Archive for the ‘Australia’ Category

Making A List, Checking It Twice

Tuesday, March 20th, 2007

Since I decided to stay here and my company agreed to sponsor an application for a business visa, I’ve become reacquainted with the many and varied joys of trying to gather disparate items from various authorities. The requirements for a 457 visa application aren’t unreasonable, but there certainly are a lot of hoops to jump through. And given my recent country hopping-status, those rings are beginning to approach Olympic proportions. There are lots of forms to fill in, an up to date CV is required as well as a letter confirming my intent to stay here. So far, so mundane. I have a chest X-ray on Thursday, to make sure I don’t have tuberculosis, which apparently is pretty normal. I’ll be glad of the health check in any case.
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A Crazy Wii Day

Friday, January 26th, 2007

Australia day means different things to different people. For many, it’s a nice family day out with facepainting and fireworks. For others, it’s just a welcome extra day off. But for the vast majority, it’s an excuse (as if they needed one) for beer, BBQs and the beach. I was keen to enjoy the festivities, but wanted to retain my sense of Englishness (not that people let me forget it with the cricket results the way they are at the moment). I was half-tempted to paint the George Cross on my face to counter all the Southern Crosses out there, but in the end just went for wearing my England shirt and quoting Little Britain as often as possible.
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