I’m sure everybody comes to a point several times in their lives and say - what am I really doing here? Why am I here? What’s my purpose? *cue Avenue Q song*

I feel as though for me I’m in a transitional period. I have just started my Masters in Media Arts and Production at UTS (hopefully majoring in Film), I’m two thirds of my way into the 40 day Revolution at Body Mind and Life, and trying to maintain two jobs and random teaching gigs here and there. Lots of things are happening, however not everything is quite settled as yet. Whilst I’m reflecting on “excavation” questions posed in Baptiste’s book 40 Days to Personal Revolution that accompanied the program I started with BML, the one thing I’m struggling to deal with is what I really, truly want. 

I still don’t know.

You see - I have a theory about my generation (and it’s been written about in numerous opinion articles I’m sure, however can’t be bothered to find any right now). My generation has a lot of access: access to information, access to rights, access to education, access to the rest of the world, access to opportunity and change. The power of the internet has revealed one can find out whether they’re the type to attract the bad boys or their body is more of an endomorph as opposed to a mesomorph. The internet also lets you find out which university across the globe has that supervisor you need to oversee your honours/phd studies, or whether you can get a job teaching English or even volunteer in a third world country. There is so much one can do, and if you have the cashola and the freedom, with one click of a button you can be hopping onto a plane and escaping into another continent within one month or even less!

But with information, freedom and a foray of choice and opportunities comes certain fickleness. As soon as one is settled, one can get easily bored and go “I’ve always wanted to try this, I’m going to drop everything I’m doing and pursue it”. Apparently job loyalty is not something we go for these days, like some of the previous generations would do - staying in a company for more than four or five years for my generation is unheard of, and we are constantly wanting better opportunities, or needing to upskill to get more pay, which may include finding better employees as opposed to staying in the one company and finding your way up from there. We could also just finish our Science degree, decide after that it’s not quite our thing, and do our Masters in Commerce because we can. 

For me, however, because I have so much choice, I feel as though whatever I’m doing I’m just procrastinating from making the ultimate decision - what should I do? What am I really passionate about? What do I want to spend the rest of my life doing? Then again, people will argue that what I do as a career now does not mean it has to be for the rest of my life. I think if I was born sixty, seventy years ago, I would have just accepted my life as a piano teacher. Now though, as much as I enjoy teaching and I think I’m fairly good at it, I don’t want to do it forever. I knew from the very beginning, and it was just a way to get me through my bachelors, but here I am still teaching (but now doing my masters) and things feel a little stagnant for something that is meant to be “transitionary” (I think I made up a word). 

I do know that I am torn. Torn as to which path to take. The safe, “sensible” and grounded path, or the risk-taking, travelling, “adventurous” path. Those who know me well know how wishy washy I am with my aspirations - one day I want to do this, the next day I want to do that. At the moment however I’m strongly resonating between these two options:

Sensible Ness

I’ve always wanted to own a yarn store/cafe. Even though I’ve never worked in a cafe (and I actually want to but feel a little intimidated because I’m a little older and usually people in the hospitality industry at my age have had such experience), I love food, and would love to serve great small nibblies in line with an extensive range of yarn. I also want to make a space where people can just be creative and inspired, and maybe meet up with fellow creatives to just socialise, or to get the juices flowing for projects and ideas. 

This will be my little business, and the trend to make and create things by hand in such an industrialised world is getting bigger and popular by the day. The risk I’ll be taking would be whether I can create such a venue that I currently envisage that is accepted by enough people to generate a business to keep me alive. It’s still quite an undertaking, starting a new small business, however it’s a challenge I’m willing to meet. 

Because the trend is happening now (and has been growing for about the last 5 or so years), to leave it any later than the next two to three years could possibly be too late. Of course no one can predict what the trend will be in four to five years time, whether people will still be knitting at large, or have an interest in creative spaces and such, but then again it’s another risk to take, and you can only live and learn from mistakes. 

Adventurous Ness

After my Masters, I would like to do a Grad Dip or Grad Cert in TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) so that I can use that to teach overseas as a means of an income. After finishing that, I would sell most of my possessions (leaving some precious sentimental valuables like my piano) and move overseas - where I have not decided yet. I want to live in Vietnam for several months at least - get in touch with my parent’s heritage and the culture that I could have grown up in if my parents didn’t move to Australia. I want to explore the whole world, and revisit my favourites (Broadway and South America), and take at least 18-24 months travelling around, volunteering and teaching and just meeting people in different cultures.

Once I’m tired of all the travel, I shall settle in LA, California, and try my luck at Hollywood - hopefully with the skills from the Masters degree and the life experience from all the travelling, I shall be able to write me a decent script or ten, and just work really really hard at getting my foot in the door and see how I go. I will give it a massive massive try for at least two years before I shall consider giving up.

As you can see, even though the adventurous one sounds really exciting, it’s also extremely daunting. What if I wasn’t getting good grades in my Masters and I’m actually not that good? My contingency plan would be to get the TESOL and travel anyway, but come back and settle once again and maybe be a piano teacher for the rest of my life. What if I’m pretty good with my Masters, but I never break it into Hollywood? At least I can say I’ve tried. How about trying the yarn store idea if all else fails? It’s possible, but will I still be passionate about that idea or not?

Another factor that distinguishes one from the other is that Sensible Ness is pretty grounded - as soon as I start the business, I’ll be rooted at home, I won’t be travelling as much. It still appeals to me because I like owning things, as I want my own craft room one day, I like to know that everything is steady and organised and slightly predictable. If I get to own a house then I can have a dog or a cat. The idea of escaping into the unknown definitely tickles my fancy however, and constantly exploring and learning about cultures foreign to me makes me think why I want to “settle” in the first place. 

And to be realistic - I don’t know whether I have the knack for film. I’ve always wanted to create a film, and this will be my opportunity with my Masters, but I’m obviously getting cold feet and self-conscious that I may not be good enough. 

I can ask you what your thoughts are (if you stuck by to read to the very end - I applaud you!), however I believe it’s up to me to discover which path is the right path for me. It took me almost ten years to figure out TWO paths in which I want to go on, now let’s see whether I actually DO anything remotely similar to what I have planned.

Then again - life hardly ever goes according to plan now, does it?

So new year, eh? Which means resolutions and aspirations and stuff.

This year I made mental notes, but I haven’t really written a “list” per se, because I don’t wanna disappoint myself when I don’t fulfil them! But in regards to my knitting…

Let’s just say last year was a bit of a fail. The only thing I actually finished was a slouchy hat which was a last minute project for Rhinebeck because I felt ashamed not having any knitted items on me! 

(Excuse the bad photo…)

I started one fair isle jumper, the aim was to complete it for Rhinebeck, but I was no.where.near. At all. Sad times.

And then there are projects that I started back in 2010 (or maybe even 2009) that I still have not finished. Story of most knitters, I’m sure, but I’m also sure that most knitters have completed more than one project. 

So 2012 will be my “finishing” year. I aim to finish all my WIPs (I’m sure I said this in 2011), and the only “new” projects that I start this year will be presents, or when I finally finish my WIPs. I’m starting to get my knitting mojo back, which is making me very happy, and I’m making more of an effort to go back to my usual SnBs like the M&S in the city. 

I hope that by publicly stating that I will finish my WIPs that if you see me at a SnB anytime in the near future, you can grill me on it and give me a kick up the bum. I need it this time. I have no real excuse. I’m also a student again, which means knitting in lectures!!! Unless I really have to concentrate…

And if this lady can finish 31 (thirty one!!!! And the year before it was 33!!!!) projects whilst having a demanding job and renovating her kitchen, I really have no excuse. I’m also inspired by plenty of other knitters in my knitting circle/community, and I hope through them I can prep myself up for more knitting funsies!

It also helps a lot that this summer has been full of rain and cooler days. Ever since my return in December, I think the highest temperature was 31/32 degrees celsius. And that only happened maybe 3 or 4 times? Which makes it feel a little bit more like knitting weather, despite not being the Australian summer we’re all used to.

So please - next time you see me, ask me how my knitting is. If I complain that I don’t knit enough, tell me and remind me to finish those WIPs!!!! :D

OMG TOO CUTE FOR WORDS!!!!!

wellthatsadorable:

New Years resolution: Read more.

Resolution solution: Puppy page holder and bookmark.

I’m going to read 1,000 books this year.

(Thanks for the pic, Alan S!)

I’ve been back home for a month, and it was greatly convenient that when I came home it was close to Christmas and New Years that I didn’t quite have time (or if I did have time I didn’t have energy) to reflect on my trip overall.

I guess my automatic response when I got asked “How was your trip?” would be “It was AMAZING!”

And it was.

I was totally blessed that the most that happened to me was a runny tummy (that had cost me a $150 consultation at the doctor’s clinic), but nothing was stolen, nothing was lost (except for my red love heart sunnies) and I didn’t run out of money (just used more credit card). 

I met lots of new, well-travelled and interesting people, as well as catching up with good friends who have been away from Sydney for a while. I have caught the travel bug, and in my head I’m already planning my next trip when I hopefully graduate from my Masters degree in 2013. 

10-week trips around 9 different countries sounds like a premise for a story of a lost soul trying to find the meaning of life. Well, that was not the case for me. For me it was having lots of fun discovering new things, and being on the go every 2/3/4 days, it was constantly an adventure. I think I’m a little braver now that I’ve accomplished travelling on my own, and I know that even if I have limited language skills, smiling and gesticulating with basic words in both English and the foreign language helps to get you to where you want to go/be. 

Without having to pour out the finer details, there were problems that were happening back at home with my family that had quite upset me. It even made me consider cutting my trip short, and in retrospect I was a little over-dramatic in my response to things, but I’m glad I didn’t. Realising now, coming home did not solve any problems whatsoever. It made me realise instead that I eventually need to get away. I may be in my mid/late twenties, but I still feel a little immature, and that I have loads of learning, exploring and discovering to do. 

It also made me realise how fortunate I am, living in a city of plenty. Sydney may not have an extensive cultural environment, but we are developing it for sure, and don’t forget we are still a young city. I’m lucky enough to be able to live in the inner city, and be close to where I work and have food in my pantry and running hot water. Having been to South America, little things like having to use gas to heat up the water before having a shower is something to make you realise that we take these type of things for granted. Not being able to speak Spanish made me realise how easy it is to forget that I know fluent English and those who chose to migrate to Australia may have a hard time learning such a difficult language. Communication is just so important.

I plan to do more travel, but first and foremost, I need to finish my studies, save some money, trust the universe, and work hard to make it all happen. Life will reveal itself soon, no doubt. 

Rio de Janeiro - the city of beautiful people, sandy beaches, awesome cheese bread, churrascuria, samba and favelas. I must admit, I didn’t know much about the place except due to the fact that it speaks Portuguese (and I can’t), it was where bossa nova started, and it’s where the concept of churrascuria was born. I did hear about how the people are very good looking, and they do live up to that reputation indeed.

As much as I had lots of fun, I think it didn’t quite hit home to me. The cariocas are lovely, the food is awesome (despite having the runs still continuing on from BA) and it’s the land of cheap Havaianas. However, those flip-flops are the only thing that was cheap – everything else was fairly expensive. What I didn’t quite know was that its economy is pretty good, and compared to the rest of South America, it’s pretty expensive – almost as expensive as Sydney.

Rio also will be hosting not only the World Cup in 2014, but also the Olypmics in 2016, so business is starting to boom and will continue to boom until then. Unfortunately I didn’t get to go on a favela tour (the times I wanted were all booked out), and I would imagine the favelas will be shifting from drug ridden wars with their inbound mafias, to being gentrified hopefully in time to show the world the charm and prosperity that is Rio de Janeiro.

The one place that I liked visiting (besides the bathroom due to my sick stomach) was Santa Teresa. It was a quiet little corner that also hosts the famous stairs Escadaria Selarón by Jorge Selarón who has travelled the world and brought back tiles to decorate it. Santa Teresa is known as the artistic region, where poets, artists, actors and musicians come to reside to get inspiration. It’s funny how in most major cities that I’ve visited, I’ve either stayed in the arty spot (San Telmo in BA), or visited and loved (Left Bank, Paris and Santa Teresa, Rio).

With the artist himself! :D

I’ve also decided that I enjoy going on the public buses. As much as I love discovering the history of the place, being narrated by a friendly tour guide, I also just like watching and absorbing whilst being among the locals. I took the public buses to Santa Teresa, and I took public buses around BA, and I enjoyed it immensely. I’m going to try from now on, if it is safe and easy, to visit local neighbourhoods of interest via public buses, because not only is it cheaper, but you get to take your time to see what is going on in the city around you.

Rio – you provided yummy bodies to perve at, yummy cheese bread (pao de quejos), lots of barbecued meat, and a day of rest for my sick tummy. I shall visit you again once your sporting events are over, however I’m sad to say I’m not totally in love with you quite yet. But thanks for letting me buy 5 pairs of Havainas for cheap! :D 

I had a really short stay, and not only that my stomach was playing havoc. I wish I was staying for longer, and even though most people were saying only a few days is enough, if you know enough people and you like going out, there is plenty to do and see.

I stayed in a hostel in San Telmo, which I would describe as the arty farty part of town, with a slight grunge to it. The hostel I stayed at (America del Sur) was really cool and friendly, very clean, and had loud music (so for those who like sleep, expect to sleep to Radiohead until 1/2am). Walking around San Telmo, I was sad I didn’t stay long enough to see some Tango and to stay on a Sunday, where the streets close for a huge flea market.

The first thing I did when I arrived in BA was eat a chorizo sandwich having not had meat for a week. That night I ate a mixed kebab of pork, steak and chicken. I went out with a fellow hostel guy Phil, who was at the start of his 3 month trip around South America, so we shared stories and plans and anecdotes from home.

What was pretty awesome was going to Niceto Club, and on Thursday nights they have Club 69, which was like a live cabaret show mixed with dancing and clubbing. The production value was pretty cool, and the dancers were so fun and energetic – I had a great time watching them dance and just checking out their cool costumes. According to an article I read, they change their theme every week, so I wonder how much their budget must be, which I would imagine fairly big if they were charging US$15 entry fee.

Nightlife in BA doesn’t really start until 1/2am, and really goes wild from 3/4am. So Phil and I stayed out until 3ish until I was pretty tired (I woke up at 8am that morning), and slept in the following day. After a morning of chilling out (and resting my tummy), I visited the Recoleta neighbourhood, visiting the cemetery (and saw Evita’s tomb) and the church next door, having some gelato, and walking around a couple of blocks. It’s a very lush and sophisticated neighbourhood, and it is evident that you would need a bit of money for this place. The buildings once again were very colonial and reminiscent of Paris.

That night I met up with some friends from the Eco Yoga Park, who were in BA for the weekend, and had awesome barbecued meat and lots of red wine, with lots of dancing, singing and shouting loud philosophies at everyone.

Trying to be a porteno, I stayed up until I had to catch a cab at 3.15am so that I could make the flight at 5:40am to Rio via Santiago. Must say – was still a little tipsy, got quite a few stares because I was still in my party dress, and I was just really exhausted and slept most of it.

I did get a little confused about who was actually “Argentinian” around BA. This city was heavily migrated by Europeans centuries ago, namely French, Spanish and Italian, and it is true that it just looks and mostly feels like another European city. It also meant there were a lot of good looking people, having a lot of mixed races. There is also an emergence of UK and US expats, taking advantage of how things are cheaper around BA with their foreign pay, although the past 2 years things have inflated so much because of it that it’s almost costing the same as Europe or US. So looking around, I couldn’t tell who was a tourist and who was a porteno. I was just basically in awe how good looking everybody is.

I fell in love with the night life, and I just wish I knew more Spanish so that I could have talked to more of the portenos and get to know them more. I’m tempted to move here, learn Latin American Spanish, and live abroad for the sake of living abroad for a while. I met awesome people at the Eco Park, and I had a fun time discovering what little I saw of BA. 

Baby, I’m coming back for more…

Eco Yoga Park in General Rodriguez, Buenos Aires is an interesting yet really cool place to seek refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life, and just chill. I found this place on the interwebs of course, looking up “yoga” and “volunteer” in the search box of the Lonely Planet website and stumbling across this place. I thought – volunteering PLUS yoga? Awesome! And it totally was.

The prospect of eating vegetarian food for a whole week did kinda scare me a little, but I soon got over it when I had my first meal – it was very, very tasty. Besides one day having lots of banana in the dishes (I don’t like banana), all meals were incredibly yummy. Because it was a Hare Krishna commune, there was no alcohol, no meat, no diary (they went totally vegan), no smoking and no drugs. The latter two I was fine without, but no diary? C’mon! Cheese is awesome! And no eggs. L On my second last day, I went into town and the first thing I had was a bottle of coke, and treated myself to some chocolate gelato. Tonight, now that I’m in Buenos Aires, I’m looking forward to eating either a steak or some chicken with a glass of wine.

The yoga classes were interesting – they were good, however some positions were quite advanced and I couldn’t do them, and the instructor went into them pretty much straight away (such as shoulder stand – haven’t quite gotten to that yet). The meditations made me fall asleep, and mostly the yoga classes made me feel a little relaxed but more sleepy than energized. Usually when I’m back at Hom Yoga, after a class I feel pretty hyped and energized, but hardly ever sleepy (except for the occasional savasana making me fall asleep). So I found those sessions nice, but not quite for me.

The volunteering were errands like gardening or pruning plants and raking bamboo leaves, or working in the kitchen. Because it was approaching summer and was really really warm during the day, we would start work at 6am, stop for breakfast at 8am, resume at 8.30am until 10.30am and have the rest of the day free for anything and everything, which was not much. The first couple of days I had so many siestas I started to feel so guilty about doing nothing, but afterwards I was fine with the concept of relaxing and all was well.

I had a great time and it was sad to leave the place. I met some awesome people from all over the place – South Africa, USA, Russia, Germany, Latvia, Canada, and of course some buddies from Australia. Everyone was friendly and outgoing, and I will miss everyone, from the friendly Hare Krishnas to the funny and eccentric people from all over the world.

And it was finally really nice to just stay in one spot for a week and not worry about having to keep packing to go anywhere. However, I only have two nights in Buenos Aires, and then another three in Rio de Janiero, until I get back to Sydney next Friday.

Until next week – Namaste everyone!

South America has offered so much that it has overwhelmed me with such natural wonder I never thought could be condensed in one humble continent. It never stops giving, and I hope it stays that way. If it weren’t for a dear friend Louise who is currently doing exchange in Santiago, I would not have even remotely considered coming to South America this time around (I would have eventually but I’m glad it happened now as opposed to later), and I’m already thinking about coming back in the near future, maybe even to live briefly.

So I’ve been fairly slack and not updated my blog for a while, mainly due to the fact that the tour I went on with Tucan Travel was constantly on the go, and any chance for a breather I spent sleeping or doing something equally lazy like surfing the internet (but not blogging).

First off I’ll get rid of the dry details and outline what had happened since Disneyland:

(Note: Click on the links for access to the facebook albums - no account necessary)

Chile:

• Santiago: spent a couple of days with Louise, showed me around the sights of the smoggy city, then met up with my tour group, Tucan Adventures.
• La Serena: due to the long weekend, it was fairly quiet and uneventful, but I saw Jupiter up close on a telescope at an observatory in Elqui Valley and also did some horse riding there too
• San Pedro: more star gazing, geysers, Valley of the Moon, salt lakes and lots of cacti

Bolivia

• Uyuni salt flats: drove around lagoons, stayed in a barrack in the middle of nowhere, visited a place called “fish island” which had ten zillion cacti, and at the top of the island was an awesome view of the salt flats, stayed at a salt hotel,  visited the train cemetery, and had “pizza with an altitude” of 3600 metres
• Potosi: the old mining city, visited a mine, saw some dynamite but unfortunately didn’t get to blow anything up
• La Paz: did the Death Road (was the slowest in the group but I got there), an amazing city set in a valley, also got a little drunk at one point…

Peru

• Puno: small touristic town, a pit stop to go to Lake Titticaca
• Lake Titticaca: lots of floating islands, islands with steep steps and a bit of an altitude, stayed with a host family who dressed me up in traditional clothing and took us dancing (and fed us awesome quinoa soup)
• Cusco: was supposedly the capital for the Incas until the Spanish invaded, was the pit stop to do the Amazon and Machu Picchu
• Amazon: took a plane from Cusco to Puerto Maldonaldo, stayed there for 2 nights to see spider monkeys, huge snails, little frogs, tiny crocodiles called kamans, and eat awesome food
• Ollaytaytambo: drove from Cusco to here, on the way visiting a llama farm, a huge tourist market, and 2 Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley (photos for these are in the next album)
• Machu Picchu: took the train from Ollaytaytambo to the town, then a bus up to the magical unfinished city of the Incas. Was greeted with sunshine, but ended with rain, then a 3 hour train ride back to Cusco
• Lima: a morning flight from Cusco, it marked the end of our trip. Lima is a city with a mish mash of influences from the Colonial times and the Moors. Lots of great architecture, never seen so many big churches condensed in the one area

All that in around 30 days, and I must admit I am a little tired by the end of it. I am now at an Eco Yoga Park in Buenos Aries, and am glad to stay put in one place for a whole week.

So far South America has exceeded my expectations. When people were saying “Lucky you!” I now know why. Bolivia was surprisingly breathtaking and amazing, Peru had such great food and awesome history, and Chile had its magical landscape and lots of stars.

Must say, the bus rides were getting a bit on the tiring side towards the end – because we chose the “adventure” tour, we took mainly busses that other South Americans would take if they were to travel between cities and countries. That in itself was an adventure. Chile’s busses were not too bad, however their booking system is a little dodgy – our tour leader couldn’t book in advance one of the overnight busses, and by the time he got to the bus terminal it was all booked out until later in the week. That was when we had “Peggy”, one of the Tucan trucks, come rescue us and take us to Antofagasta from La Serena, and from there took a bus to San Pedro. Bolivian busses were interesting – they unfortunately had no toilets, and the Bolivian people were not the most pleasant smelling of people, and they would occasionally bring live poultry with them, which kinda stank. Peruvian busses were decent, and at one point we were lucky to be upgraded to full cami seats, so I had a very decent nap from Copacabana, Bolivia, to Puno, Peru.

One thing I noticed was how the men were with women on the street. Chilean men would wolf whistle or honk, Bolivian men stared at me, and in Peru where I thought it had subsided, as soon as I was walking alone instead of being in a group I had weird stares and was called “chinois”, or Chinese. Normally I don’t get much attention back at home, and if I did it was occasionally from old creepy men, but I was surprised with the amount of stares I got here. My theory was that I’m fairly short (like most Bolivian people), and not as many Asians (with red hair) go travelling in South America. But I was told that men here just like to stare and make it known that they’re interested, so I guess it’s just the norm. Whether I like it or not – I must admit, I like attention, however getting creepy, seedy stares doesn’t really make a totally pleasant experience when exploring a country. It does get a little uncomfortable as well when you’re on your own, as I experienced in my last day in Lima when everyone else had gone.

The people in the group were awesome – we all got along great, and it was nice to have company. I did feel a little lonely when I was in LA, so meeting new people instead of wading through a sea of toddlers dressed as Disney princesses was definitely welcomed. It was also endearing to see that everyone was willing to help each other out and take care of each other, because people were falling sick one way or another due to the high altitudes. The youngest was 21, and the oldest was in her 60s, but the ages, I felt, didn’t make a difference to me whatsoever. We weren’t entirely rowdy either, which was great, and when we did feel like having a drink or two, it was a fun night out.

Besides the weird stares from men (and the occasional woman), I find everyone being friendly and hospitable, and I really enjoyed the three countries I’ve visited so far. Originally I really didn’t have any expectations, so it has definitely exceeded them, if not more. I totally love South America, and I would not hesitate in coming back to exploring more. But for now – Argentina and Brazil awaits!

This was truly an amazing experience. Imagine a shorter, even chubbier version of me getting so excited by the magic of Walt Disney. So excited that for the first hour or so I had no idea what I wanted to do, I just wandered around aimlessly in awe.

Landing in Los Angeles, and then travelling straight to Anaheim was boring. Anaheim itself is quite bland. But stepping into Disneyland was quite a transformation, and I have a theory that it may have been purposely built there to create a more vast contrast so that Disneyland can seem more amazing. I guess it worked. J

One of my things on the to-do list was to meet Ariel, and then meet Winnie the Pooh. There was quite a line for the princesses the first day I was there, and I was told that by the time I got in, Ariel would be gone, so I decided to wander around and go on Splash Mountain (which was lots of fun). Then came the highlight of my day – waiting in line for 20 minutes to meet Winnie. Tigger and Eeyore were first, and they were lots of fun (well, not so much Eeyore, he was just sad but adorable). But Winnie the Pooh – I’ve never felt so much joy hugging a person in a bear suit in my whole entire life.

It was like my childhood/teenage dreams coming true – I really wanted a life-sized Winnie the Pooh that I could hug and he could hug back. I have a photo of us hugging, and it’s now as a screen saver on my iPhone. Every time I see it, it gives me great joy and happiness and giddy childish emotions. Winnie even noted that we matched because I was wearing a red cardigan and he had his typical red shirt on. I reckon we could’ve hung out all day (even though he couldn’t speak a word), but alas other kids were in line to meet Winnie.

There were heaps of rides, some were tame and cute (obviously to cater for the under 10s), and others quite fun and exciting (Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion inspired by Nightmare Before Christmas, Pirates of the Caribbean was closed for maintenance, Star Tours). I didn’t go on the very scary rides or rollercoasters (like Space Mountain, or the Tower of Terror), mainly because I’m a little chicken that way. I decided to do the two parks (Disneyland and the newly built California Park), and I’m kinda glad I did because the new Little Mermaid ride was open and that made me all the happier and worth the extra $15.

I was tossing up between the fireworks display and the World of Colour display in the California Park, and I was glad I got to the World of Colour. It was spectacular – a water show using the reflections on the water to light up and create a wonderful visual display. It went for 25/30 minutes, and basically took all the best parts of the most popular Disney movies (including Pirates) and smooshed it together. Call me a dag, but I absolutely loved it.

Another highlight was seeing the Aladdin show. It was basically a truncated 40 minute version of the movie in musical form. The Genie made heaps of modern jokes (taking jabs at the Kardashians and Avatar) and all performers were excellent. It was like seeing another Broadway show, and I was glad I line up half an hour beforehand to make sure I got in and get a good seat. I was also wondering whether it was a road-test to see whether Aladdin could work as the next Disney stage show, just like Beauty and the Beast, Lion King and the Little Mermaid. Goash, Disney is such a clever and huge marketing empire.

Seeing as Disneyland was open until midnight on weekends, the Sunday I stayed for 14 hours (10am until close) going on some of the rides twice because there were no lines towards the end of the night. I took the Monday off to rest and watch American TV (the amount of stuff on there – endless!), and went again on Tuesday for 6 hours to hunt down Ariel (which I was successful) and make another round in Disneyland and California Park before I had to leave.

I discovered Pin Trading, where every year Disney parks around the world release limited editions of pins/badges of characters, and you put them on a lanyard. Fellow crew and cast members of Disney will have pins on their lanyard and you can trade up to 2 pins per person per day. Or you can just build up a collection of pins just by purchasing. I bought too many… Which made me realise I have a collecting streak – if I like something, I want to get a lot of it. That could be said of yarn, tea cups and stuffed toys. There were hardcore pin-traders there too, showcasing their folder of previous pins, taking their hobby fairly seriously, and online there is a forum where you can trade or sell/buy pins. According to Wikipedia, some pins can fetch a nice sum of money if it’s rare or a very special edition.

Disneyland tapped the excitable, squealing childish part of me, and everything gave me so much joy, including the overpriced cotton candy, hearing the Disney muzak, seeing freaky yet cool mechanised life-sized versions of Disney characters, and telling Woody how his last movie made me cry so much (he laughed at me, and then gave me a hug).

Also told Mickey that I thought he was great in Fantasia too, and was surprised to see that Mickey was close to my height. I guess he is a mouse after all. It would have been nice to spend a couple of more days there, however all I would have done was purchase more (expensive) pins and contemplate going on scary rides then chickening out.

It really did cater for small beings, however I noticed how annoying it would have been dragging a kicking and screaming toddler dressed as either Cinderella or Princess Aurora going “I want to go on the other ride Mommy!!!!”. I was glad I was childless, however I was kind of sad that I didn’t have someone else with me to share the excitement and then debrief on how awesome a ride was. Although, I can be kind of slow, so I was thankful that I was able to go at my own pace, decide which ride to go on and not having to wait on others going on other rides, and just seeing things that I wanted to see.

I want to go back, hopefully in a couple of years. And I’ve decided that for my honeymoon I’m going to Disneyworld. Yeap, husband to be has no say in it at all.

*Glee* It truly is a place where dreams do come true. *Grin*

I HUGGED WINNIE THE POOH!!!!! I love him so much, this picture makes me so happy. :D