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Books deserve their nightlife!

Quick goodbye before the first deserved official holiday :P Tomorrow you can find me in Tasmania.. Hobart I'm coming!

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It’s a Quarter.. Here's your Change!

So very long break! Almost 2 weeks without any news. I’m alive and in pretty good shape I would say. Last Monday were exactly 3 months, a Quarter, since I landed in Australia and it unexpectedly turn out to be THE DAY.

It finally happened, nay, I had the clear feeling it was really about to happen. Destiny brought me in front of the last crossroads. The choice between money with strong remembrances of my past or something completely new. May be less certainties but something I really felt to be the right one for me. This time I did have “the courage to follow my heart and intuition”. I came here to get this Change and it finally came through. Eventually everything has fallen into place: the role, the sponsorship, the timing, the right environment. I’m really satisfied and also surprised of how everything has worked out another time for me. Now other ten days and then the new phase is going to begin. The job I wanted, in the city I’ve chosen.

12 days of silence had a reason to be. It hasn’t been an easy time. Everybody tells you that it’s going to be fine, you believe it and the hope lives inside you. Anyway you can’t help the clouds running in the back of your mind. Too much is at stake. It’s even difficult to imagine what to do if it doesn’t work out and to understand when is time to say “it’s enough”. It’s challenging, it’s a journey within yourself, where often the new day requires to start from scratch and you need to keep your energy high. But we’ll talk of how this journey has changed me another time.

So what’s the recipe? I really don’t know. What I can tell you is what I did taste and recognized in my dish: perseverance, method, the already discussed pinch of luck, experience, timing, friends support and the undeniable power of Coincidence.

Then, the change is served! Enjoy your drink ;)

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I.T. or not I.T.

So the job hunt continues (sixth week starts now, but keep in mind “summer weeks”). The most recurring phrase that I get now is: “IT? No problem, you will find something easily! No worries! After Australia Day everybody will be back and the hiring season will take off.”

I hope so :) In the meantime I would like to offer some food for thought especially for people evaluating the chance of moving here, in this tough period for Europe. I’ve extrapolated few lines from an interesting article about the current ICT job market situation in Australia.

The ITCRA (Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association) has pointed out a contraction in Australia’s ICT job market in the next 12 months, after a slowdown in employment towards the end of last year.

It look like vacancies for ICT professionals dropped 20.1 per cent in the past year.

The health index of the Australian ICT industry (the Longhaus Australian Tech Index) decreased 2.9 per cent by 31 December 2011 – the most significant decline since the second quarter of 2009. 

They affirmed that the average number of days taken to fill a role increased substantially across Australia. In the third quarter of 2011 it took an average of 26.4 days to fill a role, jumping to a peak situation of  41.4 days in the fourth quarter. 

So Australia is not Eldorado anymore, but probably there are still many opportunities to be chased. I hope to show you that it is something possible! soon :)

You can find the full article @ http://www.itwire.com/it-people-news/recruitment/52376-less-jobs-in-softening-ict-employment-market

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The Dragon is coming...

The magical Twilight Parade will weave its way, dragon-style, under the beauty of an evening sky illuminated by giant projections on Sydney's buildings. Experience pre-parade entertainment, including street art, dancers and acrobats, and as dusk descends, a giant dragon head leading the Parade through Sydney.

With over 2900 performers, this is one extravaganza that you won’t want to miss!

Parade Program

7-8pm: Pre-Parade entertainment Featuring street art, dancers and acrobats

8-8.15pm: Eye-dotting ceremony Awakening the dragons in a special ceremony.

8.15pm: Parade starts The giant dragon head leads the Parade from Town Hall  along George Street and then Goulburn, Sussex, Hay and Harbour Streets.

8pm - midnight: Dragon Projections Imagine yourself in a neon-lit Asian city, with giant projections changing the face of some of Sydney's iconic buildings, and bringing a whole new dimension to the Twilight Parade.

Following the Parade: Fireworks

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Head to The Rocks for a truly home-grown Australia Day with nine hours of free live music from more than 50 singers and songwriters from around the country.

Dance your way around three open-air stages as some of Australia’s best musicians bring pop, rock, funk, soul, folk and blues to The Rocks.

As music spills from historic laneways, squares, harbour promenades and parks, settle in with your family and friends and enjoy performances from Archie Roach, Blue King Brown, Cat Empire’s Harry James Angus, Rescue Ships, Steve Smyth, Busby Marou, Emma Louise, and many more.

Check what's going on @ The Rocks:

http://www.therocks.com/sydney-Things_To_Do-The_Rocks_Australia_Day-Event_Program.htm 

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Australian National Anthem Getting ready for tomorrow, Australia Day is almost here!

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How did it start? A snapshot from history

In 1770 Captain James Cook, in command of the vessel Endeavour, sailed along the east coast of Australia, becoming the first known Europeans to do so. On 19 April 1770, his crew sighted the east coast of Australia and ten days later landed at a bay in what is now southern Sydney. Impressed by the volume of flora and fauna, Cook named the inlet Botany Bay. Cook then charted the East coast to its northern extent and, on 22 August, at Possession Island, took possession of the coast in the name of King George III of Britain. He then reported favourably to London on the possibilities of establishing a British colony at Botany Bay.

Sydney was founded in 1788 when the first fleet arrived in Australia from England. On 13 May 1787 a fleet of 11 ships set sail from Portsmouth, England. On board were 759 convicts, most of them men with sailors and marines to guard the prisoners. With them they took seeds, farm implements, livestock such as cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses and chickens and 2 years supply of food. The first colonists came ashore at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. They were commanded by Captain Arthur Philip (1738-1814).

Sydney was named after Thomas Townshend - Lord Sydney (1733-1800). He became British Secretary of State in 1783 and recommended the British establish a colony in Australia.

Timeline

50,000BC - 15,000BC - various aboriginal sites around the Sydney region 1770 - Captain Cook arrives at Botany Bay 1788 – Sydney is established by the arrival of the first fleet from England 1803 - The first Australian newspaper, the Sydney Gazette, is published 1808 - The infamous Rum Rebellion overthrows the Governor of Australia, William Bligh 1819 - Hyde Park Barracks is built as accommodation for convicts 1840 - Due to pressure from the citizens of Sydney, England stops transport of prisoners 1850 - Sydney University is founded 1852 - Gold discovered! Massive influx of people from all over the world seeking their fortune 1861 - The population of Sydney is 56,000 and it is a flourishing town 1881 - The population of Sydney has grown to an amazing 221,000 1888 - Town Hall opened 1900 - Sydney has a population of 481,000 1901 - Australia becomes a Commonwealth 1921 - Sydney population has reached 981,000  1932 - Sydney Harbour Bridge is completed and Opened 1950 - Sydney population has reached almost 1.7 million 1973 - The Sydney Opera House opens its doors 1975 - Sydney has a population of nearly 3 million 1981 - The Sydney Tower is built 2000 - The Sydney Olympic Games held 2007 - Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre opened

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Official Soundtrack of the Day! Great moments yesterday night with Mike Patton @The Domain 

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The Future Belongs to the Curious

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Item #5 The right pinch of luck

“ I'd rather be lucky than good, saw deeply into life.  People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward and you win.  Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose. Sorry. "

This one is mostly about  awareness.  I’m convinced of.. yes! I’m convinced of how great a part of life is dependent on luck! It may be scary but it is what it is. To make yourself more comfortable you can see a big project behind it, maybe you’ll be able to connect the dots as Steve Jobs said.. everything happens for a reason. A reason that maybe will appear in few years from now or that maybe you will forget.. who knows?“

But in the meantime sorry, but I know, sometime it is just like throwing a coin.. and if you are lucky the best you can get is just the feeling of the dice rolling. Time slows down and your eyes raised to the sky watching heads and tails dancing together chasing each other..

“to bet everything in a moment, only one slow shot! meanwhile it’s rolling, the dice is rolling, changing again the face to show.. my destiny in a hand, knowing that I’ve already lost”.

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Festival First Night 2012, on Sat 7th of Jan, @Sydney CBD. The heart of the city is again transformed for this event, a huge day and night all for free. The full Line Up at The Domain starts with Welcome to Country followed by Gurrumul Yunupingu, Washington and closing with  Manu Chao.

In Hyde Park you can find DJ Norman Jay’s double-decker bus, keeping Sydney dancing from 3pm with a marathon eight hour set of idyllic summer tunes.

The Art Gallery of NSW is open up late with music, film and performances for the whole family.

In Elizabeth Street you can catch Jamaica’s mento masters The Jolly Boys. These dance hall legends get things swinging before The Sirens Big Band open an explosive outdoor Trocadero Dance Palace.

Download a schedule and a map.

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The Legend of the Three Sisters

“Long ago in the Blue Mountains, three Aboriginal sisters; Meenhi, Wimlah and Gunnedoo lived with their father, a Witch doctor named Tyawan.

Only one creature was feared by all - he was the Bunyip. Tyawan who knew where he lived would leave his daughters on the cliff behind a rocky wall where they would be safe while he would collect food.

One day, waving goodbye to his daughters he descended the cliff steps. On the top of the cliff, a big centipede suddenly appeared and frightened Meenhi. She picked up a stone and threw it at him. The stone rolled away over the cliff and crashed into the valley below. The rocks behind the three sisters split open, leaving the sisters on a thin ledge.

There was a deep rumble from below and the angry Bunyip emerged from his sleep. He looked up to see who had rudely awakened him and there perched on the thin ledge he saw the sisters cowering in fear. Furiously he lurched towards them.

In the valley, Tyawan heard the cry and looked up to see that the Bunyip had almost reached his daughters. Frantically the Witch Doctor pointed his magic bone at the girls and turned them into stone. They would be safe there until the Bunyip was gone and then Tyawan would return them to their former selves.

The Bunyip was even more angry when he saw what had happened and he turned on Tyawan and began to chase him. Running away, Tyawan found himself trapped against a rock which he culd neither climb nor go around. He quickly changed into a Lyrebird and disappeared into a small cave. Everyone was safe but Tyawan had dropped his magic bone. The Bunyip returned angrily to his hole.

Tyawan crept out of the cave and searched for the bone, still seeking it today while the Three Sisters stand silently waiting, hoping he will find the bone and turn them back to their former selves.

You can see the Three Sisters today from Echo Point and in the valley you can hear Tyawan, the Lyrebird, calling them as he searches for his lost magic bone.“

Blue Mountains is one of the greatest tourist attraction which attracts so many visitors from around the world to visit and feel the majestic beauty of this natural mountainous region. Why the name the Blue Mountains? This is down to the interaction between light rays and the fine droplets of eucalyptus oil from the pristine forests of gum trees, resulting in distant objects appearing a shimmering blue. 

The Blue Mountains are an easy drive west of Sydney. Katoomba, the chief town centre of the region, is just over 100 km (90 minute drive) from the Sydney CBD. Otherwise City Rail offer an extremely efficient service to the Blue Mountains that in about 2 hours will bring you to Katoomba.

The Three Sisters is one of the most visited rock formation in whole of the Blue Mountain region making it a hot tourist spot. They are very close to the town of Katoomba and one can easily come to this place to view the three sister standing next to each other. The three sisters Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo having heights of 922 m, 918 m and 906 m, respectively. Apart from the legend they are known to have been formed due to erosion caused by winds and river waters. Gradually with time, the water seeping into the rocks made this formation. It is believed that as time passes on, the Three Sisters would be completely eroded away. So come to have a look before they will be gone.

What you can’t miss:

- The Three Sisters view @ Echo Point Katoomba - A bushwalk @ Leura Cascades 

- A ride @ Scenic Cableway - The Sunset @ Cahills Point

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Goodbye 2011

“We are all faced throughout our lives with agonising decisions. But we define ourselves by the choices we have made. We are, in fact, the sum total of our choices.”

So 2011 is history. Reading the comments of many friends I’ve realized what a wonderful year it has been for a lot of you. On the other hand I know what a challenging time it has been for someone else. If I think about my 2011 I’m still not capable to take a clear position. Many things happened and many changes took place. I think it has been a crucial year for my life, but I’m not able to realize it completely yet. After couple of years more or less settled down, following the flow, I got back to action chasing my will and desires. Yep many changes took place..

After 3 years I’ve left Milan and my beloved friends (sure, many of them are still celebrating my departure :P). After 4 years I’ve left my firm, but enriched of many friends and brothers all over the globe. I’ve got rid of few bad habits. Being back in charge probably gave me the strength to stop doing things that I knew was just stupid to keep going.

It’s true that life surprises you when you least expect it. So in 2011 I’ve also met special people that made me question everything. So every choice has been harder to be taken because more meaningful.  To interact with special people meant also to rediscover some aspects of myself forgotten in the dust for years. And I’ve turned 30..yep! I've left my 20ies.. someone will say almost middle-aged :) . Probably this threshold pushed me on this healthiness path, trying to be the sporty person I’ve never been :) .

Finally leaving Italy (with a lot of time to say goodbye) made me realize the depth of some connections I have probably always underestimated. Sometimes bad timing makes things going in a certain way. Then silence drops and both the parts picture in their head an idea of the situation that is not actually accurate. You need a departure and a greeting clarifying talk to understand that the reality is different and the bond is stronger than expected. A nice discovery, even if with a bitterish aftertaste.. but that’s life.

Great 2012 to everybody ! It's time to make things happen!

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Item#4: The Cloud

Classical buzz word for the IT insider, but something that is changing our lives, positively, and often we don’t even realize it!

Let’s state it clearly: in my opinion this is the “search engine era” (with all my respect of course for our mother the Internet that made everything happen)! Yep, the time of the “beloved and hated” Google. Organizing information means somehow creating knowledge. If you can’t access or locate a certain piece of information you don’t have that knowledge.

Somehow the idea of a bigger intelligence that you can access from your dumb device is already there.. but what I bring in my luggage as representative of cloud is the notorious app Shazam!

Shazam is a service that provides music identification through acoustic fingerprinting. You just have to position your phone close to a speaker playing an unknown melody for 15 secs. That music sample is sent somewhere in the cloud and you get back the name of artist and the song you were wondering.. magical experience!

It’s a simple idea.. but the power of the cloud it’s to scale it (11 million songs), somewhere, and to make it accessible to everyone! Like Street View of Google,again :) ..easy! I take a picture of place and I tag it.. Yep, but before you had to be so visionary to imagine it globe-wise.

  If you haven’t done it yet, give it a try: http://www.shazam.com/music/web/getshazam.html

  Look around.. it’s a cloudy world out there!

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Skilled VISA? (HUHU).. Hard and U have to Hurry Up!

Ok, it’s time to cover this opportunity before it will be too late. Yep, last months before next July revolution. The system will be based on Expression of Interest that won’t constitute a migration application. This procedure will just place the individual profile into a database that may be selected and invited to apply on the base of the skillset required in the country. 

But let’s have a look at this Visa, that is still one of the best options in the next few months. This visa uses a points test and allows you to migrate to Australia if you have competent English language and other skills and attributes which will contribute the most to the Australian economy. You do not require sponsorship to apply for this visa.

This visa is for you if you:

· are under 50 years of age

· have competent English language skills

· have the skills and qualifications that meet the Australian standard for an occupation on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL).

The SOL is a list of skilled occupations of high value to the Australian labour market. You can check the current list at Skilled Occupation List

  This visa allows you and any secondary applicants included in your visa application to live as permanent residents in Australia.

Australian permanent residents can:

· live and work in Australia on a permanent basis

· study in Australia at school, Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector or university

· receive subsidised healthcare through Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)

· access certain social security payments (subject to waiting periods)

· be eligible for Australian citizenship (subject to the residency eligibility criteria)

· sponsor people for permanent residence.

  The Point Test (here the pdf on the current point test)

The pass mark is the total number of points needed to be eligible for grant of a visa and is set at 65 points.

1)   Age range

2)   English language ability

For all skilled migration points tested visas, the threshold English language requirement will be competent English, which is a minimum score of 6 in each of the four components of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test or other language test specified by the Minister. The points test awards points for English language ability as follow:

3)   Skilled employment

Points will be awarded for employment in a skilled occupation, either in Australia or overseas.   To claim points for skilled employment, the experience must be in an applicant’s nominated occupation, or a closely related occupation. Where applicable, applicants can claim points for both Australian skilled employment and overseas skilled employment under the points test. 

Applicants will be awarded points based on

Australian employment:

Overseas employment:

Australian and overseas employment over the past ten years can be combined, (however the maximum number of points that can awarded is 20 points).

4)   Educational qualifications 

Points can only be awarded for the highest qualification attained.   Example: If an applicant is assessed as having completed a Bachelors Degree and a Doctorate Degree, they will only be able to claim points for the Doctorate Degree.

The following table outlines the number of points awarded for an applicant’s highest education qualification: 

To claim points for a qualification obtained overseas, the qualification will need to be recognised as being of a standard comparable to the relevant Australian level qualification.

5)   Other options (not very common)

This is just to get a general idea.

Then according to your occupation (check in the SOL) you have to contact directly the relevant assessing authority to obtain a skills assessment. The assessing authority will provide all necessary applications forms and associated information relating to the assessment.

Here you can find the List of Assessing Authorities

Other note, the cost that is no small matter for this family of Visa

  Since the short time you may consider the consultancy of a Migration agent registered with the Office of the MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority).

Good Luck !

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Zeitgeist 2011: Year In Review

So first “TimeAndSpace” post really about time.. Google has just released Zeitgeist 2011 "How the World Searched".. watch what a year it has been..

http://googlezeitgeist.com

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“If you are trying to give someone the big picture of a complex idea, to really capture its essence, the fewer words you use the better. In fact the ideal may be to use no words at all.” John Bohannon