New Years Resolution

I just realised that, without thinking of it, I had established some New Years resolutions for myself. I had been traveling so much I'd hardly realised we'd entered the new year! So here they are:

• Fix the hunch in my back. I've always had a curve to my upper spine, and let my shoulders slope downwards. Now, on my daily walk to/from work I make sure to hold my shoulders back and up. With some effort I'll rebuild the muscles there. It's already feeling much more comfortable than it used to.
• Lose some weight. I don't want to hit summer with a belly or flabby butt. Yes, I'm male, but these things still concern me.
• Cook more food. This doesn't run counter to the previous point. I want to cook more of my meals, and start baking more things. Anzac Biscuits are the next on my list.
• Be nicer to people. There's a lot more I could do for the people who are really close to me, and some of them I can actually help. I have to do what I can.
• Start saving for retirement. I have to remember there's no compulsory superannuation here, and I haven't really started saving for retirement yet. I need to pour some money into RRSP (the Canadian's superannuation-like tax-shelter for retirement money). One great thing is I can pour money in there, make a big tax savings, and then potentially use that money for an eventual house purchase! No such plans yet, but I like the flexibility.

There's even more resolutions I've made this year, but I can hardly list them all. I'm just surprised I didn't notice beforehand that I was making all these promises to myself.

First Snowfall (For Vancouver)

Emily came to visit last weekend (she scored herself a job interview here in Vancouver). The day she arrived, it was nice, clear weather. We hadn't had any really cold weather yet this winter. Then, out of nowhere, it snowed for 2 days straight.

Immediately after she left, Vancouver received a tropical weather system from Hawaii (yes, really) that lifted temperatures about 15c. We have to assume the weather was just trying to make her feel at home. Weird. :)

Semi-Final Plans

I'm hoping as many people as possible read this. Emily and I have finalised our travel plans for visiting Australia. I know people are going to be busy around this time of year, and we're not staying too long, but if anyone is around and wants to meet up, let me know! :) Our travel plans are:

20th December	Arrive in Sydney (morning flight)
20th to 27th or 28th	Muswellbrook (parent's house)
27th or 28th to 31st	Wollongong (Farzad's place)
New Years Eve	Sydney Harbour (stay awake all night)
1st to 3rd	Katoomba (youth hostel)
3rd to 9th	Urunga (camping with parents)
9th to 13th	Sydney (youth hostel)
13th January	Leave from Sydney (mid-afternoon flight)

I might be able to use my old mobile SIM, so will be available on 0407 133 683. If that doesn't work, then I'll be available on my Canadian number +1 778 858 5480.

Canada Post Anti-Jinx

In the past month we've seen some long delays in arrival of parcels. My thesis has gone completely MIA. A parcel from Australia is somewhere in transit. Various products ordered online have been taking there time...

After much grumbling, we found an article online telling of month-long delays on Canadian imports! Oh no! Now, while the article made sense, Dad (gleefully) pointed out the article was from 2004 and so hardly relevant to the current situation. :P

Regardless, our grumbling seems to have paid off, as in the last 12 hours:

• a package from DealExtreme arrived at Emily's;
• a set of books from Amazon.ca arrived at Emily's;
• a parcel arrived at my place (have to pick it up tomorrow afternoon);
• another set of books from Amazon.ca starting shipping.

I need to grumble to the aether more often.

Brave or Stupid?

A brave or stupid person will take actions that are likely to end badly for them. You can only tell between "bravery" and "stupidity" by asking: were they aware of the risks to themselves?

I think this guy falls in the "brave" camp.

Police are investigating the discovery of an explosive device in Benalla, in central Victoria, yesterday. They say a council worker spotted the device on the spare wheel of his car when he left work. Worried it could harm others if it exploded, the man then drove his car to a more isolated area. Police bomb technicians were sent to the scene from Melbourne and confirmed it was an explosive device with potential to harm the driver of the vehicle.

Though perhaps a little stupid for not calling the police first...