For most of us, our idea of jungle survival comes only from watching Bear Grylls tide through the Australian and African forests and/or playing Tomb Raider. Or worse, courtesy of websites and articles publishing bogus survival steps that could get you killed more than get out alive.
Let us end these misinformation right now as we tell you the most famous survival myths going around the web and why they are the last things you should do.
Ah, the mother of all survival tips. The Australian Outback is an unforgivable desert. You need to keep yourself hydrated. If Bear Grylls does it, you should too, right? Honestly, this advice is not only gross, it never helps either.
There is a reason your body expels this fluid: it contains minerals, chemicals, and bacteria that either has no function or harmful to your body. Ingesting them again will only give your body another laborious task of filtering and expelling them out on top of keeping you warm. If you really insist on making your piss useful, experts advise peeing on your bandana and wearing it for added cooling.
And speaking of hydration…
Finally! You found a body of water. But you are not dumb. You know you have to boil it to make it safe for drinking, right? Not really mate.
The thing is, this isn’t wrong, it’s not just complete. Given, boiling water kills bacteria and other harmful organisms, but it cannot lay hands on the chemicals (such as lead), small debris, and particulates. You need to filter them first either by pouring them through a clean fabric or clothing, or letting them sit for a while to let the particulates settle and scoop the top part to boil. You won’t be able to do much against the chemicals. The general rule is be wary of stagnant bodies of water, as they are the ones that easily get contaminated. Flowing streams and brooks are better options.
We are not done on water yet...
Cactuses are just like camels; only greener, thornier, and doesn't move around. They can store large amounts of water to survive the desert, like Mother Nature’s most challenging water coolers. So you just cut one off and pour the precious liquid to your mouth, like how the cowboys did it in John Wayne movies.
The thing is, water from cactus contains high level of alkaloids, and they are toxic and acidic. Ingesting them will cause nausea, stomachache, and diarrhea, which basically are the last things you need when surviving a barren land. This will cause further dehydration and damage to your kidneys.
The jungle isn’t your eight year-old’s playground. It is littered with pieces of wood, metal, or even rock that can get through your skin and muscle. And just like in any movie that stars Sly or Arnie, you just need to pull the piece that impaled you like a badass and you will be good.
Here’s the thing. Very few die from getting impaled alone (in this case, from severe organ damage). Your biggest worry here is blood loss. Pull that piece and you will gush more than you are supposed to (not to mention expose more flesh in the process). That object is blocking all the blood vessels and making you safe. Keep it there. Dress the wounded area to prevent infection due to external elements. Seek medical attention when available. Let the experts do the removal.
If you casually tune in to National Geographic, Discovery, or History Channel, you know that half of their shows are about people left in the wilderness or desert to survive (the other half are about the daily routines of managing a pawnshop). And you are thinking, since these are fact-based channels with great reputations, everything shown in these programs should be accurate.
Let us tell you about Richard Code, a Canadian who braved the snow-covered wilderness of Ontario, Canada to test his survival skills armed only with an ax, a few tools, and a stock knowledge of survival techniques from watching Survivorman (which is like Man v. Wild, but set in Canada). His body was found a week later.
The thing is, these shows tend to rely on drama, action, and a bit of exaggeration to sell, throwing accuracy in the process. Nobody will watch a guy resting under a tree for a span of an entire day, despite the fact that that is the right thing to do to conserve heat and energy. No, people want scorpion-eating, urine-drinking, and waterfall-diving scenarios because those bring quality excitement, but necessarily quality knowledge. So get over your delusions because you consumed all nine seasons of Dual Survival and stay away from danger.
It is just the Outback. You have your 4x4, bottles of water, and jackets when it turns cold. It is literally a walk in the park. It is not even a major adventure.
But the things is, it is the Outback, an expansive desolation comprising most of Australia. And if you know Australia, you that the weather can flip here like crazy. The same goes with the desert. The temperatures can range from 50°C (120F) on summer days and pin fall to below freezing to -10°C (15F) during winter nights.
And that is just the weather. You also have to deal with other elements Oz is famous for. It rains heavily. The car ran out of battery. One of you got bitten by a Sydney Funnel-web Spider (which ironically roams the Outback, too). Or got lost. The Outback is no human being’s territory. You need be prepared and ready there.
You know how it looks like. People lounging in a winter cabin while snow builds up outside. A Saint Bernard with a wooden keg containing whiskey hanging around his neck approaches and offer people sips of the liquor to make themselves warm and survive the winter.
This may sound homey and beautiful, but deadly. It does more damage than good during survival situations. You see, alcohol making your body warm is an illusion. It only increases skin temperature by making your blood vessels dilate, pushing all the blood to go towards your birthday suit.
With all your red juices on your skin, the core suffers, lowering the body temperature in the process, which is the last thing you want to happen. Also, alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it helps expel liquids out of your body (this explains your multiple trips to the rest room during night outs). And you don’t want to risk dehydration in the cold, mate
We have glorified, even romanticised, survival so much that some people think it is a challenge worth taking randomly. To say that going into survival mode in the wilderness is an adventure is like saying spiraling down a credit card debt is a milestone in life. It is far from the real thing.
Aside from circumstances born out of uncontrollable factors, survival is a result of a series of bad decisions that people pursue due to ego, curiosity, and pop culture influence (We could always Tom Hanks our way out of this island!”). And then, they usually discover that being isolated with no shelter or food or water is not that rad. More than exploits and cave diving, survival is about desperation, panic, uncertainty, and fear.
If you really want to prove your skills in survival, avoid throwing yourself in such desperate situations in the first place. That, experts believe, is the greatest skill here.
Nothing hits harder and more surprising than getting the boot. It starts with a bright and promising day at work. Then your boss calls you into his/her office. Next thing, he/she tells you to pack your things and look for other opportunities. It is like a sucker punch, if sucker punches can drain your bank account and throw you into depression.
If only there were signs, right?
Well actually, there always are. But they are so conventional and familiar that they are easy to ignore. Here, we list the eight signs that says you will be dismissed. However, all hope is not yet lost. Here are our articles on how to write a terrific curriculum vitae and how to nail a great interview to get you out of the unemployment line.
Aha! This is a win. This means you will have more free time to get closer to your crush during water cooler chats or update your Instagram account.
Better update your resume, mate. This means your responsibilities are being redistributed to other people as preparation for the hugehole you will be leaving when you walk out of the door. This is especially true if you are a high-level employee and/or used to juggle multiple tasks at the same time. If you get to log off from work early while your co-workers have to take overtime, do not feel blessed. Danger is coming your way.
We know, you hate meetings. You think it is a waste of time because it burns precious hours staring at slide shows that you could have poured on your tasks. And you would feel happy if you will no longer be part of them anymore. Trust us, you shouldn't. Not getting invited to key meetings and projects means the company is moving forward without you. The signs only get clearer when you try to bring this up to your superiors and all your get is a shrug. That means you will be getting the pink slip.
And speaking of your boss…
So, your supervisor that was always gleeful and supportive towards you suddenly becomes quite cold and overly critical. She now spends less time with you, and even less open with her ideas and prospects. “Alright,” you tell yourself, “She must be going through a lot lately, or having challenges with the work-life balance.” It is OK to clear up the negativity in your head, but if this goes on for weeks or months without any explanations or apologies, you better re-establish your connections and ask for openings.
Like your other, more personal relationships like with your partner, family, and friends, a sudden and huge change in your boss’s behavior spell signs of trouble. Ignoring these is a career death warrant.
The other way around is not good news either. If your boss is monitoring your cases closer than the usual, he might be looking for pitfalls and reasons to show you the door. Initiatives such as constantly asking for progress reports or putting you on a performance review only solidifies this.
And speaking of reports…
If the accounting department suddenly asks for documentations of your time and expenses, be warned. Increased scrutiny like these don’t casually happen, only when your boss and/or the company thinks someone (including you) has misused/bloated the expanses more than the company allows.
This is worse if you are the only one getting combed. That means they zeroed in on the irregularities on your end. And you think that unwarranted drinking and spending during the last business trip won’t haunt you again.
So, you were granted a vacation leave. Another win, right? Come on, nobody gets this privilege other than you.
But before you schedule your next trip to the beach, remember that unsolicited time offs are red flags, especially if it is something you don’t really need. Since your tasks and responsibilities are getting slashed, the company thinks they don’t have to pay you for the days you will never use productively anyway, thus the time off.
Not all signs can be seen from your boss. Sometimes the indication can shows up from the very people who gets the memo first: the HR department.
And contrary to what everybody believe, the Human Recourse office is not peopled with megalomaniacs who wants to see employees get fired. Like you, it breaks their heart to know that some people should go. And that makes them act unusual and bizarre around those they know will get dismissed. If you notice anything out of the ordinary in the way they act around or talk to you, be wary.
Let us preface this by saying that not all mergers are bad. It is a way for the company to continually grow and expand by unifying the two entities’ resources.
But sometimes, when two companies combine, their common departments overlap, and this leads to massive layoffs (You don’t need two administrative departments, do you?). The same effect happens when a new leadership takes over and wants to bring the company to a different direction. This sometimes involve huge overhauls among employees they deemed too unnecessary. So you better make calls if news of a merger starts looming in the horizon.
There are many reasons for an Australian permanent visa to be denied: An unfavorable legal record, inadequate qualifications, no financial support, and so on. But perhaps one of the most common (and even most disconcerting) reason is because someone is beyond 50 already. Age is something you can never change (nope, don’t even think about falsifying your documents) and it is filled with retrospective and regret (“I should have applied for this five years ago”).
But the thing is, this rule is not absolute. There are few exceptions to the 50 year-old limit. And weirdly enough, we have seen people who had given up the opportunity to apply for permanent residency without knowing they belong to any of these exceptions.
Here are the list of circumstances and situations on which you are still allowed to live in Australia for good even if you are beyond the age limit. Because sometimes 50 is not yet the finality.
That is immediately before you apply for the Temporary Residence Transition stream. Also, you have to be working for your nominating employer on the aforementioned amount of time and that your employer paid you at least as much as the Fair Work High Income Threshold, which currently is $138,900, in each of those for years.
You are a medical practitioner who has been employed in your nominated occupation as the holder of a subclass 422 visa before becoming the holder of a subclass 457 visa for two years in the four years promptly before applying and at least two years of that job was located in regional Australia and the nominated position is located in regional Australia.
You are are a medical practitioner who has been employed in your nominated occupation as the holder of a subclass 422 or subclass 457 visa for four years at least promptly before applying and at least two years of that job was located in regional Australia and the nominated position is located in regional Australia.
And the applicable labour agreement actually permits the employment of a person who has turned 50.
For this exemption, you should be holding a Subclass 444 (New Zealand citizen) or Subclass 461 (New Zealand citizen's family member) visa and you are working for the nominating employer for at least two in the least three years immediately before the application.
One that is nominated by a university in Australia.
One that is nominated as a researcher, scientist or technical specialist an Australian government scientific agency (like any of these) under ANZSCO skill level one or two.
Relatively, getting a job is fairly easy in Australia. Unemployment rate keeps getting low, career opportunities are expanding, there are numerous places to look for a job, and all you need to do is give an impressive interview.
But starting a business in the country, that is an entirely different (and larger, nonetheless) beast to tackle. There many factors to consider. Working hours are longer than that your usual nine to five gig. And the risk of loss and failure is higher.
However, beyond those risk are greater rewards. The most successful people in Australia started as small business. They expanded through sheer will, motivation, and knowing exactly the right things to do. If you want to have your own startup, here are top seven things to remember when planting the seeds of your success.
Bernard Vukas, being an engineer, could have started a travel app or a PC game, since those things sell like pancakes these days. But he has one simple yet quirky expertise: spreadsheets. The guys is a master on Microsoft Excel. He founded a small business providing spreadsheet tutorials on other startups. Currently, he is now a successful digital nomad with a string of a thousand satisfied clients on his belt.
Young entrepreneurs tend to jump on trends because they are “hot ideas.” This can be a huge mistake. The market is already saturated all while you pour time and money learning things from scratch. Start with what you already know and/or love to do, and then cultivate it to create your own market.
And since we are talking about ideas…
In the early 1990s, Paul Brown came up with a valve technology creating plastic containers that let liquids to be stored upside down without dripping. This sounds silly until you realize everyday products from catchup to shampoo to lotions utilize this technology. This new idea earned him $13 million. And that is 1995 money. All because he as an idea that nobody has and nobody can steal. He patented it.
If you have an idea or innovation that can potentially evolve into a world-changing technology, be sure you put your name on it. You don’t want your competitors to copy your concept and take away your edge. Australia’s International Property laws let innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs protect their ideas and products by applying for patents, trademarks, and copyrights, whichever is applicable.
When Bethenny Frankel was asked what the greatest lesson she had ever received was, the Skinnygirl Cocktails founder said it was an advice from Ellen Degeneres, “You will keep repeating the same mistakes until you actually learned the lesson.”
And true enough. You don’t start a business this year and be a multimillionaire the next. There will be ups and downs. You will fail. Lose money. Meet new people. Learn from experience. It is basically a Six Flags roller coaster ride, but longer and with more credit card debts involved. This continues until you reach the path to stability and growth. And that’s just the start of a longer journey.
If that sounds too risky and not worth the time and effort, remember that no one becomes successful by being stuck in their cubicle doing the same thing for a decade or so.
You may forget half of the things in this list, but at least try not to have a run in with the law by not registering your business.
If it is an enterprise you are starting in Australia, the law requires that you register an Australian Business Number (ABN), this is a unique 11 digit number that identifies your business to the government and community. You may register through here. In addition, you also need to register your business name if you choose to operate not as a company but as a sole trader, partnership, or a trust. You will find more information here regarding business name registration.
Getting in debt maybe part of the road to success, but it is not an inevitable stumbling block. You can actually avoid this by having a good financial plan layout before you start your business.
The first step includes forecasting the startup cost, and sticking with it. It is not hard to disregard these number when you are too passionate about your business, up until you maxed out your cards already. Having a good perspective of the operational cost that will barrel you down will allow you to prepare and have more adjustments.
Second is to financially prepare for your first year, which is the most critical part of a startup. This is when you will fail, learn, lose money, learn, lose more money, and learn again. In short, this is the period when most trials and errors happen.
And lastly, ask the expert advice. Talk with entrepreneurs who had walked down your path already. Their lessons will enable you to avoid the pitfalls they have fallen into so you can encounter new ones.
Just because you get your business registered does not mean it is legit already. You also need to mind about settling your business taxes.
There are six taxes that maybe required to depending on your business. They include the Tax file number (TFN), Goods and Services Tax (GST), Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), Pay As You Go PAYG withholding, Pay as you go (PAYG) instalments, and Payroll Tax.
Aside from these, you may need also to learn about income tax, land tax, capital gains tax, excise duties, stamp duty, rates, and international tax.
You cannot do everything alone. You are not Batman. The success of your business depends on the combined skills and efforts of you and your team, whether they are your partners or employees. So be sure you only employ the right people. They need to have the proper clout, best work ethics (you will be closely working with them), and the same fire as yours.
Business magnate, innovator, and potential Billionaire superhero Richard Branson knows exactly how essential employees’ contributions are, especially those on the top positions. The Virgin Group founder make sure he is always involved in the hiring process of senior level executives. The same mindset goes inside the head of Larry Page, aka the co-founder of the world’s most famous search engine. He too insists on being part of Google's high level hiring process.
We’ve already shown you the various tips and hacks for saving money while getting your degree abroad. But even those are not enough. Going to college in your own country is expensive already, doing so overseas increases your expenses exponentially as well as your chances of getting broke. And in our continuing effort to make the lives of expats and foreign students in Australia (or any part of the world) easier, we present to you five more reasons to maximize your hard-earned funds and keep bankruptcy at bay.
Bottle that is.
Because all study and no play makes college a nightmarish scenario, there will be a time when you will be attending barbecues, outdoor parties, and social gatherings. Bringing your own bottle as your share to the affair is a special courtesy expected from you.
But this hack is further helpful when it comes to dining out. Upon reservation of the restaurant, see if you are allowed to bring your own bottle of wine or champagne. If you are, then you better should. Exclusive joints like these are known to jack up their prices, and that includes alcohol. Having your own bottle of liquid courage with you would slice your expenses in half.
This tip works well for tourists. It will work better for students.
If you love eating out every day, you might need to put that fondness on hold in this stage of your life. Eating out burns so much money. Period. Preserve your salary by learning to shop and cook for yourself. That way, you can control your servings, the foods’ taste, and the ingredients (you have no idea how much salt restaurants dump on their meals, and that’s bad for you). Also, you can practice your plating skills, which is helpful for your Instagram #foodpics.
But don’t just shop anywhere, try to go for the local and farmers’ markets. The prices here are especially low since the produces go from the farm straight to their stalls, removing the middleman in the process. Not to mention, you’re able support the local farming industry. Win-win!
For some of us, coffee is fuel. And we could not start one task on our checklist until we get our dose of caffeine. But coffee is expensive, and it is one of the few small things we do not realize ruin our budget. A regular Starbucks latte in Australia costs four dollars. In a week, that racks up to AU$20. For perspective, that amount can already get you milk, cheese, a loaf of bread, rice, and eggs (or you know, basic actual food) good for a few days.
To cut down on coffee prices, utilize the coffee machines or dispensers on your work or school. They are cheaper, even free, and not loaded with sugar that puts a litter of soda to shame.
We don’t mean throwing technical terms you can never understand in parties so you could sound cool. We are talking about BigWords, an online resource that lets you compare text book prices from various vendors and on line sellers to let you know the cheapest prices and offers.
If you found that buying the book is still too much for your wallet, you still have your school’s library which likely has all the text books you need (you paid for that facility, anyway). Or you may borrow from a friend who already got past your class. It pays to acquaint yourself with older students, you know.
High-interest savings accounts will let you maximize your money in the bank, especially if you already have a large deposit to start with. But please take note that such option will not supply you your daily allowance, as these accounts rely on compound interest i.e. your money has to stay for a specific amount of time to earn. Taking a job is still the best way to earn huge cash.
The Productivity Commission, Australia’s major body tasked in reviewing and advising on microeconomic policies, is proposing huge changes for the country’s skilled migration that could considerably impact the process on which Australia selects the migrants it lets in.
There are many extensive changes being proposed as per the report titled “Migrant Intake into Australia” which was submitted to the Australian Government. The recommendations aim to overhaul the measures and methods of which the country selects and adopts the permanent skilled migrants.
The proposed changes include:
Current age limit for the permanent migration under the skill stream is 50 years old, but the Commission suggested that the Australian Government consider a reduction of this, arguing that younger migrants are “likely to have a more favourable impact” compared to those who come to the country at an older age which have “lower rates of labour force participation.”
The report also stressed out that the Government reconsider giving the points‑based system for younger immigrants more significance. The Commission, however, emphasized that the Australian Government continue its existing authority in granting exemptions to the age rule for exceptionally skilled migrants.
The report also proposed that the Australian Government utilize the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) as the reference point for establishing the skill requirements for the various streams of the permanent skilled immigration program. These include those using the Temporary Residence Transition visa.
In addition, it suggested that the Government initiate a small pilot scheme that will determine the benefit of improving the Skilled Occupations List. The proposed improvements include a “granular” approach to some occupations that cannot be easily allocated between the different skill levels as well as the addition of particular, well defined, skill sets that are not occupationally specific.
The report advised the contributing points that the primary applicant (i.e. the main person applying for the visa) is being given be raised, up to a given maximum. The increased points should be based on the skill and other traits of the adult secondary applicant. Also, it suggested that a primary applicant without any partner be provided with the maximum points.
Another proposal is for the Australian Government to adopt and maintain a common points system for the entire permanent skill stream. Along with this, additional points should also be awarded to a primary applicant who has been nominated by an employer.
The Productivity Commission also indicated that the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, the Department of Education and Training, and the Department of Employment collectively create a “systematic empirical” method for establishing the distribution of points based on the traits of the permanent skill stream and evidences on employment and other outcomes.
While the current process does not assess partners and adult children on their English ability, work skills, age, and education, the Commission wants to change that by having the secondary visa applicants be screened in addition to the evaluations being made for the primary visa applicants.
These proposals handed to the Australian Government 13 April this year and was only made public last 12 September, are not yet final and effective. We will keep you updated for any changes taking effect in the migration policies and processes.
What can you say about these proposed changes?
Last week, Outside Online website threw the Internet into frenzy when it released a report declaring that the Great Barrier Reef has died, stating that "climate change and ocean acidification have killed off one of the most spectacular features on the planet." It also said that the reef is 25 million years old, in complete obituary-style.
The news has been shared 1.41 million times (as of this writing) on various social media, including Facebook and Twitter, with the netizens expressing grief and horror over the loss of one the (if not the) greatest natural wonders of the world.
But it isn't just the individual folks that got concerned, even the legit news outfits jump in on the craze, further fueling the apparent veracity of the article, and thus adding more reason it needs to be shared (because come on, it is bona fide news!)
We don't have any reason to believe it was slow news day that time, however.
Here at VisaOne, we are all about accuracy and truthfulness, whether it is with the help we provide or the information we impart. So when we saw this news exploding all over the web, we did what any responsible blogger would do: we tested the story. And we found it unreliable and hyperbolic.
Here’s the thing, it might be the single greatest living structure on Earth, but the Reef isn't just one organism. It is composed of millions of individual corals, each one being made of billions of microscopic living things called coral polyps. These tiny creatures are what make up other coral reefs around the world. They either live individually or in extremely large groups. Either way, a huge collection of corals such as the Great Barrier Reef cannot all die at the same time.
Basically, Outside just placed Australia's prized attraction along the ranks of famous personalities always being falsely reported as dead like Paul McCartney, Sylvester Stallone, and Jackie Chan (if you have seen his movies, you know Jackie Chan does not die).
The more level-headed and actual authorities on environmental science seems to concur, with environmental reporter Tony Davis calling out Outside for its “greatly exaggerated” news and Cornell University Rockland stating that "The message should be that it isn't too late... not we should all give up."
A good news, yes. However, not a call for celebration.
The news’ veracity might be challenged, but it is not entirely false. You see, the Reef is not in a very good condition. Currently, more than 90% (or around 2,300 kilometers) of it is tremendously damaged because of bleaching, as per the report of ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. Bleaching happens when corals, stressed by the rise in sea temperatures, light, or nutrients, expel out the symbiotic algae living with in their tissues. This causes the corals to go white.
The coral bleaching process based on illustration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
That’s correct. Only less than 10% of Queensland’s icon is alive and well.
The two most devastating bleaching events happened in 1998 and 2002, where 42% and 54% of the reefs, respectively, were damaged.
There are two factors that are being looked at to be major contributors to these wide spread coral death. One is the El Niño phenomenon, a cyclical climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that causes sea temperature to rise. And the other is the scarier and larger monster called Climate Change. It has affected the Reef not only through constantly increasing water temperatures, but through the rise in sea levels, ocean acidification, and the surge in frequency of severe weather events.
Al Gore speaking about Climate Change on Ted Talks.
image: Ted.com
Human activities have also given their fair share of damage, through indiscriminate fishing, burning fossil fuels, pollution, mining, waste dumping, and overuse of natural resources.
Yes mate. The Great Barrier Reef hasn't kicked the bucket yet. But it is slowly doing so. It is only matter of time before it is completely done. And when that happens, we all got blood in our hands.
More than two-thirds of the countries in the world drive on the right hand side of the world. So when people come to territories that cruise on the left side such as Australia, Japan, New Zealand, or United Kingdom, they felt their world flipped literally and suddenly driving is a distant and avoidable option already.
As a former British colony, Australia has been driving left since the 19th century, and didn’t changed so since it is an island continent and never share any roads with other countries. But that doesn’t mean you have to avoid taking the wheel forever. Driving on the left can be learned without much headache and mishaps. And we will show you how.
Trying to learn how to drive on the left after a long flight is like trying to ride the bike for first time after you just got off from a doze. It could turn ugly. After your flight, you still don’t have enough sleep, your body isn’t well adjusted yet, and you are still trying to survive the jet lag.
Give yourself 24 to 48 hours to be accustomed to the new environment (and the new laws). After then you can take the plunge.
Here's what you can do when getting your one-day rest: study the traffic rules. Since you are in a right-hand drive country (meaning the steering wheel is on the right side of the car), the rules can be different. Australia, for one, still follows the "priority to the right" rule when it comes to four-way intersections. Give yourself time to get immersed on signages, laws of the road, and traffic flow.
A small car is easier to maneuver, has faster time reaction, is easier to park, and has less margins of error. That means quicker turning and easier braking, which you will do a lot when learning to drive left. If you fancy the bigger cars, you may rent one later once you get adjusted.
And since we are on the topic of choosing cars…
Sure, you have been driving stick all your life. But when trying to learn a right-hand drive car, you need your hands on the steering wheel all the time. Remember, the gear sticks on manual transmission cars here in Australia is positioned on the left of the driver, so adjusting to switching gears with your left hand (which you formerly do with your right) will add more distraction to this already complicated vehicle maneuver.
Once you completely adjusted yourself, you can start driving stick again.
Once you got your rental car, don't hurtle it down the road yet. Find an almost empty parking lot (you may ask the attendant where to find one). There, you cat get a feel of your car, the reaction time, the pedals, the steering wheel, everything. Take your time to calm your nerves and gather your focus, and slowly drive your car until you get adjusted on it.
Australia is one of the very first countries to enact a seatbelt law, and takes pride in it. Seatbelt laws here is very strict and there are huge fines and demerit points for not wearing one. And there is also the matter of safety. You are a beginner on the road and therefore should protect yourself from mishaps.
City driving is hectic, frenzied, and requires a certain amount of manipulation. If an off-road course is available, take advantage of it. If it is an open field, the better. This should prevent you from ramming yourself into another car or jumping off the curb and ruining somebody’s lawn in case of untoward accelerations. However, we advise that you do not go to extreme and difficult terrains. You might have more problems on them than on street level.
And if possible, avoid the city roads. It can be very chaotic and intimidating. Multiple cars overtaking and swerving, traffic jams, pedestrians suddenly crossing the street, and don’t even get us started with the cyclists. There are just too many to watch out for. Go for a road with minor traffic such as the suburbs or anywhere off the city. The less road users there are, the more focused you will be.
Like the first time you learned how to drive, it will be awhile before you get used to it. Do not overcrowd your day with driving lessons. Take a break to completely absorb what you learn, realize your mistakes, and process the tiny details of your experience. Tiring yourself on long driving hours will only lead to stress, frustrations, and accidents.
Enjoy the experience. Australia is a beautiful place. Once you are settled and get used to driving, not getting late for work will be your first priority already, and will miss the opportunity of appreciating the good view. Do it now while you still can.
Not many people like layovers. They keep long hauls incredibly longer, you are stuck in a foreign country that is not even your destination, and you are confined in an airport as your prison. But thing is, layovers are an extension of your travel work, or even home, and can offer experiences that you can never find elsewhere.
Here are seven things you can do to survive, enjoy, and keep your sanity intact during a layover. You’re welcome.
Before you can do anything on this list, you need to keep your luggage safe first. There’s no point to enjoying a layover if you lost your things. In situations like these, luggage get rechecked immediately to the next flight. If your next flight is too far ahead, then you may find another way.
Most airports offer lockers where you can leave your bags protected for a couple of hours. That leaves you light and free and ready to roam the world for a few hours. Make sure you choose the ones nearest to the departure gates. You don’t want go on 100 meter dashes inside the airport because your locker is situated on the other end of the complex.
Traveling from Tokyo to Sydney is an unforgiving 18-hour connecting flight. And no matter how long it is, it is nigh impossible to sleep soundly inside planes, and don’t start with us how unsanitary their rest rooms are. A layover is your chance to keep yourself clean and doze off.
Many airports provide short-term lodging rooms to travelers that you can rent. They are equipped with a shower room, a bed, and even a work table. There you can properly clean yourself and have real good sleep. You can go to Sleeping in Airports and see if such facilities are available on your layover, how much are the rooms are, and how comfortable they are. It is like Trip Advisor, but dedicated for layovers only.
Can you leave the airport during a layover? Of course you can! However, there are catches. First, see if you have the right visa, and second, make sure it is approved by the customs and immigration office to avoid legal mishaps. Once you do, you are free to explore the outside world, given you have the time and extra money to do so.
Eat their food, visit museums, go to the park, shop, or even just stroll around taking Instragram-material pictures. Your goal is to get a breath of fresh, non-airport air. Basically, you are visiting two countries in a single journey. Also, make sure you do not go that far. Travelling to next city to watch a movie if your next flight is within an hour wouldn’t be very wise. Make your plans within safe distances lest you would be missing your flight.
Just because you are on a flight does not mean emails stops coming. A layover would be a perfect time to catch up with them so you won’t be overwhelmed when you return to work. Also, if your presentation needs finishing touches, you may do this in the airport’s lounge rooms. If you are a travel blogger, you may take advantage of this time start your journal, update your website, upload your pictures, or update your fans and or followers on social media.
It is nice to work inside the airport, no sudden meetings to attend, no summons from your boss to go to his office to answer a few questions, and no distractions from coworkers. It’s just you, your latte, and your laptop.
If you are physically active, you know that sitting for six hours straight with very little activity just pulls energy out of your muscle. A layover, no matter how short it is, is a great time to make those blood running and the heart pumping hard again. No, we don’t advise you to make the airport complex your jogging arena (expect the security to come after you). But rather, see if the airport has a fitness center, gym, or workout facilities. If there isn’t any, you can go out and try to find the nearest gym. If you are in the US or Canada, you may check Airport Gyms to see the nearest fitness centers in your airport.
You see, when you are cramped that long, your posture gets ruined, you develop backaches, or worst case, give you swollen legs. Counteract these by doing light stretching, a light cardio, or even light weightlifting to get your proper posture, energy levels, and heart rate back. We advise against doing intense workout. You don’t want to make your plane trip more uncomfortable with muscle soreness.
We all know airplane food is never up to our palate standards, either because your taste buds get muted while flying 3,000 miles in the air or that’s the bane of pre-frozen and pre-packaged foods. Either way, we cannot ceaselessly complain. You are not in a Michelin-star restaurant. And since no one wants to get starved for nine hours straight, a layover is a good opportunity to feast on airport food (which is an entirely different story, taste-wise).
Airports are filled with restaurants, fast food joints, and cafes that cater to people from all over the world. From the ubiquitous McDonalds and KFCs to the more sophisticated French restaurants like La Vie and St. Tropez. Or better, try out the local eats the complex has to offer to give you a taste (literally!) of your temporary destination. Just be sure you have your antidiarrheal meds with you. You don’t want bouts of tummy aches and trips to the rest rooms to ruin your trip.
Board games, specifically. In a time and age where Internet and mobile games is the saving grace of any time spent waiting, a low-tech piece of cardboard with drawings on it can still tremendously entertain anybody. If there’s two or more of you and you know you will have two to three hours to spare for your layover, bring a board game such as Scrabble, Risk, or even Monopoly with you to keep boredom at bay (just be sure to keep relationships intact with Monopoly). All you need is a table and a few chairs you are good. If you are alone, a crossword, fill-it-in, or Sudoku puzzle book will keep you distracted.
When we plan to migrate, we tend to look on things that will satisfy our senses. Is the food good? Will the sights be superb? Are people friendly enough? Do they have Netflix? While taking these into consideration toatlly make sense (you will settle there for the rest of your life, after all), we have to see beyond these things and look at the more important factor that actually affect sustainability of life here. These factors overall economy, employment rate, optimism and the likes.
Worry no more. The Land Down Under takes care of these smoothly, as evidenced by reports we have gathered that implies Australia is going north when it comes to economic sustainability. Here are five of them.
Despite the scares and panic caused surrounding the Brexit last June on a global scale, Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew in the first quarter of 2016, making it the 99th quarter of which the country is in a state of economic prosperity. This hikes up the acceleration growth rate to 3.1%, the fastest since 2012’S September quarter.
Gross domestic product is the value of all the products and services produced by a country within a specified time. This is one of the indicators of a country’s general economic activities.
It has been almost 24 years since Australia had undergone recession, a period of significant decline in economy lasting for a few months. While going through this is quite normal even for developed countries, the Lucky Country has managed to avoid this.
Compared to other first world nations such as Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and Japan, Australia has outperformed them when it comes to GDP, unemployment, and consumer price index (CPI).
The growth of the manufacturing sector not only the by-product of a good economy. In fact, most often than not, it is one of the causes. A country’s GDP is dependent on manufactured goods and services, and between the two, goods is the one on which global trade hinges on.
Recently, Australia bid good bye on Ford’s 91 year-old manufacturing business in the country. But despite this loss, the manufacturing sector is rocking it again. The third quarter of 2016 saw the pillar of economy bouncing back, led by the food industry and increasing the Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index by 2.9 points to 49.8 last month.
And while this is going smoothly, technology has also jumped in to take the manufacturing up a notch by some companies making their factory staff utilise wearable devices to keep an eye on fatigue, preventing workplace accidents in the process.
But this breakthrough isn’t just something that jumpstarted two months ago. The rise of production sector has been already reported as far back as January, with the petroleum, wood and paper products, chemical & rubber products, coal, food, beverages and tobacco, furniture, clothing, textiles, and other industries all witnessed increased activities during this period.
And what happens when production has increased? That means more jobs, which leads us to…
Australia is already known to have very low unemployment rates. But last month’s numbers defied even the most optimistic expectations when unemployment rate from 5.7% to 5.6%, reaching its lowest level in three years. Economist predicted that the numbers will stay at 5.7%, which is already good, but went further lower by 0.01% in August.
The Turnbull government welcomed the development warmly, is this is a result of the 186,000 more jobs they have added to the workforce.
A low unemployment rate means that the number of Australians actively seeking for a job is low in relation to the population of actively employed people. This boosts up the economy in a number of ways. First, it improves efficient utilization of resources and equipment. When this happens, production efficiency increases, meeting customer demands and maintaining good consumer and supplier relations.
Second, it makes finding job easier for Australians, not only because there are more jobs, but also because the companies have confidence in the job market demand in the near future. Third, this means more buying power for the consumer, which in turn increases demand, opening for more jobs. Making at a virtuous cycle.
And since we are on the topic of buying power…
And it seems like this virtuous has begun already. Because of improvements on their personal finances, Australians now a more likely to spend, advancing consumer spending and consumer sentiments in the process, as reported by the Melbourne Institute and Westpac Bank survey last month.
The survey, which included 1,200 participants, found that consumer sentiment stepped up to 0.3% in September from a 2% increase in August. Consumer sentiment measures people opinion about their current financial wellness, as well as the short term and long term growth and wellness of the economy. This is one of the powerful economic indicators available, as if it measures and displays the economic advancement on the human level.
The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index also reported the same thing. Despite the falling of a mere 2.2%, consumer confidence in the country remains above its long-run average of 112.8, making it higher than normal.
Rising retail sales are on one of those numbers people will relegate only to increase of department store sales and huge discounts, but as stated above, it is another essential economic indicator. Increase in sales of everyday items exhibits the consumers’ confidence in the market, in the economy, and in their pockets. If they think financial circumstances are bleak, then they will keep their money and save it in the bank. It is good, but not that good, because it does not encourage circulation of money.
With Australia’s August retail sales hitting a +0.4%, it defies (again!) expectations from economists. This amounts to $25.128 billion worth of sales from consumers, and is now the biggest monthly increase since October 2015. Along with department store goods, jumping sales have also been in reported in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (1.2%), food retailing (0.3%) and household goods retailing (0.2%).