Melbourne street culture

When we were sixteen, my friend Katie and I decided to start a t-shirt design business. We went as far as bulk ordering some white t's from the internet and making one design (rainbow robots).  Then, like most other teenage endeavors, our entrepreneurial dreams dissipated in the wind as we tended to other adolescent distractions.

An exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria featured thirty years of Melbourne t-shirt design and culture. It almost feels like the graphic t trend is more pervasive here in Australia than in the States (although quantity does not translate into quality).  T-shirts are probably one of the most democratic art forms--its affordability and accessibility is what gave my broke sixteen year old ass an opportunity to dabble in the medium. Like graffiti culture, t-shirts take the message to the streets --its (often involuntary) audience has direct access to their canvases, making it an effective vehicle for expression.

I was overcome with nostalgia at this exhibit--it reminded me of one of the few things that used to excite me. My most recent pursuit in t-shirt design consisted of a couple of Experimental Jet Set-inspired Knicks t-shirts that my sister and I wore to a game last year.

10,000 miles away from home but nothing feels too foreign #thanksglobalization&tehinternetz

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Saw A Place to Bury Strangers in Sydney today, where brooklyn at

Graffiti in the laneways of Melbourne

Mixed media

T-shirt exhibit

Eat pho, eat pho, errday, yeah

The Great Ocean Road in Melbourne

I call this one the "flan-wich"

when you're on a golden sea...you don't need no memory

I knew I was headed for summer in Australia, but I had NO idea (mostly due to a lack of research and preparation) that my first destination city Cairns was HOT AS BALLS. Surrounded by rainforests on the north and west and the Coral Sea on the east, Cairns' climate is humid and tropical. 

JWayne and I went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef yesterday. It was my first time diving so half the time I was freaking out trying to remember how to breathe and the other half I was freaking out over the beauty of the coral and fish. Floating in between crevices of this living, breathing monolith was such a surreal and humbling experience. While snorkeling, we chased schools of fish and made a sea turtle friend!

Into the rainforest tomorrow, off to Melbourne on Saturday!

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On the road to Port Douglas, a beach town north of Cairns.

Beach architecture courtesy of one toiling crab.

This is the car we rented from Wicked..."Officer, I swear we're not!"

Kangaroo burger!

Beach in Cairns, desolate for miles

Making guac on the beach with a Leatherman #resourcefulness

UH HELL YEAH I DID. Fuzzy koala butt is fuzzy!

Hello interwebz!

Well I'm changing all my strings I'm gonna write another travellin' song...

I haven't written a blog post since my Xanga days in high school, which served its purpose of cryptically dedicating emo lyrics to boys I've never spoken to. As a misanthropic luddite (aka opposite of social media guru), my web presence is practically null (also, there are 47.6 million other people with my name in this world-this may or may not be an exaggeration), but I know I'll be grateful for documenting this experience, especially when the dementia days kick in.

To be honest, I don't known much about Australia. I imagine that everyone looks like some rendition of Matthew McConaughey, swills Yellowtail and Foster's, hugs koalas, throws shrimp on the barbie, and surfs in Uggs. Not a bad profile, I'd say, and as much as I love stereotypes (I get a little giddy when an Asian person gets on the train at Canal Street with a giant, 20-pound bag of rice), I'm eager to embrace the southern summer sun and see Australia for what it truly is.

Here is some nifty advice I've received from loved ones that I'll keep in mind during my trip:
-Don't get arrested
-Don't get the herp
-Don't get arrested in Thailand 
-Don't die, "because then I'll be bored and I'll have to find a new friend"
-Beware of Drop Bears
-Make a bushfire plan

As you can see, my friends have a lot of faith in me... -_-

Overheard in Sydney during my 23-hour layover:
Chinese street performer: When I was 10, I told my mom I wanted to grow up and become a street performer. She said I could only choose one.

Lolz too real.

<3 jenny