So, yesterday was ANZAC day. (click the blog title for the wikipedia explanation of ANZAC day.) I guess comparably it's like our Memorial Day, but of course, in true Aussie fashion, any holiday here means you drink. So, at about 2pm i met my friends at the bar, only to find i was walking into insanity! the place is huge and it was packed!! people were waiting 20 minutes to get a drink at any of the 4 bars, the ATM line was over an hour, and clearly getting food was just simply not even considered. somehow i found the boys, out back near a huge crowd that were screaming and cheering... no idea what was going on. Apparently there's an ANZAC tradition to play this game called 2-up. this bar was one of the ones in the area hosting it, hence the crowds. there was a crowd of people in a circle standing on grandstands and the balcony and the ground around this center area where two older guys were moderating this game. the old guy was dressed in a hilarious sparkly gold suit and funny hat and waving his arms everywhere, and the other slightly younger one was in a red velvet suit and matching hat. in one corner of this little area, someone from the crowd stood with a flat wooden stick that had 3 coins on it. he/she had to toss the coins above everyone's heads and, when they landed, whichever side (heads or tails) had the majority face up won. here's where it got nuts: the rest of the crowd is screaming before the coins are thrown, holding up different dollar values - some on their heads, some by their butts. if you wanted to bet heads and you had $5, for example, you'd yell "5 on heads, 5 on heads!" until you make eye contact with someone else in the crowd betting the same dollar amount against you. then the person betting heads takes the other's money to hold onto until the coins are tossed. once the bets are cut off and the coin tosser is about to throw, everyone chants either "head 'em up!" or "tail 'em up!". if the coin tosser does a bad throw (aka, not high enough, rolls off the playing area, etc.), the ENTIRE crowd starts booing! one of our friends was trying to convince me to get in the middle and throw, but i didn't think i could handle being booed by that many people:) people were betting $50 a toss or more! it's such a funny concept though, because really the "house" doesn't benefit at all, and it's just an exchange of funds amoungst the crowd! in reality though, i guess the bar wins because everyone that won was using their winnings to buy more drinks:)
so that was most of the day, till about 10 (yes, 8 hours!)... Wazz, Paul, another girl Amy, and I took the bus back to Coogee at that point and because they were all WAY too drunk to get into the CBH (our usual after hours spot), they gave up and we went to the Rugby Club for free drinks:) somehow, this turned into a debacle! Amy was behind the bar at one point and started spraying Wazz with soda water from the drink dispenser. Wazz of course fired back, and it turned into all out war! Paul grabbed me, kicking and fighting, and held me in the line of fire; somewhere along the lines a bucket came into use; and, at one point Amy accidentally started spraying Coke and Lemonade! I fought with as much as i could -- even grabbed onto the door handle while paul was trying to drag me by the legs -- but in the end we were all incredibly wet and VERY sticky! the bar was a little bit of a mess too:) don't worry, there are pictures and video of all this! well, some anyway cause most of the time i was fighting with paul for my life!:)
Happy ANZAC day!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Virginia Tech...
Even the front page of the newspapers here is about the insanity a VT... Something I found interesting though was the letters australians wrote in regarding our ridiculous "right to bear arms". I know this is all anyone is hearing on the news, but I felt the need to email these to show you what people in a country so similar to the US think of us:
"Australians can be thankful that they do not have the same obsession with firearms as Americans. The tragedy at the Virginia Tech university campus yesterday would not have happened if guns were not so readily available to just about anyone in the US. Isn't it time for the Americans to amend the Constitution giving ordinary citizens "the right to bear arms"? When that Constitution was written more than three centuries ago, American needed guns to protect themselves against the natives. But nobody other than the police, security officers and the military needs to bear arms in the 21st century. I hope the next US president has the courage to change the gun laws in that country."
"'He was just a normal-looking kid,' said a fellow student of the mass murderer at VT. Was the commentator aware that US ails are filled with tens of thousands of 'normal-looking' people? Decidedly abnormal - at least in the eyes of sane and honest Americans - is that in the state of VA, the only 'character reference' that is required before you are able to stock up on an arsenal of lethal weapons is a current drivers' license. It looks as though Baghdad is not the only dangerous environment for US citizens."
"The latest massacre in the US comes as no surprise. If students know anything about US foreign policy since WWII, they only have to recall a few names - such as Guatemala, Vietnam, cambodia, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, Grenada, Libya, Panama, El salvador, Yugoslavia, Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq - to know that if you don't like someone, you either bomb the hell out of them, machinegun them to death or sell someone else the weapons to do the job for you."
Also, in a press conference at our office today (about something ENTIRELY unrelated), the head of Basketball Australia was asked if they would start thinking twice about sending players to study and play in the states (one of the australian bball players was at VT). His response, and my American friend and I were a bit upset by this, was something along the lines of, "as a father, yes i would think twice. i think it's very important to consider the gun control laws in the US before sending our loved ones over and potentially putting them in danger."
Honestly, i'm not one to get too vocally involved in politics, but this is truly absurd that an international student (who wouldn't even have a valid driver's license!) got a hold of TWO hand guns?? what on earth is the purpose of allowing civilians to own handguns -- cause they're definitely not for hunting animals! It's really hard to sit here and listen to people in a country that is so culturally similar to the US consistently bash us -- and honestly, for good reason, in my opinion. how come the rest of the world has it figured out that there is no need to allow guns in everyday society and we can't seem to get past the fact that because it was written into the Constitution over 200 years ago that it should still be valid today? Conservative Jews understand that certain customs and beliefs in judaism that were once strictly believed might not be applicable in society today -- so shouldn't that apply to other absurd laws? For example, the town of Evanston used to have a law outlawing bowling alleys for religious reasons...
I'll end my rant with this: what finally made me burst into tears about this (because normally i would just be pissed off and not-so-much emotional) was hearing the story of Professor Librescu who managed to survive the Holocaust, and died years later saving his students from another soulless psycho -- on Holocaust Memorial Day.
"Australians can be thankful that they do not have the same obsession with firearms as Americans. The tragedy at the Virginia Tech university campus yesterday would not have happened if guns were not so readily available to just about anyone in the US. Isn't it time for the Americans to amend the Constitution giving ordinary citizens "the right to bear arms"? When that Constitution was written more than three centuries ago, American needed guns to protect themselves against the natives. But nobody other than the police, security officers and the military needs to bear arms in the 21st century. I hope the next US president has the courage to change the gun laws in that country."
"'He was just a normal-looking kid,' said a fellow student of the mass murderer at VT. Was the commentator aware that US ails are filled with tens of thousands of 'normal-looking' people? Decidedly abnormal - at least in the eyes of sane and honest Americans - is that in the state of VA, the only 'character reference' that is required before you are able to stock up on an arsenal of lethal weapons is a current drivers' license. It looks as though Baghdad is not the only dangerous environment for US citizens."
"The latest massacre in the US comes as no surprise. If students know anything about US foreign policy since WWII, they only have to recall a few names - such as Guatemala, Vietnam, cambodia, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, Grenada, Libya, Panama, El salvador, Yugoslavia, Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq - to know that if you don't like someone, you either bomb the hell out of them, machinegun them to death or sell someone else the weapons to do the job for you."
Also, in a press conference at our office today (about something ENTIRELY unrelated), the head of Basketball Australia was asked if they would start thinking twice about sending players to study and play in the states (one of the australian bball players was at VT). His response, and my American friend and I were a bit upset by this, was something along the lines of, "as a father, yes i would think twice. i think it's very important to consider the gun control laws in the US before sending our loved ones over and potentially putting them in danger."
Honestly, i'm not one to get too vocally involved in politics, but this is truly absurd that an international student (who wouldn't even have a valid driver's license!) got a hold of TWO hand guns?? what on earth is the purpose of allowing civilians to own handguns -- cause they're definitely not for hunting animals! It's really hard to sit here and listen to people in a country that is so culturally similar to the US consistently bash us -- and honestly, for good reason, in my opinion. how come the rest of the world has it figured out that there is no need to allow guns in everyday society and we can't seem to get past the fact that because it was written into the Constitution over 200 years ago that it should still be valid today? Conservative Jews understand that certain customs and beliefs in judaism that were once strictly believed might not be applicable in society today -- so shouldn't that apply to other absurd laws? For example, the town of Evanston used to have a law outlawing bowling alleys for religious reasons...
I'll end my rant with this: what finally made me burst into tears about this (because normally i would just be pissed off and not-so-much emotional) was hearing the story of Professor Librescu who managed to survive the Holocaust, and died years later saving his students from another soulless psycho -- on Holocaust Memorial Day.
Friday, April 13, 2007
My summer vacation
Ok, so not really "vacation", but I have figured out (i think, haha) what I'm doing when i get back to the States.
For those who live in the greater LA area, mark your calendars for the weekend of May 19-21! I'll be arriving in LA from Sydney a few days before that and staying till monday or tuesday. Dance classes and A-list parties are a requirement for this time period.
For those in the greater Chicagoland area, mark your calendars for May 23-28ish! I'll swinging through to trade clothes and pick up a car and there will be a Cubs game in there somewhere. (hopefully)
For those in the western PA area, after chicago, I'm off to lovely Woodward, Pennsylvania. Where is that, you ask? Well, it's in the absolute middle-of-nowhere-Amish country, about 25 minutes from State College. Why the hell am i playing with amish people this summer? I'm actually going to be playing with famous gymnast and action sports athletes! haha:) I'll be coaching gymnastics and helping orchestrate visiting teams, coaches, and athletes at Camp Woodward (aka, gymnastics and action sports mecca!) I was there a few years ago when i was working on Gravity Games and i really wanted to go back and get back into coaching. Plus, let's be honest, that lifestyle is perfect for me: high energy every day, active, and surrounded by athletes. I pulled some strings (yes, i'm good at that) to get in touch with the camp director, who assured me that i'll be involved in a lot more of the behind-the-scenes management and hospitality stuff associated with running the camp -- and not just coaching.
i better get to see everyone in all those areas this summer!
For those who live in the greater LA area, mark your calendars for the weekend of May 19-21! I'll be arriving in LA from Sydney a few days before that and staying till monday or tuesday. Dance classes and A-list parties are a requirement for this time period.
For those in the greater Chicagoland area, mark your calendars for May 23-28ish! I'll swinging through to trade clothes and pick up a car and there will be a Cubs game in there somewhere. (hopefully)
For those in the western PA area, after chicago, I'm off to lovely Woodward, Pennsylvania. Where is that, you ask? Well, it's in the absolute middle-of-nowhere-Amish country, about 25 minutes from State College. Why the hell am i playing with amish people this summer? I'm actually going to be playing with famous gymnast and action sports athletes! haha:) I'll be coaching gymnastics and helping orchestrate visiting teams, coaches, and athletes at Camp Woodward (aka, gymnastics and action sports mecca!) I was there a few years ago when i was working on Gravity Games and i really wanted to go back and get back into coaching. Plus, let's be honest, that lifestyle is perfect for me: high energy every day, active, and surrounded by athletes. I pulled some strings (yes, i'm good at that) to get in touch with the camp director, who assured me that i'll be involved in a lot more of the behind-the-scenes management and hospitality stuff associated with running the camp -- and not just coaching.
i better get to see everyone in all those areas this summer!
best discoveries ever!
The two reasons I can now officially live here:
1) lactaid! yes, i found lactase enzyme caplets just like lactaid!
2) the equivalent of No Pudge Brownies. (these are chocolate chip muffins and chocolate cake though, but whatever, all tastes the same)
happy. yes, very very happy:)
1) lactaid! yes, i found lactase enzyme caplets just like lactaid!
2) the equivalent of No Pudge Brownies. (these are chocolate chip muffins and chocolate cake though, but whatever, all tastes the same)
happy. yes, very very happy:)
an interesting bus ride
Ok, this happened a few weeks ago at this point, but I still thought it was worth writing about...
I was waiting for the bus home after the gym one night, and the other girl waiting with me was a Muslim girl. I'm struggling now to remember where exactly she said she was from, but that part is relatively insignificant, minus the fact that english was her second language and she was very strictly Muslim. We started chatting, commiserating about how long we'd been waiting for the bus and why the previous one had mysteriously just not come (public transportation can be a huge pain in the ass here...).
I asked her why she was in Sydney.
She was 23 and had come with her husband, who decided he wanted to work for 6 months abroad. She hadn't really wanted to come, but was obligated to follow him. She was doing some studying while she was here, and also working at a local fast food place. She told me this was the first time in her life she'd worn jeans. She also told me how much she was dreading getting up the next morning at 4:30am.
Why, I asked, are you getting up at 4:30am? (thinking that seemed a bit early for any uni classes.)
To pray, she said. I pray 5 times every day, but it's been hard with school and work because I get to work at 4:30pm and i'm done at 10, so I can't pray before dinner or after. So, I go home now and pray for a long time, then get up in the morning and do it again. Plus, I cook for my husband.
(I'm reminded how much i love the feminist movement at this point!)
We chatted more on the bus, mostly me asking her questions. I asked her why she prays 5 times a day. She said, because I have to...
She told me that tonight was the first night she was ever out alone after dark. Slightly shocked, I asked why.
Because it's not safe in my country, she said. The women always have to have a man with them if they want to go out after dark. The men are OK, but women should never go out alone. It's not safe.
Yikes...
We chatted more and somehow got to the topic of drinking. She told me she's never had a drink. Of course I asked why. "Because I'm not supposed to."
Why?, I asked again. (this was entertaining for me.)
Because they say so. (they??...) yes, because alcohol makes you do bad things.
ok.
(talking about food now) she complained that she was getting fat as she got older because all their diet is is rice and meat and fish -- not pork though. I said I really liked sushi and mediterranean-type cuisine, and that I didn't eat pork either. I decided to throw in, at this point, "because I'm not supposed to."
Why?, she asked.
Oh, because i'm Jewish, I said.
Silence for a minute... I was VERY interested in how this conversation was going to go.
she says tentatively, so, do you believe in just one God?
yes, I said.
Oh, she said.
I should also say that earlier in the conversation she made a reference to Ramadan, and was very shocked when i not only knew what that was, but also that they fasted during the day for it. it didn't surprise me that she knew nothing about judiasm, and probably had never met a jew, but i was really really interested in what went through her head right as i said that. I'm sure the only thing she's ever heard about jews was any of the fighting going on in the middle east and all the negative stereotypes that come along with that. Unfortunately, the bus ride ended right at this point (talk about bad timing!), and I haven't run into her since. I'm really really hoping to run into her again sometime soon...
I was waiting for the bus home after the gym one night, and the other girl waiting with me was a Muslim girl. I'm struggling now to remember where exactly she said she was from, but that part is relatively insignificant, minus the fact that english was her second language and she was very strictly Muslim. We started chatting, commiserating about how long we'd been waiting for the bus and why the previous one had mysteriously just not come (public transportation can be a huge pain in the ass here...).
I asked her why she was in Sydney.
She was 23 and had come with her husband, who decided he wanted to work for 6 months abroad. She hadn't really wanted to come, but was obligated to follow him. She was doing some studying while she was here, and also working at a local fast food place. She told me this was the first time in her life she'd worn jeans. She also told me how much she was dreading getting up the next morning at 4:30am.
Why, I asked, are you getting up at 4:30am? (thinking that seemed a bit early for any uni classes.)
To pray, she said. I pray 5 times every day, but it's been hard with school and work because I get to work at 4:30pm and i'm done at 10, so I can't pray before dinner or after. So, I go home now and pray for a long time, then get up in the morning and do it again. Plus, I cook for my husband.
(I'm reminded how much i love the feminist movement at this point!)
We chatted more on the bus, mostly me asking her questions. I asked her why she prays 5 times a day. She said, because I have to...
She told me that tonight was the first night she was ever out alone after dark. Slightly shocked, I asked why.
Because it's not safe in my country, she said. The women always have to have a man with them if they want to go out after dark. The men are OK, but women should never go out alone. It's not safe.
Yikes...
We chatted more and somehow got to the topic of drinking. She told me she's never had a drink. Of course I asked why. "Because I'm not supposed to."
Why?, I asked again. (this was entertaining for me.)
Because they say so. (they??...) yes, because alcohol makes you do bad things.
ok.
(talking about food now) she complained that she was getting fat as she got older because all their diet is is rice and meat and fish -- not pork though. I said I really liked sushi and mediterranean-type cuisine, and that I didn't eat pork either. I decided to throw in, at this point, "because I'm not supposed to."
Why?, she asked.
Oh, because i'm Jewish, I said.
Silence for a minute... I was VERY interested in how this conversation was going to go.
she says tentatively, so, do you believe in just one God?
yes, I said.
Oh, she said.
I should also say that earlier in the conversation she made a reference to Ramadan, and was very shocked when i not only knew what that was, but also that they fasted during the day for it. it didn't surprise me that she knew nothing about judiasm, and probably had never met a jew, but i was really really interested in what went through her head right as i said that. I'm sure the only thing she's ever heard about jews was any of the fighting going on in the middle east and all the negative stereotypes that come along with that. Unfortunately, the bus ride ended right at this point (talk about bad timing!), and I haven't run into her since. I'm really really hoping to run into her again sometime soon...
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Swimmin' with da fishes
Ok, i've been a little slack in the writing, sorry, but it's been because I've had a visitor! Scott finangled his finals schedule so he could spend a week and half out here with me in Sydney. He had to spend most of the days during the week wandering the city without me, but last weekend we took an AMAZING trip out to the reef off the Whitsunday Islands.
We left Saturday afternoon from Sydney, and I learned that in the airport here if you check in at the self check-in and aren't checking any bags, you really don't get asked for ID... little scary. We also had all our toiletries and razors in our carry-ons -- imagine that! Those were the days... Anyway, we got up to Airlie Beach around dinner time Saturday night. We had to be at the bus stop at 7am Sunday morning to leave for our trip, and genius that I am, I forgot that my phone didn't switch back the hour time difference when we got to Airlie Beach; so, the next morning when we went to check out (at what was actually 6am), we were a little confused why the girl who works the front desk was lazily rubbing her eyes and questioning why we wanted to leave at that time. We figured it out about minute later. Hey, it's the only time i've been early to something in my life!:) To pass the hour we wandered down to the lagoon and actually watched a beautiful sunrise over the water and mountains (or maybe large hills?).
We got to the marina to board our boat and the VIP treatment began! It was pretty funny: we asked someone if we were in the right place to board for the "ReefSleep" and immediately we were escorted by our hostess, Heidi, to the front of the line of everyone else boarding the boat. While everyone else milled around, we were sat down and offered coffee and tea. Then Heidi informed us that we were being upgraded from the bunk room (it was cheaper) to the honeymoon suite! We about died laughing at that, but hey, we weren't turning it down! After a VERY rough hour on open water (I can proudly say I was the first of many onboard to puke into my little barf bag), we approached ReefWorld - a pontoon that's been anchored on Hardy Reef for the past 18 years. The water was relatively flat out by the reef because the coral blocked most of the currents (thank god!), so I managed to keep down food the rest of the trip.
The boat was incredible! There was a sundeck, picnic area, snorkel ramps, mini-store, underwater viewing chamber, kitchen, and sleeping quarters for the crew. There were only two sleeping rooms for guests (one with the bunks, one for the "honeymooners"). One of the more cool little toys out there were two "semi-submersibles". They looked like submarines, but never went below the surface. It was another way for people to get to see the reef, essentially. You go below deck and sit on the benches inside and look through the glass bottom while they drive the little sub around various parts of the reef -- getting very very close to it at times! There was also a platform below the boat for scuba divers that they could mechanically adjust the height of -- which of course they had to raise when i went down there because I couldn't touch the platform without the water going over my head.
As part of our VIP package, Scott and I got to do 2 dives! They have quite the set-up for intro diving. First, you learn all the scuba skills standing on the platform under the boat. Then they sit you on the edge of it underwater and you practice them again. Then you simply swim forward from there and grab onto the ropes directly in front of you which lead to a little underwater ropes course over to part of the reef. It was definitely a smart idea for people who'd never dove before! The videographer at this point was swimming around us, and just before he got a shot of me and scott waving to the camera, I noticed he'd written "Just Married" on his little underwater clipboard... Again, we laughed:) Back on our scuba ropes course, we got to hold starfish, sea cucumbers, and a few other reef creatures, then took pictures of "Nemo" in an anemone before retracing our rope path back up to the boat. There was a HUGE wrasse that is always swimming nearby and apparently the dive crew have adopted as a pet. We pet him a few times as he circled around us. Our guide actually held the fish's head between his hands and kissed it on the mouth! I think the crew need to take turns getting off the boat more often...
At 2:30 that afternoon, the boat we took out to ReefWorld started to head back to shore and Scott and I were literally the only two (plus all the crew) still out on the reef. The tide was low at this point, and the reef was sticking out of the water. (check out my ofoto pics to really see the difference!) To best describe, Hardy Reef is essentially a circle shaped reef, with the coral forming the outline of the circle and the middle just being water. So at low tide as the water level drops, all that water in the middle has to escape somehow. This is what Heidi and Tiff (the hostess-in-training) called "The Waterfalls". We took a ride about 1/4 way around the reef to see... they really were 3 channels where the coral separated and all that water from the middle could rush out of the middle of the reef, essentially creating a strong current and rapids. It was SWEET!
After that, Heidi and Tiff escorted us on a private snorkel tour out past the normal snorkel boundaries. We got an incredible view with the tide so low because we could get closer to some of the lower pieces of the reef wall (the "drop-off" in Finding Nemo), and these had some of the more unique and colorful corals. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to me at the time, the underwater camera i was using at this point was halfway filled with water... Fujifilm will be receiving a very upset note! But, as VIP treatment entails, Heidi simply handed us a new one when we got back to the pontoon. Still missing all those pictures, but at least we got a few more out of the deal.
Appetizers/dinner that night was just for me and scott and served at the picnic area staring right at the sunset... yeah, i was pretty much in heaven:) Not expecting too much from food cooked on a permanent pontoon, we were both shocked to see a huge plate of veggies, cheeses, and prawns, followed by steak (for scott) and fish (for me), salad, garlic bread, and pretty much open bar. Ridiculous. After dinner and sunset, Heidi put two big beanbag chairs in the viewing chamber and we all chilled and watched the fishes.
The next morning was our ride on the semi-submersible, followed by dive #2, and then a couple hours snorkeling. I decided that to avoid being cold and scraping myself on the coral during the snorkel i'd wear a stinger suit AND a wetsuit... not something people do when snorkeling and i looked utterly ridiculous:) The stinger suit was a bright blue, full-body piece of nylon that even covered my head and hands! on top of that was the short, black wetsuit. Scott called me a smurf :)
The way home wasn't nearly as rough as the way out there, and this time i did manage to keep everything down. (yey!) We got some gorgeous pictures of the Whitsunday Islands on the way back this time too! I haven't quite figured out how to post a link to my pics yet on this crazy blog thing, so if you haven't seen them yet, just shoot me an email and i'll send the link your way.
more updates to come soon... (sooner than 2 weeks, i promise)
We left Saturday afternoon from Sydney, and I learned that in the airport here if you check in at the self check-in and aren't checking any bags, you really don't get asked for ID... little scary. We also had all our toiletries and razors in our carry-ons -- imagine that! Those were the days... Anyway, we got up to Airlie Beach around dinner time Saturday night. We had to be at the bus stop at 7am Sunday morning to leave for our trip, and genius that I am, I forgot that my phone didn't switch back the hour time difference when we got to Airlie Beach; so, the next morning when we went to check out (at what was actually 6am), we were a little confused why the girl who works the front desk was lazily rubbing her eyes and questioning why we wanted to leave at that time. We figured it out about minute later. Hey, it's the only time i've been early to something in my life!:) To pass the hour we wandered down to the lagoon and actually watched a beautiful sunrise over the water and mountains (or maybe large hills?).
We got to the marina to board our boat and the VIP treatment began! It was pretty funny: we asked someone if we were in the right place to board for the "ReefSleep" and immediately we were escorted by our hostess, Heidi, to the front of the line of everyone else boarding the boat. While everyone else milled around, we were sat down and offered coffee and tea. Then Heidi informed us that we were being upgraded from the bunk room (it was cheaper) to the honeymoon suite! We about died laughing at that, but hey, we weren't turning it down! After a VERY rough hour on open water (I can proudly say I was the first of many onboard to puke into my little barf bag), we approached ReefWorld - a pontoon that's been anchored on Hardy Reef for the past 18 years. The water was relatively flat out by the reef because the coral blocked most of the currents (thank god!), so I managed to keep down food the rest of the trip.
The boat was incredible! There was a sundeck, picnic area, snorkel ramps, mini-store, underwater viewing chamber, kitchen, and sleeping quarters for the crew. There were only two sleeping rooms for guests (one with the bunks, one for the "honeymooners"). One of the more cool little toys out there were two "semi-submersibles". They looked like submarines, but never went below the surface. It was another way for people to get to see the reef, essentially. You go below deck and sit on the benches inside and look through the glass bottom while they drive the little sub around various parts of the reef -- getting very very close to it at times! There was also a platform below the boat for scuba divers that they could mechanically adjust the height of -- which of course they had to raise when i went down there because I couldn't touch the platform without the water going over my head.
As part of our VIP package, Scott and I got to do 2 dives! They have quite the set-up for intro diving. First, you learn all the scuba skills standing on the platform under the boat. Then they sit you on the edge of it underwater and you practice them again. Then you simply swim forward from there and grab onto the ropes directly in front of you which lead to a little underwater ropes course over to part of the reef. It was definitely a smart idea for people who'd never dove before! The videographer at this point was swimming around us, and just before he got a shot of me and scott waving to the camera, I noticed he'd written "Just Married" on his little underwater clipboard... Again, we laughed:) Back on our scuba ropes course, we got to hold starfish, sea cucumbers, and a few other reef creatures, then took pictures of "Nemo" in an anemone before retracing our rope path back up to the boat. There was a HUGE wrasse that is always swimming nearby and apparently the dive crew have adopted as a pet. We pet him a few times as he circled around us. Our guide actually held the fish's head between his hands and kissed it on the mouth! I think the crew need to take turns getting off the boat more often...
At 2:30 that afternoon, the boat we took out to ReefWorld started to head back to shore and Scott and I were literally the only two (plus all the crew) still out on the reef. The tide was low at this point, and the reef was sticking out of the water. (check out my ofoto pics to really see the difference!) To best describe, Hardy Reef is essentially a circle shaped reef, with the coral forming the outline of the circle and the middle just being water. So at low tide as the water level drops, all that water in the middle has to escape somehow. This is what Heidi and Tiff (the hostess-in-training) called "The Waterfalls". We took a ride about 1/4 way around the reef to see... they really were 3 channels where the coral separated and all that water from the middle could rush out of the middle of the reef, essentially creating a strong current and rapids. It was SWEET!
After that, Heidi and Tiff escorted us on a private snorkel tour out past the normal snorkel boundaries. We got an incredible view with the tide so low because we could get closer to some of the lower pieces of the reef wall (the "drop-off" in Finding Nemo), and these had some of the more unique and colorful corals. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to me at the time, the underwater camera i was using at this point was halfway filled with water... Fujifilm will be receiving a very upset note! But, as VIP treatment entails, Heidi simply handed us a new one when we got back to the pontoon. Still missing all those pictures, but at least we got a few more out of the deal.
Appetizers/dinner that night was just for me and scott and served at the picnic area staring right at the sunset... yeah, i was pretty much in heaven:) Not expecting too much from food cooked on a permanent pontoon, we were both shocked to see a huge plate of veggies, cheeses, and prawns, followed by steak (for scott) and fish (for me), salad, garlic bread, and pretty much open bar. Ridiculous. After dinner and sunset, Heidi put two big beanbag chairs in the viewing chamber and we all chilled and watched the fishes.
The next morning was our ride on the semi-submersible, followed by dive #2, and then a couple hours snorkeling. I decided that to avoid being cold and scraping myself on the coral during the snorkel i'd wear a stinger suit AND a wetsuit... not something people do when snorkeling and i looked utterly ridiculous:) The stinger suit was a bright blue, full-body piece of nylon that even covered my head and hands! on top of that was the short, black wetsuit. Scott called me a smurf :)
The way home wasn't nearly as rough as the way out there, and this time i did manage to keep everything down. (yey!) We got some gorgeous pictures of the Whitsunday Islands on the way back this time too! I haven't quite figured out how to post a link to my pics yet on this crazy blog thing, so if you haven't seen them yet, just shoot me an email and i'll send the link your way.
more updates to come soon... (sooner than 2 weeks, i promise)
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
the sun shines again
Wow, a much better mood this week! Apologies to those of you that i scared with my abnormal behavior last week! :)
So anyway, my weekend turned out to be quite perfect! Friday night I was supposed to meet my friend, John, and his friends in Coogee, but they were running about an hour late. So, to entertain myself, i wandered into the newer of the Coogee bars, Cushion. (oh, sorry, i'm tossing terms around. Coogee is the yuppie beach town that we always used to go out in when i studied abroad here. Once the school year starts it's flooded with American study abroaders and the aussies start calling it "little america"... all my favorite jappy girls and frat boys!) But anyway, I was at this newer lounge bar that faces the water and is just my style. I went in and ordered a drink and proceeded to just relax, enjoy my specially made cocktail, and wait for the crew. One of the things i love about traveling, and it was like this in europe too, is that i absolutely don't think twice about going to a bar alone. in fact, i love it! inevitably i end up talking to people in the bar or making friends with the bartenders (NEVER a bad thing!). this was a "make friends with the bartenders" night. there were two guys behind the bar who were semi-bored and very entertaining. One started making up drinks and offering them to me to try. Then i challenged his skills and told him to peel an apple from the fruit bowl in one peel. he proceeded to try and fail with every apple in the bowl, and then moved on to cutting them up and eating them -- offering me pieces as well. Eventually my friends got there and we headed off to go dance to the cheesy hiphop remixes at the bar next door. One of John's friends was a crazy, wirey kid who danced all over the place and decided we should attempt to salsa to the house music they were playing. ever try that? it doesn't really work...
Saturday i went back to coogee to watch the Ironman Series on the beach! There was a women's race and a men's, and it consisted of a swim, paddle of sorts while kneeling on a surf board, and a kayak - all around the same markers in the water. The order of the events switched each time, which i thought was nuts because you really have no way of training transitions. The race started with 18 participants, and the bottom 6 finishers were eliminated. The top 12 had 5 minutes to recover, then did the whole race again! -- in a different order!! Again the bottom 6 competitors were eliminated, and again the top 6 had a 5-minute recovery period before competing a third time! Each race took about 10-15 mintues and the whole thing finished in an hour. I can honestly say this was the first athletic competition i've watched that i had NO desire to ever try...
Sunday i decided to try two dance classes back-to-back at the Sydney Dance Company. Street Jazz and Jazz Funk Hiphop. Street Jazz scared me a bit at first, but i ended up really liking it! JFH was awaful. The girl teaching did mostly modern/jazz movements - no funk or hiphop -- and for those that ever saw me compete floor in gymnastics... i'm not graceful. it wasn't pretty.
This week has kicked off with a bang and i've been crazy busy! I hopefully secured myself a summer job coaching gymnastics and cheerleading and acting as housing director at the huge gymnastics/action sports camp in PA. i'm WAY too excited:) Thursday morning Scott gets here (yey!) and I also have an interview with Octagon Sydney! Most likely not for a job, just an internship, but i'm aiming to impress the hell outta them and make them hire me! (that sounded confident, right? ok, good... i'm trying.) :) work is busy this week as we put together the final details for the huge annual awards dinner friday night. Oh, and i have a new website banner up on our homepage! www.nbl.com.au... check it out!:)
So anyway, my weekend turned out to be quite perfect! Friday night I was supposed to meet my friend, John, and his friends in Coogee, but they were running about an hour late. So, to entertain myself, i wandered into the newer of the Coogee bars, Cushion. (oh, sorry, i'm tossing terms around. Coogee is the yuppie beach town that we always used to go out in when i studied abroad here. Once the school year starts it's flooded with American study abroaders and the aussies start calling it "little america"... all my favorite jappy girls and frat boys!) But anyway, I was at this newer lounge bar that faces the water and is just my style. I went in and ordered a drink and proceeded to just relax, enjoy my specially made cocktail, and wait for the crew. One of the things i love about traveling, and it was like this in europe too, is that i absolutely don't think twice about going to a bar alone. in fact, i love it! inevitably i end up talking to people in the bar or making friends with the bartenders (NEVER a bad thing!). this was a "make friends with the bartenders" night. there were two guys behind the bar who were semi-bored and very entertaining. One started making up drinks and offering them to me to try. Then i challenged his skills and told him to peel an apple from the fruit bowl in one peel. he proceeded to try and fail with every apple in the bowl, and then moved on to cutting them up and eating them -- offering me pieces as well. Eventually my friends got there and we headed off to go dance to the cheesy hiphop remixes at the bar next door. One of John's friends was a crazy, wirey kid who danced all over the place and decided we should attempt to salsa to the house music they were playing. ever try that? it doesn't really work...
Saturday i went back to coogee to watch the Ironman Series on the beach! There was a women's race and a men's, and it consisted of a swim, paddle of sorts while kneeling on a surf board, and a kayak - all around the same markers in the water. The order of the events switched each time, which i thought was nuts because you really have no way of training transitions. The race started with 18 participants, and the bottom 6 finishers were eliminated. The top 12 had 5 minutes to recover, then did the whole race again! -- in a different order!! Again the bottom 6 competitors were eliminated, and again the top 6 had a 5-minute recovery period before competing a third time! Each race took about 10-15 mintues and the whole thing finished in an hour. I can honestly say this was the first athletic competition i've watched that i had NO desire to ever try...
Sunday i decided to try two dance classes back-to-back at the Sydney Dance Company. Street Jazz and Jazz Funk Hiphop. Street Jazz scared me a bit at first, but i ended up really liking it! JFH was awaful. The girl teaching did mostly modern/jazz movements - no funk or hiphop -- and for those that ever saw me compete floor in gymnastics... i'm not graceful. it wasn't pretty.
This week has kicked off with a bang and i've been crazy busy! I hopefully secured myself a summer job coaching gymnastics and cheerleading and acting as housing director at the huge gymnastics/action sports camp in PA. i'm WAY too excited:) Thursday morning Scott gets here (yey!) and I also have an interview with Octagon Sydney! Most likely not for a job, just an internship, but i'm aiming to impress the hell outta them and make them hire me! (that sounded confident, right? ok, good... i'm trying.) :) work is busy this week as we put together the final details for the huge annual awards dinner friday night. Oh, and i have a new website banner up on our homepage! www.nbl.com.au... check it out!:)
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