Top 10 Albums of 2009

- My Top 10 Albums of 2009 -

1. No Ceilings - Lil Wayne

• Although it cannot be classified as a authentic release album, Lil Wayne's new mixtape tops my charts and makes for a great download.

2. Alter the Ending - Dashboard Confessional

• Dashboard comes back with fire and maturity in their new album "Alter the Ending" released in October. The intensity and raw vulnerability of each song brings this band to a whole new level.

3. Battle Studies - John Mayer

• The care-free tone and acoustic style of the old days brings you back to when John Mayer was just getting popular. This is a disk I will listen to over and over and over again.

4. The Blueprint 3 - Jay-Z

• Guest rappers and an awesome vibe. This album scores major points in the rap community making everyone understand why Jay-Z is on top.

5. Daisy - Brand New

• New and crazy with a dab of soft metal to it. I love this new disk and the under the radar feel that Brand New still brags, even though they deserve to be on top.

6. Fearless - Taylor Swift

• Breakups and growing up usually a common thread for Ms. Swift; however, the singer songwriter is growing up through her music. The high school theme is still there, but there is a new mature twist to this one as well.

7. Graffiti - Chris Brown

• The tragic drop in fame for Chris Brown is still tainting his music and the media. This disk is remarkable Chris Brown music and rap. The critics have slammed it for harsh words towards Rhianna, but lets be real here people. There is a team of writers and PR people working to make sure Brown does the right thing. It's his work and his art so lets not pile the past on a good piece.

8. Ocean Eyes - Owl City

• New band on the map alert. This disk's single spent time at the number 1 spot on i-tunes for 4 straight weeks.

9. Rated R - Rhianna

• Provocative and new Rhianna isn't taking any shit

10. New Moon Soundtrack - Various Artists

This all indie disk gives off an aura of peace and broken hearts. This disk topped the charts and was better than predicted!

Yanks Down Under

Australia is unbelievable and one of the most beautiful countries in the world! I can't believe that I am here in this place, and I already have so much to reflect on from my trip. The first week was kind of hectic and a little bit miserable, but I found my way and ended up meeting some of the coolest people and having the best times.

ICUR Internship -

Everyday I take a train to work that takes 10 minutes to wait for and actually get to my destination. I work in the "Artsy" district of the city where all the advertising, creative, marketing, PR, and fashion people tend to work. The different kinds of people I encounter in one day blows my mind. I am working for ICUR for 8 weeks and so far it has been an experience with some of the best people I can ever imagine working with. My boss has told me things that make me think that maybe one day I can make it in the working world and maybe one day I can make a difference. I work in an office of 7 people who are all extremely helpful and understanding. Hands-on experience has made me understand the field so much better than any book, professor, or classroom ever will. The contacts that I will gain from this internship will help me for years to come and I am grateful for the opportunity.

Sydney -

There is so much to see and do that it's hard to even put it all into 8 weeks of time. I have accomplished many of the goals that I have listed above in the 4 weeks that I have been here already, but I still have so much more to do with the 4 weeks that I have left. "The Rocks" is one of the coolest areas of town with upscale bars, pubs, shopping and to top it off you are right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and have a fantastic view of the Opera House. At sunset it is a photographers dream. During the month of June they have a light show going on down at The Rocks and the Opera House which has provided some of the coolest pictures. Walking along the ocean boardwalk at night in the light of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge is indescribable. I have nothing to compare such beauty to. Each city has something of a landmark, but the 20 minute walk down Sydney's boardwalk will stun anyone.
That's only one end of Sydney at the other end there is Darling Harbour where more bars and shopping awaits, but it also is home to the I-max theater, aquarium, and wildlife zoo.
Something I really enjoy about Sydney is the endless options of small cafes and shops. I have found my favorite cafe by where I live and tend to go there three times a week for one the best mocha's in town (I think). Roy's Famous Cafe is the spot where I can spend hours on end with a book or just a couple minutes talking to the owner Roy about the days activities. Unfortunately, in Sydney it is impossible to order just a regular coffee with cream, rather I have to go the fancy route and I always end up spending $3.50 on a warm drink. It is the one downside of this city and I cannot wait for my first cup of $1.25 Dunkin Donuts coffee on arrival in the states!
The weather here is what they call 'winter' but I would call it a mild spring. Sydney tends to get all 4 seasons within one day. It will be hot, cold, raining, and perfect all in one day. Bring your umbrella everywhere!

The People -

Through my internship company I have met some really great people who have turned out to be awesome friends. We are always with each other, because who wants to go home after work when you live in Sydney? Somehow we all get along and were from all different walks of life. We cover each coast of the U.S. from Chicago, LA, Indiana, to Pennsylvania! It's crazy, but we love it, and there are always random funny things happening. We were deemed 'Frozen Yanks' by the Australian Navy, but technically that's what you call Canadians. We love Jackson's on George for a good happy hour. We managed to get ourselves kicked out of my home stay because we were resting. We love the passion pop because it's cheap unlike everything else here. Buyer beware be prepared to spend some monneyyyy in this country because minimum wage is $17/hr compared to our slim $8/hr. We have found ourselves in the middle of a homeless camp when we got lost one time. Basically it's a fun group of people that will be tough to leave in the end.

Traveling Australia -

The Blue Mountains - My first trip out of Sydney and my first time in a hostel. Hostel #1 proved to be awesome and not quite unlike an experience in a dormitory. It's a cheap way to travel and I think that the U.S. should have something similar to it. The Blue Mountains are incredible and worth seeing once in your life. We hiked up into the mountains for about 5 hours and went down the famous 1000 case stairway to see the 'Three Sisters' rock formation which was a crazy sight! It's cold up in the mountains, but after hiking it's not such a big deal anymore.
Jenolan caves - We took a coach bus for an hour ride up the mountains which was an experience. Drop offs of hundreds of feet were right below us on a rode made for barely 2 cars that wound its way up into the mountains where the caves are. I give props to the driver for maneuvering a giant bus with up to 45 people on board up a mountain each day. The caves were first discovered back in the 1800's and they are still discovering new ones to this day. They were the coolest formations and pictures don't really do them justice. It's just something you have to see. Rocks are rocks in pictures, but listening to the history and what processes people took to discover the caves is enthralling. There are many caves at Jenolan and usually you can only see 2 in a day. We did 2 tours which both lasted an hour and a half called the Lucas Cave and the Orient Cave.
Melbourne - The artist's city was an hour plane ride and once we landed we decided to take the chance and rent a car. They let 3 under 25 years of age people drive a rented vehicle on American drivers licenses. It was a ton of fun and so interesting getting used to the other side of the road. The first day there we went on about a 4.5 hour road trip down 'Great Ocean Road' and saw waterfalls, amazing views, wild koalas, the 12 Apostles, and windy roads along the ocean. There was so much to see in only 2 days. The second day we went to downtown Melbourne and shopped the Victoria Markets and had a blast spending money on original artwork and jewelry.


My favorite things about Sydney:

• The Rocks
• Kings Cross
• Skyline
• Opera House
• The people
• Mocha's
• French martinis
• The Empire on Wednesday nights
• Coles stores
• Town Hall and the QVB
• Sydney Harbour Bridge
• Sunset
• Bondi Beach
• The train system
• Footy games

My Bucket List

1. Skydive

2. Visit Australia

3. Live outside of Illinois
4. Meet Chris Carrabba

5. Bungee jump
6. Complete an internship

7. Quit the UPS Store

8. Meet a guy worth while

9. Visit Ireland
10. Get an advertising/PR job
11. Attend dinner in the Signature Room
12. Get married

13. Get a bachelors degree













14. Attend a concert at Red Rocks
15. Try skiing
16. Take a trip to NYC
17. Do the breast cancer 5k walk
18. Take a cardio boxing class
19. See Dave Matthews in concert

20. Sleep outside all night without a tent
21. Drive with the top down in the pouring rain
22. Be a bridesmaid
23. Take a hot air balloon ride
24. Take a road trip more than 5 hours away

25. Meet Johnny Depp again
26. See the Chicago Bears play live

27. Ride on the back of a motorcycle

28. Give away my savings to charity

29. Keep the same friends I have now
30. Make new friends
31. Kiss a guy from Australia
32. Graduate college with honors
33. Get a massage/facial
34. Lose 10 pounds and stay that way
35. Dye my hair underneath brown
36. Go 50 miles on my bike
37. Take a self defense class
38. Have a drink with Paul Schaefer
39. Buy christmas gifts for a family who can't afford them
40. Go to a rap concert

41. Re-read the Harry Potter series
42. Spend the night on a beach
43. Have the greatest 21st birthday ever

44. Attend a cubs game at Wrigley

45. Go to a book signing by an author I like
47. Take a yoga class
48. Start rollerblading again
49. Get a 4.0 one of my semesters in college
50. Try an expensive coffee51. Go to a triple feature at a movie theatre
52. Go to a live rugby game

53. Learn to play guitar
55. Complete a minor at Northern
56. Go on spring break

57. Dance where you're not supposed to in front of lots of people
58. Get a job while attending Northern
59. Meet someone from the advertising industry

60. See Lil Wayne perform live

61. Move out of my house

62. Beat a guy at pool

63. Join a club in college

64. Meet one member from the cast of "Friends"

65. Go to a professional play

66. See Blue Man Group

67. Do the bridgewalk in Australia

68. Stay in a hostel

69. Kiss a guy from Ireland

70. Attend an Olympic event live

71. See a live comedian

72. Go to a different country for New Years

73. Do the L.A.T.E. Chicago bike race

74. Graduate college in May, 2011

75. Gamble on the strip in Vegas

76. Snowboard in a foreign country

77. Fly in a 2-seater plane

76. Payoff student loan debt

77. Bike to Northern from CL

78. Stand at the top of the Empire State Building

79. Go to Ellis Island

80. Visit Alaska

81. Visit Hawaii

82. Make a salary

83. Go to a country concert

84. Go to a Blackhawks game

85. Have a picnic in Central Park