Top Ipod Songs

Last year in my Project 365 album I included a list of the most played songs on my ipod each month. I believe hearing certain songs can bring back strong memories and I love hearing older songs that "take me back" to a certain day or period in my life. I also love sharing cool songs with people (Dewey and I do this quite regularly). I will be posting my favorite songs every month. I hope you like them and if you have a song you love, feel free to share it!
So I missed the boat on getting this started last month (I was way too busy), so here is a backlog of my favorite songs in January and February.

Top Songs for January:
Big in Japan- Martin Solveig and Dragonette
Lonely Boy- The Black Keys
Island in the Sun- Weezer
Tongue Tied- Group Love
Feels So Close- Calvin Harris
Raise Your Glass- Pink
Empire State of Mind- Jay Z ft Alicia Keys
You and I- Lady Gaga (actually this is ALWAYS number one!)

Top Songs for February:
Stay the Night- James Blunt
Could You Be Loved- Bob Marley
Count On Me- Bruno Mars
Paradise- Coldplay
Don't Worry, Be Happy- Guy Sebastian
Every Rose Has It's Thorn- Poison
Sail- Awolnation
Big Jet Plane- Angus and Julia Stone

Scrapbooking Down Under

When I saw these SMASH books at Treasured Memories I knew they would be the perfect way to document my travels in Australia. They are journal sized albums with patterned paper, so they didn't take up much space in my suitcases. I brought various embellishments and scraps from home, and I'm going to be getting crafty using only what I've got as scrapbook products are limited here! (Very glad I stocked up on my mini alphas and some beautiful My Mind's Eye mini paper packs before I left.) I brought my selphy photo printer (which I LOVE) with me to print out my pictures. It felt so good to be creative the other night and work on this! Scrapbooking always picks me up when I am down.

PS- Happy Leap Day! I'm going to spend my day back at the beach again. Yesterday I went to the library and stocked up on some books. I plan on doing this often, that way I save money and don't end up with tons of stuff when we move again. Any recommendations?

Surfers Tour

The sun finally decided to come out yesterday. I slept in, watched part of the Oscars, then went exploring through Surfers. Here's a look at our new neighborhood:

Heading down the Gold Coast Highway into downtown Surfers. When crossing the street, look right, then left.

Tall towers. The Chevron Renaissance Hotel and Apartments.

There's a walkway that connects the two towers with a large tv screen covering it. You can sit in this little square and watch big tv events at night.

The new Hilton Hotel.

One of the main streets, Thomas Drive, and the Clock Tower Hotel.

Orchid Avenue. All the clubs in Surfers along here, so it's bumpin' at night, pretty quiet in the day. Clubs stay open till "late"- four o'clock or whenever people decide to leave.

Cavill Avenue. Buskers are here on the weekends.

The beach.

Not sure what this building is, but construction is still being completed.

The Q1.

Last night we met an older couple at the pool who we chatted with for some time. (The wife lived in Joel's hometown of Kitimat for awhile!). They have been living here for over thirty years now and just love it. They told me to take a day off here and there in my job search and enjoy the beach, so that's exactly what I did today!



I sat in the sun and read my book. It was a perfect day. I even went in the water for a bit! On my walk home I got some good news- one of the salons I applied at wants me to come in for an interview on Thursday! Positive thoughts...

Rain Is Better Than Snow!

It has been raining here almost non-stop since Friday. Heavy rain, cloudy skies, and strong wind. The sun looks like it's trying to come out today. I hear that a big blizzard hit back home, so that makes me feel slightly better.

Yesterday I went in for my trial day at Heaven Salon. It reminded me very much of Eveline Charles, but smaller. After my first hour I knew I didn't want the job. I didn't feel my creativity could be used to it's full potential there and the staff didn't make me feel very welcome. There you are either a stylist or colorist and up to three people can work on one client, which I don't care for. Too much of an assembly line. I like working on a client from start to finish. I would be working every Saturday and Sunday, which wouldn't give me time with Joel or the ability to go exploring on weekends. They wanted me to come back today and Monday for more training. I need a job badly and I feel bad for turning one down, but I know I wouldn't be happy going there everyday. There really aren't any salon jobs open, so I applied for a few more Junior Reception jobs. I think this would be more stable hours. Hopefully something comes up there soon!
Last night I was missing some of the small comforts and friends of back home. I scrapbooked, Joel BBQ'd burgers, and we watched Fubar 2 in bed eating ice cream. It is such a random movie but always makes me laugh so hard. Today is going to be a chill out day. Hoping to do some more scrapping and get some pictures up of what I've been working on!

Possible News and Aussie Fashion

The last two days have been cloudy and rainy. I woke up this morning to a torrential downpour and decided to stay home and play on Pinterest instead of job hunting (especially since yesterday was filled with "not hiring now, don't even bother applying"). I got a good news text from Joel- Audi is looking for a receptionist! So I typed up a new resume fitted for a reception position and emailed it in. I also had an email response from one of the salons I'd applied at with a contact name and number to call and set up an interview. I decided I should get myself out of bed and be productive, so I called and had my very first interview today! It went really well and I got a good vibe from the salon. I go in tomorrow for a "trial day". I'll do a haircut and color and see how it goes! This salon operates differently then at home. I'd either be a colorist or a stylist, not both. Not sure which I'd choose as I like them both equally. I asked about work attire and the owner says to think of it as a "day club" and dress like I was going out, wear as short of skirt as I like (this is common in Australia for clothing- the shorter the better!). Now don't jump to conclusions, the staff there were not dressed like hooches, just very trendy. I'm excited for a potential job but also a little nervous! I've been at the same salon for so long that it will feel different to become part of a different niche.
After my interview I decided to wander through some of the shops, so I thought I'd blog about what's in style here right now. Some of the stores in Surfers main strip are pretty junky, but there's a mall near us called Pacific Fair that has some neat shops. Sadly there is no BCBG in Australia, but I did find a department store called Myer that I'm in love with (they also carry my Benefit mascara, which I didn't think I could get here!)
As far as clothing goes, the big color here right now is orange. Not scary orange, but tangerine. I am not usually an orange fan, but I am loving this color and am going to buy myself a tangerine dress when I find the right style! It looks awesome paired with navy, camel or light brown accessories.


There are pretty little printed dresses everywhere, in light, flowing materials and bright colors. They are almost always worn with a belt.



I've also noticed alot of girls wearing striped dresses and tops.
As far as shoes go, the big trend is suede. There are tons of strappy wedge sandals, colorful peep toe stilettoes (some color blocked), and little ankle booties. I wish I brought my grey Express booties now for fall! Mom, you might have to send them to me.




For accessories, the biggest thing is belts. Big or little, it doesn't matter. Lots of light brown colors and navy. Feathers are everywhere on earrings and necklaces.




Although it's stays pretty warm here all year, the locals notice "the cool down" in winter and there are tons of awesome printed tights around! I hate wearing tights in our winter because it's too cold to walk around outside, but here I'm all for it!


I can't wait till I have a job and get my first paycheck, I'm definitely going shopping!
I did a very Australian thing on my walk home today- I walked barefoot. I think this is really gross but people here do it in stores, restaurants or on the streets, it doesn't matter. The only reason I did it was because it was raining so hard my feet were getting wet and sliding out of my stilletoes. My feet did not feel nice and I will not be doing this again. If I have to be walking on rainy days I will be buying a pair of rain boots!

A Total Downgrade and Sights of Surfers

Don't laugh...


Introducing...



BRUTIS!!!!!!!


Yes, this is our loser new car! It's a 1990 Subaru Touring wagon. My Dad thinks this is especially funny for two reasons: one- I hate white cars, and two- my Mom used to have a Subaru wagon (called Snoopy) that I used to hate so much I'd kick the tires every day in hopes that it would die. (It eventually got hit and was written off to my great joy).
Let it be known, I had no say in the choosing of this car. Joel found it on Gumtree. It was a cheap price and in good condition mechanically. He thought the wagon would be good for lugging all our stuff around (since it was a tight squeeze in our standard size rental car). The previous owner dropped it off at four yesterday, which was too late to get registration and plates. Since Joel started work today, I got the lucky job of taking care of this and returning the rental car. Last night we headed to a parking lot so I could practice shifting, reversing and parking (since everything is backwards to what it is at home).
My first mission this morning was to get car insurance. The bright side of having a POS car? Our insurance is only $17 a month! Next stop was to the Queensland Motor Vehicles and Registration Office. I reversed perfectly out of our stall (I wish someone saw!) then headed out. Melba was in a bad mood today and majorly mislead me. Eventually I made it to the registry office, only to learn I had to go get proof of address from the bank, to show I'm now a Queensland resident. By this time I was getting PO'd with Brutis- the gear shift is pretty touchy so it's hard to tell the difference between first and third. Also he is very noisy when you rev the engine, but has no power. So to the bank, more struggle with Melba, back to the registry, fill in forms, wait in line. Now Brutis is registered with plates.


Then I went to Audi and swapped Brutis with the rental car. More misleading info from Melba as I looked for a gas station to refuel at. Finally returned the rental, enough driving for one day for me! But I'm proud to say I can drive a right hand drive standard on the left side of the road!
I went for lunch at Starbucks, then walked around Surfers looking for jobs. I learned that in the last few months the recession has hit Queensland. I guess tourism has suffered as less Brits have been coming over due to their low pound. That explains why so many stores and salons are now up for lease.
I was able to take a few shots of some of the major sights in Surfers. This giant Ferris wheel gives great views of the city. It seems to run at very odd hours of the day and night. It gets lit up with white lights when it's dark outside and looks pretty cool. There is also a slingshot ride.

The Q1 building. It is the world's second tallest residential tower (after one in Dubai) at 77 stories high. There's an observation deck up top, which is lit up in different colors each night. You can climb from the 77th floor to the top spire!

Interesting facts from the grocery store:
1- Eggs are not refrigerated. No one knows why.
2- You cannot buy Kraft Dinner or Hamburger Helper here, however they do sell Old El Paso Taco supplies
3- Rice Krispies are called Rice Bubbles

Blah

Today was pretty much a a write off day. It started at 2:20 am when we heard a loud, alarm clock sounding bell ringing. It was the fire alarm. As we struggled to get dressed and out of bed it stopped. I checked in the hallway and our neighbor, who also just moved in, wasn't sure what was going on either. No one else seemed to be up, so we decided to ignore it. I went out on the balcony to check things out and the fire brigade was arriving. Lucky for future reference, they are two blocks away. Our other neighbor went down to check it out and turns out it was a false alarm. A drunk coming home from the bar thought it would be funny to pull the alarm perhaps?
I fell back asleep but was woken two more times- once at 6:45 when Joel got up for work, again at 8:00 when he called me for work visa info.
I spent the morning looking for jobs online. No new hairstyling jobs, but seems there are quite a few receptionist jobs available. French Connection is also hiring part time, might be fun (and good discounts). My Mom gave me a call and it was nice to have a chat.
Once Joel was home we had lunch and ran errands. He was productive- got new work boots. Once again, Melba mislead us on our next destination, Glamaco. This is a beauty supply "wholesaler". I say wholesaler because the public can buy non chemical supplies and products here. The prices are ridiculous! Color and developer are over twice the price they are at home! Glad I brought some of my own. They do have a variety of styling products, which I can get up to 30% off, in case I don't get a salon job and need something.
There are only two scrapbook stores nearby and I wanted to check them out. As per my luck, they are both on google map, but no longer in business.
We came home and Joel was pouty (he is ready to throw Melba out the window and drive over her) so he had a nap. I was feeling grumpy too and my keyboard is giving me grief. I did a work out enjoying our view and it did make me feel better. Also the thought that it is 30 degrees in February! I decided I'm going to enjoy some of my moscato wine and left over pasta on the patio, and maybe some scrapbooking, which I've been itching to do.

The Weekend and Byron Bay

Friday night we went out to the local Hard Rock to celebrate Joel's new job. The food was great, but the prices were high! There was a set of Elvis's karate pants, so of course I needed a picture!

Surfers gets pretty busy on the weekend. There are tons of buskers that set up and play music or sing. Some are good, some are not. Alot of the stores are open late (like 10pm late) on Fridays and Saturdays. This weekend there was a sand sculpture competition going on, and all the entry's were built along the main boardwalk. This years theme was "Pirates in Paradise".



On Saturday Joel bought us a used BBQ for $40 on gumtree (Aussie kijiji). It's a coal burning BBQ, different then what he's used to. He grilled up an awesome supper, then we picked up some wine to pre-drink before going out. We bought a "semester pass" through one of the party groups here that gives us six months worth of free cover and drinks (limited) at Surfers hottest bars. Every Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday the group does a crawl of about five or six clubs. We joined the group at the third bar, Shooters, which I wasn't that impressed with. We did get up and join a couples dance contest. First round was country-western, which we rocked, second round was break dancing, which we were eliminated from. Next stop was Vanity, which is super nice inside and more my style. We weren't feeling the party scene that night, so headed home. The nice thing about the night clubs here is that they are all air conditioned. The gross thing is that they still stink- lots of people don't seem to wear deodorant here!!!
This afternoon we drove an hour south to Byron Bay. This is a small surf town that many people recommended seeing. (It reminded me of a town you'd see in Hawaii.) It's the most eastern point of mainland Australia. We drove up to a viewing point with an old light house and the view was amazing. We checked out the beach here too, which Joel is in love with. The waves are a little calmer then at Surfers and it's a good place to learn to surf.

A Postcard a Day

I decided a fun thing todo while we're over here is send a postcard to someone different every week. I know I like getting mail that's not a bill, so I thought this would be a nice surprise for my friends and family. Anyone who' like some sunshine mail let me know!

Big News!

Last night Joel helped me get signed up on seek.com.au, an online job finding site. There weren't alot, but a few salons that are hiring!!! I dropped off resumes at som paces today, which looked alot nicer then some of the other salons I've gone by.

Joel found some cheapie cars online last night so we looked at one today. We bought it, but won't get possesion till Tuesday (the current owner is getting some work done to it on Monday so it will be problem free for us). I'm not going to give away any juicy details yet, but stay tuned for some photos! We already have a name picked out. It starts with B, that's all I'll share for now!

Joel had an interview at Southport Audi. His interview went really well and the foreman and servince manager really liked him. Half an hour later they called him and he got the job! We're both so happy that one of us has a job! He starts on Tuesday and will be working 8-4 Monday to Friday. Yeah! We're going out to Hard Rock Cafe tonight to celebrate.

Moving In

We checked out of our hotel first thing yesterday morning and headed over to our new home! We decided to get set up later in the evening, when things are closed, and continue on the job search. I've been feeling pretty discouraged with this, as half the places I've called are either no longer in business or not hiring. Joel finally made up a resume and started looking for postings. We were both getting grumpy and needed a time out for lunch (still no groceries). David, the building super, recommended a place nearby called the Elk. It is a really chill little place with an interesting menu and friendly staff. I think this might be a local hangout for us.
After eating we both were feeling better. I had found two salons that were hiring, so went to drop off resumes. Fingers crossed something comes up! One of the salons was in a nice mall nearby, so we went and picked up a few more things for the apartment, then had a nice super at a little Asian place nearby. We filled our rental car up with gas and prices here are ridic!


Today we went for a great breakfast at the restaurant here in our building, Kesh. I had some fresh fruit which my body was craving badly!


Then off to the bank to pick up our bank cards. We also went to Cole's for groceries. It was a big shop today, as we needed all sorts of food staples. We have the world's tiniest fridge so it was tricky fitting everything in it!
More job searching today. No leads for me, but Joel has two interviews! One at Audi tomorrow and at another shop on Tuesday. Yeah!!! I'm starting to stress about not having a paycheck (and having to pay rent, buy house stuff etc is making a dent in our savings), so I hope he gets one!
Here are some pics of our place. Keep in mind that we cannot hang anything on the wall (unless we patch up the holes when we move out) and that we are on a limited decorating budget! Maybe Jill (www.tiltstaginganddesign.com) can help me?

Our building, the Marrakesh


The pool area

The indoor pool and spa

Front entry

The view from our rooftop terrace- we can see the beach from up here

Our dining area

Our tiny kitchen with even tinier fridge!

Laundry closet- the lint trap is weird on this dryer compared to back home

Entry way

Bathroom

Living room. Yes, it's messy (Joel) . The couch is super ugly so we covered it with the old quilt for a slightly better look...

Bedroom

That's the closet we will be SHARING! Amazingly we fit both our clothes in here. I love Joel for giving me extra hanging space and rolling his t-shirts!

View from our balcony

In other news... I saw and killed my first spider! Not sure what it was. It was small an black and kind of jumped.