JeremyLaDuke.com

Whooops! I forgot to mention my stay in Australia.

I started out in Thailand. It was awesome but being home sick never felt so bad. I also realized I wanted to get a few things done Stateside before I head back to normal life and at my current pace, I’ll literally be jumping back into it immediately. That wasn’t an option. So I decided to pick up the pace and catch a flight to Singapore where I had a flight to Australia waiting.

I shockingly found a cheap flight from Bangkok to Singapore for the day after next. I jumped on it. The I found the nearest STA Travel office and moved my flight from Singapore to Melbourne up a few weeks so it would be on the same day I arrive in Singapore. Everything work perfectly.

I arrived in Melbourne and toured the city for two days. Melbourne is a pretty big city but it has a real small town vibe to it. Its very strange. There was like a huge open air famers market right near all these sky scrapers. Old building among new ones. Country folk amoung city slickers. Very interesting.

At this point my cough from Bangkok has turned into a full blown sinus infection. Green snot and all. I met a girl in Egypt from Australia. Donna invited me to stay with her once I arrived in Australia, that or I invited myself…I don’t recall. She lives is small town a few hours outside Melbourne called Warnnambool. I bought a ticket and arrived a few hours later.

Donna immediately took me from the train station on a whilrwind tour of the town. It’s not very big so it went pretty quick. It reminded me alot of Klamath Falls, the town I spent my teenage years in. I believe Warnnambool actuall has a larger population. They actually had enough people to adaquately filla dance club and a couple bars…..even on a Wednesday!

Donna’s friend Nadia took a liking to my website long before we met. When we finally did meet, it was like we already knew each other. It was a strange feeling, but also very comfortable, which was especially important since they seem to spend every waking moment together!

We ending up going to a dance club and have a great time. I spent most of may days SICK. My infection was now giving me a fever and cold sweats. I felt incredibly embarrassed having to show my worst side to a new friend. Imagine snot rags everywhere, cough all through the night and a smelly, sweaty Jeremy to wake up to every morning. Not a nice experience. And I’m sure much more of a burden than expected. Donna was extremely patient and accomodating! She cooked dinner almost every night, which was wonderful. I ate like a bird most of the time, since my appetite was gone. I also couldn’t taste anything for the majority of my time there. So who knows if she’s a good cook or not. At least the food was hot.

I also spent a few nights at Nadia’s house. Partly to give Donna a well needed break from Jeremy-hell, and to torture Nadia. Just kidding. Nadia was more than accomodating. She gave me her bed while she slept on an uncomfortable futon. I graciously sneezed and coughed all over her sheets and drooled all over her pillows. She bought me some delicious cookies. At this point I could actually taste them cuz I was getting better. I think Nadia got a better deal than Donna in regards to my health and general disgustingness.

After my week and a half of fun in Warnambool, I headed to Syndey. I spent a couple days there walking around downtown. It was great. Sydney has everything. When I got to the Airport I was reading a cinema magazine that told me they were shooting Metropolis for Superman Returns 2006 in Sydney! DAMN I MISSED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sure enough, when I landed in LA I saw a crew member from the set of Superman Returns 2006 in the line to Customs wearing a Superman Returns hat!!!

Oh yeah, and LA Sucks.

The End.

Yes. You heard it right! I’m back in the States! It’s good to be back! My plans are to travel to the east coast to visit some dear friends of mine for a bit. Then I’ll head to Phoenix for 2 weddings! Then we’ll see where I go from there.

Now that my travels are over I’ll have to come up with a new theme for my site. I think since this particular site is jeremyladuke.com I’ll continue to keep it up to date with my daily musings on God, Love & Relationships and the short trips I take as well as a few other interests such as Food and Health and Foreign Currency Trading.

Keep your eyes peeled, I think my site is ready for a new look. I think I’ll start working on it today!

I’ve been thinking about the changes this trip has made in me and the changes it hasn’t. I had quite a few expectations and one in particular hasn’t really been met. I really want to put myself into a situation where I was forced to rely on others and therefore forced to talk with others and overcome my shyness. I did put myself in situations where I was forced to talk with complete strangers, but I still completely fight it.

I do everything but ask for help. I waste hours and hours of walking around lost before I muster enough courage to ask a stranger to help me. Now, it’s not all just about shyness. Part of it is wondering if this person I’m about to ask is going to take me for a ride. But 97% of it is simply pride. And I don’t know why.

It seems, at first, that the thing I lack is pride. But when I look at it for what it is, it’s pride. And it’s completely irrational. My overwhelming desire to protect my pride keeps me from simple human interaction. What’s even more, I seem to think I have nothing to talk about! But I talk my friends’ ears off all the time. I think the end all is that I have a bit of low self-esteem, and I’m not sure why. I’m petrifide of rejection, and I’m not sure why. I’m fully aware that rejection will actually help build up my confidence and that failures are the perfect tool for learning. So if it logically makes sense, why do I still hesitate?

I think I’ll take this opportunity to actually enact this thing called courage. I’ll stand in the face of my fears and charge forward. With confindence in God’s plan for my future I should have–as the Australians say–”no worries.”

Yeah, transvestite hookers. And man are they pushy! As I walk down the street after 1am they come out of the woodwork. They call out to you and if you even hint at looking their direction they are on you like glue!

“Where you going?”

“I’m going ot my hotel.”

“I come with you.”

“No that’s okay. I going to sleep.”

“I sleep with you!”

“No.”

“Why you scared of me?”

“BYE!”

Pad Thai is made by street vendors. It’s got like 4 or 5 types of noodles with sprouts and carrots and for an extra 5 Baht you can have egg added. Yum! Best Thai food ever. And it seems to keep you quite regular too!