hey guys! i shrunk some picatures, but not all of them, cuz i am lazy. so if you want, you can still go down to the previous post and look at those picatures, or look here. again, i just wanna say that i essentially just stole these pictures from other people, so they're not really my own. i stupidly only brought 2 rolls of film. smart girl...o well. anyways, leaving for sydney TOMORROW! how kool is that? i know yall are all jealous up the wazoo. hee hee. ok. that's enough of that.




picture of the lodge we stayed at in the Grampians National Park. omg it was SOO cold there at night. i wore a long sleeved tshirt, a fleece, AND a sweatshirt, along with having 2 blankets and i was STILL cold. i think i already talked about this experience quickly in the past blog, but yea it was really fun.



we visited a winery along the way, and this is pretty kool, cuz they use underground tunnels to keep the wine in. it's like the only place outside france that does this. it was kinda scaryish down there tho, but yea, very kool.



this is my aptmate claire and i during the wine tasting. i got to try sparkling red wine, which looked pretty kool. but since i dont like red wine that much, i didnt think it was that great.



this is during the treetop climbing, dont we look rad with our construction helmets?



i walked across that! isnt it kool? it's suspended about 10 meters off the ground. suprisingly, i wasnt that scared at all. only scared that i would look stupid being the only person to not be able to walk across the long without falling off, but i didnt so yay me!



this is called the leap of faith. you climb to the top of that pole, the jump off it trying to catch that trapeze bar. i totally missed the trapeze bar cuz i cant jump. but i DID climb to the top. it was pretty shaky at the top.



we hiked to the top of this mountain. 3 hour hike. SOO tiring. i was about to pass out when we finally got to the top. and at the top, we had to do like some rock climbing, cuz you want to get to the REAL peak. anyways, the view from the top was beautiful.



this is a view from the top, there's a few more uploaded, but i didnt shrink them.



i know this is a blurry picture, but notice the kangaroo with the joey in the pouch. isnt it ADORABLE? these kangaroos are wild around the park, so they'd be chilling near our lodge and stuff. they sorta jump off when you get too close, but it was kool. they also poop all over the place. we played aussie football (known as footy) on a field that was covered w/ kangaroo poop.



this is a pic w/ some of the people that took us around the park and taught/played footy with us. it's a great game, kinda rough though. mixture of rugby and regular football, kinda hard to explain. i got pushed into the mud, but it's all good. the kid on the bottom left, whew! he was quite a looker. the 19 year old kid, but he took us rock climbing and stuff. probably the most attractive person i've met since i've been here. probably the whole outdoorsy thing too, but he was also really nice. the picture doesnt do him justice, he has hat hair, and the grin is weird. but still...whew!



obviously i didnt take this picture, but i love it for some reason.



view from apt, just not my apt. on the left, you can see the parliament house. i live on the 15th floor. also remember that my building is very asian conscious, there is no 4 or 14th floor.









one night before, and while we were out. the not so good night where we ended up at a goth club. heh. o well.

anyways, that took forever. i'm out, LATERS!

hey guys! pictures uploaded, but i'm unable to shrink them down to size (i need photoshop, dont know how to without them). hopefully tony's going to be a REAL nice guy and shrink them for me, but in the meantime, go to

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/sylin/australia/

and you can see them!

back from the grampians national park. SO MUCH FUN guys. cept for night time, where there was absolutely nothing to do. stuck in the middle of no where in a town of 270 people. 1 ping pong table, a few deck of cards to amuse us (brought by smart people). but during the day, it was GREAT. we did team building activities, like an obstacle course sorta thing, where you have to use your head, and be physical. think road rules, but not as hard core and crazy. the most scary part was putting on blind folds and following a string through the forest. also, we did like tree top climbing, where they have suspended rope 10 meters (do the conversion yourself, 2.54 cm=1 inch) above the ground, and you can walk on it. the best one was called leap of faith. you climb to the top of this totem pole, and you jump off, trying to catch a trapeze bar suspended. i had a horrible jump, but that's ok. it's weird, cuz i'm scared of heights, but i'm not scared of climbing to the top of that stuff for some reason. it WAS a bit scary that the totem pole shakes back and forth while you stand at the top, but i guess cuz i rock climbed before, i trust the rope to catch me. i mean, come on it holds like 5 tons. i dont weigh THAT much, only 4 tons. :) then i went rock climbing and rapelling on REAL rocks. tore up my hands and knees, but it was a lot of fun. this morning i went on a hike up a mountain. 3 hour hike, about 2 miles. it was soooo tiring. we had to do a bit of rock climbing too, this wasnt a nice leisurly stroll, let me tell ya. it was HARD WORK!

dood, i wish i could just show everyone what i'm doing, it's so much FUN! but i have no photos yet. i shall try very hard to do it soon. still trying to plan some trips.

ok i just totally lost my train of thought when i turned around to talk to people. so i'm going to stop now. later guys!

wow, when i get online i get so excited! cuz it's like a link to my life back home, and i get to communicate with people. people always say you're a different person when you study abroad, and i'm already starting to see that, although i've been here for what, 5 days?

i've had so much fun with the people i'm living with, the people at global village ROCK. i like how we always wait for each other, we dont leave anyone behind when we do stuff, which is really nice. the people are excellent. it's like freshman year in college all over again, but BETTER. there's less apprehension cuz we're older and stuff. it's also sorta like camp, cuz we walk in massive groups to classes. it's a freaking 25 minute POWERWALK. it's VERY far.

the city is actually pretty nice. they have a tram service that runs above ground, that i have yet to take. still have to go down to the river and beach. there's SO many things i want to do!

and the class i'm taking is not bad either, it gives an insight into australian way of life. when i first stepped off the plane, it's like i was still in america, everything looked the same pretty much. but we're starting to learn the slight nuances, but i have yet to really experience it. come on, i've only been here a few days, give me a break!

o yea, their walmart is called "the big w". it looks exactly the same, with the same "roll back prices" slogan. i THINK it's owned by the american walmart...not so sure. on the down side, the orange juice here isnt so good. not as many options. no calcium enriched. choice are either no pulp, or pulp, essentially. my juice was really sour. definitely not as tasty as tropicana. i heard that the skim milk (known as skinny milk), sucks also. i would not know, considering i'm not down w/ milk.

one of the hardest adjustments so far is the right side driving, and the having to look the OTHER way before crossing the street. i'm slowly starting to adjust to this, but it's pretty difficult. the people in charge told us that one study abroad student dies in australia each year. kinda scary, huh. and in the semester that just went back, some guy got hit my a car while he rode his bike. luckily, he ended up w/ only 6 screws in his pinky finger, he was lucky it wasnt worse. scary, but true.

the asian people here are all so FOBBY! i was trying to explain this in an email to my sister. i feel like such an outsider in chinatown, which is pretty weird for me. it's like i've stepped into asia, but a more...dressier one. when i go to taiwan, the young people all wear schoolish uniforms. here, they all have the fashions on and stuff, but all their hair is the same. SOO straight. usually dyed/highlighted. i dont fit in at ALL. although i notice that people in chinatown are more receptive to questions when you ask in mandarin than when you ask in english. interesting, huh? they're so much more helpful.

the other night we went out to a club thing, and the club next door was ALL asians. ALL. i mean 100%, nothing less. the cover charge was 20 bucks, where the one i went to was free for me, and 5 bucks for others. why spend 20 bucks when you dont have to??? that amazes me.

this is also the first time i've been clubbing since the high school days, which is AWESOME. man i've been missing out on so much. it's kinda kool how we all barely know each other, but give us some music and alcohol, and everyone starts to act like they've known each other for years. it's also funny to watch other drunk people act, but then that's always fun no matter where you are. what's NOT fun is getting your back sloshed w/ all different types of alcohol from all the spilling. boo on that. but all in all, it's a good time. going out again tonight to some other club, supposed to be "r&b night". man, the other club's music sucked. they were repeating songs and stuff. it was mostly american music tho, stuff i recognize.

we're leaving for a national park tomorrow, that should be pretty exciting. stopping by a winery on the way, i'll make sure to get my sister a bottle. i hope you like white, cuz i like it better than red, and since i'm buying, yes. i'm going to go rock climbing and rapelling (sp?) there, SO excited!

o yea, i've also been pretty good, saving money. i've been
packing sandwiches for lunch, and cooking dinner the past 2 days. gotta save up for the sydney trip next week! although sandwiches will get boring VERY quick. gotta mix it up. but it's pretty difficult, even more difficult than college, due to limited resources. it's all about the instant! hehe. man i've been using a lot of exclamation points in this blog. like i said, i DO get excited when i get to go online. this will be fun when i read back on this later one. getting pretty long, considering i've hardly been here. more later, i'm OUT kids!

finally getting around to using a decent computer. gawd, that computer at my apt place sucks. viruses galore and the porn. GEEZ! joined a gym today. lots of people here are crazy sports people, it's like the first thing we talked about. finding a gym. GEEZ! but it's good for me. i'm so sore already, i can only imagine what it's going to feel like tomorrow.

we're all getting along real well, we went out for dinner at this place where the guy lured us with free wine. haha it was good stuff. we're starting to cook now cuz it costs too much to eat out. although our cooking is getting a bit expensive too. it's all good.

planning a trip to sydney next weekend. woohoo! this weekend we're doing orientation part 2, i'm gonna go rock climbing and abseiling (sp?), which is that backwards rock climbing. start at the top, and go to the bottom. i'm excited! the weather is OK. kinda windyish, my face is REALLY dry. i probably should've gotten a more moisturizing lotion instead of a spf one...too late now. i tried tim tams, they're alright, they're not as good as the hype says. havent seen any wildlife yet, altho i saw this guy petting wild opossums in the park, that was pretty kool.

omg laundry costs like 4 bucks for each thing (multiply by .7 for US dollars), so i'm going to try to take it somewhere else. 8 bucks for 1 load?? no way. btw their money is kinda weird, it's plasticy. and it's different sizes, it gets bigger as the bill gets bigger. and they have 1 dollar and 2 dollar coins. i'm not good with the money situation.

o yea, i'm still jet laggy. waking up at like 6 AM and stuff, crazy isnt it?

going to a the crowne plaza dealie thing later, it's like a movie theatre, bowling alley, casino, mall, all rolled into one. we're hitting up the casino. i think almost everyone is going. it's going to be a huge group. weeeeee!! as you can see i'm kinda hyper now. why? cuz it's 4AM chicago time and i'm actually talking to tony! someone from home to talk to. you people need to email me. i'm not feeling the love.

anyways, i'm healthy and happy for everyone reading!

hey kids i finally made it to melbourne. due to the wonderful changing of time zones, i have barely slept. i got about 3 hours on the plane, maybe 3 more in the place. woke up at 8AM. crazyiness! the room is nice, cept they're squeezing 4 people into a room meant for 2. the people seem very nice and stuff. went to the queen victoria market and bought fruit this morning. yes, we are nerds. well, time to jet. send me an email!!!

why am i blogging? why let me tell you. due to weather delays where i sat inside an airplane on the ground for over 4 hours, i missed my connecting flight. i thought i was safe, considering my layover was 4 hours, but obviously not. i ran to the next terminal, but of course i missed the flight. my plan was to call the airlines the next morning, but due to a stroke of luck, as i picked up my suitcases, i heard this family that had the same situation and my ears perked up. they were on the same continental flight as i, and was trying to make the same qantas flight. what are the chances! luckily they were kind enough to tell me what they did, which was go to the AA counter, and get my flight changed to the 1pm flight, with a stopover in sydney. so instead of arriving at 7:55 AM on the 19th, if luck holds, i'll be arriving at 11:50 PM on the 19th. also BIG BIG shoutouts of thanks to my family, for picking me up at the airport at 1AM, driving an hour each way. i owe them one. i shall buy lots of treats in australia to compensate. in the meantime, i'm currently waiting for my aunt to pick me up to go the airport. i have a kool family. thanks guys. time to roll. hope to be blogging in australia next!

so i'm packed up, ready to leave. bracing myself for the long airplane rides by myself. how lonely. :( haha it's all good. what to say, what to say. ummm... i dunno. i've got 3 books each way, hope it lasts me. i'm going to ask for the exit row to see if i can get more leg room (that's what the confirmation guy told me to do).

i got a lot of good stuff at victoria's secret. hit it up early morning 2 days in a row. hey, it's important! the 2nd day wasnt REALLY to get more stuff, but i ended up getting another pair of bottoms. o well. i got 2 body by victoria sports bras too, very comfortable i have to say.

err... yea. everyone keep your fingers crossed that i'll have a safe trip! itinerary:

6/17: leaving NEWARK at 4:30pm EST
arrive LOS ANGELES at 7:25pm PST
leaving LOS ANGELES at 11:40pm PST
6/19: arrive MELBOURNE at 7:55am err..australian time?

7/31: leaving MELBOURNE at 10:30am australian time
arrive LOS ANGELES at 7:30am PST

8/8: leaving LOS ANGELES at 12:40pm PST
arrive NEWARK 8:58pm EST

i shall be checking my email regularly, so feel free to hit me up there. i'm not posting it, cuz i dont want to get spammed. but IM me and i'll give it to you, if you dont yet have it. also, i will try to update here from time to time to give you the lowdown.

also, 1.58333. yup.

leaving for the land down under in 7 days. very exciting. i got my residence assignment, which is exciting. it's HERE. yes, i remember posting up the other link on my profile a while ago, but then they came up w/ this option, and you could choose which one you liked better. so i chose this one.

anyways, i'll blog a goodbye later when it gets closer to leaving time. BTW i went to loehmanns today. additional 30% off all clearance items! yea...good deal man. i didnt buy much, only 3 things. total was 22 bucks. whew! a bargain.

YEA. so i finally got my pictures developed from LAST summer when i went back to houston. the color quality isnt that great cuz it's from walmart (note to self: dont take australia film to walmart), but it's all good. i chose a few choice pictures to post. i forgot to get the huge thing of crawfish scanned tho... :( maybe it's a good thing. looking at it makes my mouth water. that and my picture of sashimi from tokyo bowl. i am SUCH a food person.




ann and i at bubble island in clear lake. dood, what's up w/ my right arm??



this is what she violently did to me before we had this drink at bubble island. she viciously attacked my finger during a rousing battle of air hockey. when i got my pictures back, it took me forever to remember the significance of this picture. anyways, i took a picture because of the way the blood splattered. it's kinda fuzzy, but those blood spots looked like tiny rain drops, i can only imagine the blood flying out as the puck hit my poor finger.



i feel like the leaning tower of piza. it's like mike's trying to get AWAY from me. >0 haha it's all good. mike-O is my FAVORITE 1 grade younger kid.



pat and i in chinatown. we look so happy!



i soooo dont look good in this picture, but the other one made me look pregnant (i need to stand up straight in pictures, i always look pregnant), so i chose this one. anyways, i cropped out most of my arm since it looked gigantic next to jessica's twig arm. doesnt mine still look huge?? i blame it on the fact i was sitting next to the cameraman.



well, hopefully i'll have australia pictures to post for you when i get back, i doubt i'll be able to post from there. laters guys!

nothing interesting. although i've actually done stuff in my life. that doesnt involve me sleeping, being on my computer, hanging out w/ the family, or shopping/working at banana (they sorta go hand in hand haha). thanks to the lovely generosity of nicole larrea, bum lee, and caroline choe, i have had some semblance of a social life.

wednesday i visited nicole at princeton, who i havent seen for 2 years. i smartly didnt buy my ticket to princeton, only to princeton JUNCTION. had to pay like an extra 4 bucks. smart girl i am. anyways, i took a tour of the campus. nice place. oldish buildings, but it all looked pretty nice. i esp. liked nicole's dorm room. 2 stories! plus her bed is right beneath a skylight w/ openable windows! and her roommate and her have like a wall division, so they get privacy. not all of them are like that obviously, but still. i found the whole "eating club" thing very weird, but i'm sure every school has it's own special things. even that crazy orientation activity. getting dropped off in this random place not knowing anyone, hiking 6 days, no shower, no toilets, NOTHING. then getting picked up. or canoeing. either way i find it CRAZY. i'm such a girly girl. also very impressed by the massive amounts of donations princeton gets. i guess that's what happens when you REALLY like your school. you're willing to give back millions upon millions of dollars to your alma mater. me? i'm not sure if i want to donate, i dont even like cmu all that much. maybe like 20 bucks a year. haha we'll see. unless i get a building named after me. that would be kool.

o yea. and the CICADAS. it was soooooo gross. those 17 year ones that everyone's been talking about. i havent seen any around where i am. but then i go over to princeton, and they're flying and landing on me, i saw some mating, they're dead all over the ground, UGH! and so incredibly loud!!!

after talking to nicole and ann, i'm sure glad i dont go to a super anal school where everyone studies like there's no tomorrow. or maybe that makes to sense because if there was no tomorrow, you would not be studying. hmm...anyways, you get my point. and all undergrads write a thesis. 100 pages about their research. i cant even write 10 pages let alone 100. it seems like everyone and their mothers are involved in some sort of sport at princeton. these people are too perfect. *puke puke* and so down to earth too. it's not like walking around cmu, and everywhere you look it's weirdo nerdy people. these people look NORMAL, yet they're genius. what's up w/ that? anyways, it was a good day, lots of walking, walking, and more walking. wish i had some sort of camera on me, but that's ok. looking at pictures of buildings arent that fun anyways, you can always go online to the princeton website.

and today i went into the city to meet up w/ bum and caroline. we walked around the met, walked around the city in that area, had pizza, walked walked walked, and kinda felt like a 3rd wheel but it's all good. hahaha. i really need to work on my posture. all this walking is making my back hurt. but i never remember to continue walking straight, cuz i'm such a lazy bum and my back is curved like 20 seconds later.

tomorrow i have work and the day after i'm going to six flags great adventure w/ my family. yup, it's going to rain again. YAY. sucks.

btw it was nice catching up on all the gossip w/ nicole, although i've forgotten some of it by now. it's all about who is going out w/ who, who's getting married to who, who broke up w/ who...etc etc. soon, like nicole said, it's going to be who's having kids, blah blah. so crazy! we're still so young! i had to bust out my yearbook and look to remember people. didnt recognize a good majority. hmm...note to self: ask nicole about who that swimmer guy is again?