Reaching 'that' point.

I've hit it, the excited less then 3 weeks to go stage...aaaaand bringing up the rear is the ugly head of "Have you got everything, squire?"(english accent, for those who want my conscience to have character). Yes, going on an adventure like this and not planning anything, in the the wet season, is bound to have endless mishaps. Preparing for the rain, probably the most life giving pain in the arse when travelling like I want to. But, I have all my wet gear, for me and my bag. Couple of ground mats, probably won't be camping much but you never know. All my climbing gear, check. That was easy but also spawns a new problem of space...it destroys it. Just sorting out my medical kit now, writing down all the things that may deviate me from 'Wooo this is awesome" to "OMG I can see the bone!!" to just plain old leeches. In a place where a mere flesh wound can turn septic in 24hrs, I need to be prepared.
Time has dragged till now...3 weeks is going to fly! Let the freak out begin!!

Moving forward

22 days. That's the time left before I head overseas for 4 months, short trip unfortunately. Heading mainly to Laos and Thailand with a quick stopover in Bali on the way in...soak up some vitamin d that I've lost in Melbourne haha Starting to get very excited! Check out my other blog http://stevessketchytopo.blogspot.com/ and follow me as I try and budget, hitchhike, ride, hike and paddle through a small Part of Asia. It's going to be a battle with mozzies and the deli belly, rain and the thick heat. Heading there in the end of the wet season is sure to make things difficult but I won't be short of a story. The corny side of it all is that this my short attempt to 'find myself', and just have a lot of time to hang on a whim and really go where the road takes me. Watch me try and stretch $2000 over 4 months, it shall be interesting :) This is a big journey for me. Next year I will hopefully be studying a Diploma in Outdoor Recreation and starting the next chapter in my life. This drives me more than even I know, everything feels just right!

Pay attention...

I wasn't prepared, coming to Melbourne. I had this false sense of security that I was an electrician and I could get a job anywhere...not the case. I struggled to find work and ended up in a cafe getting paid $13 an hour, just enough to cover the food and rent. Now I originally said that I 'was doing it tough' but in fact I wasn't trying hard enough. I wasn't prepared to go out and find a job that I could be good at, outside of what I already knew. So I ruled out a multitude of jobs and now I'm paying for it. 2 months before I was leaving to go overseas the jobs I eventually found, casual electrical work/ cafe work, started to dry up...now I owe family money. Not awesome. Even though I thought I was a proactive person I learnt that I am not. So now, 3 weeks away from leaving, if I'd only got off my arse and found a full-time job I wouldn't be sitting at home writing this. Looking at it on the bright side though, I picked a pretty good time to make a mistake. 22, nothing tying me down, no big mortgage and the rest of my life ahead of me. I've changed my attitude towards a lot this year, and it's only half done! Moving to Melbourne has given me an extremely valuable lesson...
Make things happen, you're the only one who can!

June