I have been on the move for so long that I have started to crave a routine. You know, doing the same ol' every day. Well, I decide last week to create a healthy routine for myself and I believe that I've succeeded.
My routine this week was this:
-get up around 7-8 am
-work out or go for a 45-60 minute bike ride
-eat breakfast
-call Carla
-apply for jobs, call companies, etc.
-lunch between 12 pm and 1 pm
-stop applying for jobs between 4:30 pm and 6 pm
-have supper around 6:30-7 pm
-go for a walk and/or watch a show and/or read financial/computer stuff on the web (must do at least 15 minutes of stretching in the evening, preferably when I am watching shows)
-go to bed between 10 pm and 11 pm
I intend to keep the routine going, as it provides me stability and keeps me doing healthy things on a daily basis.
I also realized that out of the last 7 weeks I had spent 1/3 of the time in Croatia, 1/3 of the time in Ottawa and now the last third in Australia. That's a lot of change in less than two months! I can't even remember what it's like having a job and a home and doing the same thing week after week. Who knows, maybe it's a good thing that I cannot remember those days as I will get there soon enough. :-)
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
That was a hot week
Last week was pretty hot here in Adelaide. Temperatures went up to 35 C, so I would usually go biking or working out before 9 am. Otherwise, the sun will burn and melt you. Simultaneously! :-)
I am enjoying living in a warm climate as it really allows me to be more active. It is easy to go for a walk or a bike ride. If my knees were feeling better, I would be going running as well.
I took a few pictures of the beautiful scenery that I see during my morning bike rides, so I will share them with you here. Please don't hate me! :-)
I am enjoying living in a warm climate as it really allows me to be more active. It is easy to go for a walk or a bike ride. If my knees were feeling better, I would be going running as well.
I took a few pictures of the beautiful scenery that I see during my morning bike rides, so I will share them with you here. Please don't hate me! :-)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
GPS feature of my cell phone
As I have written while back, I have a pretty fancy cell phone (HTC TyTn II). This thing can do anything, from checking email and editing Word and Excel files to playing games and telling you how to get to your destination (by the use of GPS). Yes, you can also make calls with it. :-)
I recently installed Trackr, a program that tracks your GPS position, on my phone. It will post your latest location to a website (which is how I can display my current location on the right side of this blog). Trackr can also record your track which can come in handy if you want to track your biking or running sessions. When you are done recording your track, you simply upload it to your account on Trackr's website and your whole track is shown on a Google Maps.
You can export your track into a GPX format while you are on Trackr's website. Then, take this GPX file and upload it to http://utrack.crempa.net/. Utrack is amazing! It will create a report of your track and will show your a speed profile, elevation profile, various statistics and a map of your track in Google Maps.
I was able to do all this using free software and free websites. Trackr is now available for Blackberry devices so go ahead and download it from their web site.
I recently installed Trackr, a program that tracks your GPS position, on my phone. It will post your latest location to a website (which is how I can display my current location on the right side of this blog). Trackr can also record your track which can come in handy if you want to track your biking or running sessions. When you are done recording your track, you simply upload it to your account on Trackr's website and your whole track is shown on a Google Maps.
You can export your track into a GPX format while you are on Trackr's website. Then, take this GPX file and upload it to http://utrack.crempa.net/. Utrack is amazing! It will create a report of your track and will show your a speed profile, elevation profile, various statistics and a map of your track in Google Maps.
I was able to do all this using free software and free websites. Trackr is now available for Blackberry devices so go ahead and download it from their web site.
Friday, February 13, 2009
In Australia, finally!
That was a long trip! The main thing is that I've made it to Adelaide safely and with all my luggage. :-)
Speaking of luggage, one of the Australian quarantine guys was bugging me about traveling with three full suitcases (little did he know that everything I owned fit in those three suitcases). I usually try to pack light, but when you are taking everything you own it may take more than one suitcase. :-)
I have been taking sleeping pills to make sure I don't wake up at 3 am and it seems that the pills have been working. I am almost used to this time zone, and by 10 pm I can barely keep my eyes open. Last night, I almost fell asleep while brushing my teeth. lol
This morning, I went for a walk along the beach. BEAUTIFUL!!! The sky was blue, the ocean was tranquil and the weather was warm. What else do you need to be happy (well, Carla beside me would have completed the picture, but that will happen too).
As this is my third country that I am living in over the last year I have figured out what is the most confusing experience for a newcomer. No, it is not the laws, or where to buy your groceries. The most confusing thing is figuring out which cell phone plan to get! I don't know if they can make it more confusing than this. First, they charge you a connection charge for most of the calls. Second, they bill you in 30 second increments, so they list the price in 30 second increments. Third, they charge you different rates for calling fixed and mobile phones. Then they have these confusing plans where you pay $49 for a plan but you get $300 worth of money in the account! I know, I know, it all makes sense in the twisted mind of a marketing manager, but when a poor consumer looks at it all it just does not make sense.
I am seriously eyeing the SUPER simple "BeanCounter" rate by Virgin Mobile. They will charge you a 25 cent connection charge and then 10 cents a minute no matter who you call in Australia. Pretty simple! Unlike the other scammers that even charge you to leave a voicemail for someone. Or to call your company's help line!!!
As for a home phone, I am pretty sure I will be going with a VOIP phone. The trick will be to find a good quality provider.
Speaking of luggage, one of the Australian quarantine guys was bugging me about traveling with three full suitcases (little did he know that everything I owned fit in those three suitcases). I usually try to pack light, but when you are taking everything you own it may take more than one suitcase. :-)
I have been taking sleeping pills to make sure I don't wake up at 3 am and it seems that the pills have been working. I am almost used to this time zone, and by 10 pm I can barely keep my eyes open. Last night, I almost fell asleep while brushing my teeth. lol
This morning, I went for a walk along the beach. BEAUTIFUL!!! The sky was blue, the ocean was tranquil and the weather was warm. What else do you need to be happy (well, Carla beside me would have completed the picture, but that will happen too).
As this is my third country that I am living in over the last year I have figured out what is the most confusing experience for a newcomer. No, it is not the laws, or where to buy your groceries. The most confusing thing is figuring out which cell phone plan to get! I don't know if they can make it more confusing than this. First, they charge you a connection charge for most of the calls. Second, they bill you in 30 second increments, so they list the price in 30 second increments. Third, they charge you different rates for calling fixed and mobile phones. Then they have these confusing plans where you pay $49 for a plan but you get $300 worth of money in the account! I know, I know, it all makes sense in the twisted mind of a marketing manager, but when a poor consumer looks at it all it just does not make sense.
I am seriously eyeing the SUPER simple "BeanCounter" rate by Virgin Mobile. They will charge you a 25 cent connection charge and then 10 cents a minute no matter who you call in Australia. Pretty simple! Unlike the other scammers that even charge you to leave a voicemail for someone. Or to call your company's help line!!!
As for a home phone, I am pretty sure I will be going with a VOIP phone. The trick will be to find a good quality provider.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
In Vancouver
I am in Vancouver Airport's Air Canada Lounge, waiting for the flight to Sydney to start boarding. My last flight was 5 hours long, but this flight will be the big one. 15.5 hrs to Sydney! Ouch!
There are supposedly 73 empty seats in the economy class, so I might be able to stretch out over a few seats. That would be nice.
I spent my time at the airport applying for jobs in Australia. Definitely time well spent. On the flight from Ottawa, I used the time on the plane to clean out and organize pictures on my laptop. It is amazing how much pictures you accumulate over the years, especially with the quantity of overseas trips that we've had. :-) I was only able to correct the orientation of the pictures during my time on the airplane. Now comes the hard part of deleting pictures and keeping only the good ones. My picture collection takes up over 20GB, so I would like to reduce that number, as my stay in Australia will only add to this number, not subtract from it.
Well, it's time to prep for the trip (hydrate, refill water, juice up the laptop, etc.) I will update you all once I arrive in Adelaide (in another 24 or so hours). The fun never ends!
There are supposedly 73 empty seats in the economy class, so I might be able to stretch out over a few seats. That would be nice.
I spent my time at the airport applying for jobs in Australia. Definitely time well spent. On the flight from Ottawa, I used the time on the plane to clean out and organize pictures on my laptop. It is amazing how much pictures you accumulate over the years, especially with the quantity of overseas trips that we've had. :-) I was only able to correct the orientation of the pictures during my time on the airplane. Now comes the hard part of deleting pictures and keeping only the good ones. My picture collection takes up over 20GB, so I would like to reduce that number, as my stay in Australia will only add to this number, not subtract from it.
Well, it's time to prep for the trip (hydrate, refill water, juice up the laptop, etc.) I will update you all once I arrive in Adelaide (in another 24 or so hours). The fun never ends!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Blog title
When I was starting this blog in May last year, I was required to pick a name for the blog. I was considering 'Ivan In Croatia' but for some reason I thought that - based on our long term plans - this blog should encompass much more than our stay in Croatia. I chose 'Ivan On The Move' because that is how I saw our near-term future. And how true that title has been!
I have left Croatia, I am currently staying at a friend's place in Orleans for a short period of time, and will be in Australia very soon. My stay in Ottawa was seriously hampered by the OC Transpo (local public transit company) strike. We are not able to go visit our friends because the buses don't run (and have not run for two months now) and it is impossible to rent a car (because everyone else thought of the same idea). No problem, we are making the best use of our time here, to the extent that the circumstances allow us.
As for the trip to Australia, I am actually looking forward to it. Traveling by plane (even over distances like these - the trip will take 30 hours!) is not a problem anymore. I pack plenty of entertainment (laptop, books, music), drink lots of water (dry air in the airplane increases the chances of you picking up a virus on the plane) and eat well. The biggest challenge that I forsee is getting adjusted to a new time zone. The trick for that is to take a sleeping pill for the first and second evening, and then you are on their day/night cycle. You will still be groggy for a while but at least you won't be waking up at 3 am. That is the worst!
Well, I am off to studying for my case interviews (the tests that you are put through when you are interviewing at a management consulting company). It is fun stuff! Well, it is fun for me, but I don't think that many other people would think so too. :-)
I have left Croatia, I am currently staying at a friend's place in Orleans for a short period of time, and will be in Australia very soon. My stay in Ottawa was seriously hampered by the OC Transpo (local public transit company) strike. We are not able to go visit our friends because the buses don't run (and have not run for two months now) and it is impossible to rent a car (because everyone else thought of the same idea). No problem, we are making the best use of our time here, to the extent that the circumstances allow us.
As for the trip to Australia, I am actually looking forward to it. Traveling by plane (even over distances like these - the trip will take 30 hours!) is not a problem anymore. I pack plenty of entertainment (laptop, books, music), drink lots of water (dry air in the airplane increases the chances of you picking up a virus on the plane) and eat well. The biggest challenge that I forsee is getting adjusted to a new time zone. The trick for that is to take a sleeping pill for the first and second evening, and then you are on their day/night cycle. You will still be groggy for a while but at least you won't be waking up at 3 am. That is the worst!
Well, I am off to studying for my case interviews (the tests that you are put through when you are interviewing at a management consulting company). It is fun stuff! Well, it is fun for me, but I don't think that many other people would think so too. :-)
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