Thankful

Although I am without the colourful changing of leaves and pumpkin pie I thought it suiting to create a small list of things I am thankful for. Some may be a little shallow some not so much so.

Colleen – Chris’s mother has opened her home to me these past months when I have been refinding my feet as a student. I get to live in a little garden paradise only 10 minutes walk from the waterfront. Sure it is an hour commute to school but it truly is a small price to pay.

Opportunities & Choices - I spent six months of the past year in countries where most people, men and women included don't have a single choice in what occupation they will take on. I have been lucky enough to get not one degree but I am now getting a second in an entirely different field.

My friends and family - who while they are a world away can make me smile with a phone call or an email.

Torrents – I’ve managed to get my hand on this season’s newest episodes of all my old and new favourite shows. Australia TV is truly a shocking thing. It is all sports and what I like to call filler TV. Shows that one would typically find on weekend afternoon TV back home somehow make their way primetime here in Australia. Travel shows, countdowns of the top 20 whatever, and health lifestyle are what is on offer. Thank goodness the blessed internet gives me access to Prison Break, Studio 60 and The Office among others.

A wide variety of food - Living on rice and beans for six months made me appreciate the range of food that is accessible in a multicultural country like Canada or Australia. Just here in our neighbourhood we have some of the best Thai, Indian and Turkish food I have ever sampled.

My Boyfriend - Everyday when I wake up I am thankful that I have in my life the kindest, funniest, sweetest and wackiest guy in the world.

(Nearly) Full Moon Rising

Another mainly photo post. Friday night Chris and I headed down to the waterfront to watch the moon rise. Due to some unfortunate smog on the horizon we didn't see the actually rising but it was still a relaxing evening. So these pictures are just a little more of the place I call home in Australia.




Drinks on the Pier


Spotting Aquatic Wildlife


Views on the Waterfront


More of the Waterfront Scenery

Brushes With the Stars

The other night while enjoying pre-dinner drinks at Oxford 152, a bar that on first impression screamed trying way to hard, I had my first Australian celebrity sighting. And quite possibly first ever real celebrity sighting. Not exactly what one would expect in Brisbane. But it happened nonetheless.

As she walked past I did that don’t I know you double take/half smile. To which I received a smile back. I turned to Chris and mouthed “I think I know that girl” and Chris smiled saying “yeah, that was Toni Collette!”

She looked fabulous with a short cropped hair style and far more cute freckles than I would have thought she possessed. Perhaps that is her disguise method because she glided through the bar on the arm of her date without a single person stopping her.

So not Lohan or Hilton A list but it provided a little thrill

Oh, and I quite enjoyed In Her Shoes. Anyone with me?

My Australian Home

Spring is in the air and the days are hotting up quickly here in Brisbane. Colleen has been working hard in her gardens around the house as per usual (not an easy thing to do when a water ban prohibits hose watering of any type). But things are looking lovely and I decided it was a great chance to share some photos of the place I call home while in Australia.


The house known as 21 Boxgrove



The spacious backyard

The Verendah - Cool and Breezy
I'll be spending much time as the weather warms

Jess Dog

Queensland's Wine Country

I know I am getting older when for my spring break I didn’t head to the coast as many classmates intended but instead suggested to Chris that we should explore the granite belt, an area in Southern Queensland known for its produce and wineries. A couple of days was all we could afford for a break so take advantage we did.

Winery hopping was a little different in this particular area than I have encountered elsewhere. The wineries were small owner operated ventures. Walking into the cellar door was like entering someone’s private home for a bit of a chat with the tasting of wines being an welcome addition.

Queensland Low Key Yet Tasty Wines

The scenery is also unlike any wine region I have explored. Set atop a volcanic plateau means the fields are punctuated with giant boulders. It was not uncommon to see vines strategically weaving around the piles of unmovable rock.

Our plan had been to camp in the nearby Sundown National Park but rains bucketing from the heavens quickly convinced us to change our minds. It is hard not to be a little bitter when during the worst drought in Australia’s recent history Mother Nature decides to finally bring forth the rains during the first chance we have had to camp in many months. So a motel in Stanthorpe it was.

The second day greeted us with a gorgeous blue skied crisp morning. The climate is much cooler up on the plateau and locals shared tales of temperatures dropping to -10 degrees. It has even been known to snow in the lifetime of some with whom we spoke. Hardly what one expects in tropical Queensland.

We decided to head back to Brisbane through the back roads and enjoy the wonderful scenery that was even more stunning when not back dropped by a blanket of grey and rain.

One stop we made was at a lavender farm, where although the bushes weren’t in full bloom still managed to invoke whimsical dreams of one day owning our own little piece of this rural paradise.


Lavender Farm Scenes

The roads were twisty, the traffic non-existent (our biggest concern was watching for stray cows) and the scenery breathtaking. While living in the city, surrounded by freeways and shopping centres it is far too easy to forget that Australia affords some of the prettiest country I have yet to encounter on my travels.


Road Traffic

Grapes, Grooves and Global Warming

This past weekend was the Grooves and Grapes festival put on by the casino in downtown Brisbane. In Australia festivals are not limited to the summer months, but with the sun shining and the temps unseasonably warm the weekend did have that summer is coming buzz about it.

My expectations for the music were hardly optimistic. Aren't casinos the venues for hasbeen 80's artists still attempting to milk their 15 minutes. Admittedly, I was drawn by the grape aspect of the day. But we were pleasantly surprised to find our ears blessed by jazzy beats and talented artists bordering far more on cutting edge than washout.

And the wine certainly didn't disappoint. In the past, Queensland wines have been the underdog of the Australian industry but it is more recently developing a more respected position. We sampled some tasty pinots and merlots. But my favourite was a cabernet sauvignon sporting a label that look reminiscent of something my parents plaster on their home brews and costing all of $10. Is it so wrong to love a $10 bottle of wine so much? It was just a perfect drink for sitting beneath a shady tree on a hot spring day.

But before we ventured to the festival we saw An Inconvenient Truth, a movie that should be mandatory viewing for everyone in the world. Who would have thought that a two hour powerpoint presentation could be so enthralling?

One Down....

Two to go.....

Bah!

So I have remembered the part about uni life that I didn't love so much. Midterms!

My life has been nothing but microeconomics for four days. And when this is over I have two more hanging over my head. I don't even have Chris here to pull me back when I get too close to the brink. He is snowboarding somewhere down in the south of Australia. Or at least attempting to get in some snowboarding with the laughable amount of snow that they have there.

Luckily he left me here with our new toy. A Krups XP4050 espresso maker which makes delicious concoctions of rich dark coffee topped with foamy milk even when prepared by yours truly. So needless to say I have spent the past week in a constant state of caffeine buzz.

Back to it I vibrate....

Not Quite Water off a Duck's Back

The other morning while out on my walk (yes, walk....my hamstring sucks and so there has been no running for me) I happened upon two severly disorientated ducks. They were waddling back and forth across a busy road not certain of which side they should stay. Cars raced by driven by distracted commuters chugging back coffee and I could see that this would likely only lead to disaster for the ducks. So I chased after the ducks until we were close enough to the creek that I was satisfied they wouldn't be venturing back onto the road.

My duck encounter got me thinking about an article I had read recently where John Howard (Australia's Prime Minister for anyone not in the know) was quoted as saying that the state governments here in Australia are to blame for the skyrocketing housing prices because they are "bowing to greeen pressure" and not releasing enough new land. (Big mental leap but there was a whole ducks losing their habitat logic going on)

Just like that. As if it is that absolutely simple. Encourage even more urban sprawl in a country where infrastructure is already struggling to hold up to the current demands. He said nothing of that fact that perhaps the problem lies within the government policy that has encouraged its citizens to buy buy buy as a means of stimulating the economy. Well Australians listened and now they have the highest per capita debt in the entire world. Inflation is quickly sliding outside even the highest reaches of acceptable. Still John Howard chooses to blame these issues on the banana prices. Sure, Hurrican Larry destroyed banana crops and at $12/kg they are expensive. I for one have not eaten one in weeks. But expensive fruit does not a debt and inflation problem create.

And this completely visionless man is the most powerful man in the country??? I could go on about how he is nearly singlehandedly destroying the trade industry by ripping power from the unions and handing it over to international corportations. Or how he has abosolutley no plan for addressing the issues of greenhouse gas emissions. His comments are we won't ratify the Kyoto agreement because Chine doesn't have to.

But there is an election coming soon. And unemployment rates being at an all time low certainly look good for his government.

I love my masters program and it certainly is helping me to understand relevant economic issues. But right now the more I understand the angrier I get.

Week 6 Already

It is Week 6 of the semester yet it feels like things just got going. My life has been study study study lately. The joys of academia. I had forgotten how much I thrive under the pressures of the student life. And being on a campus again makes me smile smile smile. With its setting right on the Brisbane river and massive sandstone buildings surrounding the Great Court (my fav spot to to sit and waste time between classes) I think it might be in the running for one of the prettiest campuses I have seen. See what I am talking about and go here to take a virtual tour.

My commute to school is a little over an hour but it is made a little easier on those days my train connects with a ferry rather than a bus. Plying along the river, gliding under bridges, watching the sun sparkle on the buildings it hardly feels like commuting at all.

So life is good. The only thing that is missing is that great feeling of commraderie I had with my fellow Indys back at UofT. It was always comforting to wander into the common room and find someone to commiserate with about our latest on slaught of assignments. We were war buddies. I've met loads of people in my classes but since my classes are made up of people from many many programs we often only see one another for a few hours a week. Hardly the stuff upon which life long friendships are formed. That Indy spirit is clearly lacking but I am managing. Plus with an invite to a party this week things might be achanging

And I can't complain too much. I have the world's most amazing guy in my life,who now that his assignment away is done, I get to come home to every night. Not too shabby.

Straddie

Wednesday was the citywide public holiday for the Ekka (think Brisbane’s version of the CNE). With no work for Chris, my classes cancelled and neither of us interested in battling the crowds at the show we decided it was time for another installment of Adventures in Southeast Queensland

We decided to head back to a place we had both been before, Stradbroke Island. But this time we would do it public transit style. And with perfectly connecting buses and ferries public transit was never so efficient. A twenty minute water taxi ride followed by a 25 minute bus ride around the island and we were at Point Lookout, the more touristy of the three little villages on the island. And rightfully so, with its dramatic cliffs, sheltered beaches and café after café it is an easy spot to waste an afternoon.


Stradbroke Island Scenery

We mainly wandered along the road that hugs the cliff edge stopping for a fish and chips lunch at a small takeaway and a drink at the local. After that it was time for a nap in the shady soft grass behind one of the beaches followed by ice cream.


Can you find a Chris in this picture???


There he is!

Rejuvenated we walked the board walk of the Blue Gorge which is essentially a narrow cove where the waves rush in at forceful strength and the cliff faces are adorned by multitudes of vegetation

I was mesmerized by the flora on the island. Tall grasses, leafy palms. Everything so rugged and hardy but tropical and lush at the same time.


Happily admiring the view

Then to top off our little stroll we happened upon a kangaroo munching on some grass.

Completely unfazed by our presence

Then we hurried back to catch the bus back to the ferry dock. The drive back afforded views of a tangerine and mauve sky as the sun set over the mainland. A little reversion of the typical view out over the ocean. What is it about sunsets? I saw dozens of spectacular shows on the pacific coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica during my time in Central America but they just never seem to lose their appeal. I suppose it is something to do with their daily occurrence yet somehow it is rare that I even notice them in the bustle of my everyday life. It is only in those rare moments that we step outside the routine that we get to truly enjoy those common wonders all around us.

That is just what I love about travel. For lack of a less clichéd way to write it, it is the way it makes you look at everyday things in a different light. And I had another thought while cruising along in that over crowded bus, memories of those congested chicken buses all too fresh in my mind. Travel by public transit, while sometimes inconvenient and uncomfortable, gives me a sense of connectedness with those around me. I watched as others I recognized from the journey over to the island boarded the bus, happy, tired and a little sunburnt just as we were, and it made the day feel just a little more special.

The Vitals:
Two Return Ferry Tickets: $27.00
Fish and Chips for Two: $20.00
Enjoying a chocolate ice cream while glimpsing a school of dolphins playing in the waves: Priceless

Tales From an Apple Convert

So I have joined the masses with their ipods. A nano to be exact and I love it! It is so shiny, and white and fits right in my pocket. Apparently all that poo-pooing of people with their silly white headphones was really just deep seeded envy. Suddenly every aspect of my life must have a playlist soundtrack. Commuting to school, studying, hanging out the laundry. The fun never stops.

And then there is the joy of the podcast. I am currently working my way through CBC's Definititely Not the Opera before I move onto exploring the other treats on offer on the CBC website.

To think three months ago living in Nicaragua I stared at my friend with a perplexed look when the word 'podcast' escaped her lips. A pod-what???? Good god, I have come a long way. Now here I am off to school, macbook in my bag and silly white head phones in my ears.

Johnny Lion's Bad Day

One of the more memorable books from my childhood was Johnny Lion's Bad Day. It is about a sick day confined in bed and the bad red medicine gives Johnny terrible nightmares. Over time, in the Pinksen house, Johnny Lion's Bad Day evolved to describe that day when the universe metaphorically kicks your ass and you feel you would have been better served to stay in bed, build a little fort and wait for the bad karma or whatever it is to pass.

Today was just one of those days for me. To start I made my way to the train station to await my 10:30 train into the city. But the strangest thing greeted me. The train heading away from the city was driving on the wrong tracks. I thought to myself "how strange, I wonder if that is a sign of things to come" If only I had realized.

My train ended up being 24 minutes late which would still allow me just enough time to connect with a bus to get to uni....provided there were no further delays But as it turned out I was not to be so lucky.

But first, a little background on how ticketing works on the Brisbane Public Transit System. On the trains things work on a honour/fear of getting a hefty fine system where occasionally ticket inspectors will board the train asking to see all tickets. Failure to produce on means an one the spot $150 fine. Then there are also occasionally inspectors at the exits of the stations. Not one to play the game of inspector russian roulette I always buy a ticket when I can. Unfortunately my station was recently vandalized and it is no longer possible to buy a ticket there. So instead I purchase my ticket at my destination.

Generally this little system works well. All inspectors before have understood when I say "I got on at Wynnum" and politely remind me to buy my ticket when I get off. But today was a different story. Today it was not a Queensland Rail employee but a Police Officer who requested to see my ticket when I disembarked the train. As I tried to explain the situation to him he refused to listen and instead proceeded to demand my identification and write me a ticket. The more I tried to explain the angrier he became. He ranted on about how he was a police officer and did I know what it meant to be in trouble with the police. He threatened to send me to court and berated me for being a foreigner and not following Australia's rules.

Lucky for me his partner was a little more understanding and while all this was going on went to confirm my story with the ticketing office. He returned, informed his partner and I was allowed to leave but with no even a hint of apology for the huge inconvenience they had just caused me. The inconvenience of having missed the bus to campus and hence missing my class since on request of the professor we are not to enter the lecture hall late as it is quite disruptive.

It was just as well since the entire thing had given me an absolutely pounding headache.

But the whole experience has just given me new understanding of innocent people who end up in confrontations with the police. Things really can escalate quickly when the police jump to conclusions and refuse to allow a person to explain their situation.

On a loosely related note I recently watched "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" a three part documentary about four boys in Western Australia who 8 years after the death of a teenager were convicted with his murder but not without much controversy and questions about police conduct and missing evidence. It certainly has me questioning the judicial system here in Australia.

Hey Mr. Tamborine Man Play a Song for Me

As previously mentioned student life will be putting a serious damper on my traveling for at least the next year and a half (we won't even mention the looming student debt) So Chris and I have decided to scratch our proverbial travel itch in locales closer to home. So we are proud to introduce a little feature we will be calling "Travels in Southeast Queensland" until at least we can determine a more thrilling and creative name.

Our first adventure brought us to Mount Tamborine in the Gold Coast Hinterland. Now for two people who spent 9 months living in the Canadian Rockies we naturally greet any place here in Australia with the word 'Mount' in the name with a certain grain of skepticism. The 'mount' is actually more of a plateau about 600 metres above sea level.

About halfway up we stopped to check out Ceder Creek Falls. It was a more than leisurely 15 minutes walk along the creek to the falls which cascaded into a series of rock pools. Well maybe cascaded is a slight exageration. There is a serious drought here in Southeast Queensland at the moment. But they were still lovely and we had the area all to ourselves so it was a serene spot to soak up a few winter rays



As we continued to climb to the plateau the vegetation quickly changed from dray lowland Gum trees to thicker lush rainforest brimming with ferns and orchards.

We were delighted to discover that the area was ripe with wineries. At least a dozen all in the vicinity of the town of Mt. Tamborine. We chose Tamboire Estates winery at random and ventured in for a little tasty taste. For $4 AUD each we were able to sample seven of the wines. Our hostess was quite enthusiastic to share the wineries flavours. Often I had barely put my empty glass on the counter when she was topping me up with a new variety. Not sure if she was trying to turn over her tasters as quickly as possible or if she was mearely enthusiastic but someone should really tell the lady to sloooooow down.




Barren vines at Tamborine Estates and the signs point us in the right direction

After pounding back the samples we decided so food was necessary so we opted for a cozy pub lunch at the local. We opted for the patio in order to make the most of the sunny, crisp winter day but with the inside boasting wooden benches lined with cushions along side a stone fireplace it was certainly the type of place I would love to return to on a cool winter's night.




Trip Stats:
Tastings at the Tamborine Estate (inclusive of one tiny wine glass) - $7.00 AUD
Pub lunch - $34.00 AUD
Realizing there are gems waiting to be found practically in our backyard - Priceless

Limiting

It is only the 7th day of the month and already I have exceeded the download limit on ChrisÂ’s broadband. In my defense 2GB a month is basically peanuts and I did understand it to be 2GB a day. So I wasn't entirely ignoring the imposed restrictions.

Ever since my return from Central America I have begun the hard readjustment to the limits of real life. Everywhere I look I am faced with more constraints. How much I can spend. How much I can eat. Things will only worsen when classes start in a couple of weeks and my time becomes more constrained that it has been in years. It is enough to drive a girl to the next plane back to freedom.

Which leads me to the water restrictions here in Southeast Queensland. In the midst of the worst drought on record politicians in Australia have finally decided to do something about this water thing. Three years ago not a word was uttered about the problem of water shortages and now there are endless billboards, tv adverts and flyers in the mail telling us to conserve, conserve, conserve. A girl can't even wash her hair without being racked with guilt about the devastating environmental repercussions.

Back to Brisbane

When I left Brisbane over two years ago it was not entirely certain I would ever be back. I loved the city and I thoroughly enjoyed my brief sojourn there back in 2003/2004. But things with Chris and I were relatively new at the time of my departure from Australia. We still had many things to figure out. None more so than if this relationship really was something that could uproot one of us from our native country and move half a world away. Well it is two years later and the solution to that dilemma has been answered rather naturally. A year ago during somewhat casual web browsing I stumbled across a masters program that appeared to be exactly what I didn’t even know I was searching for.

Further searching would not unveil a program in Canada that would fit nearly as perfectly. So it would be Australia at least for a year and a half. 18 months to enjoy all the benefits of living in a country where winter means a low of 5 degrees at night and day trips to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world are a convenient possibility.

Chris and Jay wait for the train as we head to town for Chris's bday and at the bar with friends






During my first week back my friend Jason was visiting and so while attempting to reaccustom myself with the city I was bestowed the responsibility of tour guide. Luckily Jason’s tourist enthusiasm was quickly quenched by a couple of trips downtown and a wander through Southbank.

Being back to Southbank brought back all the memories of why I love Brisbane. Waking up my first morning in Australia back in 2003 I had laced up my running shoes and headed out for a little explore of this new city. My wanderings brought me down through the botanical gardens to the river and then across the pedestrian bridge to Southbank. This special area along the river was built up for the 1988 Expo and has remained a vital part of the Brisbane community. At any time the paths are filled with families pushing strollers, runners, roller bladers and sitting back watching them are the coffee drinkers at cafe tables.

In those first moments of being there I knew back in 2003 that Brisbane was a place that I certainly wanted to spend some time.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

So once again I am off. Only this time the purpose is not fun, adventure and travel. Well those aren’t the principal objectives. This time I am off to discover a new path in my life. A path that I have been three years searching. Not that I am entirely sure I have found it, but for now it certainly feels like I could be onto something good.

The butterflies in my stomach constantly remind me that I am not embarking on the same old type of plane journey. This plane would be taking me to Australia and onto my new life as a masters student in the Economics Department at the University of Queensland.

But before landing there would be reminiscing of my three years as a wanderer. For three years I have defined myself as a traveler. Wrapped up into a nice little package. I was the one who chose the different path, who gave up a reasonably comfortable existence as a working city girl. I gave up the money, the ability to buy whatever it was I wanted, whether that be new shoes, a great meal or a new coach, and I gave up the security in order to figure out what else might be out there.

Along the way there have been stumbles and triumphs, smiles and tears, moments of unspeakable awe and mind numbing boredom. But now I am ready to define myself in a new way. Someone who is ready stay for awhile in one place, Geographically at least. This is the time for a different type of growth and discovery. This is the time to reflect and look forward to a new type of life. A life with a very special boy by my side. A time to decide if I really am cut out for this settling down thing.

Robbed!

I can't believe that was how Australia went out. A penalty kick in the 94th minute???? Even after they pressured the Italians again and again throughout the game and were favoured to win during the second half. I am not ashamed to say a few tears squeaked their way out of my eyes.

In other news my final weekend in Ontario was spent first in the Niagara region watching my amazing father run his way to first place in the oldies group of his 50 km ultra marathon. An inspiring crowd as usual. Enough to push me to get out and buy some running shoes. Now I just need to be inspired to get out and use them.

Dad pysches up before the race. Mom and Erin watch eagerly for the start Dad is focused just past the turnaround point at Niagara Falls

Then it was on to Toronto for Mike's housewarming where much drinking and catching up with old friends was on the agenda. And Calum managed to take many pretty pictures with his fancy new DSLR. Check out his blog to see the results. I pulled up a bit worse for wear the next day but well worth the pain.

Cleansing

So in the past several days I have thrown out bags upon bags of junk that have been festering in my parent's basement for three years. I suppose I will never recall what drove me to feel that it was necessary for me to save thirteen bottles of moisturizing cream all in varying scents and varying degrees of fullness. Or shape magazines from a time when Dawson's Creek was still the most happening show on the WB.

There is something very liberating about throwing out a phone charger from a phone I haven't seen since 2002. Or finally letting go of clothes that I haven't worn since university.

There is also something very permenent. When I packed up my Toronto apartment three years ago and stored everything in that corner of the basement it was with the assumption that I would return to reclaim my things in a year. But what is it that they say about the best laid plans....

And now all my valued possesions will be spending at least another year and a half in hidden from the light of day. But there is much less of it now.

Good Memories

While transferring pictures to my macbook I have been enjoying some great memories.


Chris and I in San Juan del Sur....one of my favourite pics of us from my trip. It was near the end of our time together in Central America.


Kirsten and I near Bow Summit. We had gone for a little hike while Chris was treking up the mountain for a snow board session. The entire day was amazing as we drove from Banff to Jasper and experienced the beauty that is The Icefields Parkway.


Heather's wedding last summer. What can I say....good times all around. Heather should get more married more often.

And finally.....


Chris, me, Elsa and Jeff....our weekly hikes are what got me through the final weeks at Sunwapta.