is this what hell's like?

38 degrees! what the? tomorrow it is supposed to be 42! this is not right. i want to go home.

so my holidays have been...eventful to say the least. i was in Sydney for a week, then took the train to Melbourne, then (the next day) drove to Torquay (pronounced Tore-Kee?!?) where I spent 4 days, then back to Melbourne until the first. let me say that it was nice to just rest for 4 days in Torquay. it is about 90km outside of Melbourne. the place where we stayed was really nice - too nice for me because i am happy with so little. i went for a jog on the beach on Christmas Day and read more of "A Short History of Nearly Everything." we went surfing on Boxing Day though, and i talked to my family, which were both good.

i just got back from a bit of a mini-solo-roadtrip. i rented a car and left yesterday to drive the Great Ocean Road. i drove to port campbell yesterday, stopping at most of the sights along the way. then today i drove back, stopping a few more times at a few beaches. the drag of it all is that it's 38 today and i don't feeling being out in the searing heat. anyway...i got back today, filled the tank (70$!!!,) dropped the car off, and tried to walk home. my flip-flops broke and i realized i forgot my knife. walked back to avis, barefoot, got the knife, walked to the tram barefoot, then finally got back to my friend's house. do i need to tell you how hot the pavement is today? it was all an ordeal. so now i'm sitting at a computer drinking loads of water and trying not to get skin cancer. phew.

i have no plans for new years. i might go downtown to wherever the fireworks are and see them and then come home. i fly out at 7pm on the first back to NZ (which i'm so looking forward too - the heat and flies are starting to get to me!!)

i don't think i have anything else. i hope everyone's christmas was all that it could be. have a happy and safe new years.

32 degrees and climbing

hey everyone in that winter wonderland i call home!

this message is coming straight at ya from the corner of liverpool street and castlereagh street in sydney, australia. i've been here in sydney for a week now and been busy i guess. i've been to the zoo, the aquarium, to hunter valley for a wine tour, to the blue mountains for a walk, to the eastern beaches, to manly, and all over this town. it's amazingly large, coming from small town new zealand, and although i like all it has to offer i like nothing more than getting out of the city. it has been good to catch up with mj. one highlight to leave you all with happened at the zoo - i was watching the chimps, standing next to a woman and her daughter. one of the chimps pooped into his hand and ate it. the little girl gave her mom and i a play by play of the whole scene. it was histerical. "he's touching his bum! he's pooing! into his hand! he's...he's eating it!" the mom and i just laughed.

tonight i'm on my way to melbourne to visit another friend or two. it looks like i will be spending christmas at a beach house on st. kilda beach with a few other people of canadian descent. should be fun. i hope to do some more surfing and find a good book to pass the time with.

i head back to nz on the 1st of january to meet jees (that's how they pronounce it) in auckland. i moved up to taupo the week before i came over here so now it is a matter of getting settled. i also found a place to live, went into my school and met a bunch of my coworkers. i think it will be a great place to live for the next couple years. i have already been hit up to help with the snowboarding team and the hoiwaka (sp?) team. (tis like dragon boat racing but in a massive maori canoe - should be fun.) i start school on february 7th but i will probably be there from early january till when school starts.

that's about all i guess. merry christmas everyone. have a great new years as well.

christmas time is here again

I apologize for the long stretchs of inactivity on my blog. Honestly...when nothing happens I don't write then when things happen I'm too busy to write.

So I'm spending my last week in Christchurch getting things settled for next year and squaring away everything that I can. I have my room packed into boxes, ready to be loaded into the car for the voyage north on Friday. I'm planning on going to Taupo for a few days to see the school, meet the staff, and try to find a place to live next year. Then I'm going to pop over to Oz to visit friends for Christmas and be back the first week in January. That's the plan right now anyway.

Last week was perhaps the greatest week yet in New Zealand. Myself and 7 other supervisors took a group of students to Blumine Island. The Untouched World Foundation sends groups of students there for an environmental education experience and to help with conservation work. It was a great experience - the most relaxing week I've had in a long time. We would get up eat, do some work, eat, do some more work, swim, eat, then play cards. The wildlife was amazing too. Penguins kept me awake at night as they scampered around our tent. There were Tomtits that you could feed right out of your hand. And on the last day there was a massive pod of dolphins that put on a pretty good show for us. I don't know if any of the students will take anything away from it but I hope so. I'm really glad I got to help out with the trip.

Not much else is new with my life. All my friends have either gone back to Canada or moved up to where they will be teaching next year so it is pretty quiet in ChCh. I just watched the first season of 24. I think I watch 13 hours on Sunday then the last 11 yesterday. The show is ridiculous and I don't like it at all but once I got watching the episodes I had to see it through. Remind me never to do that again. If anything it was a good way to waste 24 hours.

Okay...breakfast time. Take care everyone.