Hey dudes and dudettes, I just got paid! Yep, money, paper, paid son!
Alright, enough with my gangsta rap, yo! I got ta keep this thing nice and real, ya dig.
Ahem, as I was saying, I got paid, finally. Real income, after so many days of searching and sorting through the job ads and applications of unfathomable complexity. Why companies choose to make their job applications so crazy hard to complete, I'll never know. It's as if they don't want people applying for their positions. Or maybe, it's to whittle down the applicants into the more serious ones. Dunno, and don't really care, because at least I'm on the right track.
I'm not sure if you're gone through this sort of thing before, but when applying for jobs, after the first 100, you begin to get a bit disillusioned. I figure I've put out about 120 resumes so far, with little success. But that's okay, because the feeling you get when you finally get some results is worth more than anything. I mean, getting the detailing job was the first step. Then it was getting paid. Finally there was a gentleman I met at a festival I went to after I was paid this past Friday. Gil his name was, working one of the food stands at this festival. He was selling mini dutch pancakes and I tell ya, damn good! In any case, we got to talking, and he offered me a job working the festivals with his company. I still don't know exactly where I'll be, or what's going on, but bloody hell, I'm going to give him a call today just like he asked. Never look a gift horse in the mouth eh?
Speaking of this festival, it was quite neat. A little open-air grassy area down by the harbor front in Manly. The whole place was lit up with lights, the kind you would see at a garden party, nothing really fancy at all. There were live performers playing, two groups of which I had the chance to take in. One was a trio of a drummer, guitarist, and singer. They performed jazzy style songs, kinda like Diana Krall except a little more mainstream. The singer, now her voice was really good. Kinda funny too how different people can look when they take their glasses off as well. She put her glasses on after the show, and I scarcely recognized her, except for the dress she was wearing and that she was damn hot. Ha ha ha. But yeah, the other crew was like a modern Simon and Garfunkel. Both guys sang, one played guitar, and the other only harmonica. But boy could this dude wail on that harmonica. He made that thing dance, I tell you. All the food stalls were quite something else as well. There was everything from the mini Dutch pancakes, to Gozlemes, French crepes, Dimsum, Paella, Mexican food, Oktoberfest Bratwurst, and other various Asian foods. It seems to me, that Asian food is where its at around Australia. Everywhere I go is Asian food, Mexican, and other styles of food from all over the world. It's actually more difficult than I thought to find traditional Australian food fare. Meat pies are good though...mmmmmm. Nice and hearty, just like we would have made. Proper on ya!
Ya know how I mentioned the ABC (Another Bloody Castle) syndrome back when I visited Scotland? Well, now I have a new disease from Australia, it's called TPS (Triple Plate Service Syndrome). I swear, I'm not cut out to work the hospitality industry in Australia, given that you have to be able to carry three plates. And it's not just the three plates, it's how precicely they need to be carried. They can't be pressed to the body in any way, and you pretty much have to be able to move your arms around like a bird and not have the plates drop off or tilt even a fraction of a degree. Bah, I say, there's more to service than carrying plates. Trust me, I've seen a lot of the servers here and aside from the control over the plates they have, there's no actual good points to their service. They don't smile, don't laugh, and don't look like they even care about the service. Bah, foolish people. Well, that's that.
Funny point though, grocery store clerks here get paid more than restaurateurs. Figure that one out, eh?
Hostels are funny places too. What happens there, you could definitely do another reality TV show about. I mean, on one floor alone, someone was assaulted, there were people bleeding, and then there's projectile vomiting all over their own gear. Foolish travelers. Ya know, as an aside, I think the British, as a generalization, are the worst travelers ever. I know this doesn't go for all, because I've met some good travelers from Britain as well, but they're rare. They're noisy, uncouth, filthy, and of course bad drunks. They all drink this boxed wine, 'goon' they call it, because of how cheap it is. Oh, I think I can throw a few Germans in there as well, since I've had some dealings with them as well. My next step is to find a spot of my own to stay in. I hope that happens soon, as I'm gonna go insane otherwise. He he he, not that I'm not already completely gone off the deep end. :P
Alright, I think that will cover most of what I had to say this time. Next time I might talk about the spiders that hide in cars. Until then, catcha later,
Neal
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Trees, and bushes, and high grass...
...And go wacking away in the sand with a tire iron. Oh, yeah! Great fun!
If you don't know where that's from, go check out Robin Williams' skit on Golf. Best skit ever!
Speaking of trees and bushes and high grass though, since my camera card seems to not be woking as such, and some of my pictures and videos of the botanical gardens are now missing in action until I can get another opinion from some data recovery specialists, I will have to attempt to describe what it is I saw through my meander into the jungle in the middle of suburbia, or urbia, as it was downtown.
Ahem!
Well, to start off I guess would be the general overlay. These are the Royal Botanical Gardens, if I'm not completely mistaken with the name. They're actually right next to the opera house. Well, that would actually be lying, somewhat. The gardens actually run a really long distance, but one of the main entrances to the gardens is down by the far side of the opera house, coming from the city. The gardens are really quite a bit bigger than I originally had thought. When we refer to botanical gardens in Canada, the biggest I've seen might be an acre or two, maybe three if you're lucky. But this place, well, I bet you could fit a minimum of 10 football fields in there. It's really more like a national park, including special greenhouse areas, outdoor jungles, copious amounts of wildlife, and open areas more like parks.
In the very center, or what I percieved to be the center, there were three buildings each shaped slightly different and made almost entirely of glass. Greenhouses, to be precise, parts of which were underground and parts above ground. Even just walking around outside was quite the experience, looking in on all the varieties of plants. The architecture alone fascinated me, as one of the greenhouses was shaped like a great pyramid of Egypt. Quite astonishing, really, and even more so from the inside. If you get the chance while you're down here, definitely go to the botanical gardens greenhouses in Sydney. They only cost $5 to get in, but the experience is definitely worth it. Once you're inside the greenhouses, they have each building turned into a specialized climate; one for high altitude, one for tropical, and one for native Australian. Alright, so I'm not that sure about the last one, since my pictures and documentation are currently in a state of limbo, but I know the first two are right.
And of course, this foliage is from all over the world. There's giant picture (pitcher?) plants like the ones back home, except these hang from vines and are at least twice the size. Then there are Venus fly traps, creeping vines, high-altitude moss (whoopie), and even tropical plants with broad leaves the length of my arm or even longer, and wider than my body. I think some of the plants might have been poisonous, I don't know, but at least I didn't try and find out. But each area was climate controlled, irrigated, and designed with regards to the specific climate. The high-altitude one was smaller, but steeply terraced, which the tropical one was mainly flat, lots of water, and plenty of tall leafy trees. Quite the spot to play hide and seek in, if it weren't for the damn spiders and all that. I swear, if it weren't for the fact that almost anything around here can kill you, Australia would be paradise on earth.
Oh, then there were the bats. If I ever get my data back from the SD card, we'll be all set because I even took videos to show you where I was walking and all that. But for now, we'll deal with the Flying Foxes through prose and literary means. I'm pretty sure I just made a big boo boo there in terms of grammatical structure and context, but frankly, I don't care at the moment. Take our local bats, then put them on steroids, and picture something out of an Indiana Jones or a vampire movie, and yeah, you're got the size of these things. And they were everywhere! One of the attendants of the park said there were about 20,000 of them. Unfortunately, as much as it's rather cool to look at them, they are causing a lot of damage to the trees and surrounding area, so now they're trying to get rid of them. Apparently, they even put sprinklers in the trees. Unfortunately, that didn't work. Resilient little buggers, aren't they? Still, quite cool looking, all red and fuzzy. Definitely cooler than our local bats which just look too small to be of any real interest.
And of course, there's the birds of the area. Cockatoos, and, well, a huge amount of other local birds I don't know the name of. They're everywhere! But, the real stars of the bird kingdom in that area have to be the Cockatoos. On top of being very tame, well, tame enough to be fed, they would even sit on people's arms and allow people to pick them up for a time. Some of the other birds would do this too, but not with as much frequency. They're really like giant, colorful Grey jays back home. Very intelligent, but very calm as well.
Oh, as I side note before I clue up, I went to see the Book of Eli last night...but I changed my mind and went to see date night instead. To be honest, it was kinda contrived, and definitely only a one-time viewing. It's not something to own, that's for sure.
Right then, I'm off to plan my day for tomorrow. Working, following up on leads, all that jazz.
Later days,
Neal
P.S. If you have an interesting topic you want written on, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do. Always looking to flex my linguistic muscles, that's for sure. This piece was rushed, definitely. No flow. Blah!
If you don't know where that's from, go check out Robin Williams' skit on Golf. Best skit ever!
Speaking of trees and bushes and high grass though, since my camera card seems to not be woking as such, and some of my pictures and videos of the botanical gardens are now missing in action until I can get another opinion from some data recovery specialists, I will have to attempt to describe what it is I saw through my meander into the jungle in the middle of suburbia, or urbia, as it was downtown.
Ahem!
Well, to start off I guess would be the general overlay. These are the Royal Botanical Gardens, if I'm not completely mistaken with the name. They're actually right next to the opera house. Well, that would actually be lying, somewhat. The gardens actually run a really long distance, but one of the main entrances to the gardens is down by the far side of the opera house, coming from the city. The gardens are really quite a bit bigger than I originally had thought. When we refer to botanical gardens in Canada, the biggest I've seen might be an acre or two, maybe three if you're lucky. But this place, well, I bet you could fit a minimum of 10 football fields in there. It's really more like a national park, including special greenhouse areas, outdoor jungles, copious amounts of wildlife, and open areas more like parks.
In the very center, or what I percieved to be the center, there were three buildings each shaped slightly different and made almost entirely of glass. Greenhouses, to be precise, parts of which were underground and parts above ground. Even just walking around outside was quite the experience, looking in on all the varieties of plants. The architecture alone fascinated me, as one of the greenhouses was shaped like a great pyramid of Egypt. Quite astonishing, really, and even more so from the inside. If you get the chance while you're down here, definitely go to the botanical gardens greenhouses in Sydney. They only cost $5 to get in, but the experience is definitely worth it. Once you're inside the greenhouses, they have each building turned into a specialized climate; one for high altitude, one for tropical, and one for native Australian. Alright, so I'm not that sure about the last one, since my pictures and documentation are currently in a state of limbo, but I know the first two are right.
And of course, this foliage is from all over the world. There's giant picture (pitcher?) plants like the ones back home, except these hang from vines and are at least twice the size. Then there are Venus fly traps, creeping vines, high-altitude moss (whoopie), and even tropical plants with broad leaves the length of my arm or even longer, and wider than my body. I think some of the plants might have been poisonous, I don't know, but at least I didn't try and find out. But each area was climate controlled, irrigated, and designed with regards to the specific climate. The high-altitude one was smaller, but steeply terraced, which the tropical one was mainly flat, lots of water, and plenty of tall leafy trees. Quite the spot to play hide and seek in, if it weren't for the damn spiders and all that. I swear, if it weren't for the fact that almost anything around here can kill you, Australia would be paradise on earth.
Oh, then there were the bats. If I ever get my data back from the SD card, we'll be all set because I even took videos to show you where I was walking and all that. But for now, we'll deal with the Flying Foxes through prose and literary means. I'm pretty sure I just made a big boo boo there in terms of grammatical structure and context, but frankly, I don't care at the moment. Take our local bats, then put them on steroids, and picture something out of an Indiana Jones or a vampire movie, and yeah, you're got the size of these things. And they were everywhere! One of the attendants of the park said there were about 20,000 of them. Unfortunately, as much as it's rather cool to look at them, they are causing a lot of damage to the trees and surrounding area, so now they're trying to get rid of them. Apparently, they even put sprinklers in the trees. Unfortunately, that didn't work. Resilient little buggers, aren't they? Still, quite cool looking, all red and fuzzy. Definitely cooler than our local bats which just look too small to be of any real interest.
And of course, there's the birds of the area. Cockatoos, and, well, a huge amount of other local birds I don't know the name of. They're everywhere! But, the real stars of the bird kingdom in that area have to be the Cockatoos. On top of being very tame, well, tame enough to be fed, they would even sit on people's arms and allow people to pick them up for a time. Some of the other birds would do this too, but not with as much frequency. They're really like giant, colorful Grey jays back home. Very intelligent, but very calm as well.
Oh, as I side note before I clue up, I went to see the Book of Eli last night...but I changed my mind and went to see date night instead. To be honest, it was kinda contrived, and definitely only a one-time viewing. It's not something to own, that's for sure.
Right then, I'm off to plan my day for tomorrow. Working, following up on leads, all that jazz.
Later days,
Neal
P.S. If you have an interesting topic you want written on, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do. Always looking to flex my linguistic muscles, that's for sure. This piece was rushed, definitely. No flow. Blah!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Musicals Revisited!
Yeah, sorry about that, looks like I forgot to put in about musicals. I did get to see Wicked, the one about the wicked witch of the west and her life before Dorothy came to town. Wel, turns out she has a name, it's Elphaba. I know, rockin' name, eh? But yeah, definitely another must-see musical. I got the tickets thought the Wicked Lottery, and have the button to prove it so pbbbtt. Yeah, for 30 bucks, front row center, and able to see all the action. Me likey very much! RIght, so get down here and see the musical!
Just do it!
Neal
Just do it!
Neal
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Job Hunting, Musicals, and City-Slickers
Well, it's been a great run so far, but if I don't get some income soon, I'll be up a small trickling body of water with an absence of any form of locomotion. It's a pain, really. Definitely not as easy to get a position here in Sydney than I would have thought, being a big city and all that. But I guess it is their low season, though I also didn't think bigger cities had low seasons. Ah well, minor stuff. Heck, at least I'm applying for a bit of everything now. I even went to a casting call for actors and all that.
Me! A casting call? Yeah, that's right, you heard me. Ha ha ha. Still, it turned out to be a bit of a scam as they wanted $160 to put me in the computer system. It would pay for itself in one shot, don't get me wrong, but the chances are probably pretty slim. So maybe another time, after I get some cash flow. Look out Hugh Jackman, Neal Oram's on the rise!
Riiiigggghhhhttttt!
Speaking of scams, there's definitely plenty of them out there, or at least, worse deals than usual. Even some recruiting agencies here charge you for being able to apply for their job boards. I ha a call today from some group in the city that sends people off for paid internships in the USA. Not bad, they bring you right up through the hotel and hospitality business in order to get up to manager level. Medical care, flights, all that is arranged. And of course, they want $6000 to pay for all this. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being offered the working position. Or am I old-fashioned? I mean, I could have sworn that if someone wanted your talents to work for them, then they would foot the bill to get you over to their side of the fence. Or maybe this is just me getting used to seeing great promises but low expectations and even lower reality? Whatever. In truth there seems to be a lot of these get rich quick offers out there. "Full commission, make great pay" seems to be all the rage now. Trust me, I've paid my dues. It's definitely not all it's cracked up to be. At least there's plenty of needy backpackers to fill the supply lines of these corporations. I've spoken to a lot of the ones running these pyramid-esque schemes on the sides of the road, and they all seem to be backpackers, students, or were one or the other at one time. Doesn't $1000 a week seem great though? Hmmmm, would be nice, but still, as I've told myself many times now over the last few days and weeks really, I need the steady cash, not the dream of big cash with nothing to show for it.
Well, at least I do have something to help cover some of my living expenses, depending on how many hours I end up getting. I took a position as a car detailer up in the Brookvale area, north of Manly beach. So far, each of the shifts is only 6 hours, but the boss is excellent and the work is nothing to bother me about. It's just wash, wax, clean, polish, lather , rinse, repeat as necessary. Typically, I've got to be able to prepare a basic car for delivery or sale within 30 minutes. Right now, on the first day there, I was able to match that pretty good. Now, I definitely want to get that time down, because I've been told that the faster I am, the more hours I get, and that means the better chance at getting some cash flow. Case in point, I need the cash, fast! Damn funds are running so low that if this lack of monetary income continues for too much longer, I'll definitely be on a flight home in no time to either re-group or maybe head back to school. The thought has occurred to me, but I'll figure that out later on. For now, it's take it one day at a time and see if it all works out in the end. Hey Andre, looks like I'm doing your job for a while now eh? You did some detailing work back in University for a while, if I'm not mistaken. Any tips for me?
Here's something funny, rather, it's more of an observation. People in this day and age have an enviable amount of transport solutions available to them. Why, just look at the everyday commuter in a big city. There's walking, running, cycling, riding (motorcycle), car, bus, train, tram, ferry, scooter, skateboard, scooter, roller-skates, car-pooling, and perhaps even flights. But, while all of these types of transportation are not really odd or unique in their own rights, they can become rather interesting if you pair them up with different classes of people. This is what I am alluding to when I say 'an observation.' Now, I've seen plenty of odd ways of getting around, and to be honest, I've used some of them. But to see a business-man, dressed in full suit, tie, and even vest from what I could tell, riding a push scooter down the busiest street in Sydney during the height of the traffic, was really just the oddest thing I've seen in quite some time. I mean, can you picture it? Take someone like, well, any CEO of the Fortune 500 companies and put him on a scooter, not even a motorized one. Now, aside from Steve Jobs, who would really look alright on that scooter? Anyone? Yeah, that's my thoughts too.
Oh, but I did have an interesting occurrence with my camera the other day. Unfortunately, because of it, I may have to re-take all of my pictures concerning Sydney, and you may never get to see any of the videos I took that I haven't uploaded yet. Of course, there's quite a few I haven't uploaded. But, that being said, this is only the worst-case scenario. It seems as if the data is still on the SD card, as the space is still used up, but somehow it's hidden. I can't get access to it through computers, the camera itself, or even if I gnaw on it a little bit. That was a joke people, laugh a little, it's good for you. Honestly, if I didn't laugh at my situations over the last few months, I'd be in a real state right now. I mean, two of the biggest ones were losing my iPod within 12 hours of arriving in Australia, and the other is now my pictures might be gone for good. But, I think I'm finally starting to get the way a few really important people in my life think. They just seem to let everything roll off them, as if nothing is too big to handle with a little patience and time. Nothing is irreplaceable, and certainly everything can be dealt with in time. I know that this thought process seems a little 'Zen Buddhist' for most, but I know and continue to hold close a few people that exemplify this way of life and they seem to have all the answers. Well, if not all the answers, they're definitely some of the happiest and most content people I've ever had the chance of interacting with. So I feel like I've only scratched the surface, with worldly possessions taking a slightly lower rung on the ladder in recent times, but at least now I might be on a path to understanding myself, and what makes me tick.
Because let's be honest with ourselves, which one of us really knows what we truly want. And I'm not talking about simple wants, like gifts or some such nonsense, but what you want on a grand scale. To know which direction your life is going, to be determined to reach your desired path, and to do anything to get it. But the key to doing this without becoming disgruntled or self-destructive, I feel, is to combine that drive, that desire, with temperance. The flexibility to change your goals, or adapt to a new situation or set of circumstances is truly the most desirable trait in one who knows what they want in life. Unfortunately, at the moment, I can say that I don't know what I want or where I want to be in life. Sure, I've find out a few clues to guide me along the path.
I know I don't want to be stuck behind a desk all day, crunching numbers or having to answer to someones whims. That's just not me. I thought it might be, what with me taking the whole five years of business training and all that, but I guess I'll have to use those acquired skills in another arena. Maybe my own business or something. Don't know at the moment, and while it does cause me some worry, it's not all that concerning that I'll be losing sleep over it. No, leave me losing sleep to the blasted snoring and noisy individuals that take up most of the hostels in the world. They must really practice hard to be that rambunctious and unaware of their own cacophony levels.
Also, I know I love to travel. Sure, I've got some worries with eating different foods, and not understanding languages, and a low tolerance to heat and sun. But really, all this can be solved with copious application of common sense, enthusiasm, and SPF 45, not necessarily in that order and some may be combined from time to time. Just visiting new cultures has me pumped up. Sadly, this brings me to another realization.
I need cash. Now, there are many ways I could go about this. The avenues include everything from shining shoes, all the way up to robbery and extortion. I won't go into the logistics of each one, as that would take me writing a book and since I've already got my thoughts set on another two novels, I'll leave this topic along.Suffice it to say, money doesn't make the world go round...but it sure as hell helps when you want to explore it! Well, at least, fro my chosen lifestyle, I don't need to be ostentatiously rich (I can't believe I got ostentatiously right on the first try, no spell check! A-Booyah!) or even wildly rich, which is a comfort.
The issue remains with one of my final points...I need to be happy. Yep, unfortunately that's one of the prerequisites to my ideal lifestyle. Can't help it. It includes having close friends and family, and being healthy, wealthy, and wise in the manners of mind, body, and spirit. THis is where the conundrum comes into play. It's a real mind-bender, not unlike the puzzle I bought last week. I swear, that thing is going to be the death of me, or at least the cause of much frustration until I solve it. Blasted pride, causing me to choose a good and difficult one. Bah! Well, I needed something that won't cost me any more money to occupy my time. I spend enough as it is searching for jobs, eating, and just keeping my sanity in check for the time being.
All right, I'm done, now go back to your lives and wait for the next time around. Hopefully there will be good news about my pictures and videos, and I'll have them uploaded, or at least stored better.
Later days,
Neal
Me! A casting call? Yeah, that's right, you heard me. Ha ha ha. Still, it turned out to be a bit of a scam as they wanted $160 to put me in the computer system. It would pay for itself in one shot, don't get me wrong, but the chances are probably pretty slim. So maybe another time, after I get some cash flow. Look out Hugh Jackman, Neal Oram's on the rise!
Riiiigggghhhhttttt!
Speaking of scams, there's definitely plenty of them out there, or at least, worse deals than usual. Even some recruiting agencies here charge you for being able to apply for their job boards. I ha a call today from some group in the city that sends people off for paid internships in the USA. Not bad, they bring you right up through the hotel and hospitality business in order to get up to manager level. Medical care, flights, all that is arranged. And of course, they want $6000 to pay for all this. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being offered the working position. Or am I old-fashioned? I mean, I could have sworn that if someone wanted your talents to work for them, then they would foot the bill to get you over to their side of the fence. Or maybe this is just me getting used to seeing great promises but low expectations and even lower reality? Whatever. In truth there seems to be a lot of these get rich quick offers out there. "Full commission, make great pay" seems to be all the rage now. Trust me, I've paid my dues. It's definitely not all it's cracked up to be. At least there's plenty of needy backpackers to fill the supply lines of these corporations. I've spoken to a lot of the ones running these pyramid-esque schemes on the sides of the road, and they all seem to be backpackers, students, or were one or the other at one time. Doesn't $1000 a week seem great though? Hmmmm, would be nice, but still, as I've told myself many times now over the last few days and weeks really, I need the steady cash, not the dream of big cash with nothing to show for it.
Well, at least I do have something to help cover some of my living expenses, depending on how many hours I end up getting. I took a position as a car detailer up in the Brookvale area, north of Manly beach. So far, each of the shifts is only 6 hours, but the boss is excellent and the work is nothing to bother me about. It's just wash, wax, clean, polish, lather , rinse, repeat as necessary. Typically, I've got to be able to prepare a basic car for delivery or sale within 30 minutes. Right now, on the first day there, I was able to match that pretty good. Now, I definitely want to get that time down, because I've been told that the faster I am, the more hours I get, and that means the better chance at getting some cash flow. Case in point, I need the cash, fast! Damn funds are running so low that if this lack of monetary income continues for too much longer, I'll definitely be on a flight home in no time to either re-group or maybe head back to school. The thought has occurred to me, but I'll figure that out later on. For now, it's take it one day at a time and see if it all works out in the end. Hey Andre, looks like I'm doing your job for a while now eh? You did some detailing work back in University for a while, if I'm not mistaken. Any tips for me?
Here's something funny, rather, it's more of an observation. People in this day and age have an enviable amount of transport solutions available to them. Why, just look at the everyday commuter in a big city. There's walking, running, cycling, riding (motorcycle), car, bus, train, tram, ferry, scooter, skateboard, scooter, roller-skates, car-pooling, and perhaps even flights. But, while all of these types of transportation are not really odd or unique in their own rights, they can become rather interesting if you pair them up with different classes of people. This is what I am alluding to when I say 'an observation.' Now, I've seen plenty of odd ways of getting around, and to be honest, I've used some of them. But to see a business-man, dressed in full suit, tie, and even vest from what I could tell, riding a push scooter down the busiest street in Sydney during the height of the traffic, was really just the oddest thing I've seen in quite some time. I mean, can you picture it? Take someone like, well, any CEO of the Fortune 500 companies and put him on a scooter, not even a motorized one. Now, aside from Steve Jobs, who would really look alright on that scooter? Anyone? Yeah, that's my thoughts too.
Oh, but I did have an interesting occurrence with my camera the other day. Unfortunately, because of it, I may have to re-take all of my pictures concerning Sydney, and you may never get to see any of the videos I took that I haven't uploaded yet. Of course, there's quite a few I haven't uploaded. But, that being said, this is only the worst-case scenario. It seems as if the data is still on the SD card, as the space is still used up, but somehow it's hidden. I can't get access to it through computers, the camera itself, or even if I gnaw on it a little bit. That was a joke people, laugh a little, it's good for you. Honestly, if I didn't laugh at my situations over the last few months, I'd be in a real state right now. I mean, two of the biggest ones were losing my iPod within 12 hours of arriving in Australia, and the other is now my pictures might be gone for good. But, I think I'm finally starting to get the way a few really important people in my life think. They just seem to let everything roll off them, as if nothing is too big to handle with a little patience and time. Nothing is irreplaceable, and certainly everything can be dealt with in time. I know that this thought process seems a little 'Zen Buddhist' for most, but I know and continue to hold close a few people that exemplify this way of life and they seem to have all the answers. Well, if not all the answers, they're definitely some of the happiest and most content people I've ever had the chance of interacting with. So I feel like I've only scratched the surface, with worldly possessions taking a slightly lower rung on the ladder in recent times, but at least now I might be on a path to understanding myself, and what makes me tick.
Because let's be honest with ourselves, which one of us really knows what we truly want. And I'm not talking about simple wants, like gifts or some such nonsense, but what you want on a grand scale. To know which direction your life is going, to be determined to reach your desired path, and to do anything to get it. But the key to doing this without becoming disgruntled or self-destructive, I feel, is to combine that drive, that desire, with temperance. The flexibility to change your goals, or adapt to a new situation or set of circumstances is truly the most desirable trait in one who knows what they want in life. Unfortunately, at the moment, I can say that I don't know what I want or where I want to be in life. Sure, I've find out a few clues to guide me along the path.
I know I don't want to be stuck behind a desk all day, crunching numbers or having to answer to someones whims. That's just not me. I thought it might be, what with me taking the whole five years of business training and all that, but I guess I'll have to use those acquired skills in another arena. Maybe my own business or something. Don't know at the moment, and while it does cause me some worry, it's not all that concerning that I'll be losing sleep over it. No, leave me losing sleep to the blasted snoring and noisy individuals that take up most of the hostels in the world. They must really practice hard to be that rambunctious and unaware of their own cacophony levels.
Also, I know I love to travel. Sure, I've got some worries with eating different foods, and not understanding languages, and a low tolerance to heat and sun. But really, all this can be solved with copious application of common sense, enthusiasm, and SPF 45, not necessarily in that order and some may be combined from time to time. Just visiting new cultures has me pumped up. Sadly, this brings me to another realization.
I need cash. Now, there are many ways I could go about this. The avenues include everything from shining shoes, all the way up to robbery and extortion. I won't go into the logistics of each one, as that would take me writing a book and since I've already got my thoughts set on another two novels, I'll leave this topic along.Suffice it to say, money doesn't make the world go round...but it sure as hell helps when you want to explore it! Well, at least, fro my chosen lifestyle, I don't need to be ostentatiously rich (I can't believe I got ostentatiously right on the first try, no spell check! A-Booyah!) or even wildly rich, which is a comfort.
The issue remains with one of my final points...I need to be happy. Yep, unfortunately that's one of the prerequisites to my ideal lifestyle. Can't help it. It includes having close friends and family, and being healthy, wealthy, and wise in the manners of mind, body, and spirit. THis is where the conundrum comes into play. It's a real mind-bender, not unlike the puzzle I bought last week. I swear, that thing is going to be the death of me, or at least the cause of much frustration until I solve it. Blasted pride, causing me to choose a good and difficult one. Bah! Well, I needed something that won't cost me any more money to occupy my time. I spend enough as it is searching for jobs, eating, and just keeping my sanity in check for the time being.
All right, I'm done, now go back to your lives and wait for the next time around. Hopefully there will be good news about my pictures and videos, and I'll have them uploaded, or at least stored better.
Later days,
Neal
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sickness on the Road...Again!
Ok, so the first time I got sick on the road I had to return back home due to a perceived illness. That was rather unpleasant, to be rather mild about my description of the experience. Fortunately, it turned out to be something very simple, easily rectified, and therefore I was able to return to traveling within relatively short order.
Unfortunately for me, it seems to be happening again.
Of course, I only mean the sickness part of it, not the returning home part. I'll be damned if I let another non-life threatening medical situation take me away from my travels again. But of course, it couldn't have happened at a worse time, regardless of how seriously uncomfortable it is. I refer to the bane of hostels, dirty lodgings, and beds alike...
Bed-bugs!
Yes, those nasty little buggers chewed me to pieces nearly six days ago now, and of course, I have to pay the price for it. I guess that's what I get when I didn't research my lodgings well enough. I even had places vacant where I had stayed before with no ill effects. But oh no, I had to go with my manly gut and say "Bah, this will be fine for a few days. Uh huh, yeah, right. First night and second night, I was chewed to pieces, or so I figure, as I didn't change rooms till the third night I think. Regardless, the buggers did one hell of a job on me.
I'm quite well chewed from head to foot. In fact, to completely precise about the whole thing I have bites on my toes, feet, ankles, shins, calves, quads, knees, hamstrings, lower back, chest, shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Frankly, the only spots not bitten, itching, and driving me insane are my mid-torso, butt and head. Ya know, when I first got bit I figured, 'Alright, it won't be so bad. Just some bug bites, nothing to it.'
Yeah, right!
To put it in perspective, I've had hives before, and these bites definitely rank right up there or even worse than the hives and shingles. I think I'd rather have one of my fingers bitten off by a rabid monkey than go through this. Why? Well, because it's one of those pains and annoyances that you can't ignore, no matter how hard you try. You can't work around it, you can't remove it, and you can't cure it. Being actually sick with the flu is preferable to this! At least then you feel run-down enough to lie in bed, drink copious amounts of fluids and get some much deserved rest. But no, I have to have something that bothers me when I sleep, when I put on clothes, shoes, etc, and even when I eat. When I move in any way, shape, or form the blasted things hurt and grate like nothing else on my nerves.
Normally, see, fly bites go away in a day or two. No harm done, right? But these...welts I guess I should call them, have been sticking around for the last six days now. And the antihistamines and creams I have been applying and consuming don't seem to be doing any good either. Well, if you deem putting me to sleep rather quickly at night, making me groggier during the day, and making me feel all greasy all over, then yes, they are doing some good.
Bah!
Oh, but wait, there's more! For a limited time offer with your bed bug bites, you too can have your very own Easter Weekend! That's right folks, for the entire weekend, including Monday, you too can have no access to doctors of any sort to seek further council and advice. And all this comes at the low, low price of a one night stay at your local dingy hostel. Just call 555-BITE to order this package now!
How's that for sarcastic marketing humor! Hah!
Alright, I'm good for now. Catch you guys later.
Neal
P.S. If you have any advice of how to clear these up quicker, let me know now and I will forever be indebted to you! Seriously! It's that bad! :P
Unfortunately for me, it seems to be happening again.
Of course, I only mean the sickness part of it, not the returning home part. I'll be damned if I let another non-life threatening medical situation take me away from my travels again. But of course, it couldn't have happened at a worse time, regardless of how seriously uncomfortable it is. I refer to the bane of hostels, dirty lodgings, and beds alike...
Bed-bugs!
Yes, those nasty little buggers chewed me to pieces nearly six days ago now, and of course, I have to pay the price for it. I guess that's what I get when I didn't research my lodgings well enough. I even had places vacant where I had stayed before with no ill effects. But oh no, I had to go with my manly gut and say "Bah, this will be fine for a few days. Uh huh, yeah, right. First night and second night, I was chewed to pieces, or so I figure, as I didn't change rooms till the third night I think. Regardless, the buggers did one hell of a job on me.
I'm quite well chewed from head to foot. In fact, to completely precise about the whole thing I have bites on my toes, feet, ankles, shins, calves, quads, knees, hamstrings, lower back, chest, shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Frankly, the only spots not bitten, itching, and driving me insane are my mid-torso, butt and head. Ya know, when I first got bit I figured, 'Alright, it won't be so bad. Just some bug bites, nothing to it.'
Yeah, right!
To put it in perspective, I've had hives before, and these bites definitely rank right up there or even worse than the hives and shingles. I think I'd rather have one of my fingers bitten off by a rabid monkey than go through this. Why? Well, because it's one of those pains and annoyances that you can't ignore, no matter how hard you try. You can't work around it, you can't remove it, and you can't cure it. Being actually sick with the flu is preferable to this! At least then you feel run-down enough to lie in bed, drink copious amounts of fluids and get some much deserved rest. But no, I have to have something that bothers me when I sleep, when I put on clothes, shoes, etc, and even when I eat. When I move in any way, shape, or form the blasted things hurt and grate like nothing else on my nerves.
Normally, see, fly bites go away in a day or two. No harm done, right? But these...welts I guess I should call them, have been sticking around for the last six days now. And the antihistamines and creams I have been applying and consuming don't seem to be doing any good either. Well, if you deem putting me to sleep rather quickly at night, making me groggier during the day, and making me feel all greasy all over, then yes, they are doing some good.
Bah!
Oh, but wait, there's more! For a limited time offer with your bed bug bites, you too can have your very own Easter Weekend! That's right folks, for the entire weekend, including Monday, you too can have no access to doctors of any sort to seek further council and advice. And all this comes at the low, low price of a one night stay at your local dingy hostel. Just call 555-BITE to order this package now!
How's that for sarcastic marketing humor! Hah!
Alright, I'm good for now. Catch you guys later.
Neal
P.S. If you have any advice of how to clear these up quicker, let me know now and I will forever be indebted to you! Seriously! It's that bad! :P
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Surfs Up Dudes and Dudettes!
Alright, now we're getting somewhere!
Yes, yes, I know I haven't caught up on some of the blogs yet, but you can all kiss my pasty white bottom! I'll get to it over the next few days, as I've laid out to do. Frankly, I think I might only have the energy for that for the next few days anyhow.
The reason? Why do I need a reason? I don't need a reason to be tired. Heck, it's not like I'm extremely energetic all the time and put most ADHD sufferers to shame...
...Ok, so I guess a reason might allay your fear the world as you know it is going to end in a blaze of glory. Actually, the reason is quite simple, but extremely exciting.
I went Surfing! And of course, I couldn't leave it at just surfing, so I signed up for a camp over two days! 5 hours a day in the water for two days, BBQ, and crazy amounts of sun and trying to scrub salt out of my non-existent hair.
Right then, to business. Day one started off as any other day really, except for a few tiny facts:
I mean, haven't you had days or weeks like that where time just goes by either faster or slower than what you originally deemed possible? One of those rare Saturdays or Sundays where you just have nothing to, lying back on a bean bag chair, naked, eating Cheetos. No? Then you just haven't lived! Kudos to Ron White for that joke. Or how about long school days where time just oozes on excruciatingly slow no matter what you do to try and amuse yourself. So I pose the question again, what is it that makes these types of days appear to move so much slower or faster? And I know its just not me, more people experience days similar to ourselves. I've asked friends on those slow days,
"Does this day feel slow to you?"
And the answer is very often yes! So what can we establish here due to these conditions? Well, we already know that time moves at a uniform rate, or maybe not, depending on what experts in the field would tell you, but for now we'll keep it simple. And we also know that...ummmmmm...that I've lost my train of thought and will be abandoning this temporal subject with all due haste. See how logical that was?
A-heh heh!
Ahem!
How about something that makes a little more sense, a description of what went on during the two days of sun, sand, and surf. The group I went with was called simply Surf School. They're based out of Perth, and if you can believe it, their website is www.surfschool.com. Fascinating, eh? In any case, showing up a the bus stop was relatively easy enough, jsut had to wake up earlier than I would have liked for any amount of money or other incentives. After that, it was the waiting game until our coach and transporter, Raphael, arrived in the big 'ol van we would be riding in. There were five of us total, excluding Raph, and so off we went, watching a great surfing video all the while. I think it was a bit dated, but still a great video showing off not only some great surfers but also some great surf spots across the world.
After a good hour and a half or so, we all arrived at the beach in Lancelin. Now, it should be noted that, while the surf is definitely good, with while sandy beaches, no rocks, no creepy critters around, and of course, plenty of sun, Lancelin beach is known for something slightly different than surfing. Apparently, according to our instructor/driver/chef, Raphael, Lancelin beach is know the world over for wind surfing; and I would hazard a guess that it's known for kite boarding as well, given we saw a good few of them out on the water both days we were learning. The wind was reminicient of something you would get back home in Newfoundland, always blowing and always strong enough to screw with whatever else you were trying to do at the time, like hanging out laundry, or painting, or trying to run your surf board out to the deeper parts of the waves. I'll be damned if I didn't look like a complete fool sometimes trying to flip the board around without having it flip over or flip me around in the process. That is, until I got the swing of things. Then it just came naturally, as naturally as flipping an eight foot piece of foam around in the wind and waves can be.
Skipping all the boring instruction stuff, it was amazing though how relatively easy the concept was, and yet how entirely copmlex it is. I can really only liken it to running. On the surface, running is not all that complex. Put one foot in front of the other, repeat as necessary, then pick up the pace until your start leaving the ground with both feet at one time. Congratulations, you're running. But to run well, now that is definitely a different matter, and so is surfing well. To get up and stand on the board, almost anyone can do that, and even ride a decent wave into shore, that can be accomplished in two of three days. Turning slightly can even be accomplished if you've got the pre-requisite balance and concentration. But to really surf well, to read the waves, take your chances with one of your choosing, and ride the wave so you're parallel to the surf and beach, now that really takes some skills.
It was pretty cool when we got there. There was actually an under 18 surf competition going on during our first day of surinfg. Not only was it really impressive to see these kids a lot younger than us surfing really well, but it was cool to see that it could be done, and surf even of such relatively small sizes could be surfed properly. I'm not sure who won each category, but it looked like they were having a blast. Running out into the surf, trying to catch the best waves in the time limit, and then racing back out of the water to see who won each round, and of course repeating as necessary. I think they even had a bit of a barbeque area set up for the surfers. God, about half way through the day when we were given some sandwiches to munch on, what I wouldn't have given to have had access to a barbeque. I did find out two things though, during that point. One, is that salt water takes more fluids out of you than I ever thought possible. I must have went through well over three litres of water that first 4 hours on the beach. Of course, you're supposed to drink more than that normally, but I never do so that was really a record for me. And to top it all off, I still wanted more! Fancy that, eh? The second bit, is that I don't like beets in sandwiches. For our first meal on the beach, Raphael had picked us up some random sandwiches made at one of the local gas stations. Unfortunately for me, they were all the same, and all had beets in them. The first bite made me realize that some vegetables just aren't meant to go together. I hope the gulls could eat them when covered in sand.
But I gotta say, as much as the next day was full of progress and great times and sleep on the way back on the bus (and much better sandwiches), the point that sticks out was our party/barbeque the night before. Raphael brought us down to some little bar or community building in Lancelin whiere we played a few games of darts (which I have found out I such at), and mini pool (also much suckiness by me). But the real noteworthy piece to this evening had to be the meal at the end. Raphael cooked up a vertible feast of sausages, steak, salad, breads, drinks, and of course some condiments. A lot of the cutlery and sauces were proveided by the bar we were at, so that was cool. I tell ya though, for such a small group of pretty small people, we put away some serious grub that night. I think I must have gone through two and a half steaks, and abobut 6 sausages int he meat department. Then there was probably four or five slives of bread, probably a liter of water to drink, and of course some of the salad. My good gracious was that ever good after basically starving that day. I swear, next time I go surfing, I'm bringing a lot more food and a hell of a lot more water, and zinc cream, definitely zinc cream. Although I got burned, the zinc cream helped loads in saving my ass from eternal peely-ness.
Whew, alright then, that's the surf adventure. Not much else to it. As a side note though, everyone who reads this is hereby decreed by order of Neal Oram then First to go see How to Train Your Dragon in 3D this very instant! Great movie, lots of fun, and definitely one you can just turn your mind off during.
Alright, I'm off again, later days.
Neal
Yes, yes, I know I haven't caught up on some of the blogs yet, but you can all kiss my pasty white bottom! I'll get to it over the next few days, as I've laid out to do. Frankly, I think I might only have the energy for that for the next few days anyhow.
The reason? Why do I need a reason? I don't need a reason to be tired. Heck, it's not like I'm extremely energetic all the time and put most ADHD sufferers to shame...
...Ok, so I guess a reason might allay your fear the world as you know it is going to end in a blaze of glory. Actually, the reason is quite simple, but extremely exciting.
I went Surfing! And of course, I couldn't leave it at just surfing, so I signed up for a camp over two days! 5 hours a day in the water for two days, BBQ, and crazy amounts of sun and trying to scrub salt out of my non-existent hair.
Right then, to business. Day one started off as any other day really, except for a few tiny facts:
- The bus left at 6:40AM.
- This meant I had to get the train at 5:40AM.
- This meant I had to walk 25 minutes to get to the train station.
- This meant I had to leave the house at about 5:00AM.
- This resulted in me having to be awake at 4:30AM...on a SATURDAY MORNING!
I mean, haven't you had days or weeks like that where time just goes by either faster or slower than what you originally deemed possible? One of those rare Saturdays or Sundays where you just have nothing to, lying back on a bean bag chair, naked, eating Cheetos. No? Then you just haven't lived! Kudos to Ron White for that joke. Or how about long school days where time just oozes on excruciatingly slow no matter what you do to try and amuse yourself. So I pose the question again, what is it that makes these types of days appear to move so much slower or faster? And I know its just not me, more people experience days similar to ourselves. I've asked friends on those slow days,
"Does this day feel slow to you?"
And the answer is very often yes! So what can we establish here due to these conditions? Well, we already know that time moves at a uniform rate, or maybe not, depending on what experts in the field would tell you, but for now we'll keep it simple. And we also know that...ummmmmm...that I've lost my train of thought and will be abandoning this temporal subject with all due haste. See how logical that was?
A-heh heh!
Ahem!
How about something that makes a little more sense, a description of what went on during the two days of sun, sand, and surf. The group I went with was called simply Surf School. They're based out of Perth, and if you can believe it, their website is www.surfschool.com. Fascinating, eh? In any case, showing up a the bus stop was relatively easy enough, jsut had to wake up earlier than I would have liked for any amount of money or other incentives. After that, it was the waiting game until our coach and transporter, Raphael, arrived in the big 'ol van we would be riding in. There were five of us total, excluding Raph, and so off we went, watching a great surfing video all the while. I think it was a bit dated, but still a great video showing off not only some great surfers but also some great surf spots across the world.
After a good hour and a half or so, we all arrived at the beach in Lancelin. Now, it should be noted that, while the surf is definitely good, with while sandy beaches, no rocks, no creepy critters around, and of course, plenty of sun, Lancelin beach is known for something slightly different than surfing. Apparently, according to our instructor/driver/chef, Raphael, Lancelin beach is know the world over for wind surfing; and I would hazard a guess that it's known for kite boarding as well, given we saw a good few of them out on the water both days we were learning. The wind was reminicient of something you would get back home in Newfoundland, always blowing and always strong enough to screw with whatever else you were trying to do at the time, like hanging out laundry, or painting, or trying to run your surf board out to the deeper parts of the waves. I'll be damned if I didn't look like a complete fool sometimes trying to flip the board around without having it flip over or flip me around in the process. That is, until I got the swing of things. Then it just came naturally, as naturally as flipping an eight foot piece of foam around in the wind and waves can be.
Skipping all the boring instruction stuff, it was amazing though how relatively easy the concept was, and yet how entirely copmlex it is. I can really only liken it to running. On the surface, running is not all that complex. Put one foot in front of the other, repeat as necessary, then pick up the pace until your start leaving the ground with both feet at one time. Congratulations, you're running. But to run well, now that is definitely a different matter, and so is surfing well. To get up and stand on the board, almost anyone can do that, and even ride a decent wave into shore, that can be accomplished in two of three days. Turning slightly can even be accomplished if you've got the pre-requisite balance and concentration. But to really surf well, to read the waves, take your chances with one of your choosing, and ride the wave so you're parallel to the surf and beach, now that really takes some skills.
It was pretty cool when we got there. There was actually an under 18 surf competition going on during our first day of surinfg. Not only was it really impressive to see these kids a lot younger than us surfing really well, but it was cool to see that it could be done, and surf even of such relatively small sizes could be surfed properly. I'm not sure who won each category, but it looked like they were having a blast. Running out into the surf, trying to catch the best waves in the time limit, and then racing back out of the water to see who won each round, and of course repeating as necessary. I think they even had a bit of a barbeque area set up for the surfers. God, about half way through the day when we were given some sandwiches to munch on, what I wouldn't have given to have had access to a barbeque. I did find out two things though, during that point. One, is that salt water takes more fluids out of you than I ever thought possible. I must have went through well over three litres of water that first 4 hours on the beach. Of course, you're supposed to drink more than that normally, but I never do so that was really a record for me. And to top it all off, I still wanted more! Fancy that, eh? The second bit, is that I don't like beets in sandwiches. For our first meal on the beach, Raphael had picked us up some random sandwiches made at one of the local gas stations. Unfortunately for me, they were all the same, and all had beets in them. The first bite made me realize that some vegetables just aren't meant to go together. I hope the gulls could eat them when covered in sand.
But I gotta say, as much as the next day was full of progress and great times and sleep on the way back on the bus (and much better sandwiches), the point that sticks out was our party/barbeque the night before. Raphael brought us down to some little bar or community building in Lancelin whiere we played a few games of darts (which I have found out I such at), and mini pool (also much suckiness by me). But the real noteworthy piece to this evening had to be the meal at the end. Raphael cooked up a vertible feast of sausages, steak, salad, breads, drinks, and of course some condiments. A lot of the cutlery and sauces were proveided by the bar we were at, so that was cool. I tell ya though, for such a small group of pretty small people, we put away some serious grub that night. I think I must have gone through two and a half steaks, and abobut 6 sausages int he meat department. Then there was probably four or five slives of bread, probably a liter of water to drink, and of course some of the salad. My good gracious was that ever good after basically starving that day. I swear, next time I go surfing, I'm bringing a lot more food and a hell of a lot more water, and zinc cream, definitely zinc cream. Although I got burned, the zinc cream helped loads in saving my ass from eternal peely-ness.
Whew, alright then, that's the surf adventure. Not much else to it. As a side note though, everyone who reads this is hereby decreed by order of Neal Oram then First to go see How to Train Your Dragon in 3D this very instant! Great movie, lots of fun, and definitely one you can just turn your mind off during.
Alright, I'm off again, later days.
Neal
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Backtracking Just A Little
So it looks like I forgot to put in my blog posting for Barcelona, Spain. A pity that! I was doing so well so far with keeping the chronological order of my blogs. I guess screwing up once or twice is alright. God it's hot in Australia this time of year. Maybe I should ship off to the South East coast where they actually get snow? Ha ha ha, but then I wouldn't be able to catch up with Elise, so I think I'll be staying here for a while. Oh, and I must remind myself to print off some resume's in the next little while. I think I'll wait till at least monday to take care of all that jazz, so I can be better shaved, dressed, and all that before I start dropping in on people.
Right then, well, as I said, Barcelona! Great city! Cold as all heck! Didn't try the food. End of story!
Would you guys really let me get away with that?
I didn't think so either. So, let's get down to business then, shall we?
Observations are usually a good place to start off, so I think traffic laws should be a logical place to begin. Have you ever noticed that the bigger the city, the less traffic laws there appear to be? Yeah, I noticed that too. It was especially prevalent in barcelona. While cars and vehicles of all shapes and sizes did go t he correct directions on the roads, that's about the extent of order in Barcelona. There are cars, bikes, scooters, and all sorts of motorized vehicular creations basically going where they want, when they want. There's just no order to it. In a couple of cases, it seemed to me that four or five people just cruised on through the red lights, no problem there. And of course, where are the police at these times? Of course, they're reigning in the drunks at night and are invisible during the day. Maybe they're night cops only? Hmmmm, go figure.
Of course, I kid. But in all seriousness, check that out next time you go toa big city center. The larger it is, chances are the more offenders you'll get. I can't even imagine what the drinving is like in Thailand or even India for that matter. And I just thought of something else as well? Maybe it's the two extremes that cause this phenomena; the very large and the very small. In smaller towns, and being from Newfoundland I've seen my share, the same condition applys. Of course, at least in the small towns there are lower speeds and so the chances of serious accidents are lower as well. But what is really safer? In Stephenville, or almost any small town in Newfoundland, if you even stand on the side of the road, someone will stop for you. End of story, no questions asked. Now go with that, and flip it 180 degrees to a large city where no one stops for you unless you're at the cross walk and have pressed the button. On the one hand, you have courteous people driving so slowly that they'll probably not get into an accident anyways. On the other, you have the crazy speeds most large city drivers attempt to keep up with, but it forces pedestrians to follow the road laws. So I pose this question again, which is the better option?
I'm probably a bit biased, but I personally like the way the big cities operate. The reason? That's because it's predictable. If you think about it logically, you can see my reasoning. In a small city, you never know what cars are going to do. They might stop for you, they might not, and there might be Joe Redneck hurtling along and crash into the car that stopped. Frankly, ending up as another statistic is not on my list of things to do. But in a larger city, you can rely on a bunch of things. First, you will be run over if you step out into the road away from a crosswalk. End of story, well, unless you cross when the road is completely empty. Everyone is moving at such a pace to keep up with the fast pace-setters and speed demons, that most of the time they wouldn't be able to stop anyways. As well, the roadways, traffic lights, and stopping areas are well marked. In smaller cities, the roads are not as well maintained and cross-walks and stop signs sometimes don't exist. At the wrong time, you could get a non-local who doesn't know the signs or even a local who just forgets. Trust me, I've done it sometimes myself. Finally, there are just so many people that most drivers are going to stop anyhow. Unless, of course, they're going for the high score in the driving game. Then, you're pretty much screwed and you all end up on the evening national news. Fun times!
So there, that's my thoughts on the subject. Take it, leave it, or reply to it, pick one!
Right then, what I saw in Barcelona. I guess that's probably what you'd be looking for now in a travel blog. I know I would. Okay, so I guess I'll start with one of the more interesting areas, and of course touristy, of La Ramblas (LR). LR is the main shopping/market street in Barcelona. At any given time you can take in street performers, living statues, trinket shopping, as well as live animal purchases. Yeah, I said it. Live animals. Basically, they have stalls, out on the sidewalk, and sell everything from chickens, to hamsters, and right on back up to parakeets and rabbits. It's quite the show, actually. If you go out earlier in the morning, you can watch them all set up. I think I heard a goat at one point, but I could be wrong. At least they're not butchering them on the spot and all that jazz. That would just be, well, not wrong, I guess. Just different I suppose. Maybe when I go to China I'll see that in some of the outskirt areas. But, not so much in Barcelona. In any case, bottom line is, the LR strip is a real cool place to start off with.
Cut. Paste. Moving on!
Oh, I did get to see the FC Barcelona Football Stadium. The outside of it anyways. It cost money to get the tour, and I figured, I've already seen the Manchester United stadium so there can't be that much difference. Um, yeah, that's really about all I have to say on that topic.
The Magic Fountain!
Sound like a good name for a book doesn't it? And no, I didn't discover the fountain of youth or anything like that. It's actually just a big fountain with motorized jets that get set to music almost every night of the week. I think it might even happen every night. In any case, it's definitely something everyone needs to see once...and only once. Frankly, there's a lot more hype to it as a tourist attraction than there should be, but at least then it gets people in to see it. It's free, and set right below a really cool looking museum on top of a hill. I never went in though. Brent, you're probably cursing on me now for not visiting all the museums and such stuff. But come on man, those things take ages to get through, and of course, money I don't have! Maybe I'll get to the one here in Perth. I think it's free, so I'll take a day sometimes int he next week or so and get there. But back to the point at hand, the fountain is really quite a piece of engineering and colors, even if the music is all crap and not syncronized at all. The hues they manage to get from the jets of water and mist are fantastic when mised with the lighting. On a warm night, I can see why so many people pack ther area. Actually, as cold as it was, the place was still packed. I guess it's a must-see for tourists.
The Aquarium in Barcelona, unfortunately, I didn't get to see. But, as it was over 20 Euro to get in, I think I have a valid point as a backpacker. Apparently it's quite the spot to see, according to some other travel and blog sites I looked at. Maybe next time. Oh, but while I was down on the waterfront area, I did see something rather remarkable regarding to water. Ships, sailing ships to be precise. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them all lined up in rows upon rows along the marinas. There were also yahts, rowboats, replica sailing ships (the big ones), and even the occassional tourist fishing vessel type thingy. A tour boat, I guess, is the words I'm looking for. There was even a nice beach in the area. Unfortunately, being so cold, I definitely wouldn't have been able to go swimming and all that jazz. There were some surfers out though. Man, I can't figure out how cold that would've been.
Now, ther was also this really cool church. Apparently, it's been on the build for a long time, and it's not going to be completed for another 30 to 50 years of something ridiculous like that. The pictures will be able to show you what it's all about.
But there was one really random moment when I was around, I think Poble Espanyol or Sagrada Familia, I can't remember which. In any case, I was trying to find the landmark I had travelled there to go see, when lowe and behold there was an escalator, right there between two buildings. To top it all off, it was in a residential district, with no shops or major attractions nearby, and it spanned over 150 steps that ran along side it up the hill. It was really, really weird. I mean, that's like having an escalator going up from O'Connel Drive to the Arts and Culture Center back home. It's just plain weird. And there were no covers or anything. So what happend when it rains? Wouldn't the mechanics inside get all messed up? Meh, in any case, I got pictures, so check it out!
Oh, and here's something else. Down on the waterfront, there's a little mall built on a pier or small island of land or something like that. In any case, inside this little shopping strip there's actually a Native American store. Seriously! There's pictures of guys in the feather headdresses and the works. There's even 'tribal' or 'native' jewelry. Yeah, right! Maybe loosely inspired, but certainly not Native. Trust me, I've seen Native back home. But I guess, maybe this is considered foreign and exotic to Spaniards. Kinda weird, though, to see stuff from our own history being used in a retail shop like that. Maybe that's what the Japanses feel like when they go to shops in America that are supposedly Japanese Themed? Another thought.
I'll finish off with a description of the concert I went to and the lovely Helen Miller that went with me. I should introduce her first, right? Ms Helen Miller, from the Lake of Constance area in southern Germany. I met Helen at the hostel I stayed at in Barcelona, the Albareda Youth Hostel. Actually, as a side note, this spot is really great. Even the owners would come down and chill out with the guests. The old man there was really funny too. As soon as he found out some of us could play guitar he would ask for us to play and he would sit and listen. Huh, fancy that? I wish he had his instrument there with him, apparently is some kind of Spanish traditional instrument, but much like a guitar of sorts. It would have been cool to hear him play as well. In any case, back Helen. Yeah, she's a sailor, runner, hiker, climber, and basically all-round crazy chick! Awesomely cool, though. But yeah, we went off to the Spanish Guitar concert that was advertised. I foget the performer's name, but damn was he ever good. Apparently he studied at some super-prestegious music school and is now a nationally and internationally known performed. I bought his CD afterwards as well. The venue was quite cool as well, set in a tiny old church with everyone just packed in. I gotta say though, the coolest part was getting to hear what a true classical guitar player can do. he actually gave out a history lesson while he went and played songs from the different eras, baroque, rennaisance, modern, and one other. But the truly astonishing part of it was the projection of sound. There were no microphones, no amps, nothing to get in the way. And yet, he projected both the guitars sound, and the sound of his voice in one piece, through the whole church. Mind you , it was small, but the ceilings were cathedral style and the walls all stone. Truly a marvel of both the player and the makers of the different guitars he played. Check out the song Granada, if you can, as its now my new favorite piece. (Since I found out that its the name of a piece I heard before but just never knew what to look for.)
Alright, I'm done now. Enough typing for the day. Time to chill out and wait for Elise to call me o I can set up shop in her place.
Later days,
Neal
Oh, and I'm actually looking at some ideas to write a book now. It's fleshing out rather well, actually. I'll let you know when I have a test chapter written up. Adios!
Right then, that's really about it.
Guitar concert, Granada, Tango in the sky.
Helen Miller.
Right then, well, as I said, Barcelona! Great city! Cold as all heck! Didn't try the food. End of story!
Would you guys really let me get away with that?
I didn't think so either. So, let's get down to business then, shall we?
Observations are usually a good place to start off, so I think traffic laws should be a logical place to begin. Have you ever noticed that the bigger the city, the less traffic laws there appear to be? Yeah, I noticed that too. It was especially prevalent in barcelona. While cars and vehicles of all shapes and sizes did go t he correct directions on the roads, that's about the extent of order in Barcelona. There are cars, bikes, scooters, and all sorts of motorized vehicular creations basically going where they want, when they want. There's just no order to it. In a couple of cases, it seemed to me that four or five people just cruised on through the red lights, no problem there. And of course, where are the police at these times? Of course, they're reigning in the drunks at night and are invisible during the day. Maybe they're night cops only? Hmmmm, go figure.
Of course, I kid. But in all seriousness, check that out next time you go toa big city center. The larger it is, chances are the more offenders you'll get. I can't even imagine what the drinving is like in Thailand or even India for that matter. And I just thought of something else as well? Maybe it's the two extremes that cause this phenomena; the very large and the very small. In smaller towns, and being from Newfoundland I've seen my share, the same condition applys. Of course, at least in the small towns there are lower speeds and so the chances of serious accidents are lower as well. But what is really safer? In Stephenville, or almost any small town in Newfoundland, if you even stand on the side of the road, someone will stop for you. End of story, no questions asked. Now go with that, and flip it 180 degrees to a large city where no one stops for you unless you're at the cross walk and have pressed the button. On the one hand, you have courteous people driving so slowly that they'll probably not get into an accident anyways. On the other, you have the crazy speeds most large city drivers attempt to keep up with, but it forces pedestrians to follow the road laws. So I pose this question again, which is the better option?
I'm probably a bit biased, but I personally like the way the big cities operate. The reason? That's because it's predictable. If you think about it logically, you can see my reasoning. In a small city, you never know what cars are going to do. They might stop for you, they might not, and there might be Joe Redneck hurtling along and crash into the car that stopped. Frankly, ending up as another statistic is not on my list of things to do. But in a larger city, you can rely on a bunch of things. First, you will be run over if you step out into the road away from a crosswalk. End of story, well, unless you cross when the road is completely empty. Everyone is moving at such a pace to keep up with the fast pace-setters and speed demons, that most of the time they wouldn't be able to stop anyways. As well, the roadways, traffic lights, and stopping areas are well marked. In smaller cities, the roads are not as well maintained and cross-walks and stop signs sometimes don't exist. At the wrong time, you could get a non-local who doesn't know the signs or even a local who just forgets. Trust me, I've done it sometimes myself. Finally, there are just so many people that most drivers are going to stop anyhow. Unless, of course, they're going for the high score in the driving game. Then, you're pretty much screwed and you all end up on the evening national news. Fun times!
So there, that's my thoughts on the subject. Take it, leave it, or reply to it, pick one!
Right then, what I saw in Barcelona. I guess that's probably what you'd be looking for now in a travel blog. I know I would. Okay, so I guess I'll start with one of the more interesting areas, and of course touristy, of La Ramblas (LR). LR is the main shopping/market street in Barcelona. At any given time you can take in street performers, living statues, trinket shopping, as well as live animal purchases. Yeah, I said it. Live animals. Basically, they have stalls, out on the sidewalk, and sell everything from chickens, to hamsters, and right on back up to parakeets and rabbits. It's quite the show, actually. If you go out earlier in the morning, you can watch them all set up. I think I heard a goat at one point, but I could be wrong. At least they're not butchering them on the spot and all that jazz. That would just be, well, not wrong, I guess. Just different I suppose. Maybe when I go to China I'll see that in some of the outskirt areas. But, not so much in Barcelona. In any case, bottom line is, the LR strip is a real cool place to start off with.
Cut. Paste. Moving on!
Oh, I did get to see the FC Barcelona Football Stadium. The outside of it anyways. It cost money to get the tour, and I figured, I've already seen the Manchester United stadium so there can't be that much difference. Um, yeah, that's really about all I have to say on that topic.
The Magic Fountain!
Sound like a good name for a book doesn't it? And no, I didn't discover the fountain of youth or anything like that. It's actually just a big fountain with motorized jets that get set to music almost every night of the week. I think it might even happen every night. In any case, it's definitely something everyone needs to see once...and only once. Frankly, there's a lot more hype to it as a tourist attraction than there should be, but at least then it gets people in to see it. It's free, and set right below a really cool looking museum on top of a hill. I never went in though. Brent, you're probably cursing on me now for not visiting all the museums and such stuff. But come on man, those things take ages to get through, and of course, money I don't have! Maybe I'll get to the one here in Perth. I think it's free, so I'll take a day sometimes int he next week or so and get there. But back to the point at hand, the fountain is really quite a piece of engineering and colors, even if the music is all crap and not syncronized at all. The hues they manage to get from the jets of water and mist are fantastic when mised with the lighting. On a warm night, I can see why so many people pack ther area. Actually, as cold as it was, the place was still packed. I guess it's a must-see for tourists.
The Aquarium in Barcelona, unfortunately, I didn't get to see. But, as it was over 20 Euro to get in, I think I have a valid point as a backpacker. Apparently it's quite the spot to see, according to some other travel and blog sites I looked at. Maybe next time. Oh, but while I was down on the waterfront area, I did see something rather remarkable regarding to water. Ships, sailing ships to be precise. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of them all lined up in rows upon rows along the marinas. There were also yahts, rowboats, replica sailing ships (the big ones), and even the occassional tourist fishing vessel type thingy. A tour boat, I guess, is the words I'm looking for. There was even a nice beach in the area. Unfortunately, being so cold, I definitely wouldn't have been able to go swimming and all that jazz. There were some surfers out though. Man, I can't figure out how cold that would've been.
Now, ther was also this really cool church. Apparently, it's been on the build for a long time, and it's not going to be completed for another 30 to 50 years of something ridiculous like that. The pictures will be able to show you what it's all about.
But there was one really random moment when I was around, I think Poble Espanyol or Sagrada Familia, I can't remember which. In any case, I was trying to find the landmark I had travelled there to go see, when lowe and behold there was an escalator, right there between two buildings. To top it all off, it was in a residential district, with no shops or major attractions nearby, and it spanned over 150 steps that ran along side it up the hill. It was really, really weird. I mean, that's like having an escalator going up from O'Connel Drive to the Arts and Culture Center back home. It's just plain weird. And there were no covers or anything. So what happend when it rains? Wouldn't the mechanics inside get all messed up? Meh, in any case, I got pictures, so check it out!
Oh, and here's something else. Down on the waterfront, there's a little mall built on a pier or small island of land or something like that. In any case, inside this little shopping strip there's actually a Native American store. Seriously! There's pictures of guys in the feather headdresses and the works. There's even 'tribal' or 'native' jewelry. Yeah, right! Maybe loosely inspired, but certainly not Native. Trust me, I've seen Native back home. But I guess, maybe this is considered foreign and exotic to Spaniards. Kinda weird, though, to see stuff from our own history being used in a retail shop like that. Maybe that's what the Japanses feel like when they go to shops in America that are supposedly Japanese Themed? Another thought.
I'll finish off with a description of the concert I went to and the lovely Helen Miller that went with me. I should introduce her first, right? Ms Helen Miller, from the Lake of Constance area in southern Germany. I met Helen at the hostel I stayed at in Barcelona, the Albareda Youth Hostel. Actually, as a side note, this spot is really great. Even the owners would come down and chill out with the guests. The old man there was really funny too. As soon as he found out some of us could play guitar he would ask for us to play and he would sit and listen. Huh, fancy that? I wish he had his instrument there with him, apparently is some kind of Spanish traditional instrument, but much like a guitar of sorts. It would have been cool to hear him play as well. In any case, back Helen. Yeah, she's a sailor, runner, hiker, climber, and basically all-round crazy chick! Awesomely cool, though. But yeah, we went off to the Spanish Guitar concert that was advertised. I foget the performer's name, but damn was he ever good. Apparently he studied at some super-prestegious music school and is now a nationally and internationally known performed. I bought his CD afterwards as well. The venue was quite cool as well, set in a tiny old church with everyone just packed in. I gotta say though, the coolest part was getting to hear what a true classical guitar player can do. he actually gave out a history lesson while he went and played songs from the different eras, baroque, rennaisance, modern, and one other. But the truly astonishing part of it was the projection of sound. There were no microphones, no amps, nothing to get in the way. And yet, he projected both the guitars sound, and the sound of his voice in one piece, through the whole church. Mind you , it was small, but the ceilings were cathedral style and the walls all stone. Truly a marvel of both the player and the makers of the different guitars he played. Check out the song Granada, if you can, as its now my new favorite piece. (Since I found out that its the name of a piece I heard before but just never knew what to look for.)
Alright, I'm done now. Enough typing for the day. Time to chill out and wait for Elise to call me o I can set up shop in her place.
Later days,
Neal
Oh, and I'm actually looking at some ideas to write a book now. It's fleshing out rather well, actually. I'll let you know when I have a test chapter written up. Adios!
Right then, that's really about it.
Guitar concert, Granada, Tango in the sky.
Helen Miller.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)