Today I have been feeling a little bit lost. Not depressed or down, just a little bit lost. I know eventually I will find my way to where I need to be.
I have been trying to figure out how to post more pictures here, but my wireless card is still burned out and won't be fixed till I get back stateside. The computers here at the library and at the hostel won't allow me to install the program I need to post pictures. That means the only way I can post pictures is by going over to Hidde's place. Unfortunately I have been having trouble getting in touch with Hidde. I think he has been busy celebrating the end of exams.
Just now I turned on my laptop and I am once again picking up a wireless signal, but I am unable to connect to the university's network (because as usual Sydney University is shit). That is not so bad because they require me to install software to use their network. Hidde just called me which means I may be able to go over to his place to use the internet. More importantly I should be able to get online to update all my virus protection.
With all the chaos I am feeling one thing has been helping me...
Music is the soul of the man
Music makes a happy day
Music makes a cloud flow by baby
Your music is my tears inside my eyes
Your music makes me want to sing
Girl, music is a joy to bring
Music is my heart and soul, more precious than gold
Happiness for days, justice all the way
I love your music baby
I find it absolutely amazing the power of music to make me feel...
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Friday, July 08, 2005
I have nothing to complain about...
Well taking into consideration the events of the past few days I have reconsidered my complaints. Last night I spent about an hour on the phone with Liz and I am counting my blessings. Liz is from England and has lots of family and friends in London. Her brother and cousin both work in the area that was affected by the recent bombings. Thankfully her brother changed jobs a couple weeks ago and her cousin was late to work. There are still a couple of friends of hers she has been unable to contact. To top it all off she received news that one of her close family members is very ill. It has been made even more difficult for her because of the fact that she is in Alice Springs which is the middle of nowhere. I did my best to try to console her, but it is very difficult to do from hundreds of miles away. Selfishly I want her here with me, but more importantly she needs to do what is best for her piece of mind. I tried to assure her that being there would not change anything that was going to happen, but she astutely pointed out that even if she couldn't fix anything she might be able to make things a little less painful. This is where I hearken back to what I said last week "...I will always carry you with me in my heart, and it makes my journey a little more bearable to know that I am also carried in yours."
No matter how far I am from my loved ones you are always with me...
No matter how far I am from my loved ones you are always with me...
Frustration is mounting...
Well I am just about fed up with Australia and this whole damn law program here. The public transportation system here in Sydney is crap. They don't run on time if they run at all. Last night I waited 35 minutes for a bus when the schedule indicated there should have been 4 busses in that time. I called to complain today and was told they would review my complaint and call me back. Their system is such a tangle that they acknowledge a delay on one side of town can mess up the schedule for all busses and trains all over town. They plan to make improvements by 2010, at least they know how worthless they are right now.
They have signs everywhere asking me not to litter or throw my cigarette butts on the ground, but there are no trash cans or ashtrays anywhere around this city. I have been told they removed a lot of trash cans for the Olympics, but that was 5 years ago. Sydney likes to think it is an international city, but that is only because it is the biggest in Australia. It is still smaller than Phoenix.
My next beef is with the hostel I am staying at. Once again this morning there was no one to cook breakfast for me. I paid $1580 for room and board. Last time there was no one there to cook breakfast I left them a note letting them know how unhappy I was with the situation. They apologized profusely and told me to call the night manager if it ever happens again. So this morning I called the night manager and the phone at the front desk started ringing. What good does it do me to call an unmanned front desk?
I have given up on eating dinner there because the food is so bad. The only meal I eat there is breakfast because I need the energy to get me through the day. If I am not going to eat there at all THEY WILL PROVIDE ME WITH THE MONEY to buy breakfast elsewhere. They may not know it yet but I will get my moneys worth one way or another.
Then comes my law classes. My Professional Responsibility class is not so bad because at least we cover useful interesting material, even if we do move slow and get sidetracked. But my class on Australian Perspectives on International Law has turned into a class on political indoctrination. We have had at least 8 different teachers 3 of whom only got asked to teach the night before, and had to ask us what we were learning. It is 90% social opinion and 10% international law.
Most of the class has been dedicated to trying to explain to us how evil it is to be a prosperous country. But I think the key will be remembering to regurgitate the crap they are giving me on the final. It may be complete crap but if that is what the people doing the grading want to hear that is what I will spit. Tell a narrow minded person what they want to hear and they will think you are a genius. Besides since these grades will go on my transcript it is worth trying.
To compound it all Liz is out of town for another 2 weeks. She comes back on the 21st and I can't wait. Timing in life is everything and the 21st is the day of my last final. Even better news is that she wants to come visit me in the states. Hopefully she will make it over to see me in AZ where I already have plans on how to spend my time with her. She may even come visit me in NY, could I ask for much more.
Well that is my way of venting and now I feel a lot better. Thanks for taking the time to listen. It means a lot to me that even when I just need to complain you are there...
They have signs everywhere asking me not to litter or throw my cigarette butts on the ground, but there are no trash cans or ashtrays anywhere around this city. I have been told they removed a lot of trash cans for the Olympics, but that was 5 years ago. Sydney likes to think it is an international city, but that is only because it is the biggest in Australia. It is still smaller than Phoenix.
My next beef is with the hostel I am staying at. Once again this morning there was no one to cook breakfast for me. I paid $1580 for room and board. Last time there was no one there to cook breakfast I left them a note letting them know how unhappy I was with the situation. They apologized profusely and told me to call the night manager if it ever happens again. So this morning I called the night manager and the phone at the front desk started ringing. What good does it do me to call an unmanned front desk?
I have given up on eating dinner there because the food is so bad. The only meal I eat there is breakfast because I need the energy to get me through the day. If I am not going to eat there at all THEY WILL PROVIDE ME WITH THE MONEY to buy breakfast elsewhere. They may not know it yet but I will get my moneys worth one way or another.
Then comes my law classes. My Professional Responsibility class is not so bad because at least we cover useful interesting material, even if we do move slow and get sidetracked. But my class on Australian Perspectives on International Law has turned into a class on political indoctrination. We have had at least 8 different teachers 3 of whom only got asked to teach the night before, and had to ask us what we were learning. It is 90% social opinion and 10% international law.
Most of the class has been dedicated to trying to explain to us how evil it is to be a prosperous country. But I think the key will be remembering to regurgitate the crap they are giving me on the final. It may be complete crap but if that is what the people doing the grading want to hear that is what I will spit. Tell a narrow minded person what they want to hear and they will think you are a genius. Besides since these grades will go on my transcript it is worth trying.
To compound it all Liz is out of town for another 2 weeks. She comes back on the 21st and I can't wait. Timing in life is everything and the 21st is the day of my last final. Even better news is that she wants to come visit me in the states. Hopefully she will make it over to see me in AZ where I already have plans on how to spend my time with her. She may even come visit me in NY, could I ask for much more.
Well that is my way of venting and now I feel a lot better. Thanks for taking the time to listen. It means a lot to me that even when I just need to complain you are there...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Everything is as it should be...
Well I had one of the greatest 4th of July's that I have ever had in my life. I spent the day with Liz. She is a wonderful English girl that I met here at Bondi Beach House. The night before (Sunday) we watched Casablanca (one of my favorites) and talked till 2AM. Yesterday I managed to drag myself out of bed shortly before noon and after a quick shower/shave Liz and I headed down to Bondi Beach.
After 2 weeks of being here where I can see the ocean from my room I finally made it down to the beach. We walked along the beach and went jumping around on the rocks (large boulders) like a couple of kids. When we finally got to the beach proper we lied down and relaxed a little while to enjoy the sunshine. That lasted until a cloud got in the way at which point we decided to head a little further down the beach to a cafe. We each got a cup of hot chocolate and shared a brownie, how sweet (the brownie that is). As we walked back we stopped at the stairs that lead away from the beach and noticed a guy catching a fish to which I said how cool, but he won't catch another one while we are standing here. Sure enough 30 seconds later he pulled out another fish (Dave would have loved it). We decided to sit down a little while before leaving the beach. We found a nice little bench formation in the rocks surrounding the beach and pulled up a seat. We made a little sand castle and posted a flag (not much bigger than my foot).
Our big plans for the evening were to head into the city and cross the harbor on a ferry so we could watch the city lights come on. Well everything went according to plan. We got there a little before the sun went down so we walked from Circular Quay where the bus dropped us over to the opera house because we had 30 minutes to kill before our ferry took off. By the time our ferry took of the sun had just gone down which provided us with this wonderful view of a golden sky against the city skyline over the water. We got off at Milsons Point/Luna Park (the area I stayed my first week here). Luna Park is an amusement park with a big ferris wheel. I talked Liz into going for a ride with me, after which she told me it was very romantic (desired effect achieved). The top of the ferris wheel afforded us magnificent views of the city lights at night through the harbor bridge.
After that we walked along the water front till we got to a nice spot to gaze at the lit up opera house and the sparkling lights of the Sydney skyline. After a little while Liz mentioned that she was getting hungry so I suggested the Mad Greek (remember from the first week). It was a little bit of a walk up the hill which was rough because Liz had hurt her ankle while we were jumping around on the rocks. We made it though and it was the perfect place for the two of us to share a bit of dinner. Dinner consisted of a small spinach pizza and tomato and basil bruschetta (she is a vegetarian). It couldn't have been more perfect.
After dinner we walked back down to the harbor where we caught the last ferry of the night back to Circular Quay. Lucky us, but as you all know timing in life is everything. From there we caught the bus back to Bondi Beach and came back to the hostel. We snuggled and watched Sin City on my laptop (Diddy was right). I couldn't have asked for a better night even if I wanted to. Liz makes me feel like a teenager again, which is a good thing. Sadly she left today to go on a trip that will take her to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and up to Darwin. It's OK though because she will be back on the 21st, the day of my last final here. So we will have about a week to hang out and play like a couple of kids...
Could this post be any farther from the first few posts I made in Australia when I was feeling so alone? I would like to thank all of you again for reaching out to me to let me know that even thousands of miles away I am still in your hearts. I couldn't be happier right now...
I talked to my brother today which was very good for me. He is doing very well and facing up to life's trials and tribulations like the man he has become. I have always been proud of him, and I continue to be so. I can't wait to meet his 2 beautiful boys. Uncle Aaron (Uncle Monkeybars) is more than just a legend...
Well I am off to try to call Liz then get a little shut eye. Talk to you soon...
After 2 weeks of being here where I can see the ocean from my room I finally made it down to the beach. We walked along the beach and went jumping around on the rocks (large boulders) like a couple of kids. When we finally got to the beach proper we lied down and relaxed a little while to enjoy the sunshine. That lasted until a cloud got in the way at which point we decided to head a little further down the beach to a cafe. We each got a cup of hot chocolate and shared a brownie, how sweet (the brownie that is). As we walked back we stopped at the stairs that lead away from the beach and noticed a guy catching a fish to which I said how cool, but he won't catch another one while we are standing here. Sure enough 30 seconds later he pulled out another fish (Dave would have loved it). We decided to sit down a little while before leaving the beach. We found a nice little bench formation in the rocks surrounding the beach and pulled up a seat. We made a little sand castle and posted a flag (not much bigger than my foot).
Our big plans for the evening were to head into the city and cross the harbor on a ferry so we could watch the city lights come on. Well everything went according to plan. We got there a little before the sun went down so we walked from Circular Quay where the bus dropped us over to the opera house because we had 30 minutes to kill before our ferry took off. By the time our ferry took of the sun had just gone down which provided us with this wonderful view of a golden sky against the city skyline over the water. We got off at Milsons Point/Luna Park (the area I stayed my first week here). Luna Park is an amusement park with a big ferris wheel. I talked Liz into going for a ride with me, after which she told me it was very romantic (desired effect achieved). The top of the ferris wheel afforded us magnificent views of the city lights at night through the harbor bridge.
After that we walked along the water front till we got to a nice spot to gaze at the lit up opera house and the sparkling lights of the Sydney skyline. After a little while Liz mentioned that she was getting hungry so I suggested the Mad Greek (remember from the first week). It was a little bit of a walk up the hill which was rough because Liz had hurt her ankle while we were jumping around on the rocks. We made it though and it was the perfect place for the two of us to share a bit of dinner. Dinner consisted of a small spinach pizza and tomato and basil bruschetta (she is a vegetarian). It couldn't have been more perfect.
After dinner we walked back down to the harbor where we caught the last ferry of the night back to Circular Quay. Lucky us, but as you all know timing in life is everything. From there we caught the bus back to Bondi Beach and came back to the hostel. We snuggled and watched Sin City on my laptop (Diddy was right). I couldn't have asked for a better night even if I wanted to. Liz makes me feel like a teenager again, which is a good thing. Sadly she left today to go on a trip that will take her to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and up to Darwin. It's OK though because she will be back on the 21st, the day of my last final here. So we will have about a week to hang out and play like a couple of kids...
Could this post be any farther from the first few posts I made in Australia when I was feeling so alone? I would like to thank all of you again for reaching out to me to let me know that even thousands of miles away I am still in your hearts. I couldn't be happier right now...
I talked to my brother today which was very good for me. He is doing very well and facing up to life's trials and tribulations like the man he has become. I have always been proud of him, and I continue to be so. I can't wait to meet his 2 beautiful boys. Uncle Aaron (Uncle Monkeybars) is more than just a legend...
Well I am off to try to call Liz then get a little shut eye. Talk to you soon...
Sunday, July 03, 2005
...and I'm floating in a most peculiar way...
Well let me start off with the latest and greatest. Skydiving was the thrill of my life. Let me start off at the beginning. We caught the train from Central Station and it was about an hour and a half ride to North Wollongong. From the train station we were picked up and taken to the drop zone (landing area). When we arrived there were waivers we had to sign about half a million times. But any good lawyer could probably argue that they were unconscionable based on unfair bargaining power and them being a common carrier.
While we were there we got suited up, basically it was just a pullover/jumpsuit that you could find in any garage or paint shop. Then we climbed into our harnesses that were a little too snug in all the wrong places, but that is the least of your concerns when jumping out of an airplane. They also gave us flotation devices like you find in any airplane, after all we were flying over the ocean and jumping right by the coast. After a little basic instruction on how to exit the plane and basic form in freefall we (Emily, Grant, the instructors, and I) took a van over to the airfield which was 15 minutes away. We all packed into a tiny plane, along with the pilot and co-pilot, like a bunch of sardines. Then came the scariest part, the flight up to 14,000 feet.
In all honesty I don't think that plane was designed to carry that much weight, but we made it off the ground. It was a 20-25 minute flight and just as we began to take off my calf began to cram up. Unfortunately since we were packed in so tight there was no way to stretch it out, beside I think it was just my body's way of rebelling against something that would surely kill it. We flew up to the clouds and then twice as high as that, had we gone any higher we would have needed oxygen and I could feel the thin air. Then we banked around and opened the door of the plane.
I was the second out of the plane along with my tandem instructor Jack. I hung my feet over the edge, crossed my arms over my chest, leaned back into my instructor, and slid out of the plane. The first 10 seconds reminded me of bungee jumping. You experience the change in momentum from forward to downward, the air begins to hit you harder and harder, and the wind roars in your ears. In order to do this you have to overcome every life preserving instinct that you are born with and as you begin to fall you truly realize that death is a possible result. All of this makes you question your sanity for having decided to jump in the first place.
After that first 10 seconds the remaining 60 seconds of freefall bears no resemblance to bungee jumping. It is a constant rush of air and the feeling of incredible power. The clouds came rushing up to greet us and then we slipped right into them. Everything got a lot darker inside the cloud but it only lasted a few seconds. On the other side the coastline came into view, I could see the beach and all the little specs that were the homes of North Wollongong. At just under 4,000 feet Jacked pulled the rip-chord and our chute deployed. That was the second scariest part because it is the only truly dangerous part of the jump, but everything came out exactly the way it was supposed to and we spent the next 6-7 minutes drifting down to earth.
While we rode down Jack pointed out the Sydney skyline which was almost 100 miles away (what a sight). He also let me steer on the way down (the others didn't get to). I did a couple of figure 8's that took us out over the ocean and back over the beach. I got to see Emily land below me and Grant's parachute deploy over me. We circled the landing area a few time so we could approach from the right direction. As we got ready to touch down I lifted my legs and we slid in for a perfect soft landing on the grass.
I said it before and I'll say it again, that was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I definitely have to do it again, but next time I want to go solo. That means I'm going to need to take some classes, but they aren't cheap so I'm going to have to put it on the back burner for a while. I'm so glad to have done it because of how scary it was. Conquering our fears is good for us, it helps us grow.
The next day (yesterday) I came over to Hidde's place and hung out at the field where he and his roommate Derk had field hockey games. It was a nice relaxing time and I met a couple of his friends Greg and Melita. Melita invited me to house-sit for her and Greg, at their place in Manley Beach, when they go out of town next weekend. I just keep meeting nice people everywhere I go.
Today was a lazy Sunday, just the kind of day I like. I went to the grocery store in the afternoon and bought the makings for Italian subs. It was a nice change from the Turkish food which is so popular around here. Now I am just hanging out at Hidde's and will head back over to Bondi Beach House later this evening. We have no classes tomorrow being the 4th of July (and Yiayia's birthday) so I am going to hang out, clean my room, take my laundry over to the cleaners (cheaper than doing it myself), get my reading done for next week, and relax a little.
The wireless card on my laptop has burned out so I will probably only post a few more pictures in the remaining 4 weeks that I have here. As I suspected I have to wait till I get back stateside to get service. Today I bought my ticket from AZ to NY, I fly out of Phoenix on the 17th which gives me a couple of days in NY to get my bike and get in touch with Pat (Trish's mom) who has all my stuff (including my bike) in storage for me. It also gives me a couple of days to get ready to move into the dorms on the 20th. After that I have a couple more days before classes start. Everything seems to happen so quickly, in the next couple of days I have to get things started on my student loans for the coming year. Just another step towards $200,000...
While we were there we got suited up, basically it was just a pullover/jumpsuit that you could find in any garage or paint shop. Then we climbed into our harnesses that were a little too snug in all the wrong places, but that is the least of your concerns when jumping out of an airplane. They also gave us flotation devices like you find in any airplane, after all we were flying over the ocean and jumping right by the coast. After a little basic instruction on how to exit the plane and basic form in freefall we (Emily, Grant, the instructors, and I) took a van over to the airfield which was 15 minutes away. We all packed into a tiny plane, along with the pilot and co-pilot, like a bunch of sardines. Then came the scariest part, the flight up to 14,000 feet.
In all honesty I don't think that plane was designed to carry that much weight, but we made it off the ground. It was a 20-25 minute flight and just as we began to take off my calf began to cram up. Unfortunately since we were packed in so tight there was no way to stretch it out, beside I think it was just my body's way of rebelling against something that would surely kill it. We flew up to the clouds and then twice as high as that, had we gone any higher we would have needed oxygen and I could feel the thin air. Then we banked around and opened the door of the plane.
I was the second out of the plane along with my tandem instructor Jack. I hung my feet over the edge, crossed my arms over my chest, leaned back into my instructor, and slid out of the plane. The first 10 seconds reminded me of bungee jumping. You experience the change in momentum from forward to downward, the air begins to hit you harder and harder, and the wind roars in your ears. In order to do this you have to overcome every life preserving instinct that you are born with and as you begin to fall you truly realize that death is a possible result. All of this makes you question your sanity for having decided to jump in the first place.
After that first 10 seconds the remaining 60 seconds of freefall bears no resemblance to bungee jumping. It is a constant rush of air and the feeling of incredible power. The clouds came rushing up to greet us and then we slipped right into them. Everything got a lot darker inside the cloud but it only lasted a few seconds. On the other side the coastline came into view, I could see the beach and all the little specs that were the homes of North Wollongong. At just under 4,000 feet Jacked pulled the rip-chord and our chute deployed. That was the second scariest part because it is the only truly dangerous part of the jump, but everything came out exactly the way it was supposed to and we spent the next 6-7 minutes drifting down to earth.
While we rode down Jack pointed out the Sydney skyline which was almost 100 miles away (what a sight). He also let me steer on the way down (the others didn't get to). I did a couple of figure 8's that took us out over the ocean and back over the beach. I got to see Emily land below me and Grant's parachute deploy over me. We circled the landing area a few time so we could approach from the right direction. As we got ready to touch down I lifted my legs and we slid in for a perfect soft landing on the grass.
I said it before and I'll say it again, that was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I definitely have to do it again, but next time I want to go solo. That means I'm going to need to take some classes, but they aren't cheap so I'm going to have to put it on the back burner for a while. I'm so glad to have done it because of how scary it was. Conquering our fears is good for us, it helps us grow.
The next day (yesterday) I came over to Hidde's place and hung out at the field where he and his roommate Derk had field hockey games. It was a nice relaxing time and I met a couple of his friends Greg and Melita. Melita invited me to house-sit for her and Greg, at their place in Manley Beach, when they go out of town next weekend. I just keep meeting nice people everywhere I go.
Today was a lazy Sunday, just the kind of day I like. I went to the grocery store in the afternoon and bought the makings for Italian subs. It was a nice change from the Turkish food which is so popular around here. Now I am just hanging out at Hidde's and will head back over to Bondi Beach House later this evening. We have no classes tomorrow being the 4th of July (and Yiayia's birthday) so I am going to hang out, clean my room, take my laundry over to the cleaners (cheaper than doing it myself), get my reading done for next week, and relax a little.
The wireless card on my laptop has burned out so I will probably only post a few more pictures in the remaining 4 weeks that I have here. As I suspected I have to wait till I get back stateside to get service. Today I bought my ticket from AZ to NY, I fly out of Phoenix on the 17th which gives me a couple of days in NY to get my bike and get in touch with Pat (Trish's mom) who has all my stuff (including my bike) in storage for me. It also gives me a couple of days to get ready to move into the dorms on the 20th. After that I have a couple more days before classes start. Everything seems to happen so quickly, in the next couple of days I have to get things started on my student loans for the coming year. Just another step towards $200,000...
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