Little Sunshine (State) and Any Other Business

Holiday
I am a week away in Airlie Beach, in the Sunshine State Queensland! I have NOT seen an awful lot of sunshine around Airlie Beach, but out on the water its been pretty good. I managed to tan nicely and not burn, I am getting better at this sunny weather, Sunprotection 30 thing!
I did a 2 day-night sailing trip out on the reef sailing around some of the Whitsundays islands. It was a proper sailing boat called the Boomerang,... oh how Australian!

It used to participate in races and was then customised for taking tourists around the Great barrier Reef. (83ft Maxi Racing Yacht, Boomerang is the winner of the World Maxi Series Race when racing under the name of "Ondine VII" her illustrious racing career also saw here racing in the USA, Japan and New Zealand.)

We used the sails almost the whole trip, sometimes one side of the deck submerged in water, luckily we sat on the high end.

(SEE THE RAINBOW???) There is a boat underneath it!

Very cool. The crew was very relaxed and friendly, made good meals and I also did some snorkelling, which was really amazing. I had an underwater camera, as soon as I have the photos developed I will post them online. Its just weird seeing such colourful fish and beautiful coral in such clear water. While we were sailing we even saw some dolphins jumping out of the water, so cute!

Pretty steep angle we were sailing at!

I still feel like I am on the boat when I close my eyes, its amazing how your head/legs get used to the rocking of the boat. We had a drink get together on Tuesday with the people that went on the trip which was a nice way of saying goodbye and enjoying an Airlie Beach night out. I have been on a few daytrips with my Canadian friend Amanda and friends of hers, or visiting my Dutch friend Nicole in Bondi beach, but this was a full week away. I flew from Sydney to Prosperpine which is about a 2 hour flight, and from there a taxi to my accommodation. They certainly seem to get alot of rain here at the moment, I think this morning was the first time I awoke to a bright sunny day. I also visited a shark expo by Vic Heslop aka the Shark Hunter, its made me even more wary and scared of these destructing sea-creatures. Here is a photo of one he caught and put on a car for comparison. Nice !

Job front
I have been applying for jobs for 3 months untill Mid january when Sony Australia finally replied to my numerous emails and invited me for an interview, in the mean time they have made me a job offer for the position of Management Accountant which is a new challenge for me, and I am now waiting for the business sponsorvisa to come through which normally takes around 5 weeks. I hope to start sometime in March, which will be a busy month as it is year end too. Sony is based in North Ryde which is like a big industrial park North West of Sydney city center. They are building a railtrack from the city center to this area, but right now I will depend on the bus which probably takes around 50min.
New Flat
After having stayed at Amanda's for nearly 3 months, she has been a great host, it was so kind of her as it was very convenient for registration interviews or any other business in the city. And of course having a buddy right there while I made this jump to the other side of the world. Its been wonderful getting to spend time together other than a few days which we were used to from holiday-visits. BUT, as my work visa application was lodged I started looking around for accommodation and in early Feb I got my own apartment, semi furnished, with a nice sized balcony overlooking the city skyline. I really enjoy Sydney, the weather certainly plays a big part, but I also enjoy the convenience of living near the city. Maybe London was sometimes a bit too big to get around. I miss my London and Holland friends so I hope you will visit sometime! Once my visa has been approved I will look for a flatmate to take the extra bedroom I have, and maybe join a club or gym. I do have a swimmingpool in the building which I intend to make use of, and there is also a nice big park suitable for running, teamsports etc nearby.

Other stuff
Darling Harbour is a 5 min stroll away and I always enjoy walking around there. Taking the bus to Bondi beach takes about 45 min. Or the ferry to Manly is a nice trip on a sunny day as well. Every time I see the Opera House I feel like I am seeing it for the first time, it keeps amazing me, and when there is a big cruiseboat docked on the opposite side of Circular Quay I am really in awe.... Both the QE2 and QM2 were in Sydney last week, I missed the QM2 because my back was acting up and I was not able to go but I went the following day to see the QE2 and it is just a breathtaking view... for some reason it doesnt appeal to travel on one of these cruiseboats... but I love watching them! I think the Mardi Gras parade this Saturday is the next big Sydney festival and then on March 17th it will be St Patricks Day!! There are always a lot of activities in and around the city center which are very well organised and worth visiting.

If you wanna know anything else.... ask away!
I got to go, this internet cafe has played MC Hammer U cant touch This, Vanilla Ice -Ice ice babe, I fear of whats next.... I wonder BTW what the obsession of Australians with MC Hammer is... I hadnt heard that song for a few years, 4 months in Ozz and I am pretty sure I have heard it around more than 5-6x already???

My musical recommendations;
The Cloud Room - Hey now now (its used in a Pepsi Add here in Aus.)
Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails, Red Wine (the whole album!)

Peace
Susanne