Fake Football

To finish off my weekend I attended an Australian Rules Football game. The Melbourne Demons vs. the Gold Coast Suns. I have to say, as an NFL fan, that the AFL cannot hold a candle to it. The game is played by a bunch of men in short shorts. The rules are very complicated and involve a lot of kicking and punching the ball to one another. They are VERY high scoring games, like over 100 points. Overall, it was interesting, but I didn't really enjoy it and I can't wait to start getting up at 3am to watch my Patriots play in the NFL. Horray for time change!


Here are some photos of my and my friends at the game. The company of course made it a great time, but I think I'll be looking for other ways to entertain myself. Hopefully rugby will be better.

Shrine of Remembrance

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance. It was a beautiful building filled with war medals and memorials with an awesome view of the city and ocean. It was really interesting to see the war from the Australian perspective from where they served to the style of memorial. In one way it did remind me of Ottawa's Parliament Buildings because it has an ever burning flame as well. 
These are the pictures of it from today, there are a lot but I just couldn't leave any out:

Nathalie and I in front of a British flag, signed and sent over by soldiers to Australians

View from the top

Ocean

It was a great day visiting, what I think, is an important memorial. This area is the most visited war memorial in Victoria State. I'm hoping to return for remembrance day.

Pizza Party

My new roommate, who we will call Germany, is a REALLY good cook. I'm learning a lot from her, mostly by watching. She bakes from scratch most of the time, so when she told me we were going to make a pizza, (EVEN the dough!) I got super excited. 
After completion and digestion I have deduced that EVERYONE needs to know how to do this. So here are my directions (not measurements, because I mostly watched).

Flour, water and yeast mixed together by Germany

Pepperoni sliced by moi

garlic bread- basically I cut up a french loaf, buttered it, shook some garlic salt over it and threw it on the grill so that the top was toasted but underneath was still bread like... delicious!

In classic student fashion we used a wine bottle as a rolling pin. Rolled a circle and poked holes in it for the crust

canned tomatos and basil blended together

Toppings! (obviously)- Germany's is the veggie one on the left, mine is super pepperoni and zucchini on the right

Half and half

Most amazing cider I've ever had! It's Swedish, but also made in St. Kilda here. I love it

Put in oven... take out of oven when you notice the edges are brown

Dinner!!

Ok maybe this isn't my most exciting or relevant to Australia post- but I was so excited about this dinner it just had to be documented. Cheers!

Impact and Integrity: Jack Layton

As most of my Canadian readers will know, Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada passed away on Monday. I simply couldn't go without saying something, especially since I am not in Ottawa at the moment to leave a message on Parliament Hill.
Mr. Layton's death is a truly tragic loss to our nation. His political demeanour and poise is one to be revered. As one of my best friends put it "he was a gentlemen in an otherwise childish profession." There has been a great uniting among Canadians because of his death the past few days, but I believe this is no different than the way that he tried to unite Canadians in his life. I've never felt such sorrow for the death of a "celebrity" before. 
This must mean that his work is not finished. Hopefully one day his dreams of optimism and hope for Canada will come true.


This is a link to a photo of Nathan Phillips Square where people wrote in chalk their messages to him. It's absolutely beautiful. 


http://www.flickr.com/photos/lewolf011/6076393292/


And here is a link to the messages people have left outside Parliament Hill. There are also flowers and cans of Orange Crush


http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivoryimages/6074789999/in/photostream/


Being across the entire world when news like this breaks makes me really sad, but seeing photos like this and reading his letter to Canadians made me feel a lot closer to home and very proud of where I come from... well, even more proud :)


RIP Jack.

In case anyone missed it, here was the letter he left for Canadians before he passed away. It has be quoted EVERYWHERE.

August 20, 2011

Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

Photography at it's Finest

So does everyone remember when I told them that I love to take pictures, but I'd never consider myself a photographer?? Well here, my dear friends, is a fine example of why. You have to know that in reading this blog and enjoying these pictures you are seeing the best of the photos I've taken. Now here is your chance to see the flip side.


This weekend, on the way to Winterfest, my friends and I found ourselves in the beautiful Carlton Gardens (strange that that was the name right?) We decided to take some of those lovely candid photos where you are caught jumping in the air and looking like you are having tons of fun.
Something to the likes of this:

Beautiful isn't it? Well... ours did not exactly turn out in that fashion. Hence, here are some tips of the Do's and Don't's of "Jump Pictures"

Well doesn't this look pleasant? Who doesn't like a squatting picture?? So the trick is to count, don't just yell out "JUMP"

 Note that even when you do count, the flash is a bit delayed. Therefore 1, 2, 3 is actually: 1, 2, 3, Press buttom, FLASH. This means your friends are already back on the ground. Try 1, 2, press the button on 3, FLASH and they will hopefully be in the air still. OTHERWISE....

FINALLY!

And then once you get the timing... make sure you have enough space for everyone to jump and be seen... note the lack of MY FACE in this photo...

We got it!

When in doubt, just jump off something! It will look a lot better and a lot more put together. No matter what, even if you don't get a good picture, it will be very fun trying :)

Ice and Sand

This weekend was amazing!! Every now and then I remember that I can be a tourist instead of just a student in this country. I also like any chance to rub in how Canadian I am. This weekend brought that chance with Melbourne's Winter Festival. It was a chance to strap on some skates and show my friends what being a northener is really about. 
The trick, the weather was 22 degrees, and the rink was outside! If you fell you were falling into a puddle more than ice. None the less it was quite the experience. We even got to meet some of the Melbourne Ice Wolves hockey players. While hockey players don't receive nearly as much recognition as they do in Canada the team was super nice and lots of fun. They raced us around the rink while riding orange seal shaped contraptions that help little kids skate. It was a blast!
Also to be noted, I went with my 3 friends from London, my new German roommate and my friend from Michigan. I don't think I need to tell you which of the 6 of us were not really skaters. However, my one friend it was her first time skating and she loved it and did really well. One of the things you will notice from the pictures is that EVERYONE has the orange rental skates, it's obviously not necessary to have your own pair of skates here, but that would be unheard of in Canada. 

Melbourne Ice Skating Rink Mascot

La Trobe Bobsled Team! 

To finish out the day we went to St. Kilda Beach at Port Philip to watch the sun go down and enjoy the weather. St. Kilda is a beautiful subburb with lots of little shops and unique restaurants. It even has a carnival that we are all anxious to go back to visit. Here are the pictures we took from that evening. It was like living out a postcard and reminded me of my hometown growing on Lake Erie. I thought all of Australia would be like this honestly, absolutely stunning.

"AUS"

Made it to the ocean!

Can't believe this is winter weather!

More posts to come! I've been slaving away with school work lately, but this weekend I had a lot of material to blog about, so more posts to come before this second month is finished. Spring starts September 1st!

The Little Things

This post is dedicated to a small thing that really makes a big difference when you've up and moved to another country. 
Running Into People.
Yes, running into people. This week, I ran into 2 friends in the grocery store. I also attended a bar night last night and ran into many people from my Master's classes and my international undergraduate friends.And, of course, on campus when you're getting a coffee or just walking to class and you see a familiar face to give "the nod" to.
When you have moved the entire way across the world, and you accidentally see someone you hadn't planned on seeing- it is THE greatest feeling!
This means that you've 
A) Been there long enough to accumulate a lot of friends
B) have familiar places that you go to 
You all know what I'm talking about. When you turn that corner and look up and say "heeeyyyy, how are you!? I didn't expect to see you here." You have a small conversation and then continue on your way to get groceries, or go to the movies, or dance away- whatever!


It's such a small thing, but to think that I can move to the other side of the world and bump into someone I know at complete random makes you feel a lot less lonely. 

Home is Where the Heart Is

Last night I had no intention of going out. I had readings (still do!). I was in my pjs.. I was comfy. 
But how can you say no to a Queer Party Hip Hop night?! 
First you need to know that i'm a sucker for a DJ. I love music of nearly all types and nothing feels better to me than getting lost in a club. What's more, Hip Hop is my favourite kind of music.. and Australia is not exactly known for it. So when my friend from Michigan called me up and told me that they were FLYING in a famous lesbian hip hop DJ from Sydney, I threw myself in the shower, grabbed a bottle and found myself spending the night with some amazing people. (Side note- a bunch of straight people didn't just got to a Queer Party, 3 of my friends are gay- but you'll have to guess who)

Me and who I consider my Best Friend here: Michigan

The gang BEFORE we left for the bar...

What is the point of this post? Last night was fantastic- drama free- and fun. The lethal combination of my new Swedish friends, and my North American buddies (we'll call them Oakville, Michigan, Florida and Georgia) combined with a great club atmosphere, made for an unreal evening. We took a lot of pictures that I have just recently posted on Facebook that made me laugh even harder this morning than I did when taking them.


Exhibit A:

Last night is the first night I felt really comfortable in my friend group. Everything was easy, the jokes, the dance moves, the cab rides, the drinking games, the photos. It was friendly and fun, the usual way it is with my friends back home. I really appreciated the night, because homesickness is something that all of us have to deal with on a daily basis. It's also something that you can talk about together, but no one else truly understands, because we are all from different places, missing different things and different people. So when you finally find a great group, like this one, it truly warms your heart, and you feel that sense of comfort, of home. 

I now have a home in two places:

Canada: with family, friends, my belongings, my cat, my favourite places to eat, etc.

and Australia: with friends, sore feet, empty wallet, hearing loss, adventure and a great big smile.