Winter brilliance: wait, its August.

So, this is where I write this blog tonight:

during a brilliant laser show...

and here it is when i wake up...

and in the middle of the day.

 

The semester has started, but, not without a glorious month off: 

That was Gracie, an 8-year-old female koala. Freaking. Awesome. It wouldn’t let go of me when I tried to give it back to home girl the koala-keeper. Few other pics:

 

a dingo ate your baby?!?

 

  

(largest lizard we never saw...)

TAZMANIAN DEVIL?!?

That was the koala sanctuary. Which is honestly one of the best times I’ve had since I’ve been here, the Aussie zoo is right up the street but takes an hour to get up there and requires LOTs of planning (Yates, 2012 - Alec and I have been planning now for 7 months, still can't find a time to get it done).

So, that was my month off as I am still awaiting a job from a professor-friend of mine as a research assistant – maybe I should have taken that ER job I interviewed for a few weeks ago. I’m gonna need a job.  

Now its 4 classes - which have me busy, but professors assigning papers due all at the same time has me busier. I’ve got a 9-5 class on Saturday this week, a bit lame, but it has to be done.

Girl roommate: Danielle. She's good people. She’s a long-island.ite going to school at UQ but getting her degree from a school in St. Louis. She has been quoted as saying the words:

“Its actually clean in here, I’m pleasantly surprised.”

So HA!!!

Anyway, you may notice I’m in a suit, yes. I took a challenge: A friend of mine said “guys look 45% hotter in suits” and another friend of mine overheard it...we took the challenge.

That was Thursday night, a brilliant evening with the Quest group of UQ. Friday was good times, our apartment through us a party down at the pool and I got to meet all the new students coming over for their first semester. The building manager didn’t even ask me why I haven’t paid rent; he was more concerned about my plans for a motorcycle.

Ah, nother funny story from the other day after leaving Indro shopping center (I went to have an eye appointment – I’m old). I was walking back to the bus stop in my normal attire, jeans a t.shirt, a backwards red-sox hat and a pair of sunglasses. Normal for me...

(Random Aussie guy on the street): Ya know mate, you wouldn’t need those sunnies if you turned your hat around.

(Me): Hm, well played.

So that’s the Aussie life that I didn’t really expect; koalas who won’t let go, suits, girl roommates (who say its clean in here), building managers talking bikes, and random aussie guys telling me I look tool-ish with a backwards hat. Seriously, that’s not cool here apparently. Whatever, neither is me saying “ya’ll.”

Live high, ya’ll.

Hangovers: What do you do with a month off in Australia?

3 years ago I went to HEB on Hopkins in San Marcos, and I bought a pack of note cards. Those 3 x 6 cards were going to help me get into school. I would write down their information, their admission criteria, whatever I needed to.

It started with Florida State and I (like ya do) ended up losing that pack of notes – I would have loved to see if there was a mention of the University of Queensland. My email says I contacted 33 schools about getting in - all of them said no.  

I started this on a porch in San Marcos... 

 ...and ended it on a porch in Brisbane…

When I moved here I didn’t expect to be doing what I’ve done over the last 2 weeks. I’ve started to re-watch the West Wing, I also started season 10 of E.R. I’ve won 2 superbowls on xbox, and had 2 massages over 3 weeks.

I figured I’d be sand boarding down sand dunes, or skydiving over Byron. I figured I’d be in Sydney every other weekend, or at the beach writing this. I assumed I’d have a motorcycle, but forgot they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road here. I thought I'd be here...all the time:

I assumed I’d be chillin, I guess I’m just used to working.

I haven’t had to write any papers, call any banks, teach any classes, or email any program directors. I haven’t had any lattes to make, any burritos to roll, any patients to code, and there is certainly no laundry to be done.

Wait; check that, this shirt smells iffy.

I didn’t expect to not have anything to do. This is the first time in 3 years I haven't had any school to email, any classes to teach, anything 'else' going on. 

In San Marcos it was Korea, in Korea it was grad-school, in Austin it was Australia.

Now its just school, and nothing else. Finally...

Though, I’m a little freaked out by the lack of emails and the lack of objectives – but its finally nice to sit back and be into school. I’ve worked for 3 years to make this happen, 2 weeks off may be needed. 

I know I’ll end up regretting lying around watching TV in a country that I’ve barely seen. Sydney will cost a grand, Perth will be 800, and Melbourne will be around 500. I’ll (hopefully) have a job next semester, and a similar schedule so I think I’ll do the responsible thing and wait it out. It seemed to work well in Korea.

I did the same thing in Korea during my summer break (all of 4 days), I just watched TV. It could be time to do that. To not work through 4 countries before I get into fucking grad school. Damn this was a pain in this ass.

I never regretted watching Son’s of Anarchy…

I’ll always regret leaving Korea, and always think that I should have been on that bike instead of in front of the TV - but that regret is inconsiderate of the previous year I had in that amazing life – something that is never going to happen again. It’s inconsiderate of the patients waiting in Austin, or the professors in Brisbane.

It’s inconsiderate of this: 

Applying that same theory to Brisbane every day, I ignore the cold and rainy weather Brisbane is (apparently) known for during its “winter” and I head down to Coffee Club at Toowong. I’ll sit there, have a cup, and read the New York Times.

…damn I’m getting old. 

Everything costs money here, a sandwich is 8 bucks and a coke is 4. 12 bucks for lunch on a random Tuesday is rough – but just think of how much a night out drinking will cost. Every beer I buy is canceling my ticket to Melbourne, that is prolly why West Wing is of the highest priority.

These 2 weeks have been brilliant, and as any 26 year old single dude should do...I’m gonna go have a few beers at the Piggy and enjoy a good night. Tomorrow I’m gonna spend 3 cups of coffee with and Jason and Deb, 2 hours of scholarships, and the rest on TV and xbox. I have no desire to go to the opera at Queens Street tomorrow…

Sometimes I guess, I just live here and I’m not ‘visiting’ here…

Its weird when ya start getting to that 6 month mark, I’m realising I don’t want to go out tonight and I don’t want to go to the Opera. It hit me in Korea too, I realised that I live here, and I’ve got damn near a 18 months to do things:

- Get a Masters degree

- Touch the Great Barrier Reef

- Skydive in New Zealand

- Ride this: 

 And go here:

- Drop a pin in the Sydney Opera House

- Get in a World War II fighter plane

- Drink a beer on the South Pole 

Tomorrow is not the time for that, it will be soon...

 

Live high ya’ll

Let the Good Times Roll: Studying Cybernetics

  

Sunday June 10^th, 9:55 AM

I woke up at 9 to a rainy Brisbane morning, and I realised I broke that beer bottle the other night when my foot reeked with pain as I sat in my hammock. Damnit, what a way to start the morning. But that birthday was good times...

10:16 AM:

My Austin radio DJs Jason and Deb quickly change my poor morning into a hysterical one with their “I love you call.” Deb calls a random business in the country, she can't tell them she’s on the radio or what the game is about – just has to get them to say “I love you.” Doesn’t sound as funny here, you just got to hear it. 101x.com.

10:45 AM: New Swamp

Brett, Janet, Annan and I sat down about what the apartment is going to be like next semester, a 2 bedroom with a tiny porch and a massive garden, rather than a kick ass view of the city. Its up there somewhere, I think the second from the top - actually the first floor. Hilly area...

1:14 PM: Studies

I’ve got one more final, 5 chapters to read over Family Therapy Systems.

3:15 PM: Breaks

Coffee break was at this mediocre place called “the spot.” The spot is a coffee place that closes at 4:30 and has terrible coffee. First world problems I guess. Its right around the corner and doesn't require a train. The Korean dude there is really cool: 

(me): anyonghasayo!!

(him): dude, i'm canadian...

(me): ...damn

4:33 in Indro at Earth Coffee – I got the (cabin) fever

Sitting in my room at my desk for the last 6 hours forced me to get the hell out of this place. I took the bus this time down to Indro, and sat with my book and learned about cybernetics. I get it now. I think, only the test on Wednesday will tell the truth.

Yesterday I took the train from Taringa to Indro, all of one stop away, and saw my favourite barista “Simone." She makes me the best iced-lattes, and she’s quite easy on the eyes ;) Still can’t get over that accent…

Its just creepy to ask a girl you barely know to take a picture with you...

...i'll have to get to 'know' her.

I headed down station road (which reminds me a bit of congress ave in Austin). Different from Congress (avenue that is) it’s a tiny area with not anything to do, other than beers at Indro Hotel. Either way, Earth coffee is still amazing. Here's Indro:

Gotta love Indro Hotel: Its a bar...

On my way back I grabbed Hungry Jacks (read: Burger King) and climbed the Everest that is the hill to our apartment. Man, I’m out of shape…

8:00 PM

I’m finished for the night working on this test, and I’ve come to realise how much I love this time off. It’s not just off from school stuff, but off from living in Australia. From always feeling the need to go traveling, see a beach, discover a new part of town, hug a koala, or fight a kangaroo. It’s brilliant; it’s just me and an episode of West Wing right now.

9:33 PM

I just saw someone get pulled over. Which reminds me of Sunday after my grocery run:

           

            (me): “…shit” (I missed the last step of the train station stairs)

                 [about 5 minutes later]

            (cop): “you look familiar mate. You look like someone I arrested earlier”

                        (me thinks): did I get arrested? No. Right? Yah, no. Not yet!

            (me): “really? I moved to Brisbane about 4 months ago sir”

            (cop): “where ya from mate? Sir? We don’t say that here!”

            (me): “pardon that, I’m from Texas, sir”

                        (me thinks): cop told me one time on 35 that he’s “not a dude” and I                                     should not call this guy mate.

            (cop):” texas huh? Well, it was a while ago I arrested this guy, and he defiantly                                     wasn’t texan. Have a good one mate, I appreciate the respect. “

            (me): cheers man!

Did I just say cheers to a cop? Shit…Oh well. That was fun, I’m glad I look like a criminal in the eyes of the Australian police. 

Oh life, the other day I was at Wordsmith's coffee place on campus. Great place: 

 

 I was talking to a professor-friend of mine the other day at Wordsmiths and we started chatting about the semester, here’s the gist.

The hardest part of this semester was learning how to learn: meaning, that my professors demanded objectivity of something as subjective as the human experience and psychology. Counselling does work, but it's just a matter of which one will work for who - hence the subjectivity.

What I've learned over the last few months cannot be put into words, rather it can be measured by the ways I converse and adapt to my patient. That’s the annoying part, that I will never be 100 percent correct in the way I do “something.” I don’t like those odds, but that’s the reality. Counselling in essence is definitely not what I thought it was going to be – its not ‘fixing’ someone like a mechanic replaces parts and fixes the car. Its something I cannot type onto my computer, maybe because I’ve got a year and a half left, or because it can’t be put into words.

That’s the hard part. This is going to be awesome.

Live High ya’ll.