Whale Watching and Australia Zoo!

Hey, all!

It’s been an very eventful four days since the last post! A lot of exciting things happened!

Monday (June 26), we went to the SeaLife Sydney Aquarium in the morning. When we were done with that, we had lunch and walked around Darling Harbour while we were waiting for the boat to appear to go whale watching! There was a bit of a rough start as the boat didn’t go to the wharf it was supposed to go to, but the one next to it and my mom was a little upset, but things worked out for the better. We were able to watch the humpback whales breach and such, so it was a great experience. We also managed to see dolphins swim in the wake of our boat! That was really awesome!

Tuesday, we woke up early to check out of the hotel and head to the airport to head to the Sunshine Coast! The way through security was much more simple than it was in America. I didn’t even have to take off my shoes! My mom could take her coffee through, though it needed to go through the same X-Ray thing as our carry-ons, but she could take it through. We rented a car after we landed in the new city and had the experience of my dad driving in Australia and my mom freaking out and making sure he was doing things correctly. We checked in to the hotel (a rather expensive, but not the most expensive resort) and then walked to the nearby mall to see if they had swimsuits (since there was a jacuzzi and I didn’t bring my swimsuit). We didn’t see any swimsuits, so I ended up getting some exercise clothes. My mom and I went to the jacuzzi shortly after and relaxed. We ended up seeing a bat fly around before landing in a nearby tree and messing around in the tree. I didn’t get the chance to take a picture since some kids chased it off before I could get to my phone.

Wednesday, we traveled to the Australia Zoo, the home of the Crocodile Hunter! We saw a bunch of different animals and I took a ton of pictures and a few videos! I learned that day that I would be going to see a red panda up close and personal (a special encounter) the next day at the zoo! It was a birthday present from my parents and it was extremely awesome to experience that!

Today, Thursday, we returned to the Australia Zoo pretty early (an hour before the opened) so I could check in and sign some paperwork. I was to have about 30 minutes with the red panda, by myself (with the photographer and zookeeper)! The zookeeper put food in my hand since the red panda was in my lap and kept giving me food to keep him there. She also told me a lot about their red pandas and how they train him and it was a great experience! About half way through, he decided to jump from my lap and go into his tree, even though he hadn’t finished the food the zookeeper had for him. I was okay with that. I had a lot of alone time with him. I was told that there was usually at least two or three people in the sign up, but it was just me that day and I was so happy! We finished the rest of the zoo and I got more pictures of the red panda and got a few souvenirs from their gift shops. After we got back to the hotel, we left to go to the nearby beaches! We did a lot more walking and got a few shells and enjoyed the water, even though it was a bit cold at first. When we were done, we had dinner at a restaurant near the beach and had gelato after that! It was fun and tomorrow morning, we leave for Adelaide! I’m not sure what we’re going to do there, yet, but I’m sure it will be fun!

I think that’s it for now! Until next time!

^^: A video of the whale breaching!

 ^^: a part of the show they did at the Australia Zoo!

 ^^ & >>: Me feeding the red panda during the encounter!

 ^^: Komodo Dragon!
>>: American Alligator being silly!

 ^^: Dingos!
>>: Wombat on a leash and taking a walk!

 ^^: Kangaroo just chilling and what their hands look like!

 ^^: Tiger!
>>: Macaw!

 ^^: Left, red panda! Right, dingo!

 ^^: Left, dingo! Right, a koala who was interested in the sounds my mom was making, haha!

 ^^: Left, koala stretching out! Right, otter!

 ^^: posing with two awesome birds and zookeepers!

 ^^: Left, octopus from SeaLife Aquarium! Right, penguin!

 ^^: Whale breach!

Parents are here! More adventures begin!

Hey, all!

My parents arrived yesterday (Saturday 24 June 2017)! A little bit has happened since my last post, both good and bad. I'm going to try to start posting twice a week. My aim is to post on Wednesday as well as Saturday or Sunday.

Monday (June 19), my sister and I didn't end up going to the Blue Mountains since the return trip was the next day and my sister didn't want to stay the night. We didn't find that out until an hour before we would have had to leave for the bus, so she wasn't very happy. We decided to go to Taronga Zoo and on the way to the bus stop we Skyped my parents to say "Happy Father's Day!" to my dad and do a quick chat since it was Sunday and Father's Day for them. We didn't do very much or see a lot at the zoo, since my sister was more interested in seeing animals she couldn't see back home (at any California or Arizona zoos).

Tuesday, we went to Lady Bay Beach and stayed there for a bit and left just in time for a bunch of people to come down the stairs for it. Before that, we had the beach to just my sister and I and it was nice. While we were waiting for the bus back, my sister and I got food. Since there was still some time left, she went up the stairs to a scenic view to take soem pictures, but on her way down, her foot got stuck in the last step and she ended up crashing and scraping her knee and hand as well as twisting her foot/ankle a bit. She was pretty sore after that happened and ended up taking a nap when we got back to her place. Later, we decided to try and feed the birds at the park, unaware that the sun would set really fast and we would reach the park in the dark. We had quite an adventure in trying to get out of the park after it was dark. It was really dark and pretty much no lights anywhere and we traveled through tall grass, haha!

We went to bed early Tuesday night since we would need to wake up pretty early to be at the airport by 7:30am. I didn't do much after I dropped her off at the airport, though my goal was to do some studying for the final exam the next day. I did manage to do some studying, but not a lot and it was night time before I did that.

Thursday, I woke up with a really sore throat and I walked to the exam and it went okay. I'm hoping I did well enough to at least pass. I also wish the grades for my other classes would be posted since their assessments and assignments have been long over by now. I just want to know if I at least passed 3 of my 4 classes so I can continue on next semester.

Friday, I relaxed a bit before going out to a farewell get together for a friend before she left for back home. I won at a game of Scrabble (without cheating and looking for words in dictionaries or on the website). Other than that, I had food and a little bit of vodka mixed with this soda-like thing to help with my throat. A friend (that was hosting the party/get together) gave me vitamin C every hour or so and was very nice about that. After the party, we ended up running to catch the train, which I shouldn't have done because when we got to the train, I was feeling bad, mainly in my chest area and it was a little difficult to catch my breath. After we got on the train, my stomach started bothering me and after the stop before ours, I ended up throwing up on the train and my friends supported me and when we got off the train, the two girls in our group went to the bathroom with me to clean up. I felt really bad about throwing up on the train and having them witness that, but I was really grateful that they did stay with me and support me and helped me clean my stuff as well as myself. At least enough to travel more. I even had two friends (male and female, one who was leaving the next day to go back home) take me back to my apartment building to make sure I was okay. I really appreciated it and I know I can call them true friends now. I definitely would not have expected this from anyone back home, unless it was a select few people.

Anyway, I got about 6 hours of sleep that night before I got up to head to the airport to get my parents. They came in the domestic terminal since they stopped in Melbourne first. The terminal and carousel set up was pretty cool and took a picture of that. We didn't do much Saturday, other than go to their hotel and then back to my place to pack a suitcase since we will be traveling a lot around Australia.

Today, we went to Featherdale Wildlife Park! I was able to hold a dingo puppy and get a few pictures with him! They were so cute and I'm really happy I was able to do that. I was even bouncing in anticipation in the line. We will be in Sydney for another day or two before we take an airplane to the Sunshine Coast to see the Great Barrier Reef as well as the Australia Zoo (where Steve Irwin worked and his family work)! I'm really looking forward to this zoo since I really loved Steve Irwin when he was on Animal Planet and I was really sad when he died and I still get sad when I see something related to him.

I think that's it for now! Until next time!

 ^^: Some flowers I saw and wanted to take a picture of!

 ^^: I took a picture of a flower and the beach we were at.

 ^^: Tasmanian Devil seen at the Taronga zoo!

 ^^: Domestic Terminal where you picked up your luggage! I thought the design done for the numbers was cool!

^^: Me holding the dingo puppy! It looks a lot like a Shiba Inu puppy ♥

 ^^: Me bending over a fence to feed an animal!

 ^^: More animals and feeding them!

Half Way Through Sister's Stay!

Hey, all!

It has been a very eventful week since the last post! I've been so busy the four days my sister has been here that I haven't really had the time to make a post! I will be posting later this week as well, after she leaves and before my parents get here.

Tuesday (June 13), I finished packing most things away and waited patiently until I could move. Initially, I was supposed to be able to begin moving in about 2pm, but because they were so busy after a public holiday, I ended up having to wait until ~5pm. Which was mostly fine, I was just more pushed for time. My first trip to the place with two of my suitcases, I ended up dropping my student ID card (that allows me to get into the buildings and my room) in the crack of the elevator. So that was special and a showcase for my Murphy blood, haha! I went to the office and they gave me a temporary card, which I was grateful for. I moved most of my stuff over, with a few exceptions and met 3 of my 4 roommates and I was already feeling much better with my living arrangements. They are more social and communicate more and it makes me happy. When I was done moving the stuff over, I went back to my old room and cleaned everything in my room. I then cleaned a select few things in the bathroom and kitchen areas. Afterward. I vacuumed my room and the kitchen and living areas. Shortly after that, I went to bed for the last time in that room.

Wednesday, I woke up relatively early (~8:20am) since I needed to be out of that room by 10 am so they could clean the carpets and inspect stuff. I moved the rest of my stuff over and got to the office to check out shortly after 10am. After that process, I went to get a new student ID card and I was able to get one quickly for 25 AUD. After that, I picked up the edible arrangements my parents had sent to me via the closest shop. That was great and delicious! I was able to put a few things away before I met up with some friends to hang out and shop around a mall before going to get dinner with a few more friends. It was a great day and I was happy to be able to spend it with friends. When I got back, I finished unpacking and moving things, at least, to their proper area and then took a shower. I went to bed with anticipation for my sister to come in the following morning.

Thursday, I woke up early to see my sister come in to the airport and waited to meet up with her. We first stopped by my place and relaxed a bit before going to check in at her place. We went to the Coogee Beach and the Centennial Park that day and it was fun. We saw many birds at the park and even saw sleeping bats!

Friday, we had breakfast at Coogee Beach before traveling to Bondi Beach. About noon, we left Bondi Beach to head for the Supanova expo that my sister had bought tickets for. It was fun and I bought a few things! Afterward, we went to Sydney Vivid lights next to the Sydney Opera House and it was a great experience! It happens once a year for a couple weeks, so I would recommend going during that time if you are able!

Saturday morning, we went to the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium and spent a couple hours there. I was able to see some things that I didn't see last time, like the octopus they had. After that, we went to Little Tokyo Tattoo and waited for out tattoo to get done. We were there for a few hours, as our artist was running a bit behind, but that was okay and he did a great job! My sister and I are really happy with the results. Afterward, we went to the Sydney Wildlife Zoo, next to the Sea Life Aquarium and spent about an hour there. That was also fun and a good experience.

Today (Sunday), we woke up expecting to go to the Blue Mountains, only to find that the buses and trains don't run that way until Monday, so we moved some plans around and went to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We were able to touch and feed kangaroos, wallabies, a wombat, and a koala! The koala encounter was an extra 20 AUD, but we also got a picture with it, so that was nice. We also saw dingoes and they had puppies!! The bulk of the photos I took there were of the dingoes! They were so cute and responsive to us talking to them. I wouldn't have minded staying there even longer just taking pictures and videos of them because they were so active and doing a lot of things. Afterward, we traveled to a mall back in Sydney. We had Mexican food before we went shopping around. Here, I bought a couple anime figures that I found and really wanted. Now, we're back at my sister's place and we'll be staying here the rest of the night. Tomorrow, we're planning on going to the Blue Mountains and then Tuesday, we're planning on going to the Taronga Zoo and she leaves on Wednesday.

I think that's all this time. Until next time!

(I will add pictures when I am able to!)
Update: June 22, 2017 19:15 Pictures and videos added

^^: Waves crashing at Coogee Beach.

^^: Seagulls visiting us during breakfast. They got quite close. You could probably touch them if they would let you.

^^: The lights on Sydney Opera House during the Vivid event!

 ^^: New room!

 ^^: Edible arrangements my parents sent me the day before my birthday!

 ^^: Picture of my group of friends that came to dinner to celebrate my birthday a day early!

 ^^: Bondi Beach!

 ^^: The three pictures above are from the Sydney Vivid lights event!

 ^^: Left, the back of my sister's new tattoo. Right, the back of my new tattoo!

 ^^: The front of our tattoos!

 ^^: Wallaby and Kangaroo at Sydney Wildlife Zoo, next to the Sydney SeaLife Aquarium!

^^: The crocodile at Sydney Wildlife Zoo!

Official Study Week, Over! Adventures Begin.

Hey, all!

Last week was the official study week with final exams officially beginning on Friday, June 09, 2017. I only have the one exam on June 22, so I still have plenty of time to study, or at least I hope it is plenty of time. I am not extremely worried about passing now since the reason I was taking the class was so I could take a biomedical engineering course in the second semester, but it turns out that it is too full and I will not be in the class. I will still study and try my best, but I won't be completely depressed if I don't do well.

That said, my appointments went well. The psychiatrist gave me something that should help both the ADD/ADHD symptoms as well as the anxious and depressing feelings I can get when it comes to school and grades. So I'm trying that for a month and will actually run out before I see her again, but that's okay. It'll get me through my exam and I will probably run out about the same time my parents leave in July. I'm excited and I hope it helps. I've been on it for 6 days now and it seems to help me with energy, a little bit, at least enough to help fix my sleep schedule (as long as I don't fight the sleepiness I get). I feel better about remembering things and when I start something, I am more focused on completing it and don't get too distracted, so I think it's helping. The real test will be if I can concentrate on studying, when I start, and if I retain the information for the final exam.

Wednesday morning, I wrote the tutorial report and it went pretty smoothly. In the evening, I left to have dinner with some friends and then we went and saw Wonder Woman! The dinner was delicious, we had Korean food! The movie was fantastic and will probably be one of the only DC superhero movies I actually like, haha!

Last week, I also learned when I would be doing my room move and I will actually be starting to move my stuff out tomorrow (Tuesday, June 13) about 2 pm. I will have to sleep in my current room as I won't be able to officially move in until June 14, just in time for my birthday! My sister comes in the next day (my birthday) early in the morning! I'm not looking forward to waking up early, but oh well! I want to see her in! My room is pretty empty-feeling right now since most everything is packed in my suitcases to take over tomorrow. Only a select few things haven't been packed that I will take with me the June 14. After moving everything over, I will be cleaning the room I am currently in so the next person will have a clean room.

I plan on getting another tattoo with my sister some day in the week that she is here. We are also planning on going to a convention int Sydney and I'm looking forward to it! It's been a while since I last went to a convention. I will probably be updating again, briefly, sometime after my sister gets in!

Until next time!

 

^^: It was really rainy this passed week. This was at night (obvious) when it was really pouring. I wanted to get a video of what rain is frequently like in Sydney.

 

^^: This is the next morning. The rain at this video isn't as strong as the video above, but it was still consistent. Although, how heavy the rain was kept changing.

 ^^: Left, some flowers I thought were pretty. Right, picture of our group at dinner!

 ^^: My room as it appears tonight. Pretty much everything is packed and there is a bunch of white space.