***If someone was to ask me the question, 'Mate, how hard was it to give up life on the Gold Coast?'
I'd say, 'Mate, one of the hardest things I've done. I had a DREAM life there in paradise!'

OK, ready for this;

I'd wake and swim for one to two hours. I had a choice between the pool and a short ride to Surfers Paradise Beach. I'd then ride my bike for up to four hours. I'd ride down to Coolangatta and back, or way out the back of the coast, past Hinz Dam and make my way back down towards Burley.

I'd then return home along the beach track, shower and ride to work at Southport.

Work was in Australia Fair on the 12th Floor. My desk over looked the Marina Mirage and the wonderfully big blue ocean. The side windows over looked the coastal suburbs all the way back to the hinterlands. Work was raising money for any charity that needed it most at the time. If there were bushfires in Queensland we'd raise money for the Queensland Red Cross and hospitals such as the Gold Coast Hospital. If the Deaf Blind Institute was down on funds we'd all jump in and raise as much money as we could in the little time we were given.

I worked with a heap of great people with big hearts.

After a long five hours work (tee hee) I'd head across for Korean or Japanese and several beers with friends and I'd then ride home, swim and then relax in the spa. Of course my salary was nothing compared to what I was earning at the Law Courts but my happiness, relaxation and health was up by 500%. My working hours were also down by ten per day when the working day included the AFL Tribunal. I was earning enough to eat, pay the rent and patch my bike tyres when needed.

I'd also throw a couple of beers in there too.

At home I'd sit with my Spanish buddy whilst she made beautiful clothes in her little sweat shop, 'the garage turned sewing room'. Man it was hot in there over summer! Accompanying her beauty was a beautiful soul. I was so happy I answered her add for her spare room. She was a self taught seamstress. She had taught herself whilst moving from Spain to several countries around the world living with different family members.

She made clothes for all sorts of people, from the unknown to several television personalities. Her creations were also well loved by a rather expensive boutique in the Marina Mirage. The owner was a flamboyant man who would drop in to collect Angela's creations, flutter his eye lids at me and we'd all then sit for coffee and a chat.

The second room was taken by a beautiful young university student. Her man was a fantastic guy who always had a big happy smile and a friendly hello. They would spend most nights helping down at their second home, The Church. At night whilst the 'children' (as my Spanish friend called them) were at their second home or out for dinner somewhere we would either head to the beach or chat over cigarettes and play with my Boy and Girl Katz.

At any given opportunity I would be teaching her English for her benefit as well as mine. Both Boy and Girl Katz had developed great love for her as she spared them no expense. To the Seamstress's horror they also developed a great love for her sewing room and everything within. Boy and Girl Katz are now, as always, over loved and over fed.

The one thing I miss most, besides friends and family of course, are my Boy and Girl Katz.

I had spent several confusing months sorting out my life's belongings. I was always a collector of all things unneeded and never to be used again, therefore I carried a house full of 'stuff' around. I went from box to box trying to decide what I needed, and of course I needed it all...NOT! One morning I woke up and said *&%$ it! I decided there and then that I needed none of it.

I spent several nights following borrowing a friend's station wagon, loading it full of my life's belongings and dropping it all at Charities Front Door.

I kept my laptop which was my television, DVD player and stereo and two mid sized wheelie cases of clothes and 'things'. I had also spent the same several months converting my 1500 CD's into MP3 and transferring them onto DVD disk. I must say 14 DVD disks are much easier to pack and carry around than 1500 CD's. You can go an entire weekend and never have to change a CD. As for the $30,000 worth of hard back books I had been collecting for most of my life. They went to.

When hardback books reached $50 on the Australian market I joined the library, stopped searching second hand bookshops on weekends for 'the one I still need' and spent more time with family, friends and my bike.

My life was now ready to leave the past behind and live my dream of being a foreign teacher. How long for? I can't and won't give a time period. My family would love me to. Then again, even my parents want me away for as long as possible (hey, can you blame them!). No, not in a bad way (I think), they know me too well and knew my life wasn't going where I wanted it to work wise.

It seems that having almost everything in life can become empty, boring and meaningless. That is, if you wake up one morning and feel inside that it's not what you really want, actually mean it, listen to yourself and follow through on the feeling. My best 'friend' in the entire world, whom was losing me at the same time, helped me through it all with her big heart and understanding of what life is really about. She taught me a lot, maybe too well! No more on that subject and that is how myself and Boy and Girl Kats ended up boarding with a Spanish Seamstress.

I had also made friends with a lady whom I sat the TESOL Course with. At the time we both lived in the same area. We spent hours talking about our overseas dream. I explained to her what Asia was like from my perspective. It of course has to be different from every ones own perspective. I'm sure no two people can think the same thoughts on a place that defies logical comprehension. We shopped for our lap top computers together and I began teaching her how everything besides Email works on a computer.

By the time I left she was getting the hang of it all.

On the 12th day of February 2005 I gave my little babies a huge good bye squeeze, said my sad good byes to the Uni students and Spanish I then headed to the airport. I gave my beautiful Spanish Seamstress once last good bye hug and sadly smiled as she drove off waving.  

I then stood in line waiting to pay the astronomical price for my over weight wheelie cases. Don't fly Jet Star with overweight bags! My Gawd! Even the checkout girl told me to fly Virgin next time I take these 'things' anywhere. Hey I said, you should have seen the truck load I actually brought to Queensland! She smiled and didn't really give a hoot what I was taking where.

It had been over a year since I had seen my family and friends in happy Melbourne.

It was time for a Big G'Day!