It's Christmas time? Really?

I'm getting a bit annoyed with my job because they keep changing and cancelling my shifts all the time. The thing is, I'm staying in Brisbane only because of my job, but if I don't even get many hours a week and especially if I don't get my salary on time (it was supposed to be in my bank account two days ago but it hasn't come), I think it would be better to go somewhere else and find another job. I don't want to start looking for a job again but there's no other choise if I want to go somewhere else and if I want money.

My Australian bank account looks pretty much empty at the moment and I've spent a huge amount of money in past few weeks.... I knew I'd spend a lot of money when travelling in Australia but it  still scares me! Where does that money actually go? Living in hostels takes the most of my money, and food of course. But I don't understand how some people can go partying every night and spend so much money for alcohol, how can they afford it? If I bought loads of drinks in bars every night, I wouldn't have much money anymore at all...

So what to do next? I have no idea. I said to the people at my work that I'm going to stay in Brisbane for a few months. Yeah right... I didn't even plan to stay here for too long but that's the thing you have to say if you want to find a job especially in restaurants or cafes. They just don't want to hire people for a few weeks, they want people to work for them at least for a couple of months, usually even more. 

But backpackers always change their plans, make quick decisions and travel from place to place. So never trust backpackers. But does it really matter if I leave my job here because they can't even give me reliable shifts? 

I like that place though, and I'd like to learn to use the coffee machine properly. I mean the huge special coffee machine that makes all those different types of coffees.

I wonder why I get bored with one place so fast. I mean I've only been here for over 2 weeks and I already feel like I should see other places and go somewhere else. Maybe it's because nearly all backpackers are here only for a couple of days and then they're moving on somewhere else, some coast places or Outback or wherever. Brisbane isn't really the most traditional or interesting Australian place, and I'd like to see as many beautiful and amazing places as possible, with great landscapes or coast views etc.
Now I regret a little bit that I didn't decide to spend Christmas in some of those beautiful coast towns as everyone seems to be going there.

Last night I spoke to an Irish girl who had worked in Darwin and she said it's a very nice little town and it's easy to find a job there and the salary is good. So I might consider going to Darwin sometimes. There are a few types of jobs I'd really like to try in Australia: It'd be good to work in a pub/hotel where I'd get accommodation and food for free and then I'd also get salary but I could save the most of that money because I wouldn't spend it for hostels and food so much. 

The other thing is farm work, which would be an interesting experience. Many backpackers go and work at farms and it's pretty easy (?) to find that kind of jobs in some places here. And one thing is working in Outback. I don't know if it'd be the right thing for me but definitely it'd be an experience... 

So many options but I'm still "stuck" in Brisbane at the moment :D 

One day I went to Ikea with a Finnish girl Elina, who lives in the hostel where I stayed the first 2 weeks. I know it's quite "boring" to go to Ikea in Australia as I can do that in Finland too, but we wanted to buy some gingerbread biscuits and glögi just because it'd make us feel more like "home" here at Christmas time. Well, it didn't... They were too expensive and didn't taste right. And Australians had decided to sell some fish and chips and squid in the Ikea restaurant, which I'm pretty sure they don't sell in Finland and Sweden. It was nice to eat some swedish meatballs though. But maybe I should stop spending my money on useless things such as "going to Ikea to buy food that I can buy in Finland but which is too expensive here". 

Well, it's only a couple of days until christmas and I'm sat in a sun chair at the sun deck and it's veeery hot. Could it feel any less like Christmas? But I don't really mind if I don't get Christmas feeling here because I'm on the other side of the world and I didn't come here to spend a traditional Christmas.

Last Christmas wasn't traditional to me either but it felt like Christmas because I spent it in England with my lovely host family, which was very nice. 

It's always good to do something different and spending Christmas in hostel with random people in Australia is definitely different... I don't know if it's the best thing to do but I'm here now and I'll see how it goes. Merry Christmas.