Bucket Lists are a BAD lifestyle choice

My time here in Australia has been winding down, and I've had a lot of people ask me about what's on my "Australian bucket list".  At 29, I am far from being a wise old woman, but I am really annoyed at how much weight people put on so called "bucket lists".  I am adamantly against bucket  lists - because if you wait until the last minute to do all these great things, what the hell have you been wasting your time on in the interim?  Why are you saving everything for a bucket list?  Get out there and do it, dammit!

There is really only one "bucket list-worthy" item that I'd like to do - visit and experience the Great Barrier Reef.  Now that would be a great trip.  Unfortunately I can't afford the flight/accommodation/etc required to do the trip.  And if I'm going to do the GBR, I'll want at least two weeks to really take it in.  A two-week vacation to the GBR isn't in my "time-budget" here in Australia.  After all, the reason I came here was to study/learn/train at the lab I'm currently at, not to extensively vacation around Australia.

Google (yeah a great source, I know) defines a bucket list as "a number of experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have to accomplish during their lifetime" or in my case "to accomplish during their time in a certain part of the country/world".  You shouldn't make a bucket list 6 months before you die, or 2 months before you leave your location - no, you make your bucket list TODAY.  And tomorrow, you start on it!

The GBR is a long-off trip to be planned.  But everything else - during the first week after my arrival in Australia, I immediately started doing things, going places, attending festivals, trying restaurants.  If you don't start on the things you want to experience on day one, then you'll never give yourself the chance to try it all.  I've done a ton in Victoria, seen lots of the tourist places and historic sites.  I've been to quite a few museums in the area to learn about the culture, as well as made a small number of friends that have helped me with/taught me about local traditions and customs.

Do fun stuff!  Do it!

I've done this before on a smaller scale - I did short 3-week trips around the country during my 4th year of vet school.  My trips were mainly to visit/work in labs around the country, but also to experience the culture in that region.  I got to live in Connecticut for 3 months after first year of vet school, and I did my best to experiences as much as I could during that internship.  I'd make great friends, do fun things, and then have to say my goodbyes.

"Bucket list" items (seriously, I hate this term) don't just include food/locations, they also include people.  For each trip I've taken, I've been lucky to meet great people both at work and outside of work. I was only there for a short time, so I made the most of the time I had with them.  And dammit if there wasn't always that one person who brushed me off for two weeks straight, but then during my last week "Aw!  You're leaving soon!  Let's get coffee together everyday this week and spend the entire weekend together!"  NO... that isn't how it works people.  Spend time with people when you can, and one last hurrah is appropriate for a send-off, but it is completely inappropriate to guilt someone into feeling bad for not spending lots of time with them right before they leave.

I'm not naming people, but this has happened to me four times now: Connecticut, Louisiana, Iowa, and Kansas all had culprits.  Kansas was by far the worst one.  I loved spending time with the people I knew back home - some of them for years.  But seriously, I lived in Manhattan for ten whole years before moving to Australia.  Yet a few individuals couldn't be bothered with me until *just* before I left.  It's insulting.  Enjoy the long weekends with friends when they come.  Go out for dinners/coffees often - do it for no other reason than "just because".

I've had some friends lose friends/parents this year, and I apologize if the following paragraph sounds flippant.  Death is no small matter, and I don't consider it something to be trifled with.  My "leaving" locations was temporary for Kansas, but not really for CT, LA, IA.  I'll likely never see those people again, maybe I will, who knows.  So saying goodbye was semi-final (but not as final as death of course).  PEOPLE LEAVE!  People move, people start new jobs, lives change.  So if they are important to you - SPEND TIME WITH THEM WHILE THEY ARE HERE.  They may move, they may get sick, they may end up in a terrible car accident.  Ok, I'm being dramatic, but really.  Spend time with the people who are important to you.

Ok, back to the traditional "bucket list".  "Oh but M, I have kids, I can't experience all the things going on in my location because I'm busy with kids"  Yeah that's another bucket list you can tick off everyday - each day is a gift, but especially with kids because they grow so fast and in a blink of an eye they're teenagers!  Experience as many activities as you can with your kids, but it doesn't have to be an award-winning restaurant or a huge cultural festival.  Moments during a tea party or playing in the sprinkler in the backyard can be more precious than any event you have to pay for.  Friends with kids - you probably already know this, I'm preaching to the choir.  You know, because I have so much "experience with kids", haha.


In summary.... man this post ended up much longer than anticipated, sorry about that.  I'm not really a fan of editing.
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In summary... visit the historic places in the area you live, go to a few cultural festivals, go to that restaurant you've been "dying" to eat at.  Stop waiting to do that "thing" or that "thing" will be closed/over and you'll have missed it!  If you have kids, you can reduce this list as you like, but you're not getting off on the next point.

Spend time with the people who are important to you!!!  For me, that's my family.  Living overseas has been really rough in that respect, but being so far away from my family has made me appreciate how lucky I was to have them nearby when I lived in Kansas.  If it's your buds - spend time with them and don't wait until the week they leave to hang out with them.  (They will end up resenting you if you treat them like that)

If you have enjoyed my post, please comment!  Really, I think I am the only person who visits this blog anymore....

KSU Article about Geelong

I received a bit of an early birthday present this year.  I was contacted by one of the people in the public media department of Kansas State University to talk about my time here in Geelong working at AAHL.  I was excited to be able to share stories with him and even more excited to see the final article come out this past week.  I think it turned out really great, and I've already received a few emails from people commenting on the article and asking more questions.  Have a read below.

Birthday Down Under

I had a birthday!!  My birthdays have always been family-oriented, but that's quite hard while living in a foreign country.  But even still - it was a great birthday spanning about three days (due to Easter scheduling as well as time conversions).

My pseudo-birthday was Wednesday (because things were nutty on Thursday).  I organized a bit of pool and ping pong in the secure area along with Easter sweets to enjoy.  There was a great turnout, about 10 of us enjoyed a long lunch playing pool and other games in the secure area lounge.  Now how many people can say they enjoyed their birthday playing pool in PC3?  It was an awesome way to break up the day, though I'll willingly admit to a terrible stomach ache at 4pm.  Too much fun and sugar, but totally worth the stomach ache.

Later that evening was Dodgeball.  Wednesday was the first evening we all wore coordinating tie-dye shits made by a fellow PhD student's friend.  It dunno if it was the magic of tie-dye or a phase of the moon buy everyone was ON FIRE!  I've never played a better game of Dodgeball.  Not only did we win, but we won honorably with awesome plays and some slick catches/throws.  Bangin' night and great way to end the day of my pseudo-birthday.

Dodgeball Champs in tie-dye!

Thursday came, my actual birthday, but I didn't make any plans because people were leaving for Easter vacations and such so it was too difficult to organize.  Regardless, I had a very peaceful day in the lab and got to leave a bit early (due to the holiday I wasn't the only one).  That evening, I went out for tea with a few PhD-mates at a nearby hotel.  And "going out for tea at a hotel" really means "having dinner at a bar".  Such confusion with nouns at times, but I'm catching on.  It was a terrific end to my real birthday day.

Good Friday was enjoyable as well.  Like I said, birthdays are very family-oriented for me, so I got to Skype with my parents as well as my sister.  When they called it was Thursday evening, my real birthday, in the states.  I had a nice hour-long talk with both my folks via Skype and then with my sister afterwards.  It was really great to hear from home, but it kind of made me more anxious to get home.  I miss my family a lot so it was super great to hear from them on my birthday, as well as motivate me to get things done to organize my travels home.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to head to Bell's Beach for the famous pro-surfing competition held annually at Bell's Beach - we'll see if I can get in or if it's too busy.  All in all, a great birthday week!!

Australianisms: Episode 3

"Walkabout"

"Gone walkabout"

Honestly, I hear people say "walkabout" and I know it's an historical Aboriginal reference but I can't help but think of the kid in the movie "Australia" with Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman.  The kid goes "walkabout" as part of his heritage.  When something disappears in the lab, it goes "walkabout".  I don't hear it much, but I've hear it enough to have it stick in my mind.  "Walkabout" refers to things that seem to disappear forever, not temporarily (like the constant problem of pens going "walkabout" and disappearing into the abyss).

"A rubber"

Rubber ducky, you're the one!   *quack quack*

I think this is another Englishism that has become an Australianism.  A rubber in Australia is an apparatus used to remove pencil marks.  Yet in the States, a rubber is an item used to avoid pregnancy and STDs.  Which becomes quite awkward in the lab when someone asks you for a rubber.

"You want a rubber?"

"Yes, toss it here quick"

"A rubber?  What?

"It's sitting right there, pass it over"

"Oh, an ERASER, made of rubber"

"Yes, a rubber, pass it here" 

I think it may have been more awkward if the individual had been male, but regardless, it caught me off guard and gave us a good laugh.

Then my "host Mom", the lady who lives in the house that I'm staying, asked me for a rubber yesterday.  Yet again, I was caught off guard and confused.  Ah, the little things you encounter while living in another country...

"Rock up"

To rock up is to show up, be present.  I'm really curious as to where this one originated.  Is it a bastardization of "walk up", to rock up?  I can't find any reason why the word "rock" is involved in this saying.  It always makes me think of rock climbing when I hear it.  Definitely haven't heard this one come out of my own mouth...

"Flash"

Not that kind of flash

Another random Australinaisms is "flash", which means high-end/fancy/fantastic.  I often hear "flash" referred to when talking about nice cars, but I've heard it applied to a few non-automotive items as well.  A new stereo, a motorbike, jewelry...  I'm quite sure it's another term that has just been shortened, as in the Australian way.  "Flashy" is now "flash".





Random other things I've discovered/heard/read about (mostly from Buzzfeed Oz):

- In 1975, Australia had a government shutdown, which ended with the Queen firing everyone and the government starting again.

- Despite sharing the same verbal language, Australian, British and American sign language are all completely different languages.  Thank goodness I don't have hearing problems...

- Kangaroos and emus cannot walk backward, one of the reasons that they're on the Australian coat of arms.  In addition, Australia is one of the only countries where they eat the animals on the coat of arms.

Australianisms: Episode 2

Hello imaginary readers!  I've been quite busy with lots at work, so enjoy a second installment of "Australianisms" rather than stories of adventures...

“Cheers” 

Lots of people here sign off their emails with “Cheers” as well as leave the room saying “Cheers!”  I tried to explain to a coworker how strange it is to hear people say this on a regular basis in a not-trying-to-sound-like-a-douche way and honest hey-everyone-take-care-and-cheers-to-all, but it didn’t translate.  Imagine, as an American, I walk into a room and say “Howdy” in a strong Texas accent.  It’s meant as a true hello, but if the accent is exaggerated (and plus I’m not from Texas) then you just sound like a complete douche and everyone immediately rolls their eyes.  Same goes for how “Cheers” hits my ears.  “Cheers” is something that I expect from Englishmen/women, but I don’t expect it from Australians.  Evidently it has jumped the ocean though, and people say it on occasion and no one smirks or giggles at all.  It’s quite weird.  I expect Bond to pop up at any moment when a “Cheers!” hits my ears…

Cheers!  Allow me to kill you with my martini glass...

Now, I’ve adapted a few Australianisms, but I don’t say cheers.  However, I do write it in my emails.  “Thanks for everyone’s hard work, cheers. – M”  It’s an easy sign off that seems to be accepted as professional here (as well as friendly).  Yet every time I sign off an email as cheers, I feel like a complete tool.  But because I know it’s “accepted” here, I’ll do it as long as I can get away with it.  Until some calls me out on sounding like a tool, haha.

There's also the whole American version of "cheers" which is only said when drinks are involved.  Someone leaving the lab saying "cheers!" just makes me thirsty for a beer.

"Ok guys, this time, let's do a proper cheers, not an Australian cheers
that may or may not have beer involved" 

“Full-on” 

Google images - is this a band?  Why is this
logo available?  Who created this?  What?

Full-on seems to be the equivalent of, but not more than, busy.  If you’re up to your neck in work, then things are “full  on” when people ask how you are.  I often wonder – is this a boat reference?  In that there are different speeds and I assume the highest speed is “full-on”?  Or maybe this is a motorcycle throttle reference?  I have no idea, but full-on has made its way into my vocabulary.  Yet I still think “tons” is a larger quantity than “full-on”, but "full on" is creeping into my vocab.  Plus, "full on" is shorter than "tons of work" - and the shortest possible way to say something is the Australian way.

 

Google images has so much random shit available...

“Heaps”

Again, google images, what the heck?  I think this might be a clothing line of some sort?

I have heaps and heaps of data to sort through!!  I don’t remember using the word “heaps” back home.  And with the Australian accent, “heaps” takes on a hard long A.  Every time I hear heaps I imagine Merlin from the Sword in the Stone with the sugar bowel pouring heap upon heap of sugar into his tea.  It just sounds like a quantity for granules.  Evidently in Australia, it stands for large volumes of pretty much anything.  Heaps of data.  Heaps of work.  Heaps of laundry.  Heaps of good luck.  All sorts of heaps.  Hasn’t quite made its way into my verbal vocab but I found myself writing it a few times in emails…

The true definition of "heaps" in my mind circa 1963

“Tea”

  

                   This is tea.                                          This is not tea, it's dinner.

In the states, tea is tea.  It comes in loose leaves or more commonly in a teabag and you drink it.  Here, tea has multiple meanings and it drives me quite a bit batty.  I went to a week-long course and we had “tea” in the mornings at 1030am and 3pm.  “Tea” included teabags in hot water, coffee and a biscuit/cookie/donut/pastry/etc.  Here at AAHL, “tea” is a religion.  Everyone marches down to the canteen at 10:30am and 3:00pm for tea.  Most often, people don’t actually drink tea, they drink coffee.  And tea often includes a small snack, either fruit or a single cookie/pastry of some sort that you brought in addition to your lunch.    After 5pm, “tea” takes on a whole new meaning.  If someone “goes out for tea” in the evening, it means they go out for dinner.  “Tea is ready” after 5:00pm is the exact equivalent of saying “Dinner is ready”.  “I went out for tea this weekend with my family” means you had dinner with your family.  “You sat there and just drank tea?  Oh, I see, you had food which was ‘tea’, that totally makes sense” (not).

I find this extremely confusing because I get emails for events that are $5, which includes tea.  Does that mean I need to bring my own lunch, or is “tea” including lunch?  Is there food or is it honestly just “tea” in a teabag?  I’ll awkwardly show up with a packed meal (because I don’t want to be hungry) and then there’s food.  “Didn’t you read the flyer?  It says that the admission fee included tea.”  “Yeah, but why didn’t they say food rather than just ‘tea’?”  So confusing….  Then again, it’s nice to assume that no snacks/food will be provided and then surprise!  You get a cookie with your ‘tea’!  Hooray surprise cookies!

So tasty!

I'll try to find a few more Australianisms to discuss before I head back.  Enjoy!  Cheers! haha

Exploring Melbourne for the Day

Since I now have an end-date for my time in Australia, I've been trying to take advantage of seeing as much as I can before I leave.  I've been to Melbourne a few times with other people, but I wanted to go go on my own for a day to explore the area.  There is a certain freedom afforded when you're sightseeing on your own.  I'm free to stop into any shop I like, change plans immediately, and linger longer anywhere.  I picked a few areas in Melbourne that I'd like to visit and then headed off with my city maps on the train early Saturday morning for a big day out.

Southern Cross

After arriving at Southern Cross, I easily found the tram to take me to Queen Victoria Market.  The market is a combination of open-air stalls and buildings that is a Melbourne landmark.  There are certain areas dedicated to fancy foods - including fancy cheeses, deli meats, gourmet breads and pastries, exotic olives and all sorts of fun (and expensive) foods.  There is also an area completely dedicated to fresh fruits, veggies, jams, nuts, wines, jams and honey.

All the fruit and veggies looked really fresh

Of course, there was also a tourist section as well.  There were plenty of stalls with stuffed koalas/kangaroos/echidnas, crocodile dundee hats, didgeridoos, boomerangs, and tons of other things with "Australia" written on them.  I enjoyed looking through all the stuff they had, most of it silly but still fun for me.  Plus I wanted to get a few souvenir-type things for when I go home.

Kangaroos and Koalas galore!

Because everyone needs a boomerang and a didgeridoo from their travels...

A mozzie hat - corks hanging from the hat serve to "whack" mosquitoes out of the way

The market was quite entertaining both in merchandise sold and people to watch.  Always plenty of entertainment to be seen in public places.

I thought it was a cute sign

Please buy my knockoffs from Asia?

On the way to my lunchdate, I stopped at an aquarium shop recommended by a friend.  They had a beautiful display of aquariums throughout the store.  Plenty of exotic Australian fish to check out!  Next door to the aquarium shop was a pet store - they had adorable little puppies for sale.  Sadly, they're all likely from puppy mills and riddled with medical issues (both inherited and acquired), but they were fun to look at.  I feel bad for the people paying for these dogs - $1800 for a small designer dog with issues?  No thanks!

Bring me and parvo home with you!

Happy fishies

For the afternoon, I planned to meet Jacqui and her boyfriend for a sushi lunch and then keep looking at all the Melbourne sights.    We had an awesome sushi lunch, but the day definitely turned out different than I imagined.  The weather was beautiful, so we decided to go to a rooftop bar for a pot of beer.  Lovely sun and beer was enjoyed by all!

You like sun?

I like sun!

Sun for everyone!

Onwards we ventured to Ponyfish Island, a quaint bar at the base of a bridge, literally in the middle of the Yarra.

You like Ponyfish?

  

I like Ponyfish!

Ponyfish for everyone!

Across the river was The Belgian Beer cafe.  I was told by Jacqui and Ryan that they served "only the finest fancy beers"  And lo and behold - Blue Moon was on tap!  Glorious liquid gold!!!  I was excessively delighted and happy to pay an Australian price for an American beer.  I was all smiles by this point - homebrew!  A round for everyone!

You like American brews?

I like American brews!

American brews for everyone!

After the few beers, we decided it was time for a coffee stop, so we landed at a cute cafe for Affogato.  I was under the impression that Affogato was a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a shot of espression... but we got a scoop of vanilla with a shot of espresso and a shot of Frangelico.  Quite unexpected but very delightful!

You like Affogato?  OMG, I like Affogato too!

Affogato for everyone!!  (Esp when it comes with a shot)

By this point we were all having a good time - onwards to the next bar.  On the way I got a bit snap-happy.

Some colorful street art - I really liked the tree

Pigeons are a nuisance you say?  Let's build a house to attract them to the city!

They thought that building a "pigeon house" would attract birds OUT of the CBD...
This is real, people - not making it up

Define hand-picked:  ...perhaps, picked...by hand?

I love the "old meets new" architecture seen all over the CBD

After a stroll we soon arrived at the next bar: Chuckle Park.  It was a bar in an alleyway, and drinks were served in the back out of an old RV with fairy lights overhead.  The bar also used "Smokey the Bear" as a face for "Chuckle"

 

                             Fairy lights and Dr. Tim's - just what the doctor ordered.

You like Chuckes? I like Chuckles!  Chuckles for everyone!
And kids, don't start forest fires...

Next bar was The Cabinet - a trendy bar that I would kill to have in Manhattan.  It was very comfortable and made you feel at home, yet everyone present was so stylish.  We had to leave early because they were putting on a "function".  La de dah.

The Cabinet?  The Cabinet!  Beers for everyone at The Cabinet!

Last bar of the day was Madame Brussels.  This bar was pretty hilarious, but let's be honest, pretty much everything was hilarious at this point.  The bar was on the fourth floor of a shop, and everything was French-themed.  The tables and chairs were made of that horrible white lace-looking wrought-iron like a French cafe.  The waiters were all male, wearing polos and short white shorts - dressed like tennis guys.  Definitely very oo-la-la, and these guys weren't showing off for the ladies...  They had lovely parasols that you could borrow if the sun was on your back.  We weren't sitting in a sun spot, but I couldn't help but enjoy one of the parasols.

We are fancy people... la la la

You love being ridiculous?

Well all ordered drinks and ice cream.  Jackie and Ryan shared a pitcher of the "Love Juice.  The description read:

Recumbent upon the sweet grassy bank, you reach across and kiss your lover, then

sigh as never before...  What comes next?  Strawberries!  Green apples!  French

fraises!  Martini Rosato!  this must be the very quintessence of a romantic

endless autumn. Ok, so your skirt is rumpled and your knickers have gone

who-knows-where, but at least you can take on the world with a certain

brazen confidence.  Splendid!

Such hilarity!  We loved it.  I splurged and ordered a glass of Absinthe.  It wasn't as bad as I remember from tasting it during the second year of undergrad.  And we all got a "Gay Time" which is evidently an ice cream bar.  I had a blast.  And it was delicious.

I love being ridiculous!!
(I'm not sure if we ordered this because it was tasty or if it was just because
we wanted to shout "what a gay time!"  Which we did.  Repeatedly.)

E'rrybody be ridiculous!

  

Ridiculousness was delicious!

The afternoon was a blast, and quite unexpected!  That was probably half of what made it so much fun, that and great tour guides, wonderful sights (and tastes) plus gorgeous weather.  Fun day in Melbourne, for sure!