The land of opportunity

Oil, Oil, Oil...Did someone say oil.
Calgary is oozing oil money, its actually quite a cool place. I'm suitably impressed.
Classy downtown, meets country and western...can you picture it. You see men in suits and women in dresses wearing cowboy boots. It is a super cool town though, lots of young people.
Touristy stuff tomorrow.

Back on the road again...

Tomorrow i'm off on my almost 3 weeks of travels. Calgary, Banff, Montreal and New York City.
I never know what to pack, it's not a huge trip, but long enough to require enough, and a varying amount of gear. One thing is certain, i'll have my computer with me so i can keep in touch with you all through this blog, facebook, email etc etc.

It seems this time of year is the time everyone leaves Vancouver for other persuits. The last few days have been hectic trying to catch up with friends leaving, local Vancouverites and exchangies alike. Drinks here and there have been plentiful, golf, lunches, bbq's, breakfasts - But, now it's my turn... At last!

Even though On the road again is very relevant to this post, i couldn't justify having Willie Nelson as the only song reference. So...
Song of the day: Angel - Dave Matthews Band - Live At Folson Field, Boulder, CO, 11/07/2001.

So Much To Say...

When not much is happening, there is not much to talk about. Which is why my posts have been few and far between over the last week or two. Vancouver has been sunny and warm and i've spent my days hanging out with friends, going to the beach, having bbq's and just enjoying being on holiday!
The other night I went to a concert, Ozomatli. One of the coolest shows i've seen. At the end of the set, the whole band grabbed percussion instruments or their trumpets/trombones and came down into the crowd and walked around and jammed for about 20 mins down with the crowd. So good!

I leave on my trip next week, and while i'm away the ski season at Whistler closes, so skiing for me is over which is sad. I lost track of the total amount of days I was on the snow this season, but i'm pretty sure i got to 50 days. They say the ski season in Australia is going to be a good one this year... But it will never compare. This season Whistler had a total snowfall of over 15 metres!! There is no comparison to that!

I was trying to think of ways to make my blog more interesting and more insightful to what i'm up to, incorporating song names for post titles (like todays), or including a 'what i'm listening to' in each post or something like that, perhaps a favourite meal (more relevant while i'm travelling) - Any thoughts/suggestions??

PS. Saw Shrek 3 the other day. It was pissing down with rain, so a few of us went to the cinema. Not a bad 3rd iteration, compared to some others that have been terrible.... *Cough* Spiderman 3!

When It Rains...

It seems every time I get back to Vancouver from a trip away, it is raining.
Me and a bunch of friends went to Victoria on Vancouver Island this last week for 3 days to see the sights and relax a little. Considering Victoria is the capital of BC some parts of it are very 'Touristy', but our keen awareness of this, and some recommendations from some locals we know made the 3 days very enjoyable. We had fantastic weather, warm, sunny, which prompted us to park ourselves at some of the local eateries and drinkeries, on the patio, in the sun, and eat some great west coast food (amazing seafood), and drink some (lots) of beer. We saw the sights too!
And, low and behold, it was raining when we got back to Van!

2 posts in one day...Worth it though.

I watched the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" this afternoon, and thought it warranted a mention, and i couldn't be bothered editing my last post so just made a new one (which is easier to do of course).

I found it particularly relevent/good for a number of reasons...

-I took an Earth and Ocean Science subject at UBC last sememster and we covered alot of the material, the same graphs, same facts, same trends etc that he talks about, so i've seen it all from a scientific standpoint. He talks about 'the scientists' alot, so i've been 'the scientist'. It's pretty interesting stuff.

-It's a good movie, very biased toward America, but considering that Australia is the only other country apart from the US to not have ratified the Kyoto agreement, very applicable to us too. Not to mention that the issue is a global issue and therefore pertinent to everyone and every country.

-I also found it relevant because for the last year while I have been here in Canada, everyone at home has been keeping me updated with the water situation in Australia. It was just announced that last year to date was the driest year on record, and on top of that water supplies are at insanely critical levels ie 11%. Surely we are beginning to see the effects of our CO2 emissions.

If you haven't seen it - Watch It.

What happens in Vegas....

Doesn't necessarily stay in vegas!
So i thought i should mention to you all that in march i went down to Vegas for an extended weekend. Me and a mate of mine, Alick (See Alick's Blog), both huge Dave Matthews Band fans, went to see DMB at the MGM Grand on both friday and saturday nights. Amazing shows, so good to finally see them live!
Vegas, well, it was good and bad. It's one of those things you have to do at some stage in your life, it's tacky and kitch, but it's Vegas, so it is appealing.....i guess!
Generally, Vegas is pretty dirty and sleazy, but once you are in the big hotels it is just complete luxury! Free drinks when you gamble, no expense spared - crazy!
I'll have to tell you more in person, i don't really want to publish some of my thoughts on Vegas for all to see!
Fantastic weekend though. Had a blast!

So, today in Vancouver it was 26 degrees, bright sunshine. I slept in, did some grocery shopping, lounged around on my patio in the sun, read a little, slept a little, ate a little. All in all it was a really relaxed day. I'm very much in holiday mode now!

Tomorrow, i'm off to Victoria on Vancouver Island for a few days with some friends, see the sights, eat some good food, hang out in a new place, see some friends on the island. Should be a good time.

That's all for now!

Its been a while...

Sorry for the lack of postings lately, ie the last 4 months! I've been incredibly busy spending all my spare time either studying or skiing.
Now that my association with UBC is over, and i've moved off campus i finally have time to do these tasks again.
To sum up my life over the last 4 months in one word - hectic. Finals were rather intense considering we got no swotvac at all, my first exam was 3 days after the last class. It all worked out ok though, i ended up with an 85% average for this semester, and overall for my year here. I hope Melbourne Uni is suitably impressed!
The last week or so since i've moved off campus into my new place i've just been hanging out in the great city that is Vancouver. Enjoying the sun, which finally has returned to us after all those cold and wet months away, catching up with friends, eating out a bit, going out a lot, longboarding, going to the beach - generally just having a good time.
The next few weeks will probably be more of the same, however later this week a bunch of us are going to go to Victoria on Vancouver island, and early next week possibly a trip to Whistler for what may be my last skiing in Canada......For now!!
In 2 weeks and 2 days, i leave on my travels to Calgary - Banff - Calgary - Montreal - New York City and back home to Van.
The Canadian GP is on in Montreal while i'm there, i hope everyone is jealous, and i'm super excited to get to NYC.
Enough for now, my housemates, the XBOX, and multiplayer Halo2 is calling!