They say it might snow. An interesting concept for a country so associated with heat. Snow is one thing Canadians are very familiar and comfortable with, even if it does give us problems occasionally. Sometimes we even hope for a deep fresh coat to give us some time at home. I wonder how Australians cope with it? Do they see snow as winter's occasional gift, or as some terrible menace from the mountains? I may find out soon. So far, even though spring is only a few weeks away, August has produced the coldest weather this year.
I recently took a look at the calendar and realized that I'd spent more than half a year away from Canada's shores. So far, I've spent 187 days away from Ottawa though only 173 days actually in Australia. It doesn't feel like all that much time has passed and yet Ottawa seems something like a distant memory; a dream only half-remembered. It's as if I've always lived in Australia yet I know that I'm a newcomer. Maybe I'm slowly beginning to see Australia as my new home.
On Friday, I took in a spot of culture in the form of the ANU Law Review. This is a sort of variety stage show that the Law Students Society puts on every year with skits written by students and acted by them. Essentially it's a chance to satirize the university, the faculty, the University of Canberra and the politicians. The broad focus was on Kevin Rudd and his government, though the larger portion of the show was devoted to poking fun at the faculty. Barrack Obama was not spared and even he was the subject of some more than gentle ribbing. The whole affair was very entertaining and humourous. Perhaps, I'll write a skit for next year. I have two really "good" Heath Ledger jokes.
Friday night, the whole of Fenner Hall was mesmerized with the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. I went down to the ground floor where TVs were tuned to the event and there were free refreshments. I was generally impressed, as was everyone else, I think, with the performance. Let's hope the competition of the 29th Olympiad itself lives up to the expectations the opening ceremonies created. I remember thinking that it's amazing what you can do with unfettered power and the near-unlimited resources of the state.
A bit of bad news, though, as I found out that I didn't get the Public Affairs Section job at the Canadian High Commission. The brief e-mail didn't outline the reasons I didn't make the cut, but I have a feeling it was mainly because I am a full-time student. The interviewers hinted that they expected a full-time commitment to this program, which is something I could not give. But there is still hope. I have not heard anything yet about the second internship, the Canada Education Centre. Hopefully, I'll have more success with that one.
I have been following my brother's adventures in New Zealand with a great degree of interest. He has a very engaging writing style, as well as some great photographs on his blog, http://www.bloggingmiddleearth.blogspot.com/. I thought today just how appropriate it is that I'm in Australia and he in New Zealand. Australia is often thought of as New Zealand's bigger brother but New Zealand has great charm. I'm sometimes envious that my brother is in that country and I here. I've been there before and ever since, New Zealand, especially the South Island, has had a special place in my thoughts. I look forward to visiting my brother there and we're planning on travelling to parts of the South Island I haven't seen. I'm sure it'll be a great trip.
I must mention 2 things I forgot to in my previous post. The first is about the trivia game a few Sundays ago. Unfortunately, my floor came in 3rd so no prize for us. I hope there'll be other chances to test our knowledge.
The second item was the injury I caused to a player while goal umpiring 2 Saturdays ago. It was completely unintentional and depending on how you want to look at it, he ran into me, I ran into him or we both ran into each other. The way it unfolded was there was a kick towards goal but the ball fell short and hit the ground. I expected it to bounce fairly low towards the goal area without any possible obstruction from any player. However, the ball took an unusually high bounce and this necessitated a change of position on my part as it meant that players would be able to interfere with the ball before it crossed the goal line. It was while changing positions that the other player and I collided, both of us falling to the ground. Nevertheless, I managed to keep my eye on the ball and I was able to signal the correct score, a goal. I got up and dusted myself off but the player stayed down clutching his stomach. The best I can guess is that he impacted with my elbow and got a little winded. It wasn't too bad and he was up and on his feet in short order. It would seem we umpires are made of sterner stuff.
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