Brisbane and the Gold Coast

Its amazing how fast time can pass by without us even knowing until after the fact.  Four weeks of my study abroad trip has already come to an end and here I am starting week five.  Anyway here is what has been happening.

I now call a lovely townhouse in a suburb of Brisbane home and I have two amazing host parents who have kindly shown me around the city.  Oh and I must mention my furry host cat Mac who is currently sitting on my lap as I write this post.

My second weekend here I took the train down to the Gold Coast, which is exactly how it sounds, miles of beaches with silky sand and many skyscrapers.  If you are picturing Miami, Florida you have the right idea but I was in luck because it was less crowded.  It turns out people don't frequent the beaches at the end of winter despite the eighty degree weather.  Why? I have no idea. It was beautiful.

During my third week living in Brisbane my classes were in full swing and the homework was piling on but I still found time to enjoy myself.  I visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary which is a must see if you happen to be anywhere near Brisbane.  The koalas were all over the place just chilling there like koalas do and I got to hang out with some pretty awesome kangaroos.  You should never try to approach a kangaroos in the wild but the guys at the sanctuary were perfectly happy to have a little pat from the tourists (and I'm sure they didn't mind the kangaroo food given out by the visitors).  It was definitely worth the money to see this little guy up close...

...and this guy

 ...and this one too.

Finally, this past week I was living without the comforts of home and the addicting drag of the internet while staying at Lamington National Park.  Let's just say that it was an amazing experience that deserves its own post...

Australia Day 1?

Okay so it's been more than the first day, or even the third day for that matter, but today is the first day that I've felt awake enough to actually write/remember what has happened.  After four plane rides (including a rather stressful layover in Huston) I get to wake up to the the view above.

After a early morning bird watch I ate some breakfast and morning tea, which is an amazing thing.  We should really make it a habit in the states.  Later in the day I spent time at a beautiful beach collecting cool shells and doing other Biology related things.  I also spent a great deal of time staring out at the ocean watching humpback whales playing around.  I couldn't believe that was class.

Oh and did I mention I saw a Koala.  My very first Koala in the wild.  I would post a picture but the only ones I have are horribly blurry so I leave you with this beautiful view instead.

The Muse in Music

I know that almost everyone listens to music and has there favorite genres and artists but I thought I would post a few of my favorites.  Music is such a big part of my life whether I'm writing, reading, or cooking I'm usually also listening to something in the background.  Music helps me cope with life.

I don't know about other people but I love finding new music.  I love the chase.  Some days I will listen to fifty or so new songs until I find one that I like.  I will sift through all the okay stuff just to find that one song that I can star in Spotify and listen to for weeks.  For me listening to an amazing new song is a little like reading one of my favorite books for the first time.  With each there is a sense of novelty that you can never regain no matter how many times you listen/read the music or book again.  I love that feeling!  I guess you could say I'm a bit of a music junkie.

So a little about my taste in music.  As of the past couple years my love for indie music has grown.  For me indie has a sound that other genres don't tap into.  I also like it when the instrumental bits are nice and authentic.  Don't get me wrong, I jam out to the lastest pop songs just as much as the next girl, but there is something amazing about knowing that an artist can actually play the instruments in the background.  Maybe this is why I tend to listen to a dash of folk music.  Gotta love a little banjo, am I right?

This being said my favorite band is The Killers and I will always have a special place in my heart for the Cranberries who I grew up hearing.  I also play the piano and have always loved a little bit of classical music between my Indie songs and popular favorites.  This love has branched into a love of soundtracks, consisting mainly of Alexandre Desplat, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, and Murray Gould of course (this man is a genius).

During the past few months one of my favorite indie artists, Daughter, put out a new album.  I love her soft sad lyrics that are filled with such emotion that it makes you forget about any problems you may be having.  Here is a little taste of what she sounds like.  Happy listening! Oh and I am always looking for new music so if you have something you really enjoy leave a comment and I'll give it a listen too!

Halftime!

Alright so I am in the midst of the last two weeks of craziness before summer so naturally I am procrastinating and posting about things that are arguably not that important.  Who cares though?  A little procrastination isn't a bad thing right?  So as I was saying, I have just over two weeks of real classes and followed by three days of study and three days of finals.  It's exciting and a little scary.

This summer marks halftime people!  The halfway point between being a full time student and the real world. It's nothing if not a little daunting and a bit sad.  I love school but I technically I only have three semesters left.  In August I will be jumping on a plane to Australia.  Yep that's right I will be in Australia for an entire semester doing all things Biology related (and hopefully seeing all kinds of unique animals).  I'm so pumped!  But I also know that this coming semester will only go by faster than all the previous ones.

I have been desperately trying to find the pause button for life but somehow it has been kept hidden and time continues to slip through my fingers.  I guess this is how life is right?  As I get older time will go faster and faster until it runs out....

Wow that just got really depressing WAY too quickly.  Next time I will try to make it a little more upbeat, or at the very least interesting.  In the mean time however, here is a slightly grainy picture of the crazy weather here in upstate New York.

It's Been A While

...and I was thinking about posting something about music or writing or what I'm reading.  Something fun but then the bombs went off in Boston and those things no longer seemed as relevant today.

While I was walking to dinner it kind of hit me that we live in a tumultuous world filled with killing and anger.  I shouldn't have been thinking this.  It was 60 degrees and sunnier than it had been in nearly a week.  I had every reason to be happy my friends and relatives were all safe and my room mate's were fine as well, but I still felt a strange feeling in my heart.

I felt a kind of angry pity.  Why did people do this to each other?  Every day humans kill other humans.  We can try to define a reason why.  They're crazy, they want attention, they're religious nuts but I think it is much more simple.  I think that people are unhappy.  They are unhappy with their relationships, social standing, the world and the only way they know how to feel better is to make others more miserable than themselves.

Unhappiness has become an epidemic fueled by failed economies, a widening class gap, and a overall lack of voice.  For many people the world is spinning out of control.  They can no longer take care of themselves let alone their families and many feel that their lives have been ripped out from underneath them by powers beyond their control.  All of this breeds unhappiness.  It creates people that are angry and frustrated with nothing to lose and even less to gain.

This is why our world rumbles with the blasts of bombs and smells of blood.  This is why we hear more cries than laughter and tears spill more frequently than rain from the heavens.  This is why there are people who have fallen so low that their existence is measured by the fear and pain they inflict on others.  The bombs in Boston today are just another reminder of where our world is headed if we don't cure the disease of unhappiness that has infected humanity.

Let's choose happiness so that someday, maybe, no one has to feel the pain or sadness that was felt today.

A New Look a New Year

Well its a new year and I if you haven't noticed I have given things a little bit of an update.  New colors mostly just to freshen the blog up.  I have also been busy planning out some new things for the New Year after my Holiday hiatus. (Ok I guess it has lasted more than just the holidays). I hope to have a lot more posts coming up.  I am also excited for a new semester coming up in about a week.  It will be nice to get back into the swing of school and working.

Other than that I have been doing something rather surprising.  Outlining.  I know right?  Most of the time I am a pantser.  I have a difficult time outlining a research paper let alone a story that could become a novel.  It's really strange for me.

First it started with character.  You know, one of those pesky characters that sit inside your brain antagonizing you until you eventually have to write their story.  So just to apease him, and myself, I gave him a bio and some history.  With his history came the development of the characters around him.  Then I plopped him into a world I have been thinking about for a while and VOILA!  Well maybe not quite like that.  There is still a ton of things that need to go into the story.  I mean he isn't even the main character.  But at least I have something more coherent than a few pages of rambling and a bunch of half digested stories.

I think that this break I have written more than I have in the past semester alone (excluding papers.  They don't count). I am really proud of what I have done and hope I can continue it throughout the semester.  It has been a fun break filled with a lot of writing.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  I hope all of you days are full of happiness and cheer during this season.