Friday, January 13, 2006

Sing the theme tune... Amazingly enough, I'm back again. I seem to be able to get an hour here or there to update this page, so I figure I might as well. Tomorrow is apartment hunting and I've been spending the last week looking around for more work. There are a couple of possibilities on the horizon, but really, I feel that Brisbane is just full of opportunities. It seems as though Brisbane is really in need of designers and IT people and so on, largely because the economy here seems to have been focused on trades and stuff over the years. Where there's too many IT and web design specialists in Melbourne, there seem to be too few here in Queensland. The government is pushing this whole "smart state" initiative, which seems to mean that there are more courses and jobs that relate to this area. Queensland now has one of the few tertiary courses in the country that relates specifically to game design, for example. Clearly, the government is trying hard to support this area. The end result is that someone like me (having worked and studied in Melbourne) is in a good position to find more work up here. In terms of web and graphic design (or both together), it definitely seems as though there are more jobs than qualified people. So it's a good environment and it allows me to be a bit more choosey about the kind of work I take. I've already seen a few examples of what companies up here have been doing in terms of web design and, in general, it's just not on the same level as what you get in Sydney and Melbourne. A lot of the fundamental rules that you learn about in school don't seem to apply at times here - certain basic things, like not filling a screen with pointless flashing animations, or ignoring the resolution of your users...those types of things are fundamental to web design but the approach up here (from what I've seen) is fairly lax when it comes to that stuff. Of course, I am sure I've only seen a small fraction of what's on offer, but even some of the larger businesses here are making those mistakes. In Melbourne and Sydney though, there really isn't anymore work. The companies are all full and there are still too many people who are studying in these areas. So in a way I'm sure it's probably forcing a lot of people to actually move to Queensland or other states in order to get this kind of work. I guess that's probably a good thing, especially if local people here aren't picking up these subjects on the scale that they're hoping for. Although it does seem as though that will soon change if the government keeps its focus on IT this strong. Anyway, I think I was going to talk about new year's eve or something wasn't I? *shrug* I have to say, I was kind of dreading it, because I thought that we'd all be going into Surfers Paradise to some bar or club or something. That's really not my thing, if only because Surfers is crowded most of the time anyway...I can't imagine what it'd have been like on new year's eve. But it actually ended up being very pleasant. My then roommate's family were having a party on their front lawn, which itself sits right on the beach. All of the people from the different apartments in the buildings were out there too, so it had a very strong community feeling to it. Up until that point, I hadn't really been able to spend much time getting to know my roommoate's family or anything, so it was great to actually sit down and chat with them for a while. All in all, it was a very relaxed night. When the clock struck twelve, we all went out onto the beach and watched the fireworks at both Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta. It's great being in a spot where you can see two cities in two states at the same time. It was a truly beautiful sight. And the neighbours were setting off illegal fireworks of their own, which was interesting. It was also the only time that I've ever truly been very drunk. Not only do I rarely drink alcohol, but when I do, I am very responsible with it. I've never been completely drunk or sick from it or anything like that. But this new year's was very different...I know know what the term "blind drunk" means. lol But still, it was a good night and it was also very bittersweet. Although it was so exciting to be celebrating in a new location with new friends, I had so many memories of home and all the people I love who couldn't be there with me to share it. So I felt very emotional and it was the first time that I really missed home. That night also put a thought into my head: travelling means nothing without someone to share it with. Although I have really enjoyed travelling and living in new places recently, I sometimes feel that seeing new sights has far less appeal if I can't share those experiences with my family. It really drove home how close I am to all of them and how much they mean to me. But still, I will be going home for a week soon and that'll be great. And they'll be coming up here to visit me as well. So I'm very happy about that. I'll quit rambling now, as I have kind of lost track of time at the moment, lol. SugarCone: Most of my new year's eves have been pretty quiet family affairs. So it was nice to have the change. I enjoyed the craziness, but it's not something I'd want to do regularly. lol I am not sure how clothes shopping will go, if only because I'll need to buy totally different stuff up here. It's just too warm to wear that I normally wear in Melbourne. But I'm sure I'll find something I like...I will probably get around to that when I've moved. You gotta love job hunting. I really hate it, but I've got a few possibilities coming up that are promising. So I feel just a bit more relaxed than I usually would about that stuff. I hope that you are successful in finding what you want, anyway. Thanks again for your comment! John: Oh I'm a professional commuter...that was all I did in Melbourne. ~_^ Soon I won't need to, though. Yay. SunfallE: Yeah, a few more weeks of craziness and then I'm settled. My working hours will be more than ever before, but I may end up having more time for the web because I probably won't be working freelance. Thank you again for your card! snow fox: Thank you, m'dear. ~_^ It's nice to hear from you again! I hope you are doing well. ^_^ indifference: Yeah, I have only just been getting regular sleep again recently, lol. But not much longer to go! You take care too. ^_^ CosmicSailor: Don't worry, I am a very careful person in general. I keep my bases covered. ~_^ Although I do enjoy throwing myself into strange new situations at times... RaR: Nuh-uh, no golden anything yet. But I'm workin' on it. ~_^ Maybe I should just spend the money on a big "OtakuBoards" banner and hang that from my apartment balcony. Heheh. Hope to see you on AIM too! molletta: Yeah, I actually like looking at houses and apartments and stuff...it's the one type of window-shopping that I don't actually mind, lol. I think I just make mental notes like "Yeah I want something like that in ten years". ~_^ Girls do a lot of crazy stuff. It just boggles the mind! But gifts are always good and girls usually seem to know exactly what gifts to give. ~_^ I hope you're doing well, I haven't spoken to you in a long time! ^_^ Mimmi-chan: Oh not at all, my dear Mimmi. They were all very sweet gifts and I appreciate every last thing you've sent. I will soon be bringing a lot of those items up here to live with me, so that'll be great. The two apartments we are looking at tomorrow are definitely large enough for another roommate or two, so you wouldn't have to say in the closet. The only rule is that you have to make buns for us once in a while, since they are so delicious. ~_^

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