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.

Semester One, Over!

Hey, all!

The last week of my first semester in Australia ended on Friday! This week is study week and final exams are the next two and a half weeks after that. I only have one final and it is toward the end of the final session- June 22 in the morning. My sister come in on my birthday, next Thursday (June 15) and is here until June 21 and I'm excited for the small adventures we're going to have. I kinda wished she had waited until after my exam, but it's okay. Things will work out in the end. My parents visit June 24-July 8 and we will be traveling a good portion of Australia and I'm really excited for that! Expect a lot of pictures and updates around that time!

So! This passed week! It was very busy with three assignments/assessments all within 48 hours of each other. A test in the morning on Thursday and a group presentation later that same day with a 2200 word essay due the next day by midnight. Luckily, the teacher was kind enough to extend the tutorial report to a week later. I don't feel I did too well on the test as I didn't really feel like I had a lot of time to study for it, with a lot of other assessments coming up, especially with the essay. The group presentation went fine, I think. The essay I wrote in less than six hours as I had just finished reading the necessary sources that afternoon. Through Wednesday night and Friday morning (so those 48 hours), I only had 8 hours of sleep total. I was super tired by the end of the essay. My piece of advice to you: do NOT wait until the last minute to do any assignment, but especially essays. Starting reading the sources as soon as you are able and allocate time to do that. That was where I failed this semester and I will work hard to remedy that next semester, if I'm able to pass 3/4 of my classes.

It didn't help that Thursday evening/night, I went out to dinner with a group of people to celebrate a friend's birthday, but I wanted to be there for her and celebrate. Ever since these essays have popped up, I haven't been as social as I would have liked. Things turned out okay, so it's fine. For dinner, we went to a food court that had a ton of different kinds of Asian food- Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, etc. I ended up having ramen since I had never really had ramen before. It was so delicious and I wasn't able to finish it off, but I got close.

Friday, I was planning on going to a club's end of semester dinner, but I had to ditch that so I could finish the essay. It makes me sad, but it's what had to be done. I hope I will have more chances to hang out with them later!

I went to sleep Friday night/Saturday morning about 1/2 am and ended up sleeping until about 12:30pm Saturday afternoon. I could have easily slept more, but I feared I wouldn't be able to sleep until late. Not that it mattered, as I ended up staying up until 2am again. I woke up today (Sunday) around 11 am to try and get my sleep schedule back on track. We'll see how well that goes since it's 12:30am as I am writing this. Whoo!

This upcoming week will probably be busy, but in a good way. I have a couple of appointments, one to see if I can get my ADHD helped and one to continue helping my hips and low back. I am also making plans to go to a movie with a group of friends at some point this week. In between all of that, I need to complete the tutorial report, which should be easy, and study for the anatomy final exam.

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

^^: Loud birds chirping up a storm in the dusk time.

 ^^: I've been getting so cold recently and this was one of the times I just couldn't seem to get very warm easily. I had one scarf around my neck (turquoise) and another scarf wrapped around my head and ears as a hat, haha! I thought it looked funny, but it helped keep me warm.

 ^^: A set up that I saw while we were walking to the food court!

^^: Ramen! It was a miso-based soup with a bunch of other yummy things!

Semester One Last Week!

Hey, all!

This is the last week of the semester, not including the final exam period! I have so many things to do this week! I have an anatomy test on Thursday, I have a group presentation also on Thursday, I have a 2200 word essay on Australian politics due Friday, and a 500 word tutorial report also due on Friday. I finished an online quiz for a class today and it was pretty easy. I still need to study for the test, research the topic for the group presentation, and read and take notes on the sources for the essay. So much to do, but it's the last week! I'm excited! I have one final for anatomy and it is on June 22. I will need to study a lot for that exam!

Not a whole lot happened this passed week. I procrastinated, but mainly because I was extremely tired again and couldn't seem to build the energy up to do anything except go to class, but paying attention was really difficult, whether in lecture, tutorial, or even in the videos I watched while procrastinating. /: Oh well... I'll be doing a lot of work this week, haha!

Monday, I spoke with the apartment manager of the Village and spoke about the problems I've been having with my roommates and how I've never really felt welcomed by them. He said he was going to try and set up a room change for me and I won't have to pay any fees, which makes me happy.

Tuesday, I got some free pancakes from the Village and their pancake event. They were delicious and the first I've had in a while.

Saturday, I was going to have dinner with friends after their karaoke event, but they didn't update the Facebook event page to where and by the time they asked if I still wanted to go, it was close to an hour after the karaoke event had ended and I had just made my dinner when they asked. So I told them to enjoy and I will be there for the next dinner event.

Sunday, today, not much happened, but I went through Shinsa, or grading, in Taido, the martial arts I started in Australia. It was a little nerve-wracking, but it was fun and I was able to encourage so many others who were also trying to go up a belt. I, and so many others, were able to go up a belt and I am now a purple, 6 kyu, belt! I may be able to do the next Shinsa in ~6 months, if I am still in Australia and go up to purple, 5 kyu, but I will have to give the belt back before I leave for America as Arizona does not have a Taido group, unfortunately.  Afterwards, we went to McDonald's and it was such a new experience! They had soo many screens where you could order from and then you would go to the pick up corner (if take out) or they would deliver to you (supposedly; if you chose the dine in option). Everything was so high-tech! I got medium fries and an Oreo McFlurry. My body didn't like the McFlurry, but it's okay- I don't have it that often (that was my first one in ~5 years).

Well, that's all for now. Until next time!

 ^^: The pancakes I had!

 ^^: This was the McDonald's pickup area. The person on the right is someone from Taido!

^^: Me in the dress that I got last weekend when I found a mall and went searching for a warm jacket (which I did find).

Week 12, Start!

Hey, all!

This is the second to last week of school for the semester! This passed week was very busy and exciting!

Monday, I went to some friends' place to help make the food we were going to sell at an event for the club on Tuesday! We got there about 7:30pm and started preparing. We were making onigiri and mitarasu dango! It was a very long process, even with everyone that was there (about 8-10 of us), but it was very fun and I was able to talk and have fun with everyone. By the time I and another left (about 12:30am), there was still a bit to do, but I had to go home and get some rest as I had a 9am lecture. I think they finished relatively soon after we left.

Tuesday, I was at the event the entire time and it was pretty smooth. We had a lot of customers within the first hour or so, but after that, it was a trickle of people and we still had quite a bit of one type of onigiri and some dango. >,< Oh well! It felt like a pretty long day, but it was still a lot of fun!

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, not much happened. We ended up having a substitute lecturer for our anatomy lecture and will have her for this week's last class. I'm not very happy about it as it's distracting and it's hard to follow along with this new teacher's teaching style. But I will get over it, since there is just one more class. Next week is the next major test for that class and I feel like I'm not ready! I'm going to do my best with studying for it and everything else coming up in the next two weeks!

Saturday, I went to the SeaLife Sydney Aquarium through the UNSW Village and that was extremely fun and I was able to see and experience many things! They had stairs that led you deeper into water and there were tunnels where you could see the fish, sharks, etc swim over and beside you! It was a great experience! After I was done (took about 2.5-3 hours), I went exploring a bit. I looked at a couple craft stores looking for a similar yellow-ish yarn to match the one I have, but I couldn't find anything that was similar enough. Oh well, time to keep looking! When I gave up on that, I started heading to a bus stop and accidentally came across a mall! I've been looking for a warmer jacket than I currently have and I decided to check it out. The first few stores were disappointing, just because their prices were so high, even with their sale of ~20% off going on. I went to the lower ground level and was pleasantly surprised at what I found. The first store didn't really have a style I liked, so I went to the next store, not expecting much, but not only did they have great styles of coats and great prices, they had amazingly cute dresses! I wish I had had more money so I could have bought a lot more of their dresses, cardigans, and accessories! The name of the shop was Dangerfield! I bought a coat, a dress, and a couple pieces of headwear accessories! I am looking forward to wearing everything! After buying this, I started my trek home and got back safely and extremely happy about how the day had gone!

Today, not much happened. I Skyped with my parents in the US and spoke with them and wished my dad a Happy Birthday since it was his birthday for them. It was just a nice, relaxing day. I went to Taido and we all were practicing for grading, which happens next Sunday! I'm excited and a little nervous, but I'm sure everything will go fine!

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

^^: Jellyfish!

^^: Fish,etc swimming around me in the tunnel!

^^: Penguins!

 ^^: Stray kitties we came across on our way to their place to make the food! They're so cute ♥ I didn't pet one because I'm pretty allergic >,<

 ^^: Left, they have lights for bicycles as well as cars! I thought this was pretty cool! Right, it's the Yellow Submarine! I don't actually know what this place sells, but I thought it was funny since it reminded me of the song!

 ^^: Left, a cute fish thing that I don't know the name of, but it was moving so it's face was looking at me and I wanted to take a picture since it was cute! Right, a Dugong! They've been mistaken as mermaids (I think?) and are known as the mermaids of the sea!

 ^^: Left and Right: They had a bunch of artwork in the first half of the aquarium and is was great! I loved it!

 ^^ Left and Right: Penguins!

 

 ^^ Left and Right: more of a scenic shot than of anything in particular, but I liked these and you can still see the fish!

Week 11, Go!

Hey, all!

I'm a bit late with posting this and I apologize. Things caught up with me and I kept forgetting to! On the plus side, I was able to finish my essay in time and even the "possible" presentation. I did not give the presentation last week, thankfully! I will either be giving it at the end up class on Thursday or I will be one of the first people going next week! I am so glad things worked out this way as it gives me more time to prepare on what to say!

I relaxed Friday night and all day Saturday. I went to be a part of the audience for the Whovians show and that was a lot of fun! It's a show that talks about the episode of Doctor Who that just came out, among other things that are Doctor Who related. After that was done, I went to the mall to find a jacket and I sadly could not find one, but I got some other stuff from Daiso Japan, which I am really happy about!

That's all I really have to share about the last week, so...

Until next time!

 

 ^^: Fall colors and flowers <3

 ^^: Some artwork I thought was cool and some greenery!

 <<: A interesting looking building!

\/\/: More greenery, with a hint fall colors!

 ^^: More of the flowers and of the interesting building.

 << & \/\/: Some greenery around my apartment buildings!

 ^^ A slug :O

 ^^: Stuff I bought! (left) a case for papers that my teachers give back to me; (right) a pair of chopsticks and their holder <3

^^: Decorative masking tape that I bought! It was the last of that design, at least that I could see! >:D