Melbourne Times....again

So i finally arrived in The Ritz to find my bed had been given away because i was late arriving....not to worry though,the lovely Chris got me back into my old room...good old 102! This is where i lived for the next couple of weeks with the Kerry lads and Sean. I started back in Clear Solar again and was welcomed back with open arms from David and Vicki. The week i started back all the Kerry lads and Mark and Scott started in Clear too. So every morning we'd set of for our 15 min walk 2 trains and a bus to get to work. It got a bit boring after a while so Monica, Selina A, Selina s, Ally and myself hires a car to get us to work.

I knew i was going to go travelling the middle of February so I took it easy and started saving. The odd Tuesday in cushion did happen though.A night camping in bells beach with Mark Scott the Kerry lads and the girls was great craic.We camped behind a bush and had a BBQ and then when we went to the beach that night a Kangaroo came through the camp and tore all our bags apart.The next day we went to Torquay to surf and swim. It was a beautiful day then BAM at 3pm a thunder and lightening storm out of nowhere....crazy Melbourne weather.

The next week about 60 of us from The Ritz and Coffee Palace went to Philip Island for more camping and our very own Teddy Bears Techno Picnic Festival! Great night until my goon was robbed and my tent was destroyed.Still the next day the boys went go karting and we went to a pirate mini golf and fed some kangaroos.All in all a pretty good weekend.

My last day of work came in Clear Solar and we had a beautiful BBQ breakfast.I'd never seen eggs on a BBQ until then. That Saturday a group for the hostel went bowling and then to Bridy Reillys for the Ireland Rugby match....We got soaked walking there in the mad rain and then we lost...Bad times...

Before i knew it, it was time to leave the Ritz again, but this time i was going up the east coast!

Good times ahead for Lauren and myself!....EAST COAST BABY!!!

Home Time

Its been a while since i updated this and alot has happened. I got a second job in a company called clear solar selling solar panels over the phone! At the start it was all cold calling and completely heart breaking sitting in an office all day while it was sunny outside. I had my birthday in October and i decided we were having an 80's fancy dress,i went as Adam ant. Brilliant night, rotten hangover the next day at our 2nd day of training with Clear!October started with out a hitch working 6 days a week. monday to friday in Clear then saturdays in Smith street Barbers and sundays spent surfing Torquay or curing a hangover in the elephant on one of the many sunday sessions.....
Then the call came, the one i was dreading but knew was coming. It was a Tuesday night in Melbourne, I'd decided not to go to cushion that night. Sitting in the common room, mam called. She told me the news that all the family was called to the hospital the my Grandad had taken a bad turn. I hung up and broke down, one of my friends Zac was walking past and just hugged me, I never thanked him for that, I dont think he realises how much i needed that hug. So i pulled myself together and got the wheels in motion to get myself home. I told my friends i was going and sat with Paul Sam Dave and Zac for a while. I got a call from Dad saying Grandad was given the last rights but had woken up. I said my goodbyes to him and told him how much I loved him.The rest of the night was spent booking tickets, arguing with Qantas and packing.
The next moring all the Dublin lads landed in my room,still pissed for the night before, to say goodbye. Myself and Vicky went to Dusk for some breakfast and she waited me until my bus came.The flight home was pretty uneventful,unlike my flight over, until i got to Heathrow. I ran from to T1 with my backpack and had a fight with the aerlingus staff until they got me on a flight home.I landed in Dublin Airport and my bag was the first on out.Walking through the doors i spotted mam and dad and ran for them. I was too late..... Noel Kelly Snr had died earlier that morning.
Walking into Derrylurgan was surreal....I hugged my nanny and then went into see him.
The next few days were crazy,his wake was on Halloween. My girls came to pay their respects and we went to cavan which ended with my falling down the stairs quiet drunk.
The funeral was beautiful with a perfect speech form Robert, with lots of moments2make you smile and remember grandad(Davids voice breaking and Robo and Gerry). The church was packed with new and old friends.
So I started back working in OReillys Barbers and fell easily back into my life in Ballyjamesduff.Christmas came and went so fast, very weird without Grandad. Nadine and Eoin came shortly after.Tiny tiny babies.
The best part of coming home was seeing the kids faces when they opened the door to me.
The 4th Jan came and it was time for me to go back to Oz! With a 10 hour delay in Heathrow my journey began all over again!

Old House New Job

so im finally back in Melboure and iv got a job in a barber shop.its around 45min from my hostel but its not so bad. its called The smith street barbers.i work friday sat and monday 9/10-5....my boss adamo had loads to teach me and i have to learn how to do a cut throat shave...wee bit nervous about it.Ivan is the other barber who opened the shop 10years ago but hes semi retired so he sold the shop to adamo.iv only started so il keep you up dated on how i get on.
xxx

Cairns

so arrive in sunny Cairns and its raining!Go figure!

Got to my hostel and couldnt get into the same room as my friend Selina so i was in the room next door...we went out to Gilligan's my first night and had a great laugh i went home a bit early cause i was knackered after my flight and early start....so i was just getting to sleep wen the Scottish guy came into the room and turned on the light.AAARRRAGH.then the french girl came in absolutely plastered and she got up 8 time to get sick!!!and once when she was running out of the room she fell into my bed.so that was a sign of times to come for the next week.

i booked my scuba diving trip and for most of the week i just relaxed and enjoyed the heat and the sun.instead of a beach they have a man made Lagoon.and around the lagoon there are a few outdoor bbq where we went one night and cooked some food...yum yum...so a guy moved into the bed beside me and his girlfriend came in and came back an hour later carried by 5 guys after she had passed out.so they shared a bed for the week,that didnt bother me too much but wat did annoy me was that they gave the key of our room to their friends so they could store their bags....

so scuba diving day came and it was raining wen i got up...but it soon cleared.the wind was at 35knots so everyone was seasick.finally got to the reef after 2.5hrs.i was second to dive.it felt like i was only down for 10min but i finally got to saw the reef...one of the main things i wanted to do in oz

so my last night in the hostel was interesting.woke up to this strange noise...it woke the french girl too...next of all someone stood up in the middle of the room...and puled up their pants.the girls had taken a piss in the middle of the floor!i screamed at her but she was sleep walkin(pissin) and never woke up!so i moved outa of that room asap...next morning i finally flew back to Melbourne...thank f*#?k. bumped into the pissy girl in the airport...had to hide from her YUCK

all that matters is that i finally got a tan!

THE SWING!

oh god!

"a platform on the edge of a cliff 109m/360ft above the Shotover River. At the platform you are fitted into a seat and chest harness and connected to the jump ropes. This harnessing configuration keeps your arms and legs free throughout the journey and enabling you to safely depart the platform in any position imaginable. Gravity does the rest. "

scary shit...but i was so excited about doing it....i was so up for that i nominated myself to go first...i wanted to be scared so i decided to do it the scarest way....backwards...i was so brave and cocky till looked over the edge....oh god oh god....my legs stopped working and i couldn't physically make them move....the video is on my facebook....so i was standing on the edge...shitting myself....while the man leaned me over the edge and explained that i'd have to do a little jump to push myself of the ledge...was this guy crazy...didnt he know my legs werent working!so the count down began 3.....2....1..... and in my head it all happened very fast...i fell backwards and jumped...fell and screamed alot...but in the video it takes me ages to fall and they had to give me a little push but i loved it....i loved it so much i decided to do it again...the second one i did was called "Gimp boy goes to Hollywood!"it involved hanging upside down over the canyon while they pull the cord and you fall head first down the sharp pointy rocks and then swing across the canyon.excellent...such a rush....

that night i met up with darran and spud who i met on the flight to sydney we went for a few drinks and had a laugh.but i had to get up early to catch the bus to christchurch.

Back at Liam and Kylie's we had a good time.went to the museum and art gallery and up to Liams mums to see the view from her house.then on tues i had to get up at 3:30am to get the bus to the airport for my flight to Cairns!

Snowboardind+Christine=Retard!

Queenstown baby!!!!

arrived in Queenstown yesterday evening after an 8 hour bus ride!!!

The night before i left for Queenstown Kylie,Liam,Keane and myself went to The Lone Star for dinner...waooow the food was fab...yum yum

So back to this bus rider...8 FECKIN HOURS!!!...but the views were breathtaking...my photos do not do it justice...a couple of times i found myself looking up and staring out the window my mouth wide open in shock at how beautiful the views were.esp at Lake Tykapo(not sure of the spelling)...just the colour of the water alone was amazing...a kind of milky green...like water from a hotspring...

i arrived in Queenstown around 7 and it was FREEZING...lucky id bought a big warm coat in the op shop and a pair of boots...i got into my hostel called BASE and checked in...to say i miss my old hostel "The Ritz" is a bit of an understatement...the room is tiny and packed to the brim...and smelly...was kept awake all night with people snoring...im used to ollie snoring...but never actually been woken up by someone b4...

so i booked my snowboard lessons and my swing...

went snowboarding today...got the bus at 9am to Coronet Peak...id hired all my ski gear the night b4... so got up the mountain and met my instructor Mike....a group of us went to the "magic carpet" slope for beginners....so we spent the next 2 hours tryin to stay up on the board and do a few turns...god...i was useless at it....i faceplanted a few times....did a few superman impressions...and skidded down the hill on my arse and side....just about managed to stay up on the board while a photographer took a pic of me...which i had to buy cause i had noone with me to take pics of me while i fell over and stuff and i wanted one that made i look like i could actually snowboard...its NOT easy....i used muscles today that i didnt even know i had...and tommorrow il feel them even more!

so i got the bus back and returned my gear....

Tomorrow...THE SWING!!!!...then meeting up with a couple of lads i met on the plane to sydney before i get the bus at 9am back to Christchurch...another 8 hours

New Zealand

im not having much look with these flights am i?
got to the airport and was sent to the wrong terminal...got to the right one and they asked me for my return ticket....oooppps...id only bought a oneway cause i didnt know how long i was staying...so had to book my flight to Cairns then and there...see im going to cairns to meet my friend selina who i met in melbourne b4 she heads back to the UK....and i booked the WRONG date...im going to miss her completely...and had to pay $360!!!
then my flight was delayed...again...
arrived safely and thats all that matters...Liam and his girlfriend Kylie met me in the airport and we drove through Christchurch to Lyttleton where they both live with Kylies son Keane...
we visited a couple of the bars in the little town and got fish and chips for $4! thats less than 2euro!!!Liam and his friend showed me around Christchurch city.and we went to the rugby club to watch the All Blacks V Australia and i met an ex All Blacks player who also played for Blackrock back home!Kylie and Liam drove me around loads and showed me some beautiful places, like the cave and Tyler's mistake....think thats wat their called anyway!?!
we were supposed to go up to Liams mams house but she got sick with swine flu so that was called off...
got my tickets sorted for cairns...firstly they said it'd cost me $600 to change the date on my ticket....then it went down to $70!?!...so the plan is to meet up with selina on tuesday in Cairns stay for just over a week...enough time to get a tan...then back to melbourne to find a job...:(