GFC and the resources sector

All we hear these days are the masters of the universe saying 'boogaboogabooga: Global Financial Crisis!!'

With a global recession looming, aren't i somewhat scared of leaving the saftey of academia and commencing a career in the real world? Especially in an industry that is so exposed to the global economic cycle?

I had a think and the short answer is no, she'll be right.

I've read the newspapers and seen the evening news. Yes, this year will not be as good as the last, but i think everyone needs to chill out and seek some perspective. The world is still here, and even after the greatest fall in wealth since the great depression of the 1930's, we are still better off then we were 20 years ago. While increasing over the centuries, on a smaller scale the economy is cyclical. A lot of people seem to have forgotten that.

Over the last few years, those with property and substantial investments made money for doing nothing. Then, one family's capital gain was causing anothers housing affordability crisis. But now it seems to me like those who were left out of the boom times are now benefitting the most. Petrol prices, airfares, rents, house prices and interest rates are all at all time lows. For all those who have been shut out of the system for the last few years, this is our time to step forward on that journey towards financial independence.

As a mining engineering student, i am not worried. This is pretty much the best time to be a mining engineer about to graduate. Like those investors who bet on house prices rising forever, some resources companies that positioned themselves for a never ending boom are not doing so well. However, those companies, like families, who put a few bob aside for a rainy day are positioning themselves to take advantage of the economic recovery due to commence in a few years time. I have one year of uni left, and having applied myself, i'm confident i'm going to get into a two year graduate program. I'll be applying for my first real job as an 'engineer' in late 2011, good timing if you ask me. People a few years ahead of me will be switching sideways, others will be hanging in until their super recovers and will then move on. At the end of the day the fundametals are solid, billions of people in Asia are putting one foot in front of the other towards a better life. This demands the materials which providence has gifted australia with. Many of the uninformed students coming through behind me will shy away from ths field because of the bad press. I'd put money on another 'skills shortage' in 5 years time and the whole thing repeating itself.

Whatever our situation, at the end of the day we have to remember that this is the greatest country in the world. The poorest family in this country has better access to healthcare, education, food and protection than even the US. Whether we live like King's or on a bench in Queen St mall, we are better off than the other poor buggers that live on this rock.

Whatever your political stripes: Stop trying to scare me, stop bribing me and stop using the GFC as cover for doing a bad job. Don't help me, help those that are dying from diseases first cured in the dark ages, help those poor people having to fight for a bag of rice, help those poor families at risk of having their heads chopped off because they dare to send theier daughters to school. If you don't want to send the money offshore, then fine give it to those in QLD and Victoria ravaged by floods and fire, use it to pull a failed generation of australians out of the darkness.

We can take care of ourselves thankyou very much, get to work helping those who can't.

Man i love being a turtle!

2008.

Sometimes this year has been like last friday, it defines college life. It was 5 in the morning, i felt like death incarnate. I'd pushed down a few red bulls because i had a 65% assignment due the next day that i still hadn't finished, even though i spent SWOTVAC and the first week of exams writing it and therefore had to learn two other courses in a day each cause i didnt go to lectures, cause i was doing assignments every day for the other two courses gggrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaah. I think every uni student's been in that position, where you wonder what the hell you are doing here. When i thought about that, a smile grew as it dawned on me:

I was there at five in the morning cause the last night i had gone to the red room and the regatta with my mining mates to (prematurely) celebrate the end of another fraking awesome year of mining engineering. In a few hours time i'd be free to do WHATEVER i wanted, starting with chilling with my girl, a large napoli pizza with olives and a bottle of Casilero de Diablo. Then, i'd come home to Noosa and spend a day sunbaking, drinking and relaxing on the roof of a pontoon boat with my best mate for his 21st. After three weeks of beach and boost juice lies three MONTHS of three day weeks with BMA in brisbane. Gymming every day, lounging by the pool, getting paid to work on my thesis, I'll be living with my best friend, rent free in the best room in college. Next year i'll be the senior tutor at King's, basically the chief of making sure the freshers dont fail. I got as far as thinking about graduating and starting doing the job i love for real.

My point is that for most, their final year and even uni as a whole, is the 'final stretch', the last dash before they have finally finished education. For some, it's a hard slog to lift there GPA so they can graduate.

That's not me. Life moves pretty quick sometimes and if you don't take the time to look around once in a while, you might just miss something.

From today I'm going to appreciate the rewards of a shiteload of hard work and for the next 18 months i'll be in cruise mode. I'll have a lot of time to appreciate how lucky i am to live in this beautiful part of the world, to have the wonderful people around me i do, and to have the time to able to just sit on the King's jetty, beer in one hand and rod in the other, every day of 2009.

And i really can't think of anything i'd rather be doing.

Goonside - Vac Work

OMFG, did you see that pic of the dragline neck deep? 100 million down the drain...

Anyways I was overseas by then, but for three weeks before the entirety of QLD had a communal bath i worked at BMA Goonyella Riverside Mine, in Moranbah. Moranbah, about two hours west of Mackay, is renowned for being the awesomest coal mining town in the Bowen Basin, it's even got KFC (the only true way of knowing your town has made it to the big time). It's BMA's best producing mine, open-cut coal w/underground expansion. It was thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis massive and very very busy.

I had an awesome time working at the mine, completed projects in several departments including drilling, blasting, earthmoving and coal mining. i spent most of my time in the explosives section designing and filming blasts. Ended up on the crew in like +40 heat shovelling coal dust and juggling high explosives. As a (former) amateur pyromaniac, it was pretty freaking brilliant. Imagine getting paid twice as much as your high school teachers to blow stuff up!?!

After work i went to the gym, ate awesome food, chilled in my air-conditioned w/ensuite donger (heaven), played cards and shared beers and stories with other vacation students and random old guys.

Even joined the POETS club every weekend, (that's Piss Off Early Tommorow's Saturday, for those who came in late) to Mackay for waterskiing, wakeboarding, fishing etc with my cousins.

So yeh, awesome time, great experience, good cash and all round fantastiche!!!

Overseas Adventures

Spent a week each in Italy, Germany and Austria and two in Canada. Freakin insane, bloody cold too I LOVE SKIIING!!!!

Here's a few choice pics, mainly taken around Rome and the Vatican City plus a few from Canada.

Hundreds more on my other camera
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check out my facebook profile

http://uqedu.facebook.com/profile.php?id=573147355

updates on vac work, my overseas adventures and beach shenanigans to come

Queensland Mining Health and Safety Conference 2007

Soph and I went to Townsville for a health and safety conference and had an awesome time. We learned heaps about the initiatives going on to keep us safe, it's no use earning heaps if you don't live to enjoy it! Seriously, the breakthroughs in safety technology and systems were pretty impressive. It's good to know The Man is looking out for you.

Melbourne comedy festival skit