Here I Am! Rock You Like a Hurricane!

Didnt do much (again) today. Popped into town to sort out my Medicare stuff, and got $300 refunded. Not a lot, but better than a slap across the face. Did some checking to see if I could get Assassins Creed early but failed. However, we did manage to pick up a 2nd guitar for Guitar Hero 3, and I must say it improves things no end. Guitar Hero is SO much more a social party game than just a single player experience. Playing with others is just so much more fun, and it feels less “unfair” than standard career mode. 

I did dabble with playing some of the songs on hard but its just ridiculous. If you thought Guitar Hero 2 was hard, this is probably twice as hard as that. I struggled on hard on some of the early songs, and the later ones get silly with multiple 3 chord noodling, right up and down the fret. And in an “ordinary” game, I might persevere to get past a particularly hard bit, I really cant be bothered with this. For me, this is not really a game, its more like an experience. Like a fun fair ride if you will. I dont want to play on hard, and listen to a half butchered version of whatever song playing, JUST so I have bragging rights to say I beat the game on hard. Id rather play the song on medium, have it play back with the majority of the song in tune, and enjoy it. And once I’d got this mentality on my head, Im enjoying the game a LOT more. Unlocked some of the bonus songs and some of them are amazing!  Theres one song by a German band called “Die Toten Hosen” (or something) with a song called “Hier Komt Alex“, that is just fantastic euro-rock at its best. Brings a smile to my face whenever I play it and one of the all time best Guitar Hero songs Ive played. So there you go - I cant be arsed getting all of the “macho” achievements as they require you to do ridiculous things that only a sadist would attempt (beat a song on expert, 5 star it, with no sound on, using a normal xbox controller?!?!) Thats just a thing that twats would brag about on forums - why would you bother? This game remains in my collection to put a smile on my face - nothing more. And its doing its job brilliantly!

Im also pretty excited by the rumours of a new ultra-small macbook coming in January. The only thing that bugs me about my existing macbook is its weight. Its pretty heavy for a 13″ machine, and could do with being a bit smaller too. Fingers crossed the rumours are true.  

However, fall of the joys of getting new games, and researching new gadgets., I just with I had a job now. The lack of human contact, and the lack of focus in my life starting to grate. I mean, its been nearly a year now since I did any “proper” work and while it sounds great, I feel like my brain is starting to rot. I just wish I could hear some positive news from Holden, or Boeing. THAT would be the best Christmas present this year. But dont think that Im being down, and morose. Far from it - Im staying positive, and getting on with things. Get 8 emails a day come through with new jobs available. Just a matter of picking the right one. After realising from several agencies, that Im “worth” £28k - £30k, I dont want to jump at the first job offering me £20k. Its a waiting game unfortunately. 

Not a clue what we are up to tomorrow. Waiting and hoping the internet is sorted. Its been awful today.  Sorry that most of the updates seem to be game related, but if we dont do much, thats all I have to talk about! 

My Name is Jonas……

8-0 eh? Good result. Shame they couldnt have puled off a performance at least an eighth as good 2 weeks ago! Enjoyed the match though. Gonna get up early tomorrow to watch the Rangers vs Barcelona, which was a corker last time.

Got my 2 games this morning no problem.  Guitar Hero 3 is fantastic! It looks great, the setlist is superb, but I still dont think its got as many good songs as the 1st one. However, its a step in the right direction after the crap songs in the 2nd one. Its a LOT harder than previous guitar hero’s though. Well, I say that, its more like its difficulty is sporadic. I’ll play one of the early tracks, and get about 85% 1st time, but a couple of “levels” later, I’ll play a supposedly harder song and get 99%, only missing 2 notes after my 1st time playing it?! Puzzling. You also wont get anywhere if you cant nail hammer-ons and pull-offs. Some sections require over 10 notes without hitting the strum bar. The boss battles are a bit naff, as it kind of cheapens things. Makes it feel like youre actually playing a game rather than “being” a guitar hero. Ruins the immersion. Great to play along to Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Weezer and Muse (even if Knights of Cydonia is shockingly hard, even on medium). Got some good looking extra characters, and guitars to “buy” and some decent extra songs. The only problem is that the extra guitars werent on sale yet (this time next week) so we cant play together in the co-op career, but only got a week to wait until we can. Its tremendous fun! I havent touched Call of Duty 4 yet! Will have a play on that tomorrow. 

Gave the agency guy a phone call today about this Boeing job thingy, and from the sounds of it, its not as dead as I thought. The problem appears to be that the jobs werent advertised internally, and now the internal unions or whoever, are up in arms that they werent given the chance to apply blah blah blah. Threatening to call tribunals if they are given straight to external applicants. So its all political crap. Whats happening now, is that Boeing are advertising it internally, interviewing, then looking at the external applicants afterwards. So hopefully by the end of the month I should know more. The agency guy said Im still the best qualified applicant for the job so thats still positive. Just hope the unions sort their shit out so things progress.  Still, its better than what I thought. 

No plans for tomorrow yet, further than watching the footy, playing Call of Duty 4, and  Guitar hero 3. 

Of Football and Chocolate…

As mentioned in my previous post - apologies for the lack of post yesterday. The day just ran away from me. I doubt I’ll be double posting today either as 1, - the internet is pathetically slow, and b, - i didnt get up until 1.05pm! Whoops! Speaking of internet, we managed to get the landlady to sort it so we can still keep this connection until we get our proper broadband line installed. Our existing contract was meant to be up this week, but the new one not installed for a week after that. so at least we can still get online. Crap broadband is better than NO broadband! Anyhow, best to start with yesterday,

 First off a job for a Quality Engineer at Holden cropped up which I quickly applied for. Still dont know if the Boeing jobs are available, but I’ll email tomorrow to find out either way. Sounds like a decent opportunity at Holden. Its at Port Melbourne again, so not far away. No mention of salary though. Anyway, Ive applied. 

We then decided to venture out our house and strolled up to the St Kilda farmers market, which is about 30 seconds walk away from our apartment block! Had some really good stalls with a ton of tasty food. Next time its on we’ll get up earlier to get some stuff as most of the choice food had already gone. Went into Melbourne after that to pick up more housey stuff, and have a look at some of the outfits being worn by all the folks off to the Melbourne Cup. Saturday was derby day so they were out inforce, and damn we saw some horrific efforts!

While there, I took my game in to hopefully get it buffed and polished, so it would hopefully work. I later discovered it didnt - my 360 didnt even recognise it as a game! Oh well, looks like I’ll have to buy it again. Should be able to pick it up cheap off ebay though.  Also, while in Melbourne we stopped off here and had what is probably the best hot chocolate Ive ever had. And Im quite aware that a lot of the things here are slowly becoming “the best…..Ive had/seen”. Im not exaggerating. They REALLY are all good! It was heavenly! We managed to come home with all the things we went in for anyway so it was a successful day!

We didnt end up going out with the girl across the hall. Probably cos it was just one of those things said in conversation that you later wish you hadnt said.  Not to worry, were here for 6 months so plenty of time left to get out. Anyway, I was mulling over whether to go and watch the Arsenal/Man Utd game up the pub. Time difference meant the kick off was at quarter to midnight, and it was raining. However, anticipation got the better for me and took a walk up to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow to watch it. A good mix of folks in there and some tasty Kronenburg (which sounds unremarkable but its the only place in Melbourne Ive so far found that sells it!). A very good match, and a fair result I thought, even thought the Arsenal fans acted as though theyd just won 6-0. London arseholes! Eventually got back home about 2.30am, after a few drinks, hence the late get-up today! 

Not really done much with myself today either. Been into St Kilda to get a paper and have a mooch about. Still raining so didnt want to spend too long outdoors. Tomorrow, I think we are going back into Melbourne, as Becca has to get her driving licence sorted out. I expect it to be really busy as its still the Spring Racing Carnival, and Tuesday is a state holiday as its the actual Melbourne Cup race, so a lot of folks have Monday off to make it a long weekend. Will see if I can get Guitar Hero 3 early too! Speaking of which, while I was waiting to get my game polished yesterday, Becca had a quick couple of go’s on a Guitar Hero 3 demo they had out in store, which was pretty good. the song list this time seems excellent. 

and dont call me Shirley!

Feel really positive today. Went for that pre-interview interview with the job agency and it went really well. The position (of which there are 10!) is for a Quality Engineer with a bit of Manufacturing, which couldnt be more perfect. Its office work, accompanied with shop floor work too, which again, is exactly what Im after. He was saying that the company, Hawker de Haviland, which is basically Boeing, has a massive order for the 787 plane, above. It has more work planed over the next 3 years than it has had in the past 10. The nitty gritty - it pays $67k (£28,600) with a compulsory pension contribution of 9%, so in essence the salary is actually $74k (£31,600) which is fantastic! They offer paid overtime, or time off in lieu, they work on a flexi-time, theres a guaranteed pay rise of 5% next year, and 5% the year after and its all in Port Melbourne, which, like Toyota, is just up the coast. I REALLY want this job, and the interviewer said I sound ideal for a quality position. As the position was only advertised on Saturday, he said he will contact Boeing this week to see if they want to wait for all of the choice applicants to apply and interview then en masse, or whether they want to drip feed interviews. He said he should hear back form them before this time next week, as he would like a few more people to come forward before he approaches them. As it stands now, he said, I am the first applicant and he wouldnt have any hesitation in recommending me! Wooo Hoooooo!!! Fingers crossed for this one as I would love the opportunity to work for someone this huge. Plus the fact its exactly what Im after, and the pay and conditions are great. Oh, and plus the fact, on the description it said they wanted people with experience on CATIA (an industry standard computer aided design package) and on various Bill of Materials packages. However, if suitable applicants dont have experience, they will offer training! That alone is fantastic!So Im hoping I hear back soon as Im really pumped over this job! Oh, and Ive just noticed Dragons Den has a new series on so Im downloading it now! Other than the interview we avent doe much else. Went into St Kilda to get shopping done, and stopped off for a cake and cuppa at one of the fancy cake shops. Chocolate and Hazelnut slice! Yum! Becca also had a look about hiring a car for when we move and its dirt cheap - about $30 a day (about £12)! Bargain! 

Good News x 3!!!

OK - first piece of good news (although techincally speaking its not really good news)1, - I didnt get the job at Toyota! Now while I really shouldnt be pleased at this, I wasnt sure whether I would have accepted the job, had I been successful with my application anyway. Not really what I was after, but this does me the favour of NOT having to decide. 2, - Ive got another pre-interview interview with another job agency tomorrow, for a job at Hawker De Haviland, who are a subsidiary of Boeing. Rang about teh job today, and it sounds like Production Engineering with Quality. For whatever reason the agency guy couldnt explain in any more detail over the phone, but will breif my why tomorrow. Got to go in at 11am for more details. What I do know is that the suspected salary is in excess of $70k and its situated in the same area as Toyota was. 3, - I passed my Driving Theory Test! 91%. Was really quite annoyed going there as we got on teh right tram…but going in the wrong direction. We have Ms Crooks legendary navigational skills to thank for that! And this was the same tram she caught last Thursday to go to the exact same place!!! Dope! Anyway, we got there about 10 minutes late, and I expected to go in and re-book my appointment, but the lady at the desk said to go on through to the test area. There, an equally nice woman accepted me for the test (and even laughed that “oh no, youre late, no test for you then!”). Was very easy. She then gave me the lowdown on whats required for teh Hazard Perception test. Soudns easy too, but I’ll book that on the phone tomorrow. So there you go - its been a good day. On top of that, its been baking hot today. 28 degrees! Clouded over towards the end of the day but still nice. Now Ive got Top Gear, QI, and Have I Got News For You to watch later on! Life is good!

Who Knows!!!

Well the interviews over with. How did I do? I have no idea. I think i did OK as one of teh blokes interviewing me said “good answer” on a couple of occassions, however there were a couple of questions I would have answered differently if I got the chance to do it again. I dunno how they percieved me. It was quite a casual interview which helped, but i dont know if they just thought I was a production engineer, and thats it, but I did tell them Ive had a lot more experience than just manufacturing. Still, we’ll see. I just gonna forget about it now. Act like I havent got it, then if I have, its a surprise, but if not, Ive not lost anything. Got another job through on email that sounds interesting, so will put in for that too. 
On a bonus note, we had a stroll around Port Melbourne after the interview which is quite nice. Popped into a coffee shop to have a drink and got a free cappucinno cos the waitress had made too many for the previous customer! Bargain! See, it doesnt take much to cheer me up! 
Been such a changeable day weather-wise. Sunny, windy, rainey, grey, bright - havent known what to wear! Shouldnt be surprised really - its Melbourne all over! 4 seasons in 1 day. Not sure of plans tomorrow. Tidy the place up is first on the agenda. Then get somebody to sign our Power of Attorney form, from teh solicitor looking after our house sale. then find somewhere to scan it in. 

Worry

No piccy today as we didnt do anything exciting enough to warrant it. Went into town to buy a shirt and tie. That was it! Did some research on behavioral interviewing, so I can at least be a little bit prepared for tomorrow. Some crappy questions they can ask, but at least I know the kind of things theyre after. Still wont stop me flapping when they do ask it though! Oh well, even if I dont get it, its all good experience. I doubt I’ll ever have to go through a more thorough job application than this. I’ll post how well/bad it went tomorrow night. 

Job and Ears Update!

Ok. So went to the pre-interview interview and it turned out to be very helpful. The woman I was talking to (an Irish lass called “Mercedes Toale”!) was really good. She just explained all about behavioral interviewing and what it entails (I wont bore you with the details). Also found out that there is only me and 2 others going for the job. Apparently, its a REALLY prestigious company. there are only 3 Toyota research centres in the world! One in Toyota City, Japan, one in Michigan, and one in Melbourne. Gave me some good pointers and prepared me for the hour long session on Friday. Pretty nervous about it, but got to keep my confidence up or they’ll see through me like a cheap shirt. Also got some reading material to have a squizz through to get me up to speed with stuff. Speaking of Friday, Ive postponed my driving theory test until Monday. I didnt really want to worry about 2 things on the same day, one after another. Also, seeing as they were so close together, I would have had to go to Carlton (North Melbourne) on the tram, do the test, tram back into Melbourne, then another one to Toyota, all in the same suit!  Id stink, and would be all creased and mucky! So now got my test on Monday at 2:10pm instead. Right, back on to today. Got to the hospital today and saw the specialist on time. He poked up my nose and looked with a mirror, and said it was all mucus-ey. Also he said I have a wonky nose! In a normal nose, the cartilage between the 2 nostrils is usually smack bang in the middle of the nose, but in mine its on an 80/20 split with a bias towards my right nostril, which he said wasnt the cause of this problem, but it wouldnt be helping it. theAnyway, he looked down my ears and said the ear drum looked “off colour” in both ears. Then stuck this thing in my ears which made a beeping noise, and gave him a readout on a machine that told him if my ear drum was vibrating or not. No vibration would indicate no air behind the drum, or a shed load of mucus! My left ear (the bad one) had no vibration at all and the right ear had some, but not normal. Also had a look down my throat and said the bit in the middle was swollen from snoring (the cheek - he said Ive got a wonky nose and I snore!) and could see the snot running down from my nose. So the diagnosis was an ear infection (I think!) He said you would have already had mucus in there from the cold I had when I flew, the flight would have closed the ear up, I then got an infection, which gummed it up even more and the fact that there is no air in my ear, there is a vacuum instead which just sucks more snot up from my nose. He said in the early stages of infection, the gunk in my ear would have been quite fluid, but at the stage that Im at now, its probably all rubbery, to the extent that he could stretch it out and it would snap back!So he’s given me a prescription for some ninja hard antibiotics. From the scribble on the prescription it looks like it said “azithromycin”, so Gareth, I expect a full scientific analysis, and Dr Lavery’s (with a litle help from Dr Sherlock of course!)  viewpoint on if its any good! He also said to buy some salt water nasal wash or something, to clean out all the muck from my nose. The antibiotics last for 3 days, after which I should try to pop my ears “100 times a day!” Sounds like fun. Failing that Ive got to go back and have a little operation. He’ll put me under, then make a small incision in my ear drum and drain the muck out. After that, he’ll stick al ittle grommet in the incision to allow normal air to pass through to be sure no more stuff remains. After that, the grommet will be removed and the slit will heal. He also started to talk about an operation to fix my wonky cartilage, but I dont think I will be going for that. Seeing as its not caused me a problem until now, and I didnt even know I HAD a nose problem until now, its not worth it. So there you go. All exciting stuff. Going to pop into St Kilda to get my prescription and have some lunch (cos its a lovely day), then come back to do interview research and play my new game! I may post again a little later, it depends on if anything exciting happens! If not, plans for tomorrow include going to town to buy a shirt and tie. 

I call the big one bitey!!

Blimey - what a busy couple of days. Firstly, the internet. Overnight between Sunday and Monday, the internet just stopped working. I was suspicious that someone had got into my account a couple of days before that, and it appeared I was right. So went out and bought my own router, set it up how I wanted, and now all is well. Also got a speed increase to a mighty 1MB line!!! oooooo!!! Ah well, its better than the 512kbps line I was on so I shouldnt complain. Hopefully it will make Skype chats better and allow me to play Xbox online, but I havent tried either yet. Then last night, we had a visitor in our back patio thing - Mr Possum, as seen above! He was shockingly tame. Didnt mind us staring at him at all. Was less than 2 metres away, and he didnt even flinch when we opened the patio door, turned my camera on (which makes a jangly noise) or even took several flash photo’s! (which are all on Facebook). He just sat there looking happy! Bit better than maingy old next doors cat!Today, heard that a new Xbox game, not due for release until Friday was actually out. So went into town and bought it (PGR 4 for anyone interested). On the way back got a phone call from an agency asking about a job I had applied for. She wanted my permission to put me on the shortlist for sending to the employer, which happens to be Toyota. Situated 7 minutes away on the tram. Wanting to pay a salary of nearly £30k. Offering a job that I would kill for! Anyway, I told her “YES!INGODSNAMESENDITNOW”! She did, then phoned me back later and said Toyota were very interested in me, and wanted to arrange an interview. SO…..got a job interview on Friday (2 hours after my Aussie driving theory test - great timing eh!), and got a pre-interview lowdown with the agency tomorrow, when they’ll tell me what the interview will entail. Shame its only an hour before my Ear Hospital appointment - going to have to shift if I want to get to both! Also, Ive just spent the last 2 mind numbing hours doing an apptitude test for Toyota online. God damn, those things are hell! Hope I get the job cos I never want to do another one of those again!Oh, and have bought an el cheapo printer from the post office so I can print out CV’s and qualifications etc…. Ironed al my clothes, polished my shoes, found tram routes. Just got to have a shave and a shower now. Anyone wouldnt think Ive NOT got a brand new still sealed Xbox game sitting here staring at me! Tempted to stick it in now, but I think I’ll wait until after the fun and games tomorrow morning, when I’ll hopefully be on the road to recovery with my ears too! Phew - told you it has been busy! Im sure I must have missed out a ton of stuff, but if I cant remember it, it cant be that important. Anywho, Im going to get off now to eat, then shave then shower then cam then bed! Byeeee!PS - And Mom, I’ll be sure to post the minute I get back from the hospital (which in all likelyhood will be about 3am your time!) so dont fret!