Home. The other one.

So I am back at college. Back to scrimping on life. Love. Shoes. Oh god i hate scrimping on shoes. Almost as much as scrimping on internet. I currently have about 1 hour and 30 minutes of play time left so this needs to be quick.

Being back in the city is interesting. There's so much more noise and too many traffic lights. Lots of people, constant sirens and the air is always just a little bit too thick.  Then again, there is so much to do and see and listen too. I decided this session to take up ballet. I mean, I couldn't do that back at home in the sleepy little town I come from. There are no raging dance studios or anything cool like that. It's just one of the perks, living back here. Choice.

It can be lonely in this tinsy little room, and I sometimes miss my mummy but despite this, I think 2010 is going to be fabulous. Except this week. This week I have to go on leadership camp and I think we have to go into the wilderness at some point. And i really hate wilderness.

Photos from peter dibdun and the little blog of happiness. :)

Australia's most loved public holiday.

Australia day for me is an excuse to wear my flag, literally on my back. It’s an excuse to stick fake tattoos all over myself and wear badges with little Australian flags on them. It’s an excuse to have another BBQ and a reason to drink beer. It’s a day where lying on the beach all day is acceptable and where giant inflatable thongs are the coolest beach accessory.

We Aussies like to celebrate our recent history true to what we really are. A nation of misfits. Thieves. The offspring of the people Britain didn’t want anymore. We celebrate the fact that we are now known as an accepting and multicultural nation for this very reason. We have allowed mass immigration because we did not have enough people to run a country and we continue to allow it in the name of diversity. We accept refugees who flee their countries and have no where else to go. No matter what your opinions on this matter are, the fact of the matter is, this is the way things are and I personally, am proud to consider myself an Australian.

In saying all this, I realize that today is also, in many ways a sad day for the Aboriginal people in Australia. This never used to be a convict nation. It was a functioning, complex society that was decimated by an invasion of a new population and culture. Today is invasion day. The day when an entire country began having their lives and land stolen from them. The good thing about us newer Australians though, is that we accept this too. We recognise this, and the wrongs that occurred at that time. We said sorry in 2008 and we have begun to bridge the gap and encourage reconciliation. Another example of how accepting the majority of society can really be.

While there are no doubt people, who will take today to the extreme in terms of drinking, hooning and just generally twatting it up, and while there are always going to be clashes of culture, religion and race, I would like to think that these negatives are the minority. That the majority of the Australian society can truly call themselves Australian and show it, by respecting people and what they have to offer, no matter who they are and where they come from.  It is a true celebration of the all inclusive term “life” in Australia.

The discovery of ABC documentaries.

When I was a tot, I used to love watching the ABC, because it had all the cool documentaries. Yep, thats the kind of kid I was. Screw the saddle club, lets watch shows about animals and ancient history. When I grew up, I learnt the art of downloading, I stopped watching TV because it involved leaving my bedroom. When I moved out, I didn't have a TV to watch. So this summer, I decided to reconnect with myself, and spend a little time each day staring at that million dollar plasma set up my dad insisted on buying.

The other night, I went back to the good old days and watched a program called "Hyena Queen" set on the Mala Mala reserve in South africa, and let me tell you, it was about the most interesting thing I have done all year, so I thought I would do the only thing possible, and take a few wee notes. Yes. Im missing uni. So here is what I learned.

* Females dominate the Hyena clan. They have a queen and she decides what they do, what they eat and who they mate with.
*Hyenas only have one or two cubs at any one time, their litters are very small
*They must compete for food with lions, leopards and other much larger, and stronger creatures, and yet they have a very good system for doing so, which involves stealing food, ganging up on larger animals and living partially off scraps.
* It is possible for a queen to annoy and bully the rest of the clan so much, that they will banish her.
*They can be very accepting. In the film I saw, they accepted a human being as one of them, and let him inside their dens, and let him come on hunting trips with them. This is unusual as they are often perceived as vicious and unapproachable, the bane of many african animals existence.
* They hunt together, but do not necessarily share the food. It's everyone for themselves.

So these are just the cool bits, but seriously, if you get a chance to ever watch it, do. They are very intelligent and complicated animals. Kim Wolhuter manages to get a complete insight into their lives and it really made me appreciate all the living things that are fighting to survive everyday, because let me assure you, we are not the only ones.

One of *THOSE* days.

Today was one of those days where you really just want to tell people to fuck off and stop being lame. Maybe I should have, despite how immature, inappropriate and unimaginative that would have been. I get some what sick of how rude people can be for absolutely no apparent reason. Honestly, politeness really isn't that complicated.

Ps. I have an awesome blog to write, about hyenas. Soon.

psychedelic lime green vodka dreams.

      

                  

When everything is spinning and the dreams are running through your head, the good and the bad blur together. It's a surreal feeling. The air is thick with lust and charged with emotion. You just drift into the wonders of your world and find your niche. Your love. Your everything. You realize just how good you had it. Have it. What's the difference? I need some answers. Just so I know.

pure loveliness

These are so sexy. It makes me want to fly away to paris and sit in coffee shops, smoking from a long and elegant cigarette holder. Like Audrey Hepburn might have done.

It's a party in the woods. Where there is dancing, and a hint of masquerade.

Blurry art is the new Da Vinci. I like.

It occurred to me how recounty my last blog sounded, so I decided to get a little bit re inspired, and this is what I found. Tomorrow, I think I shall go and take some super cool pictures. <3

Home Sweet Home

Unfortunately, swimming in the tropics at this time of year are frowned upon as deadly jellyfish roam the waters. A rather unpleasant experience to be stung I imagine, as the first symptom is pain, and the second is cardiac arrest. :)

Looking out off the Alexandria lookout at the low isles, where the forest meets the sea and also, incidentally where Steve Irwin was killed.

And so it is, that 10 days of my life have been spent trekking through the tropical oasis that is the Northern QLD East coast. The sights were spectacular, with the highlights being by far and away, diving on the Great Barrier Reef and trekking through the Daintree Rainforest. It has really given me a whole new appreciation for what is at my very own fingertips, essentially, just up the road. It made me so sad to be swimming with the amazing ocean wildlife, knowing that in a couple of years time it may not even be there. As we steamed back into the mainland, I watched as peoples drink bottles fell off the boat, and as people threw rubbish off the side. Maybe they knew what kind of damage they were doing and maybe they didn't.

Another thing I noticed, was as we were cruising down the Daintree river watching for crocodiles, I noticed that many tourists just expected crocodiles to be ready and posing for their little digital cameras. They had no appreciation for the rest of the wildlife that inhabits the area, nor did they seem to realize that crocodiles probably don't want to be seen. It's called self preservation. It means they don't want to become a piece of the crocodile jerky that can be found throughout most souvenir shops throughout Cairns.  I was absolutely awe inspired by the abundance of life in one small river. Words can't even begin to describe the beauty of such an absolutely stunning place.

While I admit that hostels and backpacking are not my thing, and I did find it some what difficult to adjust to feeling dirty, re wearing clothes more than twice, and carrying an enormous backpack wherever I went, experiencing the country was the ultimate high. It was beautiful, it was surreal and I can't wait to get out and just see a tiny bit more of the world.

To backpack will be an awfully big adventure...

And so it begins. My traveling career. My adventures. My exposure to the world at its finest, and all I can think about, is how the fuck I am going to get my GHD straightener into this tinsy backpack.

 So it turns out, when you go back packing, you arn't actually supposed to take GHDs. Or more than 2 pairs of shoes. And apparently, I have to share a room, with up to 11 other people, I don't even know! Super. Just great. Hi five Jess. You've booked yourself a nightmare.

No, I'm pulling your leg. In all seriousness, I am looking forward to the trip. I am heading to Northern QLD for 10 days, backpacking my way from Mackay to Port Douglas. It should be absolutely amazing. I am looking forward to snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, Trekking the Daintree and lazing about on a yacht in Port Douglas. I think backpacking is an experience any young person would be mad not to allow themselves to have. Living by the basics, meeting new people, seeing new places. There's plenty of time for fancy resorts later on in life when you can actually afford a real holiday and not be living in a cardboard box and off 2 minute noodles for the next 10 years afterwards.

Miracle Berries

So for christmas, I managed to haul in the usual array of goodies. All, I must say, I was absolutely ecstatic with. I got clothes, and speakers and vouchers and the most gorgeous mobile. It has five hot air balloons and it spins on just the slightest breeze. I also got a very interesting present off a most lovely boy. They are called miracle fruit tablets. I tried them out for the first time yesterday. You eat one, and it makes everything sour, taste sweet! I ate a whole lemon without even wincing. Actually, it was quite tasty! I just thought it was so cool I had to blog about it. I think the whole world should try them! I am not 100% sure if it is possible to obtain some of these little miracles in Australia, but it definitely is in the US, which is where mine came from, bringing with them, some pretty trippy, completely legal, deliciously satisfying times.