And there goes another year. I suppose it would be sensible to at least provide an update on the last blog entry.
My exams are going really well. I'm hoping to finish my studies in February/March 2012 (depending on the timetable). My course weighted average is slowly creeping towards 80 which is a stark change to my undergraduate studies which clearly reflect how much of a good time I had at uni the first instance.
The reports I wrote for Engineers Australia were submitted, graded and didn't make the cut. There were complaints that there wasn't anything recent and even one report that I had assessed a few years ago was reassessed and it wasn't good enough. I totally lost all motivation to get them completed, but in the end, I should at least have a crack at it.
I've since started a new job too, with the same bunch of people, but a different division. This time I'm looking after a single product portfolio and just the aftermarket side of the business. It means I'll be on the road a lot more, and in all, I'm glad my DELL laptop has an extended battery so I can do my work all morning, and still manage to smash out a blog in the afternoon. I've already been to Sydney twice and to the Philippines. As I sit here, I'm in Gove, (Nhulunbuy) in the Northern Territory. I'm sitting by the pool waiting for the kitchen to open so I can have some lunch. My room isn't available until later in the afternoon so I've been sitting here since 8am doing presentations and finishing off reports. PS: the music in the outdoor area is atrocious.
The sun is out today and the breeze is warm. It's cold, rainy and miserable in Perth this week and I'm here in the middle of summer. Beautiful! I always make an effort to make each work trip like a bit of a holiday, considering that I take all of my leave for study and that I haven't actually had a holiday since 2008.
In 2008 I went to Sweden, which I managed to take an extra nine days off over Easter and make a bit of a holiday out of it. Luckily with my new job I get to head over to the Netherlands every six months or so. I'm heading over again in October and I'll be swinging past Örebro for about 48 hours to visit the old clan. It'll even be Pumpkin's birthday :)
In other news, Robin and I bought a house last year and moved into it in January. We love the location and it's just the right size for us. Robin has put heaps of lockers in the garage for all of our crap and we've also increased the number of cupboards in the kitchen. We've also been painting the fence and planning a little garden in our courtyard.
My checklist has changed a little too. Even though my blog fell through the floor, I've bought a piano and have actually been playing it. I've been riding, catching up with mates, cooking and occasionally playing the piano. Still don't get to do much fencing considering that I'm away from home so much.
As if I didn't have enough things to do, I'm also going to start learning Dutch in the coming weeks so that I can impress my Dutch workmates.
Still busy as always! But today, time to unwind and enjoy as tomorrow will be a long day on site, and a flight back to Darwin. I'll have another beer for you.
