yet again... things change! Brisbane

Not a day goes by I don't feel some kind of guilt for not updating my blog for my public for over a month. When I close my eyes for rest each night in my cocoon, of whatever is playing on my ipod, all I read across my mind like red tickertape is Update Journal Please Update Blog Please Update Journal Please Update Blog, etc. So this one may be a bit long, but hopefully its worth the read :)

I've decided that this blog is gonna change. Morfe into a leaner being. Give the reader something more than 'I did this and heres a photo'. I am going to separate the posts. Some will be about what's been happening, where I am, etc (the factual stuff) and the other will be a journal of thoughts and experiences (the messed up crazy thought process I take and a record following my observation of everyday people and things along the way).

"Yesterday I was packing up my bags,
Now I'm sticking round for a while,
Thought it was time to catch the plane,
When in fact its time to stay in Brisbane."

"change is the only constant"

The day I get back to reality and routine, its gonna seem mighty weird! I am currently living and working in Brisbane and will be for a total of 3 months. I managed to change the date of my ticket for San Francisco to August, so I am here for a while longer than originally planned. I have been in Brisbane for a month now. And at the time of writing this am living and working here. However by the time you read this everything may have changed again. Life has gone from good to bad, bad to good, good to bad and bad to worse (over various points over the past 6 weeks). Its been all go... I spent the three weeks prior to last week staying at an old work friend Nikkie's house in a suburb outside of the city whilst I hunted for a job. I signed up to 5 temp agencies and heard not one thing from any of them. I applied for jobs online and heard nothing also. Eventually I found something which didn't involve me selling my soul to the devil and doing telesales. I managed to blag my way onto the books of a legal recruitment firm, even though I am not even qualified, and got what was originally scheduled for 2 weeks work in a corporate law firm working on an archiving project. The firm has their office right on the riverside of the city, with great views for miles. Sweet. It also houses the Australian stock exchange. Most notably, they have a coffee machine which churns out cups of caffeine goodness of the same quality as a Starbucks. I commuted up on the hour long train ride for two-weeks of it from the suburb of Ormiston where I was staying. It was nice to sit on that sunny train ride each morning, ponder life whilst chilling out to some great tunes. I actually enjoyed being in some resemblance of order and knowing what the plan for the next day was. But that was only ever going to be for a short while...

I figured that its not often that you get the chance to just go and live and work in a city on the complete opposite side of the world with little to no ties. So why not go for it? We got a nice little pad of an apartment lined up, which was for a lease of 3 months. So after alot of hassle I changed my ticket to San Francisco to August 16th in order to still be here till the end of the lease. I knew either way living and working here was going to be an experience... The apartment even had a gym, a pool and a massive balcony. Somewhere to call home after months of hostels. But after some time and hassle that fell through! It turns out that not only was the landlord not wanting to extend the lease to travelers but it also had a bed lice infestation that required professional fumigation! So it was probably lucky that we didn't sign up for three months of it. I now had a problem because by that stage a lease of 3 months was too long, for I would be gone. So, unfortunately I am forced to be living in a hostel until mid-July. Unless I can find something better. I moved two weeks ago. They are gently taking me from behind because not only am I sharing a room with 3 others but the kitchen has rats and ants, there are 2 forks and one coffee cup and I am paying $168 a week for the privilege. The positive is that I am earning. But for how long? As a temp I can't be sure.

The one saving grace is that Brisbane is a really nice city. It is the third largest city in Australia (the capital of Queensland). The city center is a good size and never too crowded. There is a river running through it which for some subliminal reason makes me rest easier, bit like Melbourne did (probably because I am used to The Thames, dunno), and its only a short stroll and you are in the Botanic gardens and away from the 'hustle and bustle' (particularly pleasant on a sunny Sunday morning after the night before). The only drawback is that its nowhere near a beach with any surf but its only 3 months and I've had a good innings prior to arriving. I can't get too greedy. But most importantly, Brisbane has a great music scene, which was the main motivating factor for staying. I've been frequenting all the live music venues around since I arrived. The biggest disappointment is that I have yet to find anyone else with the same interests whilst travelling. Notably, I've seen the Australian artist Lior (pronounced "lee-ore") a couple of weeks ago and last week I got to see one of my most favorite artists and someone I have wanted to see live for many years - Ben Harper! Touring off the back of his new album, which is brilliant, he played at the Riverstage which is like an outdoor bowl in the Botanic Gardens. It was so awesome, I was one back from the front row and it was a truly amazing show. I took 287 photos over the course of the gig, I add a few below. Another person I've only had the privilege to see because I am in Australia. A review in one of the local weekly music listing papers described the evening as "a reason to be thankful for the creation of music." Amen!




(above: taken during "another lonely day", you could hear a pin drop)

I also went down to the second show, the next night, and listened on the wrong side of the fence perched against a tree so I could just see the top of Ben's head. Another great gig, especially with the cover of Bob Marley's "War" and a very surprising guest appearence from the (one and only) Jack Johnson. I am also very happy to add that one of my favourite bands "The Beautiful Girls" are coming to Brizzy at the start of July and I can't wait to see them again, after catching them in London last September.

I have decided to de-clutter my life again recently. Go back to how I was when I left bound for Perth back in January. Although I am not travelling lite by a backpackers rule book (but hey I ain't no 'backpacker'. I am 'travelling'. I am not a 'backpacker') I have realised over these past (nearly) 6 months that I don't need half the stuff I own. Its not essential to my survival (which the entire contents of my room back home basically falls under). I have a tendency to collect crap that I don't need in life, and clearing it all out is such a good feeling. This trip has taught me that if I can survive without something for a week, I don't need it. Materialism is for those with nothing else to fill their void. Its seeing natural things, friends and family, doing what you love and just 'stopping to listen' that really matter. I know I could survive the rest of my life with 3 material objects: a laptop, a guitar and a bag of clothes slash essentials (maybe the last one is cheating due to its wide ranging definition but you get my drift). I probably annoy and keep awake everyone in my room with my key tapping even as I write this...

There have been times over the past week where I have felt that strange but very powerful forces are trying to punish me. Make life difficult. Uncomfortable. The first example has been my car. As part of my 'spring clean' I realised that it was another thing that wasn't of any use living in a city for 3 months. So why not sell it now when it has lots registration and warranty left! Then the nightmares began. I bought it literally 2 months ago down in Sydney and drove it upto Brisbane over that period, travelling just approximately 2,000km. Never did I once have any issues. Not even a ropey start. Then on the way from Byron, the temperature gauge all of a sudden goes berserk. The problem seemed to subside but reoccurred when I went to sell it, actually to Nikkie. To cut a very long story short I ended up having to pay out $750 in repairs to decrease the $3000 sale price! (The radiator was 75% blocked apparently! Probably partly consisting of ganja fumes after being stationed in Byron for 3 weeks :) It was the most costly and frustrating mistake that i have made since being away. After all the time and effort I went to avoid this sort of thing I just have to walk away from it and put it down to the lessons you learn from buying and selling secondhand cars (especially ones aimed at travellers). If you are ever in Australia and looking to buy a car in Sydney steer well clear of City Car Mart (and I hope this gets picked up in Google under backpacker car dealers to avoid.

I have also been in the market to purchase a brand new guitar in Australia. I have had plans for a couple of years now to get a brand new solid timber high-quality guitar. I decided upon the Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 after weeks of comparing. These guitars are not mass produced instruments they are hand made in Melbourne, meaning the production is few and far between (as they only make one model range at a time) and thus can be very slow. They also all sound a bit different. They use timbers native to Australia meaning this thing will be as unique in the UK as you are ever likely to get. They are beautiful and there's probably only a handful back home at the moment. So, I've spent many hours seeking out 'the one' but when I finally found it (after deposits, hours of deliberation and the fact it was beautiful) as the deal is about to be done; I notice it has a massive crack running down the side! I considered buying a Taylor 514CE (for those that know, how nice!!) but I decided that at 3 times the price of this already bluddy expensive one, I couldn't justify it just yet. The salesman, Paul, managed to locate two more Cole Clarks from Melbourne for me. One was damaged in transit (ahhhhh) and the other was the one I went for it the end. This is basically what it looks like, you're all gonna be hearing what it sounds like when I get back! I just have to hope pray that it gets home safely when I send it!! The latest fiasco is that the shop don't have (and can't get hold of) a case that is suitable for international travel so are trying to locate one at this moment. I never thought buying a guitar could be so much hassle.

So, I have approximately 6 weeks in Brisbane left. I am basically focused on working and earning money for the USA at present. My task is to try and stay in work for the next 5 weeks at least! Then I have plans to head north to do Fraiser Island and sail The Whitsunday Islands/Barrier Reef before flying back down to Sydney before flying out to San Francisco on August 16th... I can't wait. The US summer is very appealing! Its coming into winter here and although its not exactly the English winter it is getting cold in the evenings. I could have even done with a jacket a couple of times! I miss you all. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and I know its gonna be awesome to see you all again when I get back in what will probably be November-time now (depending on money). Its really good to hear from you all when you either email me or post a comment up here... I look forward to it so please keep it up.

p.s. I want to wish my cousin Dan and his fiance all the best. They are getting married on June 10th, and unfortunately I can't be there. Please raise a glass on my behalf (as you know I would be doing it myself if I was there... remember Kate's wedding? no...me either)

p.p.s Tristan Prettyman turned 24, on Tuesday (23rd) big love to her from me. I live in the hope that she sees it one day :)