Bastiaan en Lily's blog

Still working on supporting pictures correctly, will make a post soon with some cool pictures we made over the past weeks.

For now though, a little rant about our current housing situation. Yeah we''re moving again... For the first time in my life I am not moving by choice but out of circumstance...

As you can see I''ve started to use some new blog software. Some things won''t work right for a little while but it is all in the name of progress:)

I was shocked to read this in the online paper today:
Visa article on www.news.com.au
This is the same xenophobic crap we get in Holland right now. Well let me tell you something about 457 Visa''s as this is the Visa that allows me to work in Australia for the next 4 years.
Forgetting for a moment how high the requirements are for getting a 457 Visa, the minimum salary level is but an inkling of this, lets look at this from an employers perspective...

Well just going to keep it short :) I''ve been all alone for the past few weeks. Lily and Linsey are off to a well deserved break in HK. Soon I will see them again, for now I''ll have to do it with some pictures Francis made for us.
Francis, where is my wife? Only pictures of Linsey la!

Whow, we are in 2009 already!!
We''ve had our first culture shock during the holidays here. First because of the obvious fact that a white christmas here is caused by sunglare. It hit 40 degrees on some days during the holidays. The other is that in Holland, during Christmas restaurants have their best day and we usually go out, here everything is CLOSED. Needless to say we had moments where we simply didn''t know what to do...
Other then that, Linsey has been sick a few days but is feeling better, she''s really starting to enjoy going to the local swimming pool to which I try to take her atleast once a week, and I''ve been swimming nearly every day and finally started loosing weight again.
On the weight subject, after loosing so much weight I''ve been careful to keep it up. But staying a month in HK just before we moved, and having the most hectic two months of my life just before the move and just after the move, I had put exercising on the backburner. The result... I had gained 10kg compared to my lowest weight (85kg).
I picked up swimming after we moved to Lane Cove and settled down but kept swinging around 92kg for a long while. I''ve finally managed to get back under 90kg which I''m very chuffed about. I''ve set a target to be back on 85kg before the end of summer.
Two things I''m particularly proud at, at this point is that I''m doing this without medication this time, and I''m getting more and more muscles. I''m really starting to loose that geeky exterior I''ve had my whole life :D
Well knock on wood that I keep it up, wish me luck!!
Ok, time for pictures! Besides getting loads of new toys Linsey''s favorite present during the holidays is her new trike. She actually gets mad at us every time we leave the house without it :D

She''s getting very acrobatic too, there is a childrens gym close by that we''re thinking about taking her after she''s back from her trip to HK.

And no, we didn''t let her climb the tree :D
Two more random pictures from our day out in the park: