Broken Promises

Australia Day was a grand celebration. Leading up to the day, Steph had researched various events that were organized in the Perth region. Starting in the early morning, each suburb of Perth had a free community breakfast and welcomed new Australian citizens. Throughout the day there were concerts, performances, and aboriginal dancing to keep everyone entertained. We had planned to explore the downtown festivities. From Perth's Esplanade we had planned to view an air show from 16:00-20:00 followed by a fireworks display over Swan River to end the day of celebration. As there was promise that the day would be filled with many Kodak moments, we had  pledged to share lots of pictures of our Australia Day experience.

Home Inspection

Today we had our first home inspection. The real estate agency that leased us our apartment requires periodic inspections of their properties to ensure that the tenants are properly caring for the space. This typically would not have been reason to stress. However, there was an unusual stipulation in our rent agreement. The real estate agency would forgo having the apartment professionally cleaned if Steph and I would agree to do the cleaning ourselves for a $150 reduction in our first rental payment. We had agreed to do the cleaning ourselves. So we felt compelled to have the apartment cleaned to a standard worthy of the $150 fee. Steph and I spent the majority of the previous evening scrubbing every nook and cranny of our apartment in anticipation for the inspection. It's not that we are poor tenants or dirty - sure, the odd time the apartment is in disarray, but that is purely a matter of disorganization - it's just that we are unsure as to whether we meet the generally accepted definition of neat and tidy.

King of the Jungle

Maybe it was because I had just seen The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. For whatever reason, I wanted to see a lion. Steph loves animals of all sorts, so we agreed to plan a visit to the zoo. The Perth Zoo is located in South Perth. For us to get there via public transit would require a short train and bus ride. It takes somewhat longer if you make the wrong transfers.

Interview 2

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” – Murphy’s Law

I still haven’t heard the verdict form my interview with Wrays. In the meantime I’ve had another interview with an engineering consultant company that specializes in the mining industry. The company is called Mintrex and it is located in the nearby suburb of Subiaco. To avoid having to change into my interview attire in another parking garage or abandoned alleyway, Steph and I decided to scope out public restrooms within the vicinity of Mintrex’s head office. The day before the interview we had a number of potential targets. We were feeling confident that we had successfully established a pre-interview routine. And then Murphy ’s Law nipped us in the butt.

"Imagine your worst nightmare... Now, imagine it with wings." - Steph

Leading up to the day of my interview, I was most concerned about preparing for tough interview questions. What I hadn’t anticipated was where I would freshen up before the interview. I was interviewing for a patent attorney trainee position at a Wrays; a firm located in West Perth. It was only a short distance from where we live, so I decided I’d walk to the interview. Steph came along for the walk too. We left well ahead of the scheduled interview time and stopped at a café for a milkshake and iced coffee just around the corner from the firm. Because I sweat considerably more than the average person, I had worn a regular shirt for the walk with the hope of using a public rest room to change into my dress shirt and jacket. Like all of my plans, this was a good one – foolproof even. Because the cost of dinning out in Australia is significantly higher than what we were used to in Canada, Steph and I hadn’t treated ourselves to many meals or drinks out. We learned moments before my interview that many cafes do not have public rest rooms. Larger restaurants do, but their policy is patrons only. So I found myself in a little bit of a pickle.  Where to change?

Ouch!

This past week has been relatively uneventful. This has been mostly a result of Steph and me becoming a little lackadaisical with regard to sunscreen application. During one of our beach outings, we managed to burn ourselves to a crisp in mere minutes. The beautiful thing about a sunburn is that you only become aware of what has happened when it is already far too late. Subsequently, the following few days were excruciating. I tried to combat the pain by soaking myself in some sort of vitamin E moisturizing lotion. I do not use the word soak lightly. It provided momentary relief, but that was all.

Oh Canada!

One of the more refreshing aspects of living in Australia is the sporting culture. Whether it’s at the recreational or professional level, sports are a large part of the lives of Australians. With the warm climate people are easily persuaded to get outside and involved in sporting activities. Subsequently, sports that are popular amongst Canadians, namely (ice) hockey, do not attract nearly the same attention in Australia. The large percentage of sports news, on television or in the newspapers, pertains to statistics, interviews, and highlights in cricket, tennis, Aussie rules football, rugby, football (soccer), field hockey, netball, polo, and lawn bowling. Thus far, I have witnessed the names of Lebron James, and the like, mentioned once in the media; refreshing to say the least. Although frustrating at times, it has been fun trying to decipher the lingo, rules and strategy of these ‘new’ sports.

Snakes, Jellyfish, and Automobiles

I can’t say I wasn’t warned. Channel 10 News had run a special with the slogan: Summer is coming, and so are the snakes! But nothing hammers home the message quite like nearly stepping on a black tiger snake; one of the deadliest in the world.