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Friday, July 30, 2010

Our night at the movies and other random assorted stuff

Last night Ben and I went out to see that new movie with Aston Kutcher and Katherine Heigl called Killers. We got our usual cheap tickets so that was good. The movie was pretty good, it wasn't amazing but it was good and better than just sitting at home. I don't regret paying for it. Katherine was looking particularly gorgeous (as usual) and Ashton has the six pack abs I can only dream about haha. One of these days  I WILL get into better shape! I know I need too because the way I was huffing and puffing when I had to run to get on the train, everyone was looking at me and I am just getting out of shape lol. Not to mention I strained my leg muscle :(

The weather here the last few days has been so weird. Dumping rain one minute, and unseasonably warm the next. It is winter here but right now its about 27 C (about 80-85ish F) so its not feeling like winter! Which doesn't bother me a bit. I hate the cold haha. Just Yesterday it was so foggy and Brisbane Airport they diverted flights for 4 hours! I am telling you we are having wild weather lol. Its hard to know how to dress for this kind of weather.

In a week my parents and little brother will be here and it will be worse for them because they are coming from Texas summer! Right now back home it is about 40 degrees C on average easy. They will be flying into Sydney where it is about 6 degrees C (about 40 F) so it will really suck for them haha. I hope they brought warm clothes! On top of that all of us will be headed to New Zealand for a week where it is even colder than that :(

I will be happy to see my family again after 9 months though. I am missing the little stuff about home so my mo is bringing a list of assorted goodies for me :) What great parents I have. I hope their flight goes smoothly because I am used to long flights all over this world but, I know they haven't been out of the country in a while and they have never been on a flight this long. (My mom can't sleep well on planes) I can only hope they will adjust well to the 15+ hour time difference so it wont ruin their trip. It never bothers me, I only get bothered coming up. By the time I get home my body clock is gonna be SO outta whack lol! I am gonna be messed up for days!

I have three months left here on my Australian visa which due to Aussie Immigration laws means I can't get an extension on. So come 4 Nov I will have to leave the country. I got approved for my New Zealand visa so I have the option of going over there if I want. I am tossing that idea around but haven't decided totally yet. I am still waiting on news from this job Ben and I went thru the interview process with. They say they are verifying our references so fingers crossed :)

Oh one last thing, I had dinner a couple nights ago with my ex roommate from Sydney. She was up here in Brissy on business. Anyway we got to pose for a picture in front of the office of the Former Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. K Rudd's local district is the Brisbane Area. That will mean nothing to non Aussie's but it was exciting for me haha.

Late Edit: I just got an email from my Mom, They landed safe and sound! :) 

Yall take care til next time. Be safe and have fun! -Ty

Monday, July 26, 2010

My crappy day with the Australian health system

Today I had a frustrating day with the Australian health care system. Australia has a semi socialized health care system. That means all Australian born residents get most of their non specialized health care needs largely subsidized or totally paid for. Just show your Medicare card and off you go (they may pay a small co-pay though.

So I had to go get a refill on my medicine, I have a valid prescription script from my doctor back home but, they wont accept it here. Which is frustrating because that means I have to pay to see a doctor here and since I am not an Australian resident I have to pay all out of pocket for it.

Well I went once in Sydney and paid for a doctor to write me a script then I paid the chemist (Pharmacy) to fill my order and give me my medicine. That was all well and good until now when I am running out and I need more pills. So I went today to get a refill on my pills but I found out that the doctor in Sydney only wrote me a one off script. That means I have to go BACK to the doctor and pay again all over to get yet another script for more pills and then I have to pay for the pills.

I was even more frustrated but I had no choice. So I made my appointment to see a doctor at 6:30pm. I sat there and sat there for an hour! I was finally seen at 7:30pm! The doctor didn't ask me much and I had everything I needed in literally 5 minutes. So I waited 1 hour for 5 minutes lol. Very frustrating! After that I paid the 60 dollar fee and off I went to the Chemist to get my pills. (At least this time I got repeats on it so I dont have to go back to the GP again!)

I get to the Chemist and they tell me they are out of my pills until 2 days from now. I have enough meds to last me so I am not worried about running out it was just a really frustrating night. But what can ya do right? Had to be done and hopefully (maybe) I can claim it back on my insurance when I get home who knows? The only good thing to come out of this situation was my trains were on time and I didn't have to wait haha. Anyway I just needed to vent. So there you have it. -Tyler

P.S. I tried to milk a free flu shot out of them but they wouldn't give me one :P for all my complaining about this though, I think overall it is still cheaper and easier for me to get what I need medically over here than it is back home!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Inception

Last night Ben and I saw the new movie with Leonardo Dicaprio and company called Inception. I am not going to give away a lot of plot points in case there is some of you who haven't seen it yet. Basically though its about a guy who can enter people's dreams and steal information from their mind's. There is also a way he can insert memories into people's minds. It is a great movie but there is A LOT of twists and turns and if you dont pay attention its hard to figure out what is going on. It was the first movie I have seen in a while that made me "think".

Ben and I spent our 30 minute+ train ride home talking only of the movie and what we did and didn't understand haha. There is also already a TON of websites breaking down this movie and talking about everything because of all the twists. A la "Lost" websites. Basically I am saying its a great movie you just have to pay attention then go home and read about what you didn't understand haha.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars. Once the movie is out of the theatres I will give my full review so I don't give anything away. -Tyler

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

This could be my shortest blog ever

I just wanted to say that since I have come here to Australia ( I have been here over 8 months now!) I have gotten used to not having a dryer,dish washer or central heat/ac. These things while standard at home are just not standard here. So, before I considered these things just basic rights of all humans lol. I mean I have had them my whole life I now realise that they are luxuries.

So basically what I am trying to say is, that I have gotten much better at general house work,cleaning and cooking (using the clothes line too!) as opposed to when I was back home. If I hear anyone back home, when I get back home that is.... If I hear them whining about having to load the dish washer and/or dryer or saying its too hot or too cold inside with the heater/AC on I am gonna be mad! I will tell them to try doing it all manually!

I am not quite sure why I thought this was blog worthy but I just wanted to throw it out there. Tonight Ben and I are gonna go see that new movie Inception (I hope it is good) and we just went grocery shopping, spent a lot for 2 people but, groceries are expensive here and at least now we are stocked up. By Friday I should hear about that new job. So fingers crossed.

Well I just realised I turned my shortest blog entry ever into a not so short one haha. You know me I love to talk/write about whatever.

Talk at ya later,Ty

Monday, July 19, 2010

Interview Day

Today Ben and I had our interviews for this new job. Its close to home and it is a factory job per my usual.  But, it is very similar to what I did in Sydney and I think it will be a good fit if I get this job. The interview went well and I really hope I get it because I need it! So we will see how it goes, hopefully we get a call back soon. Fingers Crossed :) If we both get this job it will be great, we can split cab fare to work and it would just be a lot more convenient for both of us. Tonight we watched a really funny comedy debate show on channel 10 (free to air TV) it was a good laugh.

My family is coming soon so that is exciting to see them again after 9+ months. It should be a good time going back over to New Zealand to see them in the dead middle of winter so that part I am not looking forward too haha. I had something else I wanted to blog about but I have forgotten now....grrr! Well its election time here in Australia. 21st of August anyway and we are getting SLAMMED here with Election commercials and crap. I just want it to be over. I am sick of it already! There seems to be a lot of drama in Aussie politics but no worse than anywhere else I guess. I cant vote here but I know who I like and who I don't lol. Voting is mandatory here in Australia so everyone has to vote though so all the citizens will be out voting soon.

Not much else is going on really. A new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio comes out soon here, its called Inception about a guy who can insert himself into people's dreams and steal their memories. It looks really good actually. I read a news article that said this isn't possible yet but, it is closer to reality than it is to science fiction. Kind of a scary thought but I think really my grand kids will be the ones seriously worrying about that, not me.

I heard Tom Petty started a new concert tour back home and I am so jealous! He is one of the last "greats" I haven't seen yet. I want to see him real bad before he retires! I hope I get the chance because I have already been lucky enough to see Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton with my dad. (Both put on great shows!) My credit card is expiring soon-ish and I called to have them send my new one here to my address in Australia but they refuse to do it. It is really frustrating and stupid! I wish they would just send it here.

I wish I could remember what I wanted to tell yall but I forgot! I am so sick of winter already I am ready for summer to come back! I hate this cold! brrrrr! and we dont have central ac/heat here, just blankets. But I do manage to stay warm enough most of the time. With lots of blankets! I am hoping to save enough money to go back to NZ in Nov and work there for a while and continue my travels to South America but we will see how it goes.


Oh! I finally remembered what I was gonna tell yall! Today Ben and I walked home from where our interview was (about a 45 min walk actually) but we saw a rainbow! It has been a while since I have seen one so it was good to see one again. I know its nothing super special but still I enjoyed it. Ok, Now I can sleep in peace haha.

Night my blogosphere fans,Tyler

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Time is moving on....

Time sure does fly when you are having fun huh? The 4th of July has already passed here, my mom's birthday has passed, and so has the middle of July! Soon it will be August! Well the last job I had was only temporary and did not last long so I have been on the job hunt since then. I haven't been having much luck lately as hard as I have been trying. Until yesterday that is. I must have registered with 30 job agencies and been out and out and about and applied online for so many jobs but I got a call from a woman about a factory job and I have an interview on Monday!

They also asked if I knew anyone else who needed a job so I recommended Ben and it would be great if we both got the job, same schedule,same place so that way we could split taxi fare as there is no public transport out that way. So if we are lucky both of us will get this job!

So wish me luck :) I do need this job. Also, my parents and brother get to this part of the world in early August and I will be seeing them for the first time in 10 months. I am sure they are excited! and I know this is the longest flight any of them have ever been on. I on the other hand am used to it because I have been lucky (or unlucky) depending on how you look it, haha. to fly all over the globe to many neat places and have taken lots of flights so I am quite used to it by now. I hope their flights go well and it should be fun.

Other than that, the only other new thing in my life is we saw Knight and Day that new movie (well new here) with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. It was pretty good. Not amazing but it was entertaining. Also, I have been getting progressively better and better at poker. I play in Tournaments as I said before, where I don't use any of my real money but am able to win real money and I have won some actual money. Just like 10 bucks total but its better than nothing and I fun way to exercise my brain because poker is a very "mental" sport. Especially online since you can't see their faces. I even got 4th place in a tournament and that was because I had to leave. If I could have stayed for the whole thing I seriously think I had a good chance at winning it all.

Oh ya one other thing, at least for me this year has gone SO fast! and November (when I leave) is fast approaching! So I will have to decide at that point whether to come home (because Americans are unable to get a 2nd year visa to Australia)  or to go work in New Zealand for 3 months and then travel South America for 3 months. That is an enticing option for sure.... I have always wanted to go to South America but that will all depend on the money situation. So I will keep yall updated on my decisions.

Well thats about it for now. Talk at yall later,Ty

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Movie Night

So last night Ben and I went to see The Karate Kid, the new one with Jaden Smith. That is Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's son so he comes from a very rich and powerful acting background. It was not as good as the original but, it was worth the money. It was actually set in China and had Jackie Chan as the teacher. But, the movie theatre was packed with kids! There was so many families and kids and Ben and I couldn't even sit together! The worst part was, I was sat next to a family that didn't speak English. That fact alone wouldn't bother me but what did bother me was the fact that they would not shut up! I politely told them to be quiet but I guess they didn't care or didn't understand because they kept talking the whole freaking movie and I had to suffer through it!

Ben and I also did some grocery shopping and managed to get our lowest grocery bill ever! that was really exciting haha. I am not much of a cook but, I have been cooking a lot more since I have been here and I can now do a pretty mean brekkie :) Eggs,Toast,Bacon the usual. I am also starting to be a pretty professional dishwasher because here in Australia a machine dishwasher is a rare thing so you have to do it all by hand!

I dont have too much else going on lately. I have started playing some online poker recently though. Not for real money of course. But, I am able to enter tournaments for free and have the chance to win REAL money if I place high enough. My first tourney I placed 300th out of 875 people. Not amazing by an means but for my first actual poker tournament I was pleased! So practice will make perfect :)

Late Edit: I have been getting progressively better and better at this online poker! I enter tournaments for free but, I have the chance of winning real money. So far I have placed 100th out of 806, 300th out of 875 and just tonight I actually got 22nd out 869 people! I only won 2 dollars (because the prize pool was split between all the top players) But, I did really well and I think I can qualify for more tournaments worth more money as I get better :) Its a fun hobby anyway and it isn't costing me a cent so far!

Talk to yall later,Ty

Saturday, July 03, 2010

My awesome night!

Ben persuaded me to go into the city with him and watch the World Cup even though I honestly don't have much interest in it, soccer has just never really been my thing. So we decided to go to The Treasure Casino here in Brisbane and watch it there on the big screen. We get there and walk around and explore the casino then grab a beer.

So the game started and honestly at first I was not very interested, it just didn't grab me. So I went to gamble a little. I started out with 5 dollars on the pokies or slot machines. Well my 5 dollars went really fast and I didn't win anything lol. Slots are not so easy! Then I thought about trying blackjack or 21. I know how to play black jack but I found out there were a lot more "casino rules" than I was used too. So I decided not to embarrass myself and not play.

I didn't have enough money for the poker tables so all that left me was roulette. I had never played roulette before but I knew the concept and I had a 1 in 37 chance at winning at a minimum. So I went over with my 10 dollars and I placed a bet on number 21 and won 45 bucks! :)

After I won my money I went back to the game and watched the 2nd half and it was actually quite good. Germany won 4 to 0! so all in all I had a good night and so did the Germany soccer team! After the game we went home and I managed not to spend any of my winnings.

Oh ya, its the 4th here so HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! :) 234 years strong!!

Talk to yall later,Ty