May update

It has been a really busy May, more so than any May before.

First, I had to file Canadian taxes for the last tax year.  Living in Australia and tying up loose tax ends in Canada can be pretty tricky.  It is doubly tricky when you are doing the tax research and filing yourself.  I looked into having an accountant do this for me, but it would cost thousands of dollars.  No thank you!

Second, I have been living in phone hell.  My super-duper Nexus S phone started making crackling noises all of a sudden, making it practically unusable.  As the phone was purchased in the US, I had to ship it to my brother in the US.  My brother then UPS-ed the phone to Samsung for repairs.  After two weeks of repairs, the phone was sent back to my brother, who then sent it to me to Australia.  $100 in shipping charges and 1.5 months later, Nexus S is in my hands and working splendidly.  I did not realize what a difference in quality of life a good phone can make.

Lastly, we've been making several household purchases through Ebay and local online classifieds.  That involved lots of research, careful negotiations and some expensive decisions.  Thankfully, everything we bought worked great and cost us a lot less than retail price.

I almost forgot, I had to travel for work a couple of times, which always tires me out and sucks up free time.  Work travel is not really enjoyable, as you spend full days with your colleagues (tiring!), eat bad food, and spend a lot of your personal time getting to and from the airport/clients.