Working 9 to 5...

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Hello everyone.

I have been very slack with my updates, so this is an attempt to bring you up to date - 4 weeks at once, but I shall be fairly brief. And there are no pictures - sorry! I promise next blog I shall make amends...

When I got back from Fraser Island, 'home' to Tux's room in North Bondi, I set about finding myself an actual job to start earning some money and stop being such a bum. The first week I met with a recruitment consultant and sent many, many job applications online. I became so bored with looking each day at job descriptions and writing the same stuff over and over it was actually quite depressing, but I finally managed to land an interview in Sydney in the second week of being back. Despite me being a little rusty, I came through it and a few days later got offered a second interview. In the meantime however, I posted on a forum about needing a job working on a specific telephony system. A mutual friend put me in touch with a guy I had worked with previously and he in turn gave my details to his boss. This was on the afternoon of Wednesday 1st of June. His boss called me that night, I got an interview on Thursday which lasted 20 minutes, and Thursday afternoon we agreed on a salary, sponsorship, and that I would fly to Melbourne the next Tuesday...

Eeeek! went my little brain. This was quite a big change in quite a short timescale. Did I know what I was doing? I asked myself several times and came out with the same answer. Why not go for it? I have always heard good things about Melbourne, and although I would be leaving the comfort of having Tux around to help me out, it seemed like a good opportunity. So Monday I started work in their Sydney office, and Tuesday I flew to Melbourne, went straight to a customer site where the project had gone rather wrong, and have been there since - since as in Monday to Friday, I'm not actually living there...

So that, in a nutshell, has been the last four weeks... I will tell you a little more about Melbourne though, as that is where I will be living for the next little while at least...

Work put me up in serviced apartments which I am still in as I write this. They are compact, with a partitioned off bed, a little kitchen, TV and bathroom and a sofa. I'm staying here until I move into a house share on the 8th July. I will be near the Melbourne CBD, 20 mins from the office, sharing with Susha (pronounced Sasha for some reason!) and Mindy, two Australians who seem really friendly, so I'm hoping that will kick start the social life a little, and they both have boyfriends who are over from time to time in case I get I get too bogged down with girly talk. I have a big room, and a balcony with space for several deck chairs and a hammock. Though the weather here is cold... damn cold! When I got here the first week I had no coat so had to rectify that at the Queen Victoria market to avoid my important parts getting frostbite.

And aside from work and the living arrangements, I have done a little bit of walking around Melbourne - the market, CBD, along the banks of the Yarra and over to the botannical gardens which are very nice indeed. Today (Saturday) I have been to the market again for fresh veg and meat, and I'm taking myself out tonight to get some food and may even pop into a bar for a beer 😊

Last weekend was very strange - I did much the same as today, and had a good night by heading into an Irish bar, talking to some randoms and I ended up going for a dance to bad 80's music. Nothing changes 😉 But it also made me think of home and missing everyone, especially with Drizza and Kat getting married the week before (yes, Mum, lovely Matt is now a married man!) I was gutted not to have been there, but I am glad I made the move still and possibly gladder I have now come to Melbourne - it's a very friendly place and I think I'll be happy here once I've moved to a permanent room.

But I will be back at some stage to see you all - I'm already looking forward to it 😊

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