And now I smell like booze.

Work today was a bit long. I wanted to work out but it was crazy hot out. I got some productive things at home finished. Annie and I are planning out our trip to cairns. It is subject to change but as of right now its a 4 day trip involving: shopping, scuba diving at the barrier reef, horse-back riding/ATVs, and island hopping.

So I didn't finish with work till 1:45 am. Saturdays last SOO long its crazy. I have a headache from being dehydrated and I didnt take my vitamins yesterday or today, so that didn't help. I did alot of polishing silverware in hot water with vinegar. A group of 21 women were having a Hen's night, which is a bachelorette party. They bought alot of wine they didnt like so there was lots left over. I took one of the good ones that is normally corked. I put a kind of fitting cap on it and saran wrap. When I got to the bus stop I kind of forgot it wasn't leak proof and laid my pack down. And about 8 ounces spilled into my backpack. Fortunately my work clothes in my bag soaked alot of it up. Unfortunately the clothes on my back soaked up the rest.

So I end up today smelling like vinegar, soggy fries, and expensive chardonay for tonight

bar night

I had plans to go out to a bar with the 2 people from my robotics team. A swiss guy named Raphael and a michigan girl who was likely going to bring her aussie boyfriend. Girl didn't come out. I met up with Raph at 9pm and he brought along one of his kiwi friends. (Who was very illegible btw). We first went to some bar called Pontoon Bar in Darling Harbor cause we heard there were pool tables. It was also one of the top 10 bars of Sydney. And we did find a pool table; there was one; as in one; off in the corner separated from everyone else. After a game, Raph had some girl texting him for all of us to meet up at some "dance" club called Ivy. After hopping the bus all the way over to the Rocks we wandered around trying to find it.
As we walked a bus pulled up to a red light called "the discobus". It was basically a gutted city bus with a dance floor installed and everyone inside looked very drunk. When we got to the Ivy it was packed. It took 15 minutes to find Raph's friend. It turns out the girl is from Purdue! Except she's a dumb spoiled sorority girl, who is staying here on "daddy's money". She was bragging how she couldn't believe she has spent $5000 in the last month. A good chunk of that she said was on alcohol alone. Bravo. I'm sure you'll make "daddy" proud. After 2 hours of boring talking and nothing else I decided to just up and leave. So I did. I grabbed a cab to my bus stop and bussed home.

Bars in Sydney are pretty lame.
You can't get drunk because bartenders aren't legaly allowed to.
Nobody was really dancing at the dance club.
Pool tables and other activities are nearly don't exist.
Oh and taxis cost more because of night-time tariffs and bus run once an hour.
no fun at all.

Lots of new stuff

Hats off to my dad on his 50th b-day!

Thursday was a very loooong day at work. I didn't get out until 12:30 and I missed the last bus home so I had to call up a very sleepy Fae to come pick me up. While I was waiting another kid missed the last bus as well. (the timetables had tiny astaricks next to them indicating they didn't run on thursdays). As we talked a bit I offered him a ride home. Turns out he was a friend of a contestant of So You Think You Can Dance Australia and was on his way home from celebrating with her. She was voted off last week. This kid was only 17 though. Half the people here graduate high school at 17.

I heard back from Purdue about my grad program.... Bad news.
"My name is Dr. Mark Garrett and I am the Graduate Programs Coordinator over here in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. You are receiving this email because you have applied to one of our graduate programs here in the Weldon School. I wanted to let you know that you are currently on our Waiting List for admission into our program. We have received a total of 264 applications to our PHD program along 125 applications to our MS program. Thus far we have admitted 21 people and are waiting to hear their decision as to whether they will accept our offer."
So 389 applicants and only 21 are getting accepted.. My chances look very dire. I am still waiting to hear back from IUPUI.

Tuesday

Work today. It went pretty well. I am enjoying it more and more as I get into the swing of things. Likewise, I enjoy when we are appropriately staffed. nothing too fancy goin on. My book STILL hasn't come in for one of my classes. But its not that big of a deal. I won't be able to do tomorrow's assignment but they lowest 2 of 10 are dropped anyways.

It was really hot today so I stopped by and got a gigantic slurpee before work and it was delicious. :)

Dance frusterations

I was looking forward to dance for the past 3 weeks. I get there at 7:20 (10 minutes early) and ask where it is being held. They look at me like I'm crazy and say "did you sign up for it?" I tell them I was hoping to sign up for it and wanted to see what it was like. They then proceed to explain that it is a gym sponsored class and that I have to pay to go in. Not just pay, but pay cash. Of which I had none nor was I really expecting to have to pay immediately. I assumed there would be some sort of introduction or something. But no I was not allowed in to just watch even. so I had to go home. What a waste of my time.

and I can't wait for annie to come in may :D

Sunday cut short

I got asked to come into work today. It took a fraction of a second to say yes. Why? Because it Australia sunday means time and a half. Thats right. So I make nearly $30 an hour on sundays. That is so awesome. I mean, once I can accept tips it will be even more awesome but still $30 over 6 hours is a ton of income.

I wanted to pull up a card from the pile of observations I've noticed. Alot of Australians seem to be a bit hypocritical as a society. Allow me to elaborate. There is the Sydney Bridge, a massive bridge that spans the harbor, and is located near the Opera House. You can walk across the top arc, but you have to wear gray jumpsuits so you don't distract drivers.
Ok that makes sense
But then you go through the much busier inner city traffic and there are ads everywhere including on the monorail that has these bright colors and flashes across your field of vision. That is WAY more distracting then tiny blips of color climbing a bridge.

There are other examples I could prolly find but its late and I have to wake up for class in 6 hours...

Family Time

Today, I went with the family to see ALL of the family. It was someone's birthday. I can't recall all of the names. The food was reaaaally good. Alot of Phillipino food. The fresh prawns were a bit intimidating with the heads still attached. They had these AMAZING desert called cathedral windows. It was a bunch of different blocks of colored jello in condensed milk.
I chatted up with people for a little while. Alot of people asked about Victore and how I knew him and what I was doing here. After dinner I went to hang out with the kids. There was me, fae, jaime, and this other dude then 8 kids at around the age of 15 and below. They were playing Modern Warfare 2. After a while we played some street fighter 4. I got to wow the kids by pully off crazy tricks and combos and being unbeatable.
host family pics
host family pics
host family pics
host family pics
host family pics

Oh yeah and I shaved my head for leukaemia :P
HAIR GONE