Ooh so thankful!

Ooh so thankful, ooh so thankful, 

ooh soo thankful, oooh soo thankful

Gotta give gotta give! I gotta give my pappa little kiss, muaah! :D

Coyote came and spoke to me, he says: "Get used to your destiny"

Every moment is a mystery to me

getting pretty good at listening

every moment is a mystery to me

getting pretty good at honouring

-

My friend the astronomer, she is a stargazer,

I swear they talk to her

boy I wish I knew what they were saying while I was laying in her bed

with her chest to my head

were our intentions misread?

So I just said it, I said " Baby I'm a nobody, I ain't 

got no money

just this amibition to tell the people we are equal

so come on baby, come out of your cave

catch a swell, catch a wave to another inspiring place...

-

...like when the mother met the father

kissed the horizon and gave birth to stars

Or when the lovers turned into thunder

then came the breakthroughs

then came the storm...

-

In the end my body's spirit anyway!

-

So tap me out and tap me into you

heal my brain and my body too

balance my chemisty, hydrate these cells

'cause the body talks and meditation helps

the body talks and meditation helps

oh oho oho oho ooohooo....

Okay, it looks so silly when you write it down - it looks just like some "ooh"s - you have to sing it out LOUD! :D Do it and I hope it makes you as happy as me!

Even if it's the 500th time you play the song :D

NAAAHKOOO :))))

Since more than one week, every evening, Nahko and Medicine for the People's songs are singing loudly from Dom's speakers. 

Or we go searching Youtube for new songs and records and lyrics and videos that we haven't seen and heard yet. 

And then we listen to the album again. 

And then we watch some videos again, because they were so good. 

And then sometime it's time to sleep, but next evening we can repeat it all! 

We just don't get sick of it and those of you who knew me in my bestest (or worst) phases of Jason Mraz Freakiness - yes, it is like then. Probably even more, because I get to comsume music pretty much all day when I am working on the strawberry fields with my beloved headphones on. And because there is Dom sharing my crazyness, admiration and facination - if I would ever stop playing Nahko, he would put it on again. Therreee is noo waayyy ouuuutt!

Mentioning Dom, I finally got a picture of him!

I can't help it, he reminds me of this... :)

Dom: "Domestic violence is when I get a stick and mess up the place."

:D

So we climbed Mount Coolum on one afternoon without work



One can see most of the Sunny Coast from up there!
If that's not another stairway to heaven

Found myself a beard in the bushes..

Such a very beautiful place. One could think I would love it here and be perfectly happy.
But people with the same traveller's heart as mine know that I am not.
I have been here for more than 2 months now. It's been a great time, I have had lots of fun,
but now I just wanna GO!
So many other places to see! I wanna wake up without knowing where I am, I don't want to be able to find the lightswitches in the dark, I don't want to know all the names of the streets and which door is squeaking and which not... and above all, it's getting cold here. European summer is Aussie winter, and athough we're on the Sunshine Coast, it can get pretty cold at nights. I already stole another blanket and a big fluffy pair of socks from Dom.
Can you imagine, SOCKS! :(
And how it smells... a smell that I last smelled in 2012 - autumn air...
I just wanna go, go north, where it's tropical hot and everything is new...

But I can't. I have my three jobs here, and I would be stupid to give them up now that there are finally some bucks flowing in.

But I am Oooh so thankful ooh so thankful,
for there are numerous things that make it bearable to stay.
First of all, Dom, Travers, Mau Mau and James, Blair and my friends at work...
Dom's food makes it hard not to smile when you come "home"

Coconu yoghurt with berries *_*

So and now I am off for a weekend in Woodfordia! Check out The Planting Festival - it's like Woodford in little and I am volunteering as a face painter - yay!
So there will be some nice photos next week.
See ya!

dadadadadada  dadadadada dadadadadaaa... :D

Share the music!

I WANT to introduce shortly all the talented musicians I got to see, so that those of you out there who are interested in music and such can discover it too and maybe share my amazement and folly.

First of all

NAHKO BEAR AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE

OH MY GOD I am in such a Nahko hype since the Bluesfest! I showed Dom, and together we got hooked, listing to the song "Black as the night" over and over and over.... 

and then the whole album. Singing it all day long, playing it all evening long, sitting in silence trying to understand as much of the lyrics as possible. These lyrics are awesome! Nahko's voice is awesome, the way he performs, the positive energy in every song, the strong messages, "real talk" songs played by a band of passionate musicians around a most passionate and inspiring young man. 

Of course I already did some fan stalking. Nahko is a young American with a very interesting background: His grandmother forced his mother into prostitution at the age of 14, and so he was put up for adoption and raised by white Americans, although he is genetically a mix of Native American, Puerto Rican and Filipino. When he grew up he went on travels to find out about his biological parents, and as you can imagine he must have had a difficult time finding his identity in this mix-mess of culture, problems and blessings. He let his emotions out in the shape of this album; it tells a lot about his coming to terms with it all, and by the sounds of it, he found a great, happy peace in it all. It's a good message to share with the world, especially when it comes wrapped up in such an amazing talent!

Definitely the highlight of all my new music discoveries from Bluesfest, soundtrack to my life right now. Listen to the beginning of "Budding trees" and maybe you can see me smile!

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE

Holy guacamole, this girl knocked me socks off! :D

She's more than just a pretty blondie with a cute little chirpy voice!

She's a trained opera singer, you can totally hear that in her classy singing. Opera is usually not so much my thing, but she skilfully mixes the genres, and with her pretty charming smile on the face she goes up and down the scales over more than 3 octaves as if it's the easiest thing ever.. wow! Suuuuch a talent!

Next to her, it's easy to forget to listen to her husband on the guitar - but he also deserves compliments. They played at the Woodford Festival already, and I was too unaware and busy to see them.

Hope I can see them again!

Can you imagine me trying to sing along to this while driving in the car... must look funny to the other drivers.

HAT FITZ AND CARA ROBINSON
 I saw them on the Woodford Festival already, twice, and because they are just soooo cool, I went and watched them on Bluesfest again, twice :D
Hat Fitz is a true Aussie with his massive beard and his massive accent... as if he was just coming in from the scrub :D
His wife Cara is from Ireland and beats her drumset with a passion coming right from her heart, and she's got a voice that's just the same! She plays the flute and the washboard, too, it's just so much fun to watch her!
They complement each other in a refreshing way, they're musically and mentally on the same wave lenght, and their oh-so-familiar, long-married-couple-manner, half-serious little domestic fights on stage are hilarious. 

The most hilarious band ever, though, are definitely

THE BEARDS

Oh my goood I was laughing my butt off...!

They are some very bearded guys who have 4 albums with songs about beards only - and it never gets boring! They are beard addicts, it's their religion, every second word seems to be "beard" - for a true admirer of all those wise beard men like Gandalf and Dumbledore,...

You might think I'm a bit weird, being a girl, saying

I WANT TO GROW A BEARD! :D

I gotta share a true fun story:

I showed my friend and fellow beard admirer Chris their music, and his answer was:

Which is hilarious already. I sent this pictue to the Beards, and they replied:

Thankyou - we hope you one day grow a real beard or obtain a convincing fake beard.

:'D

BETH HART

Oh my gosh whyyy the hell is she not super famous!?? Listen to that voice it's amazing how powerful it is! She totally rocked the stage with her more than 40 years - and apart from all that, if I was a guy, I'd say she's pretty hot. So I say she's is pretty pretty. :D

DANIEL CHAMPAGNE

Oh wow. How any hours and hours of practice, determination& passion lie in this. Highly appreciated, cheeeers! I hope I'll see him again, too.

TIJUANA CARTEL

This guys guitar skills are outstanding.. He plays this spanish flamenco style stuff and it gives me goosebumps and makes me want to go to South America, hehe

SUZANNE VEGA
Coming from Beth Hart's show, she was just the opposite, but still very very nice to listen to - a clear, soft voice, good lyrics, beautiful acoustic guitar... and she's been in the business for so long, respect!

MATT CORBY

PLAYING FOR CHANGE

Check it out! It's more than just a band, it's a whole project, musicians getting together trying to raise money and awareness to built music schools and things for poor and underprivileged kids - making the world a better place with the help of music!

http://playingforchange.com/

The music itself is awesome, I was tired from my shift, but I couldn't help dancing and clapping along with them and the whole tent - you can just see, hear, feel, how much fun they have doing what they do!

Especially their cover of my beloved "Teach your children" got me :D

Jack Johnson

Passenger

EVERYONE who has not checked out Mike Rosenberg aka. Passenger yet, yoouu are missing out! This boy is sooooooo talented, please please never stop doing what you do!
I saw him last year in Germany on the Southside Festival and he and the whole crowd in this tent, everyone was so freaking HAPPY, I thought the happiness might rise up to the roof, accumulate and come dripping back down on us... so much love :) And he is GETTING BETTER! The tent on Bluesfest was much bigger, but just as jammed, and everyone, everyone, especially Mike on the stage with his guitar alone, had such a special time. Just busking, as if he wasn't so famous at all, so connected with his fans - He puts all of his big heart in it.

!!!!
<3 <3 <3

Jake Bugg

I saw him last year on the german Rock am Ring Festival for the first time, and already then he was sooo very talented - and he is younger than me!
You can imagine I was deliiiighted when I learned that I can see him this year again, and see what his new album's songs have to tell me!
In the end, he was playing right after my last shift, and because the kitchen tents are right behind the big stage tents.... aha, got to see him from side-stage! Not really backstage... but still much closer than I ever expected. I love his new album! Especially "You and me".
How good that he is as young (jaah even younger) than me, so we can go through life "together" and I will hopefully see him play some more times!

John Mayer

Hmmm.... my John Mayer JM II. in my life :D
HOW I was - and still am - hooked by his music! The madness nis not over, now that the festival is over! Just the opposite, if you play now "Gravity" for me, I will swoon ober it even more, because it was the last song of his gig and - ahhr I can't fin good words. I just had - the most magic time. He played not all of my favourite songs, but a few, and a few that I didn't know yet and - ah I shut up. You can't describe it, but maybe you can imagine how I felt in this huge crowd of fellow fans, JM and his guitar singing all our songs up the in front of us, singing along, all the words, the smiles, dancing... :)))

What a life...!

Once in a pink moon

I'm black as the night with a little bit of moonlight
shining from my center within

Good morning in Europe and Good evening in Australia, it's Friday and I'm back on the Sunny Coast, back from the Bluesfest and my first little roadtrip wth Laurie the car, back to work and choc chai blog fridays.

On April 15, there was a total lunar eclipse and in Dom's backyard, Chrissie, Dom and me stood marveling at the shadow of our earth passed slowly over the lightly pink coloured moon. It was actually the first time I ever saw a Blood Moon, although it's not so very rare. It was really beautiful and felt somehow special.
But maybe I just felt special because

Only once in a pink moon
I pack up all my things into my car and drive to Byron Bay for the Bluesfest
Where I am going to work and gain experience, where I am going to discover sooo many new awesome musicians, where I am hopefully going to meet shitloads of friendly fellow festival fans... and last but not least where I am going to see John Mayer and Passenger, Jake Bugg and Jack Johnson and John Butler with his band when they perform these much-loved music...

Of course I was in the bestest mood ever, flying down the Bruce Highway with John Mayer blasting from Laurie's speakers and a big BLUES taped across his rearwindow, all-german festival traditon. Of course fellow Bluesfest people honked at me!



Although I hate city driving, especially in Brisbane with all the toll tunnels and bidges, I made my way into the very heart of the City to pick up Steve from England - Steve, who saw my ad for car pooling to Bluesfest. Of course I was constantly lost, as always, this seems to be unavoidable for still smartphone resistants. With Dom's good old road atlas on my lap, it was proved that the old-fashioned ways still work -  oh wonderful, I made it in AND out of Brisbane without having to pay one toll fee.

Remarkable: There are about 700 volunteers at Bluesfest, and Steve and me, who randomly ended up driving there together, happen to be in the same working group - a group of 5 people among 700. Coincidence?!

Because we had time and it was hot, we turned off the highway at some random exit and, getting lost, found a beautiful spot for a swim called Tweed Heads. Oh that's Australia, seemingly you can just turn off ANYWHERE and you will discover a pretty or special spot!

Soon we were in Byron Bay, the home of the Bluesfest, I dropped off Steve and arrived at Nigel's and Lisa's pretty pretty house - here at night under a star-spangled sky with a slowly rising almost-full-moon -- too bad my camera is so bad

Nigel and Lisa are friends of Iain, and I got to know them last Valentines Day, when we all were invited to their re-wedding. Luckily for me, they live just 5 minutes away from where the Bluesfest is held, and so I could avoid buying a camping ticket and just park Laurie in their frontyard. :)))

On this first evening I also learned a very good game: three things

What did you enjoy today?
What did you learn today?
What were you good at toaday?

What a good way to look back on each day and share the good and funny stories with friends. I will try to play this game with myself every day before I shut my eyes, and in the chocchaiblogposts  I will do it as well, a very personal little look in my rearview, to share with you guys, whoever is reading it.
Thank you Nigel and Lisa!
(I don't have a photo of them :( )

But THEN... the next morning it was time for the Bluesfestaahh!

I signed on for my first shift of work in the tent that was reserved for the artist's catering. For my free access to the full five days of the festival, I would have to do five shifts of kitchenwork there, five hours long, one each day. The work itself was more fun than hard work (well if you compare it to frickin strawberry frickin planting...)

.... we did a lot of chopping and cutting vegies and washing dishes ("That's a Jack Johnson song!!") and other kitchenstuff like that..

... the chefs and other people in the kitchen were truly great guys to work for, friendly and funny, giving me that it is a quite amazing thing to prepare dips for John Mayer and chop Melons for Jack Johnson... and later polish the forks and plates thet might have used... :D :D

... my fellow volunteers were also quite enjoyable company...

... the food itself of course was adorable. These CAKES... hmmmyum...

... AND after all, working in a kitchen, you never walk away hungry... we could always have a bite of all those good things we prepared, well actually there were always so many leftovers...

And THE MUUUUUSIC.....
I saw some artists playing who I have been listening to for a long while, they were already part of my thoughts and feelings, part of the soundtrack to my life, and seeing them live, playing all of my favourite songs... *SOHAPPY*

But I also discovered music that I hadn't heard, talents that I hadn't known, and I'm so blown away by them that I definitely want to share their music with you! For those of you who are interested, I will dedicate an own post to them... sharethemusic!

During the day it was all nice and warm and sunny, best festival weather, but after sunset it got so cooooold... jumper and warm socks, please! Still I'm just not used to such chilly nights anymore, all too quick I got used to the mild Sunny Coast climate... so of course I caught a nice cold.

After the whole Bluesfest buzz was all over and after I had a nice little 12 hour sleep, the headache was kind of gone and I felt like I could go out and move on. I said Farewell to Lisa's and Nigel's warmly welcoming home and to all its very special and wonderful inhabitants, and left with a feeling that is so familiar ... being so full of gratitude and not knowing how to express it, having such a very strong urge to give something back for all the good things people do for me, but I just don't know how... what can I offer except for a smile, a hug, a bunch of thankfulness and the promise to return the favour if there will ever be a occasion coming up?
What would you do? I feel like a big big exclamationmark! "I can bake cheese crackers!" :D :D

_________________________________________________________


On the way to Lismore, where I wanted to catch up with the Sacred Seven, my Taiwanese strawberry planting friends, I discovered the "Open Air Cathedral"

and I must say I absolutely loved the idea and how the whole thing was put into reality! Isn't that just so cool and "right"??

If I'd marry somewhere, I'd marry in Mother Nature's great architect work, in the world's highest majestic cathedral under the open sky

The night with my friends and their new friends from Lismore was pretty fun, interesting and inspiring... all evening long we listened to a true Aussie with the strongest true Aussie accent, who told us thrilling stories about the life in the opal miner's towns far out west, in an isolation that people from densely populated Taiwan and Germany probably can't really imagine.... wanna goo there....

Next day: Nimbin again! I had been there in December with my lovely Strombear companions, but only for one day, and it was on the way home, so why not give it another look. The landscape around Nimbin is doubtless just utterly beautiful! What fun to cruise along the bumpy country roads, between lush green fields with cows, among the gumtrees... it's the north eastern New South Wales Hippie Hobbit Shire.

Nimbin itself... very special indeed, interesting and charming, but too touristy for me really. After half an hour of stolling around and not finding anything that would give me a moment I'd remember, I left. Maybe I just don't get the Nimbin-message, or maybe I just had had enough of shops and consumption and big crowds of people.

Walking around the Nimbin museum, I kept thinking you much you, JASMIN, would love this place...sooo much :D :D

I made my way back north not along the coast, but took a detour inland to drive through the Border Ranges National Park - on the border between NSW and Qld of course...

Well what to say, look at the pictures - This country. Just utterly beautiful.

I drove zig zagging around potholes and over narrow wooden bridges, I swam in a crispy clear river and stopped to let groups of free roaming friendly cows cross the road, I walked along little rainforest paths, among huge Moreton Bay Figs and I felt like Gimli the Dwarf in the elf forest Lothlorien.. "The dwarf breathes so loudly, we could shoot him in the dark" .... :D  
 I lived on apples and rainwater, I sang along to Jack Johnson, I stopped in the somewhere and lay in Laurie the car with my head out of the window, spotting shooting stars.

I love the shit out of Dom, Mau Mau and Buddina, but who wants to return from sucha trip?

...
 OK so what did I enjoy this week?
Are you frckn kidding me, I enjoyed the whole thing so much, and with John Mayer and Passenger and Jack Johnson concert on the list, it's impossible to pick one best moment!
 What did I learn?
I think I learned something about how to chop melons and stuff... :D :D
What was I good at?
Maybe at "finding my way through Brisbane" on the way south.... on the way north I wasn't very good at it anymore!!



I believe in the good things comin' comin' comin' comin'...
You got the keys!
You got the keys
but I never keep my door locked
You can always come right in
And if my arms are full you can bet your sweet ass
I will drop that shit right then
I might be busy (*aha aha ;) )
but I'll always have some time to surrender to your beauty
beauty, beauty....

Better together

Helloeu me mates

See here, I make a bold announcement that will put my self-discipline and self-organizing skills to the test once more: From now on I want to sit down every Friday with a choc chai tea and write a blogpost about what happened during the last week. Choc Blog Chai Friday... *eyebrowwave*

So today's Friday I'm in love and it's one of Dom's very nice days. He usually has nice days everyday, but from time to time he puts in a few very nice ones. So just now he spoiled me with a bowl of his inevitable coconut yoghurt with blueberries and raspberries.

Who is Dom?

Just a dude really.

A surfer and board builder, a guitarist and music fan, regular guest at any music event around the Sunny Coast, a cook, a earth house builder, a do-it-yourself mechanic, a hobby self-doctor,.... The "tall guy rockin'", how Travers described him. Whatever, he is the Aussie bloke who owns the house with the glass mosaics in Buddina, where I am living now.

I actually live in Laurie the car, but he is parked in Dom's driveway and I come inside to use all the pleasures of a solid house with power, water and obviously internet...  Quite a good thing to have such a base station when you're sticking around a place for a longer time. 

What I will do, because I have three jobs by now: selling food in the Shopping Center foodcourt, cleaning a hotel and working on a strawberry farm. I'm so happy to have this work! I will keep doing it until I feel rich enough and until the "normal" life of a working society member starts to be boring again.

For now, I love it. After almost one year of holiday and being a vagabond more or less bumming around, the ultimate freedom started to taste a bit less sweet. How great is it now for a change to come home from a long day of work, tired, aching and exhausted, but fulfilled, satisfied and crashing into bed with the feeling that you really ACHIEVED something today. Instead of going and going, the money comes, giving me an approving pat on the back. I can go and buy nice food and fuel and new car stereos without having to worry about every Dollar I spend.

Apart from the work, I have a my sweet little huge car to paint, 

dishes to wash, Bluesfest artists to hype, a guitar to play, a cat to cuddle and feed & books to read & friends to meet - so that's basically what I do all the time oh my god...

Keepin' meself busy!

It's just too good to come to a "home" after work and to find there one weird Aussie, and another goofy Aussie, and one hoggish Aussie cat, to give me hugs and talk to me.

... I tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together ..

The strawberry planting brothers and sisters

But it's all planted now

...the last hard days of strawberry planting...

What you people out there think we do - happily helping baby plants to grow

What our boss thinks we do - slowly slow lazy planting

 What we think we do - running along the rows planting and planting fast as maniacs



What we actually do - bending down all day until our backs are paining, we move like grandpas and grandmas and feel like we are almost dead.

Best planting partner for sure: Sue!

My favourite Taiwanese people!

Some are missing though

planting tool fight

Aehm, just now I don't know what to say anymore and I'm tired, so good night :)

Oh next Chai Friday I won't write because I will be at the BLLUUUEESSSSFEEESSSSTTT jiijaahaa!!!! :3 :3 :3

I really just don't stop being so freaking lucky, do I? :)))