It is 11am, I'm on my third bulmers chilling with the lads, waiting until we go to the beach.
Another gorgeous day in Perth (well, I'm actually in North Fremantle), not a cloud in the sky.
Does not feel like christmas. It's weird. We wished each other merry Christmas this morning but without cold weather, family, and snow it just doesn't feel like the holiday I've celebrated with family for the past 30 years (with the exception of Dublin, where I spent it with Anna Rice and her family in the Wicklow mountains).
Love you all. Just living another summer day. Enjoy the snow ;)
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N
S'going well. S'going well.
Friday night was a riot! JD, friends, a later start time on Saturday, my last shift.
Showed up 20 minutes early for my FINAL SHIFT (can I get an amen??!!), was told that I would be doing testings for the expensive copper-pot distilled vodka (Absolut Elyx --the only vodka I can drink straight! Pure silk.) so I finished the vodka tonic jug from the day before and had a great time! Walked around, said bye to people, generally farted around until my boss informed me that we would be going to lunch at noon not 1. Saweeeet! So I worked three hours and went to lunch and drinks with my team (Annie = boss, Michael and Sonia), then drinks with the boss, then I got an early flight to Perth....no upgrade fees!!! Got into Perth, drove past the OCeAN, it was warm outside, and there were coronas at the house. Good times.
Sunday was brunch with the boys (joe and his housemates jade and gav) at hillary's marina, went to the BEACH (!!!!), dhufish for dinner, and a freemantle pub to watch a footie match (British).
Monday I chilled. Skyped nancy, went to the grocers, bummed around.
Yesterday was the beach (again!!!!!!!), catching up with parks and rec, and pizza for dinner.
Today I visited Perth CBD. Took the red CAT and blue CAT (central area transit) buses (Perth city transit is freeeeeeeeeee) for my own cheap tour, and had drinks with Kev. Going to his on the 24th for a few days for a nice christmas BBQ. And no worries, mom, I already asked Kev if there is a church near his place in north freemantle ;)
Tomorrow it's back to the city centre for queen's gardens and King's park. Might book a tour for a great price, too...
OH YAH on Tuesday last the big bosses came and they loved me!!! They want me to do the new Absolut launch in sydney in April (I'm thinking no. I never wanted to live in Sydney, just visit), and the possibility of an airport job in Perth. But I can only work three weeks, so I dunno.
That's your update. Photos tomorrow, maybe, if I find out how to post them here xoxo
Friday night was a riot! JD, friends, a later start time on Saturday, my last shift.
Showed up 20 minutes early for my FINAL SHIFT (can I get an amen??!!), was told that I would be doing testings for the expensive copper-pot distilled vodka (Absolut Elyx --the only vodka I can drink straight! Pure silk.) so I finished the vodka tonic jug from the day before and had a great time! Walked around, said bye to people, generally farted around until my boss informed me that we would be going to lunch at noon not 1. Saweeeet! So I worked three hours and went to lunch and drinks with my team (Annie = boss, Michael and Sonia), then drinks with the boss, then I got an early flight to Perth....no upgrade fees!!! Got into Perth, drove past the OCeAN, it was warm outside, and there were coronas at the house. Good times.
Sunday was brunch with the boys (joe and his housemates jade and gav) at hillary's marina, went to the BEACH (!!!!), dhufish for dinner, and a freemantle pub to watch a footie match (British).
Monday I chilled. Skyped nancy, went to the grocers, bummed around.
Yesterday was the beach (again!!!!!!!), catching up with parks and rec, and pizza for dinner.
Today I visited Perth CBD. Took the red CAT and blue CAT (central area transit) buses (Perth city transit is freeeeeeeeeee) for my own cheap tour, and had drinks with Kev. Going to his on the 24th for a few days for a nice christmas BBQ. And no worries, mom, I already asked Kev if there is a church near his place in north freemantle ;)
Tomorrow it's back to the city centre for queen's gardens and King's park. Might book a tour for a great price, too...
OH YAH on Tuesday last the big bosses came and they loved me!!! They want me to do the new Absolut launch in sydney in April (I'm thinking no. I never wanted to live in Sydney, just visit), and the possibility of an airport job in Perth. But I can only work three weeks, so I dunno.
That's your update. Photos tomorrow, maybe, if I find out how to post them here xoxo
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
Ten days left! (when I wrote this)
I only have ten days left of getting up at 5am. Thank GOD!!!! Last night I saw Breaking Dawn (meh. But the last 40min?? YES!!!!!!) and ate too much popcorn. For dinner :/ soooo when I tried to go to bed (aim for 8:30pm, but due to fb and txts/calls, was actually 9:30) I heard this alarm sound. I thought it was coming from Victoria Market, then I heard fire trucks so I though I should check I out for photo's sake, and that's when Romany (Tony's flatmate) turned on the light downstairs. It was the fire alarm for the building! She had never heard it up on the tenth floor before, and it kinda smelled like smoke in the hallway, so I grabbed my passport, phones, and we took the stairs to the lobby. Everything was ok (there was smoke on the 8th floor hallway) and we were about to take the elevator back up, but there were 84 teenagers in there! They were mucking around and I finally got fed up (cranky, ill geneviève is NOT someone to mess with!!!!). The exchange went like this:
*teenage girls in elevator teasing three boys outside elevator for starting the 'fire'. Teenage boys will not let the door close.
G: ok I've had it! I've had enough *presses door close*
*teenage girl babbling*
T #1: what's on the 10th floor?
G: that's where I live. I'm going back to bed.
T#1: oh ok. Sorry I didn't know there was anyone else in the lift.
G: yah people actually live in this building, it's not just a hotel.
T#2: sorry
G: ok. Enjoy your schoolies! (said sarcastically. Schoolies is the time when you've finished high school. Generally a big party-time, it involves going to another city/country (lots of them going to Bali this time of year, on their parents dime!!!!) and generally being douchy).
T#1: oh we're not Schoolies! There's a huge volleyball tournament there are likes hundred volleyball players in town this week
*at this point they are at their destination, the 3rd floor*
G: ok (DON'T CARE!!!!! GTFO!!!!!!!!)
*as all twelve girls exit the elevator they throw feeble 'sorries' my way
Romany tells me I'm awesome.
What else? OH YAH I took my first helicopter ride EVER this past Sunday.....over the 12 Apostles!!! Totally worth the $75 :) I will give an in-depth analysis of my tour of the Great Ocean Road later. Hopefully friday but I never know. Tony comes back Saturday so I have to pack all my stuff. Dunno if he will me me stay for my final week or if I will be in a hostel.
Oh snap something else happened! On Saturday, during my usual "vodka tonic sample?" schpeel, I was turned down by Kylie Minogue!!! I started off by asking the guy on her left (closest to me) and as I moved my eye contact to her, she looked right at me and laughed!!! Exciting!!!!! She is tiny, though. Bitch looks good for 45 ;)
Besides that, not too eventful. Been speaking with Joe, who I met through Tony. Joel's going back to London for the holidays, but he'll be showing me around Perth before he goes. I'm excited for the beaches. And skyping with whoever possible on Christmas. Book me now, kids!!!!
David Beckham came through on Wednesday. What. A. Good. Looking. MAN!!!! Too bad all of that is shot once he opens his mouth ;) he laughed and said no when I offered him a VT...but at least he looked at me!!!!! :D
Today is Friday, December 9th. It is 5:15am. Not too much else going on here, getting excited to leave next week. Tony's back tomorrow, so fingers crossed he lets me stay here for my last week !!!!
Love you all. Has anyone else noticed how awesome my father is???? HE COMMENTS ON ALL MY BLOG POSTS!!!!!!!!!!! Also, he's generally awesome, since he is newly retired. Not that he wasn't awesome when he was gainfully employed, but now he's awesommmmmmer ;)
Daddy- I saw a guy wearing a shirt yesterday that said 'I'm retired, do it yourself' and I literally laughed out loud. I need to find that shirt for you.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
*teenage girls in elevator teasing three boys outside elevator for starting the 'fire'. Teenage boys will not let the door close.
G: ok I've had it! I've had enough *presses door close*
*teenage girl babbling*
T #1: what's on the 10th floor?
G: that's where I live. I'm going back to bed.
T#1: oh ok. Sorry I didn't know there was anyone else in the lift.
G: yah people actually live in this building, it's not just a hotel.
T#2: sorry
G: ok. Enjoy your schoolies! (said sarcastically. Schoolies is the time when you've finished high school. Generally a big party-time, it involves going to another city/country (lots of them going to Bali this time of year, on their parents dime!!!!) and generally being douchy).
T#1: oh we're not Schoolies! There's a huge volleyball tournament there are likes hundred volleyball players in town this week
*at this point they are at their destination, the 3rd floor*
G: ok (DON'T CARE!!!!! GTFO!!!!!!!!)
*as all twelve girls exit the elevator they throw feeble 'sorries' my way
Romany tells me I'm awesome.
What else? OH YAH I took my first helicopter ride EVER this past Sunday.....over the 12 Apostles!!! Totally worth the $75 :) I will give an in-depth analysis of my tour of the Great Ocean Road later. Hopefully friday but I never know. Tony comes back Saturday so I have to pack all my stuff. Dunno if he will me me stay for my final week or if I will be in a hostel.
Oh snap something else happened! On Saturday, during my usual "vodka tonic sample?" schpeel, I was turned down by Kylie Minogue!!! I started off by asking the guy on her left (closest to me) and as I moved my eye contact to her, she looked right at me and laughed!!! Exciting!!!!! She is tiny, though. Bitch looks good for 45 ;)
Besides that, not too eventful. Been speaking with Joe, who I met through Tony. Joel's going back to London for the holidays, but he'll be showing me around Perth before he goes. I'm excited for the beaches. And skyping with whoever possible on Christmas. Book me now, kids!!!!
David Beckham came through on Wednesday. What. A. Good. Looking. MAN!!!! Too bad all of that is shot once he opens his mouth ;) he laughed and said no when I offered him a VT...but at least he looked at me!!!!! :D
Today is Friday, December 9th. It is 5:15am. Not too much else going on here, getting excited to leave next week. Tony's back tomorrow, so fingers crossed he lets me stay here for my last week !!!!
Love you all. Has anyone else noticed how awesome my father is???? HE COMMENTS ON ALL MY BLOG POSTS!!!!!!!!!!! Also, he's generally awesome, since he is newly retired. Not that he wasn't awesome when he was gainfully employed, but now he's awesommmmmmer ;)
Daddy- I saw a guy wearing a shirt yesterday that said 'I'm retired, do it yourself' and I literally laughed out loud. I need to find that shirt for you.
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Samedi
December 1st drama
I was given an American hairdryer from Kirrily, who works beside me handing out flyers from 7:30-11:30am. I have an adapter that I've been using for my computer and iPhone, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem. At 5:05am, after making my tea, I go to dry my hair....plug in the hairdryer and it goes WHOOOOO*blzzt*!!
Kirrily had left it on. At full blast. It blew the fuse.
Not only that, but it blew ALL the fuses in the 2-story condo AT ONCE! I was left in the dark, freaking out. Well, not really freaking but definitely swearing :/
Thank God I'm a camper (infinite thanks to Ryan!!) and my headlamp is never far away, because NONE of the lights worked. The fridge had stopped working too, which meant that I could not go to work until this problem was rectified. So I strapped on my headlight, called my boss (she was understanding), called my parents (hahahahha what can they do from Canada???) and tried the fuse box, to no avail. Called the after-hours number and was advised that if they sent a car out to help me, it would cost $100. I was better off waiting for the superintendent, who starts at 7am. It was now 5:40am. I had already tried to call and text tony (who, in Mozambique, had turned off his Oz phone) and call Romany (the flatmate, who of course was sleeping), so I tried to sleep for an hour and a half. Oh yeah I had woken up at 3am to pee and hadn't been able to fall back asleep before my 4:45 alarm, so it turned out to be a looooooong day :/
Didn't get anymore sleep though, just a bit of rest. I kept having nightmare visions of having to pay $3000 to rewire the entire condo....
The super got in at 7:10am and he flipped a switch in the hallway closet (main breakers for the entire floor) and saved my life. After wolfing down some toast I left for work.
Upon arriving at the airport I RAN like a sprinter going for the gold, and as a result I clocked in at 8:30am, but with a burning throat and lungs :/ praying I don't get bronchitis....not going out tonight FER SURE!!!
Anyway I didn't have a coffee all day so i was low energy, but I slept almost ten hours that night.
Ensuite, hier était une journée fantastique! J'ai bien dormi, et même quand mes 'earbuds' s'on rester pris dans le jack de mon iPhone et je ne pouvais pas les enlever moi-même (ils m'ont aidé au travaille), j'ai parler avec mes parents durant ma marche à l'autobus. Je suis arrivée tôt à l'aéroport, pris mon café et le matin était très occupé!! J'ai vendu beaucoup de vodka, pas eu le temps de prends mon break de 15min, donc j'ai quitté plus tôt (avec permission de mon gérant). J'ai même reçu un cadeau du gérant du magasin pour un remerciement de travail bien fait!!! C'est un parfum très jolie, qui coût $92 en magasin, mais je dois le trainer avec moi durant mon voyage?? Peut-être je vais l'envoyé par la poste à mes parents ;)
Donc hier était une très bonne journée :) et aujourd'hui, il me reste seulement 2 semaines exacte, et après mon dernier shift je serais en route pour Perth!!!!! Ah que j'ai hâte à aller à la plage :)))))
Aujourd'hui je prends un café avec le gérant du magasin de montres (pas notre magasin). Il sais comment porter un 'suit', et il est beau à regardé passer durant mes journées longues, mais il est un fumeur, et je pars ..... Donc c'est seulement café.
Un autre post s'en viens!!!!! xoxoxo
I was given an American hairdryer from Kirrily, who works beside me handing out flyers from 7:30-11:30am. I have an adapter that I've been using for my computer and iPhone, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem. At 5:05am, after making my tea, I go to dry my hair....plug in the hairdryer and it goes WHOOOOO*blzzt*!!
Kirrily had left it on. At full blast. It blew the fuse.
Not only that, but it blew ALL the fuses in the 2-story condo AT ONCE! I was left in the dark, freaking out. Well, not really freaking but definitely swearing :/
Thank God I'm a camper (infinite thanks to Ryan!!) and my headlamp is never far away, because NONE of the lights worked. The fridge had stopped working too, which meant that I could not go to work until this problem was rectified. So I strapped on my headlight, called my boss (she was understanding), called my parents (hahahahha what can they do from Canada???) and tried the fuse box, to no avail. Called the after-hours number and was advised that if they sent a car out to help me, it would cost $100. I was better off waiting for the superintendent, who starts at 7am. It was now 5:40am. I had already tried to call and text tony (who, in Mozambique, had turned off his Oz phone) and call Romany (the flatmate, who of course was sleeping), so I tried to sleep for an hour and a half. Oh yeah I had woken up at 3am to pee and hadn't been able to fall back asleep before my 4:45 alarm, so it turned out to be a looooooong day :/
Didn't get anymore sleep though, just a bit of rest. I kept having nightmare visions of having to pay $3000 to rewire the entire condo....
The super got in at 7:10am and he flipped a switch in the hallway closet (main breakers for the entire floor) and saved my life. After wolfing down some toast I left for work.
Upon arriving at the airport I RAN like a sprinter going for the gold, and as a result I clocked in at 8:30am, but with a burning throat and lungs :/ praying I don't get bronchitis....not going out tonight FER SURE!!!
Anyway I didn't have a coffee all day so i was low energy, but I slept almost ten hours that night.
Ensuite, hier était une journée fantastique! J'ai bien dormi, et même quand mes 'earbuds' s'on rester pris dans le jack de mon iPhone et je ne pouvais pas les enlever moi-même (ils m'ont aidé au travaille), j'ai parler avec mes parents durant ma marche à l'autobus. Je suis arrivée tôt à l'aéroport, pris mon café et le matin était très occupé!! J'ai vendu beaucoup de vodka, pas eu le temps de prends mon break de 15min, donc j'ai quitté plus tôt (avec permission de mon gérant). J'ai même reçu un cadeau du gérant du magasin pour un remerciement de travail bien fait!!! C'est un parfum très jolie, qui coût $92 en magasin, mais je dois le trainer avec moi durant mon voyage?? Peut-être je vais l'envoyé par la poste à mes parents ;)
Donc hier était une très bonne journée :) et aujourd'hui, il me reste seulement 2 semaines exacte, et après mon dernier shift je serais en route pour Perth!!!!! Ah que j'ai hâte à aller à la plage :)))))
Aujourd'hui je prends un café avec le gérant du magasin de montres (pas notre magasin). Il sais comment porter un 'suit', et il est beau à regardé passer durant mes journées longues, mais il est un fumeur, et je pars ..... Donc c'est seulement café.
Un autre post s'en viens!!!!! xoxoxo
Friday, December 2, 2011
This post was written on Wednesday November 30th
Yesterday the Richmond Tigers AFL (aussie football league) walked through the departures area, clad in uniform, and no doubt on their way to high-altitude training in the states, like the Collingwood team the week before. I wonder which AFL team will walk through next Tuesday??
Loving my job a little bit....get paid to flirt (hehehehe wink!), the vodka's been selling well, and although the samples may not be flying off my tray, no worries! (that's Australian for 'no problem'. Other phrases: 'how you going?' = how's it going; lollies = any sort of candy, sweet, or chocolate; chewie = gum; toilet = washroom; rubbish = trash; bin = trash can; tram = streetcar, etc etc etc)
Starting to make a few friendships with work people, which makes the day go faster, but man there are bitches at any workplace!!! Like I care....in two and a half weeks I'll never see them again. Plus, they might even get a piece of my mind if they're working that Saturday ;)
Im looking forward to going to Perth and I've been reading up on WA (Western Australia) and I'll be taking notes and making a plan for where I wanna travel (my papa taught me well!). So far I'll be going to Fremantle and Rottnest Island while in Perth, and I wanna go to Monkey Mia to volunteer to feed dolphins for a few days, up to Broome for the wet season (and maybe go back for the dry season when I do Darwin closer to June), Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and maybe Albany. I was gonna do the wineries in Margaret River, but there were huge bush fires there last week so I don't know if anything is still standing....I'll find out more when I get there. I'm mostly looking forward to chilling on a beach for a week ;P
today is Friday, I PROMISE I'll post tonight, since I'm not going out for my usual few in an hour ;)
xoxoxo
Loving my job a little bit....get paid to flirt (hehehehe wink!), the vodka's been selling well, and although the samples may not be flying off my tray, no worries! (that's Australian for 'no problem'. Other phrases: 'how you going?' = how's it going; lollies = any sort of candy, sweet, or chocolate; chewie = gum; toilet = washroom; rubbish = trash; bin = trash can; tram = streetcar, etc etc etc)
Starting to make a few friendships with work people, which makes the day go faster, but man there are bitches at any workplace!!! Like I care....in two and a half weeks I'll never see them again. Plus, they might even get a piece of my mind if they're working that Saturday ;)
Im looking forward to going to Perth and I've been reading up on WA (Western Australia) and I'll be taking notes and making a plan for where I wanna travel (my papa taught me well!). So far I'll be going to Fremantle and Rottnest Island while in Perth, and I wanna go to Monkey Mia to volunteer to feed dolphins for a few days, up to Broome for the wet season (and maybe go back for the dry season when I do Darwin closer to June), Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and maybe Albany. I was gonna do the wineries in Margaret River, but there were huge bush fires there last week so I don't know if anything is still standing....I'll find out more when I get there. I'm mostly looking forward to chilling on a beach for a week ;P
today is Friday, I PROMISE I'll post tonight, since I'm not going out for my usual few in an hour ;)
xoxoxo
Monday November 28
Last Sunday I went on my first tourist tour of my Australian adventure!! We went to a wildlife park where I saw:
- a real Tasmanian devil (they're nocturnal and carnivores and had just been fed so they (there are two but I only saw one) got up just to eat and then went back to sleep in their cave)..... So cute! But they are known to jump so there are signs warning against putting your camera and hands too close to the barrier cuz they will bite it off LOL
- a wombat (also nocturnal but vegetarian). Just as cute, if not cuter than the Tassie devil. The little guy that I took a photo of kinda woke up when I approached, so I tried to feed him but he was too sleepy so I just left the food there for when he woke up :P
- wallabies!!! And kangaroos!!!!!! With little ones in their pouches!!!! In fact, the first wallaby I ever saw had 2 little ones in her pouch, cuz she kept stealing the other wallabies' baby hahahaha. I petted them, fed them, generally played around with them, and got LOTS of photos!!!
- koalas. They were sleeping in their trees, and were SUPER cute, but they can rip your face off in three seconds flat. If I ever get reincarnated I'm asking to come back as a koala (not that I'll have a choice!!! Hahahahahaha). Did you know that Australia has over 200 types of eucalyptus but koalas only eat about 20 of those types? They are very fussy ;)
- emus. Creepy looking fockers!! Feeding them was a terrifying lead-up to basically just a tap in your palm. (place the seeds in the MIDDLE of your palm with your hand flat. Then they stalk you and attack your hand, but not really.... They snap their mouth in the palm of your hand, taking some food with it and leaving the rest. Doesn't hurt, but the lead-up was enough to scare some girls off)
-Dingos. Basically dogs, but they are carnivores. They were neat....I guess.
Then we went to a place called 'swan lake' where we saw wild wallabies (!!!) and black swans. I even asked Natalie Portman for her autograph!! Just kidding ;) apparently black swans can been seen up close in Perth, so I'll be finding out if thats true or not in three weeks.
We went to the nobbies, which is a large rock and a smaller rock in the ocean, I think. I paid money to look in a telescope thing to see seals out on the smaller rock, and I saw them!!!!! Can't wait to see them close up, though.... Somewhere, someday!
It was really windy at the nobbies. And by windy, I mean my sweater hood AND my jacket hood were up on my head!!! Got some great photos of the intense waves :) on the way out, we saw a wild wallabie and I spotted two ducklings do the bus stopped so we could take photos! (but not get out, cuz we would have scared the poor things half to death)
We finished the day at Phillip Island to see the penguin parade. It was the cutest/most pathetic thing I had ever seen!!!! Let me explain:
The smallest of the penguin family, Korora penguins (called Little Penguins cuz they're the smallest of the species) have to wait until the sun sets in order to leave the ocean and go mate/feed their babies, because of predators. They are the only species of penguin with dark blue backs, so they can blend in with the ocean, and the predatory birds won't get them, since to the birds they will look like water.
It was so cute because the penguins are SO SMALL (one foot in height) and when they finally decide to move they waddle really quickly up the big hill (there were bleachers on both sides so the tourists can watch) but MAN it's a process!!! They come to shore riding the waves, in groups of 5-20. They precociously come out of the water, standing there in groups, until the waves come crashing in and sweep them in the water again. Once in awhile there is one brave penguin who starts going for it, and then chickens out and goes back in the water. Eventually that brave penguin will start to make the trek, and the others will follow.
It was really cold at the Penguin Parade, and I felt badly for the girls on our tour that wore shorts and sandals that day. I didn't even see all the penguins come out of the water, just a few groups, but I got the point. All along the boardwalk there are penguin homes and you can see them make their way home. I even saw a mommy feed two babies!!! They walk beside you on their path, right at your feet, but you cant take photos or pet them. It was definitely an experience :)
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, except for the football team coming through departures ;)
Today is Monday, November 28th and I start my 4th week today. Only three left; I'm halfway done my contract!! I'm not gonna lie, I wish it ended earlier, because I'll run out of free gifts by the end of the week (I'm already out of lip gloss, and will run out of mirrors by Wednesday, I think), but I'm prepared to go the distance. Still thinking of that money....
Lots of love and I'll post more later in the week, now that I'm at tony's with unlimited Internet (but it doesn't work with my computer. BALLS) je vous aime tous xoxo
- a real Tasmanian devil (they're nocturnal and carnivores and had just been fed so they (there are two but I only saw one) got up just to eat and then went back to sleep in their cave)..... So cute! But they are known to jump so there are signs warning against putting your camera and hands too close to the barrier cuz they will bite it off LOL
- a wombat (also nocturnal but vegetarian). Just as cute, if not cuter than the Tassie devil. The little guy that I took a photo of kinda woke up when I approached, so I tried to feed him but he was too sleepy so I just left the food there for when he woke up :P
- wallabies!!! And kangaroos!!!!!! With little ones in their pouches!!!! In fact, the first wallaby I ever saw had 2 little ones in her pouch, cuz she kept stealing the other wallabies' baby hahahaha. I petted them, fed them, generally played around with them, and got LOTS of photos!!!
- koalas. They were sleeping in their trees, and were SUPER cute, but they can rip your face off in three seconds flat. If I ever get reincarnated I'm asking to come back as a koala (not that I'll have a choice!!! Hahahahahaha). Did you know that Australia has over 200 types of eucalyptus but koalas only eat about 20 of those types? They are very fussy ;)
- emus. Creepy looking fockers!! Feeding them was a terrifying lead-up to basically just a tap in your palm. (place the seeds in the MIDDLE of your palm with your hand flat. Then they stalk you and attack your hand, but not really.... They snap their mouth in the palm of your hand, taking some food with it and leaving the rest. Doesn't hurt, but the lead-up was enough to scare some girls off)
-Dingos. Basically dogs, but they are carnivores. They were neat....I guess.
Then we went to a place called 'swan lake' where we saw wild wallabies (!!!) and black swans. I even asked Natalie Portman for her autograph!! Just kidding ;) apparently black swans can been seen up close in Perth, so I'll be finding out if thats true or not in three weeks.
We went to the nobbies, which is a large rock and a smaller rock in the ocean, I think. I paid money to look in a telescope thing to see seals out on the smaller rock, and I saw them!!!!! Can't wait to see them close up, though.... Somewhere, someday!
It was really windy at the nobbies. And by windy, I mean my sweater hood AND my jacket hood were up on my head!!! Got some great photos of the intense waves :) on the way out, we saw a wild wallabie and I spotted two ducklings do the bus stopped so we could take photos! (but not get out, cuz we would have scared the poor things half to death)
We finished the day at Phillip Island to see the penguin parade. It was the cutest/most pathetic thing I had ever seen!!!! Let me explain:
The smallest of the penguin family, Korora penguins (called Little Penguins cuz they're the smallest of the species) have to wait until the sun sets in order to leave the ocean and go mate/feed their babies, because of predators. They are the only species of penguin with dark blue backs, so they can blend in with the ocean, and the predatory birds won't get them, since to the birds they will look like water.
It was so cute because the penguins are SO SMALL (one foot in height) and when they finally decide to move they waddle really quickly up the big hill (there were bleachers on both sides so the tourists can watch) but MAN it's a process!!! They come to shore riding the waves, in groups of 5-20. They precociously come out of the water, standing there in groups, until the waves come crashing in and sweep them in the water again. Once in awhile there is one brave penguin who starts going for it, and then chickens out and goes back in the water. Eventually that brave penguin will start to make the trek, and the others will follow.
It was really cold at the Penguin Parade, and I felt badly for the girls on our tour that wore shorts and sandals that day. I didn't even see all the penguins come out of the water, just a few groups, but I got the point. All along the boardwalk there are penguin homes and you can see them make their way home. I even saw a mommy feed two babies!!! They walk beside you on their path, right at your feet, but you cant take photos or pet them. It was definitely an experience :)
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, except for the football team coming through departures ;)
Today is Monday, November 28th and I start my 4th week today. Only three left; I'm halfway done my contract!! I'm not gonna lie, I wish it ended earlier, because I'll run out of free gifts by the end of the week (I'm already out of lip gloss, and will run out of mirrors by Wednesday, I think), but I'm prepared to go the distance. Still thinking of that money....
Lots of love and I'll post more later in the week, now that I'm at tony's with unlimited Internet (but it doesn't work with my computer. BALLS) je vous aime tous xoxo
Friday, November 25, 2011
This entry was written on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning
I love my job. Although I stand for ten hours a day directly underneath an air conditioning vent, therefore risking the health of my vocal chords, I get to see people at the very start of their holiday. I have made provisions to try and not further ruin my voice (strepsils, plenty of water, wearing leggings and a long-sleeved shirt under my sleeveless dress), but since I talk (vodka tonic? Care to sample a refreshing vodka tonic?) for ten hours a day six days a week.....I'm pretty sure my vocal nodes are back. Which sucks, but I made a commitment to this contract and I'm gonna stick it out. 4 weeks left ;)
Working at the airport is hilariously frustrating. Since I'm on contract, someone with a permanent pass had to escort me to the toilet every time I have to go. And since it is difficult for me to find an escort when it is busy (morning) or when there are 3 staff working (afternoon), and since I am trying to drink as much water as possible in order to stay hydrated (which is impossible) and space out my toilet breaks to every 45min-1 hour, I end up holding it until I am bursting. YES MOM I know this is extremely unhealthy, but this whole contract is unhealthy. I'm doing the best I can with the limited, crappy options available to me.
My favourite time of the day is during the morning, because every single day there are people that have to run to catch their flights. These are the people that think thy have enough time to go through customs half an hour before their flight boards. At 10am, this is the wrong choice. Let me tell you that generally at any time, this is not a wise decision. IF you are taking an international flight, you NEVER KNOW if there will be a customs delay or not. But at melbourne airport, between the hours of 9:30-11:30am, the customs line is pretty long.
And if you wanna get your tax back, do not wait until the last minute (again, half an hour before your plane boards), because that line gets pretty long as well. The *worst* offenders (and I hate to racially profile here, but I've seen it with my own eyes. DAILY) are Asians. This includes East Indians! When I see them run from customs into the tax line, I know with absolute certainty that at some point during their flights final call, an attendant will have to come and physically remove them from the tax line in order to get them on the plane. Calling them urgently by name over the paging system simply does not work. This, sadly, is the most exciting part of my day. LOL
TODAY, on the other hand, there were TWO exciting parts of my day. The first came when the Collingwood football team walked through duty free, around 10:45am. AFL = Aussie League Football, which is not soccer and not rugby, and not American football. The season starts in march, so I'll be sure to check out a game. The team was hott. And I mean, there were MANY MANY good looking blokes on the team!!!! I, being Canadian and not affected by their fame, blatantly hit on the cutest ones. I asked a couple "who are you guys?" and when they replied I asked if I was supposed to be impressed LOL turns out one of them was the captain ;) then I told a few more that they were really hott, and was there a prerequisite to being on the team that you had to be good-looking, etc. I had a good laugh, and so did the girl that hands out brochures beside me during the morning, but there were a LOT of people that couldn't believe it, since they wanted autographs or photos but were too chicken to go for it. Honey, I'm Canadian and I don't give an abooot! ;P
The second was at 2:30pm, when the flight to Bangkok was suppose to leave, six guys come running out of customs. They were in the Bangkok flight, and the plane had to WAIT for them, because of god knows what excuse. How is this possible??? The baggage claim closes half an hour before boarding commences! What were these young guys (early 20s) doing between the time they checked their luggage and the time they exited customs, which was the time their flight was scheduled to TAKE OFF???! What part of a person thinks its ok to make an entire plane of people wait for them while they (presumably) drink at the bar? Do you think people like this deserve to miss their flight? It would be different if they had huge backpacks with them, but these guys weren't carrying anything! And no-one goes to Bangkok with nothing. Sooooo.......exciting moment #2, and believe me when I say NOTHING exciting ever happens in the afternoon ;)
I have yet to hear from the cherry-picking contract lady in Tasmania.....Even though I emailed her over a week ago. I bought a one-way ticket to Perth (I leave an hour after my last shift ends!!!!) and if I don't get the contract I will make my way either up or down the coast, hopefully meeting other travellers along the way. I'm not stressing too much, as I am looking forward to the 'holiday' part of this working holiday ;) I have been told that there will be a job in promotions in Perth for me if I'm interested, but.......holiday first, then we shall see.
I went to Phillip island on Sunday!!! First tourist trip, even though I've been here a month and a half LOL. Will update/post photos (hopefully) Sunday, which is your Saturday night ;)
Lovelovelovelovelove!!!!!! Xoxoxoxoxoxo
Working at the airport is hilariously frustrating. Since I'm on contract, someone with a permanent pass had to escort me to the toilet every time I have to go. And since it is difficult for me to find an escort when it is busy (morning) or when there are 3 staff working (afternoon), and since I am trying to drink as much water as possible in order to stay hydrated (which is impossible) and space out my toilet breaks to every 45min-1 hour, I end up holding it until I am bursting. YES MOM I know this is extremely unhealthy, but this whole contract is unhealthy. I'm doing the best I can with the limited, crappy options available to me.
My favourite time of the day is during the morning, because every single day there are people that have to run to catch their flights. These are the people that think thy have enough time to go through customs half an hour before their flight boards. At 10am, this is the wrong choice. Let me tell you that generally at any time, this is not a wise decision. IF you are taking an international flight, you NEVER KNOW if there will be a customs delay or not. But at melbourne airport, between the hours of 9:30-11:30am, the customs line is pretty long.
And if you wanna get your tax back, do not wait until the last minute (again, half an hour before your plane boards), because that line gets pretty long as well. The *worst* offenders (and I hate to racially profile here, but I've seen it with my own eyes. DAILY) are Asians. This includes East Indians! When I see them run from customs into the tax line, I know with absolute certainty that at some point during their flights final call, an attendant will have to come and physically remove them from the tax line in order to get them on the plane. Calling them urgently by name over the paging system simply does not work. This, sadly, is the most exciting part of my day. LOL
TODAY, on the other hand, there were TWO exciting parts of my day. The first came when the Collingwood football team walked through duty free, around 10:45am. AFL = Aussie League Football, which is not soccer and not rugby, and not American football. The season starts in march, so I'll be sure to check out a game. The team was hott. And I mean, there were MANY MANY good looking blokes on the team!!!! I, being Canadian and not affected by their fame, blatantly hit on the cutest ones. I asked a couple "who are you guys?" and when they replied I asked if I was supposed to be impressed LOL turns out one of them was the captain ;) then I told a few more that they were really hott, and was there a prerequisite to being on the team that you had to be good-looking, etc. I had a good laugh, and so did the girl that hands out brochures beside me during the morning, but there were a LOT of people that couldn't believe it, since they wanted autographs or photos but were too chicken to go for it. Honey, I'm Canadian and I don't give an abooot! ;P
The second was at 2:30pm, when the flight to Bangkok was suppose to leave, six guys come running out of customs. They were in the Bangkok flight, and the plane had to WAIT for them, because of god knows what excuse. How is this possible??? The baggage claim closes half an hour before boarding commences! What were these young guys (early 20s) doing between the time they checked their luggage and the time they exited customs, which was the time their flight was scheduled to TAKE OFF???! What part of a person thinks its ok to make an entire plane of people wait for them while they (presumably) drink at the bar? Do you think people like this deserve to miss their flight? It would be different if they had huge backpacks with them, but these guys weren't carrying anything! And no-one goes to Bangkok with nothing. Sooooo.......exciting moment #2, and believe me when I say NOTHING exciting ever happens in the afternoon ;)
I have yet to hear from the cherry-picking contract lady in Tasmania.....Even though I emailed her over a week ago. I bought a one-way ticket to Perth (I leave an hour after my last shift ends!!!!) and if I don't get the contract I will make my way either up or down the coast, hopefully meeting other travellers along the way. I'm not stressing too much, as I am looking forward to the 'holiday' part of this working holiday ;) I have been told that there will be a job in promotions in Perth for me if I'm interested, but.......holiday first, then we shall see.
I went to Phillip island on Sunday!!! First tourist trip, even though I've been here a month and a half LOL. Will update/post photos (hopefully) Sunday, which is your Saturday night ;)
Lovelovelovelovelove!!!!!! Xoxoxoxoxoxo
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday night update
The job is going well! Busy in the mornings, although its difficult for people to try a free shot of vodka mixed with tonic at 8am :/ the afternoons, however, are a complete BUST!!! There are NO flights that leave in the afternoons, and I get reallllllllly bored cuz I work alone. Plus it's like pulling TEETH trying to get people to sample in the afternoon! You'd think it would be easier at 2:30 but no. It's not. Whatever, the people in charge love me and that's all that matters. 5 weeks left ;)
Living in the house is starting to negatively affect my health. Nevermind that the Internet rarely works or that I have to take a ten (or less!) minute shower in a tub that looks diseased (I should be wearing flip flops) to ensure no-one messes with the water, but now my HEALTH and WELLBEING are being affected!!!! I have to get up at 5am daily, so flies and moths flying/biting me in my face is not what I should be dealing with. The guy that owns the house is a hoarder, and probably hasn't cleaned since the 70s, as there are cobwebs and disgusting whatevers everywhere. I really hope he finds someone to take my room because at this point I'd rather live in a hostel for the same price. At least you know the hostel is clean and even though I'd have to share a dorm room I don't care. I have had a lingering cough since I moved into that house and when I asked the guy about mould, he adamantly denied having it, saying that it's caused by water damage and you can see water damage on the walls and clearly there isnt anything on the walls and the house is on a hill so anything downhill would have it, IF there was any to be had.
Got shoes today for $10 at savers (value village) so all I need are gel insoles and another trip tomorrow for their 50% off sale ;)
It's really dry where I work, and cold, so I'll be looking for a long-sleeve black shirt to wear under my uniform (dress).
Photos to come (hopefully!)
Living in the house is starting to negatively affect my health. Nevermind that the Internet rarely works or that I have to take a ten (or less!) minute shower in a tub that looks diseased (I should be wearing flip flops) to ensure no-one messes with the water, but now my HEALTH and WELLBEING are being affected!!!! I have to get up at 5am daily, so flies and moths flying/biting me in my face is not what I should be dealing with. The guy that owns the house is a hoarder, and probably hasn't cleaned since the 70s, as there are cobwebs and disgusting whatevers everywhere. I really hope he finds someone to take my room because at this point I'd rather live in a hostel for the same price. At least you know the hostel is clean and even though I'd have to share a dorm room I don't care. I have had a lingering cough since I moved into that house and when I asked the guy about mould, he adamantly denied having it, saying that it's caused by water damage and you can see water damage on the walls and clearly there isnt anything on the walls and the house is on a hill so anything downhill would have it, IF there was any to be had.
Got shoes today for $10 at savers (value village) so all I need are gel insoles and another trip tomorrow for their 50% off sale ;)
It's really dry where I work, and cold, so I'll be looking for a long-sleeve black shirt to wear under my uniform (dress).
Photos to come (hopefully!)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
PS
I was out in the back garden for 20 minutes on monday, and I have more mosquito bites on me than if I went to Teddy's cottage!!!
(the only people who will get that reference are Massey Hallers. Sorry, rest of the world :/ )
(the only people who will get that reference are Massey Hallers. Sorry, rest of the world :/ )
NEEDS UPDATING!! A BESOIN D'UN UPDATE!!!!
Oui oui oui je sais que je dois écrire un peu plus en français, pour ne pas perdre ma langue, et pour que quelques-un entre vous pour me lire plus facilement ;)
Cet semain fait un mois que je suis içi à Melbourne, et ça commence à bien aller! Pour le dernier mois les temperatures n’était pas ce que j’ai prévu avant partir, et à cause de ça j’ai amené plutôt des vêtements d’été avec moi, car à ne pas amener trop de stock. Pour la dernière semaine j’ai bien aimé avoir ces vêtements, parce qu’il faisait du beau soleil et des températures de 25 à 33 degrées :)
Ok sorry I have to update you all on the week that has just passed and it’s easier for me to do it in English :/
My temp job at the Alfred Hospital got extended for another week, which meant that I had a job until I started my vodka promo contract at the airport. They really seemed to like me in the Executive Offices (where I was handling the huge ‘Quality of Care’ report mailout) and the CEO’s PA said she’d love to keep me on. I told her I had a contract til the 18th of December, but if she needed vacation coverage she should give me a call. Soooo there’s that ;)
The house I live in was perfect for me when I was desperate for a place to live, but now second-thoughts are starting to come up, so I have given my notice. My friend Tony, who I met when we were both living in Dublin 7 years ago, owns a gorgeous condo downtown, and he is gone for three weeks at the end of November, so I will be staying there, saving me money, commute, and hassle. There are five other people living in this house, and while that doesn’t bother me as I am rarely home, finding an opportune time to shower or do laundry without anyone else using the water is getting very difficult. As is the internet situation, which is EXTRMELEY touch-and-go when everyone is online downloading, etc etc (these guys are doctors, nurses, grad students at uni….basically on their computers day and night) Plus, there are too many damn moths and flies IN the house. I get if I’m outside it’s something to expect, but IN MY BEDROOM!??! Noooooooooo thank you. There are other reasons of course, but I’m too classy a dame to mention them online.
Melbourne Cup Day is November 1st. It's a bank holiday here because the whole country (or Victoria, at least) shuts down to watch the Melbourne Cup race at 3pm. I had the day off, so I figured why not go to my first live horserace? I went with Tony and two of his Irish mates that live in Sydney. I'm not a gambler, but I tried to follow tony's leads (he usually wins) and spent $20 on races during the course of the day. He and I did not win anything!!!!!! He kept going for the trifecta (pick three horses and if they place (first three past the finish line) in any order you win big) but missing the second horse! (he would get the first and third place, but the second was always a 'wild card') and talk about a wild card!!! The horse that won the Cup was French and no-one saw it coming!!!!!
At the races, everyone dresses up. Men in suits and ties, ladies in dresses and hats or fascinators (things like hate worn on head). The dresses, however, are quite short. Like, too short! And most of them are low-cut. Apparently you go to the races to 'pick up', since there are a LOT of men in suits there. men in suits = instantly better good looking! :/
Oh and the HEELS these women wear!!! Do they really expect to wear the all day while drinking and be able to walk out with them? The best are the 'before' and 'after' shots: seeing them board the train in the morning and then stumble off the train in the evening, shoes in hand, walking barefoot, bra straps showing, makeup smeared and hair unruly ;)
Ladies drink champers (nickname for champagne) but nothing is cheap at the races! Glass of champers? $8.50. Bottle? $35. The cheapest drink is Boag's (beer from Tazmania) at $6.50, and they sell Jack (Daniels) and Cola or Jack and Dry (ginger ale) for $8- premixed in a can.
On Saturday we went to the raves again, but this time with Tony's two mates from London, who live in Perth. It was sunny (not a cloud in the sky!) and 33, and one of the guys in ginger-y so we sat in the shade in the stands for the majority of the day. We had prime seats in front of the finish line :)
There's this horse called Black Caviar, and she has won all of her past fifteen races, and I was there IN PERSON to watch her in her 16th in a row :) What a gorgeous horse. She won without even trying!! The horse that placed second in that race, well his jockey was furiously whipping him even though there was no way he was going to win. That's the thing I don't like about horseracing: it's a cruel and unusual sport and I'd rather watch rugby ;)
I put $10 on a horse to win Saturday, and I would have won $85 had he won, but he lost BY A NOSE!!!!!! The worst was Tony and Kevin would have won $1400 (because they had bet on Black Caviar to win as well, which was not paying much because duh its a sure thing!) on a combined ticket. They put $170 down, I think. Soooo I got quite enthused during that race, but my horse (King's Rose) lost by a nose (it was a DAMN CLOSE FINISH!!!!) to Albert The Fat :(
On Sunday I got to explore a bit of Melbourne with one of the lads, and I'm starting to love this city! Lots to spend money on, though, so you've gotta be careful when you're on a budget like me :P
The good news is that I officially started my new job today: a 6-week contract at the Melbourne Airport promoting Absolut vodka (ie giving samples). I had my orientation and hot damn there are a lot of regulations working at the airport!! I knew there would be, but trying to remember how much duty-free goods people are allowed to bring with them depending on where they're going and how many stops they have? Thank goodness I have a cheat sheet!! Plus, the blue dress that I have to wear as a uniform actually looks good on me ;)
So tomorrow is my first *real* shift, working 7am til 5pm, which means I have to be on the skybus (only way to and from the airport, and work is paying for my discounted staff pass!) at 6:20am, which means I have to leave my house at 5:45am to make sure I get there in time. I was very, very rushed today because traffic was a huge pain since it was raining, and I took me an hour to get into the city :(
Fingers crossed things continue to go well for me.
Je vais écrire plus tard dans la semaine. J'ai 40 minutes de bus chaque jour, donc je vais avoir un peu de temps :P
AUJOURD'HUI, mecredi le 9 novembre 2011:
Ma première journée à l'aéroport c'est très bien allée! J'ai vendu une couple de bouteilles, mais il y avait pas gros trafic. Apparemment les mercredis sont les jours les plus tranquilles. Mes pieds me font un peu mal, donc je vais voir si des autres souliers vont aller mieux. J'ai FAIM!!!! Bah :( en plus, j'ai nul parts pour garder mon stock quand je travail, donc j'ai demandé au gérant du duty-free avant customs pour que je laisse ma robe et souliers là chaque soir, et mon dîner dans le frigo chaque jour. Il est très gentil et à dit oui, mais pas à mon sac: ça c'a doit aller avec les autres sacs dans un cabinet dans un bureau qui est toujours ouvert :/ je vais amener un padlock just in case. ok so i went on there for a while! (sorry andrea, but you'll just have to google translate it :P)
i'm exhausted, it's 8pm and therefore one hour away from my bedtime. oh yah! did i mention that i work from 7am til 5pm at the airport? which means i have to get up at 5am, leave the house at 545am to catch the tram to head into the city centre to catch the 620am skybus that takes 20 minutes to get to the airport? and then i have to change and meet my escort (since i'm not permanent i have to be escorted to and from my workplace and need an escort when i need to potty) at 6:50am.
JE LE FAIS POUR L'ARGENT!!!!!!
love you all. g'nite. i shall post more tomorrow, no doubt (I MEAN, HOPEFULLY!!)
Cet semain fait un mois que je suis içi à Melbourne, et ça commence à bien aller! Pour le dernier mois les temperatures n’était pas ce que j’ai prévu avant partir, et à cause de ça j’ai amené plutôt des vêtements d’été avec moi, car à ne pas amener trop de stock. Pour la dernière semaine j’ai bien aimé avoir ces vêtements, parce qu’il faisait du beau soleil et des températures de 25 à 33 degrées :)
Ok sorry I have to update you all on the week that has just passed and it’s easier for me to do it in English :/
My temp job at the Alfred Hospital got extended for another week, which meant that I had a job until I started my vodka promo contract at the airport. They really seemed to like me in the Executive Offices (where I was handling the huge ‘Quality of Care’ report mailout) and the CEO’s PA said she’d love to keep me on. I told her I had a contract til the 18th of December, but if she needed vacation coverage she should give me a call. Soooo there’s that ;)
The house I live in was perfect for me when I was desperate for a place to live, but now second-thoughts are starting to come up, so I have given my notice. My friend Tony, who I met when we were both living in Dublin 7 years ago, owns a gorgeous condo downtown, and he is gone for three weeks at the end of November, so I will be staying there, saving me money, commute, and hassle. There are five other people living in this house, and while that doesn’t bother me as I am rarely home, finding an opportune time to shower or do laundry without anyone else using the water is getting very difficult. As is the internet situation, which is EXTRMELEY touch-and-go when everyone is online downloading, etc etc (these guys are doctors, nurses, grad students at uni….basically on their computers day and night) Plus, there are too many damn moths and flies IN the house. I get if I’m outside it’s something to expect, but IN MY BEDROOM!??! Noooooooooo thank you. There are other reasons of course, but I’m too classy a dame to mention them online.
Melbourne Cup Day is November 1st. It's a bank holiday here because the whole country (or Victoria, at least) shuts down to watch the Melbourne Cup race at 3pm. I had the day off, so I figured why not go to my first live horserace? I went with Tony and two of his Irish mates that live in Sydney. I'm not a gambler, but I tried to follow tony's leads (he usually wins) and spent $20 on races during the course of the day. He and I did not win anything!!!!!! He kept going for the trifecta (pick three horses and if they place (first three past the finish line) in any order you win big) but missing the second horse! (he would get the first and third place, but the second was always a 'wild card') and talk about a wild card!!! The horse that won the Cup was French and no-one saw it coming!!!!!
At the races, everyone dresses up. Men in suits and ties, ladies in dresses and hats or fascinators (things like hate worn on head). The dresses, however, are quite short. Like, too short! And most of them are low-cut. Apparently you go to the races to 'pick up', since there are a LOT of men in suits there. men in suits = instantly better good looking! :/
Oh and the HEELS these women wear!!! Do they really expect to wear the all day while drinking and be able to walk out with them? The best are the 'before' and 'after' shots: seeing them board the train in the morning and then stumble off the train in the evening, shoes in hand, walking barefoot, bra straps showing, makeup smeared and hair unruly ;)
Ladies drink champers (nickname for champagne) but nothing is cheap at the races! Glass of champers? $8.50. Bottle? $35. The cheapest drink is Boag's (beer from Tazmania) at $6.50, and they sell Jack (Daniels) and Cola or Jack and Dry (ginger ale) for $8- premixed in a can.
On Saturday we went to the raves again, but this time with Tony's two mates from London, who live in Perth. It was sunny (not a cloud in the sky!) and 33, and one of the guys in ginger-y so we sat in the shade in the stands for the majority of the day. We had prime seats in front of the finish line :)
There's this horse called Black Caviar, and she has won all of her past fifteen races, and I was there IN PERSON to watch her in her 16th in a row :) What a gorgeous horse. She won without even trying!! The horse that placed second in that race, well his jockey was furiously whipping him even though there was no way he was going to win. That's the thing I don't like about horseracing: it's a cruel and unusual sport and I'd rather watch rugby ;)
I put $10 on a horse to win Saturday, and I would have won $85 had he won, but he lost BY A NOSE!!!!!! The worst was Tony and Kevin would have won $1400 (because they had bet on Black Caviar to win as well, which was not paying much because duh its a sure thing!) on a combined ticket. They put $170 down, I think. Soooo I got quite enthused during that race, but my horse (King's Rose) lost by a nose (it was a DAMN CLOSE FINISH!!!!) to Albert The Fat :(
On Sunday I got to explore a bit of Melbourne with one of the lads, and I'm starting to love this city! Lots to spend money on, though, so you've gotta be careful when you're on a budget like me :P
The good news is that I officially started my new job today: a 6-week contract at the Melbourne Airport promoting Absolut vodka (ie giving samples). I had my orientation and hot damn there are a lot of regulations working at the airport!! I knew there would be, but trying to remember how much duty-free goods people are allowed to bring with them depending on where they're going and how many stops they have? Thank goodness I have a cheat sheet!! Plus, the blue dress that I have to wear as a uniform actually looks good on me ;)
So tomorrow is my first *real* shift, working 7am til 5pm, which means I have to be on the skybus (only way to and from the airport, and work is paying for my discounted staff pass!) at 6:20am, which means I have to leave my house at 5:45am to make sure I get there in time. I was very, very rushed today because traffic was a huge pain since it was raining, and I took me an hour to get into the city :(
Fingers crossed things continue to go well for me.
Je vais écrire plus tard dans la semaine. J'ai 40 minutes de bus chaque jour, donc je vais avoir un peu de temps :P
AUJOURD'HUI, mecredi le 9 novembre 2011:
Ma première journée à l'aéroport c'est très bien allée! J'ai vendu une couple de bouteilles, mais il y avait pas gros trafic. Apparemment les mercredis sont les jours les plus tranquilles. Mes pieds me font un peu mal, donc je vais voir si des autres souliers vont aller mieux. J'ai FAIM!!!! Bah :( en plus, j'ai nul parts pour garder mon stock quand je travail, donc j'ai demandé au gérant du duty-free avant customs pour que je laisse ma robe et souliers là chaque soir, et mon dîner dans le frigo chaque jour. Il est très gentil et à dit oui, mais pas à mon sac: ça c'a doit aller avec les autres sacs dans un cabinet dans un bureau qui est toujours ouvert :/ je vais amener un padlock just in case. ok so i went on there for a while! (sorry andrea, but you'll just have to google translate it :P)
i'm exhausted, it's 8pm and therefore one hour away from my bedtime. oh yah! did i mention that i work from 7am til 5pm at the airport? which means i have to get up at 5am, leave the house at 545am to catch the tram to head into the city centre to catch the 620am skybus that takes 20 minutes to get to the airport? and then i have to change and meet my escort (since i'm not permanent i have to be escorted to and from my workplace and need an escort when i need to potty) at 6:50am.
JE LE FAIS POUR L'ARGENT!!!!!!
love you all. g'nite. i shall post more tomorrow, no doubt (I MEAN, HOPEFULLY!!)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
what. a. DAY
i'm not complaining, but:
5:30am - wake up.
5:50am - put bedding (wool blanket, duvet and duvet cover) in the wash. the morning before i found out that the old-ass washing machine takes 90 min if you leave it on the regular settings (soak, wash, rinse, and spin on a regular cycle), but apparently it goes faster if you put it on gentle cycle, or take out the soak feature. i opt for letting it wash, rinsh, and spin this morning.
6:00am - check the credit on my phone. i have $20.20, perfect! i need to collect call the Government of Canada to let them know I didn't receive my GST cheque (even though i changed my address AND put in a request for direct deposit at the end of September). Search how to make a collect call from OZ to canada, go about doing that. The government number is busy, i say i'll try back.
6:07am - check credit: $18.10 ..... ok so a collect call still takes my minutes. shit.
6:17am - call back, get through, explain my situation (YES i am a resident for tax purposes!!!!!!) but get placed on hold cuz the guy can't help me. i explain that i really can't be on hold for that long, since the call is taking my old, crappy cell phone minutes and his snappy response is "well she (the international operator) asked if i accept the charges and i said yes so you're not getting charged, we are" i understand that, sir, but it's still eating my minutes!
6:20am - placed on hold
6:27am - get a beep on my phone, saying i have less than $9.99 credit left
6:32am - hang up and check credit (NEVER HAVING GOT THROUGH TO THE PERSON THAT CAN HELP ME): $5.80
6:40am - go down to check laundry, am greeted with an error message. ????? press a button and the machine continues, saying it has 23 minutes remaining (which really means 40....crap)
6:52am - check NAB bank balance, seeing how i deposited my catering paycheck on Tuesday and the bank teller said that because of the hold (who pays employees with a CHEQUE anymore??!?) the funds would be accessible thursday. morning? i inquired.. YES was the reply
6:53am - no funds. well that's perfect, seeing as i need $60 in order to take my RSA course that night (Responsible Service of Alcohol, which is required for my vodka promo job). I have $50 in my savings so i transfer it over, but that leaves me with $14 in my account. yes, i am living paycheck to paycheck because i've only been here three weeks and i had to pay $300 bond in order to secure my new room (which i'll get back once i vacate)
6:54am - try to call NAB, but they don't open til 7am
7am - make breakfast and get lunch ready, check laundry.....22 minutes left. oh did i mention that it takes between 30-45 min to get to my hospital temp job on the tram? and i start at 8:30am
7:15am - dressed and everything is packed. waiting on that laundry.....error message again so i shift things around and it continues (damn rinse cycle and low water pressure in the old old OLD house!)
7:25am - 22 minutes remaining with the laundry, i take out the duvet cover, ring it out the best i can and hang it on my balcony. the reason i'm doing laundry this morning is because it's going to be 25 degrees and sunny today.
7:32am - laundry still going but i gotta go too, but at least it's on the spin cycle so it should be done in about 10-15 minutes.....as i head out the door there is a tram that comes immediately so i get on :)
during the ride to work i text one of the housemates, john, apologizing for waking him and asking him to please please please take the two things out of the machine and hang them. we played a lovely game of gin yesterday so of course he says yes. i will pay him with beer this weekend.
8:20am - get to work! perfect because my RSA course starts at 5pm and i'd like to leave work a little early ;)
8:40am - call NAB. long story short: the cheque was denied. it bounced. it is a $400 cheque and i need that money!!! the guy that i speak to is very helpful, and over the course of the morning he rings me back with details, i end up verifying with another girl later on, and a bank manager rings me so that i don't have to go to the branch directly (and waste my lunch half-hour). The nice bank manager (OF COURSE his name is Dan lol) gives me temporary access to $150, expiring on Thursday (because the temp agency will direct deposit my pay for this week on Wednesday). PERFECT and i didn't even have to go there to get it done!!!! NAB are very understanding in that it's not my fault, and unfortunately being new to the country i have to live paycheck to paycheck until i get settled.
11am - after already ringing the catering company as soon as i got off the phone with the bank the first time, i ring back a second time but no-one is there to take my call. again. should i try sending an email? no, because my message is on the top of the list. have i mentioned that i'm never working for these jerks again?
12:30pm - well deserved lunch break in the warm melbourne sun
1:47pm - call the catering company a THIRD time, successfully! they had deposited a cheque they thought was gonna go through and there was a problem (I. DON'T. CARE. give me my money!) i suggest that they write me a post-dated cheque and i come get it tomorrow, since i don;t have the one i deposited.
3:50pm - i'm exhausted. how am i gonna sit through a boring RSA class for four and a half hours??!
4:20pm - leave work (OH and i did a LOT of work today. i'm in charge of the huge mailout for the annual client care report for the hospital, and i also did some executive-type things today as well. the best part was that they let me listen to CKOI very quietly and the Canadiens WON and they played 'Hymn à Montréal' by Éric Lapointe and it's SUCH a great song that i was walking around with a huge smile on for several hours afterwards)
4:30pm - hit up the 7-11 for a sugar-free rockstar energy drink
4:32pm - tram!!
4:45pm - arrive at RSA training, after having stopped at the bank machine. register, still have time left so i treat myself to a TimTam frostie thing at Gloria Jeans. you're right, Crys, it was delicious ;)
5pm - RSA training starts, and the teacher (Warwick) is HILARIOUS!!!! funny, insightful, knows his material, i didn;t need to have that rockstar cuz i am interested the entire time :) it's the last class he's teaching, so he's making it an open-book test. sweeeeeeet
8:30pm - class ends early, i now have my RSA
9:30pm - home. write blog. watch The League. go to bed. up at 6:30am tomorrow to FRIDAY!!!! :D
i'm glad this day is over, cuz it was jam-packed. there was a lot of stress in the beginning (i STILL don't know how i'll contact the government without spending $50 on phone credit!!!!) but it turned out alright.
gotta remember to always be positive. life is what you make it!
Souris. La vie est un fromage!
xo
5:30am - wake up.
5:50am - put bedding (wool blanket, duvet and duvet cover) in the wash. the morning before i found out that the old-ass washing machine takes 90 min if you leave it on the regular settings (soak, wash, rinse, and spin on a regular cycle), but apparently it goes faster if you put it on gentle cycle, or take out the soak feature. i opt for letting it wash, rinsh, and spin this morning.
6:00am - check the credit on my phone. i have $20.20, perfect! i need to collect call the Government of Canada to let them know I didn't receive my GST cheque (even though i changed my address AND put in a request for direct deposit at the end of September). Search how to make a collect call from OZ to canada, go about doing that. The government number is busy, i say i'll try back.
6:07am - check credit: $18.10 ..... ok so a collect call still takes my minutes. shit.
6:17am - call back, get through, explain my situation (YES i am a resident for tax purposes!!!!!!) but get placed on hold cuz the guy can't help me. i explain that i really can't be on hold for that long, since the call is taking my old, crappy cell phone minutes and his snappy response is "well she (the international operator) asked if i accept the charges and i said yes so you're not getting charged, we are" i understand that, sir, but it's still eating my minutes!
6:20am - placed on hold
6:27am - get a beep on my phone, saying i have less than $9.99 credit left
6:32am - hang up and check credit (NEVER HAVING GOT THROUGH TO THE PERSON THAT CAN HELP ME): $5.80
6:40am - go down to check laundry, am greeted with an error message. ????? press a button and the machine continues, saying it has 23 minutes remaining (which really means 40....crap)
6:52am - check NAB bank balance, seeing how i deposited my catering paycheck on Tuesday and the bank teller said that because of the hold (who pays employees with a CHEQUE anymore??!?) the funds would be accessible thursday. morning? i inquired.. YES was the reply
6:53am - no funds. well that's perfect, seeing as i need $60 in order to take my RSA course that night (Responsible Service of Alcohol, which is required for my vodka promo job). I have $50 in my savings so i transfer it over, but that leaves me with $14 in my account. yes, i am living paycheck to paycheck because i've only been here three weeks and i had to pay $300 bond in order to secure my new room (which i'll get back once i vacate)
6:54am - try to call NAB, but they don't open til 7am
7am - make breakfast and get lunch ready, check laundry.....22 minutes left. oh did i mention that it takes between 30-45 min to get to my hospital temp job on the tram? and i start at 8:30am
7:15am - dressed and everything is packed. waiting on that laundry.....error message again so i shift things around and it continues (damn rinse cycle and low water pressure in the old old OLD house!)
7:25am - 22 minutes remaining with the laundry, i take out the duvet cover, ring it out the best i can and hang it on my balcony. the reason i'm doing laundry this morning is because it's going to be 25 degrees and sunny today.
7:32am - laundry still going but i gotta go too, but at least it's on the spin cycle so it should be done in about 10-15 minutes.....as i head out the door there is a tram that comes immediately so i get on :)
during the ride to work i text one of the housemates, john, apologizing for waking him and asking him to please please please take the two things out of the machine and hang them. we played a lovely game of gin yesterday so of course he says yes. i will pay him with beer this weekend.
8:20am - get to work! perfect because my RSA course starts at 5pm and i'd like to leave work a little early ;)
8:40am - call NAB. long story short: the cheque was denied. it bounced. it is a $400 cheque and i need that money!!! the guy that i speak to is very helpful, and over the course of the morning he rings me back with details, i end up verifying with another girl later on, and a bank manager rings me so that i don't have to go to the branch directly (and waste my lunch half-hour). The nice bank manager (OF COURSE his name is Dan lol) gives me temporary access to $150, expiring on Thursday (because the temp agency will direct deposit my pay for this week on Wednesday). PERFECT and i didn't even have to go there to get it done!!!! NAB are very understanding in that it's not my fault, and unfortunately being new to the country i have to live paycheck to paycheck until i get settled.
11am - after already ringing the catering company as soon as i got off the phone with the bank the first time, i ring back a second time but no-one is there to take my call. again. should i try sending an email? no, because my message is on the top of the list. have i mentioned that i'm never working for these jerks again?
12:30pm - well deserved lunch break in the warm melbourne sun
1:47pm - call the catering company a THIRD time, successfully! they had deposited a cheque they thought was gonna go through and there was a problem (I. DON'T. CARE. give me my money!) i suggest that they write me a post-dated cheque and i come get it tomorrow, since i don;t have the one i deposited.
3:50pm - i'm exhausted. how am i gonna sit through a boring RSA class for four and a half hours??!
4:20pm - leave work (OH and i did a LOT of work today. i'm in charge of the huge mailout for the annual client care report for the hospital, and i also did some executive-type things today as well. the best part was that they let me listen to CKOI very quietly and the Canadiens WON and they played 'Hymn à Montréal' by Éric Lapointe and it's SUCH a great song that i was walking around with a huge smile on for several hours afterwards)
4:30pm - hit up the 7-11 for a sugar-free rockstar energy drink
4:32pm - tram!!
4:45pm - arrive at RSA training, after having stopped at the bank machine. register, still have time left so i treat myself to a TimTam frostie thing at Gloria Jeans. you're right, Crys, it was delicious ;)
5pm - RSA training starts, and the teacher (Warwick) is HILARIOUS!!!! funny, insightful, knows his material, i didn;t need to have that rockstar cuz i am interested the entire time :) it's the last class he's teaching, so he's making it an open-book test. sweeeeeeet
8:30pm - class ends early, i now have my RSA
9:30pm - home. write blog. watch The League. go to bed. up at 6:30am tomorrow to FRIDAY!!!! :D
i'm glad this day is over, cuz it was jam-packed. there was a lot of stress in the beginning (i STILL don't know how i'll contact the government without spending $50 on phone credit!!!!) but it turned out alright.
gotta remember to always be positive. life is what you make it!
Souris. La vie est un fromage!
xo
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I GOT THE JOB!!!!!
i was hoping to get a 6-week promo gig working for Absolut Vodka at the Melbourne Airport and i am happy to report that I GOT IT!!! :D :D :D
starting november 8th i will be providing international travellers with samples of drinks mixed with Absolut vodka.....not flavoured, just in a different (NEW) bottle. and we all know how lovely those bottles are; collectors items!
the downside is that it's 6 days a week, 9 hours a day (7am til 5pm with an hour lunch break and sundays off) BUT i'll never have time to go out so i'll be saving money, in order to travel in the new year. keep your fingers crossed that i get the cherry-picking contract in Tazmania in January, cuz then i'll be back on schedule (seeing how the contract for mid-november didn't psn out --- he already had enough pickers)
I shall now except hearty congratulations from all of you ;)
(PS the contract at the Alfred Hospital is going so well that they have signed me up for next week as well! I'm in charge of a mail-out project)
xoxoxoxo
starting november 8th i will be providing international travellers with samples of drinks mixed with Absolut vodka.....not flavoured, just in a different (NEW) bottle. and we all know how lovely those bottles are; collectors items!
the downside is that it's 6 days a week, 9 hours a day (7am til 5pm with an hour lunch break and sundays off) BUT i'll never have time to go out so i'll be saving money, in order to travel in the new year. keep your fingers crossed that i get the cherry-picking contract in Tazmania in January, cuz then i'll be back on schedule (seeing how the contract for mid-november didn't psn out --- he already had enough pickers)
I shall now except hearty congratulations from all of you ;)
(PS the contract at the Alfred Hospital is going so well that they have signed me up for next week as well! I'm in charge of a mail-out project)
xoxoxoxo
Sunday, October 23, 2011
DRAMA!!!!!!
OK so when I told him I was coming to Dublin, my friend Mick (old friend of Chantal and Dave) said I could stay in his room, since he sleeps in his gfs room. Initially he said two weeks, then he changed it to 'no time limit', since I was supposed to go pick cherries in mid-november (which most likely won't happen cuz he has enough pickers). HOWEVER I think he forgot to mention this to his housemates (he lives with his gf and 3 other girls). No worries, he's a man and forgets the important stuff LOL ;) we're still good.
I arrive and everything's peachy cuz 2 of the girls are away. 4 days after my arrival, Bee comes back. She is bubbly, loud, free-spirited, speaks her mind, talkative, enjoys her drinks, and works hard, long hours with an event company. Sound familiar? Then a week after I arrive, JoJo comes back (she was travelling Europe). I am having trouble keeping my spirits up since I can't find a job, haven't fully dealt with my breakup/misti's death/moving to OZ so quickly, etc so I'm a bit more negative than usual. Not the best impression to give people who don't know me, I understand, but I keep trying to stay positive and interact with the ladies as much as possible to try and get to know them. I do dishes, buy things for the house, and when I'm there during the day I look for jobs online (they all work so they're not home).
WELL on Wednesday I called in sick to work (kitchen prep I was helping a kosher catering company with for a few days) because I pulled my back the night before, at the end of my 13 and a half hour shift (having worked 9 and a half hours the day before). My body is used to sitting at a desk, not standing in one position hunched over a cutting board/dicer/etc so I get why it happened; it's happened before. I was scheduled to work the Jewish holidays on Thursday night and Friday so I figured those where more important, and to rest on Wednesday. I called from Deb's (Mick's gf) phone since mine had very little credit left, and started in the kitchen then went upstairs, since service is terrible in sections of the house. Yes, I speak too loudly, especially when on the phone and the person on the other end can't hear because I keep cutting out due to reception issues. Ok so that's done i retire to my room for a bit, then head downstairs to the living room to look for jobs on Gumtree. The temp agency rings asking if I could work that day, unfortunately I can't. They ring back later with a job for next week! I take the calls in the living room, then move outside since Bee sleeps on the first floor of the house (beside the living room, to which I had closed the door). The phone I have is Australia was a free phone given to me by my lovely cousin Nancy, but it's just a basic, shitty phone, so yah I don't know if people can hear me unless I speak a bit louder than usual, so that's my fault. After I get the job offer, I decide to go see if Bee wants to go to the beach (she had mentioned on her fb if anyone wanted to go). I had heard her talking earlier so I figured it was 11:30am and she was awake. I knock quietly on her door (that's not closed), and I hear, "fuck off!"
"Oh! Sorry!" I replied, stunned.
The next ten minutes I'm trying to rack my brain on what I may have done to piss her off so much, and I can't think of anything (because I'm a self-obsessed asshole, apparently) but I know quite well to stay out of her way so I'm in the kitchen putting stuff away, then up in my room. I hear loud stomping and then the front door slams. At this point I'm wondering WTF her problem is but don't worry I'll find out soon enough!!!!! She comes back maybe ten minutes later (and by this point I have sent her a pm apologising for whatever I've done and to please let me know but that I'll stay out of her way at the house) and this is the exchange, to the best of my recollection:
................my word!
But let's clarify a few things, shall we? I won't have my good name besmirched by some bitch who doesn't even KNOW me!
I arrive and everything's peachy cuz 2 of the girls are away. 4 days after my arrival, Bee comes back. She is bubbly, loud, free-spirited, speaks her mind, talkative, enjoys her drinks, and works hard, long hours with an event company. Sound familiar? Then a week after I arrive, JoJo comes back (she was travelling Europe). I am having trouble keeping my spirits up since I can't find a job, haven't fully dealt with my breakup/misti's death/moving to OZ so quickly, etc so I'm a bit more negative than usual. Not the best impression to give people who don't know me, I understand, but I keep trying to stay positive and interact with the ladies as much as possible to try and get to know them. I do dishes, buy things for the house, and when I'm there during the day I look for jobs online (they all work so they're not home).
WELL on Wednesday I called in sick to work (kitchen prep I was helping a kosher catering company with for a few days) because I pulled my back the night before, at the end of my 13 and a half hour shift (having worked 9 and a half hours the day before). My body is used to sitting at a desk, not standing in one position hunched over a cutting board/dicer/etc so I get why it happened; it's happened before. I was scheduled to work the Jewish holidays on Thursday night and Friday so I figured those where more important, and to rest on Wednesday. I called from Deb's (Mick's gf) phone since mine had very little credit left, and started in the kitchen then went upstairs, since service is terrible in sections of the house. Yes, I speak too loudly, especially when on the phone and the person on the other end can't hear because I keep cutting out due to reception issues. Ok so that's done i retire to my room for a bit, then head downstairs to the living room to look for jobs on Gumtree. The temp agency rings asking if I could work that day, unfortunately I can't. They ring back later with a job for next week! I take the calls in the living room, then move outside since Bee sleeps on the first floor of the house (beside the living room, to which I had closed the door). The phone I have is Australia was a free phone given to me by my lovely cousin Nancy, but it's just a basic, shitty phone, so yah I don't know if people can hear me unless I speak a bit louder than usual, so that's my fault. After I get the job offer, I decide to go see if Bee wants to go to the beach (she had mentioned on her fb if anyone wanted to go). I had heard her talking earlier so I figured it was 11:30am and she was awake. I knock quietly on her door (that's not closed), and I hear, "fuck off!"
"Oh! Sorry!" I replied, stunned.
The next ten minutes I'm trying to rack my brain on what I may have done to piss her off so much, and I can't think of anything (because I'm a self-obsessed asshole, apparently) but I know quite well to stay out of her way so I'm in the kitchen putting stuff away, then up in my room. I hear loud stomping and then the front door slams. At this point I'm wondering WTF her problem is but don't worry I'll find out soon enough!!!!! She comes back maybe ten minutes later (and by this point I have sent her a pm apologising for whatever I've done and to please let me know but that I'll stay out of her way at the house) and this is the exchange, to the best of my recollection:
"I don't know who you think you are! You are the loudest person I have EVER met! You have no respect for other people! You're selfish! The worst part is, I don't think anyone's ever told you, so you probably have no idea! You live here, don't pay rent or bills, use everything in the house, eat people's food, drink people's alcohol, and I've HAD IT!!!! I am a person that speaks her mind and I'm telling you to find a new place to live. Mick said you'd be here for 2 weeks but I see no sign of you trying to get a place. I want my life back!!!!!! I am a positive person but I can't hear you bitch about one more thing anymore you are too negative!!! We all have shit going on in our lives! I work 12 hours a day but you don't hear me complaining! Deb and Mick are my friends so I haven't said anything but enough is enough! I don't think you recognise how nice they are! I suggest you go down the road to the Victoria hotel and look for a room because I've had it with you!" etc
................my word!
But let's clarify a few things, shall we? I won't have my good name besmirched by some bitch who doesn't even KNOW me!
- I have my own food, I do my own groceries. I knew that it was a short-term arrangement, so I don't have as much food as someone who lives there PERMANENTLY, but rest assured I have been buying groceries. Yes, Mick and Deb have been very gracious in inviting me to join in a few meals with them (mostly on weekends), and I agree and always buy food to be a part of the meals! Is that any concern of anyone else?? No. Mind yer biznus. The first night Bee met me was for thanksgiving, and Mick and Deb thawed 2 of their chickens and since I was the only one home I made the dinner (except the mashed potatoes, which Deb made when she came home). My contribution to that first night she met me??: I bought all the vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, onions, and zucchini), prepared them, roasted them, bought stuffing and gravy, prepared those items, made a huge salad (2 huge bowls worth) using ingredients that I had bought, got the chickens in the oven AND did all the dishes from the previous day, all before anyone came home from work. No worries, it's my holiday, I don't mind doing the work! It's like a thank you for letting me stay here, I'm happy to do it :) so THAT was piss me off moment number one of bee's rant.
- I do not drink people's alcohol!! I bought 2 bottles of liquor at duty free that we (Mick, Deb, Josephine (HER house, btw, since she's been there the longest) and I) drank a bottle of the first weekend I was there, and I have bought wine and beer that I have shared with Mick and Deb, just as they have shared beer, wine, and cider with me. I also enjoyed wine that one of their friends brought over for Canadian thanksgiving. But my theory is: if you don't want me to drink it, don't offer it to me!!!!!! Have you MET me??? If there's a bargain/free shit happening I will be all over that! But I'm respectful and if it doesn't belong to me I won't take it, especially not without asking first. I was raised properly, thankyouverymuch.
- since even BEFORE getting here, I have offered to help with rent. Repeatedly Mick has said no (maybe because he's too nice, I don't know).
- Bee just got out of a bad relationship. She still works with her ex, who owes her a bunch of money and refuses to pay. I think he was mentally/emotionally abusive as well. SO I didn't take this rant TOO personally (I mean of course I took it personally, I'm a sensitive person!) because what she did, in therapy terms, is called 'projecting'. She can't/won't deal with her own issues in a safe, positive manner so she goes off on someone she doesn't know. It's happened to me before; doesn't mean it's right. Also: she probably sees a bit of herself in me (see description above), doesn't like those aspects of herself therefore takes it out on me, and there is a term to describe that as well, but I don't know it. When you meet someone similar to you, you either like them or you don't, usually right away. well now i can safely say the feeling is mutual :P
ANYWAY she had said that she had her say and hopefully things could move forward and I told her that I would stay out of her way and work on her criticisms (in so many words) and I had no plan to mention it to Mick and Deb. BUT THEN I came in that night at dinner time, warmed up my rice in the microwave, and took it upstairs to my room. Mick and Deb come a-knockin 10/15 min later and Mick said, "so we heard you and Bee had a run-in today" ..........That's not exactly how I would describe it, Ricky!!!!! "so yeah the house is pretty full, so...." no worries I'm already looking for a place to live, was my reply, and then I was on Gumtree looking for places. They wanted to make sure I was ok, I wasn't, but thats not their problem. They offered to help with the move, so that helped me :)
I hold nothing against Mick, and we're still good but I was naive to think I could stay there for longer than 2 weeks... Nothing in this beautiful life is free, there is always some cost, and unfortunately I have to pay rent now :/ at least I'll have some money coming in so it won't be so bad, but I hope I get a real job soon!! I just can't wait to go back to the house to visit and chill out and rub it in that bitch's face that I'm still good with MY friends and that she can't break me. (i did last night for the rugby world cup final. didn't really talk much to her, since i don't have anything to say, and yah i find her a bit annoying LOL)
There's a lot of room-shares out there, and some are frikken expensive! Like, with no reason to be. $180 a week to share a small room with another girl? In a tiny apartment with 3 other people? Noooooo thank you
UPDATE I found a place! My own room, $135/wk all in, north Melbourne area so good transit, not too far from CBD (downtown). It's an old house, protected by the government (heritage site!), I have a single bed, a wardrobe, a little desk and a chair, there's wireless in the house, there are 5 others (2 doctors, a guy doing his masters in botany, and 2 other students), and I have my own private balcony!!!!!! :D
So things are looking up. I'm hopefully getting a contract at the airport promoting absolute's new vodka, so keep your fingers crossed for me.
it's late, i work tomorrow (all this week! more updates to come i promise!) so it's beddy-bye for me. much love xoxoxo
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Saturday morning
Last night we had a great BBQ at the house! Loads of food, beer, and laughs :)
I received a phone call around 8pm and it went a little something like this:
hahahahahaha me as an au pair???? Seriously though I've just been applying everywhere and for everything.
The reason I applied to this au pair job was that room and board and all meals were included, 35-40 hours a week, weekends and evenings off (with the exception of the odd, pre-arranged time here and there).
Red Flag Moments:
Long story short I slept on it, woke up this morning, spoke with my father, and texted the mother to thank her for the opportunity but that I wasn't the right candidate for the job and good luck with her search. YES I could have done it for a month and just said that it wasn't working out, but then that's kinda bad karma AND it's not fair to the kids to have a rotating roster of au-pairs...plus if you live with a family you never know when/if they will ask you to do things that aren't really in your job description/hours so..... I think I made the right choice.
Keep wishing me luck/sending positive vibes for the job search. I'm working with a kosher catering company tomorrow morning (need to leave the house at 6am....yuck!) and I might be working in their kitchen doing prep on Monday Tuesday Wednesday, if no temp gigs turn up.
I received a phone call around 8pm and it went a little something like this:
"hi Jenaveeve, this is Justine. You replied to my ad on Gumtree.."
"oh yah for the vodka promotions?"
"no.....for the au pair position"
hahahahahaha me as an au pair???? Seriously though I've just been applying everywhere and for everything.
The reason I applied to this au pair job was that room and board and all meals were included, 35-40 hours a week, weekends and evenings off (with the exception of the odd, pre-arranged time here and there).
Red Flag Moments:
- right off the bat, one of the kids (boy, 2 or girl, 4) was screaming while the mother was trying to do a freaking phone interview!!! At one point she asked her husband "can you take him?"....like, wouldn't you pre-arrange that with your spouse BEFORE getting on the phone with a potential new au pair?
- a 2-year old still in diapers. The mother literally said "there's no point trying to potty-train them if they're not ready, unless they're going into kinder, and he's not due until 2013." now I'm no expert on children or when to/not to start trying to potty-train, but diapers aren't really my thing..... The girl (4 years) goes to kinder and wears nappies to bed, so I guess that's normal...
Long story short I slept on it, woke up this morning, spoke with my father, and texted the mother to thank her for the opportunity but that I wasn't the right candidate for the job and good luck with her search. YES I could have done it for a month and just said that it wasn't working out, but then that's kinda bad karma AND it's not fair to the kids to have a rotating roster of au-pairs...plus if you live with a family you never know when/if they will ask you to do things that aren't really in your job description/hours so..... I think I made the right choice.
Keep wishing me luck/sending positive vibes for the job search. I'm working with a kosher catering company tomorrow morning (need to leave the house at 6am....yuck!) and I might be working in their kitchen doing prep on Monday Tuesday Wednesday, if no temp gigs turn up.
Friday, October 14, 2011
ONE WEEK!
It feels as though I’ve been here for one month already, not one week! Things I have learned about Melbourne:
- the city is HUGE! Suburbs sprawled out for miles and miles and in a month I don’t think I’ll be able to experience all of it LOL
- there are too many restaurants/cafes/pubs here. More than Montreal, if that’s possible! I definitely won’t make it too even one one hundredth of them….although it’s very tempting to go out every night, it is certainly not budget-friendly ;)
- don’t ask for something ‘to go’, ask for take-away (something I need to remember, obviously hahahaha)
- surname, not last name. Similarly in Montreal I had to ask for family name (nom de famille) instead to last name (dernier nom)
- I don’t know if it’s just the house I’m living in, but I’m not sure if Melbourne homes have central heating :/ it will be good in the summer, but unfortunately when i arrived it was colder fall-type weather, and I found it absolutely freezing! I packed a few sweaters with me, and my MEC windbreaker-type thing, but MAN O MAN! Which, of course, lead to comments like ‘but you’re from canada’ etc… in response I always say that in Canada, everywhere we are is heated (homes, offices, cars, transit), and when we go out into the cold, we’re prepared for it! This girl here should not have started in Melbourne (although I’m loving the city - vibrant, young, great architecture) -- I should have started in Brisbane or somewhere that is already experiencing summer conditions. Aw well what can you do? The weather, as of yesterday, has started to turn, and today i walked around in a TANK TOP!!!! let's hope it stays this way for a while.....the roommates are having a bbq this evening :)
- The Simpsons were full of crap. the water in the toilets doesn't go the opposite way! in fact, all the toilets are eco-friendly so they have the demi-flush or full-flush option, so the water just sprays and is sucked back into the bowl. but "good on" the aussies for being so environmentally conscious! there are recycling bins EVERYWHERE and water fountains all over the place so that people can refill their canteens (which you need to have at all times since a bottle of water can be up to $3 for 500 mL...eek!)
- If you require a regular coffee, you need to ask for a long black. Melbourne definitely has a coffee culture, but European coffees are the norm. Since I don’t particularly like milk, I stick to black coffee. All the coffees have this cool swirly-type leaf-thing on top, and baristas are in high demand. A short black is an espresso, of course, and a flat white is a coffee with milk in it.
- It is a 15-hour time difference from EST, and when you guys turn the clocks back, it will be a 16-hour time difference! If anyone wants to text or call me, feel free (because anything incoming is free for me), but please remember the time difference. Drunken phone calls are ALWAYS appreciated, since 3am EST is 5pm here :P the number from north america is 011 61 45 700 1781, i don't have a fancy phone (it's a basic, basic phone), so no picture messages please. My Montreal number will no longer be valid on October 27. I will no longer have any canadian phone number.
- Not as many hott guys as everyone kept telling me about. Maybe they only come out in summer….we’ll see. I won’t be staying in Melbourne the whole time, and am looking forward to working on farms and seeing the rest of the continent.
- The public transportation system is AMAZING!!!! The TTC can lick it. Seriously. Melbourne has buses, trams, trains, AND a subway! Fare officers come around quite frequently, though (both in uniform and plain clothes-like the one I got yesterday) so if you don’t have a valid ticket it’s a fine around $250 or something. Each ticket is valid for 2 hours, on as many forms of transit in the same zone (something the TTC should implement). I want to be a plain-clothes fare officer. Don’t know how to go about doing that, though….
- I went to the grocery store the other day to pick up a few things, and the most expensive item I bought was limes. LIMES!! Generally 3 for a dollar, or something like that. The three limes I bought cost me $4.5, or something like that. Hilarious.
- I miss pitchers of beer. Here they have jugs, which are smaller than the pitchers, for $17. Everything is more expensive here, so budgets are extremely important (well, for me anyways).
I have become an avid rugby fan, seeing as it’s the semi-finals of the World Cup of rugby this weekend. The match of the decade will be Sunday evening, with New Zealand vs Australia. We’re going to a Kiwi pub to watch the event, and it’s sure to be a good time.
Mick has been an absolute gem and I’m forever indebted to him and Deb (his gf) for helping me out this first week. The rest of the housemates are very nice as well. There’s Josephine (who has a cat named Squinty who is very fluffy, gray, and anti-social), Belinda (firecracker!), and JoJo, who I will probably meet this evening (she was in Germany and Spain and just got back last night). I’ve met Mick’s buddies Rhys (and his gf Natalie), Guy (who has to get used to the French pronunciation of his name LOL), Tyrone and Steve (2 South Africans) and everyone gets along really well.
I started a temp job yesterday at the Alfred Hospital, and today is my last day. This is actually where I’m writing from! (on a Word document, to be emailed to me and posted later when I get to the house. And YES mom and dad, I have been asking repeatedly if there’s anything I can do and I sent a fax but besides that everyone is good.) I’m eager to start a real job, so that I can meet some more people, and I *really* hope that the cherry-picking contract comes through next month.
The housemates were nice enough to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with me on Monday night, and I met another one of their friends who has just finished working on the farms (she agrees that cherries are the way to go--and nothing else!). As the only one not working, I made the majority of the dinner and we feasted on wine and (too much) food and apple pie with ice cream and custard (yuck) for dessert and played a game of Bible Trivia. pure gold.
I called and got my tax file number today, which means that the agency will be taking off the regular tax (dunno what that is) instead of 45% when they pay me on wednesday. let's hope that i get something for next week asap.....gotta keep working!
so keep your fingers crossed for me that i get a job soon, and i'm signing off now.
much love and all that jazz xoxoxoxoxox
Friday, October 7, 2011
First Day in Melbourne!
Well, I have to admit that I LOVE Air New Zealand. What service! What spacious seats! What great little tvs with loads to watch! I will be bitching to United SO HARD about their suckage, and the fact that they changed my returning flight without even mentioning it to me.... But thats another matter.
I left LAX and was so tired I asked a flight attendant if I could deter my dinner til later (they were serving it basically after lift-off). I decided against it, and after my delicious chicken dinner and mini hagan daas was finished, I took 2 Tylenol nigh-ttime liquid gels with my glass of Pinot Noir, inflated my travel pillow, donned my eyemask and earplugs, and slept for almost six hours!!! Interrupted briefly here and there by small screeching children (PET PEEVE: if you have children under 5, don't ever travel on an airplane, ESPECIALLY a long-haul flight!!! Need to travel? Shoulda thought of that before having kids.) but woke up to breakfast, a mimosa, and Hangover 2.
I should have slept from Auckland to Melbourne, but I was starving (again) and wanted to buy a bagel. The flight attendant said I had breakfast coming, but I was at the back of the plane so I decided to wait and watch 'Love and Other Drugs'. Bad idea. Have you ever seen that movie? It's horrible. And I'm only saying that because I ended up crying at the end, cursing 'true love' under my breath, while wondering why I hadn't slept more than 6 hours on any given night in the past few weeks. But I'm sure you'll like the movie: Anne Hathaway shows her tits several times.
Upon landing early in Melbourne, I freshened up, hit the duty-free (espresso vodka? Tanqueray? 2 for $49? dontmindifidooooo), waited to luggage, bought phone credit (for those who want to call or text the number is 01161457001781 but remember I am 15 hours in the future, until you guys have daylight savings time, then I'll be 14 hours in the future) and was on my way go meet Mick!
After a quick shower it was back downtown for lunch and then I walked around til he finished work. I got my library card, info on jobs and excursions from hostels, and narrowed it down to the bank where I will open an account today (NAB). pretty productive day!! Had a couple with Deb (Mick's gf), Josephine (roommate) and Mick then walked around some more, called my folks one hour earlier (whoops! Daylight savings here was this past weekend soooooooooo sorry for the 5:30am wake-up call :/ ), and went to bed.
Sadly only slept 9 hours, but I might go back to sleep for a few after this post.
Today I venture downtown alone (might walk depending on weather...would take about 45 min), open a bank account and look for job opportunities! Wish me luck xo
I left LAX and was so tired I asked a flight attendant if I could deter my dinner til later (they were serving it basically after lift-off). I decided against it, and after my delicious chicken dinner and mini hagan daas was finished, I took 2 Tylenol nigh-ttime liquid gels with my glass of Pinot Noir, inflated my travel pillow, donned my eyemask and earplugs, and slept for almost six hours!!! Interrupted briefly here and there by small screeching children (PET PEEVE: if you have children under 5, don't ever travel on an airplane, ESPECIALLY a long-haul flight!!! Need to travel? Shoulda thought of that before having kids.) but woke up to breakfast, a mimosa, and Hangover 2.
I should have slept from Auckland to Melbourne, but I was starving (again) and wanted to buy a bagel. The flight attendant said I had breakfast coming, but I was at the back of the plane so I decided to wait and watch 'Love and Other Drugs'. Bad idea. Have you ever seen that movie? It's horrible. And I'm only saying that because I ended up crying at the end, cursing 'true love' under my breath, while wondering why I hadn't slept more than 6 hours on any given night in the past few weeks. But I'm sure you'll like the movie: Anne Hathaway shows her tits several times.
Upon landing early in Melbourne, I freshened up, hit the duty-free (espresso vodka? Tanqueray? 2 for $49? dontmindifidooooo), waited to luggage, bought phone credit (for those who want to call or text the number is 01161457001781 but remember I am 15 hours in the future, until you guys have daylight savings time, then I'll be 14 hours in the future) and was on my way go meet Mick!
After a quick shower it was back downtown for lunch and then I walked around til he finished work. I got my library card, info on jobs and excursions from hostels, and narrowed it down to the bank where I will open an account today (NAB). pretty productive day!! Had a couple with Deb (Mick's gf), Josephine (roommate) and Mick then walked around some more, called my folks one hour earlier (whoops! Daylight savings here was this past weekend soooooooooo sorry for the 5:30am wake-up call :/ ), and went to bed.
Sadly only slept 9 hours, but I might go back to sleep for a few after this post.
Today I venture downtown alone (might walk depending on weather...would take about 45 min), open a bank account and look for job opportunities! Wish me luck xo
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Never fly United
Horrible. Simply horrible. Leaving LAX now on Air
New Zealand, hopefully I'll be able to sleep... There are small children on this flight :/
New Zealand, hopefully I'll be able to sleep... There are small children on this flight :/
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