Almost there....

Just to start off with a small story...
In one of the last blogs, I had said that I house sat for my aunt (my aunt and uncle went overseas for two weeks, during which I went ot Brisbane for a week).  So, I was house sitting for 1 1/2 weeks, and I did a pretty good job, except for a couple of days here and there.  The routine was that I would feed the dog and the fish and topped off the water in the pond before I left for work, and then in the evening, make sure the light was on in the back so that the dog sees the herons when they sit on the roof and stare at the fish at night.  There was one day when the water heater's pilot light went out, and I woke up to a cold shower.  So I went outside, fed the dog and fish, and put a hose in the pond to top off the water in the fish pond before going to work.  Then I proceeded to fix the water heater, which I thought would be a 5 minute job, but turned into a 30 minute job.  After I fixed it, I ran into the house, grabbed a bite to eat and noticed that the water level in the pond was almost over flowing!  Good thing I caught it... turned off the water and went to work.  Later in the same week, on Saturday I was going to the GLS 2010, and so I fed the dog and the fish, and topped the water, but then got distracted... no, it wasn't like "Ooo, bird!"... it was more like nature was calling.  And so, afterwards, I left to go to the GLS.  8 HOURS LATER I came back to find the water still flowing!  I spent about 2 hours fixing up the area, bailing out water overflowing to all over the back yard... the small fish mixed with the big fish (no one was eaten), and one big fish died (sigh.. one casualty).  Moral of the story... I'm fine house sitting as long as no pets are involved... not sure about plants.  On the flip side, I came home from church one Sunday a few weeks after, and found my aunt forgot to turn the water off as well (only about half an hour on, so no casualties)... so maybe forgetfullness runs in the family.  So, just a warning... I can house sitting is good if you have no pets... and maybe plants.

Job:
The job is going well... still reading.  Some readings are good, others not so hot.  I think I am going to go back to caffeine addiction through coffee if I can't stay awake through some of these articles and books.  I think the topic is interesting, but some people write in such a dry way that I am surprised that they didn't fall asleep when they proofread their work!  I've been to a few meetings where the entire mechanical and civil department gets together to discuss the huge problems that they are facing.  What I find amusing is that the problems they are facing with teaching their students, I have already faced and learned from in dealing with teenagers in the NYC public school system.  However, when I mention solutions at times, I am told that it is not the same as high school since it is "uni"!  So, I have learned to keep my mouth shut, and just sit at meetings, which I end up falling asleep at since I have no chance of contributing.  Frustrating... yes.  But I remind myself, I am the newbie, and thus the lowest on the ladder rung.  An example, is that one problem they are facing is that students are not keeping up with the work, and not responding well to the exams and work.  So, one professor/lecturer stood up and gave this 5 to 10 minute presentation on the "ground breaking work" that he has done, which boils down to - do an assessment test in the beginning of the year when the kids come in, based on exam results the lecturer must review some key points before moving on and scaffold his work, and in the end, pole the class as to what could have been improved in the class.  I sat there, after the presentation, and thought that I could have said the same thing and more... but what do I know?! (sigh... part of starting life over again).

On the up side, the contract for full time work will come in definitely in January, so that means that I can have the go ahead of finding a place of my own near campus.  I'll have a secure job for 2 years, with possibly a 6 month extension.  After this, I don't know where I'll end up.  It is for reasons like this I feel my life is on hold at times.  But I must remind myself that God has my life in His hands, and today is no surprise to Him... He knew today would come before I was born, and definitely before I began this journey.  So, live the adventure and just wait on some things.

Housing
I found a place to live... I am going to move out of my aunt's place in about 2 weeks.  I am renting a bedroom in a 4 bedroom house for $130/wk, which I hear is a really good price.  There are 2 guys living currently there, and hopefully another nice, neat guy will take the last room.  I'll have to meet the guys and figure out how bills and stuff work.  I don't know the guys who currently live there, and yes, there is a lock on the bedroom door.  Hopefully, everything works out well.  I'll sign a lease soon for 6 months first, and take it slowly from there.  Worst situation is that I lose the 6 months rent, and I move back with my aunt while finding another place.  Best possible situation is that I found a nice place to live for a while.

The place has 4 bedrooms upstairs, and downstairs is a kitchen and common area.  1 1/2 bathrooms, and it comes fully furnished.  Rent does not include utiliites, but how much can they be?  After all, I work all day and come home late in the day.  I think food would be the biggest bill & obstacle.  Maybe I can find cooking lessons to widen my skills :P 

I meet the landlord this week.

Church:
So, I am thinking of settling into The Rocks for many reasons... location, their evangelism, the energy, upbeat and modern, community...  I talked to the pastor today about where I can fit in, and there are several places that he has in mind such as part of the college group, or opening another cell group for bible study (they call it a "Link"), or reaching out to the Curtin University students, or helping with a recovery program they want to start in March.  ...  I'm excited.  At least here, maybe past experience can be used to help others.  I can't wait to see what God has in store.  =)

Driving:
Just to let you know, I am getting better at driving.  Today I was able to go up and down the gears with only one problem (i didn't downshift, and just hit the brakes at that time).  I am getting better, and most of the time, not all, I can hardly feel the shifting of the gears... I sometimes put too much gas though, and you hear the high revving of the engine, but there is no jerkiness in the ride.  Almost there!!! 

Other:
Holiday season started this week... Thanksgiving in the US came, and so on Thursday, I went out and had a turkey sandwich at Subways, and since they didn't have pumpkin pie at the supermarket, I just looked for something kind of sweet that my aunt and uncle can also have.. so I got jam lamingtons (it is like a 1 1/2 inch sponge cake cube with a layer of jam in the middle and covered on the outside with a layer of thin chocolate and sprinkled with coconut).  Holidays may be a bit hard the first year or two here, I guess.  I didn't feel like doing work on Friday, and the bible study group really helped out.  They are a bunch of really silly people when they come together...  it was nice.

On Saturday, I decided to do something and so I ventured out to Freemantle, or Freo as the locals call it.  Freemantle is a coastal town, and is a mix of having the South Street Seaport or Brighton Beach feel (in NYC) crossed with Park Slope (in Brooklyn) kind of feel when you are away from the shore line.  It was nice.. more exciting than other parts of the Perth area, but not as hustling and bustling as NYC. 

So I watched a solar model car racing competition between high school students in the park on a 15 meter track (it was cool... yes, I am a geek.. so what?), then I went to the Maritime Shipwrecked Museum (wasn't that interesting), had lunch at a place that was recommended for its pizza called "Little Creatures" (ingredients were fresh, but the pizza was not so spectacular... but the atmosphere was really nice)

I went to town to see the shops and watched a street performer climb "the ladder of death" while playing a guitar and said he'll swallow a flaming sword!  He took an hour to do this one thing, and the sword was only flaming at the handle... wasn't impressed.

At the end of the trip, I saw the blue version of the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard, and I saw a couple get married with a horse drawn caboose rather than a limo

Last thing, which I thought was funny...
Two weeks ago, my aunt was telling me how she is putting pressure on one of my cousins to get married.  Then my uncle and aunt turned to me, at the dinner table, and basically told me I was getting up there in age, and should get married.  So, I asked what they thought the solution should be to find someone... my uncle said I should take out an ad or post on facebook:

"Wanted: bride for marriage which will take place June 2011.  Must meet the following qualifications: .(list my top 10 qualifications list)...  All eligible single women need apply.  Either meet before hand or at the alter.  If ceremony completes, divorce is not possible."

This is my family here!
Happy Thanksgiving... hope to hear from you if you are reading.  Hope all is well.. goodnight.

The past 4 weeks...

It has been about 4 weeks since my last blog.  Alot has happened, in things, and thus I haven't had time to sit down and write, reflect, and update...

Job

Some things have changed, and some not, for the job.  On the research side, I have finished going through 15 books dealing with pumps, have written about 30 pages of notes on problems dealing with pumps, and about 20 pages of notes on how pumps work.  Now, I am starting on reading articles on pumps.  Days go pretty fast, and I don't really notice the time go by on the job, which is a good thing.  It is not as exciting as teaching in NY, but it is interesting.  I have til the end of February to read these articles and books, and write a report on them.  Starting March, I start working with real world applications of what I am learning.  Since there is an application part, it keeps me motivated to continuously read and push more.  I must admit, if there was no real world application, I don't think I would continue as much as I have. 

I've been to Brisbane for a conference on asset management, reliability, and condition monitoring.  Spent 3 days (8 hours each) listening to people give talks about the "latest" in these three fields, and at times, I thought that nothing has changed over the course of the 7 years in which I didn't do engineering.  I mean, it is the same technology, just being applied to different cases... reminded me of Ecclesiastes, when Solomon commented "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." (Eccl 1:9).  It put my mind at rest, in a way, since it means that I can pick up where I left off 7 years ago when I graduated with the PhD with not too much problems.  I tried to also to be sociable at times, especially during lunch and in between talks, but many people seemed snobbish (for a lack of a better term), so I made few contacts.  They provided dinner for 2 nights, but I figured "why would I want to sit down for dinner with people that wouldn't talk to me during the day?"... so instead, after 5pm, I wandered around Brisbane.  The hotel that I was put in was luxurious, and was a few blocks from the South Bank of Brisbane.  The view on the South Bank is shown in the first two pics below. 

The third picture is the after walkway you cross a bridge that connects the south bank to the north bank.  Brisbane's shops close at 7pm, so I wandered around the botanical gardens, took a ride on a big ferris wheel, wandered around the mall with the closed shops and down some streets (wandering aimlessly) and sat in coffee shops to read.  Dinner was either Subways, Burger King or japanese food... it was fun.  The most interesting thing about Brisbane is that at dusk, the fruit bats come out and fill part of the sky.  They hang in the trees (I stared at one til it started screeching at me.  I know it is bad, but I never saw one without the glass between me and it) and the possums come out late at night to raid the garbage.  Secondly, the public pools are open all night, and found along the South Bank... just to say, if NYC had public pools like those in Brisbane, I'd be there every day!

At Brisbane, I did meet the heads of the project that I am working on, and was able to introduce myself.  It is great to be able to put faces to names, so that when they are talked about, I know who is who.  The heads of the project say that funds will be released soon so that I can come on full time on a contract til 6/2013; hopefully by the end of the month.  :) 

At meetings on the job, I am allocated more and more responsibilities as time progresses.  I hope to think this is because I am being trusted more due to what I have been doing; but for whatever reason, it will be a big learning project with a huge learning curve.  In addition to my research duties, I was told that I have to "tutor" about 15 students in basic fluid mechanics, which I just reviewed in October.  After discussing it with the head of the dept, it seems like these students are mainly foreigners who may have english speaking problems, or reading problems, or don't know how to attack math/science problems and thus are in need of help on how to do problem solving.  After telling the head of the dept that I have dealt with these kind of kids in high school, and thus would be like high school teaching, he said "No!  It's uni!"  (uni = university).  I agreed, apologized, but smiled.  So, for the first two weeks in 2011, I am tutoring fluid mechanics... one step below college teaching!  :)

Church
I have come to the conclusion that I can't sit still in a church that doesn't reach out to the community.  I have had the long conversation with so many people asking about what the church does to help the community, in outreach, and in the church I have been attending, it doesn't seem like much.  I believe that there is a balance between calvinism and armenianism (predestination vs free will) in the whole scheme of things, I believe that the church is more for the person who is not in it than it is for the person who is (Luke 15:1 - 7  --> Jesus talks about a shepherd that leaves his 99 sheep to find the lost 1), and that the church should, more than all other organizations, help out the community and be known for their love.  For these reasons, I had left a big well known presbyterian church back home for a small church that exhibits these traits... and in the same fashion, I am wandering from the church that I have been attending for about a month and a half.  But how does one find a church where this happens?  If the Bible's teachings are like theory in school, how does one find where application of theory is done?  Last time, in Brooklyn, I prayed and God answered... with a blackout and a wandering to a church.  This time, it may be from the GLS and the need to find someone to talk to for lunch.  (I'll explain later)..

In any case, against the wishes of some people I met in the church I went to for a month and a half, I am currently checking out another church called "The Rocks" (http://therocks.org.au/new/index.php)  The Rocks is an indonesian based church (they merged with an existing church) and outgrew from there.  It is multicultural, only about 5 years old, and have a vision to reach the community and the world.  The pastor is an Indonesian who was schooled in DTS (Dallas Theological Seminary) and speaks with an American accent.  The first sermon that I sat in, he talked about the mission, vision and strategy of the church (if you are from NBT, you know what I mean)...  basically saying, he answered a bulk of my questions, before I asked them without knowing that I would come that day to church... God is good.  The pastor then met with me for lunch to answer my other questions.  I checked out their bible study for newbies to the church (its main goal is to create community), and it was fun...  I walked out of the bible study with the nickname "sifu", and I just had to smile.  Tomorrow there is a luncheon for newcomers with the church staff... I'll tell you how it goes.

Global Leadership Summit

I took time off from work (made up the work on other days) and went to the GLS 2010 for a Friday and Saturday.  It was great!  It is one of those things that recharges me every year. To hear from leaders in church and industry how to lead people, pitfalls of leaders, and be inspired by those who are risking much is worth the price.  I tried to get people to come with me, but with no avail.  I risked driving on the highway to get there for 2 consecutive days...

So, on the first day I was there, I had lost the people I had met at the conference in the morning, and decided to just find an empty table or find someone to eat with - you know, be sociable.  So, there was this guy Mike sitting at a table alone, so I introduced myself, sat down and starting chatting.  He asked me about my background, and which church I was going to, and I explained that I was transient right now and why (see small speach above).  He then told me about his church, called "The Rocks", and a brief history of it.  Then he called over the pastor, who chatted with me, and two other leaders in the church... They invited me to their church, and I said I would come, but didn't know when would be best to go, but nevertheless promised to show up at some point (see previous section for what happened).  The pastor sought me out on the second day, and talked with me some more ... we talked about the purpose of the church, how much is God in control of things, and a bunch of other things over lunch.  I believe in divine appointments... this may be one of them.

Driving

I know myself well, and to want to just learn to drive wouldn't get me motivated to practice.  So, for motivation, I signed up for the GLS, which is 30 minutes away on the highway, about 2 weeks before the summit started and then practiced knowing that if I don't make it to the GLS, I would have wasted money for the registration.  Needless to say, I made it.  Then, I figured that if I can drive there, I can drive from North of the river to south of the river for the Rocks -  40 minutes on the highway.  So far, I am doing well. 

I got a lesson last weekend from my cousin, Chad, who told me about shifting down, and starting on hills.  It's alot to learn, and the learning curve is steep at times, but fun... Today, I installed a radio in the car :)

If you don't know already, even though I have been driving since I was 18, the hardest part of driving in Perth is sitting on the other side fo the car (steering wheel is on the right side), driving on the left side of the road, and driving a manual car instead of automatic.  However, I must say, driving manual while shifting with your left hand makes more sense than shifting with the right hand. 

So the car that I drive looks like the following:

it is a 1998 Lancer, stick shift, pink on the hood and boot (trunk) while red on the sides, now has a radio, and roll down windows.  It was named "The beast" by my cousin, but I think it is a great car... much better than the shape of my first car, and a great one to learn how to drive manually in.

Other

I miss home sometimes... the places, convenience, the weather and such, but more so the people... 3 hours is a lot of time to think on the way to and from work, and so it is a lot of time to talk with God about stuff.  Incidently, I did pray for rain on Monday [long reason why but if you want to know, just ask ], and God was gracious enough to send some rain - we had a light sprinkling on Tuesday and a medium sprinkling on Wednesday....  one of the guys that I work with, who hates anything but warm sunny weather, says if I ask God again and it rains, that we aren't going to be on good terms!

And so, I press on...

I have decided that for Thanksgiving, which is not celebrated here, I am going to make or buy a turkey sandwhich to eat, and for Christmas, I am going to download from youtube a video of the yule log, and sit with my heavy winter coat and hat, sipping egg nog, in front of the yule log for a while.. maybe til I pass out since it would be summer by then.  :)

Miss you guys back home... I don't know who reads this, but if you do, please tell me how you are doing.
I'll write back soon.

Two weeks in Oct

The days are getting hotter, and longer.  So far, the biggest issue I have with the increase in temp is the flies that come out of nowhere, and are found everywhere.  I was told that I'm still an American until I swallow a fly while talking during the summer months.. then I am initiated as an Aussie.  I think I'll stick to being American and  invest in Off spray and sunscreen. 


Job:  It has been about three full weeks on the job.  I spend almost 8 hours per day, sitting at a desk, reading on fluid dynamics, trying to understand how pumps work and fail, and contemplating things that I overlooked when I was studying it for the first time.  When you take things for the first time in college, you just learn enough to pass exams; figuring out how to apply equations given the information provided in the problem.  Now, when reading, the emphasis is more on why than anything else.  [ In fact, for the engineering geeks, I had a question about why is it that Bernoulli's equation says that as pressure increases, the velocity decreases, BUT when I put a nozzle on a hose to a fire hydrant, it feels like the pressure increases as the velocity increases...  nobody in the room is able to answer ]  So... I share the room with two other people.  They don't talk to each other too much, but when I take a break and turn around towards them, I end up having a 5 to 15 minute conversation with at least one of them.  So, I manage to get work done by just keeping my back towards them and my head in the books.  I'm moving along alright at the job; rarely see the professor in charge.  I confer with him once every week and a half, and I'm off on my own to figure out what to do. 

On this Sunday, I am taking a trip to Brisbane for four days for work.  The university is putting me up in a hotel room that looks like a luxury apt, paid food and other expenses, to listen to bunch of speakers talk about engineering.  My professor said that they'll only pay for 8 hours of work a day, which means after hours would translate into the opportunity to wander around.  I wish I could stay there longer though... Brisbane is near the Gold Coast, which is famous for its prestine beaches, a sailing opportunity that would teach you how to sail by staying at sea on a sailboat for about 3 days, scuba diving to see the Great Barrier Reef, and going to the jungle area to see hwo the native tribes live...  exciting stuff!  But another time.. this time I'll just wander the city.

I should be going on full time at the University by the end of this month.. hopefully.  In the meantime, I make my own hours, and get paid only by the hour with no benefits.


Driving: My homework each week is to practice at least an hour of driving.  My goal is to be able to drive anywhere in WA.  So last week, I went around, and got lost (literally) for about an hour, but b/c of TomTom, was able to return back home.  I almost got into a car accident... problems always happen when I am in a rush, and forget to repeat to myself "drive on the left".  Thank God people in Perth are more forgiving of horrible driving mistakes, as long as I don't run into the police.  So, I passed my aunt's house, made a u turn, and then drove on the wrong side fo the road.. and less than 2 minutes later, had to swerve to avoid an oncoming car.  And so, this week, I had two places on the agenda to go to: The Margaret River Chocolate Factory (the place to be if you are a chocolate lover! )and a convention on evangelism in South Perth.  I made it to the first place, after getting a bit lost, and never made it to the second place... I forgot again once, and almost got run over again, so I went back and settled for video telecast of the convention.  This Friday and Saturday is the Global Leadership Summit 2010, and I'm going to risk driving again.  Pray for me that I'll get there safe... or pray that no one is on the road at the times I go... either one is fine with me!  ;)

Church:  Decisions, Decisions... there are positive and negative parts of the church I have been attending, but so it goes with any church... no church is perfect.  In short, I ponder over whether this is where God wants me to settle down.  I met with the Pastor today to voice my concerns about how the church reaches out to the community, what the theology of the church is (which is important since what you believe affects how you live), and the mission and vision of the church.  It was a good talk, and gives a lot of things to think about... such as do I stay with a church that is relatively young, with a diverse population, who are trying to be molded into a church that is deep in relationships and reaches out ... or ... do i try to find one that has it all together now, which would probably mean it would be a bigger church.  I had asked people in the church about the church's stand on predestination vs free will; which leads to either long discussions, or avoidance.  I had a long discussion with the pastor on it, which was most helpful... so there is a lot to think and pray about.  Frustrating at times, and a faith stretching time.  This is what the three hour bus rides are for.  Anyone up for long conversations over coffee or ice cream?  My treat if you can make it here... :)

On the lighter side of things, I am meeting good people in the church, and their hospitality is terrific; making me feel at home.  One of them is very connected, and works at the university that I work at.  She said that when the time comes, she'll connect me with people that rent out rooms to make the process easier.

There are other small things here and there, so if you want to hear, just give me a buzz.  Email or it me up for a convo so I can hear what is happening with you.

I'm going to try to send out an email with pics of where I've been... hopefully this week. 

October's First Adventures

So October just started, and it feels weird to walk outside in 80 degree weather when I'm expecting 60 degree weather.  It's just different... 

Job:  So, I started working last week.  It was my first full week on the job, and I am basically reacquainting myself with fluid mechanics, which I last took over a decade ago, and learning how a pump works.  When I first learned fluid mechanics, it was so boring, but now, since I see there is a real life application around the corner, I am more interested in it.  I come in everyday about 8:30 am and leave 5:30pm, putting in either 8 or 8 1/2 hours per day.  It is an amazing concept to put less than 12 hours in per day, and walk away from the job saying "I'll just continue tomorrow".  I can't do any more than these hours due to bus scheduling, so the horrible frequency of the bus keeps me in check at the moment.  ;)  The plan right now is to read daily (yep, I get paid to read right now) and become an expert in pumps and fluids by the end of Oct, an expert in reliability by the end of Nov, review other minor subjects in Dec, and then write the 100 page paper on basically what I have read by Jan. 

I share a temporary space with two guys - Dirk (a German guy in his late 30s doing his PhD) and Andrew (Malaysian-Chinese guy in his early 20s who just finished his PhD).  Really nice guys.  Dirk is very talkative, and is like the typical aussie who mixes in a whole lot of socializing in with the work time to make the time go by quickly.  Andrew seems more of the typical Asian - get in, do the work, then go. 

The Aussie way is so laid back, that sometimes it is very .... frustrating and bewildering.  I went to a meeting on Friday with the entire team, which consists of 4 professors and me.  So, the meeting was scheduled to last for an hour, and so I thought that there would be an agenda and a lot to talk about.  I get there, and Ian sits down and says "So... I was suppose to spend an hour to plan the meeting, but it didn't happen.  So.. what do you want to talk about?"  And that is how began an hour meeting on something, but nothing, at the same time.. kind of like a Seinfeld episode.  And within this meeting, I got drafted to go to Brisbane at the end of Oct to attend a conference.  They are paying for airfare, hotel, food, etc..  so it is all good.  I hope I can squeeze in some sightseeing time as well.  I'll keep you posted on it.

I also had to sit in a meeting with PhD candidates presenting their work to the group, and I felt that I was 23 all over again, sitting in those meetings back in RPI doing the same thing all over again.  And just like normal, I fell asleep during the first presentation... so if anyone has ever worked with me, you would know that I have a tendency to fall asleep really badly at meetings.  If the person presenting does not engage the audience, but instead just reads off of the slide, I'm out like a light... just a matter of time.  So the first presenter went, discussing the usage of rapid prototyping in companies, and I lasted maybe 15 minutes.  I felt so bad afterwards, when Ian had asked if there were any questions!  :(    For the second presenter, I stayed awake since he was very fluid in his presentation.  The topic was on the training of a feed forward fuzzy neural network on patterns obtained from a wavelet transform of his vibrational data.  Trust me... it sounds geeky, but it was good.  If we sat down for coffee, you'd get it in like 10 minutes.

Driving:  I have had the total Australian experience in driving this weekend.  I decided that since almost everyone is very busy, and helping out the newbie in Oz with driving is not at the top of the list of things to do, I was going to take my adventurous self and go driving on my own.  So, I went to the industrial part of the suburb, where I have practiced with my uncle, to practice a bit and then brave the new world and travel to a park and McDonalds.  I spent about an hour in the industrial area doing k-turns, starting and stopping, trying to figure out how to start without having the car shake.  And after an hour, I got pulled over by the cops for suspicious driving.  Let me say, it sounds funny, but it isn't at the moment when they pull you over and don't state why for at least 5 minutes.  So, they said that there was a rash of burgleries in the area, and since I had passed them multiple times (they were in an unmarked car) they thought I was casing the joint.  I had to explain to them basically that I was the crazy American trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road with a manual car instead of automatic.  I know you are smiling now, thinking that you wish you had pictures... sorry, there aren't any.

Afterwards, I attempted to go to the petting zoo, but couldn't find the turn off.  So, I got lost for about half an hour.  Then I found my way back to the main road, went to McDonalds, and sat there and read for about an hour to calm some nerves, then went back home.  On the way to McDonalds, I did stall 3 times - 2 times at roundabouts, and 1 time at a red light.  I am not a fan of roundabouts right now.  However, overall, I think I am doing ok.  :P

Church:  The church people here in All Nations are friendly, and take hospitality to great lengths.  In the past week, since the last time I wrote, I have been to two dinners, and one gathering.  It is easier to get to know people over a meal than having a quick conversation after service.  This week, I am having dinner with one couple, and this weekend, there is another gathering I was invited to (I'd go if I am brave enough to go on the highway and drive there with my tomtom).  I don't ever remember being this popular... it's just the honeymoon phase of getting to know the church, I guess. 

The sermons for the past few weeks have been pushing back on the church, asking how does God's word affect their lives - does it change it or does it just go on the side.  The pastor is trying to raise leaders in the congregation, who would take more adventurous roles than just hospitality, such as leading bible studies and evangelism in the community.  It reminds me of Pastor Edwin and NBT back home.  This week was particularly focusing on being transparent with others, why we need the church, and what is the church (focusing on the end of Acts 2).  It is like reliving a whole mess of sermons from NBT... missing home.

The Global Leadership Summit comes to Perth in a few weeks.  I am going to sign up, and try to practice driving there so when the time comes, I can make it there on my own.  If I can't, I am thinking of asking someone to drive, and maybe paying for their ticket as an incentive for them.  Maybe I can talk the pastor into going.. he drives!  I am also wanting to ask if I can get the day off on the friday and make up the hours another day so I can go for both days.

Other thoughts:
I went to China town this past friday with a couple that treated me out to dinner.  Chinatown is literally 1 small small block, consisting of some restaurants, and 1 store.  For a country that is so close to china, why is it that chinatown is so small?  And for NY, which is half way around the world, Chinatown is so huge.  missing home.

Wrapping up September

This week has been eventful.  Adjustment is still a process, but getting better day by day.

Job:  I finally started working at curtin university ( http://www.curtin.edu.au/ ).  Curtin is a mainly government owned university found about half an hour away from the central business district (CBD) of Perth.  It is one of the 3 main colleges found in Perth.  Right now, I am hired as a "casual researcher" which means that I make my own hours.  I was told not to go above the 75 hours per 2 weeks, since that is the budgeted amount that is provided for me in this role; however, in October when I hopefully switch over to a full time role, I can work as much over time I want since they are not paying for it. So, this means no overtime right now, and later on, work enough to get the job done, but don't over do it.  (sigh)... I might have to go to WA (workaholic anonymous) meetings ;)  I think with the spare time I have, I may take up a cooking class, swimming class, or learn to ride a bike. 

On Thursday, I came in and got my id.  On Friday, I was given a key and a desk, got acquainted with the library, walked around campus a bit, and met with Professor Ian and the last member of the team.  I was brought up to speed with the expectations of the group on me, and basically was told that I'd be doing all the research and would be the backbone of the project.  So, during work hours I am learning about pumps (how they work and why they fail) and teaching myself courses in reliability.  During off hours, I am playing "catch-up" with several subjects since according to the Professor, he talks as if I just took the classes just yesterday. I am getting a computer in the upcoming weeks, so right now I am using my own laptop until it comes.  And office supplies, such as paper, pens and paperclips, are provided by Curtin (amazing concept - I use to buy all my supplies for teaching! )  I met my two office-mates.  One is a recent phd graduate who is teaching, but trying to move into industry.  The other has just started his PhD dealing with the mechanics and faults of a wind turbine.  Both seem to be really nice, and I have had lengthy conversations with each.  From them, I need to learn how to live frugally in the area.  I went to the cafeteria (they call it the "canteen" ) for lunch, and the food ranged from $4 up to $10 per dish, which I thought was like city prices, and quite expensive for a student.  So, bringing lunch to work is definitely on my agenda of things to do. 

I think I am going to enjoy the work.  I have been coming to school in a shirt and a tie, and find only a few others do that as well.  Most come in at least a business shirt with dockers, some in jeans, and then there is the occassional t-shirt and jeans person.  I think I'll stay with the shirt and tie.. it helps me to keep focus, even though this means that I would stick out from the "casual atmosphere" of the workplace.  The work is along the same lines as I did before, and the more I talk to Professor Ian and the others on the team, the more it seems as if the role was crafted for me, as if I just graduated yesterday.  :)

I'll send pictures in an email.  If you want them, and didn't get the 1st set, just email me and I'll put you on the list.

Church: Today would make my fourth time to All Nations Presbyterian Church, and I have to say that it has been an experience so far.  Each week that I come and listen to the sermon, it speaks to me.  Today's sermon we looked at Acts 2, with the ending question of "how should we act based on the gospel message?"
I have contemplated many times this week during my quiet time about this very question - how I can be used by God here in Perth, what does God want me to do....  these are sometimes one of those things that I wish God would just send a text message and say "Kris, your mission is.... " (in that mission impossible theme with the self destructing message an option).  But alas, it doesn't work that way.  So on bus rides to the city (an hour ride each way), and then on the way to Curtin from the city (half an hour from the city center each way), I do my bible reading and quiet time and pray and ponder over it. 

On Friday nights, the church has a "bible cafe", which is their version of a bible study.  I was told that initially the bible studies used to be in people's houses, but then it became irregular for some, so the pastor decided to start in house and maybe branch out later on.  I went last week, when they finished their series on "an introduction to christianity".  This week was quiz night, and the topics were "general knowledge".  Let me tell you, "general knowledge" for an Aussie is different than "general knowledge" for an American.  So, I didn't know almost 3/4 of the information, except for the science, a little of the music, and bits and pieces of everything else.  "Footy knowledge", australian history, and recent shows on australian tv are not common knowledge.  Despite my handicap, my eclectic team which consisted of 6 other people from all over Asia and a former Anglican minister, were able win the game.  The Anglican minister lived from the beginning of WWII, and was able to answer so much information!  His response to why he could was basically "I lived through it all!"  I wish I could say the same...  I lived through the 90s, but couldn't answer what was the #1 downloaded song in 1997.  Can you?

Winning Team

On Saturday night, I was invited to a moon -lantern festival dinner at someone's house from the church.  The host family made a wonderful Korean meal, and about 10 people attended.  Most of the time was spent getting to know people, and a lot of questions about the "newbie" in the group.  After talking about what NBT does back home in brooklyn (reaching the drug addict and alcohol addict for Jesus), there was a bit of quietness in the room; maybe it caused people to think how they respond to the gospel.  Soon after, we had a lantern contest, in which we were suppose to bring our own craft pieces and with those supplied, create a lantern that would be judged by the daughter of the host family (the daughter is like 2 years old).  Let me tell you, that night, my lantern was the worst of them all (no exaggeration).  I brought half a coconut shell with me, tried to build a wall around it of colored saran wrap / cellophane and pipe cleaners, but the glue didn't work well.  So I ended up putting it into a small strawberry plastic container, put some aluminum foil to catch the hot wax from the candle, and dressed up the sides with the colored saran wrap and 2 feathers. 



Then Judgement came... the mother (Lina) took her daughter to each candle, describing what each one looked like - fish, boat, submarine, camping lantern, kite, the tin man from the wizard of oz...  with each step, the girl looked kind of confused, and not impressed....and then they came up to mine last, and the Lina said "potatoe"... I said it was a "coconut" and the daughter got excited.  So I won...

Afterwards, we all walked around the block with our lanterns, while gazing up at the stars and the moon.  You can easily see the stars in Western Australia, and they are lovely. 
So, from all of this winning, I had taken home the spoils - a chocolate candy bar, a big bottle of juice, and a girlie address book (from friday night) and a children's globe that puts stars on the ceiling (from the lantern prize). 

Today I was invited to have lunch with the pastor of the church, his inlaws, and one other couple from the church.  It was really nice to get to know people over a meal, and am considering looking into helping to teach, since they are in need of teachers.  I'll pray on it some more.

Other things:
I found a huge christian bookstore close to Perth CBD, which has books so cheap, called Koorong.  It is about a half hour's walk from the CBD.  I walked around the store like a kid in a candy shop, but only bought books that were on half of the reduced price... it was a sale on sale items!  I think I should read the books I have already on my kindle first, before buying more books... and the books on my kindle can last me for quite a while.  I'm on a new book right now, from the series by Stephen Arterburn.  On the way back, I stopped by a shop to eat a kangaroo hot dog... not a fan.

I took another driving lesson from my uncle.  This time I took the car that was lent to me by Jayson (my cousin Mara's husband).  It is a 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer, faded red (looks pink), and a little tiny leak of oil... and it runs smoothly.  It is probably in much better shape than my first car I learned to drive in, so I would probably buy the car from him later on.  So, my uncle went with me to the industrial part near the house, and we did parking forward and backing into a parking lot spot, doing k turns, and driving reverse for half a block, and turning a corner in reverse.  Let me tell you, driving manual cars is an experience... I must have done the k turn like 10 times.  The car stalled multiple times, so at some point, my uncle said to take my time, just don't stall... and then at that moment, a truck was coming by and started honking, so he commented, "well, I guess you better hurry up.. but no stalling"  PRESSURE... In all, I did ok.  I need more practice.  I drove in reverse very well, though.. too well, according to my uncle.  After I did it the first time flawless, he said "that was a fluke!  do it again", and so I did again flawless, afterwhich he gave me a look, and the lesson was ended.  He has a good sense of humor, which helps when trying to learn.  I bought a Tom-Tom this weekend, in the hopes that soon I would be able to explore with the car.  The only thing I fear is stopping at red lights on steep hills, and rolling back when it turns green.

Clothes shopping...  I must say the average Australian guy must be about 3 inches taller than I am, since all the pants come in one length.  Which means, short guys like me have to get the pants hemmed or go around with the pants cuffed at the bottoms.  So, with jeans, I didn't bother getting them hemmed, but with the clothes for work, I had to get them hemmed.  You know when you do comparative shopping going to like 3 or 4 different stores to find the right sale and feel good about the savings?  I did that, found good slacks in Target for $20 so I bought 2... went to the tailor, who then charged $25 for each pair to be hemmed... and I thought, "man, there goes my savings!"  Western Australia should think about the short guy and sell shorter pants... or maybe they have, and are just taking advantage of our shortness!  hmm...

Oh, one last thing.. it has come to my attention that no one here, outside of my cousin Chad, uses a gps system.  This I find weird.  Everyone that has drove me home from church (which for some reason people insist on doing, which sometimes makes my paranoid NY sense kick in), always whips out a map book to figure out how to get to my aunt's place and then home.  I find this quite weird, and have inquired about it, with the only response of, "it's a WA thing".  ... I'm still sticking with the tomtom.

That's my eventful week.  If you read, post or email.  Hope to hear from  you soon.

Job and stuff so far

It is Saturday afternoon here, and the week has been somewhat eventful - driving, job, church, and thoughts.

Driving - my cousin and her husband had recently bought a new car, and thus had offered to me the use of their old car.  This is a great gift since cars are needed to get around in the Perth area, and thus by having a set of wheels to go around it, it is a blessing.  However, before I can use it, there are three small minor problems - I need practice driving on the other side of the road in a car where the steering wheel is on the other side of the car AND all my cousins' cars are manual, not automatic AND I don't have the keys.  So, this week, my uncle took me driving around in order to get used the rules of the road.  We went through a wildlife sanctuary (sorry... can't take pictures while I'm driving) then to a chocolate factory (if only I could send chocolate through the internet.. mmm) and then back.  One hour of driving, all of which I did well because I kept on telling myself "Hug the right, hug the right".  It seems that when I sit on the right side of the car and drive on the left side of the road, by hugging the right side of the road, I can stay in my lane.  However, at the end, I lapsed in my montra for a minute, and ended up out of my lane, but there was no oncoming traffic.  As for the fact that it is manual, I have had 1 1/2 lessons so far.  I have had 1 lesson that was about 2 hours long, and it was by a friend of the family here, in which manual driving was explained very thoroughly.  The 1/2 part comes from one cousin who gave up after 10 minutes of teaching, saying that I need to take lessons.  I think I just need 1 more lesson in manual driving, and a tom-tom, and I should be ok to go exploring.  :)

Job - This week has been a good job lead.  I had met with Assistant Professor Ian Howard of Curtin University, who has a post-doc position dealing with the diagnostics and prognostics of pumps.  In simple terms, this means that I would be basically applying what I learned during my PhD to pumps.  Now, I know what you are thinking - "That's great?! umm.. pumps!", which is what I was thinking as well initially.  However, I learned that the project comes from 2 water companies and 1 submarine companies that want to be able to tell if their pumps are failing from a far distance, instead of constantly monitoring them.  In the bigger scheme of things, since Australia is running out of fresh water sites to meet the needs of the people, there is actually a push in order to pump water in from the Pacific ocean to sites, where they would be desalinated, and then used by people for everyday use.  So, working on the project actually has bigger applications.  Hence, I am excited.   The problem right now is the funding.  The funds for the project come from a university in Queensland, and was obtained by a grant by 4 professors in Curtin.  However, as of right now, the funds have not been released, as so the Assistant Professor can't take me on full time with the anticipated funds.  So, tihs week I signed on as a "casual researcher", which basically means that I have to have a time sheet (I don't punch a card for time) to keep track of my hours.  And then hand in the time sheet to get paid.  This would go on til the end of the month, and then hopefully I would get on as a full time post-doc, but we would find out then what happens.  In the meantime, I figure that it is a start.  The second day I went in (Tuesday), the Prof Howard showed me around and introduced me to 2 other people on team, who I also found out where christians from the introduction.  I found this very interesting.  I was also told that I should not exceed the 75 hours per fortnight (37.5 hours per week) of work.  I asked why, and I was just told that everyone only does that, and thus do no more.  So, I guess I was warned about my "work-alohism"  The rest of the week (Wed through Friday) I tried to start brushing up on some topics that I would need once I get started, such as dynamics and system modeling.  So, I'm in the process of that.

Church - I think finding a church to settle into is one of the hardest things to find.  I am considering settling down to a church called All Nations Presbyterian Church for a few reasons.  The church is composed of people from many different nations - korea, china, japan, chile, spain, etc.  I was told that there is less than a handful of Australians, and maybe one couple (rumor has it) is from America.  So, if rumors are false, I am the only American in the bunch.  Last Sunday I went, and felt that the sermon was very applicable - it was about how to make godly decisions.  After service, many people actually came and talked to me - they had the welcoming ministry in full swing, where I was greated by about 10 people.  I was impressed.  One person called me on Friday to invite me to the bible study Friday night, which I attended.  The bible study was really nice - they served dinner first (it looked like a burrito, but the couple that made it is from Chile and called it pancakes), then a bible study on Revelations 21 & 22, followed by a discussion and fellowship.  Afterwards, since it was late at night, someone took my home.  On a side note, the person who took me home was very sarcastic, and it reminded me of my younger brother Richard.  I just had to smile.  I was impressed by the church's hospitality.  Out of the three churches that I was suggested, I think I would settle into this one because I would rather choose hymns + "meaty" sermons over great worship + fluffy sermons.  I kept on going back to Matthew 6:31 - 34, which says:

"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

when praying about the matter, which helped me put things into perspective.

Thoughts -  So overall, things are looking up.  I did venture out to a town called Joondalup this week to go shopping, sat in a coffee shop one day for 3 hours studying (here it is "Gloria Jean's Coffee" and not starbucks or dunkin donuts), and walked to the local library that was "just around the corner".  On a side note, if an Aussie says "its down the block", that's anywhere from 10 min to 30 min walk.  And "just around the corner" is an hour walk.  And most shops here have the "no return policy" which is annoying at times. 

I did go to another Engineers Australia meeting this week, where they talked what it means to be a "chartered professional".  This basically means that an engineer is recognized by the country to be so compentent in his area of expertise, that he can sign off on governmental papers dealing with projects.  I listened to the guy talk about it, and the long road ahead of an engineer who wants to apply for it, and I was thankful that I heard about it now in the beginning of my engineering career so I know that I should keep a journal of what I do for later on and what I should look out for, rather than later, when it would be hard to plan for it.

I was pondering over the statement that the Curtin professor made once in passing, that the project that I am going to do took 2 years to get the funds for.  And then after he introduced me to 2 of the other 3 professors on the team and said they were christian, I started pondering over whether I am an answer to a prayer that they had about finding someone to fill this role.  And maybe they started praying around the time that I first visited Australia.  That would be amazing.  And due to long bus rides, I had time to ponder over the "coincident" timing in my job and academic career - how funding ran out in PhD work and a teaching job just so happened was placed on my advisor's lap that he offered me to do; the available position at my first school in a math dept in which religion was freely talked about; asked to work in a school as a science and math teacher at the point when I was going to leave teaching to help start a new school... how trying to hear God and desiring to follow Him opens up doors that I would never had walked through otherwise, and I can see His provision for me each step of the way.  My PhD advisor, C James Li, once told me that he used to only take candidates that had years of industry experience and none that came straight from undergraduate work into the PhD program.  However, he said that God told him to take a risk on me, and the feeling didn't leave him regardless of how many times he prayed about it.  He sometimes said I was the exception to his rule.  I'm amazed.

My aunt and uncle are constant sources of advice daily.  We meet around the dinner table almost daily, where they dispense business, career, and life advice, which so far has been very helpful.  I take it from the point of view that they were pioneers once, moving their family from the Philippines to Australia, similar to what I am doing, and hence, they advise me through a migrant's perspective.  My aunt has the nickname "dragon lady" by some, but all it is really is that she is a straight shooter, and tells it as it is.  When she tells stories, it means to listen up because there is something she wants me to remember and usually not repeat.  I have not yet had "the talks" or "the look" that she says, as well as some cousins, she gives when she is upset.  My uncle is a dreamer and a visionary.  He works with people around the globe trying out latest technologies in the ultimate vision of locating resources underground without disturbing the ground, and creating a city that is sustainable at the site of the resource, even after the resources are depleted with energy sources that are natural and long lasting.  I can't really get into details, since it would take up a long long time to explain.  Late nights, we chat about stuff in general, such as the other night - the end of the world as seen through several civilizations and the Bible.  It is quite fascinating to talk to him at times.  I think their main push at times is to go explore, try new things... if you fail, be sure you have a back up plan of how to bounce back then figure out what you learned from the failure and try again.  And if you don't explore and don't try, then basically you're just not doing life.

I miss you guys.  If you know of any website to post huge amounts of pictures, I'll post the pictures I have with comments, if possible.  Otherwise, I'll send out an email again soon with new pictures of places.  Write back if you can...

5 things I miss from NY, 5 things I'm excited about in Oz

5 things I miss from NY
1.  Hanging out with family and close friends on friday nights and weekends.
2. Teaching
3. 24/7 public transportation
4. Convenience of local shops just a walk away
5. Junkfood that doesn't cost soo much.

5 things that I'm excited about in Oz
1. Starting over - the wonder in all of it.
2. Learning about and interacting with family here.
3.  Different culture, different people, different places - exploring
4. Ability to save instead of just making ends meat.
5. Trying out engineering and seeing what happens.