Last time, we showed you the many important but most often trivialized pieces of information that could save your life while you are on a plane trip (check here if you missed it). But since air travel is an inherently convoluted science, one article about these details isn’t enough.
Here are nine more facts lurking in the recesses of air navigation that will help you in one way or another on your next trip.
We always think airline companies dive in cash at the expense of its passengers shouldering pricey tickets and enormous fees. But this cannot be any really closer to the truth. Airline business is one of the top money-losing industries out there. Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic, once famously said, ““If you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.” His airline company has reportedly lost money consistently despite the many awards and praises from the consumers.
Most of the time, that flight of yours is overbooked. Airlines need to make sure there isn’t a single empty seat in the plane because someone got stuck in the traffic, overslept, or changed their minds. They only earn something once all the seats has been filed.
Flight attendants are probably one of the biggest victims of stereotypes. Gorgeous women in tight dresses whose function are limited only to looking pretty and pour the occasional whiskey. But behind those warm smiles is a repertoire of badass skills this side of 007.
They are trained to do CPR, use defibrillators, AED’s and epipens, initiate evacuation protocols, engage emergency landing procedures, guard the plane from intruders, and apply martial arts and self-defense techniques whenever necessary. So the next time you go sleazy on them, remember that they could go Batman on you.
You probably heard about the hulking passenger who tried to open an airplane’s back door in the middle of a flight to Seattle (he was restrained expectedly, because see item above). While the guy looked he like he spent a good amount of time training (for this momentous instance, probably) there’s no way he can open that door.
Because of the tremendous cabin pressure to balance the equally humungous pressure outside, you need to put more than 1,100 pounds of force per square-inch of the door to pry it open. That’s weight of a wild boar or a bull shark. Have you tried wrestling a wild boar before? No? Then you should let go of that door.
You’ve heard it a dozen times. The flight attendant rattling that you should keep the window open during the takeoff and landing despite you trying to get a nap by blocking the outside light. It is not done so that you can see how the pilot is so rad for slowly making a 100-ton hunk of metal leave the ground.
It is required so that the attendants and the passengers won’t miss any signs of trouble during these dangerous moments, say, if there’s fire or smoke on the wings, or there are bird strikes disrupting the engines, or Thor trying to get a free ride.
On the same note…
It was a long haul from L.A. to Sydney and the plane is descending five past ten in the evening. You are ready to take an Instagram-worthy selfie (“Sydney-bound! #blessed“) but the attendant instructed to turn down all lights during landing. What a bummer.
As with everything about air travel, there is a science for this. Keeping the lights dim during takeoff and landing makes your eyes well-adjusted to darkness in case of crashes. In these situations, cabin lights might not work, and eyes ready for a darkened environment can look for exit quicker than, say someone suddenly blinded by darkness.
Along with crying toddlers and guys trying to open doors inside the plane, getting your flight canceled or delayed is one of the few mishaps we never wanted to cross roads with. But staying in queue at the gate or ticket counter swinging your fists madly won’t really help much. Call the airline customer service hotline immediately to get you re-booked. There might be five empty seats on a different plane going to same destination and if you call as soon as possible, you can be transferred quickly. Just be prepared with information such as your record locator to get the transaction immediately done. Remember that you are not the only person doing this.
You might be comfy on your window seat with re-runs of Friends plugged on your ears, but your pet isn’t going through the same relief. Instead, animals are being stored in the cargo hold of commercial planes, where the noise can be too much to bear even for human ears and the temperature can shift uncontrollably. In 2012 alone, 29 pets perished, 26 were harmed, and one was lost in US commercial flights. Rethink before flying your pooch.
Yes you can turn that lever or push that button to “lock” the lavatory, but the cabin flight crew can always unlock that by accessing a hidden latch somewhere in the door (we cannot tell where) for safety reasons.
We sincerely hope you haven’t been in an airplane turbulence and will never be on one. You can imagine what it feels like. It’s like a Six Flag roller coaster, but with falling luggage, spilling coffees, and more barfing people on top of the sudden rise and drop of the ride.
But no matter how scary it is, there shouldn't be any fear, as progressing technology have already improved airplane designs and made them crash-proof during this tempest-induced inconvenience. It fact, turbulences are quite normal, and it’s been decades since the last airplane went down due to one. So while every passenger in the cabin are in the fit of panic during these trying times, for the pilots, it is just their usual Thursday annoyance. They got this.
The idea of traveling to another country can put you on a great fit of excitement. You hurry into your room, take out your swimsuits, pack your things, announce it on social media, and you think you are good. The thing is there are many things we tend to neglect whose importance we only realize once bad luck or disaster barreled our way.
Be prepared. Do these 15 tips from the world’s top travelers for a better experience and to avert the heartaches.
If you think travel insurance is expensive, try getting injured while surfing, or requesting for an air ambulance abroad because the nearest hospital is miles away. These facilities can balloon your medical expenditure. Let insurance take care of those.
And while we are on the topic of health…
While you want medical attention in case of sickness to be available as soon as possible, you would not want to need them in the first place. Have your travel vaccinations updated to protect you from diphtheria, typhoid, polio, tuberculosis, hepatitis A and B, yellow fever, rabies, tetanus, and other diseases that you might get from a foreign land.
Australia is rich in sunlight. And while this may be good for active people, the threat of skin cancer is always ready to rear its ugly head. Keep it at bay by investing on a good quality sunscreen after you landed here (they will not let lotions pass through airport security). Buy one with an SPF 50 protection or higher and apply liberally.
If you are not an early morning riser, you should be, at least for your trip. A lot of people get disappointed because the best attractions are always crowded. Get up early and you will catch these places still almost empty and more amusing. You will get more Instagram-worthy shots, too.
And speaking of disappointments…
There will be mishaps and disappointments. Your GoPro will act up. The store will run out of meat pies. You will get late for the bus. Shake them off and laugh at them. These are just temporary setbacks. If you carry a heavy heart from these lemons, you will only ruin the trip for yourself and for your company. Also, there will be good stories to tell in a year or so.
Scan, print, and/or photocopy your documents such as passport(s), travel insurance policies, ticket details, identification cards, credit and/or debit card numbers, and emergency phone numbers. Make two copies. Leave your family or relatives one copy and bring the other as your personal duplicate. In case of mishaps and you lost everything, you can have your home copy mailed to you.
Restaurants, especially those located in spots frequented by tourists like you, tremendously hike up their prices. And this can burn your wallet quicker than you expect. Buy from the local farmers instead and prepare your own food. It prolongs your pocket money, get your food as fresh as it can be, and supports the local farming industry of the place.
Not all wall sockets are created equal. There are 15 varieties and every country has its own standard electrical sockets. Here is a guide to find out which country uses which plugs. Bring the appropriate adapter. You don't want that iPhone to run out of juice.
Google might not get its nose close enough to what’s currently happening in the place you are in, especially if it is only a small town. But attendants, helpers, and managers in hostels are always updated. And it makes sense; they live in the vicinity, talk to other guests, and are knowledgeable about the place. They know where it is best to eat, the cheapest bargains, and the latest events.
You may have lost all your other things, but as long as you have these two, you can survive.
Unless you are going to South Korea, Norway, or Japan, do not expect your Wi-Fi to speed past 15 Mb/s. If you want a decent connection, you need to invest for a good hotspot device. You may not be able to bring these home, but at least your Facebook Live broadcast while drinking wine in Barossa Valley is crisp.
Putting everything in one place, however convenient, makes you prone to greater loss.
Nothing can ruin your day abroad than finding out you can’t spend your own money. That and foot blisters.
If you are going to tour huge cities like Sydney, New York, or Seoul, there will be a lot of walking. We guarantee it. These metropolitans are littered with great spots that need to be covered on foot. Take a cab and you are missing a lot (and spend more money). Bring your most comfortable footwear. Leave the double monk straps and stilettos for restaurant dine outs.
And speaking of walking…
Walking tours are a way to learn about the place’s history, culture, and local atmosphere without shelling so much funds (they are sometimes even free!). You will slowly get immersed to an otherwise foreign community, and you will make more friends in the process. That's a win-win.
Last time, we showed you a list of some of Australia’s most distinguished destinations (and the things you can do there to make your trip more memorable). And there’s a reason these places are popular and inconic. In a single glance from postcards and travel websites, you can pretty much recognise them. The Sydney Opera House with its sales soaring regally in the sky. Barossa Valley and its lush and thriving vines. And the Parliament House with its familiar flagpole.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but these buildings and landscapes do not always look like these. You switch the camera angle or you take the picture on a different time of the year, and they will look instantly unfamiliar, even boring places. They are no different from those cute girl from Instagram who look somebody else when viewed on a different angle.
Let us count the ways.
Image: therealbest.com
We always see Australia’s most iconic landmark from the side. The sails (or shells, depends who you ask) angling upwards, covering each other in succession, and mounted on a majestic podium. The building’s structure is akin to modern expressionist design.
Sydney Opera House in western view
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
But viewed from the front, the Opera House looks like a weirdly constructed church, or even an ambitious event tent. But this doesn't even take away the beauty of the building’s design. What you are seeing at the foreground of the entrance is the smallest of the shells, the Bennelong restaurant. And yes, that’s where the most expensive cheese toast in the world is being served.
Image: flickr.com
Ayers Rock, or Uluru, is the Australian Outback’s shining gem. Its far-reaching, horizontal grandeur is darling for any panoramic shot of the otherwise barren desert land. This natural wonder is also the largest and most famous single rock formation in the world, only slightly rivaled by Dwayne Johnson.
Ayers Rock during sunset.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
From an aerial view it looks like, well, a huge piece of rock. The white lines around are not added digitally to encircle the geological marvel. Those are roads constructed around the rock to give tourists access and a good view of Uluru from all angles.
Image: abc.net.au
The Great Barrier Reef’s wonder can be mostly appreciated when you dived down and get yourself face to face with the hard corals, sponges, echinoderms, mollusks, fishes, mammals, and other aquatic marine creatures that populate its ecosystem, making it one of the most popular eco-tourism destinations in the world.
A variegated lizardfish, one of the creatures inhabiting the reef.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
But people tend to forget that it is also the largest coral system in the world and one of the very few landmarks that can be seen from space (and no, the Great Wall of China isn’t one of them). The aerial image was shot from the International Space Station and shows a section of the north Queensland coast near Cooktown and Hope Vale.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
The 12 Apostles is one of the most awe-inspiring beach sights on the world, and the Google image searches can’t even argue against it. Towering pillars of limestone are standing proudly and bravely guarding the beach off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park. Right now, there are only eight apostles left, as the other four have collapsed through erosion. But still, the name remains intact.
The 12 Apostles as viewed from the beach
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
Looking from the sea side reveals a different beauty, however. On the background of the Apostles are tall, smoothly chiseled walls of stone that make up the rugged and jagged shoreline of Victoria. Its convex formation only reveals how wind and water shaped the shoreline, and the carved nature displays the different layers of the rock over various geological eras.
Image: news.com.au
Mount Buller is a town in Victoria popular among snow sports enthusiasts because of the thick sleet enveloping this alpine region all year round in place where extreme temperatures can reach 50.°C, making it hold the distinction of being a wrong mountain in a wrong country. A quick search in Google reveals a winter wonderland where hundreds of thousands flock every year to ski, compete, or throw snowballs at each other.
Skiers flocking to Mt Buller resort.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
However, it’s not always like this. Last 2014, Mother Nature played a prank on the mountain and robbed it of snow, resulting in bare, boring, and non-white slopes with misplaced chair lifts. According to the owners, this phenomena isn’t the first time to happen. As expected, the snow returned a few weeks later.
And conversely…
Image: adelaidenow.com.au
Barrosa Valley in South Australia is one of the largest wine-producing regions in the country. But you don’t even have tastes their red liquids to be a fan. The picturesque view of the place is a huge draw enough. Rows upon rows of grape vines neatly juxtaposed to each other as they extend towards a lush horizon, while the warm rays of the sunrise or sunset blankets them. Seriously, it’s like stepping inside the postcard, being able to smell the berries and the grapefruits that permeates the atmosphere.
A postcard-worthy shot of the valley's vineyard.
Image: eiseverywhere.com
But last July 2012, a thunderstorm hit the valley, pelting and covering it with hailstones the size of ten-scent coins. And the result is a white and barren landscape with only the vine poles standing. It is quite desolate if you’ll ask us, but the people of the valley think it’s a rather picturesque and charming look of the valley
Image: learn.nearmap.com
Opened on May 1988 by Elizabeth II, the Parliament House in Canberra is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, and undoubtedly one of the most important and famous government buildings in the country. It is built into Capitol Hill with the main entrance as its emblematic and expansive facade.
The Parliament House in its iconic view.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
The aerial view of the building, however, gives us a glimpse on how big the place really is. Visible are the two "boomerangs" overarching the western and eastern part of the ground. The famous flagpole can also be seen in the center. It does not, as many people always think from the images, actually sit on top of the entrance building.
As part of its election commitment, the Turnbull Coalition Government announced last Friday, 23 September, that it will roll out a new temporary sponsored parent visa. The new visa will permit parents to be sponsored by Australians and have them stay for five years. It will be rolled out in July 2017.
The plan was made on the heels of the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to either abolish the permanent visa for migrants’ parents or have the fee increased tremendously. Currently, temporary visa for parents only allow them to stay in the country for two years.
With the new plan, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke issued a succession of community consultations and encouraged public submissions to aid the Government in coming up with the final design of the new temporary visa and the legislative adjustments required to implement it.
Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Alex Hawke
(Image: theaustralian.com.au)
Hawke emphasized that the Turnbull Government “recognises that many Australian migrant communities face particular pressures through the separation of children from parents and grandchildren from grandparents.”
He also said that they aim to provide better channels for families to “reunite and spend time together” while guaranteeing that it must be achieved in a way that does not place strain on Australia's health care system.
"Improving arrangements for parents of Australians to spend time with their family in Australia, whilst mitigating costs to the Australian taxpayer was a key objective of both major parties at the recent election. It is now important we get this balance right in the design of the temporary sponsored parent visa," he added.
There are 190,000 places available for the immigration program last year, 14% of which belong to parents. (Image: Fotolia)
As part of this, one of the conditions being planned to impose for the visa grant is for the aged parents to obtain private health insurance and financial guarantee from their children in Australia. "If we are to have more aged parents who have come from overseas here with us visiting or staying, we have to ensure that our already overburdened health system is protected from extra cost," Hawke said.
Right now, there is an option available in place for parents to get a permanent visa. However, it has a waiting time of up to 30 years. While this can be expedited, it requires higher visa application charges for faster processing. The new option, on the other hand, will require only two years. And will be accessible to parents of Australian citizens, permanent residents, and eligible New Zealand citizens once rolled out.
The current temporary visa for parents only allow them to stay in Australia for two years.
(Image: Fotolia)
A month ago, Tasmania officially supported same-sex marriage, a news that counts as another win for the LGBT community (more details below). Such events only proves that Australia is a dynamic country where world changing-developments and advancements come from the most unlikely occurrences.
We rounded up the most mind-bending (and soon ground breaking, probably) news from around the country.
In what would be another step towards greater equality in the country, Tasmania became the very first state government to support same-sex marriage when the Upper and Lower House have voted for it in principle. The motion was passed eight votes to five on the heels of a lengthy debate.
Marriage equality advocates lauded on this development and described it to be significant, noting that Tasmanian Upper House is traditionally quite conservative in its views.
But this shifting political perspective isn't limited to Tasmania. A week ago, South Australia introduces bill to recognise same-sex marriages. The bill will permit the establishment of a relationships register to which same-sex couples could legally put their marriage on record. The state has yet to officially approve of this but at least, the efforts for gender equality is gaining greater grounds in the political arena.
What it means to us: Australia is the paramount of equality in the western world, be it in culture, educational background, and gender. Pushing for marriage equality for the LGBT community further solidifies this trait and make way for other positive changes in the country.
It is indeed one small step for a man, one giant leap for meat-and-bread lovers-kind.
An Australian entrepreneur has secured a patent for the Hamdog, an odd shaped merging of hamburger and hotdog sandwich nobody actually thought they ever need. Mark Murray, an Antipodean from Perth, officially secured the patent in 2009, but kept his invention in secret for seven years until he gathered enough investments to share this gift to the world, like a fast food Prometheus giving the gift of fire to mankind.
He launched it July this year, and it was massively successful, proving the judges of Shark Attack (basically Australia’s Shark Tank) wrong when they turned down Murray’s concept.
The Hamdog consists of a burger patty sliced into two and with a frankfurter wedged in between, and with a customized bun to contain the two.
What it means to us: For those who are constantly confused between having a hamburger and a hotdog sandwich for lunch, this is a huge relief. Also for lovers of meat pies, your favorite treat will soon have a rival.
The Hamdog
(Source: metro.co.uk)
Ironically, the Hamdog isn’t the weirdest amalgamation of name you can find in Australia. That distinction belongs to the towns and villages in Northern Territory.
English company ST and G created a map of Australia showing all the quirkiest, funniest, and rudest names in country, a bulk of which is in NT. From Boing Boing, to Humpty Doo, to Moolooloo. There is also Rum Jungle, Mount Delight, and Mount Mistake. Head to the south and you have Dead Dog Waterhole, Cockroach Waterhole, Touchy Touch Bore, Crazy Creek, and Fiddlers Lake.
Also, many are explicit, swear-based, and innuendo-filled names (that we just cannot put here).
You may buy the map here though, and have a good chuckle.
What it means to us: The country is home to the weirdest name places for centuries now. Being aware of all these provides a wider perspective of this humorous side of our national identity. Also, it will be a lovely conversation piece in your living room wall.
And since we’re on the topic of quirky place names…
To wake up to eggs and bacon is one of the best things in life. A community in Tasmania has been doing this everyday (at least not literally) because that’s the name of their place.
Ironically, the town of Eggs and Bacon Bay was not named after every person’s dream breakfast, but after a wildflower of the same name popular in the area (why that flower was named such is still a matter of mystery to us). However, a group is pushing a campaign to change the town’s name for a better one. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says the town might as well be called “Heart Attack Bay” because of the cholesterol and saturated fat-filled namesakes.
The mayor seems to concur, saying that the name change is helpful if it will “promote healthy lifestyles.” The residents are not as enthusiastic, though, as the town has been named such for quite a while and people might not be able to find and recognize it once altered.
What it means to us: If the name change where to push through, that means Beefsteak Creek in New South Wales and Leg of Lamb Bank in Western Australia need to rethink their town's name also. Not to mention the hundreds of wackily named places we mentioned above.
The Bacon and Eggs flower, scientific name Lotus corniculatus
Source: Wikimedia.org
If your pizza delivery is getting late these days or you are somehow getting lost while driving to the next town because your GPS is betraying you, you blame the tectonic plates that seem to never get itself together.
Australia is currently moving at 2.7 inches northward a year, making it one of the fastest shifting land form in the surface of the earth by geological standards. This is caused by the constantly drifting tectonic plates. The Global Positioning System is the one that gets constantly affected by this, as the country needs to modify its longitudes and latitudes so they line up with the coordinates. In the last 50 years, Australia has changed its official coordinates four times already just for the sake of accuracy.
What it means to us: A mere three inches a year will not make us cozy neighbors with Indonesia in a decade or so. But such small movements can affect airplanes’ navigation which rely also on GPS. Not to mention the self-driving cars Google and Tesla are trying to roll out.
Creating the most effective job post can be challenging. The pool of talents and potential employees can be quite limited and disparate, so you need a good job advert that piques curiosity, grabs attention, and incites to your call to action. Not to mention, you are competing with other companies who are also looking for same people. So you better up your game in your talent search.
So how do you do it? By following these tips that most employers ignore. These simple hacks will guarantee that your applicants will have an idea of who it is you are looking for, what you are offering in return, and why they should be in your company.
Sure, placing boards outside your building or handing out flyers in the park telling everyone that you have vacancies are still practical methods these days, but most of job posting and searching happen in the Internet, so it only makes sense that you make your job advert SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) friendly.
To make your post show up high on search results, use keywords that are relevant in the job description. You can do this by imagining yourself as the job seeker looking for the position you are offering, and ask yourself what the words you will be Googling are.
Avoiding jargons or terms too esoteric to your company may also help. Looking for “Tier 2 Upper Executive Strategy Planner” can be too technical. Instead, settle simply for “Senior Management Strategist.” But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to be specific with your postings. If you are looking for a developer experienced with Python (a high-level programming language), don’t just look for a “Web Developer,” “Python Web Developer” is a better post title.
And lastly, while cryptic questions like “Do you want to earn more while having fun?” can be creative, they will not appear under Google searches.
Just because you need to use relevant keywords doesn’t mean you can flood it until it doesn’t make sense as a whole anymore. Just as you need to adhere to Google’s algorithm, you need to satisfy the human comprehension as well.
You can do this by writing the post in an easy to understand and coherent manner. This will help the candidate envision the company, the job, and the compensations better. Write in present tense, and use the second person pronoun (“you”) to make it feel more personal. Keep the statements brief and succinct, and put them in bulleted form to make it clear, clean, and orderly. Make it warm, as if you are writing to your best friend. This gives your company a more cordial and sincere atmosphere.
You may also want to stay away from vague terms and phrases when it comes to tasks such as “May be accountable for…” or “Possibility of doing...,” as they are open to interpretations or seem optional, blurring the clear description you are aiming for. And lastly, include frequencies of the tasks, such as “Daily research for projects,” “Weekly oversight of tasks,” or “Monthly submission of reports” so the candidate can have a clear idea of the workload.
There is no cut-and-dried solution or rule about placing the salary offer in your job posting. Doing so or not each has its own advantages and consequences.
Disclosing the offer can save you a lot of time and effort, since you don’t have to deal anymore with candidates who, after sessions of interview, will back down upon finding out that the compensation is not par with what they are expecting. Also, salaries are a great way to attract applicants, especially if they are reasonable. On the flip side, you will lose your negotiating power, and cannot adjust the number anymore based on what the candidate can offer. Not to mention, competing companies can suddenly upgrade their packages upon seeing the compensation package.
These are the very reason why salaries are mostly withheld. Different talents have different income entitlements, even for those gunning for the same position. This is dictated by age, experience, level of education, training, specialisation, what the previous company is paying, and the candidate’s negotiation abilities. You want to be flexible when bargaining for the offer. On the down side, this might drive away candidates. Let’s admit it, in a world where you can have hundreds of choices right in front of you with a single click, candidates can solely look for jobs where the topic of income is already an available information.
You may forget everything in this list, but do not forget this one. Your success in hiring the bets employees hinges on this point: learn to sell your company.
Just as applicants are selling themselves in their curriculum vitae, you need also to impress them with your company descriptions. And yes, if you market your company effective enough, it can blur out whatever number is written in the salary section.
Detail the company’s mission and vision, what it wants to achieve, its goals and purpose for the society. Describe the company culture, the common traits your effective employees have, and the collective atmosphere it produces. Use adjectives and adverbs to give color and boost your descriptions (but don’t overload them). No, you don’t need to have office slides in lieu of stairs to entice candidates, an atmosphere where “diverse talents from different cultures, age, and backgrounds are all welcomed” is a huge draw itself.
As leadership author and speaker Simon Sinek put it, if you can make people (your potential candidates) believe in what you believe, they will work for you not just for money, but they will work with you with their “blood, sweat, and tears.” We think that’s a better scenario.
Call-To-Actions (CTAs) are sentences that provoke immediate responses from your audience. It is a marketing tool that you see ubiquitously from Home TV Shopping channels (“Call now and get three more…!”) to software platforms (“Give it try – it’s free for 60 days!”) to Netflix ads (“Join free for a month”). They give those who are double thinking a final push to click, sign up, or give the product a try. It works for job adverts, too.
Examples below motivate the job seekers to give your job post a try:
Of course, call-to-actions do not have to actively urge people to apply to your company. They can be a call for candidates to join your community, talent network, or even a chat with your team to share ideas and information. It is a great way to constantly be in touch with potential applicants and keep them in your contacts.
I almost thought that Australia is the same with America. Almost. I was under the impression that Australia was just like the US, but warmer and with more kangaroos than San Diego, California. The two nations share so much similarities, both have gone under the (and maintain good relationships with) Great Britain, indulge in western fast-food, and are English speakers.
So it came as a shock when I got here and found out that Oz was nothing like my country. Everything is done differently. I’ve seen Kangaroo Jack and Wolf Creek and Crocodile Dundee and this land was a far cry from what pop culture fed me.
It wasn’t necessarily bad, but rather challenging. Australia is filled with great people, a friendly climate, and lots of beaches. Also, these weird changes that might take me a lifetime to adapt to.
If you were not from Japan, Singapore, United Kingdom, or certain parts of Africa and you drive a car to and from the work and/or school, the first few weeks of driving here is like learning to ride a bike again.
Australia, just like these countries, drive on the left hand side of the road. That means the driving wheel is on the right side of the car. And you need to keep left. It took me time to learn. And it gets tougher when there were like four of you in the same lane learning to drive this way for the first time.
Perhaps this is the part where I throw my hands up for the Aussies in admiration. They dry their clothes like how Mother Nature will do it: through the sheer power of the wind and the sun.
No. They don’t use windmills and solar cells to power their clothes dryers. But rather, they use this low-tech contraption called a hills hoist. It basically looks like a giant umbrella planted solidly on the ground with the canopy removed and the ribs protracted (yes, I have a great imagination). They hang the clothes to the ribs and let the wind and sun to the job. The hills hoist also rotate to follow the wind.
This method, I believe, is better since it doesn’t use so much electricity like we do back home. And takes advantage of the country’s rich sunshine.
A hills hoist.
wikimedia.org
If you grew up playing basketball, ice hockey, or like me, baseball, you may give up on hopes that you will ever play or watch those games again on big sporting events, because as far as Australia is concerned, those games do not exist (at least in the city I am in).
Here, cricket is the source of madness. It is very much like baseball, but with people paddling (not batting) the ball while the others try to catch it mid-air sans any pitcher gloves. I was getting the hang of it while watching. But I will never try to play it, not if I want to keep a pair of functioning phalanges.
Oreos were part of my child hood. You open a pack, dunk them in a glass of milk, consume, and forget about all the worries in the world because eating these biscuits was all that matters at the moment.
Here in Australia, I couldn’t find Oreos anymore (or probably I was just looking in the wrong place). But what I can see so many though, are Tim Tams. These ubiquitous chocolate biscuits filled with chocolate cream and wrapped with more chocolate might as well be the country’s national food if meat pies and Vegemite do not exist.
But to my surprise, Tim Tams are great. Especially if you bite the opposite ends and use what’s remaining as a straw to drink hot chocolate or coffee (or what they call as “Tim Tams slam”). It’s insanely addicting. Sorry, Oreos-dunked-in-milk, we were done.
Tim Tams slam.
firstwefeast.com
I lived most of my life inland, so a sight of the beach made me hear angels sing. Here in Oz, everybody is within 30 minutes of a drive from beaches. Which is understandable, since most of the Aussies live in the coastal areas, as the Outback, or the middle area of the continent, is pretty much an uninhabitable desert. So if you like coastal living and the sight of the setting sun as waves gently kiss the shore, you will have fun here.
We might be notorious for our humongous fast food staples, but once you see the Aussies’ burgers, suddenly our burgers pale in comparison.
Introducing, the burger with the lot. This monstrosity looks like someone got tired of eating breakfast and lunch separately so he just packed everything between two buns and called it a meal. It contains burger patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cheese, barbecue sauce, damper rolls, parsley leaves, fried egg, pineapple rings, and beetroot. I am still at a collective loss over the last three ingredients but so far everything works as far as the taste concerned. They even included a side of salad because come on, the meal needed to be healthy.
Burger with the lot.
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Like our neighbor Canadians, we use the zigzag method, in which we hold the fork with our left hand and the knife with the right, cut the food, put down the knife near the top of the plate, and switch the fork to the right hand to pick up the food. Then we switch everything back to cut the food again. We really do not know why we waste so much energy with this method, but it’s been the way we do it.
Here, I admire the Australians’ commitment to their cutleries. There’s no putting down or switching of anything. Fork stays on the left, knife on the right. I’ve never felt being an outsider in any event than when I am eating steak with them.
America lives in a frantic mess of complaints, stress, disappointments, and more complaints. Perhaps, this was a product of a self-entitled culture. You see how I am complaining here the entire time?
Aussies, on the other hand, unbelievably knows how to chill.
They don’t put things inside little boxes of expectations and go on speech rage every time something goes wrong. At the very least, they do not expect things to happen urgently, or happen the way they want it to be. They can wait in queues for food, buses, ATM machines, or concerts without whining how long it has been taking. They never complained of being tired, or being bored, or being stressed. They just know that everything will work out in the end. I hope this won’t change. If anything, this kind of positivity is what the world needs.
We have already told you about the things you should do and expect before you even hop on the plane and study in Australia. But guess what, there are no mental preparations that can get you ready for the deluge of expenses when getting your degree from the Land Down Under. Australia is home to some of the best universities in the world and will totally make your effort and money worth it. But on the flip side, it is quite costly to study here.
But that doesn’t mean you should be discouraged, as there are work arounds to circumvent these huge expenditures. You only need a handful of creativity and a dose of self-discipline. Let us show you the ways.
This perhaps is the most underrated weapon in the arsenal of money-saving ideas. Your school ID is the hall pass for the many pricey products and services in Australia such as retail stores, movie theaters, museums, and restaurants. You may inquire your student activities office for any student discounts and perks your ID can take advantage of.
And before you make purchases on clothes, food, concert tickets, or just about anything, you may ask first if you can avail of any discounts for being a student. Asking won’t hurt. Worst case scenario, they will say no. Otherwise, you get a great deal. Also, you may join Student Club, which will further maximize your ID and further broaden your access to student discounts.
When strolling or jogging around town, you may take on a lookout for closing sales on groceries and food shops and take of note of them. Some of these stores hold clearance sales during evening where they sell products that are about to go out of date on insanely marked down prices. Food items like seafood, fresh produce, vegetables, fruits, bread, and dairy products are usually the ones getting slashed.
They may still be days from getting expired, but it helps to take note of the expiration dates before purchasing and avoid those that are already too close to their due, especially when it comes to dairies. And make sure you consume them before such dates. Going through a bout of diarrhea as a tradeoff for saving five dollars on your food expense is not worth it.
And since we are on the topic of food already…
Have you ever opened your fridge and found that you only have a disparate of food ingredients such as bananas, apples, chicken breast, and peanut butter that it is next to impossible to come up with a decent meal? A group of entrepreneurs and web designers probably go through the same episode every day and cooked up (hah!) a brilliant culinary innovation: Supercook.
Supercook is a website where you can input whatever ingredients you have in your fridge or cupboard and it will come up with recipes that involve those what you have. The website does this by scanning other legit recipe websites such as AllRecipes, Food.com, and Martha Stewart, among others (you can create two meals from the above ingredients, by the way). This is a great way to maximize what you have, be adventurous with your meals, and stop throwing food because you think they have no use.
If saving money won’t cut it, earning it will doubtlessly do. Working while studying definitely pays off, not only monetarily, but in terms of creativity and learning new things. But working hard isn’t enough, working smart is the way to do it.
When you enrolled in Australia, you will be given specific amounts of weeks available for holidays, so be sure to inquire on your school for the maximum number of weeks available for your course, as these are the days when you are allowed to work for as many hours as you prefer. Also, take your holidays on schedules when there is the most work available so you may earn as much as you can. These may vary depending on your industry or job. You may ask your superiors or coworkers for such days. They’d be happy that somebody is eager to fill in on these peak days.
But all work and no play can make your student life exhausting and arduous. You need to go out and have fun as well. And yes, that also costs money. But that doesn’t mean you cannot cut the expenses. Australia is filled with events and venues you can enjoy without making you weep on your empty wallet. You just need to take an effort in looking for them.
Some of these include museums, art galleries, and cultural institutes. These venues are cheap and even free to visit, and you may learn a thing or two about art and history, too. If staring at paintings and relics aren’t your thing, you may go for botanical gardens, parks, zoos, and precincts (not the place where the cops hangout) with your friends to chill, relax, play ball, or even have barbecues.
Sometimes, a couple of barbecues and trips to the zoo will never do. You want your night outs the way you do it back at home: with friends, alcohol, and dim lights. But going to bars and clubs will make you bleed money (possibly more than what you can earn), no matter in which city you are living. Your workaround? International student nights.
If you have one in your school, better ask for the date(s) and take note of it. It is the time when beer and other alcohols’ prices are getting slashed. Go with your friends or make new ones. If you have more company with you, the less you tend to drink, therefore the more you save.
If you are not living half a mile from your school, you should try biking instead of commuting. It is fun, gets you to school quickly, lets you avoid traffic jams, needs no fuel, and helps you burn calories. But we know, bicycles are very expensive. So owning one is already out of the questions.
It’s a good thing bike sharing websites like SpinLister lets you rent a bike to try for a couple of days before you can return it and rent another one if you get the hang of it. This creates a good opportunity for you to try it out around your city, town, or campus before you invest in your own bike. And when you are already have the money, you can buy a second-hand one through Craigslist.
Culture is multi-dimensional. If you are in Australia and you want to experience, say, what it feels like to be in China, munching on Sichuan food won’t be enough. You need to have the entire atmosphere around you. Chinese architecture, Chinese practices, and even the actual Chinese people.
That’s the reason cultural enclaves are awesome. They provide a multi-dimensional, 360-degree feel of a foreign lifestyle. The sights, the sounds, the feel, and even the smell. At the same, they provide foreigners a way to continue their way of life in an alien land.
And since Australia is mostly a patchwork of European and Asian migrants, it boasts of ethnic enclaves that are awe-inspiring and worth the bus tickets. Here are five of them, found in Sydney and Melbourne, in case you miss life back home or you just want to have a culturally charged experience.
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Where: Haymarket, between Central Station and Darling Harbour
Chinatowns are undoubtedly the most common cultural enclave, as there close to 35 of these little Chinas in many parts of the world. Twelve of these are in Australia alone, the biggest of which is in Sydney, although it is smaller compared to most Chinatowns in other countries. it is smacked between skyscrapers, giving it a post-modern vibe.
The food, however, is an entirely different story. Here you can feast on the traditional Chinese fares such us hotpots, handmade egg noodles, shrimp dumplings, chicken feet (that’s not a typo), pan-fried green onion pancakes, the famous Peking ducks, and many more. The stalls offering street foods would cook the meal right in front of you as you wait and confusingly salivate whether those crab meat dumplings would go well with beer or sugar cane juice. Indulge in them while surrounded by glowing street lanterns, archways, and oriental architectures and you have got the feel of China in less than an hour drive.
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The main event is the weekly Friday Night Market where novelty snacks and funky Asian fashion clothes are being sold by rows upon rows of vendors. Best time and place to test your haggling skills.
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Where: Melbourne City Centre, eastern end of Little Bourke St.
Sydney’s Chinatown might be the biggest, but it is in Melbourne where it all started. Established in 1854, it played a pivotal role in setting up the history and culture of the ethnic Chinese immigrants in the country. The Melbourne Chinatown is the noted for being the longest continuous Chinese community in the Western World and the one of the oldest of its kind in Southern Hemisphere.
And that physical history did not go forgotten. The Chinese Museum and Chinatown Visitor Centre contains photographs, documents, and sculptures representing the lives of the first Chinese people in the country. The five-floor building showcases Australian-Chinese heritage at its best.
After you satisfied your hunger for history and information, you can also gratify your gastronomical pursuits here. Much like its cousin back in Sydney, Melbourne’s Chinatown is a food haven. Feast on yum cha’s, shark’s fin dumplings, crispy duck, seafood fresh from the tank, roast ducks, wontons, and many more. Whether you are looking for Sichuan, Jiangsu, or Cantonese, they have it.
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And the annual Chinese New Year here is huge party. Big crowds, dancing dragons, street performances, music, and more food. Their New Year beats everybody else’s New Year every time.
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Where: Haymarket on Campbell Street, to the east of George Street.
Over the past few years, Thai food is gaining recognition on the international scale, being recognized alongside Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese cuisine. But here in Campbell Street, it is very much a live for a decade and a half now. Established in 2000, Thai Town has been the epicenter of Thai culture in Australia. And it is only logical, since Sydney has the highest concentration of Thai population in the country.
Though not as expansive and complex as Chinatown up there in west of George Street, this conglomeration of Thai restaurants, food stalls, groceries, and video stores is a lively haven for Thai residents, foodies, and Thai culture enthusiasts. Splurge on the traditional Thai treats such as pad thai (fried noodles), tom yum goong (spicy shrimp soup), gaeng keow wan kai (green chicken curry), and tom kha kai (chicken in coconut soup), and then wash it down with either cha yen (coconut milk tea) or Thai beer.
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A simple tip here: if you somehow get lost with all these choices and do not know where to start, get your cue from the Thais themselves. Go to where the lines are the longest, as they know which foods is worth the bang for your buck.
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Where: Lygon Street, Carlton
Not all enclaves in Oz has an Asian vibe. For those looking for something more European, there’s the Little Italy along Lygon Street between Gratton Street and Argyle Place North. In this small strip of the street runs the many ristorantes, trattorias, pizzerias, enotecas, and tavernas, each serving old-school Italian delicacies like pastas, insalatas, pizza, risottos, porchettas, cheeses, pastries, sorbetos, and of course, coffee. It is believed to be the place where Melbourne’s café culture began.
But the draw of this strip of Italian joins isn't limited to food alone, as it captures what it’s like to grab a meal in Rome’s Via Margutta (without the overly narrow roadway of course). The lines of tents, the crowd mumbling their orders, greetings, and conversations, and the trees providing warmth in otherwise chilly nights.
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If you are done satisfying your palate, you may also shop along the 28 specialty stores found here including Country Road, Forza Italia Melbourne, Alberto Piazza Shoes, Silk Lane Boutique, and yes, they have Woolworths here, too. Or if consuming art films, indie movies, documentaries, and foreign flicks are your thing, Cinema Nova has all of those for you.
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Where: Eastern end of Lonsdale Street, Melbourne city centre.
No. Greek Precinct isn’t a place in Melbourne where uproarious Greeks go to be confined. Rather, this lively little town smacked in the city centre is where Greeks and other people alike go to enjoy Greece’s best treats and offerings.
Melbourne, known to cradle people of diverse cultural background, is also home to the largest Greek population of any city in the world outside Greece. So it only make sense that they establish a piece of their country here. You can find here restaurants, book stores, record shops, bars, jewelry stores, and shoe shops all offering Greek products. The towering Greek Centre is the centerpiece of all these with its functions, exhibitions, performances, and educational events all showcasing Greek culture.
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And after have indulged in these displays, you may satisfy your tummies next in the many estiatorios, psistarias, ouzeries, and tavernas lining the street. Here, you can sample Greek and Mediterranean foods like eliopsomo (bread with olives), garides saganak (shrimp in spicy tomato sauce), fakes (lentil soup), bamies (okra with tomato sauce), chtapodi sti schara (grilled octopus in vinegar), moussaka (eggplant-based dish), tzatziki (greek sauce served with grilled meats) and many more. You may wash them down with beer, ouzo (an alcoholic drink), ouzito (the Greeks' answer to mojito) or good old Greek wine.
An interview is like a first date. This is the initial point of contact when both parties are trying to find out if the other person is worth their time. And like most first dates, you flunk it despite being well-prepared, responding in the most confident and smartest way possible, and wearing your tailor-fitted three-piece suit.
So on which part do you messed up? Simple. It is in those seemingly innocent and trivial questions that you think you have answered correctly. The truth is these enquires are being given to reveal how your job ethics, future plans, and abilities play well with the company.
Here are some of those questions and how you should and should not answer them. So the next time you encounter these wringers again, you know how nail them.
How people always answer it:
“I’m John Doe, 27 years old. I graduated from the University of Melbourne with a degree in Civil Engineering. I am the eldest among four children. My father is also an engineer and my mother is a public school teacher.”
Why this is wrong:
Believe it or not, this is the most important question in the interview. Like an opening scene of a movie or the prologue of a book, your response here will set the tone for the entire conversation. It is the moment for your sales pitch. You answer this cleverly and properly and you got the interviewer hooked. You give a generic answer and he/she is already thinking if the next applicant has something better to offer.
How You Should Answer It:
The Muse CEO Kathryn Minshew offers a no-brainer and fail-safe formula to craft the perfect response. It is called the Present-Past-Future method. You start with your present, describing current your skills, talents, and abilities. Then you transition to the past, talking about your experiences and the expertise you gained. Then you cap it off with the future, discussing what you can do for the company and why you want to be here. All talking points must be relevant with the company and the position you are applying for.
How people always answer it:
“In five years, I see myself earning twice as much as I do right now. With a dream house and a Lamborghini. I can request that for my company car, right?”
Why this is wrong:
This question aims to extract your future plans in relation to the company or the position you are pursuing. It is great that you have goals, but those goals should also benefit your employer. It is like if your partner asked you “What shall we do for the day?” and your response is “I only want to play Xbox/spend my time at the saloon all day.” It is vastly underwhelming since they are not included in your plans. Your interviewer feels the same way.
How You Should Answer It:
Focus on a long term career with the employer. Your interviewer wants to know that you want to stay and grow under their wings. Since you don’t know much about the positions and inner workings of the company, you may answer in general. This video provides a fairly spot-on response. The guy said he is prepared to “assume more management responsibilities and get involved in product strategy” in a company where he “can grow and take on new challenges over time.” It isn’t too specific, stresses on long term, and greatly benefits the employer.
How people always answer it:
“I am so detailed and organized that so much of my time is focused in making things systematized and coordinated.”
Why this is wrong:
When your employer fires this question, it is not an opportunity for you to humblebrag. Instead, they are asking if you are aware of your flaws and how are trying to cope up and improve. We all have areas of improvements. And your employer knows that. Dropping this answer is a sign of hubris.
How You Should Answer It:
When picking up a certain weakness, it is not wise to choose something that is specifically detrimental to your job. If you are applying for an accounting firm, you cannot say that you don’t enjoy numbers. The same goes with “I don’t like dealing with people” while pursuing a position in customer service.
You can suggest a significant (career-related) weakness in the past that you have resolved, or an ongoing flaw that you are constantly fixing through sheer will and how you had turned this into strength, like in this video. Admitting that you “used to struggle with time management” and then solving it by setting “personal deadlines along the way” so you would “complete your projects on time” is a perfect example.
How people always answer it:
“My immediate supervisor failed to take care and respect her subordinates. That kind of principle was not working for me. Also, there’s too much office politics.”
Why this is wrong:
This question singularly brings interviewees to nervousness, because it can bring up bad histories with previous employments. But no matter how bad it is, never malign a previous company, superior, or coworker in an interview. They might be complete jerks to be unprofessional towards you, but how you will paint them will be more of a reflection of your behavior and professionalism.
How You Should Answer It:
First, always put your company in good light. And second, make the answer as short as possible. This will avoid further curiosity from the interviewer and try to unearth any skeleton you are keeping buried.
Here’s a good example:
“I enjoyed working in XYZ Company. But recently, the new management team decided to alter the company’s goals and revamp my division’s responsibilities. I left so I could look for a position where I can contribute my best work. I find your company to be a strong fit.”
It is concise, complete, never puts previous employer in bad light, and stresses on what the new company can benefit from you.
How people always answer it:
“Because I’m the best person for the job.
Why this is wrong:
Because, guaranteed, the three other candidates before you said the same thing already.
If the “Tell me about yourself,” is the preface, this is where you bring out all the guns and ammunitions you have to impress your interviewer. That being said, this is not an answer you think of on the spot. You brainstorm on this during your pre-interview preparations.
How You Should Answer It:
First, list down all your skills, career accomplishments, experiences, trainings, and other things that you think not every people can do or possess (all should be career-related, your ability to continuously chug a pint of beer, however impressive, does not count). And then take a look at the job description, and see which requirements match with your abilities.
Second, design your sales pitch based on these matching points. It should be cohesive, concise, and persuasive. The pitch should be no longer than two minutes. Here’s an example:
“Based on what you said, the company is undergoing its mid-term goal of expanding its accounts and divisions. With my trainings in account management, I can contribute a lot to this endeavor. Also, with my substantial experiences in sales and executive position, I can steer the company effectively towards its long term goals of increasing sales and revenue.”
And third, practice but do not memorize. We cannot stress this enough. Sounding like you tried to memorize your curriculum vitae is a turn off. Putting your pitch in your heart, on the other hand, can emanate passion and conviction, making your statements sound more genuine.
How people always answer it:
“I’m expecting within the range of (provides figure way out of salary range)”
Why this is wrong:
This question is being asked to know if your employer can afford you. And in the answer above, you obviously didn’t do enough research. Each job position have their own salary scheme. Unless you proved that you can do so much than the average employee (say, you possess a relevant knowledge or have undergone an important training only a small percentage of people in your industry do) or is almost already up for promotion, the company will never pay you outside of your market value.
Here in Australia, you may visit Payscale.com to know how much people in your industry in each city are getting so you won’t blow your numbers out of proportion.
How You Should Answer It:
As much as we want to provide a technique for this one, there is no cut and dry answer. It all depends on your goals in the interview.
One school of thought says that you should not be so aggressive in giving figures. Having researched about the job position will already give you an idea of the pay scheme, and giving any expectations can do nothing to change it. This basically removes the idea of haggling out of the equation. So the preferred answer is to sidestep the question and focus on the opportunities offered.
Another is actually providing your expected salary (within range of the scale of course) and negotiating it. But remember, you only do this if you believe your talent, skills, and actual worth is much higher than the average person and you are willing to lose a good opportunity for the sake of a higher pay. And if you are opting for this, do not be aggressive and try to focus more on what you offer to the company.