Australia - Day 537

So it’s official. I suck at keeping up-to-date postings here. No use in apologizing about it any further, it’s time to just accept the facts LOL. I’ll try to post at least once more before I head home in two months time. That’s not too optimistic of a goal I hope!

Well, a lot has happened in recent months... I’ve finished up my program, have all my grades back, and am set to graduate at the end of next month! The last semester of classes went relatively smoothly, wrote a 70+ page paper against the weaponization of outer space, which turned out pretty well. Since classes ended about a month ago, I’ve just been working part-time, and took a 10-day trip to Queenstown, New Zealand with 88 other people from MacAlpine.

The NZ trip was a ton of fun, and though I’ve been plagued with, well, the Plague since getting back over a week ago, it was definitely worth it! Wish I could come back next year for another go! It was a trip filled with late nights and early mornings and a ton of great people I was lucky enough to meet. The skiing was alright. To be honest, it didn’t exactly meet my expectations, but it was still good for what it was... Some powder would’ve been nice though. The nights out were hectic, and the Fergburger definitely lived up to its reputation!

Back once again in Australia, I have one month left to work (on my student visa) and save money for my upcoming travels to China and India. Once I graduate I’m off to take the long route home. I’m really looking forward to meeting up with old friends in Guangzhou, and then heading off to see Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa with Amy afterwards. Fingers crossed the visas get processed without any complications! Don’t get me started on the process of getting my Australian visa extended so I can stay for grad. I might as well promise the Immigration Office my firstborn. Anyway, I’m sure everything will work out in the end, just need a little patience. (And three trips into the city... Grr!)

I’ll be sad to leave Australia, there will be a lot that I miss about it, but I’m looking forward to getting home to Canada. It’s been so long since I’ve been back, and the last time wasn’t even for that long – just 9 or 10 days. I’m sure the novelty of it will wear off fairly quickly, but it’ll be nice to see some familiar sights, granted nothing has changed to much in my absence. I’m also looking forward to a double-double at Tim Horton’s at the Vancouver Airport before I transfer back to Toronto haha!

Well I guess that’s enough for now. That’s my past few months in a nutshell. More details to follow soon... ish. We’ll see...

Australia - Day 367

I’ve now officially been in Australia for one year! This is the longest I’ve lived in one place in a very, very long time. I’ve got to admit – it feels weird – and I still have several months to go before moving on. (To where? Well, *that* particular little detail has yet to be determined).

Reading over my first posting in Australia, I see now that I’ve come a long way over the past 12 months. I’ve also realized that, at the same time, not much has changed. The cockatoos are still loud and annoying (yet beautiful), and the rain is still pouring down! Yesterday was actually one of the worst rainstorms in NSW in the past decade! ...And I missed it!!! I was at a movie with a friend and had no idea of the chaos that was going on outside. It was only after the movie finished and we tried to make our way home that we realized we’d missed something of importance. There was debris strewn about and flashing emergency lights everywhere, flash flooding and road closures all around – it was like some kind of apocalyptic event took place while we were ignorantly engrossed in werewolves on screen! Today, the flooding has subsided, but the rain continues to fall...

The rainy season signals that the summer holiday is almost over. Classes start up again in a little over a week. While I’m starting to get a little anxious to get back to studying, I’m also a bit sad at the same time – this is my last semester, and after I finish it’s time to leave the world of academia behind and head into the “real world.” A terrifying thought, I assure you.

I chose my classes the other day – I had 1 core class left to take and 3 options. The ‘options’ were less than stellar to say the least. They aren't offering any of the ‘good’ ones they have listed in the course catalogue (ie: Arms Industry & Trades/Strategic Doctrine & Technology/Arms Control & Disarmament/Humanitarian Intervention & Peacekeeping) and haven't since I've been here. Huge disappointment. Those four classes were partially the reason I chose the course in Sydney over the program in Melbourne. But, what can you do? So this semester the core class I'm taking is International Security & the State, and the option is Intelligence Analysis: Theory & Practice. Since none of the other so-called ‘options’ seemed appealing to me, (in fact, there was really only 1 other to choose from), so I'm going to be doing a 10,000-12,000 word research project that counts as two classes. It will be a lot of work, but at least (in theory) I can choose my own topic and learn about something I'm interested in. I haven't decided what yet, but maybe something along the lines of Arms control or peacekeeping operations or something...? (To make up for the classes I haven't been able to take).

Before heading back to the classroom, I still have Soundwave to look forward to (kind of like the Aussie version of the Warped Tour). That’s happening next Sunday and I’m really excited for it! There are tons of great bands playing! But with 6 stages and almost 50 different bands that means I have some difficult choices to make... For instance, there’s Jimmy Eat World vs. Anti-Flag vs. The Aquabats decision, as well as the choice between AFI vs. The Getup Kids. Another timeslot I’m stuck on is with Alexisonfire vs. Motion City Soundtrack, and lastly between Placebo vs. Reel Big Fish. Decisions decisions... I’m sure regardless of who I end up seeing, it’ll be an amazing day and a great end to my summer vacation!

Australia - Day 327

Happy 2010! Seems it’s been almost five whole months since I last wrote anything. I guess I’m getting progressively worse at this. I wish I could say it’s my New Year’s resolution to try and keep regular updates, but I don’t bother with that kind of thing because I know that I would never be able to keep my word. At least I’m being honest with my self, right? Haha. That’s got to count for something.

So what’s been going on? My second of three semesters is now over, and has been over for about a month and a half. Though I promised myself I’d try and stop procrastinating with my papers after the first semester, I still ended up leaving it all till the last minute. In my final week of classes I managed to stay awake for 69 hours straight writing papers, only to fall asleep for three, then continue on for another 24. Not my best week, I assure you. At least I wasn’t alone in my misery, as my friend Ariel was there to share the pain. I’m pretty sure my (former) neighbor thinks we’re both certifiable, as we turned to impromptu karaoke sessions in the wee hours of the morning to help keep us awake... Time was measured in page numbers and word counts. Many cans of Red Bull and other assorted energy drinks and sugary snacks later, we finally submitted the last of our assignments.

I’ve never been as eager to turn off my computer as I was that day, and I was glad to be able to celebrate with a massive party! My 21st birthday party, as it turns out ;) (21, 26, what’s the difference really? Is it sad I’m already lying about my age? Not sure anyone believed me anyways LOL). At any rate, the goal was to drink until I forgot about the thousands of words I’d typed the week before. Several Jell-O shots and rounds of beer pong later, mission accomplished!

Now it’s been about 6 weeks and I’m actually starting to look forward to registering for my last semester of classes in the coming weeks. Needless to say, the summer break has been fairly uneventful. Aside from a quick trip up to the Gold Coast before Christmas I haven’t been able to travel. (A sad fact owed largely to my attempts at finding a part-time job being largely unsuccessful to date. Hopefully the New Year brings more luck in that department). I really hope they offer good course choices this time around as I only have one core left and three options. If there aren’t any good options I guess that leaves me writing a mini-thesis... Maybe *this* time I won’t leave it until the very end. Chances are slim, but hey, you never know...

New Year’s Eve was a lot of fun this year. It was definitely a great night (followed by a not-so-great morning, but that’s generally how it goes). It was spent on a rooftop terrace near the Harbor Bridge here in Sydney. It felt a little special knowing I was in one of the first time zones to cross into the new decade. The view from the flat was fantastic and the fireworks display was amazing! I was told it was one of the most expensive shows in world history. From what I saw, it’d be difficult to argue otherwise.

So far in 2010, I’ve managed to see a few good movies and finally decided to check out what a Gold Class movie is all about. Definitely worth the splurge, though not sure my wallet could handle the impact on any kind of regular basis...

Well folks, I guess that’s about it. There are tons more things I could say I’m sure, but then you’d never get away from this page... Hopefully this is enough to go on until the next post. Which, with any luck, will be sooner rather than later...

Australia - Day 181

I bet you all thought I’d forgotten about you. Don’t worry, I haven’t. I’ve just been distracted by shiny objects, and for that, I apologize.

It’s been a while since my last posting – so long in fact that the first semester of my Masters program has come and gone, as has the two-month winter holiday. Second semester is already in full swing, or at least a week into it. (What exactly counts as ‘full swing’ anyways?)

The first semester went well, my grades turned out better than expected so that’s a big plus – have a better GPA now than during my undergrad – go figure.

The winter break went by fairly uneventfully... I got a temp job working in the city as a “Marketing Assistant” at a big software security firm. Sounds oh so glamorous I know ;) Haha. Trust me, it’s not. All I did was help with a big mail-out by stuffing envelopes with USB keys – fun fun. On the bright side I could bring in my laptop and watch TV so I can’t complain too loudly about the monotony of the job. And, though it was only supposed to be for a couple of weeks it actually lasted the entire 2-month break. (Almost made it through the entire series of 24). The downside is that I had to wake up earlier everyday of my holiday than I do during school. That’s just not cool man, not cool at all. (I likes my sleep).

Also during the break my parents came over from Canada for a visit. Not to visit me mind you, I’m more of the bonus side attraction :P They’d have come whether I was here or not haha. But it was nice to see them, and I got to travel up to the Sunshine Coast at Noosa to spend a week with them and their friends. Not only did it get me out of cold and rainy Sydney and I also took the opportunity to take a side trip down to the Gold Coast to visit an old school friend from back home too, so that was fun ☺

Back in school now, semester two is looking a little more interesting than the first. I have somewhat more entertaining classes (from what I can tell so far). One in particular being the Forensic Science class - pity that one is only over the course of two weekends rather than every week. This past Sunday we got to learn about fingerprinting and actually got to lift some prints and analyze them ourselves, so that was pretty cool. Or, at least I thought so, but maybe that just makes me a nerd ☺ The next time we have that class isn’t until October, but then we get to learn about toxicology so that will be a fun unit I’m sure...

This Friday my ex from my U of C days will be in town on business and we’re going to meet up for dinner. That should be... interesting haha. I’m sure it’ll be fine... Just haven’t seen him in 3 years, how awkward could it be? ;) Riiight... I’ll let you know.

So I’ve glossed over the finer points, but that’s basically been my life for the past 3 months that I’ve neglected to write anything. School, work, 24, school again, a few parties peppered here and there...

So umm yeah... Sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long (if any of you even noticed haha). Promise not to be so neglectful in the future (I’m sure you’ve heard that before).

Australia - Day 76

So I was about to start working on my 4000 word essay on narco-terrorism in Afghanistan that’s due in 5 days when I realized that I haven’t made any updates recently on what I’ve been up to here in Sydney. This is an unfortunate oversight on my part, and one that cannot wait to be rectified. I definitely have my priorities set right :P

Well, my first semester back to school is halfway through, what have I got to show for it? Well, as I may have mentioned last time, I joined the Global Leadership Program at Macquarie and have since then gone on two Symposiums with them. One to Canberra back in March and one to Singapore over the mid-semester break in April – the latter was also supposed to have a Thailand component but unfortunately it was cancelled due to the anti-government protests. “Que sera sera” as they say, so no need to dwell on missed opportunities any further.

To sum up the trip to Canberra in one word would be: Amazing! Not so much for the fact that we visited Canberra, because lets face it, it’s Canberra (like visiting Ottawa). But amazing because of all the other students that I met on the trip. They made it to be what it was. By day we powered through the political, cultural, agricultural presentations and speeches, but the “real” learning took place at night over drinks at various bars and clubs. I have many memories from that trip including hand feeding a 400kg brown bear, listening to politicians rant about “malcho-pops” during Question Time at parliament, and also 1-litre cocktails at Mooseheads and somehow managing to get myself out on the dance floor (a rarity – I had some help LOL).

Singapore was also a great trip. It’s definitely a different sort of Asian country. It was described to me as being akin to an “‘Asia-land’ at Disneyland: carefully designed to have all the stuff going on, but more or less sanitized.” I think that pretty much sums it up. I really enjoyed my time there – going to the zoo and seeing the animal autopsy room was a trip, and visiting the PSA was interesting as well. Eating off a banana leaf in Little India turned out to be a delicious experience and visiting my first shish bar definitely fell into the “educational” category haha. Although the second half our trip was cancelled (Thailand) it was nice getting to spend an extra couple of days in Singapore, especially since it gave me the opportunity to meet up with an old uni friend from back home in Canada. I think I got see the country from a different perspective than a lot of the other people on the GLP trip and for that I’m grateful to JT and his girlfriend, Ivy. It was cool going to the late night food market and trying stingray and crossing the border in Malaysian for dinner ☺ Oh yeah, and I can’t forget trying an authentic Singapore Sling! Gotta remember that part! 

So now I’m back in Sydney and will probably be here for a while. I’m starting to look for a part-time job though I really didn’t want to have to do that until the winter/summer (depending on which hemisphere you’re reading this from). Guess that won’t happen though, the sooner the better now…

All right, well I guess that brings you all up to date, I’ve got nothing else to report. Oh yeah, except maybe for a recommendation – “The Boat That Rocked” definitely a good movie! I suggest you all go see it. One of the funnier movies I’ve seen recently.

Now time for me to get back to that essay, I think I’ve procrastinated enough for one night…

Australia - Day 36

I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot recently, but man, time really does fly! I can’t believe I’ve been in Sydney for over a month already. I guess when you have your nose buried in a textbook it kinda just creeps up on you.

Speaking of textbooks, I think I’m starting to get this whole back-to-school thing down. I had my first assignment due today – I had to give a presentation on how drug trafficking in North America is a threat to human security… Anyways, the presentation was, not one of my finest to say the least, but at least it got me back in the swing of things. Next week the essay component of the same project is due, and to my own amazement I’m already finished! A week early! That *never* happens! Well, it’s mostly finished – I’m way over the word count so I have to go back and do a lot of editing. But still, a week early, I’m so proud of myself haha.

Since starting school I’ve joined the gym. I’ve been going there fairly regularly (except this past week ‘cause I was preoccupied with my presentation) and I’m feeling pretty good about it. They have this “Boot Camp” thing that lasts six weeks. I might try it next semester after I’m a bit more in shape. We’ll see, not promising anything. But the thought is nice.

I also joined the Global Leadership Program (GLP), which is a kind of “degree enhancing” program that emphasizes leadership and cross-cultural understanding. It’s a pretty interesting program and unique to Macquarie. In order to get recognition on your transcript for entering the program students have to attention six Think Tanks; which are kind of like debates on various global issues facilitated by a professional; attend two Distinguished Speaker events, and engage in one cross cultural practicum. (Hence my trip to Singapore and Thailand this coming semester break). It seems pretty cool – I’ve never done anything like this before.

On a related note, I’m off to Canberra tomorrow for a four-day trip. We’re going visit the Australian Parliament, the Indonesian Embassy, and then a bunch of other, more touristy things like visiting the zoo and feeding the animals. I’m considered a “delegate” which makes me feel pretty professional haha. There are about 50 or so people going on the trip, so it should make of a good time.

What else is there…? Not too much more. School’s starting to pick up and get busier, have a lot more assignments due in the coming weeks. In light of that I’m gonna try and make it to a beach here before it starts cooling down too much. The days are still sunny and warm but at night it’s been getting fairly chilly (and by that I mean around 20 degrees).

Alright well I should get going, I have to wake up in about 4 ½ hours to catch the bus we’re taking to Canberra – Mornings are NOT my friend! At least I can sleep on the way there. (I hope).

Australia - Day 16

My first week back at school has come and gone.  It goes by quickly when you only have three classes.  (I’ll have a fourth class at the end of March, it’s only a week long but it lasts all day - I guess the total hours will end up being the same).  Before my first class on Tuesday I was really nervous, I can’t really say why, but I guess just returning to the role of “student” after being a “teacher” for so long.  All those butterflies are gone now and I’m getting back in the swing of things.  I started my readings today, and although at first my head was starting to spin, after a few articles I was back in stride.  For the most part.  Sort of.  Maybe.  Here’s hoping.

I’m realizing I don’t really have much to say.  Nothing overly interesting anyway.  Maybe I need to wait longer between posts...?

Let’s see...

Well, I went to UBar tonight.  The on-campus bar.  Definitely different from The Den back in Calgary.  It’s more clubby.  There’s a big dance floor and people are lined up 5-deep at the bar to order drinks.  Maybe it’s just a sign of my age, but I think I prefer the “relaxed” atmosphere of The Den more.  I still haven’t found a nice pub around here.  The school’s pretty isolated by suburbia - not a whole lot around, not even a convenience store.  There’s a small Asian supermarket nearby and two mid-scale restaurants, but that’s about it.  Everything else, apart from the mall on the other side of campus, is a bus or train ride away.  Did I mention the mall closes at 5:30?  It’s definitely *not* a 24/7 culture here.  Although I hear there’s a gas station in the vicinity that’s open overnight.  I guess with everything shutting down so early I’m not really going to have any excuses not to be at home doing my homework and assignments.  Hmm...  I’m going to have to be more creative with my procrastinating...

I guess there’s always the excuse of waiting on a slow internet connection.  And man, is it slow!  I’m secretly wishing I was back to the instability of the connection in China, at least with that I could watch a 40-minute TV show in under 3 hours!

Alright, well, I guess that’s it for now.  Next time I’ll wait to write until I actually have something interesting to say ;)