If My Family was the Muppets...

I know I know, random thought... hahahahaha I guess it was keeping me entertained on my run today!  So I was thinking, if my family was represented by the Muppets, who would play my family?  Immediate family that is... so here are my thoughts!

Mum: The Swedish Chef.  This is because of her incredible immitations of the Swedish Chef, which entertained us as children.  Her silliness, her high entertainment value, though he might be better with a knife than mum... hmmm, maybe... ;)

 

Dad: This was a toss-up... he does a fabulous impression of Beaker (that innocent, unsuspecting poor little bugger that gets used a lot...), but also we have often referred to him as Sam the American Eagle!  His deep strong voice, rule-abiding (sometimes...), and very sea-worthy self (for those of you that have seen Muppets Treasure Island you know what I'm talking about!)  I think that's a rather good fit!

Stephanie: Gonzo.  Not because he looks funny (because she doesn't), not because he's an alien (because she's not), but because he's a wicked storyteller!  We have seen A Muppet Christmas Carol... he is there to tell a tale (and Rizzo is there for the food!).  Stephanie has always been the Writer/Storyteller... didn't think it was a huge surprise that she would be Gonzo!  Not sure she has ever been shot out of canon, but there's still time! :D

 

 

Heather: Miss Piggy.  I'm sure this is no surprise... Heather is the singer, actress... she is our movie star in the family!  She is of course not of the pig persuasion, however she is as Hollywood as it gets in our family.  I'd say more old school Hollywood, like, Audrey Hepburn, but then again Miss Piggy is very old school Hollywood most of the time too! :D

 

 

 



Roger: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.  How could I NOT pick a scientist to play a scientist???  They both wear labcoats at work, they both have glasses... they both have a greenish tinge.. no wait, scratch that last one!  Both are brilliant chemist PhDs, it's a no-brainer!!!  I wonder if Roger has a test subject like Beaker?  Hmmmm, based on this blog entry I suppose he could just call up dad... ;)


And, last but not least...

Denise: Fozzie Bear!!!  I like to think I'm cuddly, cute, haha just kidding!  Mostly I picked Fozzie for myself because of my obvious terrible jokes!  Fozzie is always trying to be funny, as am I.  I think that's a pretty easy correlation to make, yes?  He's ridiculously loud and obnoxious, and I can be too!  I'd like to think that the fact that I have 5 fingers instead of 4 gives me a leg up on Fozzie, but I reserve my judging until I live a day in the life of the Bear :D

Alright, that's it.  That's my Muppet Family!  If you were going to make your family out of Muppets, who would play YOUR family???

xoxoxoxoxo Fozzie/Denise

Christmas time in Australia!

For those of you who know me you would know that I am a closeted Christmas music lover.  I love Christmas music in the sense that I have even played it (only once) BEFORE Halloween!  Usually I can wait until November 1st, but then I think it's fair game!  It might have been a different story if I'd grown up in the US where the American Thanksgiving is in November... but meh, it is what it is!  SO, all of you would find it incredibly strange that until November 30th I had not played one SINGLE Christmas song!  It was on my road trip back from Mount Gambier (my first out-of-town locum) that I decided I had to start getting in the Christmas mood.

This has not been easy though, getting in the Christmas mood.  There are very contradictory ideas here about Christmas and tv ads or decorations... for one example, I JUST saw an ad on tv for a clothing store.  It was selling beachwear: bikinis, board shorts, thongs (flip flops for us North Americans), and in the background was a fully decorated Christmas tree.  They were saying, "It's not Christmas without a trip to the beach!"  Pfffffffffft, what kind of Christmas is that?  Maybe if you decided to go to a tropical beach for a holiday, okay, then I can see going to the beach.  But I'm having a hard time getting used to a regular HOT Christmas!  On top of that, I've been told that many still have a full on hot Christmas meal complete with turkey, stuffing, steamed veggies, etc.  No pumpkin pie though... pumpkin is not ever used in a sweet way, just savory (these people have much to learn!  No pumpkin pie???  An outrage!)  Anyways, back to my Christmas song experience.

First up on my CD in the car, was a classic: Bing Crosby's 'Do you hear what I hear'.  Wonderful song!  However, it started with sleighbells, and choral background music... and the first line, "Said the night wind to the little lamb.... do you hear what I hear?"  My response: "Baaaah?"  Awwwwwwwww, Heather.... I needed you there in the car with me!!!  Ah well, I had to skip it... it was going to make me homesick :(  I may have even had a tear on the verge of rolling down my cheek!!!  NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  On to the next song!

Next up was Silent Night, acapella by Boyz II Men.  AMAZING version of this song!  Sadly, made me think of home again, and cold weather... this wasn't working!!!  Skip!

I skipped a few other songs until I finally got to one I could manage: Manheim Steamroller's 'Deck the Halls'  This was perfect!!!  No lyrics talking about snow or family... no sleighbells trying to pass the song off as Christmassy... just pure awesomeness!  It's funny though, it always seems to remind me of Beethoven's 9th symphony, last movement, but done by Wendy Carlos, as heard in Clockwork Orange.  I've added a link to both songs here... can you see why I always seem to relate them?  Must be the synth :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEHzYjuf5NA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4iWC0BKCmk

After that I was on to another terrific lyric-less song: 'Carol of the Bells' by the Transiberian Orchestra and Metallica!  Another fabulous song!  This one was more Christmassy, however without the lyrics I was doing well!  AND it helped that there were awesome guitar solos in it ;)

After those two songs I was slowly able to listen to some of my other funny or less serious Christmas songs.  Another of these notable classics was 'O Holy Night' sung by Eric Cartman, and improved by Kyle, from Southpark!  Spectacular song :D  Another link for those of you who haven't seen it before!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wofsgfQ2VSc

I have since listened to both of my car Christmas CDs, I have played through some of my awesome iPod Christmas list, and I am slowly getting more into the spirit.  This is usually taken down a notch though when the temperature goes over 30C, and I'm walking around in shorts and a tank top.  Even seeing people over-decorate their houses only bumps up my Christmas spirit a little bit... but I'm determined to get there!  I wonder if I can buy corn syrup down here... I'll bet making some poppycock would help me feel more Christmassy ;)

I will keep everyone updated with how the holiday season goes.  I should be pretty busy doing a Christmas locum north of the city as well as working at Lululemon in the city on my off days, but I think this will be a good thing as I'm going to be living all alone since I'm house-sitting over the holidays.  At least Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I will be spending with Kim and Brian :)  Well, I'll be going to their place after a Christmas Even service at a Uniting church near the airport (looks like a nice church!)  They have a night-time carol service at 11:15pm, so it'll likely be Christmas day by the time I actually GET to Kim and Brian's, but at least I won't be alone ;)

Love you all, and miss you all... stay tuned for another blog right after this one... teehee, had some fun with it!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo Denise

WORK! Hurray.... WORK WORK WORK!

Yes folks, I've finally started working!  It certainly took some time, but now that I've started I'm all booked up until January 9th!  Wahoo!  It started off with a bang, filling in for my cousin's friend who had the flu one day.  And then the next two days I worked at my cousin's clinic.  Now that I've seen some income (which is so exciting when you're so used to bleeding yourself dry of money) I'm getting excited!  Money is NOT everything, but it is certainly necessary when you have tons of debt :s  Haha!  Oh yeah, and since I'm only working MWF over the holidays I've asked Lululemon if I can work for them on my off days... I have a one-on-one interview coming up with them!  Gotta love staff discounts... hope that still applies to seasonal staff! :s

This week (Halloween actually) I start a 2.5 week locum just west of the city, followed by a 2 week locum in Mount Gambier (fully furnished apartment provided, and a really decent sized retainer!  Wahoo!).  Then back to McLaren Vale to work at the cousin's clinic while they are at a conference in Brisbane, then house-sitting and working north of the city for my cousin's friend again.  AND I'll be covering her maternity locum come April.  YAY!  So that's finally come together!

Not too much else going on down here.  Of course, the weather is becoming very warm, and even with sunscreen on every day I start to notice lines from my shirts when out running for a MAX of 45min... gotta be very very careful down here!  I'm headed to the Australia Tennis Open January 14th with my friend Claire who lives in Sydney (another displaced chiro).  She and I actually have the same birthday too!  How cool is that?  I also am looking at an opportunity to head to Africa for a couple of weeks in March ;)  YIPPEEEEE!!!  Haha that would be so awesome!  And even looking at flights, it costs less for me to fly there from Australia (and longer) than it would for me to fly from Canada!  Hello Dubai!

Back in Canada my best friend just had her first son.... Aidan!  He's absolutely GORGEOUS!  I just got off of skype with her (and him, and both cats and dogs), and we chatted for just over an hour.  What a treat!  He's super cute too ;)  Another of my good good friends at home has a bunch of exciting work stuff going on... some terrific opportunities!  So I'm thrilled to hear from her as each step occurs... can't wait to find out the result!

Christmas is coming soon (I know tomorrow is Halloween, but still, right after those decorations go down Xmas stuff comes out!).  It's really really strange to see Christmas decorations out and about, with pictures of frosted windows, snowy tree scenes, etc, when it's 30C+ outside... eeek!  It'll also be a bit strange house-sitting over the holidays.  I work Christmas eve, just the morning, so I'll find myself a lovely Uniting church somewhere close to where I'm staying.  It'll be my first Christmas on my own!  Interesting... I'm sure!  Christmas day I do believe I will be spending it with a couple of toddlers, some other lovely Canadians, it should be good times.  Right now I'm just trying to get some cards (and itty bitty gifts) put together to send off to Canada.  Let's see what we can get done while we're focused!  Haha.

Love and miss you all... especially with this weird hot-holiday thingy going on.  Beach and Christmas and summer seem like really conflicting ideas when used in the same sentence :s

xoxoxoxoxo Me

Progress! A little bit, but still!

WE HAVE PROGRESS!  Yes folks, this is a much more positive blog posting than last week!  So sorry about that, it wasn't exactly the happiest of all posts :s  I'm sure it didn't help that I'd just broken up with the guy I was seeing, so I was in an overall funk for a couple of days, but we're all past that now :D  In fact, feeling very happy and at peace and back to my old self!  SO, here are the updates on my little move across the globe:

Registration:  COMPLETE!  Yup, got the police check in to them on Tuesday, and by Friday I had an email saying my registration has been completed!  What does this mean?  Well, it means that I have finally reached the end of my 'getting licensed in Australia' saga!  No more exams, no more ridiculous fees (other than PI insurance).  Nope, it means I have no more hoops to jump through!  Now I just need the jobs to roll in... haha!  I have locums already set from the last week of November right through until the first week of January (and those come with house-sitting roles too, yipee!).  I also have a potential locum from April to the end of my work visa (June 29th?)  Then it will just be a matter of figuring out the process for getting sponsored.  I know I have the sponsor already, just need to talk to Immigration to see if I can go right into the permanent residency process... fingers crossed!  Ideally, I would like to be working as soon as next week :s  At least, that's when my PI insurance kicks in, so I could legally begin working then!  But yes, I am now, officially, LEGALLY, a chiro in Australia!  WAHOO!

Cargo:  SO CLOSE and yet so far.  Haha, my cargo has indeed arrived in Adelaide, and has made it to the shipping yard where I'm supposed to eventually meet a quarantine inspections officer to go through it all, however one little hiccup.  I received an email from the shipping company stating that they found bugs in the container which my stuff was in.  So, now I am waiting for my stuff to be fumigated (well, the whole container of stuff, not just mine :p), then aired out, and THEN I can book my quarantine appointment!  I'm just DYING to see what I packed away again!  Haha, can hardly remember what I (aka Stephanie) packed.  And of course, when quarantine asked if I packed everything myself I said yes... at least I knew what went IN to the bags/trunk, right?  And thank GOODNESS I had skype proof last weekend (at Heather's birthday dinner) that Chatty Kathy did NOT make the overseas trip to join my in Australia.  Let's just say, if I had opened a bag to be inspected and found a doll I would have just zipped it back up and said, "Nope, sorry, not my bag!"  Ah well, won't be long and I will be reunited with my dresses, summer clothes, hats, shoes (hurray shoes!  Now I just need someplace to wear them...), sporting equipment, and best of all my TEA!  I'm relieved too that David's packs their tea in tins that are sealed tightly!  I would not have been happy to get fumigated tea :(

In other news, the weather is getting SOOOOOOOOOO lovely out, I'm back to my usual summer colour.  This is from going out and running in the mornings, or cross-stitching in the backyard in 20C weather.  I'll be glad when I get my favourite sunscreen in my luggage!  On the friends front, I'm reminded (by some wonderful people) that I DO have friends down here in Australia.  Yes, 3 of them live in Sydney (Amanda, Claire, and Sydney), but I'm also reminded I have a friend in Melbourne (Jenn!!!).  Claire has suggested, if we are both free in the middle of January, that we meet in Melbourne and go to the Australian Open!  Now, I don't really follow tennis, but I would never give up a chance to take a quick flight to visit with some friends!  Now knowing Jenn is there I could visit her too!  Then I'm thinking I will need to pop by Sydney before I start a more long-term locum... maybe a Valentine's visit?  Claire, would you be my date?  Haha!  I also have made some friends here in Adelaide, and although I don't get to see them too much I have had some great chats with them and know that I have friends around if I ever need someone to catch-up with :)

Okay, I hope this post makes everyone feel a little better about me being down here.  Haha, I got a few 'perk up, it'll get easier' emails/messages on facebook after the last one... now you can all be jealous of my wonderful beach view, palm trees in the backyard, and awesome roo wildlife!  MUAHAHA!

xoxoxo D

And Still Waiting...

There have been so many hoops to jump through in order to register as a chiropractor down here in Australia.  And unfortunately, the national registration board for chiropractors hasn't exactly been consistent state to state!  I met a new friend while writing the board exam in Sydney, and we both filled out the same application, sent in the same required paperwork, have the same working Holiday visa, and yet since she sent hers in to the Sydney office (still for the same national organization) and I sent mine into the Adelaide office, well, she is registered and I am not.  Why? you may ask... well, because Adelaide has asked for me to send an original Police Check/Clearance from back in Canada.  Did my friend have to do this?  No she did not.  She asked, when I mentioned that I had to do it, and they said that they do their own police clearance.  You would also think that since we both have arrived down here through a visa, which meant we had to be cleared police-wise via immigration before coming, that it would count.  But this is not the case.  Anyways, venting nearly complete, my police check was done with the help of my wonderful mother, and a letter sent by me (yay electronic signatures!).  As well, I was lucky enough to leave my old passport, the very full one (from backpacking a few years ago) and my SIN card at home, which counted as 2 pieces of ID.  Hopefully this means that at the end of next week I should have a number to be registered as a chiro!  YAY!

Next venting point, my cargo.  Haha, I can't wait to see what is IN it because I've almost forgotten now!  It'll kind of be like shopping through my own stuff!  I'l have more than 4 pairs of pants, more than LuluLemon clothing to wear, and my camping gear.  As the weather is getting nice here that is on my list of things to do (love camping!).  Back to the quest for my cargo: I have been to Customs House, I have paid more than $400 AUD on this side for just the shipping, and yet another $100 when I cleared quarantine, but I still have to book an appointment with an inspector once my cargo has become available to me.  Yes it is here in Adelaide, and I think it has arrived at the shipping house it's supposed to go to, but it just hasn't been released from its crate yet.  I have to wonder whether they are having problems moving my trunk?  Hahaha!  I even was completely honest with my quarantine form saying that I had loose leaf tea, and when she read through that and my packing lists, she was only mentioning that I would probably be questioned about my camping materials.  Funny, since mum and I actually bought the tent here in Adelaide!  Ah well, good to know that I can get some of my favourite teas sent over from Canada every now and then!  I haven't found a tea house yet that has all of the spectacular blends like David's.  And you never know, maybe eventually they will open a store somewhere in Australia!

The one thing I have come to realize during this move, is that it is a bigger deal than I realized to pick up and leave your friends, and more importantly, your hobbies/groups.  It's probably even tougher because I have to wait for work to start so I can have an income so I can finally stand on my own two feet.  It was great having a gym membership (trial) for 14 days, because then I had that to go to again.  Right now I'm walking and running outside... but I do miss those evil... ahem... motivational group workout classes!  And now that I'm not studying, and no longer looking for a car... well, it leaves me with a lot of time, and it's weird!  It would be so nice to be able to call up a buddy, and say, "Hey, let's go camping!".  And yes, it's great to have family around, but it's just not the same.  I know this will get better, and it will get better when I finally start working and can settle in a certain area, join an orchestra in that area, join a gym in that area, and get myself a life again, but right now... well, it feels a little lonely.  Thank gosh for skype, because I don't know what I would do without it!!!  If only it was 4D... then I could eat dinner with the family for birthdays, get hugs from friends and family at home... ah well, it will get easier as time goes on :)

Hmmmm, alright, I realize this probably wasn't quite as 'feel-good' like most of my other entries, but just keeping it real hahaha.  The GOOD thing is the weather is becoming REALLY NICE!!!  The downfall again, even though it's 20C, I can feel my skin roasting rather quickly!  And we all know that the sun and I have a very good relationship, but I gotta watch out here... not quite as much ozone layer :s

Hope everyone at home is doing well, and I hope my friends around the world who are reading this are doing well too.  I miss you all.  And please remember, you are ALL welcome to come and visit!  Well, of course, that is when I have my own place ;)  And as long as you bring your own bed ;)  Hahaha!

xoxoxoxo Me

Really becoming an Aussie now!

I know, it's been even longer than the LAST post!  So sorry about that... I've been finding little things to do that keep me somewhat busy!  It seemed to be easier to write a blog when I was supposed to be studying... haha!  But, some more updates on life down under for all you lovely northerners (and whoever else is reading this from the southern hemisphere!)

First of all, I passed my exam!  Did I say that before?  Bad memory now that I don't have to study, hahahaha!  So yes, I passed my board exams down here!  Yippeeeee!  Just waiting on my license now to be processed so I can start picking up locums like lulu pants pick up dog hair.  Also in terms of licenses, it seems like I won't be using my acupuncture any time soon... or not legally ;)  BUT I'm not just letting that go... I'll figure out a time to start looking into that more.  Right now the important thing is just to get the chiro stuff going!

Secondly, I bought a car!  I am now the proud owner of a little red 2001 Toyota Echo (No Matt, not an E-HO or just plain HO, a whole ECHO!)  It's cute!  Only 2 doors, hatchback, and lovely to drive :D  AND thanks to Lee and his brother Ian I have a pretty awesome stereo in it now!  It only had a tape deck before... yeah, pretty dated even for a 2001!  Anyways, vast improvement.  If any of you saw my facebook you would have seen that Thursday last week was rather scary for my new car... it nearly got cleared out by a fallen telephone/hydro pole!  Crisis averted though... however it took the bulk of the afternoon and evening to get it repaired, and phone/internet wasn't even repaired until the Saturday!  Darn Telestra!  I'm currently holding a naming contest for the car.  So far my favourite name is Rosie.  Others suggested include Pucker-Up (P-U for short), JB (for jelly bean), CiCi (C.C. actually, for clown car), Tinto (Vino Tinto?), and Canuck.  Anyone else?

Let's see... any other news?  OH!  I now hold a South Australian driver's license!  However, I had my Ontario license confiscated (for the time being) as Ontario licenses and Irish licenses have been forged for people to get a license more easily down here???  Anyhoo, they will be sending it back to me once it has been verified by the appropriate people.  WEIRD!  But yes, soon I will hold my own piece of Australian ID!  Teehee!

Headed to Melbourne this weekend for a pediatric seminar on cranial work!  Pretty cool!  I've also been told that Melbourne is a lot like Toronto... so I guess it'll kind of be like going home down under!  Should be fun!

Hope everyone back at home is doing well, and of course everyone everywhere else too!

xoxoxoxo D

P.S.  I've included a lovely photo of the car!  Also, check out my mobile uploads for a picture of the kangaroos I saw on a doggie walk this morning!

I'm still alive... I swear!

I know I know... it's been a while!  I DO have a good reason though, I just finished writing my exams in Sydney!  Okay, well, I finished writing them on Friday last week, but it's been rather busy until now!

I'm also currently battling in terms of who to cheer for in the Olympics.  Obviously my original allegiance lies with Canada, and whenever Canada is leading then that is who I cheer for!  BUT, being in a different country it's hard to cheer for Canada when you NEVER see them on TV!  It makes sense that Australian races and athletes are what are shown here, but still, it wouldn't hurt for them to show OTHER countries or athletes!  Hahahaha.  I've ranked my allegiance/cheer-efforts as such:  1-Canada, 2-Australia, 3-Spain (for obvious reasons).  This usually gives me SOMEONE to cheer for in every race or sport!

Now, about the CCEA (licensing) exam... here's my breakdown.  There were 8 of us writing the first day, just one guy was writing only that day because it was the radiology (x-ray) exam day.  The images were fine, x-ray positioning fine, x-ray interpretation paper fine, then the radiographic physics/science was BRUTAL!  That's right... brutal!  So many calculations which I never learned in school... none of us (0/8) had any clue with more than half of that exam.  Now, having said that, I could say I had a somewhat educated guess with a lot of that exam, but still was unsure about 40% of the questions :s  The only other very tough exam was the neuro/ortho exam, which was so long that even I (the extra fast exam writer who finished every other written exam within half the time) was just collecting my booklets together when they said, "Please put down your pens."  So yeah, 4 of the 7 of us didn't finish the neuro/ortho exam!  Anyways, should know within a couple of weeks as to whether or not I've been successful.  On the plus side, I've been successful in Canada and Ontario!  Not that I'll be using that license any time soon, but it's nice to know I passed a very very tough exam back in Canada :)

Let's see... what else is new.  While I was in Sydney I got to visit with Sydney, my neighbour from back home!  Just like seeing a sister!  It was great to catch up with her and meet her roommate, and just have a place to crash in the city!  The train system wasn't too hard to figure out, and only took me an hour and a bit to get from Bondi Beach to the school Macquarie.  I also got to catch up with my old roommate from MtA, Amanda!  It was so great!  We went for a 'few' drinks at the Opera Bar (right beside the Opera House), caught up... it was just like no time had passed at all!  In reality, we hadn't seen each other in 6 years!  But, it was really good to meet up and just know that I have yet another friend down here in Australia :D  Lastly, I met a NEW friend during my exams.  Claire just graduated from AECC (one of the schools in the UK) and we got to study together and share the train together on the way back from the exam every day.  She's great!  She also came to the Opera Bar and had a couple drinks, met Amanda, it was great!  Hopefully she'll come visit in Adelaide, and I'll be sure to go visit in Sydney again sometime!

Hmmmm, I updated everyone about my new beau here... happy to say I'm blissfully in love in Australia!  Who knew I worked so fast!  HAHA!  Yup, it might be a little different now being back from exams, but just a happy-go-lucky young Canadian lady... happy as a clam, with her man!  Hahaha!  I can't wait for other people (from home) to meet him eventually!  He has now met the entire family clan down here in Australia (Elizabeth and her kids... mum's niece, and Kim Brian and their kids, dads niece!).  He'll get to meet them more and more so I'm excited to introduce them all and have them all get to know each other :)

Anyways, must go take the dog for a walk... just like old times ;)  Hope everyone is well in Canada (or everywhere else people are reading this blog!).  And please keep ME up to date with YOUR lives!  Facebook works for me!!!

Hugs and kisses... xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Dr. D

So much to 'ketchup' on! Or should I say 'tomato sauce' on...?

I know it's been a whole week since I last posted... it's been a bit busy this week!  Several things to update everyone on.  These include: job hunt, visa issues, boyfriend, upcoming exam, entertaining Aussie-isms.  Shall we begin?

First of all, the job hunt.  I did get a second interview with Lululemon, and they were soooooooooo positive!  They wanted to hire me so so so badly, however due to my visa restrictions it would mean that they would only have been able to hire me for 6 months, and they just couldn't validate hiring someone for that short a period, only to have to go through the same process in another 6 months to refill the position.  However, they did tell me that they wanted to keep in touch and consider hiring me for the holiday season (November thru to January!).  Also, they asked me to let them know if anything changes with my visa, so they could hire me right away!  As I said, positive, yet still a little sad because I didn't get the job :(  Other than that job, I've contacted one of Kim and Brian's patients about working as a bartender at a golf course near McLaren Vale.  I'm also going to contact a bunch of different wineries in the McLaren Vale area to see about doing labour out there!

Second topic: visa issues.  I've just found out the regular way of going through the whole permanent residency thingy has changed, so I guess I'm going to be a pioneer for new chiros coming over to work in Australia!  Have emailed the government and am going to call them when Kim and Brian come back, just in case they're a little more up to date with things going on over here too.  I'll keep everyone updated there!

Third topic: upcoming exam.  Yup, I leave tomorrow (Tuesday the 24th) for Sydney to write my skills recognition exam.  It looks like there are 7 or 8 of us writing at any time.  It's all spread out nicely too... as in, over the 3 days.  Day one is all radiology and radiography.  Day 2 is the 2 2-hour papers (1st paper is neuro/ortho, 2nd paper is diagnosis).  And lastly the Friday is technique for 15 or 30 I believe, followed by a 45min VIVA panel where we go over a case with a set of examiners, and I don't actually have to do any of the tests on them, but I would just have to talk through what I would do for my history, physical, what my diagnosis and differentials would be, then a treatment plan.  Should be fun!

Fourth topic: Aussie-isms.  Haha, I keep hearing things thinking, what on earth does that mean!  Some of the obvious are ones that I didn't really expect to hear over here but I guess it would be as cliche as someone hearing 'eh' in Canada!  G'day is a common greeting I hear while walking the doggie :)  Red pepper is in fact capsicum here, and dinner or supper is referred to as 'tea'.  Not the drink, just the action of 'having tea'.  Teehee!  Or should I say, 'tea-hee'!  Reckon is another popular term used here... as in, I reckon... (I would say so).  Some are Aussie-isms that I just won't repeat here on the internet, hahaha but they're rather entertaining!  Lee, if I've missed any of the other ones that I make fun of you for, can you add them in a comment and explain what they mean?  Please?  Yippee!

Which leaves me with the fifth topic: Boyfriend.  Can I call him that?  Is there any kind of required time-frame before that title can be applied?  Meh, boyfriend it is :)  What a spectacular man I have been lucky enough to find here!  His parents are complete gems, as is his brother and sister-in-law. His father, Gary, plays guitar, and even has a violin (which I broke the A-string on when I was trying to tune it... whoops!!!!!).  His mother, Judith, is just about the nicest person you'll find!  She and I were talking 'baking' the other day... I may have to show her a couple of things... one being pumpkin pie!  Down here they use pumpkin in a savoury way, NOT in a dessert way.  Hahaha, a certain someone was making fun of me for talking about pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie.  Well, I'll show you Aussies how delicious we can make squash taste!!!

Lastly, I met the most important people in Lee's life... his daughters!  It was the 6th birthday of his eldest, and so we got to go to an indoor playground (similar to a place called Busy Bodies back in Oakville... Carter's 2nd bday was spent there!).  Well, most of you know just much of a big kid I am, and so I had a blast! Easy to say I was just as happy to climb and slide and spin and jump like the rest of the kids.  A few of the parents there said to me, "sometimes it's fun to be like a kid, hey?"  Hahahahaha they probably just thought I was being a big kid for the sake of the girls but nope, that's just the way I am!  YAY indoor playgrounds!  After that we went back to Lee's place, had pizza and cake, and had a ridiculously good time playing on those birthday horns or birthday blowers.... you know the ones that curl out and make a sick-duck sound?  That's the ones!  I was able to prove that you can blow 4 of them at once and have quite a harmonious sound.  Lee proved that he could blow one out of each nostril at the same time, and his eldest proved that you could in fact blow one out of the nostril and one out of the mouth at the same time.  She sure showed her dad, who didn't think it was possible!  Muahahaha!  I think it's fair to say though that a good time was had by all.  At least I HOPE it was a good time had by all!  If Lee's parents had any notion that I was a very sophisticated and mature person before this past weekend, I'm sure that's all gone down the drain now... hahaha!  BUT how can you resist wanting to laugh so hard!  WHAT A WORK OUT!

Okay, must study or someone will have my head :s  Actually, multiple people would have my head :s

xoxoxoxoxoxo Dr. Canuck

It keeps going and going and going...

Who knew things could be so amazing on the other side of the world?  I feel like everything is starting to come together now :)  It just took a move to the other side of the world!  This is where we're at in terms of my to-do list:

- get a tax file number: Okay, so I've registered for this, it should be in the mail any day now!
- open a bank account: done!
- get a phone: also done, I've bought a Samsung Galaxy Y, just waiting for the sim card to arrive but I've got a month-to-month plan figured out!
- find a job: I have my second interview, a one-on-one, set for Tuesday at 3pm (Adelaide time) with Lululemon!  Gosh knows it would be awesome to work there until this whole doctor things pans out... :)
- study: this I have been doing!  I've received a lot of radiology slides from the school that's hosting the exam, and I'm just reviewing all sorts of information now!  Wahoo!
- Added bonus: FOUND A GUY!  Enter story...

So here's the dish.  I went for a walk on the beach on Tuesday, as this is the norm for me and Bailey.  We usually do 2 walks a day, they usually last at least an hour each, sometimes 2 hours.  Turns out this is also good for me since I haven't found a gym yet, nor do I have money for a gym!  Anyways, we were trucking down the beach, and Bailey, who has decided to be more friendly as of late, trots on over to visit some random guy out for a stroll.  This guy, LEE (keep that in mind folks...), used to have a black lab himself, but had to send him to live with family as he was too busy with work to give the dog enough attention.  So needless to say, he was pretty excited that Bailey, a yellow lab, came over to visit!  Asked me some questions about the dog... loved my Canadian accent (pffffft, if you could only all hear his incredible Australian accent!  WOOHOO for me!), and we just ended up walking the rest of the beach together and chatting the whole time!

Yup, this guy is a keeper :)  Not only does he like the outdoors, but he also plays guitar (and well!  Probably better than me :S).  He's funny, sweet, REALLY good looking (I know he's probably reading this, but whatever, he already knows these things!), and so smart!!!  It's nice to find a new friend over here on the other side of the world :)  I'm not replacing the ones I have back at home, but he'll certainly hold me over :)  His parents and brother and sister-in-law are really nice too (I know, I've already met them... but it was a very convenient thing to do on the weekend, go out for lunch... and tea!).  It's not like I had any other plans, so why not meet some more people!  Won't replace my family, but they certainly are great to meet up with, and so interesting :)

SO, now you all know where I stand... more or less.  If you could all see me now I look like one of those idiots that is grinning all the time, and can't stop, because they're just so happy!  I think my cheeks might start to cramp actually :p  I hope this all satisfies you for now, until I tell you all more about him.  If you're all curious too you can always look him up on my facebook :)  He's there... my new Aussie buddy ;)  Hey Buddy...  hee hee!

Ugh, must go to bed.  It's so late!  So much studying to do still, and Lee certainly makes sure I study, just in case my mother is reading this and worrying about me focusing on the task at hand... don't worry mum!  He is making sure I study!!!  Love you and miss you all, though must say I'm quite convinced now that I made the right move coming down here.  And as I've always said, anyone is welcome to visit!  This might be best to wait until I've got my own place... but once THAT has happened you're all welcome to come on down.

That's it for now,

Dr. D

Okay... who bet on 2 weeks?

I know there were jokes going around at home on how long it would be until I met a nice Aussie fellow... so I have to ask, who bet on 2 weeks?  I guess it's actually just under 2 weeks... but we've been on 2 pretty great dates :D  Thank goodness for the dog, she's a great way to meet people!

I'm not going to put too much in here for multiple reasons.  The first and most obvious being that I just met the person, and it's something new, so I don't want to jinx it!  The second being that he'll likely read this blog, and then I wouldn't want all of my lovely comments about him to go to his head!  That's right Lee, I'm looking at you!  Oh yeah, that's the only little detail I'm giving!  And if you just missed it, too bad!

Otherwise, many other goals have been achieved... I have bought myself a phone, and have signed up for a month-by-month plan... hopefully I'll get the sim card in a few days!  Secondly, I have corrected my name on my bank account... yet again I was called Denise Spare.  Right.  There's just one of me so I guess that's where they get confused?  Also, I had a group interview this morning (Wed. July 11), at 7am, which meant that I had to drive into the city, and I even used the 1-direction highway... AND made it on time!  Wahoo!  I'm really starting to get the hang of this whole driving thing :p

SO, now I'm just studying away for boards... they're coming up!  I'd really like to get myself figured out for a job for a while, at least to support myself before the whole license thing comes through.

Dooo doo doo doo doo.... floating on cloud 9.......... thank you ;)

Well played Australia... well played

For those of you that are on my Facebook you would have noted how upset I was at spotting a bunny while on my pre-dinner walk with Bailey (the lab I'm babysitting).  I did NOT move to Australia to see the same old wildlife that I could see back in Oakville!  SO, it seems that Australia was just teasing me... and has been playing a rather fun game of I-Spy.  It has gone something like this:

Australia: "I spy, with my little eye... some crazy Canuck waving a flag and a set of bells around."
Denise: "Is it Elizabeth, at the airport?"
Australia: "YES!  Good job!"

Australia: "I spy, with my little eye... something good looking in the water"
Denise: "Is it those surfers offshore there?  The ones I can see out of the living room window?"
Australia: "Yup, that's it!"

Australia: "I spy, with my little eye... something brown and furry"
Denise: "Um... that rabbit?"
Australia: "Correct!"
Denise: "Booourns... boring... that one gets a thumbs down from me!"

Australia: "Fine, I can do better.  I spy, with my little eye.... something swimming in the water!"
Denise: "Is it those pelicans?"
Australia: "Nope"
Denise: "Hmmm, is it the fish?"
Australia: "You're getting closer..."
Deinse: "It's those dolphins offshore!"
Australia: "Well done!"
Denise: "Much better than the rabbit."

Australia: "Last one for now.  I spy, with my little eye... some shiny thing offshore"
Denise: "Is it that odd looking fellow in the wetsuit, the one on the stand-up paddleboard?"
Australia: "Try again"
Denise: "Those 2 whales out there!  It's the whales!"
Australia: "You win!"

Overall my disappointment in seeing the rabbit has been turned around by consecutive days of dolphin spotting on my dog walks, and even more impressive seeing those two whales this morning while walking Bailey on the beach!  Dolphins AND whales all in one morning!  I must say Australia... you're working hard to keep me here... but it's working!  That AND the fact that this is yet another 'cold' winter day, where I'm wearing a t-shirt and pants on my dog walk at 9am.  I could definitely get used to this!!!

Over and out. (Just thought I'd give everyone a taste of where I'm staying!)

DEFINITELY not just visiting this time...

Yup, I'm officially here for a while... I registered for my tax file number a couple of days ago (TFN is like a SSN/SIN).  And today, I opened a bank account!  AND it actually has some money in it!  Yup, I can't say I feel rich yet, but I'm not absolutely poor.  WAHOO!

Hasn't been too crazy these past 2 days, but I've been quite on top of the music scene.  Elizabeth, my cousin, plays for the MetSO (Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra) and they played a show on Saturday afternoon.  Her conductor asked me if I would be interested in joining them in the future (eek!), which is a little daunting as I haven't played in an orchestra for a few years... and these guys are the cream of the crop (other than those employed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra).  We then went to watch a community orchestra on Sunday.  I think I'd be better off starting there.  There was a violinist in the 1st violin section who spent the majority of the time not actually playing.  However, to give her the benefit of the doubt, it's very possible that she just joined and had only a few days to become familiar with the music.  Anyways, I think that'll be a good thing for me to join when I figure out a more permanent location.

Am enjoying my current location, at my cousin's place here in Port Noarlunga South.  We can see the beach right out the living room window.  Although it was a bit chilly this morning (6C) it has been sunny the rest of the day and warmed up to probably 10 or 11C.  MUCH better!  I know it's not the 40C that everyone else had in Oakville for Canada Day, but apparently this is quite cold compared to their usual winter weather!  This I can handle!

Must go help make supper, and the dog's dinner for the next few days!  Wonder if anyone is reading this... hope so!  Saves me from updating everyone over and over and over :p  Miss you all!!!

xoxo D

Luxie, I've a feeling I'm not in Oakville anymore...

Well, I took the plunge and I'm now here in Adelaide, South Australia!  Yup, I bought a one-way ticket, packed up all of my things (or gave away, threw out, donated, etc), and hopped on the plane overseas!

First of all, I must say this was one of my best flight experiences for such a long haul.  I have often flown through LAX to get to New Zealand or Australia, but this time I chose to go through Vancouver so I could avoid those pesky customs line-ups in the US, as well as not have to pick up my luggage just to drop it off on the other side of the door.  I can only say, I wish I'd flown through Vancouver the whole time!  What a beautiful airport, AND what beautiful views while flying there!  Now Vancouver is on my list of places to visit... hahaha, figures that I'd leave the country and then decide to visit more places in it... oh well!

The flight tfrom Vancouver to Auckland was long: 13 hours.  However, having done similar flights (in length I mean) I can't complain too much about this one!  I got to switch to a bulkhead row, with no one next to me (I had the window, some other fella had the aisle), and my lovely displaced tailbone wasn't nearly as grumpy as it has been in the past!  I'd like to credit my wonderful intern at the Bronte Chiropractic Clinic Ashley with my relief :)  I managed to sleep 3 or 4 hours, watch a few movies, and before I knew it I was in Auckland again!  Hurray!

Auckland Airport is probably one of my most favourite airports (Heathrow though is definitely up there, while Mumbai is quite low... ask mum about that one!).  Not only do they post constant updates of your upcoming flight, but they also have the most entertaining announcements when a passenger is late getting to a gate.  It's something like this, "Flight NZ791 is paging passenger Smith.  Please make your way to gate 7.  All other passengers are on the plane waiting for you.  The unloading stage has begun."  Oh yeah, and all of that is done with a Kiwi accent.  So amusing - as long as YOU'RE not the late guest I suppose! 

So one more short 5 hour flight to Adelaide and I had arrived!  I even had the added bonus of receiving all of my checked baggage.  For those of you that don't know, I have a history of losing my baggage on long-haul flights.  I've lost a big camping backpack on the way to London (and had it burned on the way home, but that's another story), lost my bag on the way to Zambia (coming from Mumbai/London), and also lost my bag when flying to Auckland.  Hmmm, now that I think of it, every time I lost my bag I was headed on a Habitat build... interesting....  Anyways, my large duffel bag, my suitcase, AND my guitar all made it safely.  I passed customs and security with flying colours (even though I admit I had a wee bit of loose-leaf tea in my mug... thanks for the tea Steph, it was yummy!), and made my way to the exit.

My cousin Elizabeth had told me that she would be there to pick me up, and she'd have bells on.  I should let you all know... she's mum's niece, so that should give you a tip to what my welcome was like!  Sure enough, she was at the bottom of the exit, with a huge Canadian flag open, and shaking a big bundle of bells (think Christmas) in her hand, jumping up and down.  WHAT A WELCOME!  Haha!  Made me laugh (and maybe I shed a couple of tears, though it was hard to tell whether they were tears or just because my eyes were so dry... I'm going to guess dry eyes :D).  She captured my first photo of my new life in Australia, took me home with a quick pit stop to see Laura, and after a short nap to get back on track I'm happy to say I'm ready and rearing to go!  Must also say, 10C isn't too bad for a winter ;)

I do have a little to do list though, since this isn't just a vacation, and I do actually have to be productive down here.  So, here's my to-do list for the next few weeks (prior to my exam in Sydney):

- register for a tax file number (I actually did that online this morning around 4am... since I woke up at 2am.... whoops!)
- open a bank account (looks like Commenwealth is going to be the winner!)
- buy a mobile phone
- study for my skills recognition exam (July 25-27 in Sydney)
- look into my Australian Driver's license
- look for a job (something to do before I can start practicing down here!)

I guess we'll see how I do with the whole blog thing, as this is my very first time trying this out, and we ALL know how much I like to talk!  Haha, will work on making this concise in the future :s

Love you and miss all of you fellow Canuckers I've left in the nice warm sun.

Denise