. I'm so glad that God has blessed me with such a great church and youth group here in cairns! He certainly does answer prayers!

I'm going diving this coming saturday so i am extremely excited for that trip, i just have to actually do my work so i don't get behind :)

Thats all for now, more to come later! ~Cheers!

Revitalization is underway

TODAY was a long awaited day...I finally got my package that is essential for reviving my computer from the grave! I am hoping that it will get fixed by sunday but we shall see...i've gone two weeks without it..so a couple more days won't kill me.
Im going to Cape Tribulation tomorrow with some friends and i am anticipating it being a really great day! Then once we get back we are going to help celebrate one of our aussie friend's 21st birthday so it will sooo much fun!
This week went by so fast and my work load is just beginning to get intense...thankfully its when my computer will be back into commission...Before i know it, i will be getting ready to go off to surf camp! and then after that, it will be the end of my semester and my mom will come to visit and we will get to travel around together which i am sooo excited for! It will be such a great bonding experience to top off the best time of my life!
Pictures to come soon of Cape Trib! Cheers!