ＨＥＡＤＩＮＧ ＨＯＭＥ

Soooooo I am in Tokyo right now with 8 hours to kill until my flight home. I like the relaxation but the horrible synthesizer versions of classic rock songs like 'Let it be' and 'desperado' are about to make me go postal. Okay, seriously Japan. This version of 'we are the champions' that sounds like it's coming from a music box just doesn't work. And what's up with this keyboard? Writing this is probably going to take a while. 銃hfじぇ　名sでぇj。Yeah.

So apart from trying to tear my ears off rather than listening to this music, what have I been up to?

Shanna and I went to New Zealand for a week of just driving around the South Island, which was INCREDIBLE. The whole thing is just gorgeous. But coｌｄ．We slept in the car and woke up with ice on the inside of the windows. Yes、てゃt個ld．That cold. We drove from Christchurch up to the North end of the island　アンd．アンd　アンd　、I which is apparently Japanese for and looked at Marlborough Sound and Abel TasMan National Park. We hiked along the gorgeous coastline, with big boulders, clean white beaches and clear green-blue water.　We stayed in hostels after the first couple nights, especially because it got pretty first couple nights, especially because it got pretty rainy.　Down the West　Coast we found tropical-looking beaches with jungle growing right down to the rocky coastline. I felt　Like I was in Swiss Family Robinson. If you I was in Swiss Family Robinson. If youre wondering what's with the random capital letters, it Seems TO BE THE ONLY　wAY TO STOP THE KEYBOARD FROM LAPSING INTO ITS NATIVE LANGUAGE. アンDのWi:M STUCK IN CAPS. ANYWAYS, JUST A FEW KILOMETRES SOUTH OF THE JUNGLE WE FOUND THE FRANZ JOSEF AND FOX GLACIERS. IT WASNT EVEN THAT COLD BUT THEY WERE HUGE AND AMAZING. SHANNA AND I FOUND OUT THAT THEY ARE VERY SLIPPERY UNLESS YOU HAVE SPIKY BOOTS. WE VERY SLIPPERY UNLESS YOU HAVE SPIKY BOOTS. AFTER THE SLIPPERY UNLESS YOU HAVE SPIKY BOOTS. AFTER THE GLACIERS WE WENT TO THE BEACH, WHICH SEEMED STRANGE TO ME ．ｂＵＴ　ＴＨＥＲＥ　ＷＥＲＥ　ＳＴＩＬＬ　ＳＮＯＷＹ　ＭＯＵＮＴＡＩＮＳ　ＶＩＳＩＢＬＥ　ＯＶＥＲ　ＴＨＥ　ＤＵＮＥ．ｗｅ　ｈＥＡＤＥＤ　ＩＮＬＡＮＤ　ＴＯ　ＱＵＥＥＮＳＴＯＷＮ　ＯＮＣＥ　ＩＴ　ＷＡＳ　ＤＡＲＫ．

ｔＨＥ　ＰＬＡＣＥ　ＷＥ　ＳＴＡＹＥＤ　ＡＴ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＮＩＧＨＴ　ＷＡＳ　ＯＬＤ　ＡＮＤ　ＤＥＳＥＲＴＥＤ　ＡＮＤ　ＩＴ　ＲＥＭＩＮＤＥＤ　ＭＥ　ＯＦ　ＴＨＥ　ＭＯＶＩＥ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＨＩＮＩＮＧ．ｉＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＭＯＲＮＩＮＧ　ＩＴ　ＷＡＳ　ＲＡＩＮＩＮＧ，　ＴＨＥＮ　ＩＴ　ＳＴＡＲＴＥＤ　ＳＬＥＥＴＩＮＧ，　アンＤ　ウェＮ　ｉ　ＷＡＳ　ＣＯＯＫＩＮＧ　ＴＯＡＳＴ　ＳＨＡＮＮＡ　ＲＡＮ　ＩＮ　ＳＡＹＩＮＧ　’ＩＴ’Ｓ　ＳＮＯＷＩＮＧ！’ＡＮＤ　ＷＥ　ＷＥＲＥ　ＢＯＴＨ　ＲＥＡＬＬＹ　ＥＸＣＩＴＥＤ．ｓＯ　ＷＥ　ＤＲＯＶＥ　ＴＨＲＯＵＧＨ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＮＯＷ　ＴＯ　ＱＵＥＥＮＳＴＯＷＮ，　ＷＨＥＲＥ　Ｉ　ＳＡＷ　ＡＮ　ＡＭＥＲＩＣＡＮ　ＦＲＩＥＮＤ　ＯＦ　ＭＩＮＥ　ＷＡＬＫＩＮＧ　ＤＯＷＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＴＲＥＥＴ　ＳＯ　ＷＥ　ＳＴＯＰＰＥＤ　ＴＯ　ＳＡＹ　ＨＩ．　　ｗＥ　ＷＥＮＴ　ＴＯ　ＭＩＬＦＯＲＤ　ＳＯＵＮＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＡＲＶＯ　ＡＮＤ　ＳＡＷ　ＯＮＥ　ＯＦ　ＴＨＥ　ＭＯＳＴ　ＧＯＲＧＥＯＵＳ　ＰＬＡＣＥＳ　Ｉ　ＨＡＶＥ　ＥＶＥＲ　ＢＥＥＮ．　ｉＴ　ＷＡＳ　ＩＮＣＲＥＤＩＢＬＥ　ＴＯ　ＳＥＥ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＴＥＥＰ　ＭＯＵＮＴＡＩＮＳ　ＲＩＳＩＮＧ　ＯＵＴ　ＯＦ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＯＵＮＤ　ＡＳ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＵＮ　ＳＥＴ　ＢＥＨＩＮＤ　ＴＨＥＭ．　ＩＴ　ＷＡＳＮ’Ｔ　ＳＯ　ＩＮＣＲＥＤＩＢＬＥ　ＴＯ　ＦＩＮＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＴＨＥ　ＲＯＡＤ　ＷＡＳ　ＣＬＯＳＥＤ　ＷＨＥＮ　ＷＥ　ＴＲＩＥＤ　ＴＯ　ＬＥＡＶＥ　ＡＮＤ　ＷＥ　ＷＥＲＥ　ＦＯＲＣＥＤ　ＴＯ　ＳＴＡＹ　ＩＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＯＮＬＹ　ＬＯＤＧＥ　ＷＩＴＨ　ＢＡＣＫＰＡＣＫＥＲ　ＡＣＣＯＭＯＤＡＴＩＯＮ．

ＡＮＤ　ＴＨＥ　ＲＯＡＤ　ＷＡＳ　ＣＬＯＳＥＤ　ＷＩＴＨ　ＧＯＯＤ　ＲＥＡＳＯＮ　ＴＯＯ，　ＡＳ　ＩＴ　ＳＮＯＷＥＤ　４０　ＣＭ　ＩＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＰＡＳＳ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＮＩＧＨＴ　ＡＮＤ　ＴＨＥ　ＮＥＸＴ　ＤＡＹ．　ＩＴ　ＷＡＳ　ＲＡＩＮＩＮＧ　ＤＯＷＮ　ＷＨＥＲＥ　ＷＥ　ＷＥＲＥ　ＢＵＴ　ＷＥ　ＨＡＤ　ＦＵＮ　ＢＥＩＮＧ　ＬＡＺＹ　ＡＮＤ　ＥＡＴＩＮＧ　ＷＨＡＴ　ＦＯＯＤ　ＷＥ　ＨＡＤ．

ＡＦＴＥＲ　ＢＥＩＮＧ　ＳＮＯＷＥＤ　ＩＮ　ＦＯＲ　４０　ＨＯＵＲＳ　ＯＲ　ＳＯ，　ＷＥ　ＦＩＮＡＬＬＹ　ＧＯＴ　ＴＯ　ＤＲＩＶＥ　ＵＰ　ＴＨＲＯＵＧＨ　ＴＨＥ　ＰＡＳＳ　ＡＮＤ　ＰＬＡＹ　ＩＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＮＯＷ．　　ＳＩＮＣＥ　ＷＥ　ＨＡＤ　ＬＯＳＴ　Ａ　ＤＡＹ　ＡＮＤ　Ａ　ＨＡＬＦ　ＯＦ　ＴＲＡＶＥＬ，　ＷＥ　ＨＡＤ　ＴＯ　ＳＴＡＲＴ　ＨＥＡＤＩＮＧ　ＢＡＣＫ　ＴＯＷＡＲＤ　ＣＨＲＩＳＴＣＨＵＲＣＨ．ｔＨＥ　ＬＡＳＴ　ＭＯＲＮＩＮＧ　ＷＥ　ＷＥＮＴ　ＴＯ　Ａ　ＮＡＴＩＯＮＡＬ　ＰＡＲＫ　ＷＨＥＲＥ　ＴＨＥＲＥ　ＷＥＲＥ　ＳＯＭＥ　ＰＥＲＦＥＣＴＬＹ　ＲＯＵＮＤ　ＢＯＵＬＤＥＲＳ　ＯＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＢＥＡＣＨ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＷＥＲＥ　ＲＥＡＬＬＹ　ＣＯＯＬ．ｗＨＥＮ　ＷＥ　ＧＯＴ　ＢＡＣＫ　ＴＯ　ＳＹＤＮＥＹ，　ＷＥ　ＳＰＥＮＴ　Ａ　ＤＡＹ　ＡＴ　ＴＨＥ　ＺＯＯ　ＷＨＩＣＨ　ＷＡＳ　ＡＷＥＳＯＭＥ　ＡＮＤ　ＴＨＥＮ　ＷＥＮＴ　ＴＯ　ＨＩＬＬＳＯＮＧ　ＯＮ　ＳＵＮＤＡＹ．ｓＨＡＮＮＡ　ＬＥＦＴ　ＯＮ　ＭＯＮＤＡＹ　ＡＮＤ　Ｉ　ＨＵＮＧ　ＯＵＴ　ＷＩＴＨ　ＭＹ　ＦＲＩＥＮＤ　ＫＩＳＳ　ＵＮＴＩＬ　Ｉ　ＬＥＦＴ　ＳＹＤＮＥＹ　ＬＡＳＴ　ＮＩＧＨＴ．

ａＬＳＯ，　ＢＥＦＯＲＥ　ＧＯＩＮＧ　ＴＯ　ＮＥＷ　ＺＥＡＬＡＮＤ，　ＤＡＲＣＹ　ＡＮＤ　Ｉ　ＷＥＮＴ　ＳＵＲＦＩＮＧ　ＩＮ　ＷＥＳＴ　ＯＺ　ＦＯＲ　Ａ　ＦＥＷ　ＤＡＹＳ．　　Ｉ　ＤＩＤＮ’Ｔ　ＧＥＴ　ＴＯ　ＳＵＲＦ　ＮＯＲＴＨ　ＰＯＩＮＴ，　ＷＨＩＣＨ　ＷＡＳ　ＷＨＡＴ　Ｉ　ＷＡＳ　ＡＩＭＩＮＧ　ＦＯＲ，　ＢＵＴ　Ｉ　ＤＩＤ　ＣＡＴＣＨ　ＳＯＵＴＨ　ＰＯＩＮＴ　ＢＲＥＡＫＩＮＧ　ＲＩＧＨＴ　ＯＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＲＯＣＫＳ　ＡＴ　ＡＢＯＵＴ　４　ＦＴ　ＷＩＴＨ　ＤＯＵＢＬＥ　ＯＶＥＲＨＥＡＤ　ＳＥＴＳ．ＤＲＹ　ＲＯＣＫＳ　ＦＡＺＥ　ＭＥ　ＶＥＲＹ　ＬＩＴＴＬＥ　ＴＨＥＳＥ　ＤＡＹＳ．　ＴＨＥ　ＳＭＡＬＬＥＳＴ　ＤＡＹ，　ＷＨＥＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＬＯＣＡＬＳ　ＳＡＩＤ　ＩＴ　ＷＡＳ　ＦＬＡＴ，　ＴＨＥＲＥ　ＷＥＲＥ　５　ＦＴ．　ＳＥＴＳ　ＯＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＲＥＥＦＳ　ＳＯＵＴＨ　ＯＦ　ＴＯＷＮ．　ｉ　ＤＩＤＮ’Ｔ　ＧＥＴ　ＴＨＥ　ＢＡＲＲＥＬＳ　ＴＨＡＴ　ｉ　ＷＡＮＴＥＤ，　ＢＵＴ　ｉ　ＭＵＳＴ　ＡＤＭＩＴ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＭＹ　ＣＵＴＢＡＣＫＳ　ＡＮＤ　ＨＡＣＫＳ　ＨＡＶＥ　ＢＥＣＯＭＥ　ＭＵＣＨ　ＭＥＡＮＥＲ　ＯＦ　ＬＡＴＥ．

ｎＯ　ＬＯＮＧＥＲ　ＡＢＬＥ　ＴＯ　ＳＴＡＮＤ　ＴＨＥ　ＣＯＮＦＵＳＩＯＮ　ＯＦ　ＴＨＩＳ　ＳＴＲＡＮＧＥ　ＫＥＹＢＯＡＲＤ，　ｉ’ＬＬ　ＳＡＹ　ＧＯＯＤＢＹＥ　ＦＲＯＭ　ＪＡＰＡＮ　ＡＮＤ　ＳＥＥ　ＹＯＵ　ＡＬＬ　ＩＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＴＡＴＥＳ　ＤＵＲＩＮＧ　ＴＨＥ　ＣＯＭＩＮＧ　ＦＥＷ　ＷＥＥＫＳ．　　ｉＴ　ＨＡＳ　ＢＥＥＮ　ＡＮ　ＡＷＥＳＯＭＥ　ＴＲＩＰ　ＡＮＤ　Ｉ’ＶＥ　ＧＲＯＷＮ　Ａ　ＬＯＴ　ＳＩＮＣＥ　ＬＥＡＶＩＮＧ　ＨＯＭＥ ＩＮ　ＪＡＮＵＡＲＹ．　ＬＯＯＫＩＮＧ　ＦＯＲＷＡＲＤ　ＴＯ　ＣＡＴＣＨＩＮＧ　ＵＰ　ＷＩＴＨ　ＥＶＥＲＹＢＯＤＹ．

Last Week of the Semester!

The close of the semester has brought with it loads of work on final assignments and hours of studying for exams.  Since my trip to Wilson's prom, I've had several decent days of surf, one nearly 30-hour straight writing/study session, and the best food of the semester, among other things.

The week after our Wilson's Promontory adventure, I studied hard to catch up on the reading for the whole second half of my logic class.  With that done, I headed down to Bells Beach for the last weekend in may.  I took along an American friend, Steve and we surfed Bells and Winki Pop a couple feet overhead and perfect.  Super fun waves.  The water was freezing.  Steve is from Santa Cruz, California, and even he got cold out there.  So while he slept in the car, I surfed for 7 hours straight with one quick break to grab a pbj, a banana, and some cookies.

My Aussie friend Darcy showed up as the swell was dying so we got to spend the night at his house in Bellbrae again.  The next day we drove south and surfed my favorite wave again, the little a-frame slab dumping onto barely submerged rocks.  Always an adrenaline rush.

Faker's mom showed up from Singapore the beginning of last week and had a few of us over for dinner at her apartment a couple nights.  It was without a doubt the best food I've had since leaving home.  One night we had pasta and then crepes for dessert.  The next night I think I had the best hamburger I've ever tasted.  No lie.  I looked over at Abhi and he looked like he had reached nirvana or something, just sitting there with his eyes closed and a peaceful smile across his face.  That food was something else.

I had a bioethics exam on Thursday so a couple days of studying proved helpful in writing two essays examining the ethical implications of xenotransplantation and nuclear-cytoplasmic chimeric embryo research.  I decided that the risk of xenozoonosis, if it is not eliminated, rules out xenotransplantation as an ethical practice.  Whatever that means.

I signed up for the scuba club at the beginning of the semester but I've surfed instead of diving every weekend.  I still get the emails though, and when I got one from some guy who I had never met about diving some springs in South Australia, I decided to respond.  So 4:30 am Saturday morning saw me out of bed after three hours of sleep.  5:00 saw me at Aran's house loading up Cal's car and trailer with dive gear, having just met Aran when I arrived that morning and Cal the day before when we filled up tanks.  I passed out in the car for a while on the drive, and every once in a while we would stop so Cal could try to photograph birds of prey we saw along the way.  Even after you sneak toward them and they don't mind, they always fly away as soon as you lift your camera.  I think I heard one or two laughing mischievously as they took off, 'humans are suckers'.

We got to Ewen's Ponds, our dive site, a little after noon.  When we pulled into the parking lot there were like three cars there, but as we put on our dive gear a convoy of about four more pulled up with a bunch of PADI divers.  'All right guys, everybody got their buddy?  Warm enough in those 20 millimeters of neoprene? Those drysuits working alright?  Let's go then!'

So when Cal, Aran, and I got in the previously crystal-clear water was full of silt from people jumping in and kicking their fins too close to the bottom.  It was alright though.  Still pretty. We followed the group through the canal to the second pond and then doubled back and swam through the first pond again when it had cleared up.  The water was freezing but beautifully clear, a lot like the springs back home, but with more fish and big crayfish.  The little creek that ran between the ponds was like an underwater garden.

We were underwater for a couple hours before hypothermia passed the first stage and we got out of the third pond shaking uncontrollably and walked back to the car to warm up.  As soon as we had finished warming up the sun was setting so we put the cold wetsuits right back on and got ready for our night dive.  When I jumped in, I could see the sliver moon perfectly through the clear water, and it gradually grew dark so that by the time I reached the bottom of the first pond about ten metres down, I could look up and start to see stars.  We cruised through the ponds as it got darker and darker, looking at big freshwater eels, and lots of fish and crayfish.  At the bottom of the third pond, the three of us turned off our lights and just sat there and looked at the stars for a while.  When I held my breath long enough for the surface to calm down, I could see the milky way perfectly, along with several constellations.

Then another group came into the pond shining their bright lights everywhere and stirring up silt.  I didn't mind so much though - it was kind of like a laser light show with their lights bouncing off the surface and shining through our streams of bubbles.

We had permits to snorkel Piccaninnie Pond the next morning, where the bottom of the little pond drops from 1 metre to 100 metres.  Straight down.  The visibility was once again a little stirred up in the first chasm from two divers who were there, but the crevices were really cool.  We weren't allowed to dive since none of us are cave certified, and we couldn't wear weight belts either due to restrictions.  Let me tell you, it is hard to freedive with 8.5 mm of neoprene on.  You float like a balloon.  I was kicking hard just to get 5 or 6 metres down into the second crevice, where I could see the bottom 20 metres below.  I found one cave to swim down into but every time I came out from underneath the ledge my wetsuit would buoy me up into the rocks and I would stir up a bunch of silt.

In the arvo, we drove down to Portland on the way home, in hope of seeing one of the right whales that come through this time of year.  None had been sighted that day, but we did get to snorkel with some seals and a giant stingray.  Seals are amazingly graceful and fast underwater, and also a little aggressive when you approach them while they are feeding.  Some things have to be found out firsthand.  It wasn't until we got out of the water that we saw the sign that told us we could be fined or go to jail for swimming with those particular seals.  I think they're slightly dangerous or something.  Oh well.

Now I have to study for my last exam on Wednesday.  Right after the exam, I leave for a few days surfing at Margaret River, WA with Darcy.  Should be fun surfing the heavy waves breaking over shallow reefs out there.  I didn't want to hear about people breaking their necks at North Point, where we are staying, but Darcy told me anyways.  It doesn't look like it'll be that big when we get there though.  Maybe double overhead plus?  I'll let you know when I get back.