PhD & weekends

When I came home Jill was also staying at our place! Woohoo! I love to have a good friend with me here. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to spend with her during the week. But we enjoyed our first weekend after Melbourne. It was so warm so: Time for the pool!

 Breakfast at the pool

Jilling in the pool (thx Bie ;-))

Last monday Jill left us :-( She went 600km West from where we live and she is in the middle of nowhere working in a the oldest bar of Queensland! After 3 days without news of Jill, and I couldn't reach her because she doesn't have phone reception, I started to worry and I decided to call the bar to make sure Jillie is ok. And Jillie is ok! No reception, internet hard to access, a lot of insects, dirty rooms, BUT nice people and a lot of hours to work which is good money! I think about you Jill! And we miss you here!

That is what happens in the weekends... but during the week I am working hard. And also in the weekends I try to get some things done. The last 2 weeks I have been working hard on my PhD.  It was not easy and a lot of decisions had to be made and thus a lot of hard thinking work. A PhD is really like an emotional roller coaster. Sometimes I feel so great about my research and then, because of one comment or thing that happened... I feel so stupid and I have no idea what I am doing... For the first time, I was thinking... Jessie, just go home and find a job! But I know that is not what I want to do. I want to finish my PhD. So I work more. At the moment I sorted out all the problems, I know again what to do and how so START! DO IT!

Last Saturday I went to the Currumbin Rock Pools with Philippe on the motorbikes. It took us half an hour to get there. It is like a river with rocks where you can swim and jump of the rocks! We spent a nice afternoon there!

Currumbin Rock Pools

Jumping of the rocks

We definitely have to come back to this place but apparently we have to drive a bit further on the road to the currumbin pools national park, where it is even better and nicer! So I am already looking forward to go there again!

On Sunday, I worked a bit, I read in the book about Andre Agassi (it takes me so long to finish it because I don't have time to read!). We did groceries and the laundry... In the afternoon I decided to go kayaking on the lake, but with Philippe on the pier... because I am a bit scared to fall in the water or to be attacked by the Bull Sharks that live here (that's what they say... never seen one). I enjoyed my little kayak trip! It is so cool to see all the houses from another perspective. Today I also realised how big our house is if you see it from the water!

Me kayaking

Apparently another PHD student lives in the red house :-)

She recognised her house on a facebook picture

Philippe, ready to save me if sth happens :-)

Our huge house! I love it!

As most nights, Philippe is working at the restaurant again! I had some time to write on my blog, and now I am going to work a bit more on my proposals and method chapter! 

Cheers,

Jessie

Final!

Oops! I see that I still have to make an update of my last days in Melbourne!

On Saturday I went quite early to Melbourne Park. I saw An-sophie Mestach playing the junior finals in the Rod Laver arena. She played well! Nice slices and good variations during the rally! She won her game pretty easy! 16 years old... it must be so amazing to stand on the big court and win The Aussie Open

Juniors and Wheelchairs

After the juniors final I went to the oval, the place where all the sponsors have there stand.

Nice painting for Kim

Me :-)

At 7.30pm the women's final Kim Clijsters - Na Li started. Just before the game the cast of Hairspray did a short performance which was nice.

I had a good seat, not too far from the court, second raw of the higher part. Then a Chinese group came that was sitting in front of me. I thought... PERFECT! All small people, so I will have a good view... NOT! THey were so fanatic... They had a big paper with something written in chinese on it. They were leaning forward all the time and holding the paper in the air.... But then some other people next to me made some comments about it and they understood.

Kim won the first 9 points of the game :-) It seemed that it would be an easy match for Kim... But then Na Li won her first point... The people in front of me reacted if she had won the whole match... You would think that the people in the stadium would be all supporting Kim, but there were so many chinese people! And they were all the time shouting... Na Li, Kai o (or something like that) which means Na Li, come on! Na Li started to play better and Kim started to make a lot of unforced errors... She lost the first set... Now me and my Aussie neighbours were getting quiet... In the second set Kim still had trouble but then she came closer and she went over Na Li. Set set. Wohooo! Go with the Belgian Flag! Even my Aussie neighbours were proud to hold my flag with me.

 THe third set was a bit easier. Kim won!

I had a great time at the Australian Open! It was amazing! I hope I can go back next year!

On Sunday morning I went to the Fitzroy Gardens but it was soooo warm that I didn't see much there... I went through the shopping streets and bought a little present for philippes birthday! It was 40 degrees on this Sunday, I think the warmest I have ever had so far.

Then I went back to the hostel to get my luggage and to wait for the pick up bus to the airport. When I arrived at the Gold Coast, Charlie picked me up and then we went to the restaurant where philippe is working. We had dinner and a nice dessert to celebrate his birthday. And then I gave my present... A little toy car wrapped in a paper of a Top Gear magazine... Philippe didn't understand it.... Till I gave him a paper with a scan of 2 tickets for the Top Gear live show in Brisbane on the 5th of March!

So back home... back to work....