It’s over. That’s right. OVER. We are leaving Brisbane on Sunday. And as much as we’ll try to always stay connected, we’ll have to leave a little of ourselves behind…

Time has come to say goodbye, gather our seemingly millions of memories, collect our souvenirs, rewind our emotions. We’ll just curl everything up into a tight little ball we’ll always keep right there, close to our hearts, deep in our cores. Always. ALWAYS.

But there is no time to whine or mope about… I have a farewell party to go to – let’s bring the driiiinks girls!!!

* BrizVegas aka Brisbane… Don’t ask me about the source of the nickname…There is no such thing as Casinos, slot machines, wedding chapels, bigger-than-a-city hotels. Why not BrisYork or BrisAngeles? Seriously, I have no idea…

He was with two of his best mates, Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo aka “The Raging Bull” and Kieren Perrow. Yes people, two surfing legends in the flesh!

So I grabbed my camera and trying to appear all cool, I smiled and asked them if I could take their photograph…And then in the most generous, sweetest, nicest, simplest way, they smiled back at me and said “of course babe, take as many pics as you want beautiful blonde”*. For about five seconds, I felt overwhelmed with joy, emotional… and extremely honored.

#1 Mark Occhilupo (Gold Coast) – The legend

This guy has an amazing bio. A true legend in the surfing world in the 80s, when he even starred in the Hollywood movie North Shore. But as his legend was rising, he gave up fruit juice, lentil soup and yoga for meat pies, cocaine and drunken nights. In the early 90s, depression followed. And judging by his behaviour at the Rip Curl Pro in Hossegor, no doubt French people remember him with…hum emotion? He attempted to push over the judges’ tower, ate sand, threw his board at an opponent, he challenged soon-to-be world champion Kelly Slater to a fist fight and eventually announced he would be swimming home, stopping off in China to practise his tai chi! He put on considerable weight up to 111kg. His legend was fading and he was in great danger, unable to paddle more than a few yards without gasping for breath… But he was set for a terrific come-back: he lost 30kgs, regained his fitness and was back on the circuit in 1995. He won the World Surfing Champion title in 1999 at the age of 33.

Check out some videos here.

# Kieren Perrow (Byron Bay) – The extreme rider

Kieren has always lived near the beach in Byron and with his dad as a shaper and mom as a surfer. He was among the top 5 in the WCT rankings in 2003 but he is most famous from an amazing session in Tasmania. He and his mates unveiled Shipsterns Bluff to the world, a remote surfing break you can only access by hiking a couple of hours.

For decades this wave was more myth than reality, as no one had even considered surfing it. The wave was instantly placed on the list of the world’s most dangerous breaks.

#3 Paul Fishers (Gold Coast) – The ‘playboy’

Voted among the ten hottest guys in surfing, this humble sweetheart describes himself in 10 words: ‘Loud, nude, mates, girls, surfing, dancing, music, laughing, entertaining, rolling’.

*…In my dreams. No, in fact they asked for $10 bucks with a condescending grin on their faces. For about five seconds, I felt angry, emotional…and extremely humiliated.

Firstly, let me warn you – THIS POST IS FOR GIRLS ONLY – STRICTLY NO BOYS ALLOWED!

This weekend I was chilling out in Byron Bay (I am a lucky girl I know), and you’ll never guess who I bumped into on the beach. Paul Fishers.

Ah la la…Paul…PAUL…P.A.U.L!!!

Ok, ok. I know what you’re going to tell me: who the hell is Paul Fishers?

Paul is one of the 10 hottest surfers on the planet according to U.S surfing magazine Transworld Surf. Apparently he doesn’t need to do much fishing for ladies* – Here is what miss TW Surf 2008 Heather Rose says about Paul. And I’d bet Miss Rose is considered an authority on the subject of hottest dudes.

“That smile alone makes us melt! What can I say…I like blondes. Preferably blondes who feel the constant constrain of clothing. This guy loves to get nude—finally a preview we are willing to sit through!”

Mmmm, enjoy these pics girls!

And boys, you’d better save your gay tendencies and man crushes for the gym. See, didn’t I warn you to stay away from this post??

* Apparently our boy is also famous for acting like a jerk with women.
Here is the lovely comment a ‘friend’ of his has left on the Transworld Surf website:
“Paul Fisher is a pig. Don’t waste your time with him. No respect for women. Should be strung up by the balls.”
So if after meeting him you end up renouncing to men, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Answer: It’s in their D.N.A…

Sounds a little ‘GATTACA’? See for yourself:

They learn to surf before they walk…		And so did their Dad…
And their Mum…		And their Grandpa and Granny…

So, do you believe me now?

When in Rome do as the Romans do…But I have to be honest, no matter how hard I try, hats look great on others but they look stupid on me. And I look stupid in them too. We have definitely nothing in common.

For the sake of my integration into the Aussie culture, I even tried a decorated hair band with peacock feathers. I had dreams about 1920s’ glamour. The result? More like a dead pheasant stapled to a tiara. No, I’ve tried to no avail, it just didn’t work on me.

I think it’s right there that I started to hate those old fashioned racing dress standards – a road block on my way to freedom, and my hair in the wind! So I decided to go for it…Hair in the wind. Literally. Hair in the rain too…Properly speaking, unhappy greasy messy hair in the wind and the rain…

Next time, I promise, I’ll try Aussie cowboys’ hats.

Would you visit the Vatican in a skimpy outfit?
Would you enter a mosque with your hiking boots?
Would you march into a Buddhist temple in shorts?

You certainly wouldn’t, would you? So why would you climb Uluru?

Uluru holds deep spiritual significance to the Anangu people and they prefer you – and ask you – not to climb Ayers Rock. It is a sacred path that is only taken by few Anangu men on special occasions.

The tourism industry encourages the climbing though: ‘sunrise, climb, sunset’… sign up for the Ayers Rock package and follow the tour leader!

Please don’t consider the rock as a trophy, a “been there done that’’, a photo op on the top of it…

We walk around it and it was a real mystical experience. No need to climb it, really!

Close your eyes, come with me. Let me take you on a magical journey to a fabled land, a land haunted by the spirits of dozens of ancestral creator beings named Kalaya (Emu), Liru (poisonous snake), Lungkata (blue tongue lizard), Luunpa (kingfisher) and Tjintir-tjintirpa (willie wagtail)…

A land of springs, waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. A land over which reigns a red ochre giant of great spiritual power…

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to sound like a new age guru on drugs. But there is definitely something sacred emanating from Uluru (Ayers Rock), Australia’s most recognisable natural icons, the world-famous sandstone rock formation located in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia (for those who don’t know!).

Something sacred but not of the kind of thing you’d find in a church, a temple, or a mosque. No, something sacred in its natural state, not processed or refined by human hand. Rawer, stronger, deeper. Something that appeals to the origins of things, that lets you awe struck by the magnitude, solitude and the wondrousness. Something that makes you feel like a pilgrim rather than a mere tourist…and that leaves you with the consciousness that the whole of the Earth is sacred.

OK, maybe I do sound like a new age guru on drugs…

But seriously go there and watch the rock at sunrise or sunset, when it changes colours, from golden brown to tangerine, from carmine to scarlet, magenta to lavender purple, and – yes, it will make you high!

I’ll try to belt out a few general characteristics that define why Australian girls are so pretty damn cool …

FRIENDSHIP
Aussie girls: 1 – French girls: 0
The typical Australian girl has a solid group of FEMALE mates. She understands only a sociopath would utter the words, “I prefer the company of men.” And that’s great, because men really suck, don’t they? On the other hand, French girls are real bitches. Not that we’re mean people (well, maybe we are…) who are trying to be rude (or maybe we are…), it’s just that our social structures are different.

While the Aussie girl aspires to have bunches of friends she can borrow clothes from, go shopping with and occasionally get smashed with, the French girl consider all other chicks as potential threads that will steal the males’ attention away. Although I am still trying to figure it out, my opininion is that this pervasive rivalry among French women is probably the result of France’s age-old cult of séduction and femmes fatales. There is no sisterhood in France (actually the word doesn’t even exist).

MEN
Aussie girls: 1 – French girls: 0
Seriously, who cares about men? Certainly not the aussies!

LOOK
Aussie girls: 1 – French girls: n/a
You believed French women were the most gorgeous, didn’t you? Well, girls in Australia, they might not have Zara nor H&M, but they have tons of really cool designers I had never heard of before. And they are totally crazy about fashion. No, but seriously, crazy about it! That being said, it’s not uncommon for them to wear a t-shirt with nothing underneath… Anyway, they have much better tans!

PHILOSOPHY
Aussie girls: 1 – French girls: 0
The Australian girl is an optimist. She believe that being happy with yourself and confortable in your own skin will make you far more beautiful. And as corny as it sounds, it’s true.

Much influenced by the kids of New York City, Melbourne has embraced street art since the early 80s.

It is everywhere, down many hidden laneways and arcades, and it takes many forms: stencil art, sticker art, poster art, graphs, reverse graffiti…

If you are travelling to Melbourne, don’t miss out, check out the small CBD laneways – Hoiser Lane is the most famous one – Fitzroy or Brunswick.

We love this vibrant urban culture – So much that  I can’t stop singing Run-DMC’s songs in my head all day and Guillaume has bought himself a leather jacket like Jay-Z…if this keeps up, I’ll have to be his Beyonce. Help!!!

Walk this way
Talk this way!
Well just gimme a kiss
Oooh, a-like this!

Vive le Hip Hop, Vive Melbourne!