Adventures in Australia

Filming

Incase you were wondering what exactly I've been doing with my time since I disappeared and now, the answer is simple. I've been filming!

Yeah, I've been in Uni and taking the full course load, but what really is filling my time is that I have been working on several film projects. I was the Director of Photography (my expertise) on a 30 minute short film that finished production in mid July. Tomorrow we are doing re-shoots for one seen that just didn't come out the way we planned.

I've also agreed to be the first assistant camera on a short film that shoots in the beginning of September. Technically, this is below what I normally do. As a standard, I normally don't do this as you really can't advance in the industry when you take positions lower than what you have done and currently work as. However, I know several people on the film and it should be fun, so I decided that it was only for 5 days, and it should be fun.

I'm also shooting a music video in the first weekend of September for a Kiwi singer living in Oz trying to make it.

And the last thing on my calendar is the Toowoomba Film Shootout in October, where a team is given specific things that have to be in a film, and you then have 24 hours to shoot, edit in camera, and hand in. Should be a fun little exercise.

I'm a busy boy!

Car

So, a week ago I bought a car. I've been here in Brisbane since February, and while I was able to get around fine on public transport, it was just driving me crazy. So I wanted to buy a car.

I wanted something cheap, but when I really started looking, anything cheap was going to require a decent amount of money invested into getting it road worthy and keeping it that way. So instead, I decided to go ahead and spend a little more on the car.

I also needed to think about what type of car I wanted to purchase. I wanted something that was road-trip worthy, and that would take me to places that I just couldn't get to. And, as a typical American, what do I buy? You guessed it boys and girls, I bought an SUV!

In fact, I bought a 1992 Holden Jackaroo. The thing holds 7 people including myself, its a 4x4, and is in great condition. Yeah, I'll be paying a little more on petrol at the pump, but its worth it to me.

I'll try to post some pictures once I get around to taking some.

Tagged..

I have been tagged by Sarah to come up with 5 weird or interesting things abut myself! So, lets get it on, heres some odd factoids about me.

1. I can play solitaire for hours, I just don't get bored. However, I cheat. I have it set for the one card a time game. Makes it easier to win.

2. I am always tired, and if you know me, when I say that I'm tired, its normally cause I can't really think of anything else to say at that moment.

3. I chew things. I can't stop chewing. Wether its a piece of grass or a pen cap, it ends up becoming destroyed.

4. My first concert I ever went to was when I was 7, my parents took me and my sister, cause my Aunt couldn't use her tickets, to go see Michael Bolton! Thats right, Michael Bolton... good times, good times.

5. I slept with my blanket until I was 11. Yep, thats right, 11. The reason I had to stop? It was torn to shreds! However, my mom has it kept safely away for the memories!

Alive

First, yes, I'm still alive. Second, why have I not been blogging? I have no clue.

Its not like I've been incredibly busy or anything, but for some reason blogging has just not been on my mind of lately. After getting poked by Sarah a couple times to start blogging, I figure I might as well start it up again. I know I've promised in the past, but my blogging activities will commence again shortly. Double promise!

I'm Here!!!

I'm here! Yesterday was insane with all the shit that happened. Where to begin? Well, the start I guess..

So Qantas made me check my cary-on bag as it was overweight. So, I pulled out a bunch of stuff to throw in a smaller carry on, and guess what I forgot to pull out, the damn sleeping pill! So, I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked to on the plane, but overall it wasn't that bad.

So I land in Brisbane and go through Immigration, which was about a 30 minute que. I then go to pick up my checked baggage. Guess what? They lost a fucking bag! Not just a bag, but an entire fucking container. About 50 passengers, including myself were left with missing bags. I was lucky, I was only missing one bag, while some were missing all their bags. Qantas assured us that they would find our bags and get them to us FAST. Its not like one bag went missing, but an entire fucking container. It looks bad for them. The box that was missing was my computer monitor, and all my dvds. I'm real bummed that my DVDs aren't here yet, but I'll survive.

So I got through customs pretty fast and then went to where James, the manager of the complex I'm living at was waiting for me. We then loaded his car with my bags and went to the complex, with him telling me some info about the place and Brisbane in general.

We got to the complex, where I started to unpack. Went to the Garden City shopping centre so I could buy everything I needed and open my bank account.

I couldn't call home which I'm sure freaked my mom out, as James was all out of calling cards. So, I picked up a card, but as it was too late to call, I just decided to email instead and call today.

At around 7pm I realized that I had nothing to eat all day as I was just way to fucking busy doing and buying everything, so I made myself some food and then went to my room to make my bed, and just sleep.

Overall, a good, but long first day.

It Begins

So, I'm currently sitting in the Chicago O'Hare Terminal waiting for my flight from Chicago to LA. I'm plugged into the only available power outlet in my gate and paid the $5 dollar fee to get a 24 hours access pass to the wireless internet. Little steep of a price, but its worth it compared to just sitting bored.

Saying goodbye to my parents was a little hard. I got a little chocked up hugging them goodbye, but I was perfectly fine going through security and waving goodbye to them. I got really choked up when I turned the corner and walked to my gate. Even now I'm a little choked up, but I will see them soon, and will probably feel fine after the 5 hour flight to LA.

It's going to be a LONG day of travel, but it will defiantly be worth it!

Day of Travel

It has finally come. It feels so odd. Today is my official day of travel to Australia! In roughly 5 hours I will be leaving for the airport for Los Angels and finally from LA onto Brisbane. I'm frickn' excited! Goodbye States, I'll miss ya. Australia, I'll see you Tuesday Feb 7th!

Emotions

I feel like I've been riding the wave of emotions all day long. From "Happy" to "Sad", to "Excited" to "Too Damn Tired to Care".

The packing is 99% done. Everyone is calling wanting to hang out tonight. "One Last Time" is all I'm hearing. Its like I'm never coming back, it's driving me crazy!

I'm also getting some shit from my Mom. I understand her being sad and all that I'm leaving, but I finally told her that I don't want to hear "You can always change your mind" one more damn time. She has now stopped saying it, thank god.

Overall, I knew from the very beginning that today and tomorrow were going to be like this. I'm sorry everyone is sad that I'm leaving, but screw it, this is my life, and I am moving to Australia. Pick up the damn phone and give me a call, or how about, come and visit? I'm not in a bad mood, I'm not pissed, I'm just tired.

And then I remember something that wakes me right up: 0 Days, 6 Hours, 39 minutes till Australia!!!!!

Almost...

I cannot believe it is almost time for me to get in the car for the airport and my long flight to Brisbane. I'm not scared. I'm not excited either. Instead, I am frickn' going crazy with all the sit that I have to do before I leave. Not only do I have to deal with packing, but I have to deal with friends wanting to hang out and getting pissed when I tell them that I really do not have time to drive an hour into the suburbs, hang out for 3 hours, and drive the hour back to my house in the city. If they want to hang out, drive your ass down here!

I'm also stressed because I have to go and backup everything I did on my film job. Thats a couple hour job, not to mention the Non-Disclosure Agreement I signed, so now I have to be sneaky about it. My boss told me he didn't care, and that I should take everything. I'm just not sure if Human Resources would approve. Screw them, by the time I return the NDA will have expired.

I have shit-load of packing left to do, but luckily my mother took tomorrow off from work to do nothing but help me pack all day. I plan to get everything packed tomorrow. My Mom and I will be doing nothing but packing and throwing away shit. Should be a blast.. Oh yeah, I also have to deal with my mother starting to freak out about me leaving. Not excited, Not Sad, just stressed! On the positive side, my financial aid checks posted in my account, so tomorrow after my direct deposit of the shares of stock I sold post to my account, I'll be going to the bank to wire the money. Oh yeah, still no confirmation from ANZ on if they received the funds, so today, I am going to ring them up and make sure. No way in hell I'm going to wire $11,000 US if the $1,500 US I wired on jan 31st US hasn't posted yet. Joy!

2 Days, 09 Hours, 54 Minutes till Australia!!!!

February

I cannot believe it is now officially February. I have been counting down to this month for now over 18 months! In 3 days and some hours it will officially be midnight Feb 5th, the day of my departure to Australia. Awesome! I've spent most of the night tonight just cleaning my room, throwing away a bunch of crap that I've piled up over the years, and really looking for things / paperwork that I need to keep.

Another very good thing happened yesterday. I officially found out that my financial aid check went through, and I contacted my rep at the disbursement company and paid for Priority Overnight shipping, so my financial aid checks will arrive in no more than 10 hours from now. Once they arrive, I will be immediately running to the bank to deposit them. I will then return to the bank on Friday or Saturday once the checks have officially posted and wire the money to my account in Australia.

It's February, HELL YEAH!

3 Days, 23 Hours, 47 minutes till Australia!!!!!