Australia makes it into the round of 16!

If you don't know what I'm on about well then... ummm... I dunno.

Anyway, this momentous occasion in Australian sporting history coincides with a bit of good news for me personally. After a shaky start to the month, which I'd rather not get into, I have some good news to keep me happy. The first bit of good news is the fact that I have successfully applied for my working holiday visa for Canada (see previous entry for more about why I applied), meaning the trip to Canada is almost certainly on. The second bit of good news is that I'm getting a decent amount of hours per week at work (averaging at around 15-20 hours), which means I'm starting to earn money for the trip.

Location, Location, Location

In terms of the IEP program, I decided at the last minute that I'd try for a position at Whistler/Blackcomb (well, a hotel at Whistler/Blackcomb... which will do me just fine) seeing as it's a monster of a ski resort that will no doubt keep me busy for the entire season. My second and third preferences were the aforementioned Panorama and Lake Louise, respectively.

Money, Money, Money

I asked mum if she could 'fund' my trip to Canada. That is, I'd use the credit card, etc. on the condition that I pay her back upon returning and getting a full-time job. Both of us were more than happy with this agreement, figuring that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I should make the most of it. I'm really hoping that working during my trip will limit the damage while keeping things fun.

For the meanwhile, work hours have been going well, as I mentioned, and I've saved around $1000 for my return flights to Canada, which will probably end up costing around $2000, give or take. Hopefully the rest will be covered in the next couple of months of work. There's also the possibility that my mum can use a combination of FlyBuys points and United Mileage Plus points to manage a 'free' trip for me, so to speak. I kind of doubt the convenience of this though.

Apart from those details, I've decided to put myself on a self-imposed ban on making any further plans for Canada so as to not get my hopes up too much. It is looking rather good at the moment though.

Let it snow... well, you get the point

Back to matters closer to home and in the near(er) future, my trip to Thredbo is now only about 3 weeks away. I've been watching some snowboard trick tips videos and I plan to improve my skills when I go. Ideally, I'll pull off some sweet moves on tape and get sponsored... although realistically, I'm just hoping I don't get hurt or look like an absolute tool. In any case (except the one where I get hurt), it should be a great week at the snow. The cover has been good at the Snowy Mountains ever since opening weekend (possibly attributed to the multi-million dollar upgrade to the snowmaking system), so let's pray it stays that way until at least after the trip.


And finally, to get back to my first statement, best of luck to the Socceroos in the round of 16 against Italy. I hope the boys make it far, though I don't think anybody will be disappointed with how far they've already made it. Who's the man? Guus the man.