Last weekend I went out on my apartment hunting rounds, and found a place that I thought was fairly reasonable.

So, Monday morning I applied for it - and then Tuesday I got a call from the estate agent saying I was successful. Thursday I signed the lease, and as of Friday, I officially have an apartment, yay!

It’s in the “Paris” end of Potts Point (according to Mitch) - I was thinking Paris, but Mitch assures me he meant Paris. Although, by the sounds of it I guess I’ll be seeing more celebs around (We saw Indira Naidoo at a Deli just around the corner).

Note: First image from Domain.com.au, supplied by the real estate agent.  Panorama image by me.

So, about two weeks ago now I took Friday off from work to fly down to Melbourne, for the wedding of Paul Jenkins & Natalie Elbourne out in the Victorian countryside - Nat’s home town of Drouin.

You can read the rest of story, or just go straight to my photos from the wedding. (They’re higher quality than the versions shown here too)

 
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Just testing this lightsabre thing on my Nokia N95.

Install from this server. (rehosted to fix MIME Type issues)

Will also need the N95 Accelerometer plugin too.

Readers of XKCD (one of my favourite webcomics) may remember this strip:

Well, Randal Munroe (the genius behind XKCD) recently decided to get a ball pit instead of a new couch.

I agree.. the results look really awesome.

So, I’m into what - my third week at the new job. Several people have emailed/called/messaged asking “So, what’s going on”. 

Here’s the ‘executive summary’:
My first two days were just wrapping my head around what it is the company actually does, induction, etc.
On my Third day I basicly got thrown in the deep end in terms of learning one of the current projects, which runs on the software that this company makes. 
Since then, I’ve taken on responsibility for working on one portion of the product - cleaning up existing code, expanding it, validating output, etc.

So, in terms of technology - It’s pretty much what I’ve been doing before (.NET stuff), but on a larger scale.
It’s been hinted at quite strongly that I’ll be working on some new technologies, which sound pretty cool too.

The people are great - they ‘get’ the geek/tech stuff. All in all, my impression so far is that it’s a really good environment to work in. (And I’m not just saying that ’cause they read my blog!)

On non-work related things:
I’ve been house hunting (yes, really). I went and saw three apartments on the weekend: One a definite no (When I say there was room for a fold-down bed, and thats it - I’m not joking), one a ‘hmm, maybe’, and one I really like (which I applied for today - Monday). It’s a really competitive market.

I also wandered around a little on the weekend doing the photography-thing - down taking photos of the Flying Foxes in the Botanical Gardens.

I’ve also been catching up on my Aus-Food blog reading, finding out where the good places for food are.

The weeks ahead: Saturday is the Election (oh joy!) and I’m heading back to Coal Point to catch up with my Grandmother, see what’s happening, etc. Then the weekend after that I’ll be flying down to Melbourne for Natalie & Paul’s wedding.

I can’t think of anything else that’s happening at the moment. So, stay well folks.

If you’re inclined - you can follow me on Twitter*, or add me on Facebook**. I’m generally more active on Twitter than Facebook.

* = Not for kids or the easily offended. Not Twitter itself, just my Tweets in particular. 
** = Be warned, send me lots of “Application” requests and I will block you on Facebook.

(writing this on my mobile, so please excuse the writing style)

So, I’ve moved up to Sydney, and staying with my uncle Mitch. Went house hunting on saturday, the rental market is pretty hectic.

Today is my first day at the new place. Currently sitting in a cafe around the corner with a hot chocolate. The usual first day jitters, etc.

Well, here goes…

–
Update:

The day went well - the people I met are pretty cool. It’s a pretty good atmosphere - flexible working arrangements - smart folk - good support.

On the house hunting thing, an agent to back to me, and I’ve got an inspection appointment lined up for during the day on Wednesday.

Anyway, it’s now midnight - g’night folks.

Today is my last full day here out at Coal Point. Tomorrow I’m packing laptop, camera, and clothes and heading to Sydney. The rest of it can wait until I’ve found my own place to live in the city.

By the way - If you know anyone who is looking for a tenant for a 1-2 bedroom apartment/whatever within about 20mins walking distance of Surry Hills, I’d really like to hear from you. It’s probably a really long shot, but who knows, right?

I finished up at Telstra last week. A big thanks to the folks there in the Newcastle building giving me a great farewell during lunch on Wednesday. It was great to catch up with the old gang who’ve left before me, and those I hadn’t seen for ages. 

Anyway, I’ll be on Three’s X-Series (2GB)  for internet access, plus whatever I can get on WiFi until I do get my own place.  Here’s hoping it’s not too long.

Until then - Adios

Because people seem to be asking the same five or so questions about my new job, I thought I’d put up a FAQ.
I’m sure it won’t stop people asking anyway though

Who is the new job with?
It’s a contract position through an agency. Who their client is (where I’ll be working) I’m not saying yet - I’ll wait until I get to know the guys first. They’re located right in the centre of Sydney - 10 minutes from Central Station.

When do you leave / have you left Telstra yet?
My last day at Telstra is Friday the 26th of October (so, this week is my last).

When do you start at the new job?
Monday 5th November.

Are you commuting from Toronto?
Nope - I’m moving down to Sydney. A 3 hour commute *each way* really isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time.

Have you got a place in Sydney yet? / When are you moving?
Not yet. I’m staying with one of my Uncle’s first - he’s got a place about 15 minutes walk from the new job.
I’m looking for my own place at the moment, again somewhere near the centre of Sydney.

(This is for the folks who didn’t see this post on Facebook)

This is Claude, he’d just like to let you know that he really dislikes:
- Vampires
- Werewolves
- Zombies
- People who Poke/Prod
- And other silly Facebook applications

Claude says he’ll come visit all the people who send these through.

Just… y’know, so you know what to expect.

PS: Claude is a Huntsman Spider. He’s currently residing in my bedroom, and plays around on Facebook and Twitter whilst I’m asleep.

For several years, the various Recording Artist Associations (eg: RIAA) have been on a campaign to prosecute their customers. These associations claim they do it to protect the rights of their members. In reality it’s all about increasing profits for certain key members - that is, large record companies.

Last week came news from the UK of the latest attempt by these organisations to stick it to ordinary consumers for something which is, really, fairly innocent. What’s the problem? Some employees of a car repair company played their radios a little bit too loud.

The Performing Rights Society (the UK’s version of the RIAA) is seeking £200,000 (AUD$450,000) in damages for this obvious heinous crime.

Seriously, there needs to be a complete change in copyright law. For a long time these large organisations (and don’t kid yourself, they are giant corporations, not struggling musicians) have been steadily edging out what we would all consider fair use. It should not be a crime to listen to the radio at work, or to play a CD for friends at a private party. 

The way things are structured at the moment, it’s better (financially) for me to drive a car at well above the legal speed limits, placing people in serious danger - than it is to play a radio a little loud, or to share a song with a friend.  This is not the way things should be. We need to say enough is enough, and tell our elected representatives to change these obviously stupid copyright laws.