End of Year Wrap and Christmas Message

Me on 'industrial placement' at the National Library of Australia.

NEWS FLASH

I am going to work in Legal Deposit Cataloguing at the National Library of Australia in Canberra. I hoped to find work in Melbourne but now have the opportunity to take my skills to the 'national' level.

So I am currently in the process of looking for a place, organising transport and wondering if I really 'need' all the stuff I have hoarded over the years (to which of course the answer is yes). Anyhow it is sad to say goodbye to all the good friends I have made in Melbourne (but hey stay in touch I am sure I'll be passing back through again sometime soon). Oh yeah if anyone knows about accommodation in Canberra let me know.

Also for the library orientated among you, if you want me to scope for job opportunities at the National Library let me know. I'll be starting work on January the 8th next year. So I hope I can still meet up with a lot of people in Melbourne before I go.

Soapbox Soliloquy Christmas Bulletin and Year in Review

Hello everybody, I would just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. As usual I always seem to be most busy at this time of year and unable to write as much correspondence as I would have liked.

I have worked on my two blogs over the last couple of days trying to streamline them and update them. I haven't been the most regular blogger but I have at least had some sort of input over this year. I have most recently been writing a lot on my field (Information Management)which the reason why I have a separate blog for that. So that I can separate the business from the pleasure. However, funnily enough I have been getting into 'Information Management' issues and enjoy looking at them.

Anyway I digress this year has been a pretty significant year for Me and my girl Makiko. Last year I had the minor revelation that I didn't want to work retail and that I loved researching, disseminating, and organising information. So I quit my job in the outdoors industry in Brisbane and moved down here to Melbourne to study a Graduate Diploma of Information Management at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. I came down to Melbourne on the 19th February.

I have been living with my Mum and brother Dave in Box Hill which has been good. As we have had lots of time to spend together. Dave is a bit of a foodie so we have eaten really well. Box Hill is an interesting area with a lot of Chinese Australians. That means that the food is great and cheap and it is easy to track down ingredients for everything at the markets.

At the start of the year (Feb) I went down to Wilson's prom with my mum and her mates which was fun. I forgot to check that I had an SD card in the camera so I didn't take any photos but rest assured it was a great trip. I suppose the highlight was when some wombats clawed their way into my mum's tent and spread breakfast cereal all over the place. The swimming was good too, the gentle bays make it a great location for lolling about in the waves. My course also kicked off in Feb and it was a bit weird going back after several years break.

Makiko checking out the hot springs in Japan

My girlfriend Makiko took off back to Japan to see friends and family. I wish I could have gone too but unfortunately financial and study commitments made it difficult. Still looks like she had a great time, eating, going to hot springs (onsen), and catching up with all the great peoples we have met in our travels.

Camping near old Feathertop Hut

In March in one of our numerous uni breaks I had a chance to hiking around Mount Feathertop with my Dad which was great. I wrote about it in an earlier blog post (see post here). It was good fun but also character building as we arrived late a few time and became expert at putting up our tent in the dark. Still it is always good to get away from it all and enjoy a bit of nature.

Also near the start of the year I rode my bicycle to uni. It took about one and half hours and I got lost in Malvern East on the way back but other than that it was a really good ride. Cycle path pretty much all the way straight into town. After that effort though I was fairly well cycled out for the year. Oh well maybe next year with the beautiful cycle paths of Melbourne and a slightly closer house to work distance I could get into the riding.

Also in March I went to see the Commonwealth games opening ceremony which was okay. I got to see the Queen and the Prime Minister but overall it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped.

Makiko came back in late March and we went exploring around Melbourne a bit including Saint Kilda. As tradition demands had fish and chips, checked out the boardwalk and had cake on Ackland street.

One of the aforementioned cake shops on Ackland Street.

In April Risa and her mate Keiko visited us from were they have been staying in Brio-de-janeiro (ie. Brisbane). Also one of Dave's mates that used to live in the Hurst (Bathurst) moved down to Melbourne. So we did a bit of socialising.

Also in April my sister Louisa and her boyfriend Andre came to visit which was great we went up to check out the Dandenongs and so on and so forth.

Me and Makiko and Andre and Louisa in the Dandenongs

In June Makiko and I decided we had better check out the 'drive in' movies experience so we went out to Coburg and checked out a few movies. It was interesting and is still popular with many kids and teenagers enjoying the ambience.


In June we also went away for the weekend down the Mornington Peninsula. This gave us a chance to check out the beach, wineries, and of course the hot spring resort. The highlight of this excursion was when someone stole my wet, sand covered, scruffy, old shoes. What is up with that? Anyhow the end result is that I had to spend the evening after going to the hot spring wearing my hut booties to the bottleshop and the pizza place. Makiko made things right by buying me a new pair of shoes the next day.

The rest of the year was ramped up with studies for me and also I worked at National Gallery of Victoria helping people take iPod tours of the Picasso exhibition.

It was during this time that Makiko found her muse and opened up her crafty site . She created numerous soft sculptures and toys. Later in the year she started making ceramics which she is going to pursue into next year.

At the end of the year I managed to pass all my subjects and did my 'industrial experience' placement in the Pictures Branch of the National Library of Australia which was a blast. I even had time to check out the Mills and Boon legal deposit.

Didn't you know I am a Mills and Boon Fan.

Meh... I am tired of writing and I have got a cold for Christmas which is actually a bit of a tradition for me. I think I am always working so hard at the end of the year moving or in retail or something that I just get more susceptible to colds and the like.

Anyway peace out and have a great year everybody!