Thursday, March 31, 2005

Grandmas

So every likes my life stories of both my lovely grandma’s. The only mail I get here is from grandma in Oconomowoc, WI and there is usually an attached clipping either an Ann Lander column or an article about saving Aussies because they don’t believe in sin and how God needs to be re-institutionalized. So people know that grandma but her letters. And no one else gets mail so I share bits and pieces and it is like it is their grandma and everyone can relate. When the time is right I’ll tell stories of my Grandma Rose and her martinis plus other adventures. They especially like the comparison to martini’s and breasts. One is not enough, two is just right, and three is too many. Well grandma taught me how to make a fantastic topping for asparagus so every time I make asparagus I have to make this topping. I was helping cook the other day and was making this topping and they all looked at me like I was from Jupiter and were very afraid. I had to say, “My grandma who fancies martinis taught me how to make this.” Wow -they changed faces, smiled and gave my loving approvals. When we finally ate they were very impressed how this tasted and loved it. So thanks to my Grandma’s for life lessons and compassion. I will have a glass of wine tonight and I am told when I get back I should (or have to) enter the stage of drinking martini’s. Aren’t cosmopolitans a martini?

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

I can’t work with The Police

Yesterday was a slow day at work and found out I don’t like The Police, the band, it’s like they forced me to leave. I couldn’t work anymore. Well I ran into my friends at the hostel and they were all going to Coffs Harbour to see a movie (Ahh a movie – I haven’t seen the pictures for over 7/8 weeks and we made a friend that had a car!) So I ran back to the office asked off for the afternoon and went to Coffs. We had a mouthwatering lunch and then went to see The Ring 2. I haven’t seen the first but figured any movie was good than no movie. Well not my kind of movie. I ran across the street to the Big W 9 (similar to a Target) because I am in desperate need of Sex and the City. No dvds, all sold out. I am kicking myself for not bringing any seasons. I know when a phrase is American because I got in the car and said “ kicking myself in the ass” All of a sudden echos of that phrase were going around with lots laughing. I am picking up a bit of Aussie language and even had a dream if someone asked if I was Australia. I can’t lie that well in reality so I couldn’t even do it in my dreams. I met another American girl last night and a nice Canadian guy and went night canoeing well they were more like kayaks. I told them I knew what I was doing – I’ve never paddled before! I must have thought that lifting my dad’s kayaks out of the water rationalized me knowing what I was doing. Still haven’t been in my dad’s kayaks? (cough cough) I’m not retarted, or blond. I shared a canoe with the Canadian because I thought that was the thing to do. Turns out if you are in the back like he was and if you are in a single you just get soaked my the water coming out of the paddles. I seemed to be the only dry one. When I got back to the hostel turns out my friends had utilized happy hour at the pub and were now finishing their bottles of wine. I’m doing very good and like waking up in the morning with a clear head.
And a sidenote to my delay in posts is because I am frankly holding out on you guys. If no one posts I am renaming it Letters to Dad from Gina.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Mission

I received two missions yesterday that I am to complete by the time I leave Oz.

One: This hostel is very special because upstairs the walls are covered with photos of naked people. It’s by no means pornographic. The manager that has been living here for about seven years takes the most fantastic nude photos of people. Nothing is really showing it is very serious, studious and even tranquil. I haven’t gone yet to Bundagen – the alternative community with the nude beach. My bum might get sunburned so still looking for the spf 75.

Two: I am to eat kangaroo. (They sell it at the grocery store)

Monday, March 28, 2005

Thank you for the single rose

My mom always said a single rose was much more precious than a dozen. It’s not about how much cash you have how many friends you have. It’s about a single thing. You are a single person with one mind. It takes one good idea. It takes one I love you and not a mouthful. I had a guy once tell me he loved me about 20 times a day and at the end of the day it didn’t mean anything anymore. One would have done the job. But that was years ago and now I’m talking about roses. Smell the roses my friend.

During my so far six weeks here I have learned to share, be more open, learn to take showers while talking to other people who are brushing their teeth, learn to not wear as much makeup, learn to eat different food, learn what it is to be special and to make someone feel special. Life is about helping, sharing and caring.
This may not make sense to most, but thank you for the single rose.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Karma?

You know when you are dating someone you begin to adapt and learn from them and you feel like that person has helped shaped you in some way for your next adventure. But if that person has consciously warped your thoughts into something else, is it still real? Are life lessons in return fake? Is it like a video game for life? You press the button you jump. They press your heart and you feel compassion. Does it still make a difference, if maybe, they didn’t care about your heart? If someone else in a different situation presses your heart will you still feel compassion or brush it off as something else? Are humans able to reformat themselves for different situations? I think some are compable and some take what they have used either good or bad and use it in their next relationship. If someone does something bad in a realationship they person recieving that bad can learn from it and use it to gauge other people and also never use that bad to get reverge, persay, on someone else. I hate being this serious but sometimes you need to put yourself out there and ask these questions. I may need a good dose of Sex and the City to get me over this hump. Well I feel a long poem spurring from my spirit.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

If only Australia was a man

So I have fallen in love with Australia. This happened on my car ride home. (on the left side of the road) Of course I can't seem to get my head around it walking across.

I didn’t like Sydney to begin with but the next day was bright and sunny. The previous night it took me 1 1/2 to walk home. Once when I saw no one was walking on the same streets I was I had to turn around. Me being a stubborn bastard refused to look at the map. Of course the next day walking back it only took 1/2 hour. The design conference was ok I’ve been to better. There were much more students than I had expected and met another Sagmiester fan from Adelaide. Finally someone speaks my language!

I did some walking around the city, my foot pain was gone after I returned back to Bellingen. ( That’s because everything is perfect here ) Well I got to the famous Sydney Opera house, did some wandering around the town, walked through a magnificient park where the trees where covered in lights. It reminded me of Christmas. Well I loved the scenery outside.

The inside of my hostel was quiet unique. I made friends with 2 girls from Denmark they were sweet and went to bed early. When I was watching the telly at 2 in the morning some guys came in that proved my assumptions right. They were coked out and not afraid to do more whilst people around. I woke up at 6:30 in the morning to the scent of pot. I made my way back to my car trying not to gag at the guys and girls making out on the sidewalk.

I made it out of the city perfectly. Couldn’t have asked for anything better. You know the in the states you can get away with doing about 6-7 over the speed limit. So here miles are now kilometers and I didn’t think I was going fast enough and thought 30 over would be fine since it only seemed like 10 or so in miles. Mangaged to shave an hour off my trip and wasn’t until I asked someone that you can only go 5 over. Don’t tell anyone! Thanks.

Yes the car ride home was magical. I had visions of where I was going to live and what I was going to do. I must not disclose in fear of someone stealing my ideas. But they are fantastic. I have never felt so in touch - so alive - so motivated to go and do what i want to do.

xoxox

Friday, March 18, 2005

Sydney

Since I am a bit crazy I decided to rent a car to drive down to sydney - probably one of the worst ways to get down here. Plane - nope, Train - nope, Bus - nope. So the only instructions the rental car place gave me was to stay on the left. Well I made it down and I'm still alive. It did rain and Sara knows how much I hate driving in the rain, but I made it through. Well so being a little wacko and renting a car I booked a hostel smack dab in the middle of whore central. I am in settled on a street with 20+ strip joints and other nasty shops. I think I will start my souviner shopping here. Hmmm, whose birthday is coming up? Terri? (laughs) They only are after the guys so I am ok. I share a room with 2 girls from Denmark. I'd say about 80% of the people here are plastic. Let me get some magnification glass and some sun.

I am in Sydney because there is a design conference going on. I just got done with the first day and walked all the way down to the harbour. I think I may have done something to my foot as it has been in pain for the past week and there is a bruise I dunno where it came from. The conference is ok - lots of students and not to many professionals which I would have thought there would have been more of. I don't think I would come here again - ironic how this is the first place I wanted to come. I love and miss my little country town right now!

Monday, March 14, 2005

ve are vrom swizterland

Had a blast in Brisbane this past weekend - 7 hour greyhound ride there and back. So glad to be in a city where there are buildings more than 3 stories high. Right now Brisbane is building the world's tallest residential tower. That is until Syndey will beat it a month later.

I met up with another intern who is from California and she showed me a good time in Brisbane. Went to lots of different clubs and they all had a great atmosphere and great music - I prolli went to more clubs here that beat out anyones I went to elsewhere. The guys have this eurostyle haircut where it is cool to have a mullet started or even a rat tail. Gross. Finally had a miller geniune draft - that was heaven - good $7 spent. So everyone would ask us where we were from and sooner than later we got sick of saying we were American (hence reasons discussed in previous post) that we began disguising ourselves as swiss girls - da da - ve backpack - arrive 2 day ago - go to sydney soon - da da. My friend Sara will love this because she knows I do a horrible accents. But no one ever knew because they were so wasted anyway they were just happy to meet 2 girls vrom switzerland.

So Brisbane was fun - we didn't just go to clubs all weekend - but got to see the city - walked around the whole darn thing - I finally bought a disposable camera to take better pics. So I will post those once they are developed. The city was a cross between Florida's South Beach and LA. I would go back again but prolli never live there - although it was voted one of the best places to live in the world

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Pics for Prizes


"mooo"




mountain supposedly of a sleeping aboriginal



Since I cannot take a normal picutre here is on me on the veranda that I took all by myself.

I'm off to Brisbane this weekend. Hopefully the cyclone will be long gone!

cheers!

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Pop Quiz

POP QUIZ - for those of you looking to write (cough cough)

What did Gina do since her last post?

a. Lie on a public sidewalk at and stare up at the stars, which is quite unlike Wisconsin because one can see the Milky Way Galaxy, formations found – Orion’s belt and Australia’s Southern Cross.

b. Made and burned a cake because set the oven at a Fahrenheit temperature.

c. Saw a my first snake – a Python

d. Took a biking adventure to the Promised Land and jumped in Never Never Creek

e. Looked like a fool when I got into what I thought was the passenger side of the car and realized I was wrong when there was a steering wheel in front of me.

f. Got carsick

g. Saw a wallaby crossing the road

h. Haven’t used hair conditioner in 3 weeks

i. Having my friends wake up in the morning still talking about the American dish I made – scalloped potatoes and ham. Yum yum

j. Found out a couple that met a month ago here got engaged.

k. Bought a “BOX” of white wine at 5pm and threw away the empty carton at 10pm

l. Managed to show my drunken side by singing, dancing, and being loud due to a feisty combination of white and red wine.

m. all of the above

n. none of the above

If you answer correctly you will receive something special

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

First Day of Fall

Yesterday was the first day of fall. It was about 80 and at night it got cooler - had to run to get a light shirt. Poor thing, I know. So my new friends took me to play "long ball" Long Ball is played at a bowling club which someone needs to be a member and show the others how to adhere to the rules. Here are some of the rules we broke - Rule 1 - A guy wore a sleeveless shirt in the club. Rule 2 - The German - (yes the friking german is still here!) He sat on the white ledge bordering the court. Rule 3 - No bringing of alcholic beverages on to the court (I did that). Well besides that they taught me how to play and ended up blowing them out of the game because I played better then them who have played for years. They have started saying - "the American wins at everything".





Well here is a pic of Nigel the lizard that lives at the hostel. I tried reading my book, Jane Eyre on the porch last Saturday when this older women (60 ish) started to talk to Nigel. Then she started to say a few words to me. Then she would talk to the lizard. And I couldn't figure out when she was talking to me or the lizard. I got in 2 pages over the course of 1.5 hours. She is talking her way up the coast right now.