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
Friday, November 25, 2011
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!!)
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