I live here now.

Need citizenship? Give birth over the airspace of your choice.

Stefan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 10:14:15 +0000

As a matter of current events, a Ugandan woman gave birth over Canada recently on a flight to Boston, USA. Makes you wonder why it’s so hard to get a Visa or citizenship in todays world, yet you can “automatically qualify for citizenship if you’re born in almost any given country.

“A Ugandan woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl on a plane from Amsterdam to Boston while flying over Canadian airspace, making the child eligible for Canadian citizenship, US media reported on Thursday.

Little Sasha was born Wednesday at 1400 GMT to the applause of other amazed Northwest Airlines passengers, as their plane flew over Halifax, Canada…”

New Year Resolutions

Stefan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:09:20 +0000

Well, 2008 is history. At least here in Australia. (And if you have never spent New Years in Sydney, you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s something you should do once in your life. It’s simply amazing.) So what will 2009 bring? Peace and happiness? Hope? I’m going into 2009 with high expectations and excitement. My brother is expecting his first child, I start a new job, and I’ll getting married in September! It’s going to be a pretty exciting year, but other than that, how will things really change?

Historically, I’ve never been all that big on New Years resolutions, but I think this year will be a little different. With so much happening for me this year, I find myself really wanting to strive for something better. So with the new job, and new life ahead of me, I’ve set forth a resolution to be happier, and really live life and appreciate everything around me. I know many will start the year off with a bang, focused on their goal, and slowly lose focus throughout the year, but I’m hoping that putting it in writing will help me stick with it. I’ll be able to look at the post a remember how I was feeling at this moment in time, and be reminded as to why I decided to do what I did. I found this little bit of info entertaining:

Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a Resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.

Besides, on top of everything else, less stress and more laughter is probably good for me, huh? Happy New Year everyone! May 2009 top what 2008 brought.

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Photography Post #2

Stefan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:16:08 +0000

Weathervane., originally uploaded by deletedpenguin.

This shot was taken in San Diego, California. Walking up the driveway to my parents, the stark contrast and silhouette grabbed me and I ran in to get my camera before the light was gone.

Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 70 mm
ISO Speed: 100

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Photography Post #1

Insignificant?

Stefan — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:00:22 +0000

I sit here at the computer, looking out the window at a fantastic Aussie thunderstorm. It’s 28c, but rain is bucketing down from the clouds above. These clouds though; amazing. Towering thousands of feet into the sky. It sure makes you feel small. One of the coolest things for me in Australia is the expanse of the sky. It seems to just go on forever. You can stand on a ridgetop and feel like you can just look out on forever. The clouds though, add an entirely different feel. Building themselves thousands and thousands of feet into the sky, it just makes you realise how small you really are. Insignificant? Not unless you make yourself insignificant.

It’s days like today that make you take stock of your life. Who you are, where you are, and how you’ll live your life. Fortunately, I can say this:

So far so good.

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An Aussie Christmas: Beer, BBQ, Beach

Stefan — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:16:42 +0000

While the rain is bucketing down in Southern California, and snow is falling throughout the San Francisco Bay area, us here in Australia are gearing up for a Christmas that promises to be full of laughter, cheer, and the beach. Ah yes, Christmas time in Australia. Warm weather, a few beers with close mates and family, and a BBQ.

When I first came to Australia for Christmas three years ago, I thought I’d miss the cold, cozy weather that comes with Christmas; bundled up inside by the fire.

I was wrong.

There’s something nice about having a warm Christmas, sitting out on the patio eating a nice Christmas lunch, lounging away the afternoon in a chair, drifting in and out of conciousness. I may have been a Christmas purist in the past, but I’m a believer in a Southern Hemisphere holiday season.

The only downside I truly find to having the seasons reversed is that when winter does hit us in Australia, it’s long. Almost unbearably so. Why? There’s no holiday season to really break up the monotany of cold weather and the short daylight hours, and unlike schools in the States, the summer break and the Christmas holiday break are pretty much just lumped together into one. It’s like being born on Christmas, you’re going to get fewer presents, and people combining the celebratory times into one, which ultimately draws the attention away from you. Where it really belongs.

Do I sound bitter? Not at all. None of that really applies to me. I’ve got a summer (now winter) birthday in August, and I’m out of school. It’s not like I have a summer holiday anymore anyways.

I suppose July/August is a good time of year to escape Australia and visit the family back in California. I think I’m on to something…

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Kookaburras

Stefan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 06:57:41 +0000

Kookaburra, originally uploaded by deletedpenguin.

I’m sure just like everyone else, I’ve been racing around trying to get stuff moving for Christmas. I can’t believe it’s less than 3 weeks to Christmas. Where has the time gone? Fortunately I was able to take a load off and relax this morning with a nice breakfast over at the future in-laws. They’ve got a nice outdoor covered patio area that’s really quite pleasant on days like today (33c and 80% humidity).

Then these guys showed up. Loud, obnoxious, and downright rude, begging for strips of meat like they deserve the entire meal.

In all honesty, they’re not bad at all. Kookaburra’s are yet another enjoyable part of Australia for me. I suppose the entire bird population here is. I grew up in San Diego, where all we really had were seagulls and pigeons. Not terribly exciting. These guys just look entirely prehistoric and are really entertaining to watch.

Keep an eye out for them when you visit Australia. Or an ear for that matter. You’ll hear them from a good distance, laughing at you.

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Photography Post #1

Stefan — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:46:58 +0000

Sydney Harbour., originally uploaded by deletedpenguin.

Beyond all this other stuff that I blog about, I have a love of photography. In fact, 99% of the photos you see on the site I’ve taken. It’s a full blown hobby for me, and an expensive one at that. Here’s the Sydney Opera House at night.

So, I figured I’ll start sharing photos I’ve taken over the years. Hopefully you like them as much as I do.

Cheers!

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A day of golf.

Stefan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:19:51 +0000

Ah yes. Golf. One of the most enjoyable, and frustrating games in existence. Today we had a corporate golf day, inviting over 80 of our clients to share a round of “ambrose” style golf. Needless to say I had a great day.

I’m not a great golfer, nor a good one, but I enjoy playing nevertheless. This was the first time I experienced playing a round of “ambrose” golf. So what is it? Essentially, this is a kind of group golf style that allows everyone, regardless of skill level, to play on level ground. It also caters to virtually everyone: takes the pressure of golf off the inexperienced players, and allows the more experienced players to feel free to try and crush the ball off the tee box without much repercussion.

“Ambrose Competition” is another name for a scramble, but one in which a team handicap is used. All players tee off, the best shot is selected and all players hit again from that same spot. The best second shot is selected, and all players hit from that same spot, and so on until the ball is holed.

If the scramble is called an “Ambrose,” it means that handicaps are used in play, with a fraction of the total handicaps of the group members serving as one handicap for the group. For example, if it’s a 2-person scramble, the handicaps of the two players are added together and divided by 4. For a 3-person scramble, divide by 6; for a 4-person scramble, divide by 8.

For the first time ever, I played a full round of golf without losing a ball. I’m sure it helped we were playing in an ambrose tournament, but still, it was nice to hit that milestone. I strive to get better at golf, but it’s an expensive game, and it’s hard to get good at it without spending lots of money.

So I’ve played a number of courses in both America and Australia; some good, some not. While this doesn’t necessarily cause big problems for me, as I’m not really a good enough golfer to make it worthwhile, I’d like to hear from other golfers out there.

What are some of the best courses you’ve played, either in America or Australia?

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Stefan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 12:01:50 +0000

To all Americans, at home and overseas, I wish you all the very Happiest of Thanksgivings. While many of us Americans living overseas might try and hold on to holidays like Thanksgiving that remind us of home, I often wonder if those that have been living overseas for an extended period of time start to let go of those holidays like Thanksgiving that just aren’t celebrated in other countries.

Do you still try and hold onto holidays that aren’t celebrated in the country in which you reside?

Anyways, here’s hoping you’re with your loved ones, wherever they may be in this crazy world of ours. Happy Gobble Day.

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Aussie mates.

Stefan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:27:14 +0000

This weekend, after over a year of living in Australia, I truly felt like I had a great group of Aussie mates. Sounds confusing? Let me explain.

One of the biggest issues I had when moving overseas (apart from leaving family), was the idea of leaving my close (and not so close) friends behind. While staying in contact with them wasn’t really an issue, as I would readily use AOL Instant Messenger, Skype, and a Vonage VOIP phone, I really didn’t have much time to go out and meet new friends here in Australia.

But why would I? I moved here to be with my girlfriend (now fiance) Megan, and once we adopted our black lab Jake, we were more than happy to spend our freetime taking him to the puppy park or to the beach. It’s not as if I couldn’t seek out new friends to “replace” the old. I didin’t want to. I didn’t really need to. Plus, come to find out, Megan had a great network of friends in place. Slowly but surely, I met her friends and in turn, met their significant others.

Fast forward to yesterday. Megan and I had our Aussie engagement party. We had our Aussie friends and family with us and as I gave our thank you speech, I looked out across the room and realised that my adopted Aussie mates, were no long adopted. I felt like I truly had a place amongst the group.

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The Australian Navy: Leave a message, we’re on holiday.

Stefan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:04:24 +0000

While I never expect to read a normal news article on any given morning these days, this one struck me as a bit odd. More so because this is the kind of thing you’d think you wouldn’t want advertised:

The Australian Navy will be on a 2 month holiday.

I understand that everyone needs a bit of relaxing time off, and there’s nothing better for morale than a well deserved break, but why would you A)require the entire Navy to take the time off at the same time, and B) advertise it!?

Ok, so it’s not shutting down entirely, and ships already deployed will continue with business as usual, but what if, for example, New Zealand tried to attack. (Oh hang on, there’s nothing to worry about there, unless you’re allergic to sheep). The Navy has said that “If an emergency occurs, other personnel will be ordered back to work.”

Hmm, OK.

In all honesty, I don’t see this as being an issue. The Navy says this is part of an initiative called “New Generation Navy” aimed at attracting and retaining more staff by changing the culture of the navy and improving the work-life balance of personnel. Probably because they can’t reach their recruitment targets. A good start I suppose, but you need to do a lot more than just giving everyone some time off to forget about how bad their jobs really are.

Do you agree with what the Australian Navy is doing? Is it really a good idea advertising this ahead of time?

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Australian weather: Undecided.

Stefan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:22:25 +0000

I made the move to Australia from the States in September of last year. Summer had ended, and I completed all that was required of me. The timing of the move couldn’t be more perfect; one summer gone, and another one just starting. A year of warm weather. Perfect.

Fast forward to this year. While many Aussies considered this past winter to be a cold one, it seemed bitterly cold to me. After the exorbitantly long summer, my first Australian winter was by no means fun. So here I find myself in November. The weather is once again warming, and the garden seems to be growing again (no help to Jake, our black lab). But the weather! While it is warming, it just can’t make up it’s mind. One day is hot; the next, cold.

While they say this year will be a hot summer, I have yet to see any indication that this will prove to be true. I appreciate the semi-warm weather we currently have, but it’s been flucuating and playing with me and my immune system. I’m one of those people that seem to get sick when it goes from hot to cold relatively quick. Not fun, it’s kept me at less than 100% on a pretty regular basis.

I suppose that weather can be pretty volitile anywhere in the world, but coming from California, where there really are only two seasons a year, the weather in Australia is considerably less reliable. As they say about Melbourne, it’s possible to experience all four seasons in a single day. It seems that weather forecasters have problems with it too, and while I enjoy the over the top thunderstorms, and amazing sunsets, it’d be nice to be able to dress for summer. Or spring, or even fall and winter. But please, let’s just choose one.

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Christmas in November?

Stefan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 07:31:26 +0000

I was up at the shops today, only to realise this: The Christmas decorations are up already.

Now I’m in Australia at the moment, and Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated here, but isn’t it too early? While I love Christmas (in fact it’s my favourite holiday of the year), I think that every year the holiday seems to be drawn out a little further. Now seeming to last over two months long, you start to wonder why…?

I personally think Christmas has been extended as long as it has because it has become a retail holiday. Apparently it’s all about giving gifts and spending money on each other. And while I love giving (and, I admit getting them too) gifts, we’ve lost track of what the holiday is all about. I’m not going to sit and preach about how one should appreciate the true value of Christmas, but I wonder this:

Do you believe that the Christmas season has been over extended?

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