Merry Christmas and all that Jazz

Its that time of year where we all get frustrated fighting the Christmas crowds aimlessly browsing the shelves in the hope that something will jump up and say “oi! buy me, I’m the perfect present”.  But the perfect present is as easy to find as “weapons of mass destruction”, or maybe they don’t exist.  OK, don’t get all political Hap.

So its this crazy time of year which is full of sun, reindeer, BBQ’s (southern hemisphere), drunken office party romances, eating, the smell of pine trees and festive fun. Its also that time of year where you look back on the year that has passed us by and puts another notch on your belt of life (great analogy-pure genius).

So for me, as far as 2008 goes, its been a great year. In a sense its been a bit of a “holiday” from working the world, as I have been “settled” (coming up a 11 months in Perth) in the same place the whole year, where as usually I spend about 3 months at a job/place then move on. 

In this respect it has been quite hard at times, as I have had bad cases of itchy feet and all I’ve wanted to do is scratch that itch.  The normality of having a set address, same room, same work schedule etc just gets to you, I’ve found myself getting comfortable with normality, and this has annoyed me. 

Things that earlier in my journey I yearned for due to going without them for so long, eg my own room, space, regular income  etc I have lost the appreciation for and they have become a need and not a want. The excitement of the unknown has been replaced with the comfort of the known.  But not a day has gone by where I haven’t thought about my goal, infact it’s that constant thought of acheiving my goal that excites me like a teenage boy first discovering playboy magazine.

Having my goal consume my mind has been great, as it keeps reassuring me that what I am currently doing is in the best interest of my goal.  Being settled in the same place and  job has enabled me to fully recover from my back injury, pay off debts, be reunited with Mandy (allowing her to earn money in OZ for future travels) and save money (although you always want to save more).  Its that money that I’m earning now that will allow me to volunteer in Africa, and pay for my air tickets to the outstanding continents of Africa, South America (have been to Brazil and Colombia but have not lived and worked there) and Antarctica.

The above sounds all a bit negative. NO, 2008 has been a great year. Although normality and routine has surrounded me, it’s been a bloody good routine.  I love Perth, its a great city, laid back people, great weatehr (summer) and in my opinion some of the best beaches in the world, and also I am lucky enough to have a great crew of mates in Perth.

My job, to stay in a job for longer than 3 months meant I had to enjoy it.  Well as much as I may bitch about it sometimes,  I love it, its my favourite job so far in my journey. Why? I spend half my time in Perth, and half my time in the unique red sands of the Pilbara,  I 4WD to what seem like unchartered places, in the dry season I’m basically a boy scout, I cook on camp fires and sleep under the stars.  So apart from the fact that its my favourite job of my journey, its also the most I have ever been paid -by a long way-, now thats a good combination!

Enough of 2008, as it is fast becoming history, infact as you read, ‘now’ is becoming ‘then’ (wow, thats deep). 2009 is going to be the year that Hap works in Antarctica. At the start of this year I was unsuccessful in my application for Scott Base due to there being 1 cleaning position and 100 applications (and the fact that someone else was a better applicant than me).  

So this year has seen me making the most of the opportunities available to me in the mining industry to make my CV more Antarctica friendly.  Joining the Mines Emergency Response Team has been one of those opportunities. I have received invaluable experience in the emergency setting and attended courses, Rope Rescue, Emergency First Responder and Basic Fire Fighting.  This will help my application as the Antartic Bases have to be self sufficient and residents take turns at volunteering on the fire crew. Also I have volunteered my services at Woodie Woodie to help with the loading and refueling of the new Jets that are now landing, as this will be another tick to my name when I apply for the field assistant job down there. 

So cross your fingers come the start of next yeat for my applications. Hopefully this time next year I will be in Antarctica with 4 months left of my 5 month stint.

Oh, and the other thing I want to get done in 2009 is Sailing. Yep, sailing, I have a feeling that before my journey is up theres going to be some sailing involved, ummmmmm sailing up the coast of Africa, ummmmmmm, dreams, wonderful things, may as well live em.  So I want to get a bit of experience on the sailing boats, so will go put a note up at the local sailing clubs seeing if they need a rope headed fella to help crew.

Its about time I wrap this up, but did you really think it was going to be short? c’mon, it’s me, Hap.

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year

Nuthin But Christmas Love, Hap