It's been an amazing few days! Last Friday was my last day at work in Melbourne. Luckily, it was also the manager's last day too! On the company bill, we lit up the night. Headed to a local rooftop and had Japanese ale, chattin' with the new staff at Melbourne while they said goodbye to Carolyn, who is now my boss out in Sydney. After the local pub all 12 of us headed out to Maria Trattoria's, an authentic Italian restaurant. I had the Tortellini a la Romana! So good. To top the night off, we rented out a posh Kareoke room in downtown Melbourne. Sang some Oasis, White Snake, Kravitz and some others which I kind of regret. hehe.

On Saturday morning, my mates Erin and Darren picked me up out side of Base and we started the morning off with a mean cappacino. It was a hilarious sight outside of the hostel, let me tell ya! Some random dude was in the fetal position in the corner, sleeping in his own piss. Shit like that happens all the time here.

Around 9am we left for Torquay and Bells Beach. We hit all the wicked surf shops in the area, and headed down to the beach. We walked down the beach for a while looking for some breaks, but alas, nothing. We left for Port Cambell, checked in and spent the night at a seedy little town pub playing pool and Big Buck Hunter.

The next day we hit all the sights down the Great Ocean Rd., including the blow hole and caves, the 12 Apostles, Lorne, Apollo Bay and some random beach alon the way. We went swimming in the freezing water of the south ocean.

I got back to the hostel, met up with Chicken, and we hit the town. Glad to see a mate from home. Where are all the rest of ya?! So bloody perfect here, not sure why anyone would hesitate to pack up and leave. More stories to come!

Well, it's my last week in Melbourne and I have to say it's been a pretty good ride so far.

This weekend I ended up at a club called "Honky Tonks" in the city centre with my mate Paul and his friend who just came in from Adelaide. It took us a while to find the place since it was down a really sketchy alley. Once we got inside though, wow, was I surprised. Really cool art-neuvo club with nice lounges, solid house beats and erotica playing on screen. Stomach started feeling sick around 2:30am, so I ditched the guys for my bed.

Saturday night I went out with a bunch of girls from the hostel to a place called "The Prince of Wales" and got right to it. A Kiwi girl that has been in the hostel since I got there bought me a sweet cuban to suck back on, and a round of 42 Below (Premium Kiwi Vodka)! The night got messy and we ended up stumbling to "Archies", a wicked pizza joint in St.Kilda that boasts a $4 slice with tater wedges! Best food/deal in town! I've eaten there every Saturday religiously for three weeks.

Sunday I got some work done on my thesis. Went to the State library and sat around typing and watching 24.

Oh, and yesterday (the 19th) I have been with Diana for 8 years! Can you believe that! God I love that girl. Missing her tons right about now. Actually, I'm missing all of my friends. Get your tickets now, the surf ain't getting any worse!

Tomorrow I'm jamming with some friends at their house (Some good 'ol stompin' music) and this weekend I'm heading out to the Great Ocean Rd. to get my surfin' fix before I leave for Sydney next Tuesday or Wednesday.

I await the mighty Chicken...

So it's the end of my third week of my internship at PPR. Friday's here are great; we can wear jeans and whatever scandalous shirts we want, and it is far more relaxed than the earlier days in the week. One more week to go and then my Canadian mate Matt McNiven (CHICKEN) will be flying in to join the debauchery. At the beginning of March I will be heading to Sydney to finish my last month at PPR and will hooking up with another Canadian mate Kyle Hampson who is shacked up for three years doing his Law degree. Worked with Kyle back home at Big Buck's Mountain Lodge; we had been driving people nuts about our adventures for months.

Last night I had a cool experience. I signed up for a LONELY PLANET focus group after work. The description of the evening at reception was kinda vague, but they promised free drinks. I'M THERE! Ten of us gathered around a table at 6:30 and started chatting to the Melbourne design team about our travel experiences, how LONELY PLANET guide books have helped us in our travels, and what could be done (both conceptually and practically) to the guide books and website to make it more fun and effective.

Then came the jugs of beer...Lonely planet bought 20 jugs of beer and three jugs of vodka lime and soda for about thirteen people. It was insane! Good on LONELY PLANET! Sat around for a few hours drinking and meeting some locals, talked about hot surf breaks around Australia, and music. Such a good night.

Tonight I'm off to Area 61, a club in St. Kilda with one of my Aussie mates Paul, and a group of others. Should be interesting...

Getting some work done today at the Melbourne State library. Bloody huge! Super nice weather out, but gotta get working on my damn thesis. Oh well, have to enjoy the sun next week. Last night was off the hook...Met lots of new friends and caught a few reggae bands at the Espy...Turning into my weekly chill.

So far so good. I arrived in Melbourne on Saturday the 28th of January. I got to Base Backpackers around 3pm and have been loving it ever since. Check out the digs at: www.basebackpackers.com.au

The area I am staying in is called St. Kilda, and it is right on the beach and close to an amusement park, countless clubs and bars, and lots of good market shopping.

The hostel itself boasts nightly activities and drink special, many of which I have taken advantage of! Last week I got a team together and we won the trivia night, earning us a $100 bar tab. Needless to say, that didn't last.

As for friends, I met a really awesome British couple who were looking for work/accomodation in St. Kilda. Their names are Chris and Carrie. They found a place and last weekend we hooked up a massive BBQ at their flat with another two people (Clause and Madeline) they had met from Sweden. Once again, super awesome people.

Another cool dude that I will probably hook up with is a guy name Kristian, who lives in Brisbane. He's a pretty funny guy who was on tours in the Melbourne area as part of a birthday present. He has wheels and promised a road trip upon my arrival back to my aunt and uncles.

I started work at PPR (www.ppr.com.au) on Monday the 30th and will continue to the end of the month at this office. In March I am going to head to Sydney to intern there for a bit before heading back up to Brisbane.

The office is super relaxed, but busy nonetheless. There are a lot of things going on including new client pitches to KRAFT, a retirement survey with the financial giant AXA, and events with the Australian equivalent of Home Depot, Bunnings. So far I'm getting a good taste of everything, absorbing it all like a sponge.

I have plans to hit the Great Ocean Rd. sometime soon with my classmate Erin and her boyfriend Darren, hopefully during the Rip Curl Pro at Belles Beach. Keep posted and I'll have some stories for sure!