Andrew Meades' Australian Adventure

GTA Gum Removal

2010-08-25T12:08:00.003+10:00

If anyone is looking for gum removal, please head to our website or give me a call at 647-801-5783.

We were on City TV! Check out the video!

http://citynews.video.citytv.com/video/594266224001/Machine-Removes-Gum-From-Sidewalk/

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T03:56:00.001+11:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope your holidays are a blast!

Andrew

Prospective SWAPPERS

2009-11-19T04:21:00.000+11:00

So I am back from my working holiday down under. For all of you considering whether to apply for SWAP, or just considering going to Australia in general, here is a little advice for you.

Firstly, SWAP = IEP (International Exchange Program) in Australia. IEP has two offices, one in Melbourne, one in Sydney. Both are filled with people there to help out travelers while they are down under. Check out their website here. It's not the best looking, but once you can log in as a member, you get access to helpful info and links; applying for an Aussie bank account, phones, etc, can be found there. Also, there is a forum where you can arrange meetings with other IEPers, which leads me to my next point.

Don't be afraid to go alone. I headed to Australia on my own. Making new friends there is one of the easiest things you will do. Unless you are really awkward, or socially dysfunctional, you'll meet lots of people in no time. Travellers want to meet other travellers, simple as that. You'll meet people from all over the world, and it will blow your mind. :P

Be prepared. Your already doing the research if your reading this, so good on ya mate. Keep it up. It's best to go with a general plan in mind of what you want to do when you're there. It can be a little overwhelming awesome once you arrive, so knowing what you need to get done helps. I can't really say much on this since I'm not the best to sticking to a plan myself, but it does help if you've got one.

Book your Greyhound buses online, and more than 24 hours in advance. Travelling by Greyhound buses is a great way to go. The network they have there is awesome; you can access the entire country! Just make sure to book online, as I once booked a bus over the phone for myself and my friend, and the guy screwed up and only booked my friend on the bus. So, not being on the list, I had to wait and see if there was enough seats on a bus I couldn't afford to miss because of my schedule. It was brutal. There ended up being 1 spot left, and 2 people who needed it (the other person had had the same mistake). We both managed to get on though, so all was well. Book well enough in advance as well; not being on the list sucks.

Watch out for GOON. What is goon you ask? It is cheap boxed wine. Dirt cheap. $10-15 for a 4L box cheap. We don't really have goon here in Ontario (probably Canada as well) like they do. It's what the Aussies grow up drinking, so they are well aware of it. Basically, you can get really really drunk for little money. You'll turn to it when your budget demands, I'm sure. Just be careful. It has very little taste and takes awhile to hit you, so you are warned. My first experience with it was an absolute nightmare. I've got a post about it somewhere on here, but I'm not proud of it so I won't link.

Learn how to surf. Just do it. That is the thing that I am most proud of now that I'm back; give me a board and some nice waves and I'll rip it up. I tell everyone, and everyone is jealous.

Umm, what else?

Have fun. You're going to have the time of your life. Meet new people. Try things that scare you. Take a million pictures. Remember forever. (Something like this blog helps)

Wanna see what fun you can have? Check out these posts. Here are some of the really cool things I did while down there. My trip sorta got cut short (poor financial managment and my lil bro became sick) but I still loved every minute of it. I am still working on posts for the ladder half of my trip, but so far the really cool ones are:

Self-drive Camping on Fraser Island.
An orientation at Rainbow beach before heading out camping...
Awesome Fraser Island Camping Day 1
Awesome Fraser Island Camping Day 2
Awesome Fraser Island Camping Day 3 (almost done)

The hour I spent in Noosa when it wasn't raining.
Oh Noosa you could have been so wonderful...

Surfers Paradise.
Surfers paradise really looks like a surfers paradise...

Surf camp at Spot X
Spot X Surf camp and whats going on in Byron Bay...

How I felt on my first day.
Day 1 - Here.

I lived in Sydney for 5 months. Here are some of the places/things you should check out if you can.
Watson's Bay
Watch a Sydney Swans game
Sydney Botanical Gardens
NYE in Sydney
Blue Mountains and the Jenolean Caves (just learnt facebook public links can expire)
Videos from the mountains/caves

Well I hope this helps a bit if you're trying to decide. I wish you all the best of luck, and safe travels. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I was in the same position and I don't mind trying to help :)

Cheers mate,

Andrew Meades

Google Wave - Google's newest way to communicate...

2009-09-30T11:39:00.002+10:00

Hey all who come here, I would like to show you Google Wave; it's basically Google's answer to 'What would it be like if email was invented now?'. It's a simple to use program combining Email + Social Networking + Instant Messaging. This can help you share your traveling experience easier!

Watch the first 20 mins for a demonstration.

Just of the top of my head, some things that this could have helped me, and can help you, when blogging or communicating abroad.

1. It makes sharing pictures between people much easier. No more browsing 4 different facebook albums.

2. Posting about your experience becomes simpler too with the Bloggy add-on.

3. Also, you can get proper feedback from people who see the blog, answer questions right on the page and so everyone can see them.

4. There are add-ons for Video/Audio chats, so if everyone get this (which I hope they do when its released) it's easy to communicate. I had to go around and get all my friends and family to download Skype so I could video chat with them, and they were rarely ever signed on.

Those are just a couple off the top of my head. I hope as a future or current traveler you can appreciate how this will make sharing your travels with everyone easier.

It's not out just yet but they are giving out 100,000 invites tomorrow for the public to try. You'll probably have to wait until all the bugs are cleaned out, but that's okay!

Hope all is well,

Any questions feel free to ask,

Andrew

New Beer Trick

2009-09-21T04:01:00.003+10:00

This weekend I invented a new way to open a beer with some buddies. It involves a golf club + bottle opener + a beer. Check it out! Obviously the one smashing the beer is me. I'm not the best at golf...

How To Open A Beer - Watch more Funny Videos

Awesome Fraser Island camping Day 2

2009-06-18T03:07:00.022+10:00

The rising sun woke all of us up nice and early. Some of us were a little hungover, the rest, like myself, were doing just fine. Once up, it was time to pack everything and get breakfast cooking. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs with tomato and onion with bread (there was no real easy way make toast). The rest of the groups we had camped with were ahead of us leaving, but we took our time and made sure to get a nice meal in. Apparently, one of the groups left their food outside and had most of it taken by several dingos (which we never saw). Sucked to be them :P

Breakfast was delicious. Mmm.

We left and headed back South down the island. The itinerary suggested that we head back to town, stock up on ice, and then continue to Lake Mackenzie, which is what we planned to do. On our way back down we hit a traffic jam. There was a huge line-up of cars waiting to access a one lane route around rocks on the beach. Someone told us that a truck had gotten stuck and was waiting to be towed and everyone was waiting on that.

So what were we to do? Instead of waiting in line, we backtracked a few minutes to a place called Eli Creek, a beautiful fresh water creek, and planned to play there a bit and wait for the line-up to dissolve. Eli Creek was sweet! A group of us walked to the beginning of it and swam down. I loved it!!! The water was crystal clear and you look beside and see small fish swimming along with you.

You would often see planes fly by and some would land right on the beach.

After we were done, it was time to see how the line was doing. Unfortunately, it had not lessened at all. In fact, it was slightly larger than when we left it. Shitty. There were lots of trucks hauling 25ft+ boats from a fishing competition that was being held on the island. It had ended I guess, and everyone was in a rush to get home. Watching a truck pull its massive boat up some the tracks was wild as they grew quite steep and rocky at times.

Anyways, so here we were stuck in massive line-ups waiting to get past the 3 rock by-passes so we could get to the small town on the island. At one point everyone in the back jumped out to walk along the beach, which was faster than the truck was headed.

It ended costing us about 2 hours to get through it all, but we persevered. We made it to the town, stocked up on ice, and met the 3 other groups we'd left with. Along the wait, C.J. heard from another driver that a big storm was on its way and that we should camp inland tonight. We made plans for that and decided to use the campsite close to Lake Mackenzie, which would let us spend the most time possible at what we'd heard was an amazing place. We let the other groups know that's what our plans were, headed out of town to a water tap, and passed them all again on our way to Lake Mackenzie. We literally drove past them all without stopping figuring that we'd all meet up again at Lake Mack.

That didn't happen... Take note for tomorrow.

We trucked it up to the campsite, only to find out it was closed. Fuck.

Check out the fences they use to keep away the dingos. Pretty intense. The cables along the ground are electrified.

I found this massive tree here when we stopped to figure what to do next.

What were we to do? The closed sign suggested some other campsites, so we decided on the closest one, Lake Boomanjin, but since it was much further South, we headed to the lake first.

Even with the crappy on and off rain, and the little sun, it was still absolutely beautiful.

Swimming in Lake Mackenzie was one of the coolest things I did while Australia.

Check it out:

Even with the clouds, still was great.

When I got there I immediately noticed a stretch of light blue water, which then sharply darkens. That boundary line in where the lake suddenly dropped much deeper.

Look at me, I'm having fun!

Luckily, C.J. had a waterproof digital camera so he was able to take some underwater photos.

Here I am diving down to grab some of the bottom.

Here is a picture of the group of us in Lake Mackenzie.

I dove down pretty deep and took this shot of C.J., Ashley, and Connor.

Lack Mackenzie is the clearest lake I have ever seen. Swimming in this lake was wonderful. You can see people at distances away that you wouldn't think possible underwater. I tasted a bit of the water to see if it was salty at all. It. Even. Tasted. Good. Take that as a measure of just how wickedly awesome this place was.

Here I was happy we'd had lots of fun there; we made plans to come back tomorrow.

We were all reluctant to leave when it came time. And seeing as time was of the essence (we were not supposed to drive at night), we needed to head out to make sure we had plenty to set up camp. Our first stop was Lake Boomanjin, a campsite about an hour South of Lake Mack. Once we got there, none of us liked the look of it. There were already about 8 trucks there, none of which were yellow tops. Interesting.

We were having lots of fun during the trip though.

I went for the retard face unlike everyone else...

Onward we went. Dilli Village was about 40 minutes to the Southeast. It was a fun and quite bumpy ride to get there, but we all had plenty of drinks to pass the time with. Poor C.J., I think he was the only completely sober one at this point, but that is the sacrifice he made being the driver. He made up for it later in the night, no worries.

We arrived at the campsite, but first drove a bit to check and see if camping at the beach was a viable option. It wasn't. The tide had come in, and it would have been impossible to get to the beach site, short of a trip as it was. It was starting to get dark at this point, and we looked to see how we would camp here. Dilli Village, we learnt, was one of the few campgrounds that you have to pay to camp there. $10 each to camp for the night. Fuck that.

So back to Lake Boomanjin campground it was. At this point were driving in the dark, which was no big deal, it was more of the fact that we'd wasted time getting here and our asses were getting a little sore that was annoying.

The goon began flowing...

Needless to say we made it safe and sound (and a little more inebriated) back to Boomanjin. By now there were, I'd say, 15 trucks there, and finding a spot to pitch our tents wasn't the easiest.

It was here where we all worked beautifully as a group. Some went off to set up the tents, others began preparing our dinner, which was vegetable stir-fry. Another delicious meal. It was supposed to have chicken as well, but the chicken bag had popped in our cooler. Thankfully most of the other food in there was properly sealed. We got everything done quickly and efficiently. Great job!

And after eating it was party time!

There were plenty of other people to meet, and since we had our truck's music blaring, lots of other campers came to visit us. We were party central, and we all partied by truck for the night. The goon had been flowing freely for awhile already, and it continued. At one point, the rain turned on heavily so the party moved to the back of the truck. It soon stopped, and we all slowly began to pass out. There was a small storm in the middle of the night I remember waking up to, our tent managed to stay dry.

It was a great day followed by a great night.

Andre\/\/ /\/\eades

***The next day we ran into a big surprise. Make sure to check it out.

My last day in Australia...

2009-06-07T14:27:00.002+10:00

So this is it, my final day here in Oz. I don't know how I feel really. Wait. That's a lie, I do actually. It's a mixed feeling. I am sad to say goodbye to Australia, a country that has treated me so well. One that has helped me learn more of who I am. Helped me understand more of this world and of its people. But I am also happy. Happy to head back home and see faces that I have missed, and to a place where I grew up; one that is forever familiar.

What sort of things am I doing as a final goodbye? Nothing really. I ate an Ogalo chicken burger, a chain here in Sydney that I like. Other than that, nothing. I lived in Sydney for 5 months. I've done the city. Now, all that's left is my arrival back.

Back to home. Back to family and friends. Back to pennies. Back to my car, dog, cat and a new puppy. Back to work. Back to where I was before I left.

It wont be the same though.

Things have changed. I have changed. Changed, so that even though I will be heading back to where I was before, it wont feel the same. Home will never be the same. My view of where I came from will be different. I have seen some of what this world has to offer and will automatically compare that to home. Don't get me wrong, home is still home, just not like it was before. The same way you change once you head off to university and come back. That same change, only a greater one. And this change is exactly what I was looking for, and needed, so I am glad.

Now, the next step for me is to figure out what I am doing with the rest of my life. Too easy :)

Good bye Australia. I love you and will miss you.

Andrew Hamilton Meades

** I am still working on the rest of the posts but will not be able to post them for a few days, so hang with me till then **

Awesome Fraser Island camping Day 1

2009-06-05T15:31:00.009+10:00

Everyone was up bright and early to check out, store our bags, and have our morning orientation before we left. In the orientation we checked our camping equipment, checked the vehicle, and went over the suggested itinerary. We packed up the trucks, got everyone settled, and then the journey began!

We journeyed to the barge which would take us to the island. Just after we got off the barge is where I saw the first and only dingo of the trip. Which was strange we didn't see any because the island is supposedly full of them. He was just standing on the beach looking at the passing convoy of vehicles. Not everyone in our group saw him, but we all expected to see some more. Such is life though.

Our first leg of the trip was to drive the entire length of the island, all the way to a place called Indian head. Driving the entire island only takes about 3 hours, so that is what we did. The weather was nice and sunny for us, and we were all pumped and ready for camping.

Indian Head was beautiful and offered an amazing view of Fraser.

Check out Damien's awesome pose.

We climbed along the rocks and then Damien, Ashley, CJ and I climbed all the way to the top which had an amazing view of Fraser.

Luckily there were a couple other people at the top to help take some pictures for us.

I took these panoramic shots:

We then climbed down and had our lunch. The other groups that we left with had arrived as well.

Then it was time to leave. The tide was slowly starting to come in so we had to be careful driving back along the beach as big waves would come every now and then. Several times the truck would get soaked when we couldn't avoid the waves. Great fun :) Our next stop was back along the beach to the ship wreckage we had passed earlier. It is a mystery how this ship ended up here, but great for tourist photos nonetheless.

We took a nice group photo here as well.

Then it was time to stop at the campsite on the beach for the night. We all set up our tents and camping equipment. There were about 7 trucks at the site, all of which were 'yellow tops' and were part of Dingo's hostel camping adventure.

This shot gives you and idea of how close to the beach we camped.

As you can probably guess, a big party was slowly beginning to form. But before we started all the drinking games, we watched the sunset along the beach, and cooked our dinner. It was STEAK! And it was delicious.

C.J and I. Yes, I'm wearing a head lamp. Thanks for that Auntie Sally, it was very useful!

After dinner, Ashley, CJ, Damien and I went to the beach to do the dishes and almost died. Seriously (not really). The tide was in, and we were trying to wash dishes, when 2 huge waves came. The first soaked us up to the hips, and the second up to our necks. It was insane. None of us even saw the wave coming. We were incredibly lucky that we only lost a little frying pan as we have to pay for everything we didn't come back with. I was holding the big frying pan and refused to let go of it even as I was being dragged along the sand back out to the water. It was brutal, I ate lots of sand. Ashley's camera got soaked, my one and only sweater as well. We learned the hard way why you have to be careful along the beach when the tides in.

But that little incident didn't stop the party. No way! We played some drinking games, met other campers, and had wicked fun all night. After which, everyone passed out in our tents looking forward to the next day ahead of us.

Stay tuned for Day 2 of the trip. It involves a trip to Lake Mackenzie, a beautiful freshwater lake on the island with the clearest water I've ever seen.

[Andrew Meades]

All set to head back!

2009-06-04T11:46:00.002+10:00

I have finally got my flight and everything arranged! I fly from Sydney to Auckland to LA, will have to stay over one night in LA, then fly to Chicago and finally Toronto. I will arrive in TO around 11pm on the 9th!

Now I have a couple days left to kill here in Sydney. I am going to work on all the blog posts I am missing. I have: Fraser, 1770, Airlie Beach, and Sailing the Whitsunday Islands, I still need to post about. So, I will work on those while waiting for my departure, will include lots of pictures. The facebook albums and the videos I have taken will have to wait till I am home before I can upload as it takes too long here to do.

But yeah.
Get ready for me... I'm coming home :)

AdnreW MeedaS

I'm heading home...

2009-06-03T10:15:00.002+10:00

Yeah it's true. I'm just in the middle of trying to organize my flight back to Toronto, but I am back in Sydney now. Yesterday I flew from Whitsundays back here with intentions of catching the next flight to Toronto as soon as I can.

Why am I heading back? Necessity. First, I have run out of money, which really limits what you can and cannot do. Secondly, my little brother is sick again, so I would like to head back and visit him as soon as I can.

What sucks is trying to organize my flight back. With the open ended ticket I have it makes it really hard due to limitations. I'm sure if you booked early it wouldnt be a problem, but since I am doing it in a rush it is.

I will post an update soon, I just need to make some phone calls.

:)

ANdrew

An orientation at Rainbow beach before heading out camping...

2009-05-28T09:39:00.000+10:00

With the company we booked our Fraser Camping trip with, they require that you have an orientation before you head out camping. The camping we did, was a self-drive of the island with 11 people. Damien and I were in the same group, along with Ashley, who we met from Noosa. The others included: CJ, American who lives in Hawaii, a couple Connor and Dawn from Ireland, Paulo, Daniela, and Guilia, three friends from Italy, and two other Canadian girls.

The orientation was basic. It included a movie from the government of Australia about saftey tips which mostly contained bad advice. The staff then gave us a run down on our food, real saftey tips, a suggested outline, and alcohol order forms. We got to meet everyone from our group for the first time. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't sure how well our group was going to get along. I had a feeling that each would stay in their own little click, especially when later that night only Damien, Ashley, CJ, and I ended up having drinks with each other.

The next morning we were up at 7 to check out of the hostel, and have another orientation with the vehicles and camping equipment.

Here is a picture of us all infront of the truck.

I'm going to leave it there for now. It was a wild trip and I want to make sure I get all the details in order and go through the 784 pictures we all took to find the best ones to post.

Just as a teaser here is a nice one.

Yes, that is a shipwreck in the sunset.

Will post tomorrow, so make sure to come back and check.

AndrewMeades

Oh Noosa, you could have been so wonderful...

2009-05-26T16:43:00.003+10:00

The bad weather started in Noosa hours before we arrived. It just poured rain. And with all that rain, there is not much to do there. It sucks because I have a friend who stayed there for 3 weeks he loved it so much.

Well the first day we arrived we were put into the crappiest room in the hostel and the tiniest room we have stayed to date. Other than that, the people staying there were fun. I met Ashely, from Alaska, and a fun couple from the UK. It turned out that Ashley was on the same schedule as Damien and I for the most part.

Time was passed watching movies and tv shows. I was thankful I'd hauled around my external HD whilst here. And when time wasn't being spent watching movies, it was passed by either drinking or playing cards. I taught everyone how to play crazy 8's, a game that I hadn't even played for the longest time, and we stayed up late playing that. It was good fun.

There was one sunny peroid and when it hit, Damien, Ashley and I grabbed our suits and quickly made it to the beach. Since the weather had been terrible, the surf was huge and I imagine, quite dangerous if you didn't have lifeguards on guard.

Here is a picture of the beach in Noosa.

Here's Ashley and I out getting crushed by some of the big waves. I actually had one curl over my head and toss me like a rag doll. Fun :)

These birds would follow the wave in, and then run away as the wave came back out. It was funny to watch.

Ashley with the big waves in the background.

I caught a little crabbie on the walk back.

We stayed at Dolphins hostel in Noosa.

Damien chillin on the chair. We spent a long while on those when it was pouring.

Our tiny room faced the outside and had a glass front.

It also leaked, but thankfully didn't get any of my stuff wrecked.

Anyways, we made the best of our stay in Noosa that we could have. I couldn't get any surfin in which sucked, but that is how life goes sometimes. Our next stop was Rainbow beach for a night.

N Drew M e a d e s

Clubbin in Brisbane and dreaming of shopping...

2009-05-26T16:29:00.005+10:00

I have spent 3 nights in Brisbane. I stayed at Base Hostel which was a good choice.

While in Brisbane we didn't really do much to be honest. The first day we got here we just walked around the city and got oriented a bit. Went out to a club called Bank in the valley, I enjoyed it. The second day Damien and I went for a walk in the Botanical Gardens in the city. We were looking for this bridge that we saw in a picture of Brisbane, walked around for a bit only to realize that it was the frist bridge we saw, and thought it not that. We even asked some locals, who didn't know what we were talking about, their response was 'what do you expect, it's Brisbane.' Appearently there is not much else to do here but club and shop.

One problem though, I don't have any spare money to spend, or even room in my pack for that matter, so that is out of the question.

Check out this fat guy trying to get on a tiny boat. Hehe, I like having a large zoom on my camera.

This is the bridge we were trying to find but had already found.

The roots near the river? stuck out of the ground which looked creepy.

On the second night, after going out again to the Valley, the fire alarm went off at 5:30 am. I woke up dazed (not drunk) to the smell of smoke. For a split second I thought this might actually be a real fire and not just a false alarm. I still took my sweet ass time leaving the building though; I went to the bathroom and grabbed my iPod before leaving. It was a false alarm, they first made an announcement stating that and telling everyone to go back to bed. Two seconds later we were told that we had to evacuate the building.

What really happened I'm not sure. I overheard someone saying that the smoke came from the bar in the basement, but we weren't given any real answers. The whole ordeal reminded me of first year university, and the handful of times some drunken kid would pull the fire alarm in the residences. Only, this time I wouldn't have an exam to write the next day :)

We got a new puppy back home! I didn't even realize that when I skyped but here is a picture of my brother showing her to me.

She makes me want to rush home and see her :(

*** This is a little old info considering I have done half of it already, but I'll keep it here.***

We have the next 2 weeks booked now! The plan goes as such: 3 nights in Noosa, 1 night in Rainbow Beach for orientation to the Self-Drive of Fraser Island, 2 nights on Fraser camping, 1 more night back in Rainbow.

Then, off to the last surfing spot before the Great Barrier Reef ruins the surf with it's awesomeness. We are spending a night at a small town called 1770. I plan on getting a great last day of surfing in there.

After 1770, we are heading to Airlie Beach for a night, then we sail off from Airlie for 2 nights in the Whitsunday Islands. Picture this, a nice sea vessel with 25 or so backpackers just sailing around visiting beaches, swimming and diving. I am going to have my first scuba dive off of the boat. I can't wait, it is going to be unreal.

Then back to Airlie beach, and that is where our planning ends. Most likely, after Airlie will be Magnetic Island, Mission beach, and then our final stop, Cairns!

ANDREW MEADES RULES

1770 to Airlie tonight

2009-05-26T14:51:00.002+10:00

Hey,

I'm just going to start typing up some blog posts from Brisbane, Noosa, Fraser... etc
So you will get some new info soon, and pictures!

The internet here in 1770 is terrible, so hopefully tomorrow in Airlie it will be better. I'll find a way to upload some pics somehow.

After tomorrow, I embark on my Whitsundays sailing trip. I am on a boat called Matador, and while on it I hope to have my first scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef.

I'll take lots of pictures there as well.

I spent the morning here in 1770 surfing it up. I grabbed a 6'4" board and was able to ride it nicely, which I'm proud of as it means I know what I'm doing now. :)

I'm a see if I can make some Skype calls tomorrow. I wanna see the new puppy again!!! Oh and my family too...

Tonight I am on the overnight bus to Airlie beach. It's a 10 hour trip, and I hope it's not too full so I can get a nice sleep in.

Well chat soon,

Andre(w) Meade(s)

P.S. I have started texting to twitter more often, so if you want a better up to date of whats going on, add me, or check the widget on the blog.

Peace

Back from camping...

2009-05-24T17:51:00.002+10:00

Hello all,

I just got back from camping at Fraser Island. Wow. Unbelieveable. There were 11 of us doing a self-drive adventure and it was increadible fun. I will post some of the 800+ pictures that were taken sometime tomorrow.

I'm on the bus tomorrow to go to 1770 where I am going to stay for a day of surfing, then its on to Arlie beach for sailing in Whitsundays.

Keep it real,

Andrw

Stuck in Noosa and it's boring when its raining.....

2009-05-20T10:11:00.002+10:00

Yeah it is. Seriously. It has been raining since we got here. Internets is expensive at the hostel so I might try and find some free one later. But yeah, Noosa has beautiful beaches, just not when the forecast calls for rain till Saturday.

Hopefully at least, the rain stops before we start our Fraser Island camping. As much as I waking to the sound of rain on a tent, it sucks when everything is soaking wet.

I'll post pic and info about Brisbane when I get the chance.

I wanna go surfing :(

Surfers Paradise really looks like a surfers paradise...

2009-05-17T11:57:00.006+10:00

We were only in Surfers Paradise for a short stay. Damien and I arrived on Wed afternoon and left Friday morning. That's not that much time to get to know one of Australia's most popular travel destinations to be honest, be we got the gist. The first night we did a pub crawl still with friends made back at the surf camp. That was fun. There were just over 100 of us club hopping and partying together.

The next day was a good ole beach day. No surfing though :( I absolutely love seeing the skyscrapers in the background of the beach. Part of me wishes we would spend more time here because the beach is great, but since this is such a commmercial area, it ain't cheap, and I don't really want to go to any of the theme parks here to be honest so it's better to move on.

Oh some advice - Don't stay at the YHA here in Surfers. It is too far from the city centre. Seriously. We did get a free shuttle to take us from the bus stop to the hostel, but there are only 4 shuttles a day, the latest being at 5:20 pm. The city buses back to the hostel stop at 11:20 pm, so after the crawl, I had to take a taxi back. Shitty. That was a waste of $15, but I really didn't feel like walking the 40 minutes. I wasn't in bad shape Mum, don't worry. So yeah, if you're reading this, heed my advice and do not stay at the YHA in Surfers Paradise for that reason alone. It is clean and a nice hostel, but just has a terrible location.

At least Damien and I have learned to do a little research before we book our hostels now. Our planning is getting better too. So far on our trip all we have really done is go to beaches, surf, and get drunk in different places. As glorious as that sounds, it has gotten boring. It is time to start seeing some sights (alliteration FTW), and doing more then just going out and partying. We are also going to get our Fraser Island and Whitsundays tours booked. I will update on that when we do finally do it.

Next stop is Brisbane.

The first day we arrive was a mix of cloud and sun. This is me and some random surfer. She wasn't that bad...

I really like the horizon. Hmm I have a better picture of this...

Next Day

Walking the walk.

Just a nice shot of one of the lifeguard towers.

Damien soakin' up some rays. With sunscreen of course :)

Grrr. As I was writing this post I hear though my window some drunken retards walking by saying "Fuck Canadians" blah blah something about a 2 dollar bill. I'm pretty sure they were American by their accent, but it is not fair for me to guess without knowing for certain. It doesn't really matter though, all counties have idiots.

Anyways, the movie Into The Wild is was playing in the common area, I ~~am going to go~~ went and continued to watch it.

Bye for now,

Andrew Meades, eh?

Byron was fun... in Surfers Paradise now...

2009-05-13T16:08:00.004+10:00

Another post to show that I am still alive. I don't have much time right now so I'll just give you a quickie with a better post tomorrow. We headed to the Byron after the surf camp. It is a small little party town with several great beaches. The group of us were there for 5 nights. We had a couple beach days, one where we rented boards and surfed all day; that was an amazing day. Here is a picture of me catching the wave. I'm getting pretty good if I can so myself.

Here is the group of us, all surfers fresh out of surf camp.

One of the days it was crappy on and off raining. We tried to go to the beach only to have it start pouring. Then we tried to do the light house climb, it's supposed to be very beautiful, only to have it start raining again. So, Mike, Lisa, and I went and saw the movie Star Trek, which was surprisingly not nerdy at all and an entertaining movie.

The next day Damien and I had our surf lesson. Wow, that was brutal. The swell was 10.5 feet meaning that some waves were even bigger. It was brutal trying to surf them. Getting out 'the back', meaning behind where the waves break, took all your energy. I felt bad for the people who were there trying to learn for the first time. We went to 7 mile beach just below Byron because Mojosurf didn't have permission to teach surf on Main Beach in Byron. I did manage to catch a couple waves, but the effort in that outweighed the thrill. Compared to the surf at the camp or at Main beach it was insane.

Right now I am in Surfers. I like it here, the city looks clean and beautiful. I like how the skyscrapers are right behind the beach. I will post some photos of the city after I take some good ones tomorrow. Tonight, the group of us are doing a pub crawl, which is a really good way to check out the night life here for cheap. There are going to be over 100 of us doing this to its sure to get a little crazy. But hey, no rest for the wicked, or when you're traveling and on vacation.

I hope everyone is doing well. We'll talk soon. I have better internet here so that is great.

Cheers mate,

And
Mea
rew
des

Spot X Surf Camp and whats going on in Byron Bay

2009-05-10T17:41:00.007+10:00

We left on the Greyhound at 9 pm on the 5^th and drove for 8.5 hours. We arrived at the bus stop dark and early, and were waiting to be picked up by the Mojosurf van. I was brutally tired since I didn't manage to get much sleep on the bus, but here I am waiting. The guy was late to pick us up, we passed the time by making friends with two girls from Saskatchewan who got off the bus at the same time though.

The first day was raining and crappy. We went out at 9:30 and had our lesson. It was only

the four of us and the instructor which was great. I learnt the basics of how to stand up properly, and the correct footing positions. Most of the first lesson I already knew. I don't have any pictures from the first day due to the weather. No worries though.

We spent the rest of the day trying to find something to do and spent the night partying around the camp fire with the other people in the camp.

The following day was beautiful. Our lesson was at 7 am so we were up bright and early, with not too bad a hang over as we did go to sleep early due to tiredness. I did better on this day, managing to get up and stay up for longer on the waves. We learnt a little more advanced technique for getting up, but again, not much more than I already knew. The instructor's on this day sucked to be honest. They didn't really care if we were improving out there and spent lots of time goofing off in the waves. The sun was out all day though with no hint of clouds. Umm, I dont have any pictures of me actually surfing at the surf camp. They wanted you to purchase them for $30 or more, and I did not want to. The pictures weren't even good quality and most of the were silouetted from the sun.

After our lesson we went out to the beach to hang, our posse now consisting of Mike and Lisa, a couple from Manitoba, Ashlea, a girl from Florida, Andy, a guy from the UK who lives in Japan and of course, Damien and I. It is actually the same group here with us in Byron as we are all sorta on the same traveling schedule. Now I know you are dying to see what the camp looked like, so here:

I'll insert a movie when can.

And then some pictures from the beach:

Me lookin' cool

There were these little crabs making balls of sand all along the beach.

The photographer, some fisherman, and a random surfer. The beach had a huge tidal zone by the way

The beach did have great waves to learn on. And the surf was good every day regardless of the weather.

The next day was much of the same. Hung over wakenness, have breakfast, and a couple hours of surfing. The food was really good at the camp; I stuffed my face everyday. Damien and I actually left a day early to head to Byron Bay with all of the people we have met. Everyone else was leaving the camp that day so we did as well, which has turned out to have been a great decision. Here are some pictures from the second day:

We hung out and watched the sun set on the beach.

Damien, Ashlea, and Andy looking cool walking up the beach.

From the left: Me, Ashlea, John, Mike and Lisa.

Right now I am in Byron, sore, because we rented surfboards and were surfing all day today. Yesterday was a fun party night. Tonight is going to be a fun party night. Such is the life of a traveller it seems. We are meeting new people everyday which is great, adding more and more to our group. Our latest addition is our roommate, pronounced “yawn” I don't have the faintest idea how to spell it. He is from Switzerland, and can speak French with Damien.

I will post an update and some pictures of us surfing here in Byron soon.

A Meedz

Spot X surf camp goodness; Australia is full of Canadians...

2009-05-09T16:11:00.003+10:00

Hello all,

Just thought I would throw up a quick post to update. Surf camp was awesome! The first day we got there it was crappy weather, raining and such, we still went out and had our lessons in the rain as it doesn't affect the surf. The next two days were beautiful. Sunny and the surf was great. What did suck though was that our lessons were at 7am, meaning we had to get up just after 6 for breakfast before hand. And considering we spent the nights partying it up with everyone, the mornings were rough. Surfing though, is an amazing hangover cure.

Damien and I have met lots of people so far. Lots of Canadians to be honest. It is strange, it is sorta like you come to Australia to meet other Canadians ;) I've got Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and BC covered so far, and of course others who closer by me. Two of the people that worked at the surf camp lived near Toronto, one in Brampton, the other in Scarborough which is about 15 minutes away from home!

I have lots of pictures of the surf camp and will upload some tomorrow. A bunch of us have met up here in Byron Bay and are going to head to the famous Cheeky Monkey's bar tonight. Tomorrow will be a day of surfing on one of the many beaches here in Byron.

I just wanted to let you all know I am still alive, and that my surfing skillz have increased ten-fold. Life is awesome, never forget that :)

Great Canadian Surfer,

AndreW MeadeS

Happy Birthday Nanny!!!!

2009-05-06T07:00:00.000+10:00

I would just like to wish you a very happy birthday nanny. Thank you for all your help. You are the best!

Time to travel...

2009-05-05T11:36:00.002+10:00

Ahhh not having internet at the apartment the last few nights has left me feeling like a part of me is missing. My internet part. It's a bad addiction I know...

FINALLY, it is time for me to travel. I've dreamed of this day for too long, and now that it is upon me there is a strange feeling. As excited to bid Sydney farewell, I know that I am going to miss this city. I know I am going to miss having an apartment where I can just leave things around where I want; you cannot do that in a hostel, at least if you want to keep your things. But yes, it is time for a change.

First up: Surf camp at Spot X for 3 nights. Spot X is in a secret location 3 hours south of Byron Bay.
Then to Byron Bay for 3 nights.
Then it is to Brisbane I think, for a few nights.
That is as far as I have planned out right now. I like only having a week and a bit planned ahead, that way plans can change easily.

I'm a little hung-over today, I won't lie. I went out bowling with IEP and my friends last night. Had some fun, said some goodbyes. I will see my friends again though when I stop back in Sydney for my flight I'm sure.

Well, I need to go and finalize my packing and do my last minute preparations so I am going to go now. I will post at the surf camp if they have internet. Otherwise as soon as I get into Byron I will. So, my readers, I hope all is well for you for the next little while, and remember, never be afraid to head out into the unknown. Jump in feet first if you must, shake up your world a little when it gets too boring and mundane. I am. And I am going to have a life where I always will.

Bye for now,

ANDREW MEADES
is outta here :)

Farewell Sydney

2009-05-04T21:17:00.000+10:00

I am going to miss you.

5 months and I'd never been to Watson's Bay...

2009-05-01T20:19:00.010+10:00

At about 2 o'clock today I ventured out to Watson's bay, a part of Sydney I had never been to before. Not even that, I didn't even think of heading there to be honest. It was only when my friend Brian posted on Twitter that he just came back from trip there, that it donned on me to go. Even as late in the day that I did end up there, it was still beautiful and awe-inspiring. Such an incredible view of the city is gained from there. Don't believe me? Here are some pictures.

Also, I attempted to take some pictures of the birds there as well. That ain't easy. Kudos to professional bird photographers, they must have plenty of patience and a great eye.

I took bus 380 to get there from my apartment. It was about a 45 minute bus ride. When I first arrived, I stepped out looking at Watson's bay, and took this picture of the city between a couple trees.

You can see the city ferry coming in the bottom right. There is also a ferry port here.

I turned and continued up to Gap Park and took this video of my view.

No dogs allowed. $150 if you climb over the fence. I was tempted to at some points.

It's a shear cliff face that looks like its been made that way by human means. I'm sure to save us from it collapsing while on it.

I followed along the paths for about 10 minutes, listened to the birds chirping. I could have sworn I heard monkeys, I don't know why or how, but I did. I eventually came to the end of the line. Onwards was another park that I didn't have access to.

From there you could see the opening to Sydney Harbour.

Someone cut their name into this plant. BHJ 06-07, really wanted to be remembered but was too lazy to scratch it into the rock like everyone else. Sigh.

I then took this video of the view from one of the highest points. I didn't manage to capture a big splash at the end like I wanted.

A shot of the view.

I then headed down to the bus stop to catch my ride back home. The bus stop is not that far from the best viewpoint.

Then while waiting for the bus drivers break to end I went around trying to take some pictures of the colourful birds you see around here. I did manage this nice one.

Here is a map of the Bondi Explorer bus route. This is not the bus I took, though you can use the map to get the gist of where I was. As you can see, I am all the way out on the far point, #10, and I live right at #17.

And so yeah, that was my adventure for the day. I saw an area of Sydney I hadn't before and I am glad that I did. Next up before I leave, Maroubra Beach.

Here is the facebook album if you would like more pictures.

Have a great day/afternoon/night, where ever you may be.

ANDReW MEADeS

I'm blogging from Picasa

2009-04-30T20:06:00.000+10:00

Yeah I'm just testing out uploading my pictures straight from the Picasa program to see how they turn out. Picasa is an awesome picture manager. It is simple to use and allows for easy photo touch-ups.

Two Up on ANZAC Day, my departure approaches...

2009-04-26T16:52:00.003+10:00

Yesterday was fun. It was ANZAC Day, a national holiday, a day of remembrance for Australian and New Zealand soldiers. I watched a bit of the parade on television and then went for a stroll throughout the city to gauge its atmosphere. People were celebrating everywhere. Lots wore their military uniforms and gathered at popular pubs to have a drink or two.

I headed out to a pub with some friends as well. We played a game called Two up, which is basically where you bet whether two coins you toss are going to land both heads or tails, tossing again if it is one and one. People then place side bets after someone matches the centre bet. Strangely enough, this game is illegal every other day of the year, other than November 11th. I had fun playing it, though as it always seems, I have no luck. I was the 'spinner' a couple times, being that I got to toss the coins and tried to get them to land on what I had bet. The goal as the spinner is to get three tosses in a row to land either heads or tails. I never got past the first toss, nor did I win any money. But I had fun along with everyone playing it and got to participate in a cultural experience.

Today was nice and sunny - but cold. It was only about 20 degrees out and being in the sun wouldn't bring as much warmth as it used to. It's getting colder :( I am glad that I start traveling up the coast in 9 days! Up being the key word; closer to the equator, and therefore warmer. My last few days of work are this week. It turns out that I am going to have almost a week before I start traveling where I am not working either. I don't know what I am going to do with that time, other than the day or so it is going to take me to prepare to leave. Hmm, if anyone has any ideas please feel free to suggest. I hate being bored out of my mind.

aNdReW mEaDeS

Check out my FavIcon and isupportibd.ca

2009-04-25T01:18:00.005+10:00

Hey, I've made a favicon for the blog. It's simple but I think it adds some character. I might change it to something else or have an animated one there, but I sometimes find the animated ones annoying.

What do you think? The one I have now

Or

Or if you think you can make a better one here by all means feel free to link me one you have made. Go here to do it. It has free hosting of the file which I need for blogger.

Also, I have signed a Crohn’s and Colitis Declaration to try and help improve the lives of people with Crohns and Colitis Disease by bringing about awareness. They are trying to get to 10,000 signatures. Mine was 1062. Please take the 38 seconds it took me to do it and sign up, and pass the info along. Many thanks.

Anyways, today is ANZAC day here in Oz. Its a national holiday to commemorate the troops from Australia and New Zealand who fought in WW1. Will post more on it when I experience it later.

Andr3w Mead3s

I shall watch this movie...

2009-04-23T11:58:00.002+10:00

Check it out, this movie looks good. It is called "9".

And here is the original 10 minute short film that inspired the movie.

Oh great, look what I get to come home to...

2009-04-21T12:00:00.000+10:00

A PUPPY!!!!

Isn't she cute. Here are a couple pictures of her:

She is joining the family May 18th I think. I can't wait to teach her this:

And this:

Bye bye surfboard

2009-04-20T22:20:00.001+10:00

We made great memories together; with you under my feet and the sun at my back, life couldn't be greater. But now you're gone, and I will have to move on...

Sydney Swans v Carlton Blues, and the selling of my surfboard...

2009-04-20T16:56:00.011+10:00

UPDATE: My surfboard sold in 5 hours. I'm going to miss her but the money's going to pay for my surf camp so that works out nicely hehe.

On Saturday I headed to a Sydney Swans game. It was an IEP event and a bunch of us headed out there. We got nice hats. It is a strange game, fast paced and follow these rules. It is nothing like rugby in case you were wondering. The ball is kicked from player to player, or passed by punching the ball. There are 4 posts and the goal is to get it between the middle 2 for 6 points. If it goes between the other set it's called a behind and it only 1 point. They play four 3o minute quarters. I understood the game by the end of the first quater.

The refs are awesome in aussie footy. The faceoff in the middle is done by the ref smashing the ball so it bounces 15 meters in the air and the players try and catch it. And when the ball goes out of bounds the refs stand on the sideline facing the crowd and vaults the ball as far as he can back into play.

There are no nets behind the posts so the ball comes right into the stands. We were in a great spot and almost got to catch it a few times.

Look at the ref after he has smashed the ball. They do put a lot of force into it that's for sure.

This is the set-up of the posts.

Notice how our section all has new hats on.

Here's a couple quick clips so you get the gist of it.

More photos are available on this facebook album.

The crowed really got into it and so did all of us. Good fun. Sydney won 82-65 I believe. My battery died before the end of the match so I couldn't get a picture of it :(

Other than that, I've just been preparing for my travelling. ~~I posted my surfboard up on gumtree so that I may sell it.~~ It sold. Wow I went from worrying about selling it to it having sold in 5 hours. I didn't want to haul it around with me when travelling and could use the money. I also got an extra bag so that I can store some stuff at IEP and travel lighter. It is no fun having a backpack that's absolutely full because having to repack it every few days sucks. It's much easier just to take less clothes and do laundry more often. So yeah.

Catch ya on the flip-side,

☠ Andrew Meades ☠

Fry Test

2009-04-17T19:50:00.001+10:00

Philip J Fry - mouseover

Put your mouse over this link and you will see Fry. Credit goes here.

My 2 weeks notice, as well as a trip to Bronte...

2009-04-17T00:06:00.005+10:00

** hmm I can't seem to upload any pics right now but will when I can
Here's the facebook album.

I am excited. I emailed my boss my 2 weeks notice today. That means the end of my working portion of this working holiday is near! Yes!!! The holiday part starts soon. New places to see, stuff to do, and people to meet. Boo ya.

I worked for 2 hours today and then headed to Bronte beach. It is no longer summertime here in Sydney, and it gets darker much faster. I got to the beach around 330 and that only left me with about an hour and a half of decent sun. It doesn't help that Bronte is surrounded by high hills though either. But yeah, I took some pictures, and had my friend Damien take some of me trying to surf. Well, at least I'm in the water for some of them. The surf was great today, but as I have realized before, Bronte beach is beyond my surfing level. The waves break nicely, but the best spot is right in front of some rocks and there is no way I trust myself enough to try and catch a wave there. Also, it was crowded around the nice break, so there was no way I was going to try there. I don't need to be smashing someone with my board and then smashing myself in the rocks to add further insult.

Once I get better at the fundamentals, which surf camp will bring about I'm sure, I'd fair much better.

But yes, pictures!

And here is a quick video after I was done surfing. Bronte beach is really beautiful, and more secluded than Bondi. You shouldn't drink on the beaches out of courtesy, but it was later and only one, so I gave us permission. Damien thinks that Canada is cold. He might not be wrong in that.

I hope everyone is doing well. I is.

Andrew MeadesssssssS

Some food for thought, and a homeless guy.

2009-04-14T22:47:00.003+10:00

A quick update. Last night I hung out with my friend Ryan, who I know from elementary school, for his last night before he heads back home. I was talking with him about his travels and getting ideas on what I should do. He suggested that I have to go sailing at Whitsundays and showed me some pictures he has. It looks awesome! Imagine being on a boat for a few days, sailing around visiting beaches and going scuba diving! I must do this. It sounds unreal, especially to someone as sick and tired of working as I am. And so sailing will be added to my travel to-do list.

What else. Ah. I was browsing reddit the other day and I came upon a short, but interesting TED talk on The sneaky moves of anti-social smartphone users. Check it out. It is some food for thought about how "Our need to tell a story about our experience through digital documentation, cheapens the experience itself" - stolen from the comments.

As a blogger this is of a particular interest. I have to balance between documenting what I see and do, and still making sure I enjoy the experience. I believe I do this well already, but I will keep this idea in mind.

While you are at the site, check out other TED talks. Some are truly fascinating. I often find that my perception of the world get shaken after watching a great talk; I love it.

What else's else. I was walking back from getting food tonight and there was this homeless guy just being homeless right across the street from the apartment. He was laying there in the doorway sorting through his collection of discarded cigarettes, choosing which ones he wanted to smoke. It was what I figure is the quintessential example of a homeless looked like, so I ran upstairs and grabbed my camera to try and capture him. It didn't turn out the greatest as I still am learning how to work my camera, and I spent too much time trying to shoot him that I got nervous someone might say something and left. Here are the two best (not great though) shots:

The higher iso really degrades the image quality.

This one is in better detail but is much too dark.

Anyways, you get the gist. He looked more homelessy and interesting when he was sorting his cigs but I didn't make it in time to capture that. Oh well.

I think that is all. If anything else exciting happens I will let you know.

Adnrwe Medase

MSI Concert!!!!!

2009-04-11T23:19:00.005+10:00

Update. The video I have on my phone is crap, so I found this one. I was right up front when this song was playing and it was wild. Maybe this gives you some perspective of what the show was like.

Just got back from the MSI concert at UNSW Roundhouse.... it was amazing! I was a few people from the front the entire show. I was absolutely drenched in sweat, mine and everyone else's, by the time it was over. It was an intense, exhausting, exhilarating, deafening, awesome, blood pumping, and ear thumping show. I have not been to a concert where I loved the band since I went to System of a Down a long time ago. Jimmy Urine was great. The only down point I have is that they played my favourite song, Shut Me Up, first so I almost wasn't ready for it. I could have used that song later to revitalize myself as I does get tiring trying to keep yourself upright. All the other songs I like were played so I must not complain.

I sneak up and hit you like a fucking tornado!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm mad at myself for not crowd surfing. I finally got the courage to do it, and started looking for some big guys to haul me up just as the band finished. Oh well. That will have to be next time.

So yeah, I have a picture and video or two that I will upload later. It is dangerous business trying to film when you're that close to the stage where it is absolute pandemonium. WOOOOO!!!! Still pumped.

Anyways, I'ma try n sleep now. We'll chat soon.

ANDREW MSI MEADES

PS. I made an LOLcat today. It's of our cat Maive (pronounced May-va) and yes I'm that random.

PPS. My lil bro Jeff is going to get a puppy, here is a picture of him & her. Will also update on this.

Bought my Greyhound pass today! I got some mail!!!

2009-04-09T19:00:00.007+10:00

Finally!!!

I have a date set out to start my travelling up the East Coast. I bought my Greyhound bus pass today (Sydney - Cairns) and I am leaving the 5th of May. The first thing I have planned is a surf camp at Spot X for 4 days, and then it is off to Byron Bay. The rest of the details are still in the making, but I plan on doing a Fraser island camping stint, and diving in the Great Barrier Reef before it's over. I am so happy to finally have a date set; it makes going to work that much easier when you know that it ends soon. I have worked hard to finally afford to this trip and I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

What else? I went to IEP today to pick up a charger for my camera I bought off eBay and I also had 3 pieces of mail I wasn't expecting. Two of them were postcards from my little brother, and the other was a birthday card from my friends back home. That is awesome guys, thank you so much, I almost shed a tear when I read it :) I'm going to have to get your postal codes and send you guys some postcards back!

It is an amazing feeling when you get mail that you are not expecting.

So yeah, tomorrow (Good Friday) I am heading to the beach to relax with friends all day. We are going to have some drinks, maybe an aussie -style bbq, and hopefully if it's nice and warm absorb the sun and frolic in the water. Should be great! I'll bring my camera and take plenty of pictures.

Saturday, I am heading to the MSI concert at UNSW Roundhouse. I am freakin pumped!!! I have not been to a concert where I absolutely love the band in too long.

For your viewing pleasure: Me in Cowboy hat; Me in German Hat.

And that's all, it's 7:41pm right now and I have to figure if I am going out tonight or not. Regardless I have to head to the bottleshop to get some booze for tomorrow. Hope everyone has a good Good Friday and Easter, but I'll be posting before then :)

Ciao,

Meader

Bronte kicked my ass today...

2009-04-05T23:09:00.005+10:00

So, I finally got out surfing again, and as you can guess by the post title it didn't go too well. As much as I hate to say it, the waves were too big. I don't know why I insist on going to Bronte beach to try and surf, especially on days like today where the surf was high. The surf at Bronte is tough because it breaks in, what seems to me, erratic and complex patterns. It's especially hard for someone that has never had a surf lesson and still doesn't know how to read the waves.

Oh, and when I was out there I let my imagination get the best of me and thought I saw a shark or something big out in the water. I panicked a bit and started swimming towards the shore as fast as I could before I came to my senses. It didn't help that I was one of only 20 or so people in the water and was the furthest out with nobody around me. I definitely think that panicking is what really helps cause someone to drown because you waste so much energy quickly. I was never really in danger though because I made sure there were plenty of lifeguards on the beach watching my newbie surfer ass out there.

But yeah, I was out there for an hour and a half trying to catch just one wave while also trying not to get tossed around like a ragdoll. I failed, but it was fun and a good workout at least.

On another note, I took a HD video with my camera when I first got it that you can check out. This is what the quality of my videos are going to look like from now on. 1 up. (Holy, they take awhile to upload though, I guess I'll have to make sure they're always worthwhile)

You'll have to click on the HD button

And thats about it. I haven't done anything else exciting and I work a fair bit this week, but I'll still find something to post about for ya's. Worst comes to worst I'll just make it up ;)

Peace,

214 310

The lost/forgotten videos of the Blue Mountains/Jenolan Caves trip.

2009-04-02T20:19:00.005+11:00

Not that they were exactly lost per say... more like forgotten videos. Forgotten to upload. Anyways, here they are. If you want to see what the cable car ride across, and the railway ride down into the Blue Mountains looks like - check it out. We went there on a beautiful day, warm and sunny; it was just after a few days of rain which helped the mountains have a really special blue tinge. After the caves the tour guide took us to this campground that always has kangaroos around, and guess what, I saw my first kangaroos. It was awesome, especially after being here for months and not seeing any yet.

If you have any questions about them feel free to ask. They don't even have to be about the trip, you can just ask me a question. Though, if it's about the meaning of life I'm just going to say 42. Here are the vids. Also, with my new camera I am able to take high quality videos, so you can kiss this crappy quality goodbye.

My first kangaroo approach. Yes, I sound retarded in the video. I don't know why my voice goes that high...

Here is the Blue Mountains playlist. Check out the blueness.

Here is the Jenolan Caves playlist. It was exciting seeing all the different rock formations.

Hope you enjoyed.

ndrw Mds

One month monthish left of work, then TRAVELLING!!!!!

2009-04-01T02:16:00.005+11:00

Hello all,

The working phase of my working holiday is almost over. I came to Australia with the least amount of money possible, figuring I would work once I got here to finance the rest of my travels. I have been doing that for the last 4 months now. It was a slow start to actually saving money, Sydney is quite the expensive city to live in, but surely I have managed to. And now with my latest spreadsheet predictions, I will be able to finish working in a month and start heading up coast. I cannot even begin to fathom how awesome it's going to be, not having to work, relaxing, and just focusing on seeing the sights for a couple months. Now, working in Sydney was definitely better than working in the cold back home, but Sydney has long since become boring, at least to someone with a strong desire to travel. I'm going to have to adapt again to living out of a backpack and hostels which will be different, but worthwhile I'm sure.

So, my basic travel plans are as follows. Well, what is certain now is that I am going to get a greyhound pass Sydney - Cairns, good for 45 days, so I can work my way up coast. My friend Damien, who is likely to come with me, and I are going to meet tomorrow to discuss what we each think is important to see and do, so I'll post an update after that meeting.

But yeah, I just thought I would let you know that I am finally getting close to travelling. Yay!

It's late now though and time for sleep.

G'night

AMnedardeews

I miss the cold weather?!?!

2009-03-30T23:33:00.005+11:00

It's true. Today as I was listening to The Eye of the World (a fantasy series I know, but I'd thought I'd give it a try and see if I mind the genre) and it was describing the fall season; where you would have to put on a sweater to head out. Say 4 degrees. And as I was listening to it, it suddenly struck me that I missed that weather. The late fall, where the ground is cold and the morning frost takes awhile to dissipate. For the moment I pictured myself throwing on pants and a sweater, and walking the path near my house, taking a seat on the large rock in our backyard and feeling its cold slowly seep through. I'd sit and ponder the impending winter and review over the summer; look forward to the winter games whilst missing the summer ones.

It was a strange feeling. It lasted longer than I thought it would. I even turned off my book so that I could focus my entire mind on the memories and images. I could feel the cold. And then it was gone. I sighed, and knew that every time that weather comes around I like it at first, but after a few days I wish to be right where I am now, where it's 20+. So there that was.

Then, tonight back at my apartment, a couple of my roommates were talking about how they had never seen snow and the feeling came back again. My roommates are from Brazil, and India and where they lived it only got down to about 5 degrees at most. I copied some pictures and videos of me snowboarding to show them what it's like. They were impressed. I tried to imagine what it would be like not ever seeing snow; not ever feeling a winter that cold, and I was glad that I have. We are lucky to get 4 full seasons in Canada and to reach both temperature extremes I decided. That feeling passed again, and I moved on.

It was a fun flashback, but I'll have to wait until this October when I'm back home to feel it for real again.

Anyways, I'm off to sleep now. Hope all is well with all.

Signed,

Late Fall

My new camera, it's kickass...

2009-03-29T21:50:00.007+11:00

Look at my new toy :)

It's a Kodak Z1012 camera. I got it because I was not happy with my other camera and I wanted something with more optical zoom. This one has 12X optical zoom, and its 10Mp! I took it out for a little shooting session this afternoon, and it's great! I love not having to get super close to get the shot I want. I cannot afford a dSLR right now, nor do I want to haul one along with me and several lenses when I start my adventures, so this is an excellent choice. It was only $250 Aus and came with a $25 bonus for accessories so a case for it, and a 2G SD card was $279. I bought this from Ted's, a camera specality store chain in Sydney.

So, you must be wondering, what does 12X zoom look like? Here I'll show ya.

The shot from my balcony.

Then zoomed in you can see the bird on the fountain.

This.

Becomes this.

A tree in the park, looking un-suspicious.

Reveals a little buddy hiding within it.

Takes great shots of flowers.

And as I was writing this post, some fireworks went off so I rushed to go and test out the fireworks mode. After a bit of tinkering I figured out how to use it and got these shots all the way from my balcony.

So yeah, I am quite looking forward to using this camera for my travelling pictures. And you can look forward to some awesome shots :)

Andrew *click Meades

Happy 19th Birthday Peter!!!

2009-03-28T22:39:00.006+11:00

Peter,

it's your 19th birthday. From what I heard everyone wrote you a poem (because he likes to write them for us on our birthdays) so I thought I would too:

Pete's legality
Drunkenness a certainty
Stuff for poems next year :)

For the uninformed it's a Haiku. They are traditionally about nature or seasons, but this one isn't. Well, I guess you could say that this one is about the nature of Peter har harrr. Anyways, I did just want to wish you a happy birthday and we'll have to go and have a beer at the bar when I get back. Wow, that is going to be weird.

On a side note, I'm going to go and buy a camera tomorrow.

We'll talk soon

a N D R E W M E A D E s

Holy crap I am out of shape...

2009-03-26T19:03:00.005+11:00

Seriously, I went for a 15 minute run today and couldn't believe how exhausted I was when I returned. It was pathetic. I do not think I have ever been this out of shape in my entire life. I guess I always had hockey at least once every couple weeks just as some form of exercise. But I have let myself go here, badly. I haven't really gained any weight, it is just that all the muscle that I had before I came here to Oz has transformed into fat. This is it though, too much eating poorly, too much fast food has led to this, but I am going to stop it. Right here, right now. I am going to put up a new link at the top called Exercise, and there I will list any exercise I get during the week. Hopefully this will encourage me to work out in some way so that I can add things to that list. And you, as a follower, if you see that my list is slacking and is in need of new entries please feel free to post your concerns.

Anyways, other than that, I am off to an IEP event tonight at World Bar in Kings Cross. One of the staff members is leaving so they are throwing her a part A. I shall be in attendance, but will be taking it easy as I have to work a full day tomorrow.

Also, I added a new widget called 43 Things. It is a to do list that you share with other people, and if you need encouragement on getting something done you can read the responses of others. I just stumbled upon it while looking for new books to listen to and thought I would try it out. I am considering beginning to listen to The Wheel of Time huge fantasy series. I will probably listen to the first book and see how it goes.

I believe that is all for now. You guys keep fighting the good fight and I'll keep being myself.

Ciao for now

Andyroo

Videos from the Zoo

2009-03-24T23:26:00.008+11:00

Here is the playlist of videos I took from the zoo yesterday. I laughed at myself a few times, I am not going to lie. The last video is the best. I'm retarded sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way :) My guess is that it's due to my awesomeness. Mhmm.

Aside.
I need to learn how to cook. Really. I failed at making a sauce for noodles tonight. Refused to let the sauce simmer long enough because I was hungry, ended up too watery, tasted like crap. I also made too many noodles and peas but forced myself to eat it all. It is such a simple meal to make and yet I failed. Sigh. Next time I'll get it...I'm sure of this...

Andrew;Meades

A day at Taronga Zoo

2009-03-24T00:11:00.002+11:00

Hey,

I finally got out to Taronga Zoo today with Damien. We walked around and took a bunch of pictures. You can find them here. I took some videos too which I will upload tomorrow as I am burnt out now and want to get some rest for work tomorrow :(

Talk to you in a bit

andrew sleep now

Been workin, saw Watchmen...

2009-03-21T00:58:00.003+11:00

Hey all,

Just a quick post here to let you know I'm still alive and well. I've not been up to much other than working the last few days. I did go out Thursday night to an IEP event at Glendale Hotel, which has an awesome rooftop view of the harbour. It's view was partially blocked by a cruise ship though which sucked, but what can you do. The event was fun, we just chilled up there, met new people while having a few drinks and some food.

But guess what. At the event, I experienced another confirmation that the world is a small place. Mark, one of the people I met there, is Canadian as well. I asked him what part of Canada and he said he was from Toronto. 'Oh I'm from Toronto too, whereabouts?' And he said he lived in Markham... 'Uhh me too, wow.' Turns out he lives just off of Fincham. For everyone not from Markham, he lives about a minute away from where I do. Back home. And we meet here in Oz. What are the chances? Crazy.

Just as an aside, they apparently have changed the figures from the ride "It's a small world" to Disney characters and not generic ethnic ones. Now you know...

Damien and I were supposed to go to do wine tasting and a tour of Hunter Valley on Monday, but that has been cancelled so we are going to head to the Zoo instead. I'll post some pictures from that for ya's soon enough.

I went and saw the movie Watchmen tonight at George St. Cinemas. It was a movie. I was excited about seeing it since it's the same guy who did 300 and I liked 300. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I had read some of the comics it was based on, because otherwise it just comes off as a strange movie.

Anyways, I'm tired and heading to bed. My brain is long burnt out for the day.

Peace
Eh.

Birthday dinner and my snorkelling beach trip

2009-03-15T18:33:00.013+11:00

Hey hey hey

Here are some pictures of the steak and cake I ate for my birthday. It was good. So good I took pictures to remember it. I actually ate the mushrooms on the steak too albeit I've never been a fungi fan.

I have been longing for a beach day for awhile and was excited that when I woke up it was sunny. The forecast called for afternoon showers (its being fulfilled as I type) so I hustled my ass to Coogee. I had to choose between going surfing, or trying snorkelling, and I choose the ladder. I used Mike's snorkel but needed a mask, and being Sunday it was hard to find a shop with one open, so I grabbed the first pair of swimming goggles I could find. They were blue. I didn't think at the time that would matter, and for 10 bucks I just grabbed them so I could spend as much time at the beach before it started raining.

The goggles worked fine, clear and everything. I saw lots of fish; some really thin that looked like sticks, others striped, and others camouflaged to look like the ocean floor. It was just every time I took the goggles off did I realize that everything I was seeing had a blue bias to it. Worked well for today, but I think I'll take em back for a clear pair. I wished my camera would work underwater because there were lots of pictures I wanted to take. I'm seriously going to look into getting a better one before I start travelling. Nothing too expensive, just an update from the 5 year old one I have now. That way I won't have to sacrifice the picture I want to take, for a picture I am able to take.

Check out the facebook album of interesting things I saw while I transversed the rocks below the cliff-face. Meow. Oh yeah and these videos. Don't be scared of the one where I am right on the edge of the cliff Mum, I swear it wasn't as dangerous as it looks...*shifty eyes*

Actually, I'll just embed it. If you want to see the annotations I put on video 7 use this link instead.

Annnnndrew

Happy 22nd birthday to me!!!

2009-03-14T18:32:00.007+11:00

Hey,

I would just like to thank everyone for the birthday wishes and the gifts I have received. Seriously, thank you. Albeit that I denied that it really mattered that it was my birthday today, it made me happy to know that you all care. Made today easier :)

I am not going lie, it is a strange feeling; to be here having to look for people to celebrate with on your birthday. My close friends are either travelling or are working, so tonight I will head out by my lonesome. Stop, before you start to feel sorry though. I might be heading out by my lonesome, but I will not be lonely. I am looking at tonight as a challenge of sorts; a test to see how easily I can now meet others. I have come a long way from the anxious traveller who left 3 and a half months ago. A long way indeed. I have grown, learnt more and more about myself; gained some answers to the existential questions about who I am and what I want from life. Answers that I left in search for. And tonight I will be celebrating, not only the beginning of my 22 year, but also, to the continuation of becoming the person I want to be.

Hmm, that got a little deep there hehe. I am hungry now, so I will go and grab a birthday steak, and then needless to say, head out and party!!!

Cheers,

Andrew, the birthday boy, Meades ;)

Opera House tour and Random picz

2009-03-13T18:56:00.012+11:00

Hey hey hey. Just got back from my tour of the Opera house. It was informative and quite an interesting building to say the least. Check out the pictures! We were not allowed to take pictures of the 2 main theaters but I tried to do it anyways hehe. It took 16 years and 107 million to finish the building; it was estimated at 3 years and 7 million FYI, so they were just a tad off the estimate. It's well worth it now, but while it was being built the government fired the architect in a way and he never came back to Oz to see his finished building. It would be worthwhile to go and see a performance there one day. Thank you Jeff for the chance to check out this one of a kind building :) Maybe I'll take you to a concert there one day.

But yeah, afterwards I felt in the picture taking mood so I took some random ones as I was walking home. Here are some of my favourites:

Yay! I finally got a rollover image to work!!!

I went on a picture spree of stickers I saw on poles. Yup.

I like this one for some reason.

The fadedness of the graffiti adds to the picture me thinks.

But anyways here are the two different albums.

Opera House Tour
The walk home from the opera house tour - Random + graffiti pics

You've been a great audience,

ANDREW M

Check out Thru-You

2009-03-11T19:26:00.004+11:00

I found this on reddit today and thought it was interesting enough to share with you. A guy remixed youtube videos to make some awesome tracks. Check out these vids and if you like then head to his site. Also, I GOT MY PACKAGE!!! I'll wait until my birthday to open everything though :)

Damn that is funky. I love it.

The talk box makes a very cool sound.

I found some videos from the Blue Mountains I forgot to upload so I will do that tomorrow. Peace for now.

The wall of death, and a golden orb

2009-03-10T22:15:00.003+11:00

Just some videos I had forgotten to post.

The first is of the wall of death Mike and I saw while at the Anberlin show at UNSW. We have VIP access so I was able to film from up on the balcony. It would have been fun to join in though :)

The second is of a HUGE spider I almost walked into after the show was over and we were touring the university. I did not consider the fact that bigger spiders here in Australia means much bigger webs. This one spanned the meter and a half walkway! Anyway, it gave me quite a jolt and I am glad that I took this video to remind me of that. You can find out more info in the Youtube description and here.

Here is a picture I took of him for a bit better perspective.

Well, enjoy for now. I am off to bed early so I can have an early start to my day tomorrow :)

N.Drew

Recovering from a wild night...

2009-03-08T21:50:00.005+11:00

Mardi Gras was crazy. I have never seen a parade that big, or that many people on and about the streets after. I invited some friends to my apartment which is right in front of where the parade passes. We had some drinks and partied, then headed down to a friends flat on the first floor to get a better view. The ledge right in front we were not allowed to go on as it is not a real balcony, at least that is what the building manager and the police kept telling us. We didn't care though, they were just being overly cautious. We kept sneaking out until they gave up on telling us to get off hehe.

Here are some of the pictures I took that turned out.

Here is a link to a playlist of the videos I took. I put them in order for ya :)

It was an experience I am glad that I had and one that I will remember for awhile.

A.Meades

Botanical Garden Photos

2009-03-04T01:36:00.004+11:00

Hey here is the link to check out the pictures I took of the botanical gardens in Sydney. I left intending on going for a jog and ended up taking pictures for 2 hours. I just flicked on macro mode on my camera and went to town. My camera is fairly old now so the pictures are not the best but I made due. I wonder what it would be like to own a real camera with a proper macro lens, but that is a story for another day.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2284427&id=120809150&l=68d04

As for my meeting it went well. We ended up talking for 3 hours before I had to go. I impressed her enough I was offered a job by her but am still not really sure what it is exactly. She recommended some books for me to read, and we meet again this Friday. I will get and post some more details for you then.

eh aitch emm

Meeting...

2009-03-03T09:45:00.002+11:00

I am just off to work right now, I will post an update when I get back. I am alive and well though.

I was there, see...

2009-02-28T18:02:00.002+11:00

I was with you guys, I just forgot my skates...

An update on the changes...

2009-02-27T22:31:00.003+11:00

Aloha,

Here is a little update for ya's. Mike has left; it has been strange since he is gone, but I am glad he is off having fun travelling.

I am still working at Cartier. At this rate it looks like I'll never have enough money saved up to travel. Good news though, I am going to be getting 4 shifts a week now, which should help bring in some more moula. I am also getting a raise to $20/hour now, which is also good. I am getting back into the habit of making my lunches for work, and limiting the number of nights I go out to save money.

I need to find someone to move into my apartment. I will be working on that because the sooner someone is found the better as I am paying for the whole room atm (at the moment). It should not take long to find someone.

I am becoming more active, and looking to engage myself more. I will go to bed early tonight, wake up early, and get some morning exercise to prepare myself for my day. Oh how much more one can accomplish by getting an early start to the day, and so I shall begin.

I have resumed listening to french lessons. I have also placed the Twilight book, and other self-help books on my phone to help me get through the workday.

I posted an Ad on Gumtree a few days ago looking for a business mentor, someone who could provide me some advice on starting my own business and what not. Someone has contacted me from that ad, and we are meeting for coffee at 2pm on Monday. I will let you know how that goes. You can check the ad I posted here.

I am also looking into signing up for classes...for anything. Tai chi, yoga, maybe learning another language, who knows. I will keep my eyes out for something interesting where I could meet people other than a bar.

I believe this is all for now.

AndrewwerdnA

Mike's last night...

2009-02-25T18:40:00.003+11:00

Hey, Mike and I are just heading out to a concert at Sydney Uni for his last night here. He leaves at 4am to go and catch his flight to Perth. Things are going to be different now that he is gone, but I wish him the best of luck in his travels. Hopefully we can catch up sooner than later.

I have added some of pictures from Blue Mountains and Jenolan caves. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2282729&id=120809150&l=f3676

Check out that link to the album.

Anyways, we're getting ready to go. I'll keep you updated on what changes.

Peace,

A H M

Soundwave tomorrow/today.

2009-02-22T00:31:00.004+11:00

Hey, just a quick post to let you know that I am heading to soundwave music festival tomorrow. Hopefully Mike can get us in for free by getting on the guestlist. He knows people. Also, I will post the pictures of Blue Mountains/Jenolan Caves that I went to on Thursday, up soon. I took about 177 pictures so I have to go through and post the best ones. Here is a taste though...

The three sisters, the famous rock formations that the Blue Mountains are famous for.

That's right, I saw some kangaroo's finally...

I'm still alive...

2009-02-17T23:56:00.002+11:00

Hey, I am still alive. Sorry for the post delay but I has been raining here in Sydney for the last week and a bit so I have not been up to anything exciting or worth posting. I am looking forward to the next beach day. I went and saw the movie Ghost Town tonight with my friend Damien; it was a good film.

I need to start getting things back in order. I need to find another job so I can work more hours as I am only getting 24 hours a week now. I need to start exercising regularly and eating healthier. As for my housing situation, I am going to continue living in the same apartment now, just when Mike moves out on the 24th of Feb, my friend Jill will move in to take his place. Other than that, I will continue to work on getting things together, and keeping them that way. I'll keep you updated.

And rew

To my family.

2009-02-06T21:15:00.004+11:00

Hey,

I have set up a forum for us to discuss family matters. Please check it out at http://meadesfamily.freeforums.org/

Consider it an experiment. I'll email you guys the password.

Whats been going on? Not much.

2009-02-02T22:54:00.004+11:00

It has been 8 days since my last post. My bad. I have done a little bit since then, nothing too crazy.

Let's see.

I went up Sydney tower. I'll upload some pictures from that. Bam!

Yup.

Can you see the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House in this one?

This is Luna Park, it is an amusement park across the bridge. Very small, but could be a fun place to take a date.

As for the today I went to the beach. No way! Really? Yeah I did. The surf has been crap all week, which figures considering it's the week I have 4 days off... But, I will make the best of it regardless.

I found a pair of Oakley glasses at the beach! Here is what they look like. I have wanted a new pair of glasses for awhile now since my old Oakley's are about hmm, 8 years old, and outdated for me. The glasses I found are Oakley Fives and me likey. Sorry to the person who lost them, but such is life I guess.

Check em out.
I'm stylin' it up. Just badass. Everyone on the bus was scared...

Big Day Out

2009-01-26T14:09:00.006+11:00

I went to Big Day Out, a huge music festival here in Sydney. It was awesome! There were so many people there and I got to see some awesome bands. I moved right up front to see Serj Tankian; I'd never been that close to stage before. Here are some pics, the rest I'll post on facebook.

I also did something called Silent Disco where everyone has wireless headphones on and are rocking out while everyone without headphones watches in envy. Check this out.

And these videos too. Here and Here

We were there quite early as you can tell. It was a full day of rocking out...

It was packed by the end of the day. This is just 2 stages out of the 8 there.

SERJ!

The huge building that would later fill up that played electronic/DJ music.

It was a fun day.

To Give Blood ampersand To Rock Out...

2009-01-22T23:07:00.003+11:00

I compared and contrasted how the Australian Blood Donor clinic's work to the ones in Canada by donating blood. The processes are pretty much the same but they get milkshakes after donating! I walked around with the bandage around my arm representing all the donors out there; that's right, my blood can go on to save 3 lives what what.

Tomorrow I am heading to Big Day Out. It is the biggest music festival held here in Australia, and I am looking forward to it. I don't ever think I've been to a music festival before, let alone one in another country. But I know that every time I do go to a concert I always think 'Why don't I do this more often', so I am. There is a huge list of bands playing on several stages, so we'll basically go from stage to stage checking out the bands we want to see most. I'll bring my camera and take some pictures for ya.

Keep on rockin,

Peace

Today Has Been Awesome...

2009-01-18T22:08:00.004+11:00

As the title suggests, I have had an awesome day today. It was Sunday so I only worked 5 hours, but work was interesting though. I saw my first protest today. There were thousands upon thousands of people that walked nearby Cartier protesting Isreal's occupation of the Gaza Strip.

It was quite cool. There were riot police everywhere. At first I had no idea what was going on, but then one of the security guys came up to me and told me that there was a protest heading our way. The Cartier store is located in the MLC building, which I learnt, also has the American Embassy in it, so there were some fears that the protesters might head there. Luckily, nothing got out of hand; the protesters were routed up King street to Hyde Park, and it remained peaceful. I was ready out front of Cartier though with orders to close and lock the doors had they come down the street. Here are some pictures of what I saw.

In this picture, I am standing in front of Cartier. The protesters can be seen walking past down the street. It was like a strange parade and it lasted around 10 minutes.Same thing. Sorry for the poor quality of the pics. You can make out the mounted police guarding the street so that they could not enter. The street has lots of expensive jewelery stores on it so it is not an ideal place for a riot to get out of hand.

This is just a picture of the mounted police, they were all girls ;). And at one point we have 5 riot SUV's infront of the store, several cop cars, and a couple riot trucks.
This is Cartier's mat. I am in charge of bringing it in. I also don't know how to rotate pictures yet, sorry about that. This I found ironic. This is at Hyde Park, where all the protesters ended up. As I walked past, I noticed an ad for ANZ was casting a shadow that looks like the Star of David on the ground. In the far back you can see, and could clearly hear all the protesters. I was just at the right time of day to walk by and see this because look at what the ad booth looks like.

So yeah, weird.

After I got off work I went SURFING!!! I rode my best wave ever; check out my surf journal at the top for the details.

And now Mike and I might head out to the casino for a bit. So great day overall.

Andy G

It's Saturday.

2009-01-17T21:31:00.004+11:00

It's Saturday. I still have things I would like to post but Mike and I are going to go out for a bit of partying. Check out this video though...

He he he...

Also, I posted a new album on facebook of when I went to Manly for the first time. Check it out.

Crap I just found out my work schedule is different now. See when I'll be available to skype...

Where to start...my new addiction to learning...

2009-01-14T21:31:00.006+11:00

Its late now, I have updated the blog a bit. Will post again tomorrow.

There are so many things I have on my mind lately, I don't know where to start; I'll just jump in I guess.

I am addicted to learning now. With my job, I am allowed to listen to my phone so I have downloaded some tapes that teach you how to learn French. I listened to 3 hours of them today. I've wanted to know another language for awhile now. It is because I hate it when people converse in a language I don't know. I want to know it. I am also using a website, Babbel, to help me with this as well. It is a really good website if you are looking to study another language, I highly recommend it.

In addition to learning French, I recently have taken to downloading lots of pdf's. On anything and everything that interest me. For example, I was reading this one titled 'Speed Math For Kids The Fast, Fun Way To Do Basic Calculations' by Bill Handley. In the ten minutes I was reading it I learnt a better way to calculate than what was taught to me in school.

If I asked you what 96 x 97 is, how would you go about figuring it out? How long would it take you?

I've always envied the people who could rapidly answer math questions, so in a strive to improve my mathematics, I'll read this book.

The way the book tells you to solve this calculation is to first figure what is the difference of 96 and 97 to the reference number. For them the reference number would be 100. So, 96 is 4 away from 100, and 97 is 3. Write 4 and 3 below 96 and 97 respectively. Then cross subtract either one, ie. 96 - 3, or 97 - 4. The answer you get is 93, and that informs you of the first two numbers of the answer. Then simply multiply 4 by 3 to get 12 to find out the last two numbers. The answer is then 9312. With little practice one can become quite rapid with that, possibly even beating someone who is using a calculator. This is just one example of a speed mathematic method.

So yes, I am doing my best to learn lots while here in Australia. It is kinda ironic though, now after I am no longer in school, I feel more urge to study and learn then I did while at university.

Some other things I will be looking to learn.

Cryptology. I want to write a puzzle book of sorts and need to know some fundamentals.

There is a rubik's cube laying around the house. I want to learn how to do that once and for all. Also, I have a square one, which is like a rubik's cube except that it can form different shapes other than a square. I'll try and learn that too.

I have to get back into reading books. Just in general, and about something that interests me. I want one to bring to the beach, so if you have any suggestions please, feel free. I'm also going to listen to books at work.

My blog. I am going to learn how to add new features to make it more appealing.

I will set aside 30 minutes a day to learn. Anything and everything, I want to know it all.

Update delayed...But here is my new haircut

2009-01-13T21:38:00.006+11:00

Today I had a picnic with a few friends at bondi beach. It was quite fun and was at the beach all day. I am finally getting a tan. I know I am due for an update but am burnt out from 2 beach days in a row and are going to get some sleep instead. Now that I work 5 days a week I try to cram in as much fun as I can on my days off. Once home from work tomorrow I will upload some new pictures, and do some posts. For now though, here is a random picture I have as my background...

Au revoir... for now

WAIT!!! I keep forgetting you all haven't seen my new haircut. I love it short as it is so easy to maintain.

On the ferry waiting to get to Manly beach.

Me sitting on a fence with Manly in the background.

Here is the back of my head, again with Manly in the background.

Gameplan

2009-01-11T23:15:00.002+11:00

Okay, I have 2 days off now. I am heading to Manly beach tomorrow to do some surfing but after that I need to spend some time and update my blog properly, add some new features, and let you guys know where I'm at. I've got a bunch of things to post so it shall be good. But right now I am going to get some rest for tomorrow so I can carve it up nicely.

All is well though, just so ya know.

Bye for now,

Meow

Sufing, more surfing, and my new haircut.

2009-01-07T22:04:00.004+11:00

Howdy all,

I'm exhausted after a long day of surfing. This morning I went and got a haircut so I can remain employed (my boss told me I needed a better hair style). It's short now. I'll post some pics tomorrow. But after that we went to Manly beach via ferry. The beach is very beautiful and I spent the majority of the time surfing. Attempting to surf would be a more accurate term. But either way it was quite enjoyable.

Yesterday the day was spent at Bronte beach, a beach closer by but less crowded than Bondi. I was surfing the entire time as well. I fared better yesterday than I did today for some reason, likely the types of waves. Here are some pictures of me surfing, and of Mike and Megan who I was with.

Damn. Just damn.

These are the last pics of me with my long hair

Mike, Megan, and I

I ride a short board. Isn't she beautiful.
Me catching a wave.

I shall post some pics of Manly beach tomorrow. And my new haircut!!!

Off to sleep now though. Hope everyone is well.

G'night.

Fuck.

2009-01-04T17:44:00.004+11:00

** It is now a few months after I made this post and I have had people suggest, and thought myself, of removing it. But, I realized, the whole point of me blogging my trip is so I can remember the highs AND the lows. Even if the low points are embarassing and are a cut into ones character, I believe it would not be just to remove it. And so, to all of those who stumble upon this post, whether you know me or not, know that I choose to leave this here, to serve as the reminder it is. **

First off, let me start by saying I hate making mistakes. I hate looking stupid. There is a part of me that cares so much what others think. What their view of me is. I know that I shouldn't care, but I do. Deep down, I want their envy and their respect.

That being said, I messed up. I drank beyond excess and I don't remember what I did last night. I just had the sad pleasure of having Mike recount the details to me. Wow.

It is kinda ironic in a sense. There are advertisements all over Sydney that warn against this exact thing. "Don't turn a night out into a nightmare". One depicts a person who gets struck by a car because he is too drunk; another of a couple who gets caught having sex. When I first saw these, I laughed; not out loud, but on the inside. 'Who the fuck does that?' I thought. 'Who lets themselves get that out of control?'. I did.

The scariest part is that I had no idea. I bought a box of cheap wine down here thinking that it would be a good way to get a little drunk before going to the club. I underestimated it is an understatement. I mistook it for a soft kitten when it was really a ferocious panther. Glass after glass it went down, like water with a hint of fruity wine taste. As Mike and I left to go to the club I honestly thought that I would have a nice buzz on, no clue that the devilish elixir takes awhile before it hits you. I drank more than half of the 4L box! It's 9.5% alcohol! I estimate that I had a blood alcohol level exceeding 0.3450%. What. the. fuck. Andrew. How was I that clueless? I have been sitting here trying to figure that out.

So what did I do? Good question. I have a memory black-out of the entire night. Honestly, if Mike wasn't there, I don't know. Actually, yeah I do, I won't deny the truth. I might not be here. I was that bad. That out of control. Absolutely terrifying.

When we got to the club, I was still okay. Things were going well at first. We were chatting it up with lots of people in the line. We were making good friends with some cute girls but things then went downhill quickly after. I drank some of their wine in line as well. Remember this is Mike's account of the actions.

I pissed off one of the girls. She took her cute friend away that I was talking to and went in the line. I cut to chase after them, the bouncer told me to go to the back of the line. I started mouthing off to the bouncer and then was denied entry. Mike finally got me away and then things turned worse. Stumbling along the streets of Sydney, I began to mouth off to anyone who would listen. One point I walked up to 4 guys much bigger than Mike and I and started swearing at them. They did not like that very much and if it wasn't for other friends holding them back, and Mike holding me, my face would be looking a bit differently I'm sure. It gets better. I walked up to a police officer and told him to 'Fuck off'. Mike saved me from getting arrested there. At one point I entered a hostel and refused to leave. They actually had to call the cops before I left. I tried running away from Mike several times. I passed out several times. In such bad shape that a group of people surrounded me and tried to take pictures with the passed out drunk. Mike told them off thankfully. 'Fuck traffic lights' I stated as I ran onto the street and was inches from getting destroyed by a taxi. I also tried to fight Mike. He has a nice bruise on his arm now thanks to me.

Eventually we got back to the apartment. I then puked up as much as I could. Off the balcony even. I laid on the couch for a bit, senselessly muttering to myself. Mike took some videos of me at this point. But yeah, I had alcohol poisoning.

I am so utterly disgusted with myself I can taste it. I turned a night out into a nightmare. That stupid fucking cliche comment keeps going through my head. I always though I'll never be that guy. I was. FUCK.

So now I'm left sitting here, wondering what to do. How do I punish myself? How do I make everything right again? How do I NEVER let this happen again?

I completely and entirely lost control. The disgusting part is, this has happened before. What the fuck is wrong with me? Seriously.

How do I fix this? The best way I can. I man up. I have no recollection of this so I have made one. I've posted it here as a reminder. A little dark stain on the white shirt that is my life. I, Andrew Hamilton Meades, fucked up. I am sorry. Sorry to the bouncers. Sorry to the girls. Sorry to the receptionist who had to call the police on me. I plan on going back to where I was and apologizing right after this post. Something in my life is not right that I allowed for this to happen. I plan on finding out what that is and forever working to fix it.

And I am especially sorry to Mike. You took care of me last night and I am indebted. You saved my ass from getting kicked. From getting arrested, which I learned that there is a $5000 fine for btw. You even made sure to set several alarms to ensure I got to work the next day. As much as I wish upon myself now that those did happen. That I paid a higher price. You ensured my safety. Mike, I am sorry. I took all the fun out of your trip here last night and you didn't deserve that. I will NEVER let myself get that way again. I was clueless with how the wine intoxicates and I have paid the price. From now on, our times shall be full of only awesomeness.

And to everyone else who reads this. Be fucking careful. Hopefully you already have more sense than I.

As much as I want to say I will never drink again, I will. I have to just make sure I drink intelligently. From now on, drinking is like walking on ice; one misstep and you fall. Hard. And it hurts. And it's embarrassing. So, don't run, but walk. And if I am ever feeling angry,depressed, and even overexcited, I shall not drink. I cannot do it proper naively so I must be on guard every time. It's time for me to grow up, so I will.

Signed,

Andrew Meades

Here is a little reference on blood alcohol content. I almost got to the end of the chart. :(

NYE Sydney

2009-01-02T20:25:00.005+11:00

Here is a picture and a video. When I get the rest of the pics from Mike ill upload.

And here is a little video of the fireworks. Yes I shout WOOOOOOO!!!! in it a lot. More later but Mike and I are going to head out tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0aUoOZqS1c

Here is the facebook album.

Peace for now.

HAPPY NEWYEARS!!!!

2009-01-01T15:31:00.002+11:00

Wishing everyone the best in 2009 from Sydney. Will post my pictures from the awesome fireworks show at Sydney harbour as soon as I get back from surfing :)

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!1111!!!!111!oneone!!!!11

Internet Explorer Issue

2008-12-30T14:33:00.002+11:00

Apparently there is an issue with internet explorer being able to view the blog. I believe the cause is the playlist on the blog. I have removed it for now and will see if that clears it up.

Otherwise, just get mozilla firefox people. It is much more secure/faster and when you install ad blocker plus add-on, you never have to see another internet ad again. Oh glorious day.

Cheese

My Boxing Day Haul

2008-12-27T19:18:00.007+11:00

Wow, I actually went shopping for clothes yesterday for 5 hours!. My wardrobe needed a bit of an update and it got it. Check out my haul.

Note how I can easily go from looking sexy to looking retarded in the pictures.

Me showing off 2 new ties and white work shirt, looking retarded.

Me looking sexy showing off my new Billabong shirt.

This dress shirt is by a brand called David and Goliath. Never heard of it before but it is vintage inspired and I look sexulant in it.

RIP CURL!!!! I bought this kickass black dress shirt and sweet shorts from Australia's surfing brand Rip Curl. I'm jealous that all the ladies get to look at me in this get-up.

Do I look sexy or retarded?

Christmas Day

2008-12-26T01:21:00.004+11:00

Here are some pictures from my Christmas. Hope you enjoy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T12:07:00.004+11:00

Just a quick post to wish you all the Merriest of Christmases. Except it cannot possibly be the merriest simply because I am not there for it heheheh. But yes, I hope all goes well. I will be celebrating tonight with some friends we have met down here with a Christmas dinner. It shall be quite fun.

So have a good one. Will Skype soon. And yes, I am dreaming of a white Christmas.

From,

Santa Andrew

Day 26 - Time off from work...

2008-12-23T17:35:00.008+11:00

Ahh. I woke up this morning at 10:30 and it felt good. Finally a chance to sleep in; a morning where I was not in a rush to get my suit on, have breakfast, and rush to work. To be honest to you, it was starting to feel like I was back home in the sense that I'd get up and go to work everyday. But hey, it is needed, and so it is done. Thankfully, I do not have to work for any of the holidays. I have the 23rd to 26th off and the 30th to the 2nd off. That is AWESOME.

During this time, I am going to work on my blog, travel some places I have yet to be, relax and enjoy the holidays. It is going to be strange celebrating Christmas with the family confined to the little viewing area of a laptop or tv screen, but at least this technology is available, which is better than the alternative.

There are Christmas trees all throughout Sydney. A notable one is located in Darling Harbour, which is composed of hundreds of strings of lights and has a Kangaroo which hops all the way up to the top.

A way cool sight. Still the lack of snow is quite strange I'd say.

Onward. I am currently trying to upload some videos to my new youtube account. It is taking forever, I am not sure whether it is not working or that it is just a slow process. I will give it more time and see. But nonetheless, some videos of sharks and the aquarium are on the way, so heads up.

Mike, Henrik and I went to Pizza Hut again today. We have lots of food now. On the way we came across this awesome bull statue.

The statue is anatomically correct.

And I tamed this mighty beast FYI.

So hopefully you will have some new videos soon. But for now I need to get some groceries. I'll keep in touch, but from outside your touchable distance.

Anne Drew

*Success. Check out these videos from the aquarium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-Sa3KX4UXo

And this one of my favourite animal so far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSXhhXmn7zw

YES!!!

2008-12-20T00:32:00.004+11:00

Finally. After 3 weeks of frustration, anxiety, failure, and small successes. I now have internet that is uninhibited by a slow speed. All the ideas of stuff that I want to put up on the blog can now happen.

So sit back, click, and enjoy, because from now on it gets better. :)

Signed

leet h4x0r

Friday Dec. 19th - Uhh about those daily posts...

2008-12-19T19:39:00.004+11:00

Yeah.... sorry. Wed all I did was work and then work on cracking WEP. Really not much to report about.

Thursdays I have to work late because it is the shopping night in Sydney. All shops are open late thursdays so I worked 10 to 8. Immediately after that, IEP was hosting its Chrissy(aus for chirstmas) party, so I went to that. It was fun. Mike and I met some new people. Guess where they were all from. Yup, Canada. But it was still a fun night. I tried this drink called Snakebite, it is basically beer with grinadine in it. I couldn't decide if I like it or not to be honest, at times it was a little too fruity and then at others it was ok.

And today. I worked!!!!111!1oneoneone Earning the moula. Uhh. As I was walking to work I saw what I thought was a crazy old lady, holding an apple poked on the end of a stick up to a tree. Only then did I realize that she was not crazy, but was feeding a possum family up in the tree. Check her out.
I honestly thought she was bat crazy. Old people eh?

She was just feeding this little mummy. :-)

For dinner I have a coupon to the japanese place across the street. I get a free upgrade to a large beef bowl. Mmmm.

So, peace for now, I'll make sure I do something a little more interesting for the next post. Probably toss em up with the hobo that plays the recorder down the street. We'll see.

That guy.

Dec. 16th 2008 - Another day at the beach

2008-12-16T22:54:00.002+11:00

I have just returned home from doing groceries and figured I should do a quick blog post about my day.

I went to the beach. It was nice and sunny, and I am finally starting to get a tan now. Mike and I went to Bondi again. Umm we kinda never took any pictures today seeing as I was surfing the entire time and Mike was body boarding. Oh well. But seriously though, that beach is awesome. There are always thousands of people there on a nice sunny day. As for surfing...

I got my ass kicked lol. The waves were about 1.5 meters, which is about 5 to 6 feet, and way to big for a beginner surfer. But that didn't stop me from trying. I got up on some whitewash from the waves a few times and I had a kickass ride lying down on my board where I actually cut across the wave. I really need to strengthen my swimming skills though, my arms got so tired by the end that I couldn't even lift my body up off the board to stand up. Also, at one point too I must of got caught in a riptide when not paying attention because I ended up way out past all the surfers. It was alright though, even though I was tired, I just slowly caught the waves back to shore.

The lifeguards at the beach do an awesome job as well. They are everywhere. Even patrolling on seadoo's waiting for a surfer that doesn't come up. On a particularly bad fall of mine where I got nailed by a couple huge waves and the board flew up into the air, the lifeguard on the seadoo came over to where he had seen me fall looking if I needed any help. But I was already back on my board going for some more hehehe. Also, the others surfers around look out for people needing help, so even if you are as inexperienced as I was it is still a pretty safe place to surf.

I want to try one of the surfing schools though because I need to work on the fundamentals of surfing that I lack, like duckdiving underneath the wave, and also picking a good wave to try and ride. All in all though... awesome day.

Now I am going to go and catch some ZzzzZzz's

Goodnight all.

A.

Day 19 - I posted!

2008-12-16T09:53:00.004+11:00

My apologies for the lack of posts, I have just been busy lately with work and getting organized I haven't had time to sit down and write.

So what is new. I have a job!!! Nothing too exciting though. I am a door man at Cartier, the jewelery store. The job entails pretty much what you think it would; I stand there and let people into the store, and am polite about it. The first couple days were tiring, having to get used to standing for 8 hours and all, but now that I am used to it, it's not bad. It is a job, and it pays well enough that I can afford to stay down here ($19/h!) hehehe. Right now I am working Wed-Sun usually from 10am to 6pm. Ill get around 38 hours a week which is great, and I won't have to work major holidays!!

What else is new. Mike and I received our single beds last night so we no longer have to share a double. Nice.
I am mere millimeters away from being able to get high speed internet. I imagine sometime today I will get it to work. Actually, I think we are going to the beach, so tomorrow it will be.

PICTURES. I will try and upload all the pictures I have that you have been waiting for.

I will do that now. And from now on - daily posts. No more long gaps between them (sorry mum).

I hope you are all well,

Signed,

Me.

Day 13 - I lied about the internet

2008-12-10T11:05:00.005+11:00

Hey

The move went great. Mike and I are sharing a queen bed for now till my landlord gets 2 singles later this week. The internet sucks at the place right now, I don't know if that is because one of our roommates is uploading tons of stuff, or if it is just bad in general. But I am working on borrowing the neighbours internets which I hear is quite high speed. I was in the middle of doing that when I accidentally deleted the drivers for my wireless card, but I shall fix that later today and then its Skype calls for everyone. I also plan on dropping off tons of resume's everywhere today too because I need a job badly. Anyways, I hope things are going well for everyone and as soon as I get everything figured out I will post tons and tons of pictures.

But now I am off to pizza hut lunch buffet to chow down. Mmmm

Cheers mates,

This guy

Day 12- My new place

2008-12-09T17:06:00.001+11:00

I have moved in. I have proper internet. Oh glorious day :)

Day 6,7,8 – The searching, the stress, and the most famous beach in the world

2008-12-05T23:23:00.004+11:00

**** Fail again. I went to Mcdonalds to try and upload 4 pictures to the blog and the internet is so slow that my battery has died before it can finish...****

Tomorrow I will spend the day at the beach and relax. The last three days have been filled with too much stress. Finding a place to live has been the leading cause, it is hard but we will find one, of that I am sure. Most of the places we have seen were too sketchy, too small, and too much money.

Throughout the last 3 days I have:

Visited Bondi

Visted Sydney University

Ate at deep fried mars bar.... mmm soo bad but soo good

Ate at an all you can eat Japanese lunch bar.... tried sushi... still not the biggest fan.

Tomorrow I will relax. Spend a day at the beach here in Bondi. Surf. We still have to travel back into Sydney to view a place at 5. Hopefully it is nice. It better be a nice day tomorrow. The last two have been crappy, but we have been too busy to notice to be honest. Mike and I have still managed to walk around Bondi a fair bit. Here are some pics others I will post when I have access to my phone cord:

Anyways, I am going to try and go to bed now. I need rest. I hope everything is well at home for all of you. And that snow. Tee hee hee

** Side note, I am getting ever closer to finding out how to 'borrow' peoples internets. That will be a glorious day when I manage to do that.

Also, it has taken me 20 minutes of just waiting for these pics to upload. And now it has decieded not to work....grrr....

Day 3,4,5 - Damn you internets

2008-12-01T22:32:00.004+11:00

Howdy all,

sorry for the delay of posties but I have been quite busy lately just living it up in Sydney. The job and accommodation search has begun. There is a lot of competition here in Sydney and it'll be interesting to see how long it takes for me to find a job.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE.

Also, I will upload all of my pictures as soon as I can find better internet. Without proper internet I feel so cut-off. I tried for a bit today to learn how to hack into the networks near the hostel with no avail. It might have to wait till I get a place because they usually come with free high speed internet.

As for my new friends. I have met Damien from France and today a girl named Jill from Windsor. Yup definitely come to Australia to meet other Canadians lol. Mike has gotten his bag back from the airline so that was a bonus for him. We can now go to the beach sometime soon. I'm thinking Wed or Thurs. We are also going to head to the Sydney aquarium possibly tomorrow.

Anyways, sorry again for the crappy post qualities but that is only until I have the full internet unleashed at my fingertips. Then you will be oh so envious that you are not here.

http://sydney.gumtree.com.au

Thats the website we are looking for a place from. We want a place around Paddington, Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Taylor Square. Anywhere not directly in the central business disctrict but not too far from the city as well. A 25 min walk max. It will be Mike and I, so either 2 rooms or a double room for around 170-200 a week. If anyone just happens to hop on that site and see anything good do message me.

I'm off to the dunny (toilet), the pics I tried to upload haven't worked so F it. Wait! there they are...

There is no way for you to understand how massive the harbour bridge is unless you see it yourself. But as a reference, the little tiny specs at the top of the bridge are people. Uh huh.

Me in standing on the opera house with the city at my back. And yeah, thats palm trees in the park to the left. Meow

It is awesome here.

Signed,

#1

Day 2 - Orientation

2008-11-29T11:25:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I had my orientation with International Exchange Program (IEP). Wow I am really glad that I registered with SWAP, just for the help that IEP gives you its completely worth it. Not only did I learn lots about Australia and Sydney (Oz is the only country that eats both its national animals, the emu and kangaroo) but I can use IEP to help me find a job and accomdation. During the summer months here in Sydney its tough to find anything available just due to the large amount of people who come here. But yeah, as soon as I get a job it'll be great so I can start spending more freely.

IEP also hosts events, and I plan on going to one on Dec. 5. Its a bar on top of a hotel that appearently has an amazing view. I'll let you know. That is also

I got drunk with some German buddies last night. Christoph, Chirstofer, and Robin. It was my first international drinking experience! It was fun to exchange drinking stories with someone from a different country. I am jealous of the Germans though, they order their beers by the half liter. I learnt that the dialects between provinces are so different that east, west, north, south and central germans have a hard time understanding each other. Unfortunately they have to leave today, but that is the life of a traveller. Meet someone one day, gone the next.

I have also met Mike, my SWAP buddy also from Toronto so I have someone to travel with which is good. He is just trying to see if the airport can find his luggage since they managed to lose it on his way here. Brutal.

Last night we all ended up at Kings Cross which is the red light district here in Sydney. They seems to have all their sketchy shops and bars on the one street, but we managed to find a nice one there.

Anyways, I'm off now. Not sure what I am doing yet but I will find something I assure you. Wait now I know, its find free internets. Yum.

Day 1 - Here.

2008-11-27T18:11:00.002+11:00

There aren't many words in the English language that can describe this; at least not many words that I know. I am here. Australia. I have talked and dreamed about it, worked months for it, and near my departure, even had nightmares about it. And as I sit here and write this, sleep deprived and exhausted as I may be, I still cannot believe it.* It is the most surreal experience. There is nothing in my life that has come close. Even heading off to university, I was only ever an hour away. Now, I am halfway around the world. 15,000 kilometers. It is a distance hard to grasp unless one has had the displeasure of spending a long time aboard a plane. That I will explain more about later.

Now here though, this question resonates in my head: What next? There's no work tomorrow for me, no school assignments, no exams. I am just here. Living. Breathing. Other than some basic to dos, I have no real plan. I like it. This is something I could get used to.

The one real challenge I have ahead of me is to make some friends. Socialize. Before, I found myself being anti-social at times and I hated that. Now, I have no choice but to be social. I engineered it this way. This predicament was set-up to help better myself. Make me care about people I don't know. Make me want to know who they are. Make me want to know their names. And I will. I can already feel it.

So much has changed. And I shall do my best to let you know what to expect if(when) you venture down here. But I am off now to go and eat a ~~crocodile~~ kangaroo burger. Till the next time. Cheers.

Andrew

*Sidenote. I have just been invited to a porno party at Scubar, the bar underneath the hostel. Interesting.

Farewell

2008-11-26T06:04:00.003+11:00

This is just a quick post to say farewell. I want to thank everyone who has helped me so that I can take this journey. Thank you Mum especially, I know you were sad to see me off today. This is something I have to do and I thank you for all the support you have given me. Thank you to the rest of my family as well, I hope some of you can come and visit once I get set up down under. As well to all my friends, thank you for all the fun times. I encourage everyone to come and visit when and if they can.

This trip has been 8 months in the making. I have talked the talk, and now it is time for me to walk the walk. I look forward now to new friends, and new adventures, to new places, and new experiences. I am doing this to learn a bit more about myself, and I hope that the next time you see me, I will have changed, but for the better. I will share with you all the ups and downs of my travels, and I hope that you laugh, maybe even cry a little along with me. I hope to that you might be inspired as well, inspired to take greater chances. To shake up things once and awhile, and get out and try something new.

But for now I am off...to a new country, and a new chapter in my life. But remember though, this is not a goodbye, but a see you later. I love you all :)

Yours truly,

Andrew Hamilton Meades

Tomorrow...

2008-11-16T07:50:00.018+11:00

Much effort was put into this banner.

I am really hungover as I write this so bear with me if this doesn't make much sense. But to the point at hand - TEN MORE SLEEPS and then I'm on my way there. I cannot believe how fast the time is going by. I have done everything I needed to do me thinks. Everyday till I leave I am going to post one thing that I am going to miss while I am gone. Here it goes...

10. Shoveling snow. Now I know that might sound weird but there is a certain satisfaction one gets after finishing shoveling the driveway, looking back at the cleared snow and thinking 'Damn, it looks good'; that feeling of accomplishment is what I shall miss.

9. My car/driving on the right hand-side. I shall have to rely on public transportation while I am down there, will probably even give hitchhiking a try. But I shall miss my sexy blue sunfire, that is unless I somehow manage to get enough money to buy a motorcycle down there. Doubtful though. And the whole driving on the left-handed side is going to be different cool.

8. My dog Abbey. Going away for such a long time has its downsides and I have to acknowledge that there is a chance that she might not be around when I get back. She is 12 ~~13? 14?~~ now and very much a part of the family. I do not like thinking that she might pass away but I tend to cover all my bases just in case. I am going to go and give her an extra cookie tonight :)

And yes mum I might even miss Maive (our cat) a bit even though we tend to have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship.

7. Canadian Beer. Mmmm beer. But yeah I mean the actual brand Canadian, but I am sure I will enjoy drinking all new kinds down under. I'll also be on a mission to find a bar down there thats serves Canadian too.

6. COD 4. Sadly I am addicted. But I think I can live with a trade of that for surfing.

5. Snowboarding. I shall miss it dearly. But again, that can truly be traded off for surfing. I shall try and trade someone snowboarding lessons if they teach me how to surf.

4. Hockey. I most likely wont be able to play down there because getting another set of equipment will be tough. Low and behold, any chance I get to play is a chance that will not be wasted. I will however brag about how damn good I am to anyone that will listen hehehe.

3. To be determined...

2. My friends. See Farewell post.

1. My family. See Farewell post.

** Note. Today I helped my dad shovel off his rink for about an hour and you know what, I think I've gotten my fill of shoveling snow for the year. So #10 is a stupid one.

A walk with Sadie

2008-11-04T13:20:00.020+11:00

On Sunday I took Sadie, my cousins' dog, for an adventure up her backyard to the farmers field. Halfway through this journey I decided to take some pictures so that I may begin getting used to cataloging my trips around. Here is what Sadie and I saw. Actually just I, Sadie mostly wanted to chase sticks.

Near the top of the hill we saw a couple large fungi growing out of the bottom of a tree trunk. They had an interesting underside.

We continued.

I then decided to try and take some scenery shots with Sadie. As you can see she wasn't the easiest to shoot but I did manage to get some good ones. Here are 2 of my favourites:

She is a cute puppy, and not surprisingly quite hyper as well. Looking at them now I'll probably work on getting a better background next time, but I still like the pictures. They are amazing quality for a cell phone camera that's for damn sure.

Anyways we continued down the farmers property towards a field of corn that had not been cleared yet. Um, what would you call it? Dead corn? Sure why not. So we headed towards the dead corn field...

Sadie had a blast running around the field and nearby path and throughly enjoyed collecting loads of burrs on her fur. Luckily they were easy for me to remove from her coat as she is still young. Can you spot Sadie running towards me?

Ahh, there she is :)

I spotted this flower on a tree nearby. My aunt has informed me that the deer eat these, though I forget what they are called.

Then on the way back home I took a panoramic shot of the hill down to my cousin's house. This was mostly to test the phone out, and partly because I like the paintball memories.

And that was that. Took me about 20 minutes to get all the burrs out of Sadies fur but overall it was a worthwhile little hike. Only 22 more days until I go on more exciting ones hehehe.

Surfcams

2008-11-02T07:16:00.002+11:00

I have found a website which you can view the live surf on a lot of beaches in Australia.

http://www.swellnet.com.au/

Check it out! It is really neat. I am going to try and be on one of these so I have added it to a list of my things to do.

This is why I want a pet octopus...

2008-11-01T05:28:00.004+11:00

check out this link.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3328480/Otto-the-octopus-wrecks-havoc.html

Wouldn't an octopus be the coolest pet. I'd probably give mine a camera and teach it how to take awesome pictures for me.

One month to go!

2008-10-26T10:01:00.006+11:00

So, today I officially leave in a month. As I prepare I have been coming up with a list of things that I want to get done while I am down there.

Own my own surfboard and know how to use it. I plan on surfing and visiting the beach as much as possible.
Go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. It is likely I will move somewhere near Carins to get this done. I will need to learn how to scuba dive properly and if a license is needed I shall obtain one.
Work on a ranch for awhile. I want to know what life is like in the Outback; maybe fight off some Dingos and get some Crocodile Dundee in me.
Visit Ayers Rock. Not really sure why, but apparently everybody does it so I shall too.
Be on one of Swellnet.com.au's live surfcam and wave to everybody.
Go surfing on Christmas day. Just wow that would be an experience...

I shall come up with more in due time.

Wtf is Wollongong?

2008-10-20T04:20:00.001+11:00

I have a tentative plan! It is tentative because I realize when traveling things can change on a whim, you meet someone who says 'hey lets go here and do this' and then you're gone. But nevertheless, my plan is as such.

View Larger Map

I am going to head to Wollongong. It is a town about and hour's drive south of Sydney. This is where I plan to go shortly after arriving and get set up there with a place to stay and a job.

Why Wollongong?

I chose it because it met the following criteria.

1. A university town
2. Neer da beach
3. Cheaper living

I am afraid that it might be too expensive to stay in Sydney when I first get there so I looked around and found Wollongong. It has a freaking mountain in the town, for serious. Check out this view of Mt. Keira from the town.

Basically: Guelph + Beaches + Surfing + Mountain + Summertime = Awesome Win

So that's my plan for now. Once I get there, chill in Sydney for a few nights and orient myself. Then take the train to Wollongong and set up shop there for a few months. After that... who knows...

I do. It's called going to Carins and scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Or to the Northwest provinces and working on a ranch. I shall make a mighty to do list for while I am there.

Anyways, peace for now.

Skype, a webcam and a tentative plan.

2008-10-20T03:15:00.001+11:00

I have found the answer to communicating with everyone whilst I am down in Australia. There is this program called Skype (http://www.skype.com/) which you can download and use to call people around the world. Any Skype to Skype call is free and you can use it to call regular phones cheaply. I plan on using this while I am down there and encourage all of you to download it, add me, and give me a call whenever you desire. You can even have a voice mail so if you are away people can leave you messages.

Add me: Andrew Meades, skype name = ameades

I have also purchased a webcam as can be seen in the above banner. It's the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 which I got from bestbuy on sale for $79 bucks. It is kickass. It has Carl Zeiss Optics. I don't have a clue what that is, but I am sure Wikipedia could tell me though (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Zeiss_Optics)? Why don't you do that and give me a call and let me know.

Anyways, just to show you the webcam quality and because I know you want it, here are some pictures of me.

Me eating a popart and waving.

Me with da guns drawn.

I have a bunch of cool special effects as well. This is the speedy blurry one. Macs ain't got nothing on me.

This is just a funny picture I saw on reddit the other day.

On to bigger news. Hmm. I think I am going to make a separate post for this actually...

The birth of a travel blog.

2008-10-16T11:51:00.000+11:00

Today is the day it all starts. This blog is intended to help keep family and friends updated on my adventure down under. I shall keep this blog up to date and will do my best to take and post plenty of pictures. I hope you enjoy :)

So today it is official. I have received an electronic copy of my plane ticket. There is no turning back now, fortunately hehe. I will be flying on Qantas airline which I found out today is an Australian airline. I fly from Toronto to LAX, and then from LAX to Sydney. Total travel time is estimated to be about 24 hours. Toronto to LAX = 5 hours 30 mins, 2 and a half hour layover, and then a 15 and a half hour flight to Sydney. I leave Toronto at 6:50pm on the 25th and I shall arrive in Sydney at 9:20am on the 27th. Thats the flight I have booked right now. I shall write another post when I actually take it :)

Exercise List

1981-03-26T19:16:00.011+10:00

I am so out of shape it is time I list my exercises as encouragement to do more. Feel free to post suggestions of healthy ideas/exercises.

I am traveling now so it's going to be harder to get some exercise? Hmm, I might just be making excuses. Damien and I are going to push each other to get exercise every now and then, just so we don't get too fat.

May 1 2009 - 100 pushups 100 situps 80 swats

April 25 2009 - Finally got my lazy ass out running tonight. 25 minutes.

April 20 2009 - 100 pushups 100 situps 70 swats

April 16 2009 - 90 pushups 80 situps 60 swats

April 9 2009 - 80 pushups 80 situps

April 6 2009 - 80 pushups 60 situps

April 5 2009 - An hour and a half of surfing.

April 2 2009 - 20 minute run. It went a lot better then the first. I think I might increase the amount of time by 5 minutes each run. I've established a nice route to run.

March 31 2009 - 3 sets of 20 sit-ups and push-ups.

March 27 2009 - 3 sets of 20 sit-ups and push-ups. I need to find some other exercises I can do in my room after I get home from work.

March 26 2009 - 15 minute run. Brutal. Made me realize how out of shape I really am and produced this to counteract that out of shapeness.

Facebook Albums

1981-03-08T14:10:00.007+10:00

* Damnit facebook, why do you make the links expire! Please let me know if one has and I will relink it.

Here are some of the photos from my trip:

Watson's Bay/Gap Park
AFL Sydney Swans Game
Bronte Beach April 16 2009
Taronga Zoo
The rocky trip between Coogee and Gordons Bay
Opera House Tour
The walk home from the opera house tour - Random + graffiti pics
Sydney Mardi Gras 2009
Botanical Gardens
Blue Mountains + Jenolan Caves
Sydney Tower
Big Day Out
Manly Beach + Randoms
New Years 2008/9
Random Other Sydney Photos
Sydney Aquarium
Bondi Beach - Dec 6, 2008
Touring Sydney

Surfing Ability/Journal

1981-01-14T23:24:00.011+11:00

Beginnerish. Can get up on a wave and ride for a bit. I have to practice turning on the wave. I am working on strengthening my swimming ability as you need strong arms/shoulders to paddle out when there are big waves.

The only picture of me surfing at 1770

May 26.09 - Had a good 4 hours of surfing in 1770. The surf was great for me. I rode the smallest board to date, it was 6'4"!! I did well with it and was happy with my last surf day up the coast. I even pushed myself and tried catching a wave off the rocks, which can be scary. Screw up there and you end up getting smashed against the rocks. I never managed to catch a wave there though. Got a nice rash on my chest from surfing all day. I need to buy a rash shirt...

1770 is going to be my last opportunity to surf up the coast. I did not know this, but once the Great Barrier Reef starts, it kills the surf. Well 1770, get ready for me...

I'm not heading to the beaches near Brisbane.

Didn't get the chance to surf at Surfers Paradise, but the surf did look amazing.

May 12.09 - Had our final surfing lesson from surf camp (since we left a day early). It was insane, but not the cool kind of insanity. We went to Seven Mile beach, near Byron, not the one near Sydney. THE SWELL WAS 10.5 FEET! WTF. People trying to learn how to surf shouldn't have been taken to waves like this. It was just mean. Shame on you Mojosurf. Now I had dealt with waves almost as big as that when I was trying to learn on my own, so I wasn't that bad, but watching people who had never surfed before being smashed again and again as they tried to get out the back of the waves was not fun. I was the only one who could get out the back of them, and even that took all of my energy, so much so that I'd have to wait several minutes before attempting to catch a wave. Yes, that big. I got destroyed by the biggest wave I've seen so far, and was caught in the worst spot for it. I think I did about 4 barrel rolls underwater. Mean. I did catch 2 waves though, but it was a couple short rides. I did improve a little, mostly in learning how to get out back of the waves, but everyone else, not so much.

May 10.09 - AMAZING DAY SURFING. A group of us rented boards and went surfing in Byron Bay's Main Beach. The surf was perfect for us newbies fresh out of camp. Used my camera which has 12X optical zoom to get some great shots of us surfing. Check this one out!

I love this shot. Check out Lisa's face in the background. What what.

Me just about to catch the wave.

May 6-8.09 Went to a surf camp. Focused on nailing the fundamentals. Learnt about the ocean, proper ways to pop up on the board. Where you want your feet. How to stop deep water versus shallow, and to make a sort of grid with markers around the beach to keep you in the best spot. Had my longest ride to this point. Great surf everyday.

April 20.09 - I've sold my surf board, so I cannot surf atm. BUT, my first stop when I start traveling is a 4 day surf camp. I'll get 4 hours of lessons each day on a beach with great surf, so I am thoroughly looking forward to that. Will post lots when the time comes.

Apr 16.09 - Beautiful day with beautiful surf at Bronte. Tried for a couple hours to get up. Managed to a couple times. The best break was near the rocks which I didn't dare try. Great fun though.

Apr 5.09 - Went to Bronte for 1.5 hours. Waves too big for me. Check this post for more details.

Apr 2. 09 - Wow I haven't been surfing in a month. I went once in March but with the lack of waves I didn't even both record it. And it's weeks like this where it decides to rain the entire time and I have some days off that suck. Oh well, I will make sure to go at least 2 more times before I sell my board and start travelling. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to bring a surfboard along with you. If I want to surf when taking the bus up coast I'll have to rent one for a day.

Feb 3. 09 - First time surfing in a while. Was at Bronte for 3 hours, had decent waves, on which I got up a few times, and I also had some good falls. One particular fall I faceplanted nicely into the board because I tried to catch the wave too late. It's OK mum my face is all good. There was also seaweeds everywhere.

Jan 18. 09 - Went surfing 2.5 hours at Bronte beach. The surf wasn't that great; had to wait 15 mins between good wave sets. I rode an awesome wave. Not only was it the longest I've been up so far, but it was at the fastest I've gone as well. I ended it with a nice carve to the right and managed to stay up on the board.

I loved my board while I had it. I just hire them now. It's cheap, usually around $10-15 a day.

List of things to learn

1981-01-14T23:23:00.002+11:00

Will update soon. Just setting the placemark.