Gateway Bridge Opening!!

Hello All!

Here is my weekend update - nothing much happened on Saturday, except for me playing an epic squash game against a girl from Australia who is a tennis pro. As such, she had quite the skill level on the court and had me running around to return her serves....I actually did quite well against her, but pulled my right groin in an effort to keep up. It had me immobile for most of the day, but luckily I managed to rebound back in time for Sunday!

Sunday morning Dave and I got up early to pick up Kelsey in the city and drive out to the opening for the new Gateway Bridge. This bridge is the second one of it's kind, the first one having opened up in 1986. We went for the view, the freebies and the 3km return walk across it. As of today, traffic is now using it and the bridge normally doesn't allow pedestrians across it. It was a really neat experience and I have to marvel at how the Australians always seem to have this epic opening ceremony for everything - bridges, theatres, libraries....you name it!

Afterward, Dave drove us out to the factory outlet shops, where Kelsey and I searched in vain for a pair of leather boots for the both of us. I settled on a skirt and cardigan for a total of $40 (the skirt was originally $100, on sale for $30! - I think mom would have been proud!!) but could not find boots to save my life. Oh well, something to search for back in Canada and it's probably best that I don't accumulate too much to take back!

As well, I did take my laptop into a Mac store to get it looked at as the battery has not been working well, and everything seems slow. The specialists there told me that I needed to stop using my battery immediately, and that it may explode on me. Scary. I'm taking my laptop back in on Friday for a full repair, and I'm hoping that it won't cost me anything (and that my computer is still under warranty!). The joys of technology.

I've attached a couple photos from the bridge opening, but I must wrap this up to go and grab lunch and continue to make plans for the coming weekend. Apparently, we may be making a trip up to Byron Bay to celebrate a friend's birthday party....and rumour has it that I now have a new housemate. DEREK! Yup - he's moving into the empty room. That will be interesting, I'm sure!!

Anyways, stay posted for more musings from Brissy and I look forward to hearing from you all soon!


xoxo Danielle

Update Birthday Photos

Hi Everyone!

This will be a really quick post - mainly to upload some of the photos taken on my birthday at the party hosted by Marilyn and Jean. I'll write a longer post after the weekend's events!

xoxo Danielle

Coolongatta and Casinos

Hello everyone!

I'm going to start this post off by wishing all my Aunties and Grandmas a Happy Mother's Day. It's not actually Mother's day here, but it is back in North America so I figure it counts!! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, you each deserve it!!

This post will update you on the last couple days, as my weekdays are not that exciting anymore. Apart from classes, tutorials and practicals, nothing worth writing happens at Uni.

                    At the border between the two states....

However, this weekend was a different story. Again, Dave volunteered to drive a gang of us to Coolongatta beach on Sunday, followed again by a visit to the Casino on the way home. Kelsey, my new mate from Saskatoon, came along with us as well as my other housemate Shiva. We spent the morning on the beach, lying in the sun as well as swimming the ocean, then hit up the boardwalk for some much deserved fish and chips. I think one of the best things ever is fish and chips on the beach, in the sun. Amazing. We also visited the border between Queensland and New South Wales. Everytime I cross a border, I always think of the movie A Walk to Remember and how Mandy Moore's character just wants to be in two places at once, so the boy takes her to the state line.....

Next up was the Casino, but this time instead of winning money, we lost it all. I only gambled away 10 dollars, but Dave lost a little more....the Casino this time was quite busy, probably because it was Mother's Day. I couldn't get over all the people, and can only imagine what Las Vegas is like! We had fun no matter the loss, and I think we mostly chuckled over the fact that we had to change clothes in the carpark behind the boot of the car instead of a bathroom because they wouldn't let us in while wearing our beach clothes!!

Sunday night was another fun time - Bill Elliot, an old friend of Uncle Donnie's, was here on business (something to do with the RCMP/international police) and he offered to take me and another couple Canadians out for dinner. We went to a place not far from the city called the Regatta Boatshed. A few bottles of wine and a plate of Barramundi later, we were all swapping stories about PEI, Saskatchewan and weird Australian things like Vegemite. It was a great meal out, and I was very fortunate that a distant contact thought of me while on his trip down under! It goes to show just how small the world is, and just how lovely people are.

Today is Monday, I'm basically doing nothing except for a fitness class tonight with Dave - something called Zumba and it's a form of dance-fitness. Should be interesting! I'm also meeting up with Marilyn for coffee now that our schedules have quieted down a bit! I hope you enjoy the photos I've posted....I had fun with my camera on this trip, snapping photos of places like Miami Beach and Palm Beach (Just for my Floridian family!) and some shots of us at Coolongatta.

I miss you all! Keep those emails and letters coming!!

xoxo Danielle

Beaches, midterm results and a little gambling....

Hello everyone!

I think it's been a sufficient amount of time since my last entry, and I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been quite busy since my birthday weekend, mainly recovering, but now that all my major assignments are out of the way I have no excuse to catch you all up!

I think my last entry was about my party weekend. The week after that, nothing much happened except for me coming down with a cold and sore throat, so I pretty much took the week off and didn't go out. It was also the week where I got my midterm results back and much to my surprise....

I DIDN'T FAIL ANATOMY!!!

Yeah, I know. Huge relief. In fact, I managed to pull of an 85% on my theory exam without really studying. Hahaha - what a gong show. Seriously. With studying for my biology exam, however, I managed to get a 92%. Even with the made-up answer about possums floating over the ocean on sea debris (I got 0.5 marks for that - sick as!!) Basically, I was super pleased on both fronts and now I'm sitting in a sick position for finals, as both these midterms were worth 25% of my final mark. Excellent. In the end, I only even need a 60% to pass and get full credit back home at Queens!!

Next up, the weekend's activities. My housemate Dave and I drove down the Gold Coast to a place called Coolongatta. It's this great beach town, and we spent all of last Sunday lying on the beach, soaking up the rays. It was perfect. The temperature was about 26 degrees, (cold according to the Aussie's, but it's winter here remember!) but what blew me away was the water temperature. About 18 degrees. Back in Canada, on PEI, I think the warmest I've ever seen the water get was 10. I could have spent the entire day in the ocean, but Dave needed to introduce me to a little thing known as a Casino....

Yup, I went to my very first Casino (and thought of you Gma Arlene and Auntie Sharon!!) and played on the slots with Dave. Between the two of us, we managed to win $70!!! Not bad, considering we only put in $20. I had to suppress a scream when I won the silver item at $50. I'm going back this weekend and am certain the platinum $9500 is mine. Hahaha. I'm not addicted, I swear.

Other than plans for another beach weekend, and working on review now for the finals coming up in a couple weeks (man, the time has FLOWN by!!) I have no big things on my plate. A couple friends are talking about going down to Byron Bay for a birthday celebration in a couple weeks time, which could be a blast....

I love you all and miss you guys like crazy! Keep the emails and letters coming - I love hearing from you!

All my love,
xoxo Danielle

Birthday Celebrations!

Hello All!!

So, this is an update about the past weekend and my birthday celebrations. Basically, I had a three day celebration that lasted the entire holiday weekend. It was spectacular. I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant to be in Australia to celebrate my birthday without family or close friends around, but I needn't have worried. 

Let me begin by telling you that turning 21 is a huge as deal in Australia. Even though the legal age is 18, like Canada, everyone goes all out for their 21st. I've been told by my Aussie friends that some people spend the equivalent of a small wedding on their party. This was not my plan at all, but I was warned that I was going to have a good time. And by good time, they meant that I would probably not remember the next morning. Derek did tell me that if I didn't throw up, he would not have done his job as my cousin.....

Plans first started off with Marilyn and Jean who were going to plan a dinner party for me at the house Marilyn is staying at in Brisbane. It was just a family type dinner, with cake and some good company. This was going to be on the Sunday of the weekend, which was Anzac Day. I was pretty excited for this, as Andrea and Derek were going to make it back to Brisbane in time for the party so not only was I going to get fed a fantastic meal, I was also going to be able to catch up with them after 3 months!!

However, I also knew that I needed to include my uni friends in something, and we all were itching for a good night out on the town. Since Anzac Day is a public holiday and things close at midnight on the Saturday and Sunday, I chose Friday night as the ideal night to party with the gang and hit up some clubs in the city.

                                 Start of the shot game....

We started out at my place with some drinks and appetizers. Andrea, Derek, my housemates and about 10 of my uni mates all came over to my house and we just chilled for a bit on the balcony, sharing some laughs. Highlights of the night included a "shot game" where I was supposed to find the sprite amongst the shots of vodka on the table....surprise! There was no sprite - only vodka. It was rough. And all Derek's doing. As well, at one point, I was sprayed by champagne and had to wash my brand new dress before going out.....at least I think I remember putting it into the dryer, but I don't think I actually ran it through a wash cycle. Maybe I just rinsed it in the sink....

                                           Me and my housemates

After we had decided that we probably should make a move, we aimed for the city as our destination. Along the way, we stopped to snap some photos with bronze statues in the park, scare some innocent walkers and probably disrupt the general public. Our first spot was a bar called Union Jacks, where I spent no time getting right up on stage and dancing, Chynoweth-style! I was wearing this big Aussie hat that said, "It's my 21st BDAY!" so I had heaps of people buying me drinks and wanting to dance. They also mostly wanted to steal my hat, and I did spend a fair amount of time trying to get it back off of random people's heads!!

                  Derek and I did climb onto the garage roof. It was Derek's fault.

Our next bar was a karaoke bar called the Victory. I remember doing some tequila shots while waiting to sing Don't Stop Believin' by Journey, but apparently the queue was too long so we left before we got a chance to sing. Probably for the best, since it was at this point that things got a little hazy for me....

I was told we then went to the next bar, Down Under, where I entered a dancing competition to win $200. I don't remember dancing on stage, losing, or exiting the bar shortly after. I'm told that I was practically carried down a couple blocks to Pancake Manor (a 24-hr pancake hub) where I ordered pancakes and wedges....I do remember eating some, but I was SO tired and the only proof of the manor was a doggy bag in my fridge at home the next morning. 

Saturday was probably the worst hangover I have ever had - I could barely sit up until around 3pm, when my housemate forced me out to eat Maccas. Then I spent the rest of the day lying on the couch watching a movie (The Hangover, actually, fitting eh?) and then early to bed. Overall, the photos tell a great story and I will post some of the more appropriate ones here for you to see!!

Sunday evening was Marilyn and Jean's party for me. It was a nice meal, followed by cupcakes and presents! I was so surprised and overwhelemed at how they went all out for me. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

After the dinner party, Kelsey and I went to a bar called Normanby's to meet up with her mates for a while. We lasted a couple hours before peacing out and walking home (turns out that this bar is really close to my house, and it's really good so we plan on coming back!). I didn;t drink much on Sunday - partially because I was still recovering and partially because I knew I needed to be semi-functional for the next couple days and get some work done.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend and I can't imagine how my birthday celebrations spanned an entire weekend. I almost felt like it was non-stop partying, but I guess that's how the Aussie's do a 21st!! Now, I'm in the process of cleaning my house, organizing school work and preparing to get back into the swing of things over the next couple days!

Thanks to all who sent me birthday messages and cards - Auntie Cheryl and family, Uncle Morris and Auntie Elaine, Gma, Auntie Sharon, Auntie CC, Dad and all my friends on facebook. I feel so loved and despite missing you guys, I know you are all thinking of me!

All my love,
xoxo Daniellle

The last of the midterms and newfound loves

Hello All!

I've surfaced for a bit of air in between the end of my midterm exams and the upcoming 3 major projects which are all due next week within days of each other. I've decided to write about a couple things - my last midterm in bio, as well as my night out last weekend where I had the pleasure of attending my first ever live rugby game.

I'll start with the boring bit - the midterm. It actually went quite well I think, but I probably have to attribute that to actually studying. Unlike Anatomy, I had some time to prepare, and got together with a group over the weekend to review key concepts. The only area where I had difficulty was the timing - I had 4 short answer questions left with only 15 minutes to go in the exam...not so good. Apparently, I like to write lots down! I also struggled with one question about the origin of possums in North America, since they apparently originated in China and never was China attached to NA for them to "walk" over. I made up some bull**** answer about them drifting across the sea on oceanic debris and colonizing North America....I even drew a nice little picture, so perhaps I will get pity marks??!!?

Anyways, onto the better part of the post, which was the rugby game I went to last Saturday. It was Rugby Union - one of 3 types of rugby that is played in Australia, and the teams playing were the Queensland Reds vs. the South African Blue Bulls (I think. Everyone kept calling them the bulls, and fans told me they were from SA....). It was a riot. Serious fun was had by all, especially in our section. Can you believe that $20 got me a seat, just off the center line and only 20 rows from the field? Yeah, Oz knows how to sell game tickets! Our section was also really awesome - we had some hardcore bulls fans right in front of us, and hardcore Reds fans a row in front of them, so between the banter we had no problem with a lack of entertainment!

                            The hardcore Reds fans with their facepaint

I've never been to a rugby game before, nor do I know/understand the rules and so I had to follow the crowds reaction and just cheer when everyone else did. I laughed pretty hard at the various penalties that were shown on the jumbo-tron, things like "tackling line out man in the air." To me, they sounded like random words strung together, but the true fans seemed to understand. At one point, I tried to get the Bulls fan in front of me to explain what had happened, but he was too engrossed in my friend's pink hair to answer.

    Reenacting the kicker's position before he kicks the ball. This was after a couple drinks, obviously.

The Reds managed to win 19-12, despite falling behind in the first couple minutes 0-7.....apparently, these two teams have quite the history and rivalry, which helped to explain the heated conversations between the rows in front of us!

After the game finished, we headed back into the City to hit up a couple pubs, drink some beers and dance the night away. I was pretty tired after the first couple places, so left the crew as they ventured on to hopefully find karaoke. All in all, it was a blast and I can't wait until the next game! I may have found a new sport to love....but I think I need to learn the rules better first!

Speaking of karaoke, I'm celebrating my 21st birthday in a couple days. Tomorrow night, I'm hitting the town with a whole crew of mates, and it will probably get pretty messy. My cousins are back from their tours of Aussie and will be joining as well, which naturally means disaster. I'll be sure to document the entire evening on my camera, but I have to warn you that some photos may not be internet/family-worthy! (Sorry Dad and Gma - have to leave some things to the imagination!!)

I have to run to my french class now, but I'll be back to write about my birthday extravaganza in a few days!

xoxo Danielle

Heron Island Day 5

Day 5

Well, I guess I should actually mention something I forgot about Day 4 - that evening, before the presentations, we caught the sunset on the Jetty and it was beautiful. I've never experienced something so surreal as the sun disappearing in front of my eyes....I mean, I've seen sunsets before, but never over the ocean. It quite literally is there one second and gone the next - if you blink you would miss it as it all happens in an instant! I took some really trippy photos with the sun setting, as well as some classic ones that make me think of movie endings or something.

Day 5 began with another early morning snorkel - and our last one! Alexa and I decided this time to head to the harbour, as news of our success at Shark Alley had gotten around and many people were headed there. As our luck would have it, we found out later that there was no action in the Alley this morning, so we caught the best of the scenery down under the Jetty.

This morning's snorkel was another surreal moment. The water was quite murky since it was an overcast day and without the sun's rays, it was hard to see anything far away. As we swam around the turbid waters, we literally came upon a pod of over 60 rays, quite shallow in the harbour. We tried our best to go one direction, but ended up face-to-face with more rays, and so couldn't actually move for over 10 minutes! Alexa and I basically just floated above all the sleeping rays until they awoke, swam away and let us have a path through them all! I tried to take photos with my camera, but they came out under-developed. Boo. Alexa and I spent the next 30 minutes trailing these rays and watching in amazement at their gliding under the water.

We then decided to swim out to the shipwreck and take a look for anything cool near there. Nothing much was seen except one reef shark, and a couple turtles. I actually had one turtle that was trying to swim away from Alexa and ended up coming right up beneath my stomach! I was able to reach out and touch his shell before he scooted off, scared. Another really cool thing (which I have heard about but never thought I would get to experience) was a little fish that would not leave my goggles alone. He would swim in front of me, basically on my goggles and no matter how or where I turned my head, he followed. It was quite amusing for some time, then I got slightly annoyed since I couldn't see anything clearly with this little flashy guy in my face 24/7!!

After our morning snorkel - and we took some great photos of us in the water, we got out and enjoyed the last breakfast buffet on the island. The rest of the morning was spent packing, cleaning our dorms and returning the snorkeling gear to the sheds. Of course, our dorm was naturally quite quick at this, so we had finished up long before the others. Instead of spending time outside, since it was rainy and glum, all the girls in our rooms went back up and slept on the bare beds. I was so exhausted - I think all the snorkeling activities, both field trips etc had finally caught up with me and I crashed for a good couple hours before lunch and the ferry ride back to the mainland.

No one got sick on the ride home - the ferry was the smoothest it's been in years according to our professor. In fact, I felt more sick on the bus ride home than I did the ferry.....After another long ride on the bus (over 8 hours!!) we made it back into Brisbane around midnight, and I caught a taxi ride to my house, literally walked in the front door, took off my shoes and fell alseep on top of the bed with dirty clothes on and all. You can imagine the laundry I had to do the next morning - over 10 days of dirty, field trip clothes. It took me 4 loads to finish it all!

At the end of the day, I had a fantastic Easter Break - one I will probably never forget. From dingoes, to sharks, beaches to coral reefs....I had so much fun, made tons of new mates and memories to last me a lifetime. Sounds corny and cliched - I know - but it's true. I'm actually sad that I don't have more trips planned, which is why I think the group of us are toying with the idea of a Fiji excursion in the next month....

Anyways, I will leave you with some random other photos from the trip, the dives and everything in between. Thanks for being patient while I took the past week to write these up between study sessions!!!

Miss you all,

xoxo Danielle