Liz's Birthday

Unlike the past couple weekends, this weekend was a mellow one. I do not have to filter through 6oo pictures and talk endlessly about all the things that we saw on our day tours. Instead, we took it easy this weekend. The big part of the week was on Wednesday; or shall I say Liz's 22nd Birthday!

To celebrate we decided to go out to sushi. [yum!] We went to the city and walked down Little Bourke St. which is actually considered China town. Yes, yes, I know sushi is Japanese food but there were a few Japanese restaurants mixed in with all the Chinese ones. We found one at the end of the street and it was really nice. We ordered a couple rolls of sushi... some spicy tuna, California rolls, and salmon rolls. You know, the standards. Since it was a nice place the sushi was fresh and I could have continued to eat it forever. After eating all of our really good food, the waiter brought out ice cream for Liz's birthday. The candles were awesome because they looked like fireworks! She tried to blow them out but it was no use. They had to burn down to the end. She got mango ice cream and shared the goodness.

Then we ventured back to the hotel and made her the real birthday dessert: Our famous five minute cake! We have learned that the middle does not cook well in the microwave so since this was a special occasion, we make sure the whole cake was cooked by putting a cup in the middle.. kinda like a bunt cake. We even bought candles and made lemon icing! Oh and how can I forget we wrote her name with Milo.. so creative! After singing happy birthday we indulged! It was really good.

Then we went for a walk down towards Chapel St. and found a empty night club [it WAS a Wednesday night] and danced the night away. We had the place to ourselves and it was nice to just goof around. Then once we got tired we returned home and slept so we could get up and go to work in the morning.

On Friday we went to the Royal Casino which is along the river. It had very nice restaurants that we knew were above our price range, some stores, a cinema, pubs, and of course a bunch of slot machines. We ate at the food court and then roamed around. We found a live band that was playing a bunch of classic rock songs and oldies. It was fun to dance to them because we knew the words. Saleh left the girls alone to dance while he tried to win some money. Unfortunately, he lost $10. Better luck next time!

On Saturday we went away from the city towards the Clayton campus to a big mall. It was actually Saleh's idea to go there.. I know... the only guy of the group wanted to go shopping?!? I swear that we had nothing to do with it! The mall was huge; bigger than UTC but probably like Valley fair in San Jose. I didn't recognize a lot of the stores. There was no American Eagle or Hollister which was nice. They did have a Target though. :]

At night we went over to our friend Anil's apartment for dinner. He lived at the Claremont Hotel for a while and since he moved into an apartment he wanted to make us dinner at his new place. He made a great Indian dinner. There was chicken, an eggplant dish, spinach dish, flat bread, rice, and fruit salad. We all got seconds and were full! Even then he was not satisfied. He wanted all the food to be gone! Then he had an Indian sweet pastry in this sauce for dessert. But that's not all; it seemed every 5 to 10 minutes he would pull out cookies and chocolate. We brought one of our cakes but there was already plenty of sweets. I tried to help him clean up all the dishes but he wouldn't let me. We all had a nice time and had to leave before he tried to feed us more food!
On Sunday I had a lazy day. I slept in, went to the gym, showered and then slept most of the day. I woke up and red "Life of Pi" downstairs while everyone just talked and hung out. It was nice. Sometimes you just need a lazy day. This week will be a little more exciting because my mom and sister will be arriving to Melbourne on Wednesday! I am so happy that I'll be able to see them and spend some time with them. Now that I know the city I can show them all the cool places!

Great Ocean Road

This past week was another fun one. During the week we stayed late at the office and I planned to stay longer to skype with Celine. When Saleh, Heather and Stephany were about to head home, someone gave them two HUGE free pizzas! SCORE! They came back up and we had our free dinner up in the office! Also, on Friday, we met up with one of our friends Xaiomin who goes to Monash. She recently moved to an apartment close to campus so we went to check it out. We went out for Pizza (I guess we just can get enough) and we decided to try the Aussie pizza. In other restaurants and stores we have seen "Aussie" things like sandwiches or pizzas. We found out to make it "Aussie" you add egg; the reason why... no clue. But it was good! Then after our meal we called it a night and headed home to wake up early for another day tour that started at 7:00 am. (I wanted to sleep in!)

When the bus arrived we hoped the doors would open and our old tour guide Peter would be in the driver's seat; but Eddie was there instead. At first we thought that he did not come close to the caliber of Peter, but as the trip continued, we grew to love him. :] This tour had a lot more driving compared to the one to Phillip's Island. Our first stop was Bell's beach. It is the start of the Great Ocean Road and is a big surf area. Just like in California, the cold did not stop the surfers to come and catch a wave. With their wet-suits on the locals jumped in the COLD water and surfed the small waves. We enjoyed the view and played on the beach. There were tide pools but I did little exploring; I have had bad experiences with tide pools! Instead I collected some cool seashells like I always do. Then we hurried on the bus after Eddie informed us that "This is NOT a two day trip!" He was on a mission to be in front of the long line of tour buses that stop at the same stops.

The next stop was the arch of the Great Ocean Road. After a Australian politician visited California and traveled up and down the Pacific Hiway, they decided to make something similar in Melbourne. To help employ service men after WWI, they started the road and was completed in parts which was finished in 1930 something.. I forget. But anyways, they made this arch to mark the start of the road. Its been rebuilt a couple times because of fires in that area.

Because we did not have a chance to stop for "tea and bikkies" at Bells beach, we stopped at a place not too far down the road. We looked out on a beach that had about 5 people walking up and down, bundled up in jackets and scarves. Eddie said that in the summer the beach is PACKED with umbrellas, tents, towels and beach bums. It reminded me how Capitola could get on a hot summer day but since it was about 10 degrees Celsius there was no one around. After everyone warmed up from their tea and coffee, we headed up the road to see koalas in their natural habitat!



Eddie just pulled over on the side of the road and we went searching for koalas in the eucalyptus trees. Since it was raining earlier, they were lower in the trees and we even saw one with its little baby! It was so much better than the wild animal park. We got closer to them at the park but I liked it better when we got to see how the are in nature. After taking a ton of snap shots of the "mum" and her joey, we carried on up the Great Ocean Road.


Not too long after it was another look out stop called Cape Patton. We could see the rest of the surf coast from here. It was beautiful! I love the ocean. We took more pictures and then drove for a while until we reached Apollo bay for lunch. Since Eddie still wanted to be the leader of the pack, we only had about a 30 minute break, but if that meant being at all the stops without a million tourists, it was fine with me. Apollo Bay was quaint and had one main road with a deli and a few restaurants. We ventured down to the water again, and it was really calm. I didn't even touch the water because I knew how cold it was going to be!

When the bus was full we headed over to the rain forest. It was filled with ferns and two types of protected trees. I guess earlier in the 19th century they started to log the area and the environmentalists were afraid that the species were going to go extinct. So they saved a little part of the land for that species of trees. Around the area it was very clear because of all the trees that they chopped down. So now it is used for farming and that meant a lot of sheep and cows. :]

We then drove for about an hour; which was really fast because Eddie was passing cars and even bigger tour buses! Since he has been doing this tour for about seven years there was faith in him; but if my Nana was in the bus she would have been holding on for dear life! ha ha.. So then we got to an area called Mutton Island. We were on the part of the Great Ocean Road called Shipwreck Coast. I think over the last 40 years there as been about 180 shipwrecks! Eddie told us a story about a ship trying to go to the port of Melbourne and since it was so foggy they couldn't see 2 feet in front of them. They heard crashing waves and tried to turn around but it was too late. They hit this island, and there were only two survivors. They named the island after the ship. The view from this part of the coast was spectacular! The water was so clear and the beach had the sand that you see on Hawaiian beaches. We absorbed the view and explored the caves with their stalactites. (like the restaurant we like!) But luckily we returned to the bus on time because Eddie got tired of counting and left without 2 guys on the tour! Realizing this, he dropped us off down the road at another scenic lookout and went back to pick the guys up! After that, everyone made sure to be at the bus right on time!



Then we went to the 12 Apostles... or should I say 6 Apostles. Over the years the rock formations have fallen. I guess last year around this time one fell over. The view was yet again beautiful, and the sun was just setting so it was a postcard picture opportunity. We then headed to our last stop which was a beach not too far away from the Apostles. The waves were pretty big and the color of the water was turquoise. I could have stayed there all day. This is what I thought of Australia before I came and I finally got a taste of it! I am realizing that I could not live in the city for a long time. I need views like this and open space! After a long day of jumping in and out of the tour bus and making sure Eddie didn't leave us behind, we headed back for Melbourne and our nice warm bed.



Our adventurous weekend did not end there. The next morning we woke up "early" to go to St. Kilda and rent..... excuse me "hire" bikes for the day. David likes to cycle and he was kind enough to invite us on a ride with him and his friends. The weather was perfect and we rode along the coast line. We stopped once Thomas got a flat tire and one of David's spokes broke! While they were getting fixed we had a coffee and chatted. Instead of slowing David and his friends down, we took the bike path on the way back and also took our time! There were stops with great views and since the last time we were in St. Kilda we could only see rain clouds, we wanted to enjoy the beautiful day. After our long ride we took our sore bums down the street and got a bite to eat. Exhausted, we walked around a little but then took the train back home to rest.

Right now we have no plans for next weekend, but I am sure that by next week my blog will be filled with pictures and stories. Until next time!

Petting Kangaroos

This past week was filled with a bunch of activities. Since Saleh had not experienced the wonder of baking a cake in the microwave, we made sure that happened. He got to mix it up and nuke it for 5 minutes. Since the middle didn’t cook again, we are thinking on putting a cup in the middle.. Who knows? Liz’s birthday is coming up in a week so we have to make sure that we have it perfected by then.


Then on Thursday we went into the city after work to check out the Pixar Exhibit at Federation Square. They didn’t allow pictures, but I was so tempted to sneak pictures of all the sketches of Nemo, Sully and Dori. They even showed things from the short films like “Geri’s Game” and “For the Birds” which I love. I totally thought of my sister because we constantly quote lines from Disney movies; especially “Finding Nemo”. But we got to take pictures with Mike and Sully from Monster’s Inc after and then we treated ourselves to gelato after. We all tried each others and ate it out in the rain because Saleh insisted it is something you have to do before we die. Then before going back home we stopped by Hungry Jack’s which is like Burger King in the US. Although I did not indulge in the fast food goodness, I could tell is was the same as the fast food in the states, just with a cooler name.

On Friday we had a little office party which was great because we got to mingle with everyone we have seen in the halls, but never really knew. Then towards the end Wojtek and Slavisa invited us to play some table tennis. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I thought it was going to be a friendly game, but when they walked in with their own paddles in a case, I was a little intimidated. We still had fun and it was neat to watch the two of them play because they rallied really fast! The rest of us played doubles and tried to rally more than two times. Maybe we will have to work on it for next time!

Saturday was our big day. We booked a trip to Phillip Island which included a full day of wine tasting, a wild animal park, a great view of the ocean, and watching a colony of penguins waddle up from the shore to their nests. Our tour guide, Peter, talked about his adventures and since he was born and raised in Melbourne, he knew much of the history. Starting off the trip we stopped at Gurdies Winery and it was great to see some of the country. Being stuck in the city since we arrived, it was our first chance to breathe fresh air and see green hills. Luckily there was no rain, and the big clouds made the blue sky even more beautiful.

We then left for the wild animal park. It had a ton of animals and we got to see them up close. There were crocodiles, Tasmanian devils, koalas, wallabies, wombats, sheep, dingoes, and most importantly kangaroos. They were the best part and not to mention SO cute! I really wanted to take a Joey home with me! Too bad they are too big to put in your suit case. But we would feed them and they would stand up and grab your had with a death grip until they were finished eating. They were friendly and even the mama kangaroos with the Joey in their pouch came up to us for a bite to eat. I could have stayed there for an hour longer, but it was time to hit the road and check out Phillip Island.

Our tour guide drove across the island to the Nobbies, which have a bunch of seals in the summer. At this time of the year the rocks were bare, but the view was breathtaking. The sun was setting as we walked along the cliffs and searched for little penguins in their nests under the boardwalk. It reminded me a lot of Monterey but the penguins were addition. Then we drove straight over to the penguin walk. At night they come up from the ocean to their nests. It is a huge tourist attraction and bus loads of people freeze their butts off to watch the little critters waddle their way up. The big bully seagulls made their journey difficult. Since they know each night they come out of the water they pretend to dive bomb them and scare them back in the water. Stupid birds! But on our way up from the beach we got pretty close to them and we could hear their unique sound. Before driving home, we stopped for pizza and we got to mingle with people from all around the globe. People from Spain, Korea, and Taiwan shared stories and since our tour guide had been to most of these places he had a lot to add.


On Sunday, we all went to church on Collins street and walked up to the Victoria Market. All the girls bought the funny looking beanies so we can wear them next week on the Great Ocean Road tour. I explored more of the produce part of the market and found a great place to buy fruits and veggies along with a part that had a bunch of yummy deli items. Then we each tried a jelly dough nut because there was a line a mile long for them and they seemed pretty popular. They tasted like regular dough nuts to me!

Then around 7:00 we ventured over to David’s house for a nice home cooked meal, and it was delicious! He made the whole meal and since he is a vegetarian, it was filled with fresh veggies. He made potato soup, a huge Greek salad, lasagna, gnocchi, and curry lentils with rice. Dessert was fresh fruit with vanilla ice cream. We all ate too much! His wife and daughters were very nice and welcoming. It was nice to spend a night at home.
Now that we have a routine, the weeks are going by fast. Monday through Friday fly by just like the school year does. Hopefully we get to fit in all that we have planned. My mom and sister are coming in a few weeks and I am so excited to show them around. I feel like I know the city and train system by heart, so they will have their own personal tour guide.

Welcome Saleh!

Wow! There are so many things to do in Melbourne. Near our hotel, there are restaurants, stores, and cute cafes up and down Chapel Street. On Friday night we went cosmic bowling and had a blast. None of us broke 100, but the atmosphere was great and we enjoyed ourselves. After we finished bowling, we went down the street to a 50's diner to have milkshakes and fries. It brought back memories of the states. But that wasn't the highlight of the weekend. We were ready to see Melbourne in the daylight; that is if it stopped raining.


Luckily, the next day the clouds held back the rain, at least at times, and so we used the opportunity to explore things outside. We went up the Eureka tower, which is 88 stories high. It was neat to see all the buildings and surroundings to get oriented to the area. After lunch we explored the Royal Botanical Gardens. Although there were not too many flowers in bloom during the winter, there were plenty of statues and animals to look at. The walking tour took about 3 hours but we saw things like the Shrine of Remembrance, geese, eels, and ferns. Across the Yarra River from the gardens we saw the circus equipped with a carnival and Farris Wheel.

After a long day of walking, we rested at the hotel and went back to Chapel Street to get Pancakes for dinner. (Ah the joy of being on vacation!) It was a little different than pancakes at home. They put a big scoop of ice cream on top. They were YUMMY! Then we went over to get some groceries and cake mix. The prime students the year before told us that we microwaved cakes and so we had to try this as well.

The next day we went to the Queen Victoria Market to see all the fresh produce and souvenirs. The covered area was filled with jackets, wigs, clothes, uggs, belts, stuffed animals, fruit, vegetables, and candy. We could find anything that we wanted there. I think that we will probably be back there often!

During the week we realized that 4th of July was coming up fast and we had to figure out how to show our American pride here in Australia. We all wore red, white, and blue. On the way to dinner we sang the National Anthem and ate pizza. This 4th of July lacked the usual fireworks and barbecue, but it was fun to celebrate it in a different way.

Then on Wednesday night we got word that Saleh had figured out all of his VISA information and was on his way over the Pacific Ocean to join us! It was so exciting to know that we would all be together. Stephany and I picked him up at the airport after his long flight and we showed him the ins and outs of the hotel. He quickly got up to speed with us and we took him to Stalactites for dinner!

On Friday night after a long day at work, we again explored Chapel Street and went dancing. It was fun to hang out and see all the different people on the streets. It seems here that there is a lot of cultural diversity; even more than in the US. We went to a couple different places and talked to different Australian people when we were walking up and down the street.

After a run around the park on Saturday morning, we went out in the rain to the Docklands. It was lined with expensive waterfront restaurants ranging from Italian to Thai. I could tell that it would have a great view if the sun was out. When we all got too cold, we grabbed more umbrellas and headed out for St. Kilda. We were all excited to see the beach and stick our toes in the sand. It may be winter here but that was not going to stop us from enjoying some summer activities. However, the weather got the best of us. After our long walk in the rain, we didn't even see the beach. We found shelter in a warm restaurant and ate a great meal while watching the footie game on tv.

On Sunday we went to the Footie game at the Telsra Dome. We watched the Richmond Tigers take on the North Melbourne Kangaroos. It was a great game because the stadium was filled with fans from both teams. We thought that it was out doors, but luckily it wasn't because we would have froze to death! Instead we bundled up in our scarves and ate warm meat pies. Not knowing most of the rules we were a little confused at first, but a friendly Australian family in front of us explain everything to us. You could tell when a goal was scored because the crowd roared!
Once we returned to the WARM hotel, we played Crazy 8's with people staying at the hotel. There are students from India, China, Germany, and Columbia. Each game made us laugh and it was nice to hear their stories. Now we are ready for another week of work and playing on the weekends!

First Week In Melbourne

The week has come to its end, and we are getting adjusted to life here in Australia. The cars flying on the opposite side of the road, city life, and different phrases are not as a shock as the once were. Each day we learn something different about the way things are here and we are ready for the time on this trip where we can't even tell these differences.

We have now built a routine that we have followed each day this week. We wake around 8:00, get ready and all meet for breakfast downstairs. Anna, the cook there, has a continental breakfast set up for the guests at our hotel. At first it seemed to be the usual; cereal, toast, coffee, and fruit. However there were some surprises that we found. At our table with the jam we saw a packet called "Vegemite". It’s an Australian spread made from yeast products which I did not find tasteful AT ALL. Liz, who has family here and has travelled to Australia before, suggested to put some on toast with butter, but after trying it, I stuck with the jam for the mornings after. Also there is hot chocolate called Milo which is hardly hot chocolate at all. It is more of an energy drink that is not sweet as hot chocolate usually is. Once we add a little sugar, Milo starts our day off right.

Then we all walk one block to the train station and take a 10 minute ride into Caulfield where the Monash University is located. Here they call the university the "uni", which I think that we should start in America. When we reach the 7th floor of the office, it’s pretty quiet. Then people leisurely come in to work around 10:30. This gives us a few minutes to check mail and get set up for the day. After, Tom Peachey gives a lesson on Nimrod. Nimrod is a program developed here at Monash that we will be using for our research and so far we have done practice experiments to prepare us for the real deal.

When 12:30 comes around, everything is dropped and we go down for lunch with Tom, and other people who work here. Just like America, there is no real "Australian" food. We have yet to try kangaroo or any exotic meals. Instead, we have a variety of different food to choose from. This week I have had Sri Lankan, Chinese, Indian, and Italian food. During our lunch break, we attempt to complete the cryptic crossword which we have gotten much better at. If it is not completed by the time we have finished our food we go for a coffee. I have to say that the coffee here is way better than any Starbucks or Coffee Bean in America. I think that I am going to be addicted by the time I leave!

Then around 2:00 we return upstairs and finish our work. So far it has been hard to start any of our projects because much of the setting up needs to be done, and most everyone is out of town. However, we know that once everyone returns we will be busy with our projects! For now, we leave the office around 5:00 and venture back to South Yarra or into the city for dinner. We have done a lot of exploring at night and are making a list of the things we want to do on the weekends. Once our feet are tired and our eyes are heavy, we take the train home and hit the hay to start all over again.

I really like the city here. We walked up and down Bourke Street to find restaurants ranging from Sushi to Wood fired pizza. We haven't done much shopping because most of the stores have the latest fashions and are expensive. I am sure that we will fit some shopping in somehow. In between the tall skyscrapers there are older buildings make of brick and look like they were taken from the east coast. I think most of these buildings are churches or parliament buildings, but we are waiting for the weekend so we can explore these places in the daylight. Also, the people on the train are friendly. Once they hear our accent they ask where we are from and usually we talk for a while. I bet we stick out like a sore thumb because we have not mastered the stops yet.

Our plans for this weekend are not set yet but we have a million things that we want to do! I think first on our list is going to the zoo to see and pet kangaroos and koalas. We will probably venture over to the Greek District and eat at Stalagalites; one of our favorite restaurants. As for now I should get back to doing some work. I'll write again soon!

Arriving in Australia

After a week of preparation, shopping, and stuffing 9 weeks of clothes into 2 suitcases, my trip to Australia finally came. Leaving the United States gave me mixed emotions. I was so excited to start the research in Melbourne, but at the same time I was sad to leave my family behind. Those emotions slowly faded as I boarded Qantas Flight 26 to Melbourne. We were so happy to see each other and start our adventure. Having never flown internationally before, I did not know what was in store for me aboard this 18 hour flight to the down under. However, they equipped us with movies, music, games, TV shows, dinner, blankets, and even a mini-tooth brush! We were awake for about 3 hours before we curled up in our seats and feel asleep.

The flight picked up some more travelers in Auckland, and then finally landed in Melbourne at 8:20am Australian time. The four of us went through customs easily and got a cart to retrieve our bags. Then Tom, from Monash University, picked us up and we stuffed our giant luggage in his car. As I was going to get in the passenger's seat, to my surprise I opened the door to the driver's seat! I forgot that unlike the United States, they drive on the opposite side of the road and have the driver's seat on the opposite side as well. Once everyone got in the right seat, Tom drove us into the South Yarra, to our hotel called the Clairmonte Hotel. We got at tour of our closet sized rooms, "toilets", laundry, and the kitchen. We exchanged some money and headed out to the "uni" or Monash University. We met David Abramson, and many graduate students that work in the lab. After a coffee and seeing our work space, we headed over to get some lunch. Then we found out a special tradition that occurs each lunch time.

Tom grabbed the newspaper and we started to play the Cryptic Cross-ward. Unlike a regular cross-ward puzzle, the answer is hidden in the clue. It seemed that we could not return to work unless this was finished. Because it was our first time, we ended early and got our train ticket for the month. Then, we tried to figure out wireless connections for us, but once 5:00 hit Tom gave us a ride home.

Tired from our long day of traveling, we resisted our warm beds and instead explored the streets around our hotel. We saw tons of shops, shoe stores, nice restaurants, and a movie theater. Looking for a restaurant a little more for our budget, we returned closer to the hotel and ate at a great Mexican restaurant called "Fiesta". From there we escaped the rain and ran back to shelter.

Exhausted, I reached the room, tried to read information about Melbourne but failed. The tiredness won and I feel right to sleep.

Although the weather is not like summertime in the US, I can tell that my time here will be filled with great times and plenty of adventures. I'm excited to see what the next week brings!