It’s no secret that one of my favourite places in all of Australia, is a hidden gem in Queensland… a magical place called 1770.

Just an hour north of Bundaberg, home of the famous Bundaberg rum - 1770, is often found on the map under the auspice of Agnes Water. ‘Cause let’s face it… who would have thought that there would be a place on this world of ours called 1770?! So, you will probably find it on a map as Agnes Water. Either way, it’s there and it’s real and I love that place.

You’ll recall that one of the things that I did there was fly a plane for only 65 bucks! Full on. It was awesome. It was a 4 passenger cessna plane. There was one captain and three passengers, and only an opportunity for 2 of us to fly the plane. So at the very start, we had to draw straws to see who the lucky ones were going to be, and at the end of it all, this pretty little girl from Scotland was left picking her teeth with the small twig that she picked. Oh well, such is life. Deal with it… I AM FLYING A PLANE!!!

So, the game plan was that we were going to fly, take a tour of 1770 and Agnes Water, then I would fly the plane for a bit, then land on a National Park that is only accessible by plane. We landed the plane on a long stretch of beach, walked around the park a bit, shucked some oysters, took some pics and then took off again, and then the next person would get a chance to fly the plane.

Going back home was fun as the captain flew the plane like it was a rollercoaster. Full on. Scary as. It was the best ride ever! I took some video for you to see what I did. It’s not much, but it was fun. Everytime I watch it, I can’t help but smile, because this really was an experience I never want to forget.

Enjoy! I will write soon… sweet as.

Sorted.

Well, kinda. Since returning from the east coast, I have taken the last month to regroup and get myself set up here in Sydney. As I have mentioned in my previous entries, I now work at Southern Cross View, a media company in Australia. They have offered to sponsor my visa and I have accepted with a quiet graciousness. I am applying for my permanent residency here, so until it happens, I don’t want to dwell on this too much, but let’s just say that I am really excited about the possibilities working here in Australia for a while longer.

So, as I was saying… since coming back from the east coast with my friend Sue, I moved in with my friend who I met the first time coming to Sydney. His name is Adrian, but his friends call him Chua. Quite endearing actually. It’s like how my friends here don’t call me Mark, they call me Canasian. Anyhow, Chua lives in Pyrmont, a suburb of Sydney, by Darling Harbour. Absolutely beautiful, right by the water and located just west of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

For the first month, I stayed with Chua in his bachelor pad on a mat that his mother provided for me, god bless her. Although it was a tight squeeze, living with Chua for that short period of time was pretty fun. We always went out, we watched reruns of West Wing together, he introduced me to some cool people and more importantly, I got to travel in style. He just got a new red GOLF GTI imported from Africa or something crazy like that. Mind you, I wasn’t allowed to touch anything in the car, let alone breathe without getting reprimanded. He loves that car more than life itself I think. The first weekend he got that car, he woke up at 5am to go pick up the newspaper… in NEWCASTLE! (That last reference would have had more kick to it, had you known where Newcastle was but you don’t, so just assume that it is bloody far!)

But of course, all good things have to come an end, and so did my time at Casa Del Chua. It has been 6 months since I had my own room, my own privacy, my own space, my own solitude. I needed to be a grown up again, so I knew I needed to find my own pad. Once month later, I moved out. Where? Just two blocks from where Chua lives. Ha ha! I coudn’t be too far away from my only saving grace here in Pyrmont! Are you kidding?!

I found a great three bedroom flat just by Darling Harbour and Cockle Bay. 10 minutes from the CBD, and right by the water, I knew I had to stay here. If you had turned down this joint, you would have been just as mad as Katie Holmes! With that, I also have two new flatties, both Aussie. Here are the specs on Marcus and Cindy:

Marcus Lee

• 24 years of age
• half italian and half chinese but 100% aussie! (any takers? ladies? huh?)
• recently passed his law examination making him a full fledged lawyer (like Starr Jones)
• originally from Melbourne
• broke his collar bone in a rugby match over a month ago
• classically trained penis, I mean pianist and violent arist, oops… I mean violinist!
• loves aggro music (aggro is Aussie slang for aggressive music) - yup - he likes Nine Inch Nails…
• loves the sandwiches that I make for him for lunch so he is a pretty decent guy.. ha ha!

Cindy K. (I don’t know how to spell her surname, my bad!)

• 25 years of age
• of chinese and indonesian decent, which I like to refer to as “chindonesian”
• accountant, studying to do her CPA
• in a relationship with the guy that actually rents out this flat who is living abroad for the time being
• loves to dance to house music, loves hip hop and r’nb
• loves to drink shirazes and eating $14 ribs at Oscars
• loves to hear both Marcus and I play the piano, so that makes her cool, uber cool.

Needless to say, that horseshoe up my ass is still lodged up there and has been there since arriving in Australia. Maybe I should play the lottery with this kind of luck hey?!

Anyhow, I will leave it at that for now. I have been receiving some hostile entries on my Facebook as of late, demanding more activity on my blog, so I hopefully I have complied. Ha ha! I will post some pics soon of my new flatties and of some random photos of Pyrmont.

I will part with these words of wisdom that my good friend said to me:

When the sun shines, we’ll shine together. Told you I’ll be here forever. Said I’ll always be your friend, took an oath, I’m a stick it out till the end. Now that it’s raining more than ever, know that we still have each other. You can stand under my umbrella. You can stand under my umbrella. Ella, ella, eh, eh, eh.

Sweet as.  

I thought that I would pay hommage to the best country in the world, by compiling a list of things that I miss most about home (in no particular order of importance):

1. My mom, my dad, my sister Roselle.

2. Jessie Belle (my dog).

3. Taco Bell combo number 4 with a Moutain Dew please.

4. Canadian humid summers. It’s winter here and it’s pretty cold. 16 degrees!

5. KFC gravy.

6. Poutine.

7. Ruffles chips. Especially sour cream and bacon.

8. CTV News with Lloyd Robertson.

9. Friday night binge drinking at the Podaru’s house. Avec Mario, Kat and Cal.

10. Driving on the 407 and waiting to see how much the bill comes out to at the end of the month.

11. Driving on the right hand side.

12. My friends at Canada Life, but definitely not the work.

13. Mornings with Roger Rick and Marilyn - Chum Fm.

14. My bed, especially my pillow.

15. Shopping for clothes at Club Monaco, The Gap, Zara and H&M.

16. Harvey’s… the original burger.

17. Steph. Calling her every morning to rant about the previous night.

18. The Go Train. Well, not really, but I kinda do. A little bit. Just a bit.

19. Vancouver. Everything about Vancouver. In its entirety.

20. My friends. All of them. I miss them heaps.

21. Annabelle, Kayla, Kai and Mikayla James - my godchildren. For you are the future. If I teach you well then I will let you lead the way. I want to show you all the beauty that you possess inside. Give you a sense of pride… and make it easier. Let your laughter, remind me how it used to be. I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadow. If I fail, if I succeed, at least I did what I believe. No matter what you take from me, you can’t take away my dig-ni-ty…..

22. Weekends at the cottage with friends and family. From Fam Jams to the Windsor Crew to the Toronto Crew to Thanksgiving and Christmas and NYE… I just miss it.

23. Regular ketchup.

24. Cheese Whiz, or otherwise known as Cheese Wheez according to me!

25. My cousins. Famjams and family outtings.

26. NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox - proper channels! Not the smorgasboard that we get here in Australia.

27. Rootbeer and Ice Tea.

28. Swiss Chalet sauce.

29. Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Vancouver Canucks.

30. Macaroni and Cheese. Bring it on.

Happy Canada Day everyone! Miss you heaps! No doubt about it eh!

Since giving up the backpacker lifestyle, I am left here sifting through pictures of days gone by. I guess that’s what most people do when they get back from backpacking… they review their pictures. Then they reminisce. Then they smile to themselves. Sometimes they laugh out loud. Sometimes they just shake their head. Others may even pick up the phone and call some of their friends that they had made while travelling. I on the other hand, go through pictures on my website and simply reminisce.

I found some new photos to add to the site, it’s from when I went scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef. Enjoy these photos. You’ll understand why I am still here and why I love scuba diving.

Sweet as…

Finally… a computer! A laptop! No more hostels! Well, for now that is…. I am back in Sydney and back in full effect. Keeping this entry short and sweet but I just wanted to tell all markumentary.com fans (if you are still out there) that I have posted all my pics from my Amazing East Coast Australia Adventure. I hope you enjoy them as much as I loved taking them!

P.S You will notice the progession of my bleckness hey… ha ha! Dude… I am dark fer real. Ha ha!

I’m over it. You can have it. Sweet az….

We got to Byron Bay in the wee hours of the morning, where two VERY “19 year old girls” picked us up at the bus depot. Just think of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, but ugly. Then add to that the annoying personality of Kelly Ripa and you got the two girls who picked us up. Needless to say, Sue and I just couldn’t deal with it. We were over it. You can have it.

So far we weren’t feeling Byron.

We got to the hostel where we unloaded our bags and walked the streets of Byron Bay. We did that in roughly 10 minutes. After that, we decided to do what me and Sue do best. The beach. We grabbed our stuff and made our way to the beach. The beach was as expected. Sandy. Wet. Salty. But it lacked in one very important element. It wasn’t HOT. We lay there on the beach - fully clothed. I ended up using my beach towel as a blanket to sheild me from the cold, nippy air.

Still not feeling Byron.

There was nothing to do in Byron at night, so ended up watching a movie. We saw Pirates of the Carribbean. Umm…. correction. I SAW PIRATES. Sue slept through it.

Hopefully Byron will be better in the morning.

There is an ominous cloud hanging overhead. I think it might rain. Yup, ya, it’s raining. Oh it’s raining proper. Sue and I took over 3 nanny naps today. I bought a guitar earlier, so I just played my guitar for the most part of the day. Between naps.

Not feeling Byron.

It’s morning, but you can’t tell cause it’s still dark out. Rain, rain go away, come again another day. Preferrably when I am not backpacking through your town! The town in which it was so highly regarded by our other backpacker friends! Oh Byron Bay why can’t you love us? Why?

I am convinced, we weren’t going to feel Byron.

I think Mother Nature heard my request because by 1pm, the clouds parted way to the blue sky that just lay there ready to show its face. Finally, a nice, hot day. Sue and I took advantage of this opportunity and walked the beach to the point. We took some pictures of the lookout and then proceeded to go up to the highest peak where we found a lighthouse. Over looking the Pacific Ocean, we saw dolphins jump and play in the waves. We tried to look for the humpback whales, as it is whale season, but we weren’t that fortunate today. We followed signs to the “most easternly point” in all of Australia, where we took a picture to mark this occassion. Quite a feat, I must say. Cool az… We started to walk back to town when the cumulous clouds overhead started to pour on us. We called a taxi.

We were feeling Byron finally.

The next day was our last day, and also the conclusion of my east coast adventure. Today Sue and I have a 11 hour bus ride to Sydney. Yay. I say that most facetiously. I can’t believe my trip is over. I guess all good things really do come to an end hey.

I am no longer feeling.

Dear Friends,

I am now in Surfer’s Paradise. Let me say that it doesn’t live up to its name hey. Surfer’s paradise it may be, but for the record, I only saw one surfer hit the beach. What’s up with that? You can also sense too that Sue and I are chasing the winter. The further south we head, the more colder it’s getting. And by cold, I mean, it’s actually in the single digits! Ugh. We were on the beach today and almost froze with the cold chill coming in from the ocean. Which would probably explain where there were no surfers out today.

We decided to do the touristy thing and go up to the Q1 Building as it is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. There they had a lookout floor that provided for some breath-taking views of the city hey. It was pretty awesome. But there was one thing that was bothering me about this place. It compared its size to many other worldly structures, like the Eiffel Tower, The Sears Tower, and all these other tall buildings in both the northern and southern hemisphere. EXCEPT FOR ONE VERY IMPORTANT AND TALL TOWER! I am of course, talking about the iconic CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. It wasn’t even mentioned. So, I decided to ask the kind people of the Q1 Building to explain themselves, why our beloved tower wasn’t even mentioned. They responded by saying, “Umm… what’s the CN Tower mate?”

I left.

Good Bye Surfer’s Paradise… Byron Bay here we come!

In the whirlwind tour of the east coast, I find myself now in Brisbane. Once known as BrisVegas because it was home to the first casino in Australia, this place is far from boring. Actually, who am I kidding. It is boring. Not much to do in this city, but that is not to say that Brissy is not livable. I could see myself living here and working here, but to backpack here, I would have to pass. I’m over it. You can have it.

Sue and I arrived early in the morning on Friday and checked into our mildewy hostel room, chucked our stuff on the floor and scooted off. We paid $22 to jump on a scenic bus tour of the city only to end up at a shopping mall in the heart of the city. How’s that for a historic tour of Brissy hey? I’m over it. You can have it.

To fill in the time, Sue and I do a lot of crossword puzzles and we play Travel Scrabble. With Sue being from Manchester, England - you can imagine how difficult it is for me to understand what she says. She says “me” instead of  “my” a lot. For instance she would say things like, “I cant find me iPod!” and I would correct her in my best Mary Poppins voice and say, “I can’t find MY iPod!” Needless to say, there are times when we are lost in translation. I hear her what she says, but I can’t decipher what she means. I respond for the sake of  responding and say “gotcha!” a lot. When we play Scrabble or do crossword puzzles, we use that as an opportunity to learn from eachother. She teaches me English vernacular, and I teach her how to SPEAK PROPER ENGLISH! Ha!

I had a reaon for that story, but I forget now. It was a prelude to something interesting, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what I was going to say there. Oh well. I am over it. You can have it.

While staying in 1770, I got a call from a friend back in Sydney, who was looking to fill a position at her work. Through a series of interrupted phone calls, dodgey reception and 2 phone interviews, I managed to secure a job. Starting June 5th, I will be working in Sydney on a 3 month contract with a high profile media company. Needless to say I am quite stoked about this opportunity. What is even more appealing to me is the fact that a dialogue has already been made with regards to the opportunity of sponsoring a visa to stay and work in Australia.

That is why, friends, I have had to change my plans for my East Coast Australian tour. Instead of taking 6 months to do, I am now ending it after 3 months. Which is just as well, because I AM PROPER BROKE. Doneski. No more moolah. Nada. If I could sell my blood for $20 bucks, I would do it.

So, that is why I had to say adieu to 1770 and hello to Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, Noosa,  Brisbane, Surfer’s Paradise, Byron Bay, and Sydney again (all within a week and a half).

Which brings me to present day… Noosa.

What can I say about Noosa without having to make all Markumentary.com fans comatose?  I shouldn’t dog it too much. I had a great time. It was just unfortunate because it was post 1770. It pales in comparison. The beaches are also nice and the people there are uber cool, but it just wasn’t 1770. The local photo shop attendant said it best when he said, “1770 was Noosa - 20 years ago”.

Noosa is a sprawling quaint town with rolling hills and mile long beaches that is filled with surfers galore. It’s a mixture of backpackers and holidayers but caters more to those with money than those without. Maybe that is why I didn’t like this place as much as I wanted to. It was too bloody expensive! I think my friend Sue and I ate at food courts and cafeteria type places as opposed to the swanky cafes and bistros. Being broke ass sucks.

The upside to all this is that I got to spend time with some new friends… namely Diane and John. We spent some time on John’s new land that he purchased recently and watched as he refurbished this old classroom portable into a home. Absolutely stunning. As well, I was able to do some more surf lessons as my friend Michelle (remember her from Sydney?) got me some lessons for my birthday. This time around, I rocked it. I stood up on that board like I was a 6 year old Kelly Slater. I was proper good.

The other thing that I did in Noosa was the Australian Zoo. I won’t speak too much on that, because I am sure now that Bobby and Kat (both avid Markumentary.com readers) have passed out of pure and utter boredom with my text heavy blog entries. They like it when I talk more about my sexcapades at the hostels, or what birds I have conquered and moreso, if I have any pictures of any of the hot girls that I talk about. But in any case, I will let the pictures do the talking on that one. At least those zoo pictures were salvageable. (The zoo pictures were salvageable but the pictures of the hot girls weren’t. Sometimes I wonder if God hates me…) Right, so the zoo was cool. But what zoo isn’t really? I got to spend the day with Sue, we fed animals, took pictures of elephants, and we got to pet a koala. Steve Irwin would have been proper proud of me.

Fast forwarding again folks. Next stop Brisbane. See you there!

No, Robbie Williams didn’t rejoin Take That on their World Tour. MY SD CARD FOR MY CAMERA WAS DAMAGED. I lost 3 months worth of pictures. A moment of silence please. I am in complete and utter shock. I can’t even force myself to cry, I am so dazed right now. This can’t happen to me. Things like this only happen to bad people. I am good so how did this happen? Damnit.