So Brisbane Eh?

So I'm currently in Brisbane, and the mood is... well... meh. It's not a terrible place, mind you, there's just nothing going on here, much like Winnipeg without the rampant crime, prostitution rings, and killer penguins.

Brisbane's city motto is (currently) "Gateway to the Gold Coast". Basically, they're advertising that they want you to come here, only to continue on south to where the real fun is. It's like the self-depricating friend that tells people that his friends only like him because of his Playstation 3. Really, I've found Brisbane to be very similar to Calgary. It's about the same size, very hilly and moderate in temperature. How very exciting.

I'm currently working 2 jobs though. During the morning I'm the breakfast cook at a restaurant. Yeah, I make bacon, eggs, toast and such (no hash browns though, and I would kill someone for some good has browns right now). It's easy work, and I get to eat all I want while I work, so it's not too bad. I'm also waiting/bartending on weekends, so I've got something else to do during the evenings. The bad thing is that I'm really, really bored.

Brisbane is just too... I dunno. Big maybe? After living in Airlie Beach for 6 months, I've gotten used to the small town feel. You walk down the street and you can see at least a dozen people you know and can just chat to. In Brisbane, or any other big city, you're just another face in a crowd of thousands. Small fish in a big pond and all that. This concerns me, for what am I going to do when I get home to Calgary?

I've been mulling over this for a while, and I haven't quite made a decision. I'm thinking I may head to Banff or Canmore or one of those places. No idea, just playing around with some options I guess.

Um... Oh, Shawna came back to Oz! She did the same thing as me, defrauded the government, and was able to come back. She's in Brissie right now, but I haven't met up with her yet. I'm working all the time, and it's tough to find time to get together. Soon enough though, and then it'll be good times all over again. Maybe this time we'll stay out of jail *cough*

I also understand the Bombers and the Riders are going to the Grey Cup. I can't believe it after how many seasons? 10 at least, the Bombers are back in the running. I can't wait to hear who won. I've always said if the Bombers can't do it, go Riders, but you know what? Screw the riders, I hope they all die in a fire.

And on that note.....

Oh Oz, You Know Not What You've Done

Well, my massive bribes and blackmailing seems to have paid off, as the government has seen it fit to allow me to stay here for another year. Woohoo! Of course, this means I won't see most of you for even longer, but you know what they say: Absence makes the heart something something.

In other news, I'm down in Brisbane now, just hanging out, looking for work, that sort of thing. It's not bad, but it's really strange being in a big city (approx 2m people) after being in Airlie (approx 3 1/2 people). It's just so damn busy around here!

I had a nice visit with my aunt and uncle, who actually extended their stay in Brisbane because I was arriving a day later than I thought I would. It was nice to see some familiar faces again, and have a nice chat about where they had gone and how screwy Australians are (honestly, they use a 2 button system on their toilets, I'm not even joking).

The last 2 weeks in Airlie were, quite literally, the most intense I've ever had to endure. Mostly because I wasn't sure if I'd be staying in the country, but also because I was taken out drinking repeatedly by the kind folks I work with and such. Honestly, I look back on my pictures and I don't remember a lot of them, but they show I seemed to have been having fun. Lucky me.

And if you're lucky, I may just call you at 5am and leave a really drunken message on your machine *cough*

Oi...

I'd also like to mention that, as of Wednesday, I'm a svelte 69 kilos (roughly 147 pounds). Check me out. Being 179cm means I'm right within my weight-to-height ratio. So luckily, I won't die tomorrow for being too skinny or too fat, Woot! :)

Limbo

So I've taken my medical and x-rays and everything *seems* to be in order. I have my x-ray and, yes, I do have a heart and a ribcage. Other than that, I'm baffled as to what they could be looking for. But everything seemed to go ok, other than the hearing test which I probably failed spectacularly (I don't know cuz I couldn't hear what she had to say. Ha!). So I'll find out in a couple days whether I'm allowed to stay in Oz for another year.

In other news, Halloween came and went and, without tooting my own horn, I did have the best costume in Airlie Beach. I have better pics, but in the meantime, here's what my costume sort of looked like:


Of course, it's difficult to see, but there's a dude carrying me around in the rubbish bin, the guy wearing orange. Naturally, the guy wearing orange isn't real, and he has my legs so it just looks like I'm being carried around. Regardless, it was a big hit on Wednesday night.

By the way: That's Sarah (English), me, Phil (Aussie), Sandi (English) and Connie (Aussie).

Not much else for now. Once I find out if I'm staying or what-not, I'll have more interesting things to say. Sadly, you'll have to survive on this postlet.