Songs I'm Currently Digging

As of late, I've been spending a lot of time writing on my computer. Since I am (apparently) incapable of sitting in silence, I've been using iTunes shuffle as my non-silence lifeline.

You know, sometimes it's bad (or maybe those are just my songs?) but sometimes it come up with some pretty stellar songs that I haven't heard in ages.

Like, Ben Folds* song, Bruised.




*you may have seen Ben Folds in the news lately as he did a concert singing to people on Chatroulette

And the Stars- Your Ex-Lover is Dead which always makes me think of Champlain



And finally, Jack Johnson**- Banana Pancakes. Formally my ring tone and all around amazing song.



** Jack Johnson is playing Byron Bay Bluesfest... I've seen him live already, so I'm not sure I'll go again, but it would be amazing.

Team Island Tall Ships: Straddy Island

Photo of the day 3: Southport Marina, Gold Coast 

Anything with rays of light looks great to me! This was at about 5:30pm as we were pulling up to Fisho's- the after party for the Straddy Island boat cruise/ beach day. I just like it..

and one more, because the Gold Coast is pretty unreal:

Where's Waldo?

When my roomie Helena and I moved in, our kitchen had nothing. And when I say nothing, I really mean nothing. A few glasses, mugs with broken handles and no stove. Needless to say, we trekked to the local Target and stocked up on spoons with non-sharp edges (I think the ones they have here double as knives), a toaster oven (which we have used every day since we bought it) and mugs!

 This is mine:

When I see it I think of Where's Waldo and I think it's perfect for sipping tea and writing my dissertation.  I also doodle a lot.. eyes and hearts and things I hear and things I should remember and lines and whatever else comes to mind when I'm thinking about what to write next! 

New Idea: Photo of the day

This is not a new concept-- in fact heaps of people do this, but it is brand new to me... I'm going to try and take one fantastic (objectively speaking, of course) photo each of my remaining days in Surfers.

Here is the one from yesterday:

I love when you look up and see things like a sail boat on the ocean. I know it's nothing like actually being on the ocean, but seeing it from my window is still pretty amazing. I've been cooped up in my apartment reading PDF files off my computer for the last few weeks so I really really appreciate this view!  Side note: I've moved the dining room table (which also doubles as a flip cup and beer pong table) in front of the patio, so I face the ocean. Talk about a home office!


Photo of the day 2:

I'm here doing my Masters, so as much fun as it is- I do need to buckle down and get my readings done. Lucky for me, I can read up on dissertation writing on the beach! Ah, I just need to write a 15,000 word paper... It's a shame that my Mac and sand do not mix- I'd be writing on the beach every morning! 

Day 1 and 2. Hopefully about 3 1/2 more months of amazing (hopefully) photos to go...

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Here, There and Everywhere

I'm back on the Gold Coast and ready get back into the swing of things. I've sort of been all over the place. First in Rockhampton then Airlie Beach, The Whitsundays, Townsville, Magnetic Island, Cairns, The Great Barrier Reef, Cape Tribulation, Adelaide, Sydney, back to Adelaide, Brisbane and finally back to Surfers Paradise. Phew, what a few months it has been.

I had to find a new place when I got back and I landed up finding a sweet apartment that faces the ocean. Probably the best view I have ever had. Plus, I fall asleep to the ocean-- can't beat that!

I've finally done all my laundry (quite a task... most of my things were in a bag for 4 months) and have set up my closet. I have OPTIONS! That's pretty exciting for me. I've been rocking the same bunch of clothes for nearly 4 months. Seeing my dresses and shoes again was pretty exciting. Plus, I managed to snag a massive amount of hangers from this super cheap shop for free. Ah, it will never look this organized again:

Adios Goldie!

Ah, moving. The whole process no longer phases me as I've moved heaps of times in my life. If I've learned one thing about travel it's that no one likes packing (and unpacking) and then re-packing to fit the weight limits of the airlines-- but, here I go again! 

After 5 spectacular months spent on the Gold Coast of Australia, it's time for a little change of scenery and as of tomorrow morning at 7am, I'm off to see what else this glorious country has in store for me-- starting with the rest of the East Coast of Australia! 

When I first left for Australia, I was allowed 100 pounds of baggage. That may seem like a lot of baggage, but it's not. That's like 2 suitcases and a carry on. You have no idea how many things I packed, took out, forgot to put back in/ ended up putting completely ridiculous things in their place (14 pairs of shoes for a beach country where I ended up wearing flip flops practically every day... oops) and then headed Australia way with some terrible clothing choices for the weather! Hey, it happens-- lesson learned (ok, probably not!) 

Taking into consideration everything I learned in my many past travels, I've taken a new approach to clothing during travel. Let's keep in mind that I don't really "do" backpacks. I traveled around Europe with a large pink purse- not a backpack! 

 With this inner Australia adventure, I've opted to keep my clothing to one carry-on suitcase, a purse and a laptop bag-- mission impossible. I packed up my  big two suitcases and sent them off with a friend of mine that lives permanently on the coast. 

So here I am, left with this:

So there is it. The bag is completely full (over flowing) and I'm hoping the whole "sit on it and then try and zip it up" works in my favour. Either that, or my purse is going to be overflowing with the things I can manage to shove in there! 

Before I leave here's a few pictures of what I'll be leaving...

view out my bedroom window

view from the balcony and why resort living is the best!

So there you have it. It's sort of a bitter-sweet move, but I'll be back in no time and with lots more of Australia seen and a lot more stories to share! I'm excited to see what kind of outfits I can create out of the few things I was able to pack into that bag-- wish me luck on that!