Basterds

Tonight we saw what could possibly be Quentin Tarantino's best film yet.

Sport Part Deux

RUGBY!

Here are a few things we learned from our rugby experience:
1. The "Oval" is ridiculously huge. No matter where you sit, you're a mile away from the players.
2. Rugby fans are no match for soccer fans. In the whole time we were at the rugby match I only heard 3 obscenities shouted at the players.
3. If you play rugby you like to hit people.

Sport

Tonight we had the opportunity to witness a spectacle unknown to us so far in our trip: Australian Soccer. You'll notice that there aren't any pictures taken actually during the game. There's a good reason: Its a madhouse. The stands are filled with people so involved with the game that words and pictures fail to describe the experience. Obscene chants directed towards opposing players using language that I've never heard used outside in public. Full cups of beer were splashing everywhere without a single degree of control. The excitement and tension levels inside the stands were exponentially greater than that created by the actual soccer players. The members section dubbed "The shed" was literally, a shed. Not just a cute name to suffice, no sir. Standing room only and wrapped 3 sides and a roof with metal sheeting. One particular fan spent most of the game pounding his fists on the metal siding to help engage us in the obscene chants. It was wonderful. The best part? Perth won the game!
Once the madness subsided I could grab a shot of the stadium and our friends.

Rottnest Island Day Three

Our last day on the island was a sad one. This paradise just off the west coast of Oz is an amazing place even in the winter time. We can't imagine what kind of atmosphere this place generates in the summer sunshine. I'll leave it with a few photos but check out our flickr page to see more from our trip.

Rottnest Island Day Two

We get an early start on our day for the 15 mile bike ride around the island. Here are a few shots from the adventure.

Rottnest Island Day One

IMG_0773, originally uploaded by Loaded Chilidog.

The only way out to the island is aboard this express boat from Fremantle. I didn't take any photos of the journey because Heather took a wonderful video documenting the choppy seas and its effects on us.

The only car traffic on the island are the service vehicles and tour buses operated by the park service. Everybody else uses bikes to get around. We rented these two for the weekend.


This is a Quokka. The island is full of these little critters. They're in the marsupial family and have a great attitude towards humans. Here's some more info.


Heather checks out one of the many beaches on Rottnest.


Before we even checked into our room at the lodge we caught this peacock pecking at the window.

Just Chillin'

IMG_0419, originally uploaded by Loaded Chilidog.

Kangaroos aren't so different from you and me. However, they have a pouch to raise their young while I have to buy a fanny pack to carry around my personal belongings. Advantage: Kangaroos.

Knives.

This is why I'm nice to everyone I see on the street in Oz.

Would they be called "Mannies?"

Denied again. This is my 3rd trip to the meat market they call the aussijobs.com employment office. This time though I got a little further along in the process before they gave up on me. In the office sat 3 backpackers from Estonia, 2 from Britain, and a handful from Sweden or Finland (Can’t really remember all the details). Once you sign the list to be interviewed you find a chair and wait. One intrepid young man had waited literally all day for a job to be listed to suit his qualifications. I think he wanted to work on a farm and had some special trade skill like sheep shearing or something. I sat and waited my turn. The office was formerly a salon that was quickly gutted to make room for a few desks. Behind me was a gigantic mirrored wall that had stack after stack of dusty aussie hairstyling magazines and variations on the Cosmopolitan and Women’s Day magazines available here. I decided to leave the magazines alone fearing the stack would fall and crush an Estonian in the process. I don’t know any Estonians but I don’t want to be the first American to off one with periodicals. The interview desk at my right was crowded with some guys from Sweden or Finland. Their accents sounded familiar to me but I couldn’t place it. They were farmhands looking for anything in WA where they could work together on the same farm. The opposite desk was interviewing a few girls from Britain. I couldn’t quite hear what was transpiring at that desk so we’ll move on with the story. I dozed off for a minute or two before a young Japanese man wearing a business suit walking into the office awakened me. Apparently he thought this office was for a real job that required suits and not just an office where backpackers come to find menial work to support themselves. He quickly surveyed the office and turned to leave. By this time the Brit girls had left the desk as well as the farmhands. I perked up a little thinking I may be next on the list. One of the Interviewers made an announcement “We’ve got no jobs for men or jobs in Perth.” Dammit. Two Strikes! Though I remember seeing “Nannies” on the list of possible jobs available from the office. I spoke up “What about men working jobs for women?” I felt that my years of pet care could translate somehow to childcare. It’s not too much of a stretch, right? Cleaning up poop, feeding, playing around, and giving medicine all are tasks that could apply to either children or pets. I stared down the interviewer after my question hoping she would bend the gender rules of the office. “No jobs for men!” she bellowed. The Estonians were shocked at this sudden outburst. “Come back tomorrow and we’ll see what we’ve got,” she continued. I picked up my bag, slung it over my shoulder and headed out of the office. “Too bad” I thought, “I would have made a great nanny.”

Disclosure checklists from hell!

I really did not want to use this blog to vent my work frustrations but I can’t resist any longer. Financial statements in OZ, and possibly other parts of the world are ten times more annoying and only half as informative as US statements. The disclosure requirements here are crazy.

For all of you US auditors out there who roll there eyes and sigh every time they have to go through a disclosure checklist, STOP complaining. The Australian listed company checklist for a commercial company with minimal technical issues is 798 questions that’s right 798. But wait that is only one checklist there are three ADDITIONAL checklist that provide 158 more ways to put me to sleep. There is actually a question that asks if the report is in English! I would hate to see how long a Checklist is for a Company that had fun stuff like investments.

At first glance it seems that there are less disclosure requirements here. My first client’s financials have a note for $2M dollars in deferred vendor payments that just regurgitates the face and never tells you what they are for. Upon closer inspection you will find that they are required to disclose more then the US when it comes to governance and less when it comes to the actual numbers. Every report issued under Australian Standards and possibly IFRS, the line between the two is still a little blurry, has to have a directors report that includes the structure of the board, the members and purpose of each committee, the qualifications of each board member, how many meetings, both general and committee, they attended during the year, the frame work of governance and 20 other pages of exciting information.

I never thought I would say this but can I please go back to the 30 page US checklist!

Indigenous Instruments

Didgeridoo Class! 13 people sat in a circle and looked ridiculous as they made funny noises with long tubes. The class was a great time and Heather seemed to really get a kick out of the noises she could produce through her didgeridoo. The instructor was very mellow and took everything in stride. A young Aussie girl couldn’t even make a noise with her didg and he didn’t even seem to mind at all. We learned some breathing techniques and towards the end attempted to learn circular breathing. (Breathing in through the nose while simultaneously blowing air out of your mouth.) We’ve got a huge amount of work to do but I think we’re both optimistic that by the time our classes are over we’ll be experts. (almost)

Links!

Check out these OZ Links!

Little Creatures Brewery - This place has excellent brews and pizzas. It even has a dog-friendly seating area outside!


Cicerellos - A great fish n' chips restaurant on the water in Fremantle. I could eat there everyday! no joke.

Bootleg Brewery - We caught up with this brewery during our weekend in Margaret River.

Planet Video - If its Monday then I'm here at Planet Video renting some great films for the week.

Dome - This is Australia's answer to Starbucks. Excellent coffee and food. I'd rather stop by here than the 'bucks any day.

Bettenay's - This is the winery we called home this weekend.

The West Australian - Our local newspaper. Yeah I know, not as exciting as the brewery but worth including.

Wino Waldo

Back from our weekend at Margaret River's wine country. We returned home with wines, but to tell you the truth we're kinda sick of wine at this point. In the few hours we toured the beautiful countryside of SW Australia there were very few moments that I didn't have a glass in my hand or wine swishing ever so lightly in my mouth. Our chalet on the Bettany Vineyard was a quaint little cottage house that in any other instance would have been perfect for an entire vacation. The bus came early (11am) to pick us up at the vineyard's tasting house. From then on we stopped at winery after winery gaining new friends and new wines to taste. Midday we were fed a "Bushtucker" lunch. (Tucker is the Australian word for food.) Essentially were were eating what most would consider a bushman's lunch. A green salad, roast beef, smoked turkey, kangaroo, assorted chutneys, olives, and pestos. The highlight of the meal was the grubs. Yes, grubs. In one of the chutneys was a few small grubs that had been marinating. By small I mean about 3 inches long. Needless to say that once the opportunity was made available to eat said grubs I jumped at the chance as well did Heather. This Australian bush grub was kinda thick and meaty with a chewy exterior. I'll save the details for the squeamish. A few other tour members shared the grub with us while others looked on in disgust. Later in the afternoon we stopped by a cheese factory to sample their amazing cheeses (and meet the cows who worked there) and then on to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory. Without question the women in the bus were more excited about the chocolate factory than the men. Our day ended at Bootleg Brewery. Our table sampled about 6 of the beers available at the brewery in huge shot glasses. The table across from us was hosting what looked to be a meeting of "Where's Waldo" fans. Every person at the table was dressed in a red/white striped shirt, red and white stocking cap, and glasses. When Heather pointed this out to me I thought the beer had gone bad and was rendering me in a state of hallucination. Turns out the beer was fantastic and the Waldo Warriors were there for a great time too. Upon leaving the establishment I saw an interesting feature to this brewery/beergarden that I can only assume is to draw in more families; a playground. What a wonderful idea! Get some drinks while the kids play on the swingset. Brilliant! With the tour over we were dropped off and back to the chalet to make plans for dinner and the next day. Our drive home on Sunday was filled with stops up the coast to check out beaches and the beautiful farmland. A great weekend away from Perth and seeing what all the fuss is about with these vineyards that are so celebrated in this country.

Trips.

Looking forward to our Margaret River weekend. The rental car is booked as well as our accommodations at a winery. We’re staying at a winery, touring wineries, and possibly in our free time checking out some pubs and chocolate factories. Good grief.
Looking at our calendar it’s apparent that we have very few weekends remaining. Today was spent trying to get a dive shop to schedule our certification classes as well as our first dives. We’re both psyched about becoming scuba divers and crossing that off our so-called bucket list. Once we secured a dive shop and were able to get a decent rate for everything the next challenge was getting our surfing camp scheduled. Heather made the calls and came back with confirmation that our surf weekend was booked. Minutes later the surfers called her back with a very important question they forgot to ask: Are you vegan? I think I’m going to like this place.

Our runway début

Financial Ball243, originally uploaded by Loaded Chilidog.

Checkout more pics of the ball

Tally

1 Shoeless pink headband wearing crazy bushman. (Do I get a bonus point for sitting next to him on the train?)