Last night Cyrus and his girlfriend Tanya left Perth on their way to New Zealand. They are stopping in Melbourne for about 12 hours first before actually flying to Auckland. As of the time I'm writing this they have already been in Melbourne for several hours and last we heard Cyrus was about to go on a mission to find a Starbucks; not hard in Melbourne but literally impossible in Perth. They are going to be in New Zealand for about 10 days. That's something that is reasonable to do when you live in Australia but if you live in a northern nation like, let's say Canada, you need at least a month in the country to justify a 30+ hour flight.
Tanya's father and one of her sisters live in New Zealand so she goes back there every once in a while to visit. This time she has company. While they're in New Zealand they're going to be staying with Tanya's father near Auckland. They're also going to visit her sister in Wellington. They plan on doing the usual touristy stuff as well while there: touring around, dipping in the hot springs, enjoying nature, possibly some extreme sports (i.e. bungy), battling Sauron's forces of evil to save the Shire, etc.
Of course, we have several different layers of mixed emotions about this trip. We are happy for Cyrus that he is going to New Zealand but we are a little nervous that it's his first big trip without us. We are excited that he gets to experience a new country but we are jealous that we don't get to go too (yet). We are proud that he is growing up and starting to experience the world on his own but we don't want to let our baby go. We are sad that we will miss him but happy that we have one less bottomless stomach to feed.
We are going to use this as an opportunity. Cyrus will be our scout into New Zealand and hopefully he will report back with some details. Nadia and I are very keen on visiting New Zealand as we've heard some very positive stories about the country and the people that live there. We are actually considering two seperate trips to New Zealand: one to explore the major tourist destinations (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hobbittown, etc.) and the other to do some world class trekking on New Zealand's south island. New Zealand is at or near the top of our "places to visit" list. I can't wait to hear about Cyrus' trip both out of interest for his trip and for completely selfish reasons.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Melbourne and the Boss
A few months ago some friends of ours mentioned that they got tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert in Melbourne. For whatever reason, he was only bringing his show to Melbourne and Sydney but he was doing several shows in each city. In fact, in Melbourne he was doing two shows in the main stadium and two shows in an outdoor area outside the city called "Hanging Rock". Hanging Rock is famous in Australia after some kids went missing in the area in the 60's. Subsequently, there was a popular movie made called "Picnic at Hanging Rock" that told the story of what may have happened, although nobody really knows. In addition to being the possible scene of a terrible crime, it's also a picturesque picnic and hiking area. It also has a horse race track now. Springsteen is only the third artist to play a concert at Hanging Rock. The first was Rod Stewart, followed by Leonard Cohen and now Bruce Springsteen.
So, Nadia and I figured that since we hadn't been to Melbourne and we really wanted to see the Boss that this would be a great opportunity. Not only that but the concert was being held on the Easter long weekend (4 day weekend) and it also coincided with me changing jobs (finished at one on Thursday, started at the new one on Tuesday). We bought tickets, booked the flight, reserved a hotel and transportation and off we went.
So, Nadia and I figured that since we hadn't been to Melbourne and we really wanted to see the Boss that this would be a great opportunity. Not only that but the concert was being held on the Easter long weekend (4 day weekend) and it also coincided with me changing jobs (finished at one on Thursday, started at the new one on Tuesday). We bought tickets, booked the flight, reserved a hotel and transportation and off we went.
Nadia in front of Federation Square in the center of Melbourne. Every day there was some sort of event here. In general, the city is very vibrant and active. This picture was an example of one of the few moments of sunshine while we were in Melbourne. The weather was decent and relatively dry but it's nothing like Perth.
One of the many lane ways in central Melbourne. There are probably hundreds of little lane ways throughout the Melbourne CBD where vehicles can't travel. This one is very close to our hotel which was right on one of the lane ways. Each lane way seemed to specialize. There were some that were restaurants only. Some were only cafes. Some were only shops. Some were pubs. Some were art galleries, etcetera. It was a lot of fun discovering each one. The food in Melbourne was good and much cheaper than Perth. But the biggest problem was that there was so much choice it was hard to know where to begin.
One evening we went out in search of a jazz club and we found one in one of the lane ways. The club was at the very end of a dark alley with a single neon sign that said "Jazz Club". The whole scene was very sketchy. It was perfect. We got in and the room was full. We went to sit at the very back when a man approached us and offered us a seat at his table at the front. He was there with his wife but they had a table for four. We took him up on his offer and as we started chatting we discovered that they were Canadian. Well, sort of. They were originally from Southern Ontario but lived in Michigan for the last twenty years prior to living in Melbourne for the last year. The club was awesome and the music was great.
When we booked our tickets to Melbourne we had no idea that at the same time as the Springsteen concert, the city was hosting their annual Melbourne International Comedy Festival. We managed to go to a couple shows but it was difficult to narrow it down. There were over 100 performances per day in different locations. Most of the performers were in the concert halls although some, like the picture above, weren't actually part of the festival but found a way to make themselves part of it.
We arrived in Melbourne on Friday afternoon. For the first two days we took in the comedy festival, restaurants, the city, etc. On Sunday it was the main event. We caught a festival bus from Melbourne to Hanging Rock. There were two opening acts: one good, one terrible. But, as is his habit, Springsteen stole the show. Above, he is playing with Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame. Tom was replacing Bruce's regular guitarist who is busy filming a TV series in Norway (he was also a regular on the Sopranos).
One of the best things about the concert is how energetic and engaged he was. He was constantly running around the audience, shaking hands, picking up signs and pulling a couple of people on stage with him. The guy is really amazing especially considering that he's in his 60s! We had very good seats so we managed to get pretty close to the action.
Monday was leaving day but our flight wasn't until later in the day. So we took the opportunity to get a couple of bikes and ride down to the St.Kilda area. One of the most impressive things about Melbourne is the myriad transportation options. They have buses, trains, trams, trolleys and public bicycles. Throughout the city they have set up bicycle stations where anyone (with a credit card) can get a bike. We road our bikes to the coastal area of St.Kilda, which is about 10 km away from the CBD. Truth be told, compared to the Perth coastal area it was pretty disappointing. Melbourne is not a beach holiday destination.
Along the way, we got tired and hungry. So, we stopped at a restaurant on the boardwalk to have lunch. Just prior to going into the restaurant there was a bit of a flurry of activity. There was a table set up and from out of nowhere a film crew ran up to the table. As it turns out, we had stumbled upon one of pitstops of the American version of the Amazing Race tv program. We saw 3 of the 4 teams complete the challenge which was to completely finish a jar of vegemite. They all struggled but made it through. We're pretty sure that we'll be on the show. Look for the guy with the red "CANADA" sweatshirt in the crowd.
This and That
It is now Fall in the Southern Hemisphere. The weather is cooling (a little bit) and change is in the air. The biggest change at the moment is work related.
Effective as of the end of March I left the project that I was seconded to (and the thing that I was brought here to do for 4 years). I was working on a very large set of projects for a very large iron ore mining company. The suite of projects was supposed to continue until about 2016. However, the shareholders of said very large iron ore mining company decided that rather than the company continuing to invest in asset development that they would rather be paid their 27 cents per share divident (note: I have no idea how much they were actually paid). That, along with the declining price of iron ore has basically scuttled their very big plans for some very big projects. As such, my job essentially became redundant.
So, as of April I went back to my parent company. While I use the term "back" I never actually really worked for them in the first place. They recruited me in Canada but it was specifically for the huge projects mentioned above. Unfortunately, going back didn't mean much as they too didn't have anything for me to work on. In fact, there was a very real possibility that I would lose my job. If that were to happen I would get 4 weeks notice. Then, according to Australian immigration laws, I would have another 4 weeks to leave the country. So, I would have 8 weeks upon notice of termination to find meaningful employment in a down economy with a company willing to sponsor my visa (and the flight back to Canada for 5 people that legally goes with it). Honestly, the prospects were dim. However, my parent company decided that they were willing to ride it out for a little while and they had some projects on the horizon (around October). In the meantime, the plan would be for me to learn their systems, prepare as much as possible and help out where I can.
Even the best laid plans change quickly, and in this case it was definately for the better. My second day in the office I was already bored beyond belief from reading manuals, procedures, etc. Then out of the blue a man introduced himself to me. After some discussion it turned out that he is a project manager and he needed someone with my skill set immediately. So, we chatted and he offered me a position on his project as Contracts and Procurement Manager. Normally, that is the person that I report to on a project. So, the job that I am now engaged on is actually sort of a promotion. That's the good news. The bad news is that I don't know what I'm doing. That's not entirely true. I know the job in general but some of the details I'm sketchy on. So, instead of being bored I'm now very busy trying to learn the new project and learn how to do my job on the project. It should be exciting in any case.
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The kids are all doing very well. Zaren and Cyrus are in grade 12 and Keva is in grade 10. They all have a good set of friends and seem to be enjoying life here. For the boys, they have their first hockey game of the season tonight. However, this year is a little different. We thought that they would be able to play another year of Midget but because they're turning 18 during the hockey season they are required to play in a senior league. So, their teammates this year are a combination of old teenagers, young adults and guys who have kids of their own. We decided that it would be best if they played in the non-contact league this year and see how it went.
The boys also recently had their "Ball". Many schools here have the Grade 12 Ball (or Prom) at the beginning of the year so that it doesn't become a distraction to the kids later. We actually hosted the pre-Ball party at our house. We had 11 graduates along with their families. In total, I think we had almost 40 people over at our house before the car picked the kids up.
Meanwhile, Keva has started doing martial arts/self defense. Specifically, she is doing Zen Do Kai which is mostly kicking, punching and a few throws. She is also in the adult class and is by far the smallest one there. But she's enjoying it.
Effective as of the end of March I left the project that I was seconded to (and the thing that I was brought here to do for 4 years). I was working on a very large set of projects for a very large iron ore mining company. The suite of projects was supposed to continue until about 2016. However, the shareholders of said very large iron ore mining company decided that rather than the company continuing to invest in asset development that they would rather be paid their 27 cents per share divident (note: I have no idea how much they were actually paid). That, along with the declining price of iron ore has basically scuttled their very big plans for some very big projects. As such, my job essentially became redundant.
So, as of April I went back to my parent company. While I use the term "back" I never actually really worked for them in the first place. They recruited me in Canada but it was specifically for the huge projects mentioned above. Unfortunately, going back didn't mean much as they too didn't have anything for me to work on. In fact, there was a very real possibility that I would lose my job. If that were to happen I would get 4 weeks notice. Then, according to Australian immigration laws, I would have another 4 weeks to leave the country. So, I would have 8 weeks upon notice of termination to find meaningful employment in a down economy with a company willing to sponsor my visa (and the flight back to Canada for 5 people that legally goes with it). Honestly, the prospects were dim. However, my parent company decided that they were willing to ride it out for a little while and they had some projects on the horizon (around October). In the meantime, the plan would be for me to learn their systems, prepare as much as possible and help out where I can.
Even the best laid plans change quickly, and in this case it was definately for the better. My second day in the office I was already bored beyond belief from reading manuals, procedures, etc. Then out of the blue a man introduced himself to me. After some discussion it turned out that he is a project manager and he needed someone with my skill set immediately. So, we chatted and he offered me a position on his project as Contracts and Procurement Manager. Normally, that is the person that I report to on a project. So, the job that I am now engaged on is actually sort of a promotion. That's the good news. The bad news is that I don't know what I'm doing. That's not entirely true. I know the job in general but some of the details I'm sketchy on. So, instead of being bored I'm now very busy trying to learn the new project and learn how to do my job on the project. It should be exciting in any case.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The kids are all doing very well. Zaren and Cyrus are in grade 12 and Keva is in grade 10. They all have a good set of friends and seem to be enjoying life here. For the boys, they have their first hockey game of the season tonight. However, this year is a little different. We thought that they would be able to play another year of Midget but because they're turning 18 during the hockey season they are required to play in a senior league. So, their teammates this year are a combination of old teenagers, young adults and guys who have kids of their own. We decided that it would be best if they played in the non-contact league this year and see how it went.
The boys also recently had their "Ball". Many schools here have the Grade 12 Ball (or Prom) at the beginning of the year so that it doesn't become a distraction to the kids later. We actually hosted the pre-Ball party at our house. We had 11 graduates along with their families. In total, I think we had almost 40 people over at our house before the car picked the kids up.
Zaren (left) and Cyrus in our backyard all ready to party!
The whole crew. Zaren on the right with his Jaylyn and Cyrus 5th from the left with Tanya.
The car to pick up Cyrus in front of our house. Zaren and Cyrus went seperately to the Ball and were at two different tables. But they stumbled home together the next morning.
Meanwhile, Keva has started doing martial arts/self defense. Specifically, she is doing Zen Do Kai which is mostly kicking, punching and a few throws. She is also in the adult class and is by far the smallest one there. But she's enjoying it.
The warrior princess in action.
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