Honesty, not always the best policy

I am angry tonight, because once again I have been fooled into thinking that honesty is the best policy. I'm not saying that lying is the way to go, but leaving out key pieces of information is definitely the winning combination. For the second time in my adult life, the Australian government has screwed me over with respect to important things in my life because I give away too much.

The first instance, I had better not discuss here in too much detail - but lets just say I learnt from the mistake of honesty. The net effect? I am saving myself $500+ per year and the past half dozen years or so have proven that no one is worse off as a result.

A day or two after being offered my job in Denmark, I got contacted regarding the possibility of working in Antarctica with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). It was something I had applied for many months earlier after meeting some people who had worked down there, and discovering that there really was a possibility I could work there too. The place had always fascinated me, but I had put it together with becoming an astronaut - something I was unlikely to do unless I was one of those rich tourists. But these people made me realise it was possible. But after not hearing back from my application, I had given up. When this possibility reappeared, I got super-excited, but after much deliberation, I decided that a bird in the hand was better than two in the bush - so I stuck with Denmark.

Fast forward 16 months and another application with the AAD for their annual intake, and I receive an email notifying me I have been shortlisted and invited to attend a selection centre. Great! I was even going to be in Australia round about that time, so figured I'd be able to coordinate something to make it. In the midst of emailing back and forth with HR, I suddenly receive an email stating that I "do not meet the necessary medical checklist requirements". What?!? Although I truly believe 'tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. In this case, I had been handed a winning lotto ticket only to be told the next day that the jackpot was $0 due to a technical glitch! And what is this "medical" condition I have? Asthma. Yes, the 'condition' suffered by around 1 in 15 people. And when I say 'suffer', I mean, a couple of times a year I take the odd puff on the Ventolin - because I know how to look after myself. But no, this is enough, I'm told, to immediately rule me out of ever working for the Australian government in Antarctica (the Yanks would take me, I'm told...). And why? Because it's just too risky.Argh!

So the lesson here? Don't disclose something you don't have to. If you think you know better, you probably do. If you are confident that hiding something won't do any damage, but will get you what you want, then hide it. I am yet to determine whether this adage applies in general, or only with the Australian government. They're up to 2 strikes - one more, and they're out!

There are no Kangaroos in Austria

Or so says the famous t-shirt at the tourist shop in Salzburg. Yet again, the shitty weather seems to follow me on my holidays, but is unable to dampen my spirits nor lessen my enjoyment of new places. I flew into Salzburg on a beautiful sunny morning and disembarked the plane (on one of my new, favourite airlines, Air Berlin - due to the fact that you get a chocolate every time you get off a flight) to the glorious sight of alpine peaks surrounding Mozart International Airport. Wow! What a sight! I had seen photos of the airport before, but it really did feel like a scene from the movies seeing the beautiful peaks against the blue sky with a spattering of white clouds about. I couldn't have asked for nicer weather either.

Possibly the coolest toilets in the world - thanks to Red Bull

I was picked up by friend from the Aero Club in Canberra who I had come to visit. And in true Aero Club style, our first stop was Hangar 7, a futuristic building on the far side of the airport built by the founder of Red Bull, who I discovered is probably only second to Mozart in terms of being the favourite child of the town. This guy has money! Inside were a collection of flying machines from all different ages, though mostly modern, fancy planes. All of them in pristine condition. We had an enjoyable stroll around the place, all the while theorising how we could fly such aircraft...

Inside Hangar 7 - notice the conference room hanging from the ceiling

Wave Rock

Not quite on the childhood wish-list, but Wave Rock is something that has been mentioned for many years. In fact, 12 years ago when my mum and I drove across the Nullarbor, we considered 'stopping' at Wave Rock along the way. It was only a couple of hundred kilometres off the main road, but with over 3,000km ahead of us, we figured there would be enough driving. So it got put off. And now, finally, I made it there. There are some natrual formations in Australia which are extremely spectacular - Uluru is one of them. And then there are some which are definitely interesting, but one has to also appreciate the clever people who turn them into big tourist attractions. Wave Rock falls into the latter category. It was definitely interesting, and something qutie fascinating to behold, but on a totally different scale to something like Uluru or The Great Barrier Reef. Either way, it provided a great excuse for a proper family outing and a good flight.