Tag: Australia

Fantasy

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Have you ever wanted to escape reality and live in an imaginary world? Well, I have. Through books and my wild imagination, I have been to many places.

One time I escaped to Hogwarts and it was amazing. I got to learn different spells and play quidditch, and I became a witch. Another place I escaped to was Australia. I visited the Sydney Opera House and swam safely around the Great Barrier Reef.

Photo credit: About my Brain Institute Blog

My imagination is a weird one. Sometimes I am in a scary mood, so I go to a haunted house, and other times I feel happy so I envision myself as a mermaid.

Escaping is a sort of coping mechanism for me. It allows me to forget about all my struggles, stresses of life, and calm down a bit. Although it is good for coping, I have to remember to live in the real world as well.

American Guns

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The White House just came out with this dashing photo of Obama shooting clay pigeons at Camp David.

I really love the way the White House is trying to look “pro-gun” by releasing this photo. There really shouldn’t have to be so much of an effort by the White House to try to convince so many gun-advocate dunderheads that their president isn’t going to come to their house and steal their guns when they sleep.

America has a weird fascination with guns. About 40% of Americans have guns in their house. This is one of the only developed countries on the planet where the citizens feel the need to own assault weapons and as many magazines as they can handle. There really is no reason for people to own these types of weapons. The only benefit of an assault weapons is that they don’t leave time for people to think in between shots.

Take Australia for example. My cousin, a police officer in Tasmania, came over to California just after the Sandy Hook shootings. He and his entire family really could not understand the gun laws here in the States. In Australia, no one is allowed assault weapons, guns must be kept in locked containers and police officers check to see if your house is suitable for guns. I asked him if there are many shootings in Australia, and he replied, “Um, no. Of course not.”

What a luxury it must be to live in a country where shootings aren’t something common. It really is not hard  to make that dream become a reality. America could take a page from Australia’s law book. This is something that can happen, it’s just a matter of how much people care about saftey.

Gotye.

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Gotye

Gotye or Wouter De Backer is a singer and songwriter who has recently found international success with his third album.

Originally from Belgium he moved to Melbourne at the age of two. Here he grew up, attended school and fell in love with music.

His music passion was flared when he became great at playing a number of instruments. From here he went on to form a high school band The Downstares and then later became part of the famous Melbourne band, The Basics.

In 2003 he released his first album Boardface and followed on to release his second album Drawing Blood in 2006. This album received much praise and the album was nominated for an ARIA award among others for his independent music.

Last year Gotye released his latest album Making Mirrors and that is when his real success came in as he music began to go international this year. On February the 1st he performed his song “Somebody I Used To Know” in which he duets with female vocalist Kimbra, along with others on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Some have compared his voice to Police front man Sting and others to Peter Gabriel but in my opinion you cannot compare him with anyone because his voice is unique and the songs he produces are fantastic. So give him a listen.

The Great Barrier Reef

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Look at how pretty this is.

The Great Barrier Reef is 500,000 yeas old, located in the coral reef off the coast of Queensland which is the North Eastern part of Australia. It is the world’s largest reef system. There are more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands scattered over 133,000 square miles. In 1981, The Great Barrier Reef was selected as a World Heritage Site.

I have traveled to Fitzroy Island, which is one of the islands of The Great Barrie Reef, when I used to live in Australia. We had to travel by boat for two and a half hours there. It was very windy, and I remember my mom getting sick very badly. I was little so I was just sitting away from her getting confused how to help…

I snorkeled there and the corals and fishes were too pretty… The ocean was light blue, and the sun makes the ocean prettier. The corals had a lot of colors and fishes were hiding between the corals which was fun to watch.

If I get a chance to go there next time, I would definitely scuba dive. I miss Australia so bad…

Angus & Julia Stone

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Angus & Julia Stone

Although the sun has currently disappeared in South California the summer sun will once again return in the next couple of weeks, we hope.  The grey days may sadden many but this doesn’t mean it’s time to put on some heavy metal; instead we should listen to those summer songs that make us feel happy once again.

The music of Angus & Julia Stone is the definition of great summer music. Their rustic tones and acoustic sounds paired with simple lyrics such as and rhythms make for music that is truly great.A brother and sister combo from New Port, Australia the pair have astonished many with their paired talent and unique sounds.

Growing up with a strong love for music the siblings decided to give the profession a go releasing their first EP “Chocolates and Cigarettes” in 2006. This followed on to the release of a second EP in 2007 titled “Heart Full of Wine” and the later album “A Book Like This.” Their first album went platinum in their home country following on to its release across the world.

At the beginning of last year the group released the album “Down the Way,” which reaped much success. Featuring songs like “Big Jet Plane” and “Hold On” the album won numerous awards with many of the group’s song featuring on TV shows across the globe.

The pair create great music which is simple but great, proving that often simplicity is often the key. If you need to get in the mood for summer blast out some Angus & Julia Stone and I assure you it will make you feel better.

http://youtu.be/yFTvbcNhEgc

Hurricane Yasi

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The massive hurricane hitting the coast of Eastern Australia is getting worse and worse. It has been named the worst natural disaster in Australian history. The storm is now much bigger than hurricane Katrina, and it also has a better name. Winds have been reported to be as high as 183 MPH, with waves as high as 30 feet. Flooding is once again a major factor in Australia because of the rain. An area the size of the U.K. has been covered in water.

Scale of Cyclone Yasi imageThis natural disaster in Queensland comes on top of the immense flooding in and around Brisbane. Flooding has just recently becoming a big problem in mainland eastern Australia.  Hopefully, once the cyclone has passed, the government can help with the multi billion dollar recovery.

Australia

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Way down under (Waaaay down under), there is a country called Australia. I know what you’re thinking, Fosters’, Abo-digenies, “The Dingo ate my baby” (that actually happened by the way) and kangaroos.

Surprisingly, there is a more to that landmass that makes up most of Oceania. It’s home to one of the world’s greatest Reefs, and the world’s largest rock. Yeah, the biggest one. It’s pretty dope.

You like surfing? We’ve got surfing; just don’t let the sharks get you down.  Some of the best surfing in Australia is in Byron Bay.  You know, that’s the beach break just west of Widow’s Rock  (Side note; It’s called “Widow’s Rock” because of a shark attack that left a woman widowed).  Hey, if you don’t like sharks, just head down south and chill with the penguins. The water’s a little cold, that’s all.

Traveling in the central mainland can be pretty phenomenal. When my family drove to my mom’s hometown, Pyramid Hill, we saw some pretty cool stuff.  The first thing that catches your eye is the 300-foot tall Pyramid Hill. That is literally the only change in elevation for miles around.  And hey, if you don’t like hills, there’s a lot of sand around. A LOT of sand. It’s red too.

The small town that surrounds the hill is very interesting. However, it has been going downhill due to drought. The drought is causing the salt to rise to above ground, killing most crops. So that makes for an interesting landscape.