We're moving house in a couple of weeks. All in all signed, sealed, delivered in 4 days. Sure, it's not the cheapest place you can get. But it's a lovely place, water view, really close to the ferry, closer to my work, all internal mod-cons (except airco though). And the rental agency was really helpful and forthcoming, though we did tighten the screws on them real hard, as we weren't really desperate for another place (just a bit sick and tired of the noise around here at the current place, after 2.5 years). All in all pretty happy with how things worked out. You see all these doomsday scenarios around Sydney on TV, about 30 people showing up at a viewing, bidding up rent,... We just made an appointment for a viewing, liked what we saw, and negotiated over email. We didn't like the deal we were getting, said bugger that, and got a better deal: more money longer in our own pocket. Signed today, moving in two weeks.
We did see another place, cheaper but smaller and older, at the same day. But that was kinda crap (we thought). But again, available, and certainly livable.
Friends are leaving back home to Belgium, after a long working holiday trip around the east coast. They are selling their traveling van now. It comes fully equipped as a camper van. They are in Sydney now.
Check out the details at Gumtree:
http://sydney.gumtree.com.au/c-Cars-for-Sale-van-ute-Mitsubishi-Starwagon-92-W0QQAdIdZ101454669
One of the common resolutions of the new year is loosing weight. Well, I'm happy to announce that I lost 2.2Kg in just one week. How cool is that? The main thing different is my dinner. We had salad each and every day for dinner (as evident on Flickr). I still had small pieces of dark chocolate, one slice of banana bread, a glass (or two) of wine a couple of days. Went running only once, and played weekly soccer on Wednesday. But it used to be that I had two big meals a day. That is foodcourt lunch and again a warm cooked dinner. That wasn't too clever.
So, yeah, happy about that. I'll keep going at it. (though, I'd really like a pizza for change)
Looking for a new job, with good pay, for doing nothing, sitting on a beach? Sick and tired of Sydney or NSW? Looking northwards to Queensland? Maybe this is a job for you:
Great PR stunt of Queensland Tourism!Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef is a newly created position with a few minor tasks that need to be taken care of. The most important duty is to report back to Tourism Queensland (and the world) and let us know what’s taking place on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.
They need stretchers that can handle 570 pounds, double of what they handle now. 570 pounds? Really?"Australians have grown so fat that the air ambulances ferrying them from remote corners of the state of New South Wales to big-city hospitals must be retrofitted or replaced to accommodate them."
In a couple of weeks, Januari 22 brings Ignite Sydney, Ignite preso's on any subject, that's 5 minutes and 20 slides per preso. If you're just a little bit geeky, you should show up: Ignite Sydney. Speakers and subjects include:
- Matt Moore : Words at work - what links Flickr, mind maps, and a vengeful God?
- Jason Yip : Lean programming (the fridge vs the radiator)
- Kieran Ots : A year of failed projects (and what I learned from them)
- Richard Lane : Mapping the sky – Is bigger always better?
- Pamela Fox : HTML5 vs Flex for Rich Internet Applications
- Jeremy LeBard : Australians are a nation of readers. Why do we need Amazon?
- Geoff Bowers: Setting Fire To Your Community. A tale of Japanese mummies, karmic balance and benevolent dictators
- Chloe Mason : Why Sydney needs active travel
- Meitar Moscovitz : How technology influences sexual awareness (and vice versa)
- Mark Pollard : 7 things you can learn from hip-hop
See you there!?
Belgium's Goose underneath The Human League classic "The Sound of the Crowd". Nice beatup!
Happy New Year!
It has been a bit quiet around these parts. Maybe the office and other Xmas parties had to do with it. And then came the Chrismas long weekend, and New Year's Eve (third year in a row on our rooftop). And now 2009 is almost half way...
Anyway, make it a good one!
