>Today Alex and I took a stroll over the Harbour Bridge to North Sydney. There are some great views of the Opera house to be had from the bridge, however walking along it feels like being in some prison owed to the security fencing to prevent suicides, one presumes. There were signs along the bridge stating it was an offence to climb on the bridge and that the maximum penalty was $2200. Surely the maximum penalty would be death?

To me, the north shores of Sydney offer the best views of the city, with skyscrapers flanked by the two iconic structures of the city. It seemed something of a hidden secret as the north shores were suprisingly devoid of tourists (with Alex and I being the exception, of course). There we sat for half an hour taking in the what must be the best vista in Sydney.

This evening was spent sat in front of the Opera House watching the finals of the mens tennis live from Melbourne. Several thousand people turned out to watch the match making a great atmosphere. And what better a setting? As the sun slid from the sky the city stood out silloueted against a fading light. A shame really that I did not RTFM throughly before leaving as I had no idea how to make use of it to achieve the best photos given the light conditions. Never mind. Practice makes perfect I guess.

Walking back from the tennis I happened upon some furry friends having a late night snack on Macquarie Street. Two Possoms happily eating away and quite content with three or four of us to take photos whilst they did so.

And thus concludes my 11th night in Sydney : )

>Well, it’s official. I can’t cut it as a data entry clerk apparently. I failed the test, at least one half of the test. It was in two sections. The first was a number test entering order forms etc and the second was inputting a short text (short as in one side of A4) in a set period. I did not so well on the numbers and aced the typing, achieving 74 wpm!! Even they said that was exceptional (given they ask for between 50-60wpm), but as my numbers let me down (think I scored just over 54% factored with error rate) they were not willing to take me on. Fine. Move on. I’m not down beat. I don’t think it would have paid that many $$’s/hour anyway. I should keep in mind that I will be taked initially at 47% and then most probably 29% so either percentage of a small sum would leave me will little really. I am in high spirits though. I had a phone call of a recruitment agency, to whom I sent my CV yesterday afternoon. Hopefully this will bare fruit…and a contract job at that, so it’s not all bad.

Work aside, I am still here to travel and see the place. Yesterday I went to the NSW art gallery with someone I met from the youth hostel and then went for dinner in China town. Then today, with another fellow hosteler (from Sweden, the former is American, both here to in Australia on exchange programmes with their respective Universities) we went to Darling Harbour, taking in the martime museum. I have no photos from the last two days as the weather has not been great. Drizzle and overcast is the forecast of the day. Hopefully it will improve for tomorrow – Australia Day. It’s a public holiday and the city is awash with marquee’s putting on different events. I beileve there is even a fireworks display around the Harbour. Incidentally, whilst I remember and on topic re: harbour events, I read yesterday that in February both the QEII and Queen Mary, the worlds two largest cruise ships, will be in Sydney Harbour. It is a rare event and I think they plan some celebration for this too.

>Over the weekend I sent my CV off to an agency in application for a data entry clerk. They wanted at least 12 months experience of DE and an ability to type 10000 characters per hour, or between 50-60 words a minute. Had a phone call today and I’ve arranged an interview for Wednesday afternoon. It will involve a test to assess my typing and if I pass I am put on a register for work through the agency. I just took a typing speed test and hit 64 WPM with 4 mistakes, so I am hopeful I will pass and finally earn some money. It will be nice to return to work after almost 4 months off.

I spent this afternoon shopping round for a suit or something suitable to wear to an interview. I am kicking myself for not bringing my own out with me now (apart from a tie with pre-prepared with a windsor knot (thanks dad!)). I’ve managed to pick up a nice pair of trousers for $59.95 and a belt for $30. I also bought a shirt for $21.95 but I think I’ll go and find another tomorrow which has a better fit. I’ve still to find shoes…another task for tomorrow. The interview itself is not for a specific job from what I gather but to be registered with an agency for work as and when it comes in. It won’t be anywhere near the rates for contracting but sufficient enough to cover hostel costs and other expenses without the need for me to depleat further my savings. So I look forward to taking a test in speed typing to see if I meet their requirements. I will have to point out that I am slightly handicaped in that the keyboard layout here is slightly different to that in the UK hehe.

That aside, yesterday saw me take the train to Paramatta. There isn’t a lot there really other than a huge shopping complex (westfields). I should have done my shopping there yesterday because it would have saved an awful lot of walking around town today. This morning before I arranged the interview I took a stroll to The Rocks, an area just across the harbour from the Opera house supposedly the landing sight of the first settlers and has some quaint architecture.
According to moy guide book there are cobbled streets, but I failed to come across them. I’ll have to return and try again…afterall, I have a couple of months left :p

For those wanting photos – I have lots (mostly of the Opera house and Harbour Bridge) but the PCs in the internet Cafe do not have memory card slots so I am at a loss as to how to upload them. The IC does offer a service where I can burn them to CD….so they must have a machine here somewhere with a memory card slot.

>No sooner is one over I am already looking forward to the next! Happy 2007, by the way!

Six days remain between me and my flight to Sydney. That is six more days of packing, unpacking, shopping, yet more shopping, packing, finalising, a lot more unpacking and a great deal of anticipation. Daunted? Me? No – at least not yet. If you have my number phone me when I get to check in! :p

It’s no mean feat packing for a year away. What do you take? What is essential and what can be acquired along the way? Two days ago I came across Travel Independent. If only I had come across this website before I spent the last three months shopping for my year away! It has a wealth of information compiled by vetrans of the backpacking world with suggestions on how to travel light. Of course, it doesn’t take in to consideration working holidays. This has been my stumbling block. Should I take a smart shirt, tie and trouers for interviews or worry about that when I get there? (My conclusion is to worry about it when I arrive – afterall, I may decide not to seek office work but casual labour that whilst low paid permits for greater freedom).

Communication whilst aborad is also something I am only now giving proper thought to. With the explosion of the Internet and use of the World Wide Web, it is not difficult to find an internet cafe with reasonable rates to send emails, update blogs and generally keep in touch with the outside world. But so many of us have come to rely on our own mobile communications, specifically our mobiles. I had intended to buy a new phone when I arrive in Australia but thinking about practicalities such as carrying multiple phones and chargers when on the move it makes much more sense to unlock my current mobile and just buy a SIM when I arrive. Alternatively, I came across a service via rough guides which permits the same thing but it is aimed more towards travellers visiting many countries. You buy a SIM card from them and keep the same number whilst benefiting from reasonable call charges regardless of the country. There are limitiations to services in different countires depending on the network technology implementation (70%+ of countries use GSM, as we in the UK do, but others like the USA use CDMA), but buying a tri- or quad band phone would ensure you have coverage of both!.