Diving with sharks

The most amazing thing that I have done in my life (besides the trip to Australia), is a shark dive in the aquarium (in Australia, of course..haha). The place is called Oceanworld Manly and it is in Manly Beach, which is on the north head of Sydney. To get there from the city, we took the Manly ferry from Circular Quay, which is the transportation hub in the middle of the city, right near the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The ride across takes about 30 minutes and it is an incredibly scenic ride. We were able to get some great shots of the bridge and opera house as we glided across the harbour. The north head is near the mouth of the harbour, so once the ferry gets near, the water gets a little rough, as the ferry turns into the port.

Oceanworld is a great little aquarium. We went out there twice: the first time we saw all of the little exhibits. The staff was very knowledgable. We got to actually pet a baby crocodile and see funnel web spiders up close. They informed people about the deadly snakes and spiders of Australia and how they were not aggressive and what to do if you come in contact with one. Afterwards, we walked around Manly Beach. What a great little town...tons of stores and great restaurants by the beach. It actually kind of reminded me of Santa Monica, but prettier and cleaner. It is actually situated between two beaches, one being in calmer water because it's part of the harbour and the other on the ocean side, where we saw a lot of surfers and kayakers. There's a beautiful path that wind around the rocky cliffs alongside the beach, ending up at Shelley Beach, which is like a little cove with walkways up to the top of the hills, for an amazing view of the ocean.

That night, which was actually Halloween, we did a Quarantine Station Ghost Tour, which was in Manly, too. I will blog about that some other time...

So, two days later, we came back and I did my shark dive. Jason and Shelley didn't do it with me, so I was a little nervous, but there were these two other "mates" that were doing it with me. I was the only one of us who had never dived before so I got a few extra lessons. We put on our wet suits, tanks and weight belts, then entered this little pool, which was actually connected to the big aquarium through a little portal in the corner, but the sharks couldn't get through it. There was only a few of these little black fish in the pool. 

We practiced motions and gestures in the pool and got all of our gear adjusted before they led us through the underwater portal into the huge aquarium. It was probably only about 15 to 20 feet deep. I can remember feeling a little shaky and the water was really cold. I could feel it even through the wetsuit. Of course, being up close to such massive creatures that could chew you up was quite a scary thought, even though these grey nurse sharks, however menacing looking they were, are not man-eating sharks. Once we all climbed through the portal and got our balances, all of those feelings disappeared and now we were in THEIR world.. and it was absolutely AMAZING! 

The aquarium had tunnels in it where the people could watch the fish underwater and see the people doing the shark dive. Jason and Shelley were watching from out there and taking pictures and videos. The instructor motioned to us to walk to the other side. It was a little difficult keeping my balance with the weight belt weighing me down, but watching these huge creatures swim right above me kept my attention. There were also big sea turtles and huge mantareys in the tank. The mantareys would practically swim right into you!

Once we got to our destination, which was to be perched on the glass at the top of the people tunnel, where people could look right up at you, we stood and watched the sharks go by. It was really starting to get cold and I was shaking, but still couldn't take my eyes off of the life swimming by. One shark came right in front of me and it was not scary in the least. They are such beautiful misunderstood creatures. We need to protect them. Swimming with them serves many purposes. I really believe that it helps people understand them more and not just think of them as "Jaws".

After 30 minutes, we were lead back to the portal and into the small pool. Right as I was pulling myself up to the portal, a HUGE mantarey practically blanketed himself on me. He was the size of a living room area rug...so amazing!

So we got into the pool, took off our wetsuits and gear, then had showers and changed back to our normal clothes. It was an experience of a lifetime, though I plan to do it again the next time we go! This time, I want to do the other shark dive that they have...watching them feed the sharks!

Australia

Last year, I went on the most amazing trip of my life with Jason and Shelley...Australia. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been in my life and I dream of living there someday. Right now, having been laid off for the second time this year, it just seems like a far-off pipe dream, but one day, it will be a reality. At least, I hope that after next year, we will at least be able to take another trip there...

Is this coming from being a little depressed?

You want to run

you want to hide

you want to escape these chains

that bind you from the inside

you wish you could stop the hurt

you wish it would just go away

you want your life to go back

to how it was yesterday

the pain keeps on coming

and when you think that there's no more

it knocks you out again

when it comes knocking on your door

Politicians Don't give a shit...they just want your vote

It's really funny (not in a ha-ha way, but in a sad way) how politicians only show their faces when it's time for election. My father has been saying this for awhile and I totally see his point. First of all, since the election is in less than a week, I obviously already know who I am going to vote for for president, but what about the local stuff??? This stuff is VERY important but yet, when I went online to look for any information about what I am supposed to be voting for in my neighborhood, I can't find any info...WTF?  Am I supposed to just wing it and vote for whatever when I am inside the booth??? I remember in previous years, receiving all kinds of information in the mail about issues that were being voted on in my "hood", but this time around I haven't barely received anything. I know more about the propositions in California then what's on my own ballot...Once again, WTF??? Since I definitely don't want to be responsible for voting in anything that I totally disagree with and that would go against my morals and principles, I guess I will have to just pretty much leave everything blank except for the president vote. I just hope that Obama follows through on even half of his promises, or he will just become another Bill Clinton..empty promises...

Also, another reason to believe that democracy is falling short in this country, the other day the city council in New York decided to not let voters decide if elected officials should be allowed to run for a third term. Instead, THEY decided themselves...Once again, WTF?????????  Do the taxpayers who employ these sons-of-bitches get any say??? It's just so sickening. I can tell you one thing, though...just for that, Bloomberg will NEVER get my vote!

Dodging Cars on the sidewalk

I remember the days when it was safe to walk on the sidewalk. There was no fear of passing cars hitting you or bike riders running you over. Well, my friends, those days are gone. The sidewalks in New York seem to be a free-for-all. I had never seen anything like it until I moved here, and particularly where I live, in Astoria, Queens. They park on the sidewalk and don't even leave enough space for pedestrians to get around without walking into the middle of the street. One day when I was walking the dog, there was a garbage truck holding up traffic, so instead of waiting for it to move, the cars drove up on the sidewalk, down the sidewalk past a couple of buildings and then back on to the road. Well, a car drove up right behind us and Jessie (the pup) stopped to sniff something on the sidewalk. I was waiting for the son of a bitch to yell something to me so I could give him a piece of my irritated mind, but he didn't and I let the dog sniff for a minute and then moved on. I just don't get it, though....why do people just have no respect for anyone else??

Another job...lost

Well, I got a call from the employment agency that I have been working through for the past eight months today saying that my job at vintage had ended. They really didn't want to let me go but there's just not enough work. This is the second time this year...I hope I find another job right away because otherwise I am scared that might fall into a depression.

By this time of the year, I can honestly say that this has been the absolutely worst year of my entire life. First, I get laid off from capital, then my most beautiful beloved dog dies, then my bank account gets frozen for a damn doctor bill from three years ago when I had no insurance(thanks George fucking bush for the healthcare, you piece of shit!) and now I lose my job again. I know I am not the only one who is having a hard time and I should count my blessings and hope for the best...

"Just an animal"...another rant

I am really sick and tired of uncaring people that say "it's just an animal". Well, you're "just a person". It's really demeaning, isn't it? No living being is that worthless. We all have meaning..and feelings, but people seem to forget that. Just like we should care for our fellow man, we also need to think about the other living things that we hurt every single day.

We do things that are not natural. Like the argument that all animals eat meat and we are all part of the food chain..yes, I agree. This is true, but non-human animals kills their food with their own bare hands (or paws or claws). They don't take other species and test on them so they can  come up with a medicine for their cold, which was probably caused by the drugs that they poisoned their food with...Why don't we learn to live with nature and not against it? Maybe (well, not really maybe but FOR SURE) we wouldn't be in the predicament that we are in right now. It's time to start caring!