29 September 2008

All Change

God last weekend was boring... went to the mining expo on Friday and it was a washout. Was almost entirely small firms advertising services rather than any of the big players, they were obviously too caught up with the Las Vegas expo. I did get to chat to a couple of vendors, one was an Englishman who graduated from CSM 30yrs ago! One thing that pissed me off was the sheer ambivalence of a lot of the vendors, I tried to talk to a few and they just couldn't be arsed! Several couldn't even tell me what their companies did and what services they provided! I did get a few ideas for my dissertation though, we'll see where that goes in about 6 months.
I spent the rest of the day taking the pictures shown below and spent Saturday on the beach chilling out with a book. There's a book shop that has a massive stall where you get 5 books for $25 (£12) so I've bought 10 so far! Can see that being a regular stop for me. Sunday was too windy to go to the beach so went slightly stir-crazy in my apartment flitting between the internet, crappy tv and a really bad book.

I've had an interesting day today because I got into work this morning and was immediately told I was being moved to a different site! Was picked up by another English guy who's been here 15yrs, he works in the draughtsmen office and that's where I'm going to be for the next few weeks, doing 3D CAD work which is a damn sight more interesting than what I have been doing. The office I'm in has about 10 other people and *shock* *horror* a fair few of them are quite young and there's even two women! Looking forward to working there so we'll see how tomorrow works out. The only downside is that it's 2x as far from where I'm staying as the other office so could take me up to 45mins to get to work and back.

The only remotely interesting thing happening this week is a meal and pub quiz on wednesday night with a few people from the Hexham office...hopefully that'll be a good night and if not the meals are only $10 for a steak dinner so I can't really complain!

Let me know how you're doing people...comment away or Facebook me...it's bloody lonely out here!

27 September 2008

Pictures Again

Just a few pics taken in the sunshine on Friday...

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21 September 2008

Progress?

Well after my astonishingly shite week last week it all dramatically changed on Friday after my boss finally showed an interest and starting lighting fires under people. He came in on Thursday afternoon and asked how things were going, I told him about the whole not-having-anything saga and he left...come Friday my phone arrived, they're paying for all calls/txts apart from overseas calls. Then I got an IT logon (limited atm) and my boss even said he wants to get me underground asap! So he introduced me to two guys who are doing underground safety training and got me signed up for it so in a few weeks I'll be spending 4 days learning how to escape a fire/explosion in a coal mine using rebreathers and other funky kit :D I've also had 3 guys who go underground a lot say they'll tell me when they're going and let me tag along, woo!

At the end of this week is the Hunter Valley Mining Expo so every single mining company and equipment supplier involved in coal mining in NSW is going to be there, I've registered so hopefully will get to spend Friday there having a jolly :D Most of the senior management of every mining company and equipment supplier in the whole world are going to be in LA for the next week or two for the LA mining expo so hopefully the office will be a bit more relaxed.

I had my first night out in Newcastle on Friday, was a leaving party for a couple who are moving to Perth. Was nice to meet more people from work and see the people I'd met in a more relaxed atmosphere. It's a bit weird that most people go straight from work on a Friday at say 4.30-5pm to a pub and have dinner there while getting trashed and then most people are home by midnight...I'm sure I'll adjust eventually. I was invited to a cocktail party with loads of people from work on Saturday but after getting rather tipsy on Friday I gave it a miss. Not to mention the fact that I feel like a tit drinking cocktails and don't like most of them. Will have to meet the rest of the office another time.

Oh I've pretty much decided on the apartment I'm moving into, after talking to a few people on Friday I'm gonna go for a split-level apartment which is about a 20min walk to the very centre of town. It's a 2-bed with 2 balconies and is right next to a train station, supermarket, tattoo shop and rock club :D Not to mention that it comes with leather sofas, huge BBQ and the biggest TV I've ever seen! Will be calling the agent tomorrow...

That's it for now, here's a couple more pics...

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Pics

Just a few more pics of Newcastle at sunset...still more to come when I get them loaded...

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17 September 2008

On The Way Up.

So the last couple of days have been better, got to meet a few more office people and feel a bit more settled in. One thing I have realised is that if I want anything to happen, even the smallest most obvious thing than I have to ask and ask again. Working for an international company is a new experience and nothing happens quickly and no-one does anything til they've been asked half a dozen times! The IT guy has been promising to come down "this morning/afternoon" for 5 days now! It really does take the piss but there's nothing I can do about it. I won't even get started on the paperwork involved, I've had to fill in forms for everything and anything, talk about bureaucracy in action...
I've had my medical for my visa and it took about 5mins for most of it then 2hrs to get x-rayed and get the results. Just waiting for my IA to send off the forms and should hear back within a month if I'm lucky.
I've got a viewing on some flats right in the city centre on the waterfront tomorrow, can't wait to move out of this villa, takes ages to get anywhere. They're all fully furnished and serviced too, probably the nicest place I'm gonna live for many many years!

Some more weird things about Oz:

- The coins only go down to 5c so even though prices are say £1.99 or $5.67 they round everything to the nearest 5c.
- All of the cabs have card machines in them so you don't need cash.
- Buses don't stop unless you wave them down. Ever.
- They automatically pack your bags for you in supermarkets.

13 September 2008

Can I Go Home Yet??

My worst day yet...ozzie taxi firms are staffed by fucking idots, ozzie buses are plain fucking terrible, ozzie teenagers are all cunts and it's too fucking hot in this shithole.

It too me 2.5hrs just to get into the CBD, a grand total of 6miles! I can walk it in less than that. I spent an hour before that trying to call a taxi but the ONLY taxi company working today was engaged all 20 times I called and the other 4 I tried refused to come to my area. The buses here only run hourly and take an hour to get to the CBD (city centre) and stop at 5pm. I walked to the nearest train station to find that the trains aren't running so had to get a coach...then the fucking cunt of a teenage lad who was stewarding people onto the coaches told me to get on one to Newcastle and it took me 4 miles the wrong fucking way! Finally got into the city and it was 5pm so every last shop was closed and none of the pubs were open. Fucking terrible. After walking around aimlessly for less than an hour I came back again only to find the wankers staying below me were having a massive BBQ outside with screaming kids and drunk women cackling like mad. Not to mention that it hit 30 degrees here and my aircon is playing up so I've been sticking to everything all day.

Apart from that it's been a really good day! I've got a few pics to put up when i can be bothered.

So now I've only got one more day of being trapped in this apartment before going back to work to be ignored all day...

11 September 2008

A couple of Snaps:

My new apartment in Newcastle complete with Jacuzzi :D

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A couple of Snaps:

Newcastle NSW

So I'm here, in my final destination. Newcastle is pretty cool, surrounded by water on 3 sides, massive crashing waves and sandy beaches too. I haven't managed to walk around in the daylight yet, but have been shown the good drinking spots for the weekend... all I need now is someone to drink with, only met about 5 people from the office so far and none of them likely to come out :(

Had my first day at the Hexham office today, was "interesting" to say the least...got there to find out that they assumed I had everything already so I've still got no phone, no laptop, no uniform, no IT logon, no permanent flat... I'm sure it'll all happen fairly soon but they've had 2 weeks to sort this crap out! My manager obviously hasn't read my contract either, he expected me to pay for my own internet, yeh right. My 'office' is in a portacabin next to the lunchroom, near the outside toilets! It's a far cry from the swanky top-end offices in Brisbane but it's got a lot more character too, there are groups of cockerels that strut around and a cat that plays with them, the site is in the middle of a large swampy area so plenty of wildlife including huuuge colourful butterflies. I did get to walk around the workshops, they build LHDs from scratch there so I finally got up close and personal with some serious kit. I was given some work to crack on with by the only other person in my office, a young electrical engineer (i think) called Ashleigh, she seems pretty cool but was manically busy most of the day. Looks like I'm gonna be working on datalogging/reporting software for the next month or so, my idea of hell! Luckily I'm at my most enthusiastic right now, it's another half-finished project that I have to patch together and deliver...the shittest type. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get my own log-on so I can actually put some notes together. Apparently another guy is away at the moment but when he gets back he will take me underground to see a few sites and the equipment they use :D

It's not all bad, I'm going to see a flat nearby tomorrow, is in a block with another 15 or so students from the nearby uni. I'm not going to jump into the first one I find, they seem to be willing to pay $800 a week for me to live here so I'll hang on for somewhere as nice as possible. I'm booking my motorbike training tomorrow too, can't wait to start riding out here. My Varadero has been sold in England so I've got the best part of £700 to buy a bike out here, that's a lot more than I expected so very happy with that.

Hmmmm so what else to say...there are pictures coming, not many yet but there will be after the weekend, promise! Met an English girl who works across from my new apartment and practically jumped on me as soon as she heard my accent lol, pity she's boring and ugly! Oh and in the last 48hrs I've been mistaken for a bouncer (while smoking outside a bar) and a local student (i was wearing a suit at the time, what the fuck do students wear here???).

To finish this mammoth entry here's a few things I've noticed about Oz so far:

1) The streets are deserted by 6pm
2) Everyone drives a 4litre turbo'd ute that's never seen mud.
3) Philadelphia comes in solid blocks that taste rank.
4) You can only buy booze in off-licenses, otherwise known as "bottle shops".
5) These are often "drive-thru"
6) Petrol only costs 60p a litre!
7) Prostitution is legal and the sex shops/brothels advertise openly.

Photos soon...

RTC xx

5 September 2008

One week down...

So I've been here a whole 7 days now, it really doesn't feel like it. Really missing a few people from home...they know who they are. No actual homesickness as such yet, that might kick in when I'm finally settled in Newcastle.

If anyone has actually been paying attention you may have noticed I've removed all reference to the company's name on here as Dad pointed out people have been sacked just for mild criticism on blogs and I'm not one to hold back on the criticism front! So if you notice the company name sneak into a sentence or a photo then let me know asap and I'll delete it.

The last couple of days have been safety training (further freebies include neoprene stubbie holder, baseball cap and mining helmet shaped keyring torch) and medicals. The medicals were surprisingly brief, blood pressure, urine sample etc and we were done. Spent the afternoon wandering around Brisbane and exploring a bit then went out tonight for a few beers under the bridge. We've been eating there most nights and it's a very cool bar/pub with a lot of talent walking about but we're still not used to staying up past 9pm so were back in the hotel before 10pm!

Tomorrow and Sunday may involve a trip to either the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast depending on how we feel. Will be the first time I've slept past 6am since I got here! More photos will be forthcoming, should have had my camera on me today as we saw two foot long lizards and Ben had a green jumping spider on him all right next to our hotel.

That's all for now...I think...all comments appreciated.

You know you're Australian when:

YOU KNOW YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN WHEN...

You know the meaning of 'girt'

You believe that stubbies can either be worn or drunk

You think it is normal to have a Prime Minister called Kevin

You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in your wallet or purse

You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden

When you hear that an American 'roots for his team' you wonder how often and with whom

You understand that the phrase 'a group of women wearing black thongs' refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds

You pronounce Melbourne as 'Mel-bin'

You pronounce Penrith as 'Pen-riff'

You believe the 'L' in the word ' Australia ' is optional

You can translate: 'Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas'

You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep

You call your best friend 'a total bastard' but someone you really, truly despise is just 'a bit of a bastard'

You think 'Woolloomooloo' is a perfectly reasonable name for a place

You believe is makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin

You understand that 'Wagga Wagga' can be abbreviated to 'Wagga' but 'Woy Woy' can't be called 'Woy'

You believe that cooked-down axlegrease makes a good breakfast spread

You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis

You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says 'cobber'

You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song 'Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again'

You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionary known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year

You still don't get why the 'Labor' in 'Australian Labor Party' is not spelt with a 'u'

You wear ugg boots outside the house

You believe that the more you shorten someone's name the more you like them

Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language

You understand that 'excuse me' can sound rude, while 'scuse me' is alway polite

You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose

You understand that 'you' has a plural and that it's 'youse'

You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle

You biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules of beach cricket

You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call 'Anzac cookies'

You still think of Kylie as 'that girl off Neighbours'

When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit

You believe the phrase 'smart casual' refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered

You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction

When working at a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer

You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second

You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.

You will immediately forward this list to other Australian, here and overseas, realising that only they will understand!!

2 September 2008

Corporate Inductions

Are shit. Really shit.

So basically the last two days and the next two weeks are corporate inductions/medicals etc. It's all been the usual boring sitting-in-a-room-watching-stupid-slide shows but it could be worse. I actually won a company branded water bottle today in a quiz ha ha! I met my line manager yesterday who is possibly the least organized/interesting person ever, the other guys already have their mobiles/laptops/car/apartment sorted and I have....nothing. I'm going to be working in the Underground Soft Rock sector which isn't my first choice but hopefully they'll be sending me out to various sites...although they'll all be coal mines :(

On that point, apart from the apartment, all our meals are paid for, we're getting mobiles, laptops, and transport, it's looking like they're going to pay for me to do my driving license :D Apparently the offices in Newcastle need a vehicle to get between them so that's fine with me. I don't actually have anywhere to live yet, going to be in another serviced apartment in Newcastle until they can find a suitable place for me.

So the next two days are health and safety training...the only plus point being the free food and the fact we get a nationally recognized qualification which is something else for my CV. Then it's medicals on Friday and a long weekend. Hopefully a few of the CSM lot will be in Brisbane over the weekend so party time!

Yeh so apart from not much to say...will do a bit more exploring over the next week so keep checking back for more pics etc...