Livin´ Oz the Aussie Way

GODSPEED

2007-03-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

So many experiences compressed in just a handful of weeks… the journey that began two and a half months ago is about to come to an end.

In the twilight of this passing stage… farewell and godspeed, City!

WRECKAGE

2007-03-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

There are some wounds that will never heal, some breakdowns that just can´t be repaired…

MELBOURNE FLASH

2007-03-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

From Monday 26th to Wednesday 28th,

Lightning trip to Melbourne to backup a critical test we are carrying out in this business area.

Busy days, no time for sightseeing.

See ya!

NIGHT MIRAGE

2007-03-25T03:35:00.000-07:00

…Strange feeling… days overlaping… can´t really discern darkness and daylight… all is merged in a dazzling mirage of expectations and remembrances…

The countdown has started... lucky enough I would say…

MAXAMICE

2007-03-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

You know… from time to time funny things just happen without even looking for them.

Wandering in a low-cost mall I came across a deodorant with the same brand as our company: MA X AM

Of course, now is my favourite number one spray to keep me fresh and cool…

MA X AM Ice Cool

Wow!!

A WATERFALL FULL OF THOUGHTS

2007-03-23T03:46:00.000-07:00

Like a pristine waterfall, my train of thoughts flows vividly in my mind

Every light creates a shadow… every shadow is the prelude for light…

There is no gain without sacrifice, but which is the balance point?, how far can you go pursuing a dream?

GIMME FIVE!

2007-03-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

OK, the elephant might not be the perfect example for the typical aussie animal… but it´s cool to have the chance of shaking hands –or trunks, depending on the subject- with such an enormous mammal.

Gimme five you carrot chaser!

eXPLOSIVe

2007-03-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm… one of the advantages of being the new fleet maint. db manager is that from time to time you have to go on to the road and try the vehicles you are tracking in paper.

Driving this Mitsubishi Triton is like riding a tank… a little slow response but smooth handling and high horsepower when the situation demands it.

ExplosivE, indeed!!

A NEW BEGINNING

2007-03-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

In this photo we can see my new home: A stylish, modern house in Algester -a very quiet and peaceful residential suburb of Brisbane-

With a large bedroom, bathroom and storage room of my own and a very nice housemate, I can´t really ask for more in this new stage of my enthralling experience in the far away realms of Oz.

WOMBAT ENCOUNTER

2007-03-18T03:37:00.000-07:00

The peaceful wombat is another aussie classic that just can´t be missed… did you know that this short-legged super furry animal can achieve 40 km/h at full speed?

SUNSHINE

2007-03-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

Gold coast. The mighty australian diamond sun striking with all its force… only a colorful umbrella can help to withstand the overwhelming heat…

ROO THE KANGA

2007-03-17T02:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe this photo summarizes in a quite precise way what is exactly living Oz the Aussie way…

Still I remember my first approach to a kangaroo, with mixed feelings of caution and curiosity…

Now, after a couple of months, things have changed and feeding a roo is as ordinary as going to the supermarket…

IN YOUR EYES

2007-03-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

In your eyes I can see that you're cracking up

In your eyes I can see that you've had enough

and It pains my head

In your eyes I can see that you're cracking up

In your eyes I can see that you fell In love

and It pains my head

Close your eyes --- The chemical brothers

TEAM ROCKET

2007-03-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

To protect the face from backbreak!
To unite all burdens in a fixed standard!
To denounce the evils of accuracy and precision!
To extend our reach to the ground underneath!
Bruce!, JA!
Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!
Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

SPANISH SNAKE SPELLBINDER

2007-03-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

Sesenta y siete sierpes sibilinas asaetan insistentes sus sórdidas sílabas secretamente silenciadas.

SLYTHERIN CORONATION

2007-03-10T23:14:00.000-08:00

Like a baptism of fire... recent times are being quite tough... anyway what can´t kill you definitely makes you stronger...

Sometimes I feel like Harry, just struggling in the middle, half Griffindor/half Slytherin

Ssssshall I sssstart ssssspeaking parsssssel too?

By the way, what happens with that huge snake above me?

Will I be able to handle it?

Wanna see?

WAIT UNTIL NEXT ENTRY!

WINGING HIGH...

2007-03-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

… Searching a new target at the speed of sound, dropping the smiling bomb in a couple of seconds, moving restless onto the next objective…

…A golden ray of pure emotion flowing through my veins… the sky is my ceiling and the naked ground the only place I can refer as `my home´…

NEED A LIFT?

2007-03-09T00:10:00.000-08:00

Handling a forklift is pretty much the same as playing Mario Kart… but with the added bonus of that huge fork to make your way in case something gets in the middle…

BEARDLESS

2007-03-07T00:27:00.000-08:00

Yep, direct orders from the Big Boss…

Now I´m in Brisbane, not Rockhampton, so no more Rocky Spirits…

Quite a change, isn´t it?

UNWIND

2007-03-06T04:58:00.000-08:00

Relaxing?

No way!, since the newcomer´s arrival from Spain, these days have been the busiest ever for me in Oz.

Living at such a pace lately, is just nice to be able to get a photo like this taken… it inspires some kind of tranquility out of this sea of frenzy…

NOOSA DREAMS

2007-03-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

To my mesmeric lyre of enchanting music,
To my dearest wellspring of pure inspiration,

I will become stronger no matter what,
I will face all my fears until I dread nothing,
I will overcome any challenge to prove myself,
I will surpass my own limits to be the number one.

BACK TO BRISBANE

2007-03-02T22:55:00.000-08:00

After 725 kms and 8 hours of exciting driving through the eastern side of Oz, finally I have come back to Brisbane... in one piece, and feeling great!.

My 10-day stay in Rockhampton has been a quite interesting experience ... but new challenges await me here, just in the heart of it all... wanna see what happens next?

Get ready!

PD: In the picture, my fourth car... this shiny creamy automatic Toyota Vienta is said to have reached the 180 km/h milestone... and can go even further... for sure.

LOUTISH CONTEST

2007-03-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

You know… one of my most important tasks here as a chem engineer is to know perfectly the raw materials we are using and all their properties…

…Of course there is no better way for that than lifting a couple of pallets of 25 kgs bags of them every day…

PD: By the way, yeah, I know, I´m planning to get rid of that beard sooner or later… it´s just getting too unruly…

MY WAY, YOUR WAY

2007-03-01T01:34:00.000-08:00

All of us start our lives being the same… Different talents and inherent skills, perhaps, but more or less the same level of absolute potential…

How you invest it is what makes you dissimilar from the others… The key of it all is just to know yourself and decide in what areas you desire to focus…Which are your motivations, your true source of inspiration, your driving force?

Love, money, power, family, sex, confort, knowledge, art, work, religion, altruism, enviromentalism…

Many choices, but embracing them all is not possible… If you want to gain mastery in something, you must sacrifice something else… In any case, in the end, it is always your own choice to decide how to drive your energy.

You can do whatever you want, you can be whoever you would like to be, it is in your hands… Never is too late to change, as long as you breath, you have the key… but… We only live life one time… do not waste the chance… be faithful to yourself…

Who are you?

What are your driving forces?

What are your choices?

What is your way?

TURTLE RESCUER!

2007-02-28T03:52:00.000-08:00

Since arriving to Rockhampton I´ve seen no less than a couple of dozens of tortoises squeezed to the ground, all of them run over by the passing cars in the nearby Bruce Highway.

Last night, while taking some exercise, I spotted another one in the middle of the road... but this time it was alive, completely frozen between the highway lanes...

Why don´t give the little turtle a second chance?

I decided to stop my jogging and perform a reptile rescue operation dodging the incoming vehicles...

I managed somehow to grab it with my hands just a few moments earlier than a huge truck filled the space where we were a second before.

Taking the scared animal with me and asking in the motel reception for a nearby pond, I finalized this `epic mission´ releasing the lucky turtle next to a neighbouring puddle to let it enjoy the rest of its extended life...

You know... this can only happen in Oz :)

PPP

2007-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

Primal Pestilence Paradise

:) ****** (Secret, secret...) ****** ;)

In your eyes I can see...

...The dread I engender.

Sinister chemical hazard,

Nobody can escape.

Spread the disease,

Unknown damage...

...Deadly penetrating deep into your lungs

HAIL TO THE CREW

2007-02-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

OK, we have a top-notch quality product, and a vast fleet of nicely manufactured trucks ready to pump it whenever and wherever it is necessary…

But, what about the truck operators?

The crew is the real soul behind a dynamic body of steel… the human fuel that in the end makes the blasting miracle possible.

THE CRY OF THE SOLID ANGEL

2007-02-25T13:37:00.000-08:00

Brilliance born from the most unfathomable darkness, a twinkling sparkle in a tempestuous universe…

MT MORGAN

2007-02-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Founded as a gold mine in 1882, Mt Morgan must be one of the most charming mining towns in Australia…

…Its rusty mining facilities, western-like alleys and gorgeous landscape are the traits that makes Morgan a totally unexpected and very welcome discovery during my Oz journey

By the way, when it closed in 1981, the mine had already produced 225 000 kg of gold, 50 000 kg of silver and 360 000 tonnes of copper in a 99 year period. Awesome!

BAJOOL TIMES

2007-02-23T00:13:00.000-08:00

EXTRA!, EXTRA!

Freshly baked for your convenience...

Take a good look at the latest news in the manufacture plant of Bajool!!

ROCKY SPIRITS...

2007-02-21T01:24:00.000-08:00

An endless muddy swamp of overwhelming humidity... home of cocodriles, snakes, giant spiders and many other devastating hazards.

Rockhampton is a crude terrain in which you have to fight your way just to stand still and survive in a hostile environment.

FLYING!

2007-02-19T00:27:00.000-08:00

From BRISBANE to ROCKHAMPTON

Tomorrow, 7:30 a.m.

Get ready!

MY HEART

2007-02-17T17:58:00.000-08:00

Roughly speaking, your Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is the minimum amount of beats per minute (bpm) that your heart needs to sustain your vital functions.

Usually, it is a parameter widely utilized to measure cardiac efficiency and heart and lungs performance. The average range for a normal healthy person is between 60-80 bpm, although lower RHR can be obtained with proper training…in other words, the fitter you are, the stronger is your heart pumping and the less is your RHR.

Since I arrived to Oz, knowing that I was going to be often engaged in both intellectual and physically challenging situations, I decided to push a little bit further my diary exercise routine, and…

…To my great surprise, this weekend after having bought a heart rate monitor, I discovered that my current RHR falls around 40 bpm. Quite an achievement, as usually is referred as the lowest RHR threshold in most fitness tables…

Maybe I should try enrolling a marathon?… who knows? Perhaps, perhaps…

THE YEAR OF THE PIG

2007-02-17T01:44:00.000-08:00

Hehe, the animal I´m showing you today in my pictures definitely is not a common one: ladies and gentleman… behold the awesome charm of a real dragon!!

Today is New Year´s Eve according the chinese tradition. Tomorrow starts the year of the pig and huge celebrations are conducted in the Brisbane´s Chinatown, including fireworks and the traditional dragon parades…

You know… Australia is very rich as far as cultural mixing is concerned and has lots of asian influences… taking into account my fondness for oriental civilizations and my well-known absolute predilection for chinese cuisine, am I going to miss this?

No way!

SPIDERMAN!

2007-02-16T00:13:00.000-08:00

Yep, please, don´t ask me how I get these pictures taken and how I even manage to post them here without the proper censorship…

The thing is that sometimes bringing a digital camera with you all the time might be risky, specially if you pass it to a friend while trying to reach a higher rock bench…

…You can get a perfect shot of your butt as a reward.

FUN AT THE OFFICE

2007-02-15T01:58:00.000-08:00

In very hot days, from quarry to quarry, it is worth a quick drop by at the office to cool your ideas with the aid of the air-conditioning, while enjoying the jokes of your workmates.

PD: Can you see the new uniform? Gosh! Now even BRIGHTER

THE POWER OF LOVE

2007-02-14T02:40:00.000-08:00

Today is San Valentine´s day... Mass media here in Oz -as in half of the world, I presume- is bombarding you about buying some special gift to your `special one´…

And when you just happen to see that handsome Komatsu excavator delivering tons of blasted rock to his beloved 50t Caterpilar dump truck... you just put aside whatever you are doing at the moment and think to yourself… Man, how beautiful life is!!

Errrr… maybe too much heat for my brain today? OK, no more nonsense then, see you later!

THE UNIVERSE

2007-02-10T23:36:00.000-08:00

The world keeps on beating while my heart refrains from moving on

Like an alienated sensation from a gleaming paradox of utter gloominess

The negative contrast of my reveries defies my innermost raphsodies

And when my soul hastens... then everything seems to freeze

Like the static image of a picture framing the entire universe.

RIDDLE IN THE JAPANESE GARDENS

2007-02-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo

Yoake no mama de, koesou de

Hottokeba, hashiru omoi yo

Yume mo mata, sure chigai

Kanpeki to chau, jinsei no shuushi

Puramai zero da nanteba honto ka na?

(Heart & Sword, T.M. Revolution)

MAGNA POWER

2007-02-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

Hey!, now have a look at that magnificent machine beside me. My third car here and my first jap car ever: a Mitsubishi Magna V6... gorgeous, isn´t it?

Automatic transmission, extreme acceleration rate, smooth driving at high speeds... the only con is its massive mileage: 296.000 kms!!... you know, distances here in Australia tend to be QUITE huge.

BACK TO WORK

2007-02-07T01:26:00.000-08:00

So back to work again!… uh, I mean… REAL work, you see… I just got tired of so many hours in the office. Field operations is the real battleground in which you experience the true feeling of being an International Ops Engineer.

LUMINAIRE

2007-02-06T01:24:00.000-08:00

From the core of my true self

An ardent fire is on the verge of arising

Flaming sparks gathering in my shining hand

A luminous fireball setting ablaze the world surrounding me

Enraptured catharsis, the radiating emotion overflows me with ecstasy

My magic being unchained, like a shooting star lighting up the whole universe

THUMBS UP!

2007-02-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

The ultrasounds have given to me a total thumbs up… Beware!, ´cause I´m coming back in no time...

TOGETHER WE ARE ONE

2007-02-04T00:53:00.000-08:00

Can you feel it?

A fierce beam of light initiating the chain of events
A deafening thunder fracturing the vast ground underneath
A massive mountain of steely rock completely pulverised to dust
An overwhelming stream of pure energy released in a mere second

Come to think about it, it´s truly amazing that just those few dozens of people in the photo -including me- can unleash such a tremendous amount of power almost everyday.

Nice work, indeed!

THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

2007-01-31T00:28:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, OK, it´s true... I had some nasty accident yesterday... just taking some exercise when suddenly I came across a stray car and had to stop sharply to avoid being knocked down... in the movement my left ankle got twisted in a painful way... and now a pair of crutches escort me wherever I go.

But... see that car behind me?, that shiny black Volkswagen Passat V5... well, it´s my new car, an automatic transmission vehicle that my company has given to me, as for the moment I cannot operate the clutch with my left leg...

Hopefully I´ll be much better next week, and anyway I needed to take some rest after so many new experiences... so it´s OK to have a little break this weekend... you know... always look on the bright side of life!!.

Cheers!

ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN

2007-01-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

You know...

All I want in life is a little bit of love

To take the pain away

Getting strong today

A giant step each day

I have been told

ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN

ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN

But I don´t believe

I don´t believe

I could still fall in love with you

(Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space --- Spiritualized)

...You might get injured if you rush too much...

BRISBANE INFERNO

2007-01-27T23:31:00.000-08:00

Wonderful and angelically bright, Brisbane City is a true delight to behold.

However, don´t let your eyes be deceived by its pristine atmosphere and holy radiance, ´cause a real scorching hell is always brewing inside...

FUNNY RELIGION

2007-01-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

"When you can´t find a way out, look up"

Sometimes wandering Brisbane you can come across dozens of beatiful churches. Most of them have some kind of witty and funny motto to attract the attention of the strollers

HARD WORKER

2007-01-22T23:29:00.000-08:00

So... did you think I was in Australia on holidays or something? In fact I´m NOT!

Going to the quarry to deliver some explosives when the bloody hot sun is striking with all its might in the not-exactly-cool uniform can be sometimes quite... hard, you know

Oh... and just take a look at all the dirt in my clothes... it´s gonna take me tons of effort to mantain the company´s quality image standards!!

PUT A KOALA IN UR LIFE

2007-01-21T23:27:00.000-08:00

Just take a look at her... lovely eyes, furry feel... hmmmm... I think from now on I´m in love with Moewe forever.

KANGAROOS!!

2007-01-21T23:25:00.000-08:00

OK, I know this is not the biggest roo you have seen, I know you have tasted much more fearful boomers in some TV documentaries, but believe me, when it comes to lick your fingers until no trace of food is left, then of course Joe here in the photo is the one to witness...

PS: I know the brown hat kind of suits me... I really love it... am I also starting to live the cocodrile dundee way?, Naaaaaaaah! I don´t think so...

MY CAR

2007-01-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

So, here is my UTE...

...One of the most complicated things for european people coming to Australia is just to get used to driving on the left... it might seem quite tricky, but honestly, after a couple of incidents and near misses you learn how to drive like a pro...

...in fact if you want to stay alive, indeed you have no choice...