Bad News - No Japan For Me

I just checked the USA JET website and am sad to report that I wasn't selected for an interview. *frown* Ah well, at least I tried. At this point, I'm not too bummed about it because I wasn't one of those people who were betting everything on it. I was hoping I'd at least get an interview, but I suppose it wasn't in the cards for me. At least I still have a job right?

A special thanks goes out to everyone who helped with the application and for writing reference letters. I'm sure they were wonderful. I guess this was probably a bad year to apply since there were a record number of applicants (more than 5,300). However, that's what happens when you do this kind of stuff on a whim. If I had given living abroad more serious thought, I would have applied years ago. Then again, I probably didn't have this wanderlust going on back then so traveling didn't even come to mind.

Now that I know I didn't make it, I can concentrate on other things. I am still seriously contemplating spending a couple months backpacking through Australia and New Zealand with Elle. She and I will probably have a good time just getting lost.

I have also read an entire blog written by a local guy who did a cycling tour through NZ and is backpacking it through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a guy named Dug, who seems to be from Maui, and his blog is called Rompingground. He's already been gone for over a year. Amazing! While I definitely cannot live up to his long-distance biking, the WWOOFing sounds pretty interesting and a good way to learn about a foreign country and really get to know its people.

Now, I know what you guys are thinking. And yes, I am definitely a city girl (which is why I love San Francisco so much). But I think I can kick it in the backwoods as long as I'm doing something interesting like milking cows or herding sheep. I'm not sure about clearing the land as Dug did, but I'm game to at least give it a try.

So I guess the main point is that my future is wide open. (I was getting a little stressed out as Elle and I would talk about Australia and NZ but couldn't really do much because everything hinged on a reply from JET.) I plan to reevaluate the next year or so of my life and see what direction life will take me. Moving up to San Francisco is still a possibility, but I don't think I can do it without a job. That'd take some cojones that I do not have right now.

Brotherhood Never Looked Better

I always thought it was a cliche that "good girls love bad boys" but now I'm beginning to think there's something to that saying.

I just watched a surfer doc called Bra Boys. It talks about the life and times of a group of Australian surfers from Maroubra and focuses on the Abberton family. It is an Aussie version of Lords of Dogtown, but way, way better, in my opinion.

Bad ass surfers were never hotter than in this film. (I think the accent adds to the allure.) Covered in tats, street brawling and charging towering waves - these guys are complete bad asses. And nothing is sexier than that. It's as if Patrick Swayze's Bodhi has come to life . . . with an Aussie accent no less! What good girl could resist?

The doc itself is really interesting as it talks about Australia's history and the particular history and localism of Maroubra. Basically, it's an underprivileged area where the only options are death, jail or surfing. The "Locals Only" mentality runs high. In a place where families are often broken and drug use is high, these kids find comfort in each other and in the ocean. Their passion for surfing is evident in everything they do. They have definitely found and harnessed their Paradise.

I definitely recommend this documentary - for the massive waves, great surf footage and of course, the bad boy surfers.

Check out the trailer: