Driving in Australia

So I've had my car since October and honestly I don't drive it much. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that if I drive it I have to put gas into it and without a job it means my husband has to pay for it, and to run 2 cars on one income is just plain crazy. So Thursday I got paid for working at the radio station for the week and now I can go, have my car serviced and fill up the tank before the gas prices go up to $1.50 a litre or more. I went to purchase kitty litter before and pay for the cat registration, I was going to fuel  up but I forgot my discount voucher. In the 2 monopolies of supermarkets, if you spend more than $30 in one purchase you get a little voucher (coupon) for 4 cents off a litre, at one time it was 8 cents and if you spend $50 or more in Coles you get 10 cents off a litre, we're saving that one for when we go for a drive in a few weeks when my hubby takes the week off for some rest, since he's been working seven days a week for quite a bit of time now. So now I'll just fuel up when we go into the city tonight, while it's still $1.39 a litre which equals $5.35 a gallon. 
Driving on the wrong side, the left side is strange. My biggest problem is reversing, I used to reverse out of my driveway in Queens like a speed demon, turning over my right shoulder, doing that with my left feels so awkward. Driving in general is pretty much the same as in the States, morons everywhere. People running stop signs, red lights and general speeding is as rampant here as in New York. The signs are pretty much the same, only difference is that there is no "yield" sign rather a "give way sign" which means the same thing. Of course everything here is metric and it's still confusing for me, but my car only has kmh so it's easy to follow the speed limits. Most streets are 60kmh (38mph), which if you think about it is pretty slow and I've caught myself doing 70kmh(43mph) a couple of times, there are some less traffic areas that are 70kmh but not many.  Highways differ, sometimes it's 100kmh(62mph), 110kmh(68mph) and occasionally you actually see 120kmh(just under 75mph) which I also saw on highways driving through Croatia. When going through a School Zone you have to drop it to 40kmh(just a hair under 25mph),during school hours. I've heard people complain it's too slow, and I'm thinking I wouldn't want my kid getting hit by a car doing 40 much less anything faster. (dumbass) 

Stop signs say stop and the lights are the same, red, yellow and green, the walking lights are the universal kind, I think, there's a red guy standing and a green guy walking. Railroad crossings are the same. Since there are busways here, where the buses go different routes, some signals have the letter B lit up to inform you and the bus driver that it's his/her turn to go. Look right before looking left, most streets are two way unless otherwise specified. Pedestrians do not have the right of way unless they are crossing on a clearly marked pedestrian crossing. If you cross elsewhere you are jaywalking and can be fined if a cop catches you.

And now to the ever popular roundabouts, I remember Maryland having them on my way down to Washington D.C., but that was one trip. Living with these things is a whole other ballgame. In one word it's a cheap traffic light, you just have to beware of the idiot that doesn't know or doesn't care about roundabout etiquette. In Australia in a roundabout, you always give way to your right, so if a car is coming from your right, he has the right of way, if a person is in the roundabout they have the right away, you basically yield to the person in the roundabout. Sounds confusing I know but after awhile you get used to it. Though I have heard some Aussies say I still get confused who has the right of way, and yet here I am totally confident as to who goes when. 

I've seen people drive in many countries, and other than Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they drive horridly, everyone pretty much drives the same. You have your typical Sunday drivers that move at snail pace even when the speed limit is a bit quicker. You have your I'm in a hurry, get out of my way idiots, you have your " I drive an expensive car therefore I own the road" idiots, the L platers...oh yes and the P platers....let me explain those. While you are learning to drive you get a little thing you MUST put on your car that states you are learning how to drive. L for learners, P for probationers. In all the letters, you cannot own or drive a V8 or turbo charged vehicle. There are red P's and green P's, I'm not sure what the color signifies exactly BUT I do know that most of them drive like crazy people and they shouldn't as they do not have their full licenses yet. Ahh I've googled and I have found. 

* The minimum learner age has been lowered to 16 and the learner licence period has been extended to 12 months.

* Learners under 25 years must now gain 100 hours of certified, supervised driving experience before being eligible to apply for a provisional licence.

* Mobile phone use, including hands-free, blue-tooth accessories and loud-speaker functions, has been restricted for learner and P1 provisional licence holders under 25 years.

* Mobile loud-speaker functions have been restricted for supervisors and passengers of learner and P1 provisional licence holders under 25 years, while a learner licence holder is driving.

* Motorbike learners will be required to hold a car provisional licence for 12 months before obtaining a motorbike learner licence

* A two-phased P1 and P2 provisional licence system has been introduced.

* L-plates (a black L on a yellow background) and P-plates (a red plate for P1 and green plate for P2) are now compulsory.

* Peer passenger restrictions have been introduced?P1 provisional licence holders under 25 years can only carry one passenger aged under 21 years between 11pm and 5am.

* High-powered vehicles are restricted for provisional drivers under 25.

* Drivers must pass a hazard perception test to progress from a P1 to a P2 or open licence (dependant on age).

* Restrictions, such as 'no late night driving', have been introduced for disqualified and suspended young drivers."

 I didn't have to get L or P plates as the US and Australia have this agreement, so all I had to do was fill out a form and in the mail I got my Queensland drivers license, no testing required. So cool! 

Winter in Queensland

So this is my second winter here in Queensland and just last night I saw some things that made me think, yeah I so need to put this in my blog. Winter in Queensland can be cold, overnight temps here in Brisbane have gotten down to 7C (44F) which isn't too bad, it's perfect sleeping weather if you ask me. We were walking in the mall last night and I happened to notice what people were wearing, mind you it's winter. I saw people wearing sweaters(jumpers here in Oz), jeans and flip-flops (thongs). I saw a girl wearing Daisy Dukes, boots and a jacket, really? Another one was wearing short skirt, flip flops and a short sleeved shirt. There were some normal people wearing sweaters with jackets and shoes or boots. There are a lot of people out there coughing and sneezing all over the place, um how about putting on some warmer clothes? If it's in the 60's F its not barefoot weather, nor is it flip flop weather. Yes I understand that the 60s are not that cold, but remember it's WINTER and 60 in winter is not the same 60 in the spring. TLC's What Not to Wear should seriously come down here to Brisbane and check out some of these fashion faux pas. You wouldn't see this in Melbourne since the temps down there are much cooler than up here in the Sunshine State. Right now in Melbourne at Friday 9:40am its 46F degrees, those people are bundled up in sweaters and jackets and appropriate footwear. I'm amazed too that parents with toddlers allow them to walk barefoot in the streets and in the supermarket. I remember last year we went to Toowoomba which is higher elevation than Brisbane and colder, we saw in Kmart a couple wearing full winter gear, down coats and everything and what type of shoes were they wearing? None, nothing, totally barefoot in July which is the middle of winter, sick. I'd be afraid to step on glass, dog pee or poo, peoples spittle, discarded cigarettes, and if my feet are cold I'm usually cold. I just cannot understand the people that do this or the ones that let their kids do it while they walk around in shoes. Maybe it's just me being a New Yorker, the only place you see bare feet is at the beach or at the pool or in your own backyard, not walking down a street in Midtown. In the Queens Street Mall there is a sign that says footwear must be worn at all times. Imagine the liability if you fall and break your neck because you stepped on something wet, seriously bare feet and marble floors and water do not mix. It's a recipe for disaster. 

Aspirin, Advil and such

The other day I had a headache and wanted some Advils as the ones I bought in the US in Costco expired. What I should have bought in Costco was low dose aspirin, it's possible I looked for it and they didn't have it, but over a year later who could be 100% sure. Medicines, such as Advil and aspirins and cough medicines can be bought in the Pharmacy section of drug stores. Can you imagine walking into CVS and bothering the pharmacist or their assistant for cough medicine, Advil (any ibuprofen or acetaminophen) or aspirins? Well, my vent of the week is the containers that the Advils come in, they do NOT come in little plastic bottles, rather the old, old school of push tabs. You know, non child safety, just push it through the bubble like pack. It's not convenient to carry in your bag, the box gets tatty and next thing you know you've got these things floating all over your bag. Vitamins however do come in plastic bottles. I just don't get it. 

I got these photos from Google, the first photo is what we have here and I dislike very much, the second photo is what I'm used to and what I prefer and to me makes much more sense than the silliness above it. There's no mulitpack, I think the most you can get is 24 in a box. If you suffer much pain you'll go through 24 in a nano-second. 

Renting Procedures in Queensland...

Renting in Queensland is so very different then renting in New York City. In QLD there are property managers (basically real estate agents) and they're in charge of leasing the unit, apartment, house etc. You find a place on a real estate website or at the agency itself and then see if there's an inspection date, if not,  you make contact with the agent to see the place. Once you've seen the place you put in an application and keep your fingers crossed that you'll get it (especially if it's a great find). 

Rent is usually paid weekly here, which if you think about it, is easier to budget than having to fork over the money once a month. Plus since most monetary transactions here are not handled with checks or cash rather electronically, you never have to think about mailing a check or having to have cash on hand. 

I love to cook, so when my husband was looking for a place to move into while I was still in New York, there were many that I liked, but by the time he contacted the agent the best ones were snapped up. So he found this one which we are in at the moment and it has an upright gas stove. I've never cooked on anything else and it's perfect for anyone that truly enjoys cooking. Many places here in QLD have electric stoves. I've seen beautiful kitchens set up with stainless steel everything and it being ruined by two things, electric appliances and no pets, not even a little kitty. But our time here is numbered as we are tired of having to hide the cat every 3 months when the property managers come to "inspect" the premises. They said that Body Corporate doesn't allow it and neither does the landlord (unreasonable stupid animal hating bitch). Our lease is up on Thursday and we've decided to vacate our current residence. 

So we looked and looked and finally found something that was decent. This place has 3 bedrooms, a nice dining/living area and a decent sized kitchen, but it's got an electric cooktop which I hate. There's only one good thing about it, and that water boils faster. I don't like it and I never will. It has a balcony out the kitchen and since technically we're on the third floor, it's pretty private out there. The view is just a bunch of trees, the occasional chickens (yes I said chickens), Hungry Jack's (Burger King) in the distance and the back of the complex on the adjoining street. It does however allow cats. It has a 2 car tandem style garage with one remote, really, just one remote for a 2 car garage, not thought out very well., plus water comes in through the door, no wonder we spotted silverfish.The laundry is in the garage, which is where it was in Gordon Park, but this place has less natural light and there were no lines to hang the laundry in the garage, only the hills-hoist outside. The garage is gray cinder blocks, so it looks very dark, someone should have painted it white and it would brighten it up a bit. I have to remind myself this is only temporary, eventually we'd like to buy our own house and put in a proper gas stove and a huge sink. Oh did I mention? The sinks in most rentals is a double sink, but not old school Ridgewood style where you wash your hair in one end its so deep. The measurements of the sinks are they're both 5 1/2 inches deep, the one on the left is 15" x 13" and the other one is 13" x 10" not even big enough to soak a roasting pan. This would be fine IF there was a dishwasher, but of course there isn't one. Looking at these places to rent makes me think people don't wash their roasting pans, cause how in the world can you wash something that doesn't fit in the sink. I may have to wash bigger pans in the bathtub. The door to our unit only has a doorknob lock, no deadbolt, so we put it to the property managers about having deadbolts put on 3 of the doors. 

Moving was very interesting and technically my first move as an adult. Moving to Australia was different as I just packed four suitcases and away I went. This was something, going from the first floor into something on the second, technically the third. Our king size mattress did not fit in the staircase so it had to be winched up without a winch, the mattress also has no handles on the side. My twin Simmons Beautyrest in NY had two handles on each side and this king mattress not a one? There are 30 something steps to our apartment, going up and down those things will slim off some of the extra kilos we've put on. T is loving it, he's got more open space to run around.