Why hello there!!

So last night it was Neighbours Night just down the road at a British Pub. I had amazing beef and ale pie - mmmmm! And then we had a quiz night, with stupid games added in while Dr Karl, Janelle, Mal and Connor came round to our tables and we had pictures taken with them! It was so cool! Connor has got quite fat but he spend ages with everyone but our table! Don't think we were drunk enough! I think he was battered judging by some of the pictures he was having taken with people but then again it was St Paddys Day. Mal was really lovely and very cute. Unfortunately he is married with 2 kids and one on the way! Shame! And he's coming back to Neighbours - so is Connor! They obviously can't find any other work! Janelle was rubbish as she really didn't stay for long with each person and was a bit crap. Karl was the best though as he gave everyone a hug/kiss and asked our names and actually spoke to us. But he's practised as he appears every Monday night there. Strangely we didnt win the quiz though as the questions were really hard! Not many Neighbours questions and some really nasty ones.

I didn't get to go to the Neighbours Tour on Friday as it was cancelled due to the driver calling in sick but I'm going tomorrow instead. Looking forward to it!

Sunday I spent a very long, hot day at the Grand Prix. Absolutely worth it though! It was so cool. I got up about 7.15am and was out the door by 8.30am and in to Albert Park before 9am. I had a wonder round first. The Park is huge and everything is really spread out. So lots of walking. Got annoyed that I couldn't got in the F1 paddock and see the cars as my general admission ticket wasn't valid for that area! I didn't know that. I think I had to have a grandstand ticket to get in there. But I ws the Aussie racing cars that are really tiny and cute. There is one driver called Nick Lowe so I took a picture of that sign and his car! I then had a look at the V8 racing cars and the historic cars before watching the historic cars going round the track. Next was the Aussie racing cars and then the celebrity challenge, the only person I'd heard of was Mark Philipoussis but they were all Aussie sports people. The V8 race was really cool. The cars have their exhausts on the side and flames come out!! Awesome! They were really loud too! There was also the Carrera Cup which is all Porshes going round. The actually Grand Prix didn't start until 3.30pm and before that there was the stunt plane display - like the Red Arrows but called the Red something-elses! They were good and there was a helicopter display and an F18 jet display where at one point one of the jets flew vertically 1000m and then turned around and flew back down to ground almost vertically. It was stunning and the jets are so loud! Just before the race started some girl sung the National Anthem which I hadn't heard before(!) and then there was a flyover by a massive Qantas plane! It was so cool! Really close - we may as well have been on the runway! The race started and the noise was incredible. When they came past (I was sat by turn 11) they we so fast and so loud! I understood why some people had earplugs! I didn't and my ears were ringing by about 5 laps in! Sometimes we got to see the cars quite well since they were following the safety car! This happened quite a lot since there were so many crashes and the like. I think in the end there were only 10 cars still going! I got scared when Hamilton wasn't in the lead as I'd bought a Lewis/Mercedes McLaren cap and though maybe I'd jinxed him! Just like when I vote in X Factor or Joseph and the person I vote for always gets sent home - I thought maybe he would lose as I'd bought the hat! I was very pleased when it got back out in front but if it hadn't have been for that other guy going in the pits while the safety car was out he may never have got back in front! Very tense all in all. I moved over the watch from the big screen about half way though so I could see what was going on. You don't get much of an idea of the race when you can only see one corner and they go by so fast you can't tell who they all are! It was so hot though and I must have drunk litres and litres of water. All the food outlets ran out of cold drinks! There was a free water outlet but the queue was 10 deep around the tank. I went to the loos and got wet paper towels to put on my neck and I watched the last 20 laps while laying down on the grass with my head on my backpack and a wet papertowel across my forehead! I had a thumping headache from too much sun and not enough water/shade. The only shade was where you coudn't see the race from so I wasn't going to sit there! The other thing was because it has been so dry here there was hardly any grass and it was mostly dust. There was also a breeze (a hot one!) so everyone got covered in bits of grass and black dust. I was absolutely filthy! And it all got spread around when I put more sun cream one! It was really gross! When I got back to the hostel I couldn't wait for a shower! When the race was over I ran back over to the track so that I could see their lap of honour and I waved at Lewis! I couldn't get a photo as they were still going too fast and there was a metal fence so my camera could only focus on that! After the course car came round we could walk on the track so I walked all the way round the the grid. It was great! I took pictures of tyre marks on the track and I stole some orange pebbles from the side where they can come off the tarmac! I took photos of the number 1 and 2 on the ground on the grid and also of some of the cars that could be seen at the entrance to the pits! I look pics of both Hamilton and Kovaleinens cars as I didnt know which was Lewis'! They don't have names on the side which they should! I also saw all the pits and the podium. It was good fun. There was a Kiss concert afterwards which I should have gone to since how often do you get to see Kiss live in concert? But I was knackered, hot, smelly and I had a headache so I just walked home - as fast as my aching legs would take me. It was a really good day and worth the money.

Later that evening I decided to go and get take away as there was no way I was cooking. I walked to a pizza place and on the way some guy thought I was a hooker!!! I couldn't believe it! I told him where to go and he b*****ed off but I was not impressed! This brings home what a dodgy area this hostel is in! The red light district or what! Have seen a couple about but I didn't think I looked that scanky! I had washed, showered and was wearing a nice summer dress that is not at all short! Am glad to be moving in to the city on 26th!

Also yesterday I went to a job interview in a place called Richmond at a call centre. I took a typing test (34 wpm - pretty slow!) and did a role play over the phone and then had a one to one interview. The lady said that I'd get a call by 5pm if I had got the job and if I didn't get a phone call then I'd know I hadn't got it. Well the interview was over by 11.30am and I got a phone call less than 2 hours later! So I start on 3rd April which is great as it gives me some time to do the touristy thing without having to worry that my money is going to run out. It's inbound customer service. All I have to do is take phone calls from people who've received notification that their 2nd installment of payment for their share scheme for Telstra telecom has come up. So I may have to answer a few questions but mainly I just have to answer the phone and take payments. Easy money. It's 40 hours a week and it's Monday to Friday so I have my weekends free which is great. I get $18.63 an hour + 9% super. I should take home about $500 a week after tax, etc. Which is great. More than I got at home fo doing a job that was a bit stressful and I had to think about! Probably find this is mind-numbingly boring but it's only for 3 months so I think I can cope! I'll just think of the money I can save up for the rest of my travels!

So I'm going to be really busy for the next week or so around Easter making sure I get all my tours in. Want to visit Philip Island to see the penguin parade, the Great Ocean Road and also Wilson's Promontary. All exciting!

Hope everyone's good and you all have a nice Easter.

xxxxx