Staff Profile: Carrie

Carrie, Portal Manager

Home Country and one great thing about it: Australia. Every natural environment you ever wanted to experience can be found here, from deserts to lush rainforests, mountains to a colourful vesper over the prettiest beaches in the world. I’m a little biast when it comes to my homeland, it is a paradise!

Quirks/Oddities:
 speaks Ita-glish (half italian, half english)
 must dry every partical of water between my toes after a shower and I can bend them backwards.
 I am named after Princess Leah (Star Wars), Carrie Fisher, and yes if I was a boy I was to be named Luke.
 Would like to publish a book of my poems in the future.
 It’s a SPLADE Annie!! And they are called Chup—a--Chups! Where’s my Aussie patriots to back me up?
 I’m obsessed with 80’s films. I have a huge box at home full of my favourites.

Star Sign: Virgo

Fav. Smurf: Nat, ecolosmurf, one of the Smurflings. He is crazy about nature, and loves his animals. A cutie in his straw hat, overalls and bare feet, he’s always off on adventure with the other Smurflings.

Favourite Quote: " Not only is his thoughts, his feelings and his will, but in the chemical markings of his body each human individual is unlike any other that has ever existed" - S.E.Luria

"For as long as space endures And for as long as living beings remain Until then, may I too abide To dispel the misery of the world" - His Holiness the Dalia Lama

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us." Calvin-The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes

"In my opinion, we don’t devote nearly enough scientific research to finding a cure for jerks." Calvin-Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons

"There’s more to this world than just people, you know." Hobbes-Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat

Favourite 80’s fad: my vegemite jar hair toggles and "like a virgin" madonna aqua blue t-shirt.

Likes:
 Films: ’Dream a little Dream’, Science Fiction, Non-fiction, Documentaries.
 TV: David Attenborough documentaries, The Simpsons and not much else really grabs my attention. I’d rather be outside looking at the best television in the world, nature.
 Music: I’m very eclectic with my music taste but I do enjoy good Aussie Rock like Powderfinger, Italian music such as Tiromancino, Vasco Rossi and Lucio Battisti.
 Books: The Art of happiness, The Alchemist, Five quarters of the orange, A moveable feast, When elephants weep, Behind the dolphin smile, The Celestine Prophecy, I heard the owl call my name.
 Cartoon comic strips: Calvin and Hobbes (I always had uncontrolable fits of laughter when I read this cartoon, if you haven’t yet read it, put it on your list of 100 things to do before you die), Phantom, X-Men and Asterix and Obelix.
 Writing poetry and poets Edgar Allen Poe, William Blake, John Keats, Andrew Barton Paterson.
 The smell of sweet, fresh air after leaving the polluted city you have inhabited for too long.
 Aussie beef and mushroom pies with heaps of tomato sauce.
 Tim Tam orgasms (also known as explosions), and opening this door to every traveller I come across to experience the one and only tantalizing explosion of chocolate.
 Camping, bush walking, cycling and swimming in the ocean (not what Europe likes to call a beach).
 Setting out to discover the world without an itinerary.

Dislikes:
 Lies and superficiality.
 People who dont cut their toe nails or clean their ears.
 Litering.
 Suppression.
 Cockroaches, with a passion!
 Materialism
 Riding the London tube, as everyone sits and stares dead faced and ignorant.

How her co-workers describe her in 3 words:

Claire: positive, glowing, & compassionate!

Annie: chivalrous, secure, and "sporkalicious"

Kym:

Handy travel hints: From experience the three items I carried with me at all times were;
 Swiss Army knife: for those expensive bottles of corked red wine (better flavour then the twist tops). Make sure you buy the knife with the tweezers, small and precise.
 Sarong: can be used as a sheet, towel, blanket, dress/skirt, head wrap, rope to climb out of windows (may not hold depending on material) and what ever your imagination creates.
 A journal: the most important instrument when travelling, you will experience shocks of such profound philosophy you will not want to miss out on when your 70 and your memory sure isn’t what it use to be.

Dream Vacation: Tibet: experience an inspiring culture suppressed by Chinese rule, which continues to florish through their open minds and love and understanding for all creatures and religions. Trek the scenic Himalayan mountainside, covered in bright buddhist prayer flags and inhabited by wild yaks and mountain deer. Ring the wishing bells by the monastery walls, inhale the intoxicating incense and vibrant joy for life. Relish in the unique buddhist philosophy, culture, art and architecture.

Places she has called home: Australia: Coffs Harbour, Gilgandra, Gold Coast.

England: London.

Europe: Italy, Venice.

Best or most bizzare vacation ever: An 80km unplanned bike ride in one day from the cafe capital of Amsterdam to my Dutch friends house in Veenendaal with 2 other mates. We hired bikes at the local Amsterdam Mac bike depot for a week, bought a tent and sleeping bags and headed out with a dodgy map. 1 hour later, 3 wrong turns and some friendly advice from locals we were finally out of the city and into the countryside. I remember the strange looks of local cyclists seeing 3 less than fit girls, peddaling 80’s roadstar bikes with back peddle brakes and no gears, a map in one hand and singing at the top of their voices 60’s hits across Holland, yet they were all very supportive. You might think of Holland and say well it’s all flat and easy, yes this is true, but don’t be fooled as it is also the land of the windmill and the strongest bloody headwinds I’ve come across in all my years on this earth. But when you change course and that winds behind your back, you propel down the road, legs spread and waiting for take off. The kindness of the Dutch people inspired us every moment along the way, at one point we had a guy taking time out from his destination to lead us to the next town and lending some friendly and much needed advice on how to reach Veenendaal. There’s no better feeling than setting out into unknown territories, cruising along the bike paths of Holland on a warm spring day, surrounded by fields of tulips, farms, pungent pine trees and the song of the birds above. Ahh.....but maybe there is, such as the moment you arrive at your destination and your head hits a cushy pillow after 80 exhausting km, your bum is so tight you could break a toilet seat in two and your legs are pulsing so hard they are keeping up with the rhythym of your heart. All we were in need of was a cold beer and a masseur named Sven.

Top 3 Sites:
 For all you homesick Aussies, catch up on the news, sports, Aussie bands touring the world and make sure you take a look at the homesick online shopping. Everything you could want is on sale here and shipped to your door, snacks and choccies such as freddo frog, tim tams, picnic, vegemite and more. Aussie books, cds, dvds and videos, clothing (even a good old bonds chesty singlet), check it out by clicking here www.homesick.com.au

 Heading out into unknown territories, then check out Map Quest before you go for detailed maps on most countries and cities around the globe, check it out by clicking here www.mapquest.com

 Rick Steves, for the independant traveller looking for that ’back door’ into Europe. Honest and reliable information, check it out by clicking here www.ricksteves.com