Cairns!

Dear Readers,

For the Easter break, I rode up to Cairns for five days.  I heard the place is exotic with a plethora of activities a tourist can do so I packed my bags and went north.  Cairns is around 3.5 hours from Townsville and accessible by bus if you cannot find an Aussie heading up there for the weekend.  I stayed in a hostel with an American friend for the first few nights and we elected to do a day tour up to Cape Tribulation to check out where the rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef.  First stops were look outs at Port Douglass:

Pretty amazing scenery and as always beautiful weather! Next was a lookout at Rocky Point another scenic location and let's just say I was not prepared for the photo/staring straight into the sun:

We had an outing at an animal sanctuary before we drove the last leg up to Cape Trib where we clowned on some kangaroos and other endemic Australian fauna.  This is the second zoo I have been to in Australia so first thoughts were:                napping > seeing pissed off animals.   On the contrary, after deciding against the nap I had a splendid time walking around the sanctuary filled with colorful birds and I had the opportunity to feed this little joey:

Oh! and I did not know Natalie Portman was going to be there:

Finally making it up to Cape Tribulation, I can tell you that it is truly a breath-taking place.  As we drove on through the Daintree rainforest I couldn't believe some of the trees and plants that are in there.  Some of the world's rarest and diverse flora and fauna at your fingertips.  As we approached the beach, I began to understand why the slogan "where the rainforest meets the great barrier reef" is used so often:

As some of the tour scheduled other activities to do, I had time to burn before we had to return back to Cairns.  The tour guide offered to take the remaining tourists (two Welsh, a German, and myself) to a local creek to have ourselves a swim.  I could not envision myself a few years ago imagining that I would be swimming in a creek located in a rainforest in Australia with a couple of internationals and an Aussie tour guide.  After conversing with the Welsh couple, I learned of that they have been traveling the world for nearly 6 months and plan to spend a few more months traveling Asia after Australia.  Unreal.  I can relate though because this traveling thing...yeah it sure is addicting. 

After a safe journey back to the hostel, I rendezvous'ed with a couple of Canadian girls I met when I was in Melbourne and dare I say that they are Vancouver fans! GO BRUINS.  Nevertheless, we spent the night parading around on a partybus crawling from pub to pub with around 200 people.  Pretty wild time and the company that sponsored the event provided cheap deals everywhere and coupons for the next night--well worth the experience. As I retired in the hostel, I had to mentally prepare for the next day for the thrill-seeking activities I had in store.

Next up: The most adventurous day of my life.

So tune in for the next blog and I promise it won't take a month to write.  Thanks for reading!

That's a big 10-4,

-Alex

Where in the World is Alex Chase?

Dear Readers,


I must apologize for my lengthy absence from the blogging community namely my mother who continues to gently remind me that I need to update, update, update.  Well, whats my big excuse for over a month leave from the Australian Chase? If I provided one or even several I'm sure they would not be adequate so why don't we chalk this one up to negligence.  For the next few weeks I am in this wonderful country I will try and recapitulate my whereabouts for the last month.  I will do my best to finish strong so READ ON!

Cheers,
Alex

Melbourne Part Deux

Dear Readers,


      Yeah, you didn't expect this did you.  A blog only a day later?  Frankly, that's uncharacteristic.  Yeah, we can all change.  "If I can change, you can change, everybody can change."  Yeah, that's a video of Rocky Balboa single handedly proposing peace treaties in the midst of the Cold War.  The Italian Stallion can do that.  Anyways, away we go...

    Saturday, we spent the majority of the day trying to recover from an eventful, fulfilled Friday.  We watched this movie called "Bra Boys"; it is a documentary on a surfer gang set in Sydney that tries to take young hoodlums into their gang and get them hooked on surfing instead of narcotics.  Pretty crazy film and makes me upset that Townsville has the Great Barrier Reef knocking down the tidal activity.  Later, I received a phone call from Dakota and Greta (fellow Americans from James Cook Univ.) alerting me of their arrival in Melbourne.  They planned to stay one night before their excursion over to New Zealand so we planned on meeting up for some drinks that night.

     The Colby Crew had other plans earlier in the evening for an ice bar called "Chill On".  I don't know about you but an ice bar is one of the more attractive ideas I've ever heard of.  You have to pay an entry fee but you are supplied with a parkour, gloves, a drink, and a shot.  You need the jacket, gloves, and alcohol because otherwise you'd freeze considering the temperature is at -10 degrees celsius or 14 degrees farenheit.   After finishing your drinks you can spike them on the ground because literally everything is made of ice.  The downfall of the bar is the inability to bring a camera to take pictures since they take them "professionally" and sell them to you.  Luckily, we are snakes and Campbell snuck his droid in so I can put pictures exclusively up on my blog...and yeah maybe for the memories too. 

    After a half an hour of freezing, we departed to meet up with Dakota and Greta and eventually find another venue to celebrate.  The obvious choice was to head towards Chinatown.  Can I just say that I love the fact that other cities outside of the U.S have a Chinatown because that's incredible.  Chinatown was a great spot to be but after waiting in line for about 20 minutes for a club in the pouring rain, we were disappointed that the cover charge was 30 dollars.  That's preposterous!  We went down the road to another place where we found a great place to enjoy a beer and that's what we did.

    Sunday became a day of rest where started the recovery process by going to a quaint breakfast place and getting some eggs.  Later in the night, I met Campbell and Tommy's friend Dale Bishop.  She's very nice girl who is much more spirited and motivated than those two clowns.  Without Dale, it's likely their lives would be much less organized than they already are, basically in shambles.  We decided to hit up a local pub for a casual night with a few beers.  Tommy convinced Dale that I am the best dancer at Colby College (lies) so when "Billie Jean" came on the jukebox complemented with some coercing, I hopped up and busted a move or two.  What I have failed to mention that there were about 15 people in the entire pub with about 6 of them being men over 50.  I spun left, I spun right, I flashed my hands around like a helicopter and did a variation of the crip walk.  Out of breath, I sat down after about 30 seconds of shame and ill-choreographed moves but to my astonishment, the crowd began to give me a round of applause.  Either they felt bad for me or I wore my dancing shoes that night. You take your pick... 

  
   Monday, we toured another part of the city by the river and business district.  We purchased some tickets to aboard the Eureka Tower which has the highest public vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere.  Pretty cool stuff:

   On Tuesday, Dale planned a dinner party to have a few friends over Tommy and Campbell's place, cook a salmon dinner, and have a some drinks.  However, the lone fact that it was Jordan's 21st birthday did not bode well for the party plans.  How could we manage to have a classy salmon dinner party and a ragin' cagin' 21st birthday social in the same small apartment?  Well, here's how:

A Fancy Dinner Party in One Corner:

 And a 21st Goon Power Hour in the Other Corner:

   Both parties turned out to be a success in both respects and converged into one party at some point.  The 21st birthday of Jordan turned into one for the history books with some craziness happening later that left both rooms in ruins.  

   All in all, I had a fantastic time in Melbourne with the boys.  We discussed senior year and the potential shenanigans we will all get into in our senior APT. 043 baby.  It was nice seeing familiar faces and certainly nice traveling for the first time in a while.  Melbourne treated me well and I'm glad those Colby kids are having a blast down there.  I bid them farewell and headed up north bright and early to come back to warmth of Townsville.  I know that this blog has quite the length to it but I'm glad you guys tuned in for it.  I'll divulge more detailed stories later on in a personal account since I couldn't include all my travels.  Leave any questions or comments in the box below.  Thanks for reading!

To Infinity and Beyond

- Alex Chase

Melbourne!

Dear Readers,


    It's been a while. I know I haven't blogged recently but listen, there've been budget cuts left, right and center.  The American dollar is just not holding up in Australia for the Australian Chase: simple as that.  I'm letting go staff daily and the office doesn't have the charm as it once did.  Frequent readers will be required to pay after a certain number of visits however, I am unsure on this number -- I am waiting for this slacker at Google to get me some figures.  The plan will resemble that of the New York Times new subscription plan in hopes that the fees will only strengthen "our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform".   Anyways, I hope that none of you believe that slander I just wrote and if I was really on top of my game, that could have been a good blog to post on April Fool's day (which by the way nobody really celebrates in Australia).  In fact, those first few sentences have been in the draft box since April Fool's which can serve as a testament to my lack of motivation these last few weeks.  Anyways, away we go...

     Last Thursday, I woke up with the most excitement since initially arriving in Australia.  For those that I may not have spoken to recently, I planned a trip down to Melbourne to visit my Colby College hombres, Kenneth Campbell McDonald Stevenson IV (or his short name: Campbell) and Tommy Kimball.  My excitement stems from reacquainting with familiar faces, going to a real city/getting away from Hickville (I mean Townsville), and above all, the concept of traveling.  My primary reason to study abroad was not to engage in rigorous academics or set up shop in one city in a foreign land; yet to experience traveling incognito to places I'm likely never to go again, encounter and converse with individuals either temperate or bizarre, and enjoy myself partaking in these activities. 

   My Aussie friend Kelly Borg graciously offered to drive me to the airport because he is moving four hours south of Townsville to find work elsewhere.  Great guy and hopefully I'll be able to see him once more before I leave this island but after he dropped me off, my focus was set on surviving my plane rides so I can see those damn Mules.  First plane ride didn't go so well because luck landed me next to a sweaty red-faced obese man who on take off started moaning and breathing heavily.  And even better on landing, he had his vomit bag ready to roll. So what did I do? I stared at him with a magazine as a defense to deflect any ricocheting puke but he held it down.  I'm proud of him...we all were.  The rest of the trip wasn't terrible but a bit long because for an island, Australia is damn big.  Flying from Townsville to Melbourne is about 2,500 miles and is equivalent from Boston to New Orleans for you navigators out there. 

   Once, I arrived at their apartment I was welcomed with a Budweiser to start my trip off appropriately.   They live very close to the city and have an excellent view off their back deck:

      The rest of the Thursday night is a bit hazy but on Friday, we explored Melbourne which included walking around the city, eating at Burger King (Yup), and stopped in at Queen Victorian Market.  The city is quite beautiful and because you can just about walk anywhere in 20 minutes, it is easily manageable for a tourist.  Queen Victorian Market is one of my favorite places I visited that week because of the vibrant culture that occurs, the variety of goods sold,  and the quality of the locally produced food.  Butchers are hollering prices as you walk by, all vendors are welcoming and friendly, and at many kiosks, you can try a sample of the food you wish to buy.  You can even buy one of these little guys if you want:

    Later on, we explored a sketchy alleyway that one may think breeds unspeakable crimes  but to my surprise, it is an ongoing work of art that various artists contribute to over time in this tucked away-graffiti side street:

   Once we returned to their apartment, we planned to rendez-vous with two other Colby kids, Jordan and Hadrian who are both studying abroad in Melbourne.  We played polish horseshoes mid-day in a near-by park...legality? Not so sure on this one but Australia can't touch five Colby kids.

   Polish horseshoes is one of my most cherished drinking games because it has everything you need.  Think about it: you have to play during the day which we all know is the best time to; you and another partner need to work together to overcome disadvantages-- inebriation and operation with one hand; and you get to whip a frisbee at a beer bottle teetering on a ski pole.  Pure Genius.

   Later that night, we caught the train into the Melbourne Cricket Ground to go see an Australian football game.  This stadium is known to hold more than 100,000 people at these matches which is a stupid amount of people.  As far as the game goes, it's entertaining to watch  but I'd argue it lacks excitement with 18 players on the field for each team with only about 5 of them involved.  But what do I know? I'm just some American who only loves American sports so I can't really pass judgement.  Here are a few pictures of the game:

  
    If you look closely at the jerseys, one team is all black and the other team is all black with white vertical stripes.  What dimwit thought it would be a good idea to have similar looking jerseys worn by 36 people on the field at the same time?  I had a great time at the game though because I had no emotional attachment to either team and usually when I attend sporting events in Boston, they typically lose on me. After the game, Jordan, Campbell, Tommy, and I were in search for this bar that was critically acclaimed but with no such luck, we decided to call it a night. 

   Speaking of which, why don't we turn this Melbourne adventure into two blogs?  I don't know why I type the question out for you to read because for one, you frankly have no choice and for two, in all likelihood you only look at the pretty pictures and glance over the written words.  For maybe a third, because of the lengthy nature of this blog, you are probably back on Facebook by now and will not even read the conclusion of Melbourne.  Just kidding, you guys have been great and I appreciate the feedback and continue to welcome it.  Part Deux should be coming soon so keep your eyes peeled for it.


Keep on keeping on



Cheers,
Alex




  

Rattails, Singlets, and Jhorts Oh My!

Dear Readers,


   The results are in! The voter speaks! And the topic is... "Australian Clothing Style and Culture"!  Too many exclamation points? Yeah, I thought so too.  But, how else can I have you readers start getting involved in my blog considering the voting poll was not the sensation I thought it would be; limited participation between both the Americans, people who should cherish the ability to actively participate , and the Australians, people who are required to vote by their government during elections.  Shucks, but a warm thank you is owed to the whooping 11 votes casted.  Times like these, I need to search within and see what I am doing wrong as a blogger.  I consulted the social media experts Roominate Marketing and the answer may derive from Charlie's most recent blog "Top 10 Social Media Mistakes" for you small businesses out there.  Holla O'Bro's. The mistake I am committing is that I am 'blogging too little' or even more likely, 'not listening' since I have rambled on for a paragraph even mentioning my friend's marketing company instead of blogging about my Australian Chase.  Well let's go, or for you spanish linguists, VAMOS!

    You may wonder why I have a bizarre alteration of "Lions, Tigers, and Bears Oh My" as the title and I will explain in three words: the Australian Guy.  ->Disclaimer: I am not speaking of all Australian men or even for Australian men outside of the state of Queensland but I am calling how I see it here in Townsville.  I have seen far too many young adult males rocking the rat-tail in the finest way it can be rocked complemented with a graphic singlet or what is known as a tank top.

 

     Whats wrong with a collection of significantly longer hairs hanging off the back of your head? Oh yes, that reminds me, I have seen a few mullets and they are astonishing as always.  The singlet makes sense because the temperature is upwards of 80 degrees Fahrenheit and come on, who doesn't want that singlet tan line? The next piece of clothing is up for a heated debate and it depends on who and when you ask to determine whether this item is acceptable.  Jhorts, for those who do not know, is a colloquial term coined by fashion connoisseurs that capitalize on the smooth nature of this contraction between jeans and shorts.  Background, I wore jhorts for the majority of my adolescence because in Hull they were the bee's knees and I did not know otherwise.  After arriving at Colby College, I soon discovered that jhorts were not socially accepted in the college arena unless you had some city roots or had the style and swagger for them.  However, you can be seen wearing them to a themed party in any of the following categories:  white trash, hoedown, cowboy/cowgirl, or a party that you just don't have the costume for and your go-to are the jhorts.  Or another favorite, as pictured below, you want to cheer on your college athletic team at a sporting event:

    Here in Australia, the jhorts are as common as cargo or plaid shorts seen in suburbia America.  They tend to be much tighter than I would have imagined and they have the length comparable to the Colby kid pictured with the red cowboy hat.  A little different but they sure do love them jhorts.  My Hull Kid does not allow me to hate on the jhorts and in fact, I think they are durable and a comfortable fit but I cannot wear them again due to this mishap.

     Rachel Bellew, Hingham Mite crying above, could not handle the jhorts with the excessively long white football belt.  Most Can't.  There are a variety of differences in the clothing style between Australians and Americans but sure do have similarities.  They are a few more I'd like to mention but I think I will re-visit them in a later blog.  Thanks for reading and post comments or inquire about other differences through the comment box below.


If you wear them, they will cry,

-Alex

Who is a Seppo? And What is a Seppo?

Dear Readers,


            Sorry for my lack of blogs but you'll have to excuse me because I've been up to my neck in work.  Just kidding, I've been lazy.  Seriously, it takes effort to write these blogs because I need to fine-tune my writing to accurately capture my experiences here as well as entertain you, the readers, to accrue a following on this online journal.  I appreciate the positive feedback and I welcome all comments and criticisms.  Away we go:

          After arriving in the Townsville Airport and making way towards James Cook Univ.,  I recounted my adventures in Sydney and tried to convince myself that Australia isn't a figment of my imagination.  I think being home for about two months and the lack of traveling conjured an idea in my head that home wasn't too far away and I'll hop on another plane to head back.  Oops, 10,000 miles away erases that thought.  Time to focus on Australia.  I arrived at my dorm to be greeted by the RA's and let into my suite where I would reside the following four months.  There are three singles inside of this suite with a common room and a shared bathroom/shower.  My two roommates are a girl named Bronte and a guy named Glen, both of which were fossils or returning students.  Yeah, you read that right: a girl roommate.  Guy and girl roommates just seem like a bad idea and I wasn't too pleased about that for some obvious reasons but after meeting her, she seems fun and entertaining.  The only people on campus the first few days were Americans or Aussie students who elected to take an intensive course right before the semester so that left us Americans to entertain ourselves.
        
      Once the Australians started to arrive, campus began to look a bit more lively yet there was a lot of clean up work to be done due to the disastrous effects from Cyclone Yasi.  Uprooted trees and branches lying everywhere:

       Blending with the Aussies is quite the undertaking.  They speak in a quick tongue, shorten most words, and the accent distracts you from actually listening to them.   They have a variety of differences in terms for instance instead of "mandatory", they tend to use "compulsory" or  they'll say "piss" or "grog" as opposed to "alcohol".  It's like the 1800s sometimes.  Many of the differences likely stem from their relationship with Great Britain.  Only speculating here, but Aussies are predisposed to their culture and mannerisms far greater than Americans (we fought for our independence).  However, they have developed their own jargon for sure; another word for an American is a "Seppo".  This is short for septic tank because they feel as though Americans are full of it.  Pshhhh outlandish, I tell them.  Nahh, I suppose there lies a derivation of truth but my American in me refuses to acknowledge it.  They call that a paradox.  Other terms are alluring and I have since tried to incorporate them into my everyday vocabulary.  If you are "keen", then you are excited, stoked, psyched, or down for the aforementioned activity.  Many others are actual words but only shortened yet supplemented with a 'y':  sunglasses are "sunnys" and the city of Brisbane is "Brizzy".  There are copious amounts of derogatory terms but I do not want to ruin your virgin eyes.  Those Aussies have a potty mouth. 

      Integrating with the Aussies became quite easy when everyone's favorite social lubricant is introduced: alcohol.  Turns out alcohol is expensive here and they do not have Natty Light thirty's for 16 dollars.  In fact, a thirty of a decent beer is upwards of 40 dollars and the only American beer I could find, Budweiser, is 55 dollars due to importation.  Luckily for the broke college kids, they have a boxed-wine similar to Franzia (except many more types) for only 9 -15 dollars depending what kind.  As I digress....  Our orientation week at James Cook, or o-week, began with a tremendous showing of a time-honored, college tradition -  a campus-wide TOGA party.  Pretty Epic all around and let's just say the Colby Mules (pictured right Caroline Maguire '12) came to show Aussies a thing or two:

  You may wonder why I have a yellow head band that displays "CHASE ME" on it.  Oh that's because they openly haze here in Australia .. forgot to mention that.  George Roberts, the dorm I live in, gave everyone of their freshmen and new internationals a head band with their name on it and the dorm president elected to write "Chase Me" on mine.  If found without the headband, then the fossils are obliged to write anything on your forehead with a permanent marker.  Luckily this was the only item of hazing I encountered because for one, I am not a fan of being made to do something I don't want to do, and two, I am older than most of the returning students at George Roberts.  Hardly anyone on campus is 21 or has been to college for more than 2 years, both of which I have achieved.  Anyways, when in Rome.  The rest of o-week had themed nights at bars including dressing up in hideous attires; I have never seen so many drag-queens in my day.  Aussie's have some crazy style here.


   That topic would be a great one to explore in a blog or maybe, I should write about my adventures in the o-zone free sun here in Aussieland.  I have a genius/American idea.  You, the readers, can vote for my next topic.  Give me freedom or give me death.  Give the people what they want.


Vote or die,

Cheers,
Alex

Hey, It's a Post About Australia on an Australian Blog

Dear Readers,


       I made it.  Australia seemed so intangible for many cold months at Colby College; stuck in my two doubles a.k.a. forced quad a.k.a the bunkhouse and the boom boom room but I finally made it to the land down under.  I believe when I signed up for Aussieland, there simply was no alternative country I wanted to go to after reading Judy Viorst's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day  every miserable day I had when I was a kid.  Summation of the story: Alex sees Australia as an escape from his problems.  Parallels can be drawn with the name, plot and motive.  Colby College, or better yet Waterville, Maine, could not suffice my adventurous ambitions so I decided to take off.  I landed in Sydney after traveling a little over 10,000 miles or, for the rest of the world, 16,000 kilometers from my home land.  We were met by our study abroad advisers and hopped on a bus to the camp ground we were staying at for our "Australian Orientation".  Pictured below are two shots where we were staying.  The first one is a photo taken from atop of a hill near by the dorm and the bottom is the view I had from my backdoor patio. 

    Over the course of three days, I managed to only know around six to eight names of the forty or so people attending the orientation.  Listen, they didn't play any name games and that's where I thrive.  Notwithstanding, I had a lot of fun over those few days.  We all received these pre-paid Noika cellphones to use during our stay here that were easily made in 2002 .  Best features: a flashlight, a converter from the American system to the metric system, and everyone's favorite game Snake.  Not to mention the battery life last for about five days.
   The first full day we were there, it was filled with exotic animals at the Zoo and touring the beautiful city of Sydney.  I don't remember the last time I went to the Zoo but it's a great place, filled with all things that can kill me if I caught them out in the wild.  The kangaroos were pretty hilarious because they all seemed doped up and the photo of the gorilla only strengthens the evolution theory.

    After, the zoo we took a ferry into the city of Sydney where I met this guy.

     Great guy.  We toured the city for a few hours but I became thirsty as did my fellow companions.  We asked a local on the street where the closest bar was to have our first beer in Australia and for many of my amigos, it was their first legal beer.  We wandered for much longer than we should have and I must add we were strictly forbidden to drink any alcohol during this orientation (probably the softest thing I've heard).  To our surprise, we found this gem:

     During the last full day, we went surfing for the majority of it and it was a blast.  I found it quite difficult and only able to stand up twice but I do plan on trying to surf more in Hull because up in Townsville, there is no surf due to the Great Barrier Reef. I guess you trade tit for tat. I was able to call my friend Trevor Jones and Tommy Kimball who were making their long expedition along the coast of Australia lasting nearly a month!  They rented a ridiculous van and started driving from North of Cairns all the way to Sydney.  Little hope existed for us to rendez-vous due to the lack of internet usage at my orientation but because I called home and asked my mom to check my e-mail, I was able see them.
    What an incredible story, three roommates end up in Australia and happen to be in the same place at the same time.  I highly doubt that my study abroad advisers would of allowed me to see my two friends from Colby so I did what any sane American would do: gave my roommate a cover story and took off at the drop of a hat.

     We went to a fancy hotel bar where we had a few beers over their colorful adventures in our new country.  Pretty jealous of what they have experienced in Australia because they had wild stories that are not permissible to be read on this viewer friendly blog.  For dinner, we went to a Thai restaurant in search of some PAD THAI.  A Colby favorite is to eat our weight in pad thai from the infamous Pad Thai 2 located in Waterville.  You wouldn't think that Maine would have the best pad thai but it does.  Believe me, it does.  Our meals were tasty but still short of Pad Thai 2 yet given the proximity of the two countries, I'm sure I can find a place up to par . Tommy and Trevor planned on staying in their ghetto van one last night before the end of their hippie traveling days  and get started on their own orientations however, they did not know that I had an extra bunk bed ready to roll for them back in my room.  I informed my roommate that I had two hippies on their way to stay with us and then proceeded to sneak them in.  They were gone as soon as the sun rose and a few hours later I hopped on a plane to Townsville. And once I walked off that plane,  I will never forget the humidity and heat that slapped me in the face.  Not as welcoming as the air in Sydney.  I guess play time's over. 

Clear eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

Cheers,
Alex

First Post and Hopefully Not Last Post

Dear Readers,

        Today, I started my first blog.  Pretty impressive I'd have to say.  I've been in Australia for about a month now and I figured if I hadn't started to write one in the first two weeks, my blogging would cease to exist.  Then, I surprised myself and you the viewers by signing up for yet another Google product.  You're welcome Google you crazy S.O.B. Anyways, maybe more than a week ago, Julia Ingoldsby began to inquire when I was going to finally start one and I gave her a classic vague answer any procrastinator would give to buy some time and that was: "soon".  She asserted she was not going to ask again with hopes of me taking the initiative with her last straw bout.  Little did she know that I have a full list of tasks to accomplish that I told myself I would start "soon" but similar to the blog, those tasks were unfinished or better yet, never started.  Some of these tasks I should have finished the first few days like "Figure out Financials" or "Get Card for Health Insurance" and there are also tasks on there that I'm likely never to do i.e "Buy Textbooks" (sorry mom). Today, I decided to be motivated and I started this blog.  It's more complicated than you think because they provide you with so many options for every setting possible that I actually became sidetracked setting up both a Flickr account and yet another google service- Picasa.  Both are sweet and I suggest either option if you need to organize your photos.

      Starting a blog a month into my expedition is bit of a disadvantage but I'll do my best to remember the highlights.  I decided to stay at my friend Tory Lam's apartment in Boston because my mother would not have to drive me all the way to the airport at 6 a.m and it would have been an easy trip for me in the morning or so I thought.  Eugene, Steve, Tory, James Chin, and I ended up getting hammered into the late hours of the night and before I realized it was 2 a.m.  Tory, being the kind soul he is, offered his 8x6 jail cell of a room to sleep in being the most comfortable sleeping situation.  I couldn't fall asleep because Steve, in his drunken stupor, could not navigate his girlfriend to Tory's house to pick him up.  He started to state the most ridiculous and humorous things that I've since forgotten but after he left, sure enough I caught some shut eye. I thought I was in a nightmare of pain when I finally became aware that Tory's crazy ass alarm clock was going off.  I leaped out of bed in a drunken haze with sheer animosity towards life and turned off the damn alarm clock.  He configured an alarm clock that has a vibrating attachment under his pillow coupled with a screeching noise to ensure his arise out of bed.  I don't understand why Tory needs such a thunderous wake up but no one knows why Tory can't pee without sitting down at age 20.

     I arrived at the Logan, said goodbye to my friends, and away I went into the airport --one of the craziest places.  I walked around hung over and unsure of most decisions I needed to make to board the airplane to L.A.X.  Tory dropped me off at around 5:30 for a flight at 7:15.  He wanted to make sure I wasn't going to miss my plane, God bless his soul, but I had to wait around for so damn long.  Boarding my first plane with Caroline Maguire (a fellow Colby Mule), I was a bit anxious being my first commercial flight and all.  The first feeling off taking lift off the ground is a monumental experience and it's particularly breathtaking.  Don't worry, I had my vomit back ready to roll if that were the circumstance but I was intrigued by flight, almost as a little kid would be.  People take for granted what we have discovered as a human race in the science of flight (thank you Wright brothers).  It is an enormous flying boat in the sky with hundreds of people on it.  Are you kidding me? Incredible stuff.   I touched down in L.A.X and the landing is the more terrifying part because the whole time I am thinking he's going to ride this puppy right into the side of building or another plane.  I discussed with my friend Peter Hortaridis, who lives in Hollywood, that I would visit him given my 13 hour lay-over at the airport.  I took the Metro from L.A.X all the way until Western Hollywood and let me just tell you there are some tough neighborhoods in L.A and saw some hood thugs out there hustling hard.  Some neighborhoods seemed to be in a regressive state but then one stop, the doors opened and there was the Staples Center.  Once I made it to Pete's apt., it was nice seeing how a Hull Kid lives out in Cali.  He is doing well and has great ambition, an admirable feature in any person.  We dined at some fast food place straight out of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and later, we went up the hills of Hollywood and saw the city from a nice peak.  At nightfall, I wished him the best but I needed to catch my flight to my new country for the next four months.  I boarded the plane and sat next to fellow Americans making their voyage to a new home.  We departed L.A.X on Feb. 5th at 11:45 p.m and reached Sydney on the 7th at about 9:30 a.m. We jumped into the FUTURE and I lost a whole day basically.  The flight took about 15 hours and my body started to deteriorate on the inside from all the airplane food.  The quiche was surprisingly tasty but couldn't say the same for the bourbon and Canada dry I ordered at like 3:00 a.m to go with it.  When we stepped off the plane, and I felt the warmth of Aussieland.  Something I will never forget.

Your destiny is in your hands.


Til next time,
Alex Chase