A Boyfriend Would Come in Handy Right About Now… November 25, 2008

I want to see this movie so much!  Here’s the trailer…if you can watch it in Hi-Def, do.  It’s starring these two beautiful people, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, and it’s by the same director as Moulin Rouge (Baz Luhrman).  Hello!  It’s going to be so good!  And Oprah loved it.  And I REALLY want to see it in the theater…or the cinema, I think that’s what they call it here.  The cinematography looks amazing, and I have a feeling it just won’t be as cool in a few months on my laptop or on the tiny screen in front of me on the airplane.  

Plus, you already know how much I loved going to the movies cinema (I’m sorry, cinema just sounds cooler).  So hey, if you’ve got a few extra days off this Christmas, come visit me in Norway and we can go see Australia together.  Not like I have a bunch of plans or anything *self-pitying sigh*.  Dammit, when is teleportation going to become a real form of travel?

Death and All His Friends July 1, 2008

Two weeks ago, I woke up to a couple of crazy text messages: “Jeremy Earnshaw is missing on a lake in Alaska” and “if you havent heard jeremy earnshaw is missing either in a lake or the ocean please be praying.”  Bewildered, all I could do was pray.  Later that day I got the real story, of how Jeremy, 23 years old like me, staff at YWAM Newcastle where I did my DTS, was washed off the rocks by a freak wave and never seen again.  

I was reeling.  Such a crazy accident, so far away; and yet everything came rushing back to me: the smells of the Lewis House hostel where we lived, working in the Youthstreet office beside Jeremy with our matching black Macbooks, seeing Jeremy and his girlfriend Christina working the morning shift together in the cafe.  I felt almost embarrassed by how unglued my emotions became, by the fog I walked in for days.  Death tapped me on the shoulder and wouldn’t leave until I acknowledged its inevitable presence in this story called life that I had once dared to call predictable or even mundane.

Endorsements March 23, 2008

   

I freaking love this guy.  His song, “Love Today” was pretty much the theme song of our DTS…at least mine and Becca’s.  I don’t love every song of his, but songs like “Happy Endings” and “Relax, Take it Easy” are also good.  On my way from Taipei to Sydney, I watched “MIKA: Live in Paris” on the plane, and during the “Big Girl (You are Beautiful)” number, two overweight girls in straight up fishnets, corsets, and cowboy hats came out and danced all up on him.  Awesome.  He’s impossibly skinny, but don’t hold it against him.  For a good time, give MIKA a listen.

Say Hello to Me January 1, 2008

Guys, I’m a little homesick. Send me an e-mail or an e-card or a Facebook wall post or a Myspace comment or whatever. I miss you all and want to know how you are doing and whether you still remember me all the way here in Australia! I remember you!

B.A. in Australia December 29, 2007

I got bitten by one of these guys at Anna Bay on Boxing Day. It was in the cards for me that day, I guess. I say that because earlier in the day, one of these ants came charging at me as I lay on my towel on the sand, minding my own business. My friend Jared killed it (after multiple failed attempts) and I was safe…or so I thought. Later, as we were grilling burgers for dinner, a red bull ant attacked the foot of my school leader, Jesse Lee. Jesse flings the ant off his foot, it lands on mine and begins to attack it ferociously. It hurt like a mother, I’m not going to lie. The pain spread from my toe, over the top of my foot, and up my shin. Then it all went numb. Pretty scary, huh? It was swollen, itchy, and tender for a couple days after that. I had to blog about it because, as I said to Jesse, it’s pretty much the most badass thing that’s happened to me in Australia…I mean, check out the mandibles on that ant! (Yeah, I used the word “mandible.” I’m a smartass as well as a badass.)

Highs and Lows of Communal Living December 12, 2007

Living on a commune is fantastic. Or it sucks. It just depends on the day, I guess. Or my mood. Or my roommate’s mood. Or the mood of any of the other 60 people living under the same roof as me.

The Exception December 4, 2007

So, the rumors are true. Food in Australia pretty much sucks. There’s basically no Mexican food here, so that’s an immediate problem. Then, if you do find something that sounds good (wrap? salad? falafel?), it usually disappoints. I mean sure, it’s all right, but the flavor is turned town a few notches from anything you’d have in the States. The Thai chicken meat pie I had in Surfer’s Paradise was the spiciest thing I’ve had here.

But the exception the rule of bad food in Australia is…

sweet chili sauce. It is SO good! Especially when I dip my quesadilla from the Cafe into it…yum. Or in a kebab. Australians put it on everything, and I jumped on that train so fast.

Sweet Schoolies Highlights December 3, 2007

So I got back from Schoolies on Saturday. We left last Thursday night and drove 10 hours up to Surfer’s Paradise in Queensland. Schoolies is pretty much like Spring Break in the States, but it’s for kids graduating from high school. They come up to Surfer’s after their final 3-week exams and party 24/7.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year… December 2, 2007

It’s Christmas here in Oz…or is it?

Peaches October 30, 2007

This is my roommate, Kaitlin. She’s 18 and from Georgia. Surprisingly, we get along swimmingly! She’s sassy and blunt and I love it. Her favorite sayings are “Sweet and sassy!” and “Whatev.” She is becoming a source of sanity for me here. We have two other roommates who are very nice but it’s quite squishy, so we’re going to try to get our own room. Put in a quick prayer for us, hey?