I'm still alive...

So I know it have been like 4 months since my last blog, but I am the most busy person I just haven't had time to grace anyone with a blog...I lie! I just forgot :P


Since October what has been going on? Well, Christmas came and Christmas went. It was nice to be able to experience Christmas in another country and in the heat, but I don't think I would do it again in a hurry. Christmas is meant to be cold, and family orientated, therefore next time, that is what it will be. But at least I can say I had a hot Christmas in another country. New Years was quite good though. A few of us from work went out and had an awesome night! Then one of the girls from work just disappeared! Yes, just kinda went "poof"... for days we worried, and where on the verge of calling the police, but as it turns out, she was at home really ill and she lost her phone. All was good then *phew*... 


Speaking of work, I have had to leave The Reject Shop :( ... Stupid Australia and its stupid laws! I will so miss that place and all the "Rejects" I worked with. It was an awesome, but very fast, 6 months! We did have a good night out before Christmas, an experience I will not forget, and a very busy Christmas week.


Come Feb, we had to leave the Foreign Exchange Accommodation as they pretty much kicked all the backpackers out to make way for students coming over from Papua New Guinea. We moved to another guesthouse in the city called the Orchid Guest House. Its no Foreign Exchange, but it is ok. The woman who runs it however, needs to pretty much retire. She must be in her late 60's and can be a snide old woman! Her comments are like digs to whoever she is taking to, and I promise, one more to Thomas or I, and she will get a clash! Anyway, the FOREX closing to backpackers got me a job, just in the nick of time. I now do a bit of cooking at the weekends and some cleaning during the week. Not all bad and it is a different experience to retail. It also opened my eyes to another, very different, culture. The PNG student are all such nice people too, which makes working there enjoyable. I also must say that working in Australia, with Australians, and Kiwis, is really a lot better than home... no offence. Here I am actually made feel like what I do, no matter where I work, is actually appreciated. I am thanked for doing little things, and at the end of each day by everyone I work for. It is nice and makes me more inclined to actually help without any problem at all! I also get fed in this job at the weekend too :D...


Moving to the Orchid, Thomas and I met a Dutch girl called Anne! She was awesome, and really friendly and had the great idea of us all going camping together for a night. It was one of the best ideas ever! Thomas may not think so as he didn't get much of a night sleep, and went to the car during the night as the tent was a bit cramped, but Crystal Creek is the nicest place I have ever seen. Nature at its finest! Watering holes to swim in and mossy rock slides for a few hours of fun. And the cold water was heaven out of the horrid humidity. Don't get me wrong, I like the heat, but 90% humidity is just nasty! I also got bitten on one thigh 17 times, and on one arm 12 times, but it was worth it! Where else can you swim at 8am before a BBQ breakfast! Coolies! Thanks Anne!


At the Orchid however, there is no wifi internet, because Fran is tight, so I am sitting here outside the library using their wifi... ssshh, don't tell them! So that's about all I have to write now, but I will try to blog a bit more often, for all of the 4 followers I have. But now, here is some piccys for ya...Oh, oh, oh, I also gotta mention the thunderstorms in QLD. They are frickin amazing, and I get so excited during them! Why I don't know, but I love them... :D

Work night out

New Years Eve - Kaitie and me

Cookie the cat from The Foreign Exchange

Going Camping

Crystal Creek - Paradise Waterhole

Crystal Creek - Rock Slides

Rock Slides

Anne snorkelling

Thomas and I - Rock slides

Weeeee

Spider...

Awesome!

My learnings so far...

So, I have been in Australia for a while now, and through my travels and my "hostel hopping" (I know I have only got as far as Townsville) I have met a lot of different people from many different countries, which has been amazing and I am looking forward to meeting more, but I have also learnt many new things. I reckon travelling teaches you a lot more than school education will...it is life learning. You learn to appreciate different things and different ways of life and cultures. You also learn, being a backpacker, other little things too. So, I have been keeping what I call Travel Lessons, and here is what I have so far...

My travel lessons

1. Stay positive
2. Keep an open mind
3. Friends make everything better....GOON
4. Failing teaches you
5. Keep an open mind
6. If you go to the supermarket early in the morning or late at night, you get "Reduced for quick sale" groceries / do what makes you happy (I had 2 number 6's :P)
7. Know ALL the facts before doing something
8. You can do anything you put your mind to
9. Sleep is the best part of the day
10. you learn something new everyday
11. People don't give a f**k, have no respect for what is available for them to use and are messy, ungrateful shits!!! >:@
12. Its people you meet and friends you make that make your experiences much more worth while
13. Road trips are awesome...I love Oz!
14. Never say how long you are going to stay somewhere. It will prob end up being way longer than you anticipated..
15. We have flip-flops for a reason. Don't run round in your bare feet... you might get sore toes :P

In the beginning I wasnt very optimistic. In Cairns we looked for jobs and the response from people was that there where none...anywhere pretty much. So being a bit down hearted and getting into a bit of a tizzy, a mate told me to think positive and that it pretty much wasnt right for people to be that negative. So, off to Townsville we went and done the job hunt again. I was hired to work for Austar (previous blog) but this only lasted for 2 days, and not letting the negative thoughts take over, I have now got a job in The Reject Shop, which I have to say I love! Thomas also had some work here, and now he iswwoofing on a farm for his 2^nd WHV. We were only meant to come to Townsville for a week or 2...hey hey...3 months later and what do ya know!!? I also work at the hostel I stay at for my accommodation, meaning I can save a bit of money. This hostel is not like a hostel though, its too luxurious for that, but the people staying have no consideration for others. They leave their dirty dishes in the sink, and put dirty plates and cups in the dishwasher along with the clean ones, instead of having the decency to empty it 1^st...They just don't care and its quite sad really! They aren't at home now!

Travelling means you meet a lot of different places, from loads of different countries. I have to admit, most of the people I have met are German, but hey. I have learnt to be open to new ideas and how things are done differently in other places. I have also become more patient (or just more laid back) as some things also need to be explained to people to help them understand. I have also learned that the people you meet make a difference to your experiences and you will make some great friends...I know I have (see here). So all in all, I am having a great time travelling and I would recommend anyone doing it when they have the chance :)

Airlie Beach?? Yes please.

So, as this place, The Foreign Exchange hostel, was getting a bit full on and dramatic, one of my good mates, Shannon from here decided that Thomas, Joe, she and I take a trip to Airlie Beach for the weekend. I of course jumped at the chance for a road trip :D...
So, Saturday morning came and we packed up 'Felix' (the car) and started the 4-5 hour trip to Airlie. About 3 hours after we said bye to Townsville, flying along the road, we zoomed past a police car doing 115k in a 100k zone...oops! On went his siren and lights and in we had to pull! He came and took Shannons licence back to his car, and after what seemed like forever, came back and issued a $200 fine and 3 penalty points. But not to worry, apparently it could have been worse and her licence could have been taken away...it also helped that she was fully co-operative... Anyway, off we started again, keeping at 100k and we finally reached Airlie Beach. I have to say it is an awesome place.

Airlie Beach lagoon

It is beautiful and the most relaxed place! It also doesn't have a beach...Yup, Airlie Beach has no beach! After getting to the hostel and settling in, we relaxed for a few hours in the awesome hammocks, and then headed into town to watch the rugby in one of the bars. Before leaving, we opened a few ciders and left, with the ciders in hand...mistake. Top of the hill, a car drew up, put on flashy blue and red lights and made the unmistakable sound of a siren. Yup, Shannon, again, and I where smacked with a $100 fine each for having the drink on the street. Joe got away with it as he hid his drink, and Thomas had finished his before we left! The buggers even made us pour it out, when, we could have just downed it instead! What a waste... Best about it was that we joked about getting fined before we left! Good times! Still, we went into town, had food, drink and watched the rugby, sang a bit of 'What's the colour of a 2 cent coin? Coppa coppa....' and made a promise to just go to the lagoon and do nothing that would get us in trouble the next day. And that is exactly what we did. Airlie Beach lagoon is beautiful, and I wish Townsville had something the same. The rock pools here aren't just as nice, and they are too far away :P...

Proud of our fines! Lol

Infringment notice - don't piss the policemen off :S

After lying there for the most part of the day, we done a bit of shopping and then started for home. I personally believe that the shotgunner should not be allowed to fall asleep in that seat as they are meant to be keeping the driver company, but anyway, Joe and Thomas fell asleep, and I acted as the speedo!!! Keeping it at 100k...didn't want any more trouble, and we all made it home safely :) ... Airlie was awesome and I would like to go back sometime. I would also recommend it as a place to stay for a bit. Just don't piss the policemen off!!!

Sunset on the way home...with burning sugar cane

It's all in the way it's said...

Ok, I am back again...for the 2nd time in a week! I guess you are just too lucky!

Anyway, I'm in Australia, and every so often, I notice people looking at me funny when I say something, or asking Thomas or I to repeat what we just said. Then I realised "Duh, I am from Northern Ireland, and we do have some awful slang and sayings, if I do say so myself". So for your consideration, here are some of the everyday words and sayings we tend to use, along with what they really mean. Keep in mind that the word you is defined as yi or ye and you're or your is defined as yer.

-Clean boggin/bangin - really dirty

-Pure class - awesome!

-Aye - Yes

-Naw...ayee, but... - Yea, but...

-Ya huer ye - You idiot

-Yi jammy cunt - Lucky person

-Shite - shit (it's in the way it's said)

-Dirty hallion - Dirty person

-Catch yersel on - Wise up

-Culchie - From the country

-Yer drawers - Your trousers

-Foundered - Freezing

-Wind yer neck in - See Catch yersel on

-Gobshite - Mouthy or annoying person

-Manky/Mingin - Dirty

-Boke - Vomit

-Quare - Used in a sentence for great... "That's a quare haircut yi got"

-Scallion - Spring onion

-Yer scratcher - Bed

-Scunndered - Fed up

-Yes horse - Hello friend

-Six 'o' one, half a dozen 'o' the other - Awful saying meaning both are the same

-Purdy's - Potatoes...also spuds

-Stocious - Very drunk

-D'yaknowwhatameanlike - Do you know what I mean?

-Gammy - Not right. Irregular.

-Banjaxed - Broken beyond fixing

-Yer heads cut - You are imagining things

-What are ye at - What are you doing?

-A hidin' - A beaten. A slap

-Feard - Scared

-Boys a dears - Figure of speech for boredom or just about to get up and do something you don't really want to but have to

-Does my head in - annoys me

-Ganch - talk, chat

-Keep er lit/Give er Dixie - Usually said when driving. Means pedal to the metal pretty much. Keep the car (er) going.

Yup. Bet you are now thinkin "Catch yersel on. You must have been stocious when you where writing that, ya gammy shite!"

That's our everyday lingo, which you never really notice until you are questioned on what you say... :P No wonder people get confused!

Dot Dot Dot

Yea yea yea...I don't update my blog very often, but, even though not very many people read it, for those of your who do, I am still alive...when I first started blogging, it was more of a novelty, but now, it is just something else. I really need to start doing it more often again...

Anyway, I am still in Townsville...and I have also got myself a job, other than the working for accommodation. I now am a casual nightfill worker at The Reject Shop, and I actually quite like it! The people are so nice and friendly and unlike where I used to work at home, you can have a bit of conversation and a laugh while you work. At the minute, it is only 2 nights a week, but it is a bit of saving money, as I am still doing the work for my accommodation. Also, Thomas and I have help with our regional work so we can apply for our 2nd year visas...he is able to go up every day at the minute, but unfortunately I can only go one day a week as I have to work at the hostel, but hopefully, we can move up to the farm house soon and start working every day for a bit, then start making our way back down to Sydney...Dunno if I mentioned, but I miss Sydney...still.

So what else has been done since I last blogged...we, Thomas, Fay, and I, ventured Castle Hill. Yes, we walked, and all I can say is it was like the Blue Mountains all over again! Over 1000 steps up to the top! Thomas made it look easy, but when you have short legs, you have to work 100 times harder to get them to work after you have reached the half way mark. When you look up and see what is ahead, legs all of a sudden get a mind of their own and say "If you want me to go any further, you're gonna have to drag us..." However, the sense of accomplishment you get when you reach the top is well worth it. You can walk around and see the whole of Townsville from the top. And the sunset is amazing!

So, then, before it got dark, it was time to make our way back down, Once again, as Thomas has longer legs, he took the hike track we came up, back down, while Fay and I opted for the road. Even though it would prob take a lot longer, it was easier for short legs :)...However, when we saw how long it was, we thought about going back and down the track we came up, but then we came across the Daniella Track. Without even noticing that the crash barrier didn't even have a gap for it, we took off down it! What a mistake! You know when you go skiing, you have the easy (blue) slopes, intermediate (red) and the pro (black) slopes? Well, this was a black slope!

There wasn't even a path! It was just a 'hike' through stones, boulders and trees with a lot of dust and dirt! Then we thought we where lost when two people told us the way...a friggin scramble down the side of the mountain! Worst possible way down ever! The 2 people obviously done it before, because they overtook us and went on...either that or they knew it was gonna get dark soon, because we began to realise the same, and we had no lights...nor tents or food for that matter. Therefore we started to panic, got a bit faster and I twisted my ankle, but, no time to stop! When we finally reached the bottom, we arrived at a graveyard! Yes, a graveyard about 5k away from where we started. After ringing Thomas and telling him to go on back to the hostel, we made our way to a bus stop, with some help from a nice passer-by telling us where we were, after trying to read a map in the dark (we must have looked like 2 proper tourists). Then we then had to briskly move from the bus stop and cross the road away from a screaming aborignal coming around the corner...All I can say is it was a day I won't forget in a hurry, but it was fun!!!

Other than that, nothing much exciting has been happening or has happened again. Few days here and there to The Strand and beaches, yes, beaches in the winter...where else can you do that, and working. The hostel (hotel) is pretty good living, and there are lots of awesome people. A bit too many Germans though...um, yea, the majority of the people are German. It is like I am in Germany and not Australia...either that or, as Thomas put it, it is a slow invasion!

Pheww, anyway, that's it for now, and I shall try and blog again sooner this time :)

Sunny Townsville....still

Yup, still in T/ville...

Anyways, I haven't been updating this thing as I don't know what to say, and I am not doing much exciting these days. Since my last update, I have still been working at the hostel (more like a hotel ;)) I am staying at instead of paying for my accommodation (apparently accommodation has 2 m's). Anyway, it is better than nothing and if I do over the amount of hours to cover me, I get paid... no too bad. I am also still waiting to be paid from the guys from the 1st job too!!!!!

Thomas and I also went to see Transformers 3, and apart from some of the worst seats I have ever sat in in a cinema, it was so good! Yes, they replaced Megan Fox, but it works. Like the other films, it was fantastic! Off this Tuesday to see Harry Potter, but I don't know how I will be able to sit in those god awful seats for 3 hours!!!

We also went off for the day to the Billabong Sanctuary, where I got to hold a Wombat named Tonka, that was awesome, a snake and a little croc. Thomas also got to hold a koala. The "little" wombat I got to hold also had a story behind him about how he thrived off peoples attention...After cyclone Yasi, there was damage to the park, and so it was closed while it was repaired. During this time, Tonka got sick and started to lose a lot of weight, but no one knew why. Eventually a vet said he may be depressed, and so with more cuddles and visits he started to get better and when the park re-opened, and people where patting and cuddling him more, he put weight back on and got better :)....poor lil Tonka...

So, other than that, there isn't much more to be said... wow...!

Tonkas story

Tonka and me :)

Thomas and Annie

Still here...

So, I am still in Townsville, and, to be honest, it can be a bit of a boring place...it is nice, but yeah...

Anyway, I had me a job, started last monday, and I lasted 2 days. Yip, monday and tuesday. I was stuck in a shopping center, standing at an Austar kiosk, trying to pitch people, and talk them in to signing up for Austar...what a friggin joke that was. Standing like a spare prick, while people do their utmost to ignore you and make you feel little, and when you even say "Hi" they respond with "Not interested" or "Have it" or just give you a dirty look. It was kind of degrading, and an experience I doubt I will ever forget. I also learnt myself a very valuable lesson

DO NOT EVER DO A SALES JOB!!! Stick ta what ya know, and hourly pay.
Stood in a shopping center for 10 hours and got feck all for it!!!

So, after I decided on the tue, while standing watching people ignore me and feeling dumb, and while the guy I was with was dancing around 'annoying' people, I came back to the Foreign Exchange hostel and was able to land me a job cleaning for my accommodation. Not too bad, and better than nothing/Austar! So I do me a 9-12 'shift' and an hour in the evening, and I have the afternoon to enjoy the sun...meaning, right now, I am a few different colours :D.... I am a sun worshipper...I know it is not too good for ya, but hey... me and him are mates...

Townsville...

Townsville...it is a quiet place compared to Sydney (obv) and believe it or not Cairns too. The fact that our hostel in Sydney was on top of a night club, and the one in Cairns just partied at night (I loved the both however), is a bit different from the Foreign Exchange "hostel" we are staying in now...very posh. Anyway, there does seem to be more jobs going here, even if the place is quieter...the town is anyway. However, even though I have lost count of the number of jobs I have applied for, going from manager training positions to night shift stockers, no one wants to seem to give me a job :(... I did have an interview on fri, and unless the dude calls me today, gotta give him a call tomorrow. Fingers crossed he says, "Yea, we can give you a few hours a week"...would be great, because not working is kind of depressing. I also need to save to do the Whitsundays and Fraser Island...Whitsundays being done in the next stop...Might also stop for a little while in Bowen and do some fruit picking. Cannot backpack Australia and say you didn't fruit pick...just for the experience :)... Not having a job however has allowed me to go and explore different areas, and thus, even when wearing spf30+, get my self a nice red tan...and in weird patterns in some places... :P

Anyway, this is just like a short update, not very exciting, so I will stick a few pics on the end :P

Magnetic Island from Townsville

Heroes walk, ANZAC Memorial Park, Townsville

Its been too long

Well, ok, so I has like been forever since I blogged so I thought I would do it now when I remember :P...

So, as you know, I am now in Australia. Currently living in Townsville after beginning in Sydney and going to Cairns then here. After our OzIntro week on Sydney, we (along with most of the others in the OzIntro group) headed up to Cairns to begin our travels back down to Sydney for Christmas. After a week of living in Cairns and finding it particularly hard to find a job here, we hopped on the Oz Experience bus and headed for Townsville, where I was told had more jobs. Before I even left Cairns, some guy had rang me looking to see when I got to Townsville and asked if I could ring him when I got there for a job 'interview'. So, that was today, and it was more of a 'Hi, nice to meet you' than an actual interview. However, since it is probably only going to be a casual job, I have applied for more, so fingers crossed...

Anyway, Cairns was quite a small and somewhat quiet town, but it kinda of grew on me. I don't really like the idea of becoming settled in a place and then having to move on again, and I think Townsville is going to take a bit more to get used to...but hey. I also still want to go back to Sydney...it was my fav place so far. I know it is a city, but still!...Um, Townsville is quieter than Cairns, but it is more spread out...I do like it though...the Foreign Exchange hostel is really nice. More like a hotel.

Next stop down the line will be Airlie, where I will be doing the Whitsundays...cannot wait for that, but till then...I don't know when I will blog again :P

I'm here....

So, to save confusion, I deleted my other blog...reckon I'll just do all of the blogging on this blog... :P

Ok, so I am now in Australia...and it is awesome!!! First week in Sydney with the OzIntro crew, and I would highly recommend!!! They are awesome. Day one we went to Sydney Harbour and done a bit of Jet Boating round it...day 2, after the stuff like banking and medicare, we went to the Sydney Aquarium...being a marine scientist, I could def work there! Day 3 was Taronga Zoo, day 4 was Bondi beach and a beautiful coastal walk from there to another beach and day 5 (today) was a trip to the Blue Mountains!!! Amazing! Wouldn't do it again in a hurry as there was around 2000 steps to climb up and down and my legs just wanted to stop, but it was worth it :D

Any way, thats just a quick update...more will follow later...

Packing - more than a days work!!

Being me, everything is left to the last minute. I leave for Australia in less than 48hrs, and I decided to start packing at 12 o'clock last night...mistake! 


A while back, I got a rucksack, thinking it would be handy as it would go on my back and be easier to carry. Done a trial run the day I got it too, and everything fitted with it only weighing 12kg - good stuff. NOPE. Got stuck in last night, and slowly but surely, stuffed it full, but ran out of room. Unpacked, took stuff out, repacked, but no dice! One more time just incase...NOPE! FML..Took everything out again, and looked at it all, realising, "Oh yes. I have been shopping since last time I done this, and now I have more stuff!" So, I had to hoke out my big bright pink suitcase, which weighs 4kg itself, and pack all into it. Doing this, I also realised how much shoes I have, and maybe that contributed to why the rucksack was a bad idea - can't roll shoes, and hey...thats the joys of being a woman!!! Shoes and clothes :)


Anyway, I think I now have everything in accept for my hair straighteners, which will be the last thing, and the suitcase weighs in at 20kg. I have also just been informed that my hand luggage can only weigh 6kg...come on, 6kg?! My friggin laptop itself weighs 5kg! *sigh*... why does Virgin Atlantic have to be different to any other airline I have ever flown with :(


So, this will prob be me for a while on this blog. I may be using a separate one for my 'Aussie adventure' which can be found here. Anyway, wish me luck because I am bricking it!!!

Off to Oz...

Ok, so, Thomas and I have finally got our Australian Working Holiday Visas and will shortly be off to Sydney to work for a year and possibly longer. I have to admit, I am excited to be going back to Australia, as it is one of the most wonderful countries I have been to, and I have awesome friends there, but, now that it has sank in, I am actually quite nervous...a lot of things have been niggling at me.


While my other half seems to be on a high, and is worrying about nothing now that he has a visa, I seem to be...a bit anxious, which usually isn't like me. I am looking forward to it, don't get me wrong, but I suppose men don't really let things get to them as much. This time, I will be away longer than before, I don't like saying bye and can't help but think 'What if...' What if something happens when I go, in Australia or at home? What if I can't contact home as much as before or only through email/FB (yes, this bothers me)? What if I don't like it this time as much as before? I suppose if that is the case I could just come home, but what if that would be a regret? What will (don't laugh) my little cat do, she is like my shadow, when she is alone for longer? And, what if she thinks I have up and left her without caring?...People know where I am and why I'm there, but she won't...Being diabetic, what if something happens, like I cannot get insulin or something...? What if I don't like the first job I get and that gives me a hateful impression of what the rest of the time is going to be like? I know it is unlikely, but what if the people I work for are quite horrible? I am used to a friendly working environment... I am not overly forward, so what if I can't make friends easy?... These may sound silly to you, but they sit in my head, and don't seem to go away. The main niggle is my kitty!!!


I have also been reading reviews about OzIntro, the company I'm going with, which all have been fantastic (only some negative reviews, which don't help), I will be staying for the first week in Surfside Backpackers hostel in Coogee Beach, Sydney, and out of 18 reviews on TripAdvisor, there are only 3 good ones :S...suppose, it is a hostel, not a hotel, but still... it looks nice, but the reviews make me anxious...


However, despite all of this, I can't wait to go. It should and will be fun, and a great experience. I will be travelling for the month of December maybe into Jan, going to a wedding in December, seeing all of my friends and I will be in Sydney to bring in the New Year, meaning I will be in 2012 before the peeps here :D


Anyway, wish me luck and tell me all my worries are nothing to worry about...


Edit:
Meant to add, at least Thomas will be with me :D

A tourist in my own country :)

Yes, that was what I done last week :D...
One of my friends, Alison, came over from Australia to visit her sister in England, so she came over to sunny little Northern Ireland for a week and stayed with us. I must admit, whenever I left Australia and said goodbye to everyone, I never thought any of my friends would have been over here...but, turns out I was wrong. I used to say that I wish they could come over, and Alison did!!! Wish granted :)...


Anyway, other than the rain - first rain in 2 weeks too - it was a great week. After 2 years of only facebook contact, I was so excited to see Alison, that, as her arrival got closer, I never slept! Yes...like a child on Christmas eve! So once she got here and to her 'home' for the week, we relaxed a bit, played catch up, went to town for lunch, went to the cinema etc etc (btw, Hanna is just ok...) and then on Wednesday, Nan and Granda took us to The Giants Causeway, the scenic route...it was lovely, and it stayed dry for most of the day. We also stopped at Dunluce Castle on the way back, which was also lovely - did you know, Michael Jackson wanted to buy it at one time - now you do. Learn something new everyday :O

Causeway

Next day, we done a bit of shopping...just had to go to Primark :)...and visited 'Derry's Walls,' and on friday, we watched tv during the day and went for a meal along with Kirsty that night. There was also a band parade, so we stayed and watched that. Then on the Saturday, mum and dad took us to the Ulster American Folk Park, where we learnt about the Irish (main story was about the Mellons) emigration to America, and how we pretty much built America :P... it was interesting, and we learned stuff we never knew, even mum, dad and me. Yes, this day it rained (the only 'good' day was the day the the Giants Causeway) but the trees and houses gave good shelter. We also got to play dress up when we got to 'America'.... :)

Back in the day

After a feed, we went home to get ready for the 'party/family get-together' that night (any excuse for a party in our family and its done). It was a joint 70th birthday on behalf of my Nan and Granda and a leaving party for Alison :(.  It was a good night, with plenty of pictures and sore cheeks :P

Alison and me

Alison, Kirsty and me

Then it was Sunday, and time for Alison to leave again :(...the week flew by, it was like a blink, but I had great fun and am epically happy Alison was able to come visit. I miss her already, but it won't be 2 years before we see each other again, as Thomas and I have to be in Australia for 6th June, and we have been invited to Alison's wedding in December :)...I will however see her before that :) (lots of faces in this blog)....

Technology...

Ok, so I'm doing it again, looking at the past, but this time on technology only. I am in no way a luddite or a technophobe, but after my brother moved to America, we (family) have been in contact with him in many ways...technologically, and someone recently said to me "Dunno what we done in my day. We would have to wait for days for a letter, or a phone call if lucky...." So I thought what it would be like if we weren't so technologically advanced and how it used to be :)

Remember these???
One of the first Nokia mobile phones. Even though it could barely fit in a pocket, everyone had one and thought they where great. One of the best things in my opinion about this phone was the classic game of snake! I used to play this game until my eyes where sore looking at the tiny black and "white" screen. And, it had interchangable faces!

Now, I don't think snake is as good, probably due to the fact they made it into 3D, just like everything else! I dare you to go out of the house with one of these phones to your ear. Compare it to the iPhone or Blackberry, with their WiFi, emailing and apps and see what comes out best (I sound old!). C'mon...touchscreen like!

Computers too. Remember sitting in school with the big, huge white monitors, equipped with Windows 95 and floppy disk drives! Imagine...we used to use these. They had to tell us when it was safe to turn them off... :P

Then, they where slowly replaced with better computers, and went from Windows 95 to 98, 2000, Me, XP (Home and Pro) Vista (Home and Pro) and now Windows 7.

BUT...the best computers of all have to be the Apple Mac's. This is my dream computer....due to the fact they are faster, very rarely crash and take up less room. They're also very...pretty...and they look smart :)

Could we even do without WiFi? If my internet is a bit slow at times, I usually would state "OMG....dial up would be faster." Could we work on dial up?? Probably not, as stuff like instant messing, Skype and PingChat wouldn't be so...instant, and more, pointless! Replying to Facebook messages and emails also would take forever! None of the previous was available "back in the day," but we could barely see ourselves without it now!


Anyway, ways of contacting America, and other places, like Australia when I go, when I thought about it, has really amazed me. There is contact from 2 ends of the world where we are actually able to see and speak to each other, without holding a phone to your ear! Does it make you think? I does me. I think if this is advanced in the past 10-15 years, what will the next 10-15 years bring???

PS. It also shows that Apple have become EPIC :D, even though they may be impossible to keep up with...