Doo Wah Diddy

do do do do do do

(very tired)

do do do do do do

(don’t feel like talking about school anymore)

do do do do do do

(when are holidays again?)

do do do do do do

(going to go and watch ER now)

do do do do do do

(goodnight)

LaLa-Land Tuesday.

So, what day is it? And where am I supposed to be today? And what the heck was I going to blog about?

Dudes. I am still so scatterbrained it isn’t funny. I went from being a super-organised freak, to someone who is kind of aimlessly shuffling around having no idea what’s going on. Bah! My head!

But cute, cute kidlets! Super cute kidlets! Squee! Must refrain from pinching cheeks. And from pre-judging some of my deadset annoying worrisome kids that I had last year. Perhaps this year will be better. And they will stop muttering to themselves on the floor. Or punching random things in mid-air. Or falling asleep at the tables. Er, oops? Maybe tomorrow?

I sweated so much at the gym today that I looked like I’d gone swimming afterwards. Damn those perfect women who turn up with their hair out and perfectly styled, bouncing around like maniacs and not even breaking out a moustache sweat. Come on, we all know what that looks like.

But seriously? I so much as walk INTO the gym and my face instantly turns red, my legs and arms go splotchy and I start sweating. Not the gross, stinky, armpit kind of sweating — no, the main part of me that sweats? My scalp and face. Can someone please explain why this is the only part of me that sweats (big time, bring on the buckets!) and how I can fix it? Gosh, it’s embarrassing enough lugging my backside to the gym next to skinny, bouncing sheilas, but do I have to mop my brow at the end of every 45 second circuit? Sheesh.

Doo-bee-doo. Bring on the next batch of holidays!

Scatterbrained Monday.

Driving to the school today felt like just another work day – as if I’d just had an average weekend and was heading back in for a new week. Absolutely bizarre!

Today was so strange, I felt a bit lost without a classroom of my own this year. The room which I’m sharing with Belinda is the same room I had last year, but since it’s not really mine anymore, it’s different! The other classroom I’m sharing in is all sorted out too (all these organised ladies, sheesh, making me feel bad!) and since I’m just supporting for my other two days, I really don’t have much to do with that at all.

Basically, I’m a big ol’ fish out of water.

But it’s still going to be a good year! People will just have to not mind me if I wander around with my head in the clouds for the first couple of weeks until I get my routine organised, and know what I’m expected to be doing in each of the classrooms.

Excited for the kidlets to come back tomorrow! I have about 10 of the kids I taught this year in the 1/2 class, and another handful in the 3/4 class, so it’s going to be good fun. Right now, I’m off to print off some tray and bag labels, just to make things a bit easier tomorrow. I hope your Monday was just dandy.

Second Year – Already?

I spent my day today doing (as my blog header suggests) a whole lot of nothing. Well, it’s the last day of my holidays, so why not?

Let me share some of the more noticeable accomplishments of the day with you. Please don’t all applaud at once:

• Not showering.
• Getting on the computer before 9am on a Sunday.
• Paying my brother to wash the car for me.
• Watching ER episodes.
• Reading: The Memory Keeper’s Daughter.
• Playing aimlessly with the bunnies.
• Playing aimlessly with the dogs.
• Folding a whole lot of laundry.
• Hiring a Foxtel Box Office movie: The Omen.
• Considering hiring another: The Da Vinci Code.

Yeah, that’s about it.

Basically anything that involved sitting around on my backside. Tomorrow I start back at school, can’t believe this will be my second year out in the real world. Some days I feel like it’s been longer than that, others I feel like I just finished uni and still don’t know what I am doing!

Am looking forward to this year of teaching. I don’t know if I mentioned what I’ll be doing, but I’m going to be a jack of all trades grades this year! Still at the same school, still five days a week, still earning the same, just not on one class specifically.

Monday: Job sharing a 3/4 class all day.
Tuesday: Supporting a 5/6 learning support class and their teacher.
Wednesday: Job sharing with Madame Belinda on a 1/2 class.
Thursday: As above.
Friday: Supporting a 5/6 learning support class and their teacher.

So I really am (almost) teaching K-6 next year! Now THAT’S what I went to university for! We have our staff development day tomorrow, so things might change, but it’s definitely going to be a busy year. Bloody holidays going too fast.. But here’s a nice New Zealand shot to keep you going until I do some serious uploading.

I want to go back!

Er, About That Kiwi.

So, the big black photograph I posted yesterday?
The one with the supposed Kiwi in it?
Yes, well, er.

It was kind of meant to be a joke.

(There really was a Kiwi in there, though. I swear!)

The birds are nocturnal, so the enclosures we were walking into all didn’t allow flash photography. Me being stubborn (and slightly blonde), decided that since I could still SEE the Kiwi in the dark through my camera lens, that the picture would work out even without using the flash.

As you can see, my theory was proved wrong.

I also have a 10 second video clip which also features nothing but darkness, with my voice in the background saying all sorts of randomly stupid things like "Aww, it’s moving! Look at the Kiwi! Pretty bird!" You should thank me for not uploading it to YouTube. You have now saved 10 seconds of your life.

Speaking of Kiwis, our tour manager on Contiki had me convinced that all of them are robots. He basically implied that the species probably died out years ago, and that the NZ government created machine versions to keep the tourists happy. The theory could work; Apparently seeing a Kiwi in the wild never happens, so all the ones that we got to see were kept in enclosures. And if you watched closely? They really did just do the same peck, waddle, peck, waddle movements over and over again. Hrm. A great conspiracy? One never knows.

(Although I did later see the Kiwi in the photograph take a drink of water, surely robots can’t drink water? Unless they are using super sophisticated technology? Oh my!)

So, about that photo? Just use your imagination. It should look a little something like this.

Much cuter than our flightless Emu, if you ask me.

And since I am still awaiting the rest of the photographs, (damn zip file not sending, phooey) let me just reply to a couple of comments left in my super remarkable picture post.

Luscious Lara: NOW do you see the Kiwi in the picture? If you close one eye, squint with the other and tilt your head to the side, I’m sure you’ll find him. Or you can just pretend.

Kewl Kirby: I was thinking of you when I jumped off the canyon. Okay. I take that back. I was actually thinking of death and possibly crapping in my pants. But I wish you had of been there.

Valacious Viv: See Lara’s reply. And it really, really was a beautiful place. We went white water rafting over that river the next day!

Awesome Angela: If you would like to purchase the rights to one of those displays of photographic genius, there’s an Amazon wishlist right over there. *wink*

Lively Laurel: Hah! A sheep beauty pageant! I love it! Actually, it was just a farm show. But there was this one sheep there with dreadlocks (no joke!) that could have definitely taken out the title. Too cute.

Super Sarah: Thankyou, m’dear. My reasoning is that now I’ve done all this scary stuff, I can spend every other vacation I ever take relaxing and getting massages. I’ve earnt it, no?

Nice NPW: Alright, since you are all being so nice to me, I’ll tell you a little story. I didn’t actually JUMP off the canyon. I was planning to, but then I turned into a big giant wimp. I actually got dangled over it, and THEN had the wires cut and kind of did a Tarzan swing over the canyon. Does that make me still brave?

Amazing Aimee: Do you like the Kiwi now? I think they are quite cute myself, and I would like to squish one. And no. It was not a big, life-like Kiwifruit in the enclosure. Although that is a pretty funny visual, if you think about it.

Lovely Lala: Yes indeedy! Am ready and waiting for stalkerage!

Vivacious VBG: The sheep would be very flattered, I’m sure. And heading that way right this second.

Skip, Hop, Frolic.

The photographs! Are coming! Hoorah!

In the form of a zip file that is currently zooming across the internet from Jason’s computer to my computer, floating swiftly through the information super highway.

I can’t wait to see them. And share them. Aren’t you excited?

I did take my camera with me on holidays, but we used J’s camera for the majority of the time. What’s the point in wasting two batteries? Or taking double pictures of the exact same thing? My camera came with me on the days we were doing separate optional activities, though. Like when he was jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet and I was doing a lovely nature walk. Oh, and when he was doing the super ginormous Nevis bungy jump and I was pottering around the bush on the back of a horse. (I swear, I did the scary stuff too!)

Consequently, his camera had all the stunning nature photographs and pictures of us on it, which are the ones I’m hoping are fabulous. You’ll see why, shortly.

As for my camera?

It has pictures of the canyon that I jumped off. (Holy crap!)

I also managed to snap a demented looking photo of my horse.

(Bloody thing kept moving! You’d think it was alive or something.)

Hrm. What else. Oh, I did manage to get some pictures of sheep. What good trip to New Zealand doesn’t feature sheep?

(No comments about why the lady is bending over the sheep, alright? Let’s keep this blog family friendly, folks.)

Oh, yes! How could I forget? I also managed to snap a picture of a kiwi on one of my solo days. I was ever so proud.

(They’re cute wee buggers, yes? Apparently, they dislike flashes.)

Now can you see why I’m excited to see the rest of our trip photos? Hee, I crack myself up sometimes.

Just Another.

It feels very much as though my New Zealand trip didn’t happen in some respects. I know, I got home yesterday, what the heck am I going on about? But I woke up this morning, pottered around the house a little bit, hopped on the computer and I feel exactly the same as I did before I left.

I don’t even have any photos to share with you yet, as we took most of our pictures with Jason’s digital camera. He is going to put them on a zip file for me which I should get by tomorrow, I hope. I can’t wait to see how some of them came out.

Because the last month has been filled with posts about the holiday, I’ll try and make my summary short and sweet, so I can get on with other things. It was bloody fantastic! I would go back again to the South Island in a heartbeat, driving myself next time around. The scenery was just incredible – you could hardly take a bad photograph. The Contiki group was fabulous (and filled with gossip!) I would recommend it to anybody. I really, really would.

I am a complete klutz, and managed to get sunburned on my legs (!) of all places, break not one but two pairs of sunglasses on the trip, leave my wallet behind on at least one occassion (all good, everything recovered), and step on a spiky sea urchin while snorkelling. Good times, eh? The bloody sea urchin thing was so painful, and it still is – considering there is a piece of spike that I can’t get out of my heel. I’m hoping it’ll poke out a little soon, so I can be brave and yank the rest out. Bleeeh.

I was very disappointed at the airport at the beginning of the trip – I thought that just this once, I’d beat Jason in the "I bet my suitcase weighs less than yours, ner ner" competition. I’d weighed mine on the scales here the night before, and had rung him to cheat also find out what his weight was. Score! Mine was like, 2kgs lighter than his. But somehow overnight, my suitcase managed to put on a couple of unexplained kilograms (just like it’s momma!) and he beat me. Bugger that.

Ahem. Yesterday though? I am pleased to say that his suitcase weighed in at 20.1kgs coming home. And mine? Mine was 19.3kgs. Fwee! AND I also bought three tops, one skirt and a pair of Havaiana thongs too. Oh man. Speaking of said thongs/flip flops. They are the most comfortable ones, EVER. I got a brown pair so they’d go with everything and wow. I am in love. They’re super flexible, you can bend them completely in half and they just flip right on back. Grand.

For now, I’m heading to the shops with my momma and relaxing. I recieved some awesome packages while I was away – my Alice In Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass DVD that I’d ordered from Amazon, a couple of books (The Memory Keeper’s Daughter and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), my X-Files complete series (Season 1-9, complete with Asian writing on the front and back, so I have absolutely no idea what they say!) and a package from Lara, with sexy sailor shoes in it! Thankyou chook, made my day! I’ll take photos soon, promise.

It’s so good to be back. But I am dreading the whole back to work in two days thing. Boo.

Well, THAT went fast!

I am home.

And it went way too freaking fast.

And that’s all I have to say right now because bed? Is calling me. I’m planning on some quality time with my pillows. That’s right. All four of them.

Dude! Lara! Shoes! Present! Squee! More later.

Happy Birthday Jennifer-moo. Love, love, love.

I’m BACK!

Update Number Fouuuuur

Dear Blog World,

We finished our Contiki today, after being dropped back in Auckland. I’ve already got plans to stalk keep in touch with a couple of the Sydney-ites I met on the tour, which is a big improvement from the last trip. The last ten of us who are left in Auckland tonight are going out for dinner, like a last supper. I’ve been really, really lucky with the group I’ve had. I clicked with most people straight away (which is rare for me) and have enjoyed the whole thing.

You’ll be proud to know that I kept my whinging to a minimum. Oh, and also? Jason and I (as part of the six couples on board the tour!!) won the competition when it came to who knew each other the best. Crazy, considering we aren’t married, engaged or living together like most of the others there.

Alright, I sort of lied.

I whinged this afternoon, after finding out that the super big hotel that we were supposed to be booked into after the tour finished? Was not actually where we were booked into. Freaking travel agents. No, we got the sister hotel (in the same name) which is a hell of a lot smaller, located about a block away, has wobbly lifts and a hotel room with no opening windows and a busted air conditioner! C’mon, I’m allowed to whinge about that, right? (We’re complaining about the air con later, don’t you worry.)

Anyway, yesterday? Was heaven on a stick. Absolute heaven. We drove north to the Bay of Islands at the tip of the North Island. There were about 20 of us left on the tour, so we rented a Catamaran for the ENTIRE DAY and spent it cruising. Oh man. I have never had so much fun in my life, doing absolutely nothing. Beautiful water, beautiful weather, great company. I swam in the water and even went snorkelling for the first time. Am proud. (My kind of snorkelling was kind of amusing – I’d be just getting the hang of it, then would spy a fish and start squealing with excitement and promptly fill my mask up with water. Hee.)

Oh, I also got a strip of my back (below my long bikini tank, and above my swimmers) sunburned, which is a wee bit painful when wearing pants of any kind. Jason has sunburned legs and FEET, which is kind of amusing in a cruel, cruel way. The sun here is insane, you stand in it for a minute and you’re burning. Even with sunscreen! Crazy.

All in all, it was fantastic. The perfect last day of the tour!

Now we’re in Auckland for the next day, flying out the day after that. I actually really just want to go home. I’m tired, grouchy and a wee bit bored of Auckland. I much prefer the little towns than the big cities, here just reminds me of Sydney’s inner city as well. Ah well, time flies so no doubt I’ll be back home complaining before I know it. I’ll be home soon!

Love,

Aly

P.S. Next tour? Is definitely North America, with Contiki. Starting to save right now. Well, after tomorrow’s shopping day because I can’t see us doing much else here. Bleh.

Update Number Threeeeeee

Dear Blog World,

You will have to excuse this entry if it contains a bajillion typos, as I’m sitting in a backpackers hotel where the computer monitor is hidden behind possibly bulletproof glass, and the keyboard is completely and utterly super glued to the computer desk. I get the feeling they’ve had a fair few computers knocked off from around here, but jeeeeez. It’s horrible for my blind, blind eyes.

Since we left Wellington, we visited Lake Taupo and did not much of anything except shopping. Had a boat booked out on the lake for just us, which was great fun. Lots of dancing, to Jason’s disgust. I’ve not yet got that boy to dance. My mission is failing miserably. After that we headed to ultra stinky Rotorua, where we had a huge tour of a Maori settlement (I’m officially in love with their history, I am such a nerd) and saw a kiwi. Squee! Must somehow smuggle one home. Jason went skydiving, and i opted to keep my feet on the ground, wandering around a national park instead.

I AM disappointed I couldn’t get time to go and have a thermal springs relaxation day, was rather grouchy about that. Hrmph. But the place smelled like you would not believe, so I suppose I’ll treat myself somewhere nicer back home one day. Last night we went to a Maori feast and concert, ate a yummy hungi meal and listened to their amazing singing and dancing skills. Jason did a non scary haka (hee!) and I attempted to use a Poi, once again failing miserably. This morning Jason did the Zorb which I chickened out of (rolling down a hill before 8am in the morning sounded a wee bit horrid today) so I went and saw a sheep show instead. So much fun! Almost stole a lamb AND a sheepdog. Didn’t quite manage it, though.

Right now, I’m in Waitomo, which has been great. We did a cave tour this afternoon, it was absolutely stunning. The glow worms were gorgeous, the river cruise was gorgeous, the cave itself was gorgeous. I like it. AND this hotel room has a television and volleyball court; aka hours of mindless entertainment. Love it.

Tomorrow we head to Auckland briefly, and then it’s on to the Bay of Islands for two days before we finish up. I can’t believe how fast this tour has gone, it’s millions of times faster than Europe was. I’ve decided I’m also going to do the North American Contiki as soon as I can save up for it. That’s one of my goals. Yep. Anyone want to come with me?

Oh and Julia dear, there were many more nights of drinking, however I’ve refrained from going on about them because, ahem, some people didn’t know what a Contiki was, and may just think I’m a raging alcoholic. Or something.

(I should add here that I’ve had my fair share of nanna naps though, so it’s been good. Tonight is a big night here at the tavern because we’re losing half of our tour group, and gaining 30 strangers for the next (and last) two days of the tour. Which probably also means that tomorrow will be a big night too, as we’ll be meeting fresh new Contiki-goers, who will be much less buggered than we all are.)

(That’s enough brackets for now.)

Off to have a shower now before dinner so cheerio, lovelies!

Love,

Aly