Canadians sometimes have trouble understanding us Australians, even though we both speak English.

Me (in an Aussie accent): Howyagoin’?
Canadian: Sorry?
Me (trying to speak louder & clearer): Howyagoin’?
Canadian: How’s IT going????
Me: Uhh, yeah.
Canadian: Good!!!!!!

It reminds me of this YouTube video I found awhile ago, which shows the staff of a restaurant say the typical Aussie greeting. Pretty funny. Makes me realise how nasal we sound.

Photo credits: Berwick Leader

During January of last year, there a fire blazed through Churchill Park/Police Paddocks in Endeavour Hills/Rowville. The CFA had sent 30 fire trucks, two aircraft and 115 firefighters to the control the fire (shown in the photo above and the video below).

It was pretty scary considering that Endeavour Hills has been my home town for the majority of my life. Bushlands is very much apart of where we live, let alone the rest of Australia. On some occasions, it was nice to have a family barbeque at the park. It’s lovely to be surrounded by beautiful trees. It’s sad to know that it’s all been destroyed.

Below are some photos I took of what it looks like one year after the fire. You can see some regrowth of the grass the trees, but most of it is still branches are still blackened. I’m hopeful that one day it’ll be back to what I remember it to be.

While Churchill Park was reasonably contained, the bushfires that ripped across Victoria was devastating. Hundreds of homes, let alone lives were lost. Australia will never forget what we now know as Black Saturday – our most tragic natural disaster in history.

For all my friends back at home in Melbourne who are complaining about the winter, I want to show you that you are not alone. It’s supposedly summer here in Toronto, but it’s been raining like this a lot for the past few weeks. It’s horrible and extremely depressing, to the least.

This video was taken from my bedroom window at my new condo at the Harbourfront. Can you see how I get a great view of the CN tower, but it’s hidden by all the clouds? Everytime it rains, the CN Tower disappears into the clouds!

The view is great at night, when the sky is clear and I can see the pretty lights. :)

Down below, you’ll see my condo courtyard. It’s lovely when it’s a nice day!

Another year has past! 2008 has just been & gone! Too quickly this time around. Way way too quickly! I feel like I’ve done nothing!