A Kominar Chronicle: In the beginning… 

We hosted a pre-party soiree to end off the year properly. It was a casual affair but an excellent introduction to the evening to come. We had a chance to hang out with some friends who we don’t usually see. Our friend Paco, a.k.a LiquidSilva(Far left) told us that he’s going to be in Thailand the same time Nadine and I were planning on going to visit our friend Por. With two Thailand tour guides, we should easily find our way into an adventure.

Official celebrations began at Don’s Tavern @7:30. Student council was playing with a guest list that was supposedly ‘full’ but was just as easily circumvented. Don’s was full of familiar faces and equally as full of unfamiliar, new faces. I suppose that’s how it goes when you’re on your way out the door. Busses ran from Bond into Surfers at the Bedroom. We ended up the night at the Drink and caught a talkative cabbie on the way home.

Click to see All Pictures from the night!

It was an excellent night for seeing old friends one last time before they all run around to different parts of the world. Many of my Canadian friends have opted to leave Aus early and have already made their way back home! I have a feeling that they may regret their actions, if they don’t take time to stop and breathe before heading into the working world.

As you might expect it was a pretty big night and we didn’t get to bed until 6~7 A.M sometime. To my pleasure, I awoke to a phone call from my boss at 9:30 A.M. He had a good laugh at my scratchy voice and congratulated me on finishing up with school and going out in style. Meeting postponed by a ~few hours.

Thanks for a wild night!

That’s it! Bond University Juris Doctor academic requirements complete! I finished my sixth and final semester with the best schedule of my life! Class timings for assignments, classes, and tutorials were perfect. For exam season, I only had to sit Canadian Constitutional Law and Civil Procedure, and I wrote them both in one fell swoop yesterday morning.

So, while I haven’t officially graduated yet, all the work is done, and now we play the waiting game! I’ve got a lot on the go for the next few weeks though. There are a number of odd jobs that need to be taken care of and I’m supporting a number of projects around campus. Also, we’re planning a trip to Thailand in the middle of September, so lots to take care of before I head back to Canada.

Stay tuned!

After all of these years I’ve finally earned myself some recognition as a mediator! I recently completed the 4-day Basic Mediation training course through the Bond University Dispute Resolution Centre. The course comprised of 2-days of theory and 2 days of role-plays.

For those of you scratching your head, mediation is not meditation. A mediator is a neutral, third-party who facilitates dispute resolution by encouraging parties to find common ground and build on their interests. At the end of the day, the mediator doesn’t have the power to make a binding decision and its up to the parties to want to make it work. Mediation isn’t suitable for all disputes, but it can certainly be used in a majority of them. It saves time, money, and emotional hardship and can produce mutually acceptable outcomes that a court could never offer.

I hope to start honing my skills soon when I return to Canada. I’ve been getting interested in online dispute resolution systems lately and they largely favour mediation at this time. I took Dispute Systems Design through Bond University as an elective about analyzing dispute resolution systems. I’ve studied both the micro and macro applications of mediation and think that I can apply my studies in a practical way.

So, as the struggle for full-time employment continues, I’m planning on fitting some time in for mediation too. Keep apprised, maybe something exciting will happen!

Jere and Emily flew into Brissy International on Monday morning and were quickly whisked off to the Gold Coast. (Note: Jere’s Nerdy Hat reads ‘Kitchener/Waterloo Software Quality Association’)

Tired, weary and jet-lagged, they were good-natured about seeing local highlights. We went grocery shopping at Robina Town Centre and toured around Bond. Dinner was a special treat as we dined on Kangaroo and Crocodile cooked up for us by a true Aussie, Nadine! It was particularly delicious and a great way to start any Australian adventure.

The next day we scouted out the coast itself and got to some of the beaches. We started at the northern end of the Gold Coast and slowly worked out way south. Lunch in Southport with Nadine, and idle wandering down civilian pavilions. by the courthouse in Southport for a delicious lunch at Mason’s.

I decided that we should head over to Q1 to get a birds-eye view of the land (Left). Q1’s claim to fame is that it is the world’s tallest all residential tower. It is apparently the 20th tallest building in the world, and the fact is well advertised at the base of the tower. Suspiciously absent in any comparison is mention of Canada’s own CN Tower. Amongst the 30 some odd technological tower-marvels, the CN doesn’t deserve to be listed!? More to follow, informal investigation to follow.

We went down the coastline and hit North Burleigh Lookout at sunset (Right). After getting lost in Miami on the way back home we indulged with some Tuk Tuk Thai Takeaway.

The next morning, I cooked up a continental brekky for the travellers and we ventured off to Brissy for our last day together. I learned something that day, Brisbane is a terrible city to drive in if you haven’t driven there before. We enjoyed the adventure because it was a good way to see the city, but stopping right turns for three streets in a row simply can’t be good for traffic. Anyhow, we made it to the airport with plenty of time and I saw them off to Cairns. They’ve got a great tripped planned, owed mostly to Emily from what I hear!

It was quite a treat to see Canadian family and friends down in Australia, and a nice way to celebrate finishing my degree! Thanks to my family who sent me down graduation cards, very appreciated and safely received.

Wishing Jere and Em all the best on the rest of their journey!

Bon Voyage!