Crikey!

G'day all! lol

My two weeks at Wake up! Sydney has come to an end and am currently chillin in Chatswood--a suburb of Sydney. I can't believe I've been in Sydney for two weeks--truly remarkable. I'm so thankful I did this trip for myself--it's already taught me alot about life; stuff I already knew and stuff I'm slowly realizing. Life is full of ups and downs, there's no getting away from it--but you should learn to dicipher the trivial situations from the meaningful ones. For example, Wake up! Sydney had a shit lift (elevator) and a crap kitchen which were more than frustrating; however, at the end of the day I had a comfy bed to come home to with cool sheets and nice washroom facilities and that made my stay in Wake up! worthwhile. That in itself is a trivial example but you get it right? I've learned to appreciate the good things and not sweat the small stuff--i used to freak out if i gained 5 lbs or if i lost something or if the bus was late, and mind you i do kinda get pissed, but it doesn't phase me. Big deal, I'm a couple of pounds heavier--there's just more of me to love, right? lol don't answer that! ...now where was i going with this?...ah yes, learning stuff on this trip.

If you know me well, then you know I get peeved easily by stupid people--nowadays I've become more tolerant...or maybe I just haven't encountered any lol. The chatterbox in my room was REALLLLYYYYYY annoying, and she stuck to me like glue, drove me nuts! Surprisingly, I didn't get irritated, I was amused by her annoyingness and realized everyone goes through those "omg, I'm 18 I'm so grown up!" phases--even me. ...now i'm 23...so old *shakes head*

Another thing I learned about myself is my likes and dislikes have kind of changed. When I first got to the hostel, I wondered how I'd last two weeks there--it was kind of intimidating being the only brown girl in a hostel with 500 other people. Then I was lucky enough to have some nice girls in my room--Lindsay, Ceri, Viki and Maggie. It seriously felt like we were a small family--such a nice change from the day or two day long friendships I had in New Zealand! We all hung out together every day, got haircuts and such together lol, ate together and yes, slept together--not in the dirty way ppl! It was kind of sad today when we all separated :( But we'll keep in touch and spend new years together, so it's all good! I was surprised that we all got attached to each other so quickly lol and I was surprised at myself for liking people I wouldn't normally talk to--and I LOVE that! Although some things will not change about me--boys, if a girl says she doesn't want to dance with you then just take it and leave, don't follow her around and get all sensitive about it. Whenever I went to Sidebar, the hostel's bar downstairs, I'd look pretty normal compared to the other girls--the first time i went i had a sweater ok? lol. and yet somehow I'd attract the wrong kind of attention...all I know is if I ever go to a club again I'd have to make sure there were guys in our group too, not just girls. But I did have lots of fun :) They played my song: Return of the Mack!

...at this point of my blogging, I wonder if i'm doing this properly...am I supposed to be "reporting" to you about my activities? all professional-like? well who cares, imma blog like i'm talking to you--that way you don't miss me too much :P

i'm tired of being in the city but then again, i've been tired alot lately. not cuz i've been partying or drinking loads, been tired because i've been doing alot lately. it feels weird taking a day to chill out--especially when it's super sunny outside, but it's much needed. so far, my stay in my new room is pretty interesting. i've heard horror stories about spiders and apparently possums live in our walls...excellent. not! lol. but i get an awesome stereo thing in my room so i'm blasting bruno mars right now, and i get a nice bed and a fan and lots of windows! my hostel dorm only had one stupid window! lol. and i've got pretty nice housemates too...well one of 'em is cranky cuz she's cleaning but the other one took me grocery shopping and showed me the "city" which is really a road and a mall. my kind of city!

so that's my update for now--it's kind of hard to plan anything out when it's the holiday season over here, but hopefully I can plan out my tours asap and get a move on!

love ya

Truly an unforgettable holiday season...

Heyyyyy!

You are not going to believe what happened to me during the xmas long weekend down here--effing crazy.

Xmas itself was chill; i watched jodha akhbar in the morning and that was enough present for me -- have u seen hrithik roshan's hotness? yummy body and "i wanna run my fingers through his hair" hair! mmmmmm! lol :P my cousin got me xmas prezzies, wasn't expecting that. I got me an entire box of chocolates! EEEE! lol and jewellry, cute lotion set and some perfume :) i went for an xmas run too, and boy did it feel awesome to go running in the sunshine in december; missed experiencing runners high! then we had people over for dinner which was interesting--they brought me a cute prezzie of earrings and we ate TONS of food! all in all it was an awesome xmas-->especially since the other option would've been to spend it drinking goon (cheapo wine made of caviar stuff...iunno google it lol) w/my roomy and her mates...not my idea of how xmas should be spent. nye on the other hand! lol

yesterday the weather was frantic--woke up and it was raining, then midday it cleared up and the weather was gorgeous! we all went for a drive to the gong (wollongong) for the beautiful beaches; dude they were absolutely gorgeous! but we didn't get there w/o seeing some major australia culture! on the motorway (a highway) there was a gigantic lizard crossing the road so all the cars came to a screeching halt! we all tried to avoid it when driving past except for one psycho--dude in beat up red junker thing who was a few cars behind us. he kept honking and honking and then made his own lane and went past us all crushing the lizard's tail at the same time :( ASSHOLE! it gets better. my cousin sped up to catch up to him, god knows why, and i guess the dude thought "it was on" so he started reaching for something and next thing i know he's waving a hammer from his window. i've never been so scared in my life--well, i lie there's the skyjump lol. not scared that he'd hurt us but scared like "omfg aussies are fucking nuts! can't walk around w/o a weapon! imma buy me a can of bear spray or something lol". damn scary. never in my life did i think i would see someone wave a hammer at me on the road!

afterwards, the ride was pretty chill--got to wollongong city center and i guess you could call it a seawall-ish area. it's beautiful there--deep blue waters, lots of rock formations, snorkelling-->loved it! and i saw a pelican! lol and then we drove to a suburb area closer to the beach and sat around for a bit in the lovely sand (i can play with that sand forever!) and had a snack then we went into the water--love the water. everyone here says its cold, and for the hot weather we have here it is cold, but compared to the frigid cold weather in canada, aussie sea water is great! and man the waves are really powerful! if you're not careful, the waves could make you tumble down. i met one of my cousin's surfer coworkers and his house is sweeeeet! i'd love a house like that near the beach; its a cute little one story house with a big open patio, huge backyard--it's super cute and homey, an awesome place to chill out at, when you're not chilling at the beach :) and then the unthinkable happens--the southerlies moved in and rain was about to start, craaazzzyyyy! we booked it home cuz it was getting late and the drive home was less eventful but very cool--lots of fog and clouds, then wind and rain. i wasn't too enthusiastic about it raining during my vacay but not gonna lie, being in the rain felt nice; it reminded me of home.

after dinner, i was forced to watch twilight in the in-house cinema (i kid you not, it's like being in a theatre, sound system and t.v. screen are insane). i can't remember why i was so against watching the twilight movies--oh yeah, cuz i didn't like pattinson, stewart or the idea that a girl was totally dependent on a guy (that's what i heard about the books) but now...i like twilight. i know i know, i can't believe i just said that lol! i'm gonna read the books too to see if i truly like the series or not. but omg, the movies...i'm team edward all the way! pattinson is a hot vampire--normal boy no, vampire yes lol. i would totally let edward save me from werewolves or drunk men ANY DAY! the dialogue in the movies was kind of cheesy--no really cheesy lol and i burst out laughing during the first one, then i got roped in during the second one. i <3 how it ends w/edward asking bella to marry him :) *sigh* i'm an independent woman who doesn't want to rely on men to rescue her but it would be pretty nice to be rescued by a mysterious yummy man :P ...so yes, i'm a convert now--was on team jacob, now on team edward *hides face in shame* :P

--oh yea we ate this chocolate snack thing called pods, it's like a candy bar with a cookie shell! I KNOW! combines my two fave things :P i will bring some back, we'll all have a "suzanne is back" party :P

awesome holiday season indeed!

----------------

and a reminder--leave a comment! if no one leaves a comment, then i figure no one's reading these and therefore no need to waste my time typing and uploading pics!

---------------


the hammer man

Happy One Month Anni for meeee!

Hey all, happy xmas eve!

It doesn't feel like xmas over here at all; its very strange celebrating the holiday season in the summertime. I'm not as shocked as i was when i first got here and saw all the xmas trees and light displays up but at the same time i don't feel like its xmas for me-->which is all good cuz i'm not expecting any prezzies :P Although i am taking advantage of this holiday season to indulge in all the goodies, and man are there tons of goodies to be had! there's these gigantic cadbury bars 2 for $6!! gigantic! and tim tams. and mango ice cream. and lamb. and wine. yummy yummy wine!

Because it is my one month backpacker anniversay, I think it's time I tell you about the harsh realities of backpacking--can't leave you thinking everything is hunky doree over here! ...it is 99.9% of the time!

Since I arrived at Wake Up! Sydney hostel I have been hearing horror stories about people who had their food stolen--and I hate to tell you but I have fallen victim to food theft :( SOME BASTARD STOLE MY MILO CEREAL! there are alot of mean things i can say about this person but whatever, if they're that pathetic where they have to waste all their money on crap booze and not buy any food then fine, they'll die in a couple of years from organ failure, no need for me to say anything derogatory, just stating the facts is all.
i was pretty pissed that they stole my precious milo cereal--i was starved at lunch time, thankfully my friend lindsay offered me her cheerios so i didn't go hungry :) needless to say i took all my packaged food like tuna, granola bars etc to my room and left my mouldy bread for a drunk dickhead to munch on.

Eating and taking care of yourself takes a backseat when backpacking. I try to prioritize all my tasks and take care of my health but after a while, you just don't wanna put up with the crowds in the kitchen and cook a proper dinner. I've eaten 2 too many instant noodles and now have had a tummy ache for a couple of days--I think I need to plan out how to cook or eat or something; however, along with having thieves in the hostel, there is also a weird schedule to use the kitchen, my fave time to cook = the time the kitchen closes! I didn't have such a hard time eating and making food in new zealand, but then again the vibe in new zealand hostels are incredibly different compared to that of sydney. It's also difficult to workout when your backpacking. I try to plan out my day the night before, but cuz sydney's weather hasn't been optimal (i.e.: sunshine all day long) it's better to wake up and see what you wanna do...and going for a run is never high on that list of priorities. needless to say i've put on a couple of pounds SHHHH!!! that will change because I'm hate feeling sluggish and flabby--instead of an alcohol-induced hangover, i have a junk food-induced hangover YUCKKKK!

Another crap reality about backpacking life is packing. Packing is a pain in the butt--especially when you have a tight schedule and need to move from town to town every day. There's only so much space in that bag and it takes alot of muscle work to roll, maneuver and fit everything in there. And alot of memory lol. I have a pretty good system for packing my bag to make sure I don't fall backwards when I'm walking around from bus stop to hostel then hostel to bus stop and I think I'm very prepared packing wise compared to other girls I've seen--but having said that, I went shopping this week and I have heaps of new clothes and don't know where it'll go...I may have to buy another bag :S

Money is always gonna be an issue for backpackers, but I'm lucky I saved a hell of a lot more than some other backpackers and I'm glad I'm not worrying everyday about money and whether or not I'll be able to buy that lunch or cake, etc. A few of my roomies are always worrying about their finances and a part of me feels sorry for them but at the same time, you can't help but wonder about the person--they chose to go on the trip so you'd think they'd have all the financial stuff taken care of and not expect other people to take care of them.

One more thing to be careful of is other backpackers mooching off of you. A certain roomie of mine is not shy at all to ask for favours and money. She drives me nuts cuz I feel like her damn mother. She's 18 and she's pretty immature for her age and especially immature for a backpacker. She gets all her moolah from her parentals and spends it on goon, cheap box wine, and has none left for phone calls, laundry or food. And she'll always hang out with me with the hope that I'll buy her something-->needless to say, i didn't put up with that and ditched her for the weekend.

And lastly, realizing that you may not be able to sleep properly while staying in a hostel. So far, I've been relatively fine, everyone that goes partying every night doesn't really disturb my sleep that much BUT two nights ago I got super pissed at this girl. I don't know what the hell she was thinking but she woke me up from a deep sleep--and believe me i don't look like the type that wants to be woken up, i had my sexy earplugs on and everything! she woke me up, not just talking to me but actually fucking shook me and woke me up. i thought there was a damn fire or something and i said what happened and she said she lost her cellphone and i had to help her find it. at 1 am. i'm like wtf? do i look like your mom? why do i have to help you? she's all i went to the washroom and now it's not here. i asked if she was accusing me of taking it. then i asked if she looked at her bed, she said yes then i said go fucking look in the washroom and no shit it was in the washroom. such a dumbass flake that one. and then she txts me at 2am to tell me she forgot her key and that i should keep the room door open for her. yeeeaaaaahhhhh i'm gonna risk having all my stuff stolen and being raped by some drunk retard just for you. NOT! so that just about sums up most of the harsh realities of backpacking...

I'm learning alot about people on this trip; no doubt this is a great learning experience and if any of this happened to me back home, then I would've reacted very differently. It's unbelievable that I've attended to all this with a level head and haven't stressed at all. A wise woman once told me you can't control what other people do, you can only control your reaction to it. Luv ya hun *hug* I tried to live by that before, now I totally get it!

I don't want you all to be utterly depressed by today's post--it is my one month anniversary, so there's lots to celebrate and be happy about too which is why I will end today's post by revisiting some of my fave moments from the past month:

-flying by myself for the very first time and conquering the LA airport I've heard so much crap about, it wasn't that bad really
-spending time with my lovely barki maya (aunt) who taught me alot about life, she's the ultimate live love laugh example <3
-meeting family i've never met before--i'm still amazed at the great people who have welcomed me into their homes in new zealand and australia, they've added a different shade of adventure into my trip
-SKYJUMP!!!!!! jumping from the highest building in NZ and perhaps the southern hemisphere...192m baby!
-Milo cereal :P
-staying in a hostel by myself for the first time AND getting a free upgrade to a room w/a t.v. cuz i didn't know the difference between flea and mosquito bites (neither did the old crone hostel owner HAH!)
-finding bargains on wifi and food
-realizing the difference between being homesick and being afraid of failure-->in the beginning i thought i was homesick and really wanted the comfort of being at home and i couldn't figure out why i wanted that then i realized i wanted to be home cuz i'd be "safe" there and not have to put myself out there and figure stuff out for my own, pretty discouraging at first when you run into bumps in the first part of your trip BUT i got over it and i'm alllllll good now :) it's all good.
-following my heart and not letting apprehensions fog my decision making (skyjump, seeing north island properly instead of seeing both islands uberly rushed just to say i saw both)
-meeting the locals and such at sidebar and having an awesome night...altho the cheapo wine hangover is not welcomed and will never happen again.

AND last but not least

-my SKYDIVEEEEEEE! best decision i've made so far :D

happy holidays folks and i hope you all take lots of pictures so i can see em when i get back! & save me a candy cane :)

What's going on? I gots no idea mate!

Hey all :)

How's the cold weather treating you? Lol

Sydney has been great--I've been here for 8 days now & it's kind of clicked in that I'm in Australia and that I'll be celebrating NYE here!!! I can't wait--especially since I found a group of people to watch the fireworks with :) It kind of sucks that i'll be out of the hostel next week before nye -->can't believe i just said that when a nice house is waiting for me! lol--> the hostel has been awesome, its huge and pretty well taken care of, but the lift is a bugger! takes all day to get to my floor and then takes all day to get to the kitchen's floor--you will faint from starvation waiting for the damn thing, no joke!

I've been doing alot lately--went all around the city and saw the opera house, the harbour, darling harbour, the bridge where all the fireworks will be, the botanical gardens, the imax theatre with the world's largest screen (can't wait to see megamind in there lol, that's the only good movie they're showing) and of course Coogee beach my first "soft sandy" beach! i seriously couldn't stop playing with the sand :P it was pretty damn awesome ...but i forgot my camera so i couldn't take any pictures :( i was very upset, very very upset that i forgot my camera for my first beach trip--but then i realized, i'll be back so many times it'll be fine! coogee beach was beautiful, and it was awesome being able to just lie there and bask in the sunshine. but it was uber hot. so we got some gelato--mango passionfruit sorbet and some creme caramel gelato, SO YUMMMM!

its weird being in sydney and comparing the pace of my trip to that of new zealand's. i didn't stay too long in auckland's cbd, or any cbd in new zealand for that matter--i hated them all! but sydney's cbd isn't that bad--i kind of wanna stay longer but at the same i can't wait to get out of here! Sydney's cbd has its advantages and disadvantages; I like that i can walk to all the stores and shopping centers (shopping here is fab!) and all the transit systems and restaurants are nearby :D One thing I can't stand is the fact that everything here is "rush, rush, rush" ->the one thing i wanted to escape! Everyone over here seems to have somewhere to go, something to do and no one really takes it easy...kinda sad. having a backpacker's hostel right in the middle of the cbd is quite the juxtaposition...

and to be totally honest, i'm not sure if i'm making the most of my trip hanging out in the cbd. i can't figure out what i'm supposed to be doing here...i came for the fireworks, and that'll be awesome but there's gotta be another reason behind my stay in sydney...

......

i'm glad i've been able to meet lots of great people with whom i've shared tons of stories with but at the same time i'm not loving the backpacker subculture. this may sound self-centered but i'm on this trip for me, to explore the world and learn a few things and just add some zest to my life--and if i meet great people along the way fantastic, if i don't no biggie. ever since i got to sydney it seems like all people do here is get drunk off goon (disgusting ass cheaper than cheap wine that comes in a box) every night. EVERY NIGHT! I can understand drinking a couple times a week but EVERY NIGHT?! It makes me wonder if these people hate their lives... don't get me wrong, i appreciate a good glass of wine or a pint of beer or two but i honestly can't figure out how these people can drink loads every night and be hammered 90% of the time. don't worry folks, i'm safe and smart, i won't do anything stupid around here. i guess drinking is a way for people to socialize around here, but i don't really need to intoxicate myself in order to get to know someone.

i guess what i'm trying to say in this mess of a blog entry is sydney is great for tourists and the backpackers who love being hammered but if you're looking for adventure and excitement then sydney is not an ideal place. sydney is great if you want a taste of city life after spending a month in new zealand but after a while (8 days...lol) you get bored of it. when i first thought about coming to sydney, i was uber excited about hitting the beach every day and lounging around doing nothing...i cannot believe i'm about to say this, but i'm tired of this. i need to go on a hike or camp or something! ahhhh!!! time to plan my trip to the real outback :D

Sunny Sydney!!!!

Hey All!

So it's been a few days since I've reached Sydney and I have to say I've gotten the hang of Aussie life...or at least what I think is Aussie life. To early to tell right now but my point is i'm comfortable and happy :)

I've met great people--both family and friends--and I have gotten into a "travel routine". This leg of my trip will include sight seeing and activities and such--but there won't be an emphasis on it, like there was in New Zealand. My main plan for Australia is to live and enjoy anything and everything--namely the food! lol same ol suzanne, right? i do miss the all you can eat chocolate fondue--anne i'm looking at you!--and the trees organic cheesecake--and even dairy queen :P but we've got some great food over here. nothing has blown my mind YET...well the chocolates have. crazy assortment over here, my fave is a toss up between the milo chocolate bar and the kit kat cookies and creme chunky bar. speaking of milo--i love the milo cereal. i'm gonna try to bring home boxes and boxes of it! lol. currently eating chiffon cake, it's like sponge cake but its uber silky on the tongue--no that's what she said jokes please :P lol.

everything down here tastes a hell of alot better than canadian food. i hate to say it but its true. my cousin says its cuz the food is made with love...the sunshine kind of love :) and i think its true. its gotta be the sun and the fact that everything is super fresh over here.

speaking of the sunshine, today was the first day i got sun ALL DAY!! but it's uber windy so i've kept on my lulu hoodie...or jumper as they call it here. oh ya, and the toilet is in a separate room from the tub & shower & sink! totally weird. and i don't know how to explain the toilet flushing karen...it goes straight down and doesn't really go opposite ours. but the driving is opposite ours. whenever i fall asleep on the long drives and wake up i freak out. the first time i did i screamed: you're gonna kill us all! ...lol sad canadian girl huh?

one thing i still can't wrap my head around is the fact that no one wears lululemon over here. i stick out like a sore thumb. and being brown doesn't help. i'm the only brown girl in my hostel. YEAH! SERIOUSLY! lol, it's all good, everyone knows me. reception calls me samujh. its lovely :D the hostel is really great, one of the best ones i've been to...mind u the number of hostels i've been to can be counted on one hand i think.

oh ya, and the way people talk over here and the different words everyone uses is very weird. they call flip flops "thongs" and when i went on a free tour today the guide pointed out the outlet mall area (SHOPPINGGG!! lol i'm looking at u tiffany!) and told us that we should buy thongs there. the look on my face must've said alot cuz he's like "you know, jandals?" they call sandals jandals. don't ask me why, i have no idea! oh and apparently sydney is the default city to host the olympics if any city can't do it--he even went so far as to say sydney had the best olympics. i had my vancouver 2010 bag with me and my expression said it all lol. VANCOUVER 2010 was awesome!!!

so i think i'm kind of missing everyone but not the homesick kind, more like the "i wish i could see you and talk to you" kind. everywhere i look, there's people that remind me of you guys, totally weird. can't go anywhere without being reminded of vancouver...odd no? i think the universe is trying to tell me something but for the life of me i can't figure it out...i'm trying though, real hard!

lots of love and now that the sun is out, i think its time to try out the beaches!! EEEEEE!

Mamma Mia!

I love this! I'm having a blast in Sydney right now and I'm constantly pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming :P

When I first got to Sydney, I was so intimidated. I was afraid of the fact that I would be alone in a new country that I heard alot of scary things about (racism, crime, crap transit system :P) but then I realized I'm far from alone and that I have to take it easyyyy!

I came to Sydney with one goal: experience the amazing nye festivities in Sydney. Lol, pretty small wish, but that's all I really truly wanted to do here. I think I'm over the "sight seeing" bit of travelling and now I just wanna do whatever tickles my fancy. Currently I'm dying to go eat at the Guylian Cafe/Restaurant. And they have a Lindt one too! lol there's no way in hell Im gonna lose weight backpacking lol--especially when you're a princess backpacker! There are some touristy things I want to do, such as going on the Crime tour (yes, quite typical of the Criminology graduate) and go to surf school, dive the Great Barrier Reef but for the most part I want to experience Australia like a local. And finally I've been able to do that!

My cousin whom I've never met before picked me up from my hostel and brought me over to his place where I've been spoilt rotten! Lol, and i'm loving every minute! My cousin is awesome--he's a happy go lucky dude, sometimes I don't get his jokes but for the most part he's cool. And his wife is such a sweetheart, I love her. Their daughter, Kayleen) is a cutie, she was uber shy in the beginning but now she talks ALOT! She's pretty curious about life in Canada, as are alot of people I met, and she's sooo cute!

Yesterday I was treated to a screening of Mamma Mia in my cousin's "cinema" which is pretty damn cool. It's spiffy. Very spiffy indeed. Home cooked meals rock, mango macadamia nut ice cream rocks, nutella sandwiches rock! lol as you can imagine, i'm being well taken care of...

& tonite is no exception! Bhaia (my cousin) took his daughter and me to the Sara Lee factory outlet--suffice it to say I was in sweet tooth heaven! Lol, I think i scared my cousin's daughter with my excitement for all the chocolate and baked goods. I'm such a geek & I don't care! lol. after sara lee we went to the buthcer, then my cousin's wife took me and Kayleen to the mall where i bought replacement jeans! yay! finally lol. still upset about my mavi jeans, those made my butt look damn good! after the clothes and grocery shopping we headed home and we all got ready for tonite's bbq! My first aussie bbq and damn was it a good one! 80s music! Shiraz wine was YUMMERSSSSS! and the Aussie lamb OMGGGGGGGGGG! lol everything was soooo good --but the best part had to be my surprise birthday celebration :) I'll never forget this night--cookies 'n' creme cake with the cutest smiley face candles and a room full of people singing me happy birthday :) yes I had a random singing of happy birthday at my going away party which i will never forget too but this was extra special because of the circumstances. My cousin is such a sweetheart and even though I've only really known him for 1 day, he's treating me like I've known him my entire life! This is the kind of family I was in search of & my faith in god-given family has been restored :) I know mom and dad are probably happy to hear this! And my cousin even gave a speech which was sweet too. -->totally unexpected but loving every minute!

Anyhoos its 2AM and its time for bed, will post more when I get another people watching cafe day :)

expectations are useless, experiences are priceless

Alright, now for my philosophical post...

The purpose of my three weeks in New Zealand was to prepare myself for Oz...but I didn't think that my awesome experiences in NZ would alter the purpose of my Oz trip. I'm still here to have tons of fun and party during nye BUT I think I may actually be trying to find myself. Don't laugh ok! Lol

But I don't mean "finding myself" as in figuring out who I am. I already know that--i'm a feisty, bubbly, smart cookie who knows what she wants in life but doesn't always know how to get it. The type of "finding myself" I'm gonna be doing on this trip is meeting all the family I have and learning about my roots and where I truly come from. I remember whenever someone would ask me where I was from, I would always answer back--Canada or that I'm Canadian. Then the person would ask the question I hate the most: What are you? lol. the reason I had such a problem answering that was because I didn't really have a connection to my heritage. Yes I had my family and my parents telling me stories, but I guess I needed to see things and meet lots of people to figure it out for myself. I hate being told what to do or what to think--I always gotta figure it out for myself!

& I know what you all must be thinking: Suzanne said she wasn't going to visit family cuz that may ruin the trip. And you know what i'm thinking: WTF was i on?! lol meeting family and seeing how everyone interacts with each other has enriched my life so much and I hope I can continue doing that on my trip in Australia and Fiji. ...my heart is telling me to go to Fiji asap. Which is totally odd cuz I wanted to spend the majority of my time in Oz...

So my advice and I guess my message at this leg of the trip is: plan things out, but don't put too much emphasis on your expectations that this will happen and that will happen and you're gonna do this and this and it'll be great or you won't do that cuz it'll suck -->i started like that and i've made it my mantra to follow my heart and everything will fall into place!

i may not be doing the typical backpacker thing where you just wander hostel to hostel and meet random people who you may or may not meet again but then again, i'm not typical and i've never done anything typical in my life ;)

follow your heart peeps, if it says sit indoors and just people watch then do it, if it says do your own thing then do it and if it says tell everyone you love them then do it.

Love you all :)

Sydney Update

Hey all!

So i've been in Sydney less than 24 hours but man do I have stories! When leaving NZ I had to go through screening and those guys are just as bored as we are in YVR lol, the customer service dude made me wish the walk through guy a happy birthday--it was not his birthday :P i did tho, cuz it would've been rude not to. Then I forgot I had water in my bottle, so instead of letting me throw it away, i had to drink ALL of it :S yes, i did not have fun at all! but it was interesting.

Got on the Emirates flight to Sydney and man was I impressed! Wish I was flying with them back home! Their washrooms are exceptional, they used real silverware for their meals AND their meals were really tasty. And here's the best part: they hand out toys for the kids, and in true Suzanne fashion, I joked with the male flight attendant and said: don't i get one? he looked at me and then handed me a cow hand puppet. it's soooo cute! lol and then to make it more funny, he gave me a set of crayons and a colouring book. lol <3 it! that airline rocks! and i watched my favourite movie...well one of my fave bollywood ones: SHOLAY! ultimate classic!

got to sydney and it was already dark, i was so muddled in my mind cuz of the time change and i was kinda freaking out cuz i felt disoriented. got my bag and snapped myself together cuz i had to go through customs, thankfully the guy was very nice to me. and then the trouble started. all i wanted was to get to my hostel and sleep and i thought i chose what was the fastest transport: a shuttle bus that would drop me to my hostel. NOPE! it took half an hour to get to the airport, then another 15-20 mins to get to my hostel. and the shuttle was this weird van thing, so shady! but it's ok, thank god i got to the hostel! and man, what a hostel. they have a bar/club in the downstairs part and it's so loud, but it was a great welcome. got checked in, and the reception loved my last name (lol, here i was missing all my work ppl calling me samujh, now i got two obsessed aussies calling me samujh!) and then i got to my room--no clean sheets on the bed so i had to wait an extra 15 mins before i hit the hay. at least in the meantime i met a really nice girl--who left this morning suckily! don't know the other girls cuz we didn't really get a chance to talk, not good to talk to ppl first thing in the morning when everyone is groggy.

and today i went to the "mall" which is uber ritzy and then found the supermarket, bought all my groceries and took em back to the hostel into the PACKED fridge, god help my yogurt and soy milk and tofu! and then i went back out to do the one thing i was very excited about but didn't really look forward to: buying a cell phone and mobile internet plan. cell phone was pretty easy, then i found out there might be cheaper options, personally after all this--it all works out in the end. AND the mobile internet was the most irritating thing i've ever set up in my life. i'm no good with technology, and it shames me! lol. it took me 45 mins of re-entering the same info, losing connection to get it done. GAH! at least i have internet tho and i don't have to run around and find internet cafes or wifi, etc!

and it rained. REALLY BADLY! and i had no umbrella. so i had to run around and find that! finally found one and the sun came out...am i complaining? HELL NO! i'm going to go walk around and hopefully see something beautiful. there's one thing i've noticed about sydney: everything is rush rush rush and i hate that. new zealand was so chill and relaxed--that was awesome! but i've been told that i will find the same vibe along the east coast, i'll check it out after new years!

...so ya, uber long post, lots to tell! and i will blog once more right now...it's a tad more philosophical

Roll with the punches

I'm leaving for Sydney tonite and I can't believe it! I've thought about this day ever since I realized that I had to go to Australia. This is gonna be awesome--can't wait to see the harbour, to see all the buskers, to eat that gigantic ice cream thing I saw AND the best part--celebrating new years! It's gonna be amazing :)

Right now I'm experiencing alot of emotions--excitement, gratitude, nervousness, uncertainty and pride. I've accomplished a hell of a lot here in New Zealand, not only with my personal excursions and adventures but also through spending time with my extended family :D I've learned so much from them--how to love one another unconditionally, how to learn to accept certain things in life, how to follow your heart and how to be happy. My barki maya--or aunt--is a huge inspiration for me. She barely knew me and yet she took so much care of me, it's like she was my mom! And the stories she told me, the important life lessons she told me were great and I really appreciate everything she's done for me. My uncle and aunt from my mom's side were also very kind--so kind that I was surprised. They showed me so much love, they cooked for me and always addressed me sweetly (they called me princess or doll, it was really cute) and out of all the places I visited, theirs was the only house where I felt like I was truly welcome and accepted. -->to the point where I had full control of their ps3 and big screen t.v. all day while they were at work! SCORE! lol

There's no doubt that I'll miss these kind-hearted people, however I have realized that people will come and go in your life and all you can really do is make the most of the time you have :) And I hope that I have made the most of the time I've had with these great people.

New Zealand was full of surprises for me, all welcome surprises as they were all learning experiences too. Meeting all the family I have in New Zealand was great and in a way it kind of changed the purpose of my backpacking trip. I'm still going to travel and try new experiences and live through my senses BUT I'm going to make meeting family members more of a priority. I know I said that would just be a "bonus" of the trip-that if I found any great, if not then no biggie-but now I want to find people and I want to know about my grandparents, about life in Fiji. Anything Samujh related, I wanna know! After all, I'm Samujh right? (i miss everyone calling me that at work :(...even if it did annoy me at times!)

As for my adventures in Sydney, I hope to meet lots of people there too who will help me learn more about life-->someone told me that they hoped I would come back a bit wiser and knowledgeable about how life works and I can safely say that after three weeks, I have learnt alot. But there's still alot more to see and do!

Take care and next time we talk, I'll be in the land down under!

EEEEEEEEEEEEE! lol

Do you believe in love at first sight?

I do now!

When I "planned" this trip--I use the term loosely--I didn't really think I'd have alot to do in New Zealand, hence allotting only 3 weeks to see this beautiful country. Yes I knew NZ is the adventure capital of the world and I had every intent to participate in anything I could and then head out without a second thought...BUT i'm in love

...

With the country of course! lol NZ is lush, green and full of so much life. Since day 1, NZ has welcomed me with open arms and gave me so many wonderful memories. Arriving in NZ felt like I came to an alien world--it was so weird; the people all looked the same but the behaviours and customs were totally different.

There are many cultures that live in New Zealand; however, the percentages are quite different from Canada. For example, NZ has the Maori ppl who have a lovely culture and interesting customs--like having big dinner feasts called hangi. The hangi food is cooked underground, sorta like fijians and their lovos and they eat all sorts of stuff! And one of the coolest things about the Maori is their pronounciation of certain words-->the letter set "wh" is pronounced f--so a place called whakanaka is pronounced fuckanaaka. i started giggling the first time i heard it, very immature i know but i can't help it! lol thankfully my cousin was warning me about it and it wasn't a maori person saying it to me. there's lots of places over here that start with wh so i was a bit in trouble travelling on my own lol--but i got thru it, i waited till i was alone and then started giggling. ...and watching maori t.v., don't get me started every other word starts with fuck this fuck that. love it!

Aside from the interesting people over there, i really do love the landscape and the stories behind the creation of the lakes and valleys, etc. Lake Rotorua and Lake Taupo are a result of volcanic activity! The lakes are actually craters which were filled in with water later on! & thank god it did--it's beautiful there. NZ has many earthquakes, apparently alot of little ones during the day--i'm fortunate to not have experienced one, but I did experience alot of simulations at various museums-those rocked!

The Maori feel that the volcanic activity which led to the birth of lake rotorua was due to the humans angering the spirits. When the europeans first came to NZ, they heard about the hot springs and flocked to Rotorua to experience the comforts of bathing in a mineral spring. Unfortunately, this disrupted the environment and the lives of the maori people by introducing foreign objects into the ecosystem and social lives. Trees were cut down, alcohol and drugs were brought into the community and men took advantage of women--all this angered the spirits which then caused a volcano to erupt and killed 100s of people in the process. -->i love hearing stories like this and i never expected to find this in new zealand!

NZ has a rich culture, lush landscape and....amazing activities. There's parasailing, skydiving, bungee jumping, farm trips, ATV stuff, zorbing, hikes, camping, swimming and so much more. And you can pretty much do all of this in one day IF you plan your schedule very well. I love this about New Zealand; so much excitement is at your fingertips, all you have to do is make the decision to enrich your life and go for it :)

I <3 NZ and will try to come back

15000ft got nothing on me!

Hey everyone!

Today is the kind of day that will go down in history! I went Skydiving in Taupo and it was Supercalifragalistiexpialidocious or however the hell you spell it!

I had a bit of a crummy birthday in the sense that I was disappointed I didn't get to bungy as I had planned--but as a friend told me, i'm on vacay there's no such thing as planning! So I took the bull by the horns and decided to go skydiving today. And it was not scary at all--totally weird, cuz i was terrified during the skyjump but this was easy peasy. ...well for the most part.

The dude I was paired up with was an old guy inbetween the ages of 35-45 and he helped me put on my suit and whatnot which was kind of awkward but that's not the most awkward part. when we got attached to each other we were pretty damn close--it was freaky and reassuring at the same time! ha ha but he was very friendly and kept asking how i was and made me feel very comfortable and even did little spin things when we were floating with the parachute. IT WAS AMAZING! The view was amazing, the adrenaline rush was amazing, the experience was--wait for it--amazing! lol

I'm really proud of myself for doing it; never in a million years did i think i'd do it! It was great! ...uber expensive but well worth it!

when you first jump/dive (really you roll) out of the plane you can't comprehend what's happening and the body and mind kind of separate--then adrenaline kicks and and its flight or fight time! it was so cool and i smiled the entire time...except for one part where we went from 10000ft to 5000ft, that's when it got really hard to breathe :S then after the freefall camera dude left my dude pulled the parachute and we floated up a few 1000ft feet it seemed and i enjoyed the lovely view down :) the weather was perfect for skydiving, nothing but clear skies, sunshine and gorgeous views. i had a stupid cap on and goggles and the dude took the goggles off so i could see and man oh man it was breathtaking. and i had the entire sky to myself! ha ha just like a princess :)

landing was fun too, you have to do a weird sitting pose (like ur sitting on the floor with your legs outstretched) and ur hands are pulling up your legs and then you land and slide on the ground on ur butt! smooth landing lol. and then the parachute falls on ur head, that was fun, thought i went blind lol.

oh ya, ears still kind of hurt but it should be better by tomorrow i hope. AND i got a hot pink t-shirt for free :) and free "exit" photo where i'm not even looking at the camera in true suzanne fashion lol joking, i'm very photogenic, just not when i'm 15000 ft in the air!

afterwards the group had to wait for all the dvds and pic cds to be made and we all got certificates--i'm now part of the skyhigh club lol and then i got taken back into town and decided to stop by at this lakeside cafe and boy was it worth it! they made me pancakes (even tho it was 1 lol) yummiest pancakes ever with a flambe banana, whip cream and eggs. yummers! that is exactly how i pictured celebrating my bday :) and then i walked around the lake with my gigantic backpack, got tired then headed to the travel center to catch my bus.

all in all it was a great day, and now i feel like i'm actually 23 :) i know it sounds crazy but it's true

*muah* will post pictures soon!

It's been a while, hasn't it? :P lol

Hey guys,

Many of you may be wondering where I've been or why I haven't updated in a while, well here's my story.

Along with being incredibly gorgeous, New Zealand has the worst free wifi availability. I'm loving the sights and the experiences, don't get me wrong BUT it's incredibly frustrating when I can't find places that have cheap internet. And when I do find internet cafes, they aren't exactly the type of places where I can upload my pictures onto the computer...so ya, hence the lack of updates.

I've been dealing with alot too--I've dealt with fear, intimidation, joy, excitement and a bit of self-enlightenment. It's only been two weeks but my journey has been full of surprises, disappointments and alot of self growth. My perception of "city girl" has changed alot--I'm the type of girl who wants to live and work in a place where everything is centrally located so that I can walk or bus to anything and get wifi wherever...which is what made me really frustrated with New Zealand at first. Rotorua and Taupo are two very smallish towns where the downtown is really a street like Kingsway lol and on some days the shops close at 5pm. EVEN CAFES! very frustrating. BUT on the upside, everything--and i mean EVERYTHING--is centrally located such as the supermarkets (two or three on same block!), post office, library! So despite it being kind of suburban/rural, in a way its kind of urban too lol. & I was so excited to get to Wellington, the capital of NZ, because its a CITY and I thought i'd experience the same comforts and accesibility I enjoy in Vancouver--WRONG! lol its worse than the rural towns in that the streets are so unorganized and nothing is close by. It's kind of a mess really, there are a bunch of attractions but they're all sporadically placed in the town, plus there are bus services to each but those don't arrive at the time of the tours, etc so you end up wasting time. So, I'm learning to be patient and follow my heart--it's very confusing because I was hoping to spend my birthday in a metropolitan place where there would be lots to do, but most of the activities are over at like 5 and then all you can really do is eat afterwards and then call it a night...or venture into the scary part ->seriously, their "happening places" are located in a downtowny-eastside area...so ya, wellington is a bust and i can't wait to get back to a suburban/rural area where i can find everything within walking distance :) plus there's more nature/adventure type stuff to do there!

anyhoos, that's all for now, will update about more specific stuff later

love ya!

Day 2 Rotorua

These first couple of days being on my own has been a bit tough--I thought i'd be fine but it's SO TOUGH! But I kind of faced these feelings when I first left home and got to my cousin's place in Auckland so with time, I will get used to the way backpackers travel--at least I hope so!

I met a few nice people already which was awesome! Last night I met a couple, Matt and Laura--Matt's been backpacking for a while and he gave me lots of pointers which was awesome :) Super friendly and gave me company during my dinner :) I met them again in the morning before they left for Wellington. One thing that will stick with me the entire trip is the story Matt told me of the deaf German backpacker who's backpacking in NZ and doesn't know any english--if he can do it, anyone can says matt! Today I met two girls--Chrissy who is German and Shandae or something like that who is from Wales--we stuck with each other while touring the Agrodome which is a farm land with lots of sheep and farm animals. I saw a sheap shearing too which was kind of scary, plus a dog show and a cow milking show. It was nice having people to share that with!

After that I went to the Skyline on my own which is like the Grouse Mountain of Rotorua without the snow--gondolas, big restaurant, walking paths AND luge! that was fun, it's like a go cart made of plastic with no power except some sort of mechanism that's attached underneath to the handlebars. After that, you take the chair lift back to the top of the mountain for more! I did it twice and it was fun. Last may be my favourite--Rainbow Springs Kiwi Encounter or something like that--it showcases NZ's wildlife from all the birds, reptiles, fish and of course the KIWI!!! and yes i saw a Kiwi but it was sleeping so all I really saw was its butt lol. The bird sanctuary has to be my favourite because there were so many different kinds of birds!

I went back to the hostel to afterwards to ask them about the bites I had on my arm. The first guy said it was fleas and that I should leave the room and they'll get me another one--I asked for an upgrade and they said they didn't have any so I said can I get a refund? They said yes, so I packed and got all my stuff and then when I was about to return the key they said they had an upgrade available and when I saw it I took it--it's no 5 star place but i have my own fridge, t.v., washroom, microwave, toaster and kettle so i'm happy with that. The second guy who looked at my bites said it's mosquito bites...i have no idea cuz i don't think i've ever been bitten--or noticed it! Then I went to the pharmacy and asked them and the girl was probably my age and said it looks like an insect bite...doesn't help but whatever lol as long as they're not itchy. So ya, for two more nites, i'll be staying in a room w/my own t.v.!

Last night (aka my first hostel stay) wasn't too bad--ppl kept checking in all night so I kept waking up till 12 then I woke up at 3am, then 5 am, then finally 6 am cuz of the damn construction outside the hostel! BIG TIP: don't book all your accomodation ahead of time--except weekends cuz those tend to be busy! but ya, I was safe :) Slept with my security scarf (the one sana gave me lol ) as usual!

AND i was gonna wear my jeans today only to find out they were ripped. i'm so mad cuz they were my fave jeans and i didn't do anything to them! :(

anyhoos, that's all for now, i'll leave u with pictures as per karen's request :)

Stop 1: Rotorua

Hey all
Today I have started my north and south island explorer trip which means i'll be out and about for 12 days. It's kind of daunting really, especially today.

I got the bus at 830am and got here at 1230, got my bearings and loads of help from the tourist office, then headed over to my first hostel. I'm not 100% in love with it, i'm not going to lie--I chose the hostel cuz it was convenient and i got a private room! and the area of the building i'm in is pretty sweet, top floor in the back plus key access so no one can get into my room or floor. but its not very homely or comfy looking. the beds comfy, just no chairs or table to put my bag on...not loving the idea of putting my bag on the floor YUCK! but in all honesty, the floor looks pretty clean. there's no mirror tho, but that's fine. what else...i guess i just don't like the fact that there's nothing really going on at the hostel and not lots of people staying there but who knows, more people may mosy on in on the weekend. i'm excited about leaving this hostel and seeing the other one's i've booked. it was kind of hard picking the hostels because some are run by hostel chains which offer discounts for members, others are run by families, etc. I guess it'll be trial and error...my dad kind of worried me cuz he asked why i would want to stay for 2 weeks at one hostel in sydney--one main point was at least i'd have a home for two weeks and that way i can get my bearings and figure out how australia works--the other, it was soooo hard booking accomodation for this time of the year in sydney, crazy hard! i know if i end up not liking it i'm screwed but at the same time, you gotta roll with the punches--as long as you don't let the punches knock you out, you're all good.

oh ya another thing to look for when booking hostels--even if it says they have wi-fi internet, that means nothing unless its free! my hostel wants to charge me 8 dollars for wifi whereas the public library charges 3 for the entire day. so that's where i am today.

this is what i hope to do today: see the government gardens and just walk around and see some free stuff, then tomorrow the skyline gondola agrodome sheep shearing and zorb! and then some natural park thing with kiwi birds! saturday i will go to the geyser thing and spend half a day there then not sure about the afternoon but i'll figure it out :)

today was the first day when I actually got to carry around my backpack too--everywhere i went starting from when i left home, someone would carry it for me lol (either my parents, or the plane cuz i had it checked in, or my cousin) it was kind of hard to carry it, not going to lie but with some repacking on sat nite, i'll make it better. there's one point i didn't consider: the fact that my hips make a figure 8/they rock side to side and with that so does my backpack! lol kinda funny

anyhoos, here i will bid u adieu for a couple of days, not sure when i'll get wifi access again, perhaps saturday night i'll try to get to the library again--that sounds so dorky, i'm going to the library during my trip lol

take care and lots of love

Jumped off a building today!

Hey all
So today I did it--I skyjumped off of the Auckland's SkyCity Tower which is a gorgeous infrastructure (cost 82 million to build!). It's got a casino, restaurants with buffets, cafes, hotels AND the infamous SkyJump and SkyWalk. The SkyJump consists of jumping off the edge of the SkyCity platform--SkyCity is the highest building this side of the earth. I jumped 192m at 83km/hr and it was freaking amazing.

I tried not to freak myself out so I acted like I was fine prior to getting "kitted up" and in all honesty, I was totally fine. After we all got our suits and harnesses on, we took the elevator to the jump deck and man oh man that ride up pretty much made me realize what I was about to do. As we kept going higher and higher, I got more and more scared. At one point I said holy shit only to realize there was a kid in the elevator too lol. We got to the deck and none of us wanted to be the first one so the greek guy went. And it was not a good idea to see him go first because that scared me even more to see how the wires just start flying out of the holding thingy as the guy is plummeting down to the ground--ok i shouldn't be that dramatic lol but it was scaryyyy.

I decided to go next and the helper people could tell I was nervous so they kept talking nonsense to calm me down. But when your up so high on a ledge and all you can see is sky and the tops of the buildings and no ground then nothing can calm you down lol. Getting clipped in only built my nervousness and finally when the last and biggest rope got attached to me, I was terrified. I did not want to move. And then the countdown started and I had to jump. The jump part was fine cuz i just kind of floated there and then without notice, I started falling and then stopped at 10m down so they could take my damn photo--at a time like that I don't care about a damn photo I just wanted it to end. and then at that point, people in the observation deck can see you too lol i waved of course and then again without warning i started falling down again and it was so abrupt. i screamed so much but at the same time i had a lot of fun. i felt ridiculous for doing it but i'm glad i did. amazing views for sure and great adrenaline rush. i got to the landing pad and i was short of breath and couldn't stand or walk lol. the man who went before me congratulated me and his girlfriend gave me a hug :)

oh ya, so they weigh us after we get dressed and write our weight on our wrist! in permanent marker! i took a shower and its still there!!!! the damn number will remind me of all the crap i've eaten the past month--all those going away meals and me having to eat indian food over here...

anyhoos, tomorrow's a big day-I start my north island and south island exploring gig :) wish me luck, i'll keep you updated