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The great thing about a blog is it's not a one-way communication. It's two way!

Did you realize that you can comment on a blog but just entering in something at the bottom of the page? That way, I know that you're reading.

I can see the number of people who visit. But that doesn't tell me WHO has visited.

So, if you want me to keep writing, add a comment. Doesn't have to be much. You can say something like, "Hi, Colleen!" Or, "I'm enjoying your updates." Or, "Why did you do... x?"

If you comment, I know you're listening. You'll see who else is listening. You'll become an online community.

If you don't, it's like me just speaking to myself. So, COMMENT! Say "Hi." Say "Ho." Say "Hi Ho!"

Home sick

It has been fun so far. I'll admit. It's been one full month of fun (and quite a bit of work, too).

 

However, I went to a restaurant Thursday night and when I asked for some water it was served in a blue glass like this:

 



Photo credit: Jessica Raum

 

I have glasses like this at home. They are from Ikea. They have a slight blue tinge, which I love. I like the size of them, the simple styling of them, the way they fit in my hand.

 

Sometimes the littlest thing, like a glass style from home, makes you realize what you're missing. Such as having your own glasses all neat in the cupboard.

I'm reminded of my 3 cats, who like me to rub their bellies. Or my bath tub that I enjoy on Saturday or Sunday mornings with a coffee. Going to the pub with my neighbours on a Friday night for wings and a pint. Or with my friends at Ceilidh Cottage on Tuesdays for a pint and (groan) hashed something (again)!

 

When I'm at home, I have my yoga class, my friends, my family. Dinner parties, going to movies with friends or biking along the Lakeshore and swimming at Ashbridges Bay.

 

On the road I have the hotel services, dinners alone at restaurants, the hotel spa. Nothing is ever in the same place. You want yoga, you have to find it and you won't know anyone. You want a pub, go ahead, walk in, but no one knows you there. Everyting is new.

 

In anything we do, there are prices we pay and gains we make. Sometimes missing things makes you more grateful that they exist at all. And sometimes being away allows you to realize the things at home that perhaps you could do without. Or those things you should do more of, like seeing friends or taking advantage of the city you live in.

 

When at home, it is always so easy to wrap yourself into your own cocoon and say, "I'm busy! I'm booked!" So hard it is to reach out and say, "Hey, come on out, let's enjoy life together."

 

I am enjoying the restaurants, meeting people here, learning about how similar Canada is to Australia in its geography, in the style of its people.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is:  Home is home. Away is away. Both are great places to be. One is restful and the other requires vigilance and fortitude.

 

I have vigilance in spades, I suppose. But that doesn't mean I'm not pining a wee bit for home, for my own place, my relatives, friends and neighbours and my cats (Henry, Kate, Mister Bean), and those lazy days when I look out my window and smile when I realize that all I need to do today is make myself a cup of tea.

 

Last weekend, I was kind of glad to work on the Saturday and not have to tour about, or answer emails or calls or anything else. But time is of the essence, right? One must relish the marrow of life while opportunity abounds.

 

Tomorrow I'm going to The Rocks with Harry. Monday I go to the Hunter Valley for a wine tour. Tuesday I go to Brisbane again. Then back to Melbourne.

 

A nomad I am. A nomad I will be. And that's amazing.

 

But oh, so much will I enjoy getting home and lying on my couch, looking out my window with my cat on my chest, and napping an afternoon away as a cup of tea cools on the table beside me.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Time Warp: Arriving in Sydney

In this entry, I take you back to last Friday, September 21st, before I met up with Harry for our mad dash around Sydney.

It's my first morning here and I have a meeting across town with a client for a kick-off. The hotel staff say it's an easy 20 minutes walk. So, off I go in my heels across the foot bridge over Cockle Bay to downtown Sydney.

I'm not sure how long it's really going to take, so I'm hoofin' it. But the buildings around me, they're either stunning:

Or timely, such as the Sydney Apple store on the day the G5 iPhone has been released with line ups going around the building, across the street and back again.

 

 

And then I manage to get to my meeting, travel up the 39 stories, the elevator opens and I realize: Oh yes, I'm really in Sydney, Autralia, because I see this:

 

 

The reception desk had a pair of binoculars on the windows for those who had a moment to enjoy the view.

One thing you might not know about the Sydney bridge is that people can walk up to the top of it. The very top. Walking. Up there.

(shivers)

I was told I could do that. Ha! I could not. Not that. Not up there.

But I am in Sydney. Really and truly.
 

Whataweek

September 23.

What a week!

From Brisbane, off to Melbourne on Tuesday. Wednesday all day meetings with clients. Thursday off to Sydney.

Yes, now I'm in Sydney. I arrived at 8pm Thursday night, went to a restaurant and was on the phone to Ireland so long in the restaurant they had to put a written note in front of me, "You have to order now because the kitchen is about to close."

Yes, I seem to have become one of those obnoxious business people with a cell phone surgically attached to my ear.

I managed to slip away at the early hour 4pm on Friday (Oh the luxury!) Off to meet some old friends I first met in Halifax.

H (I will use initials until I get permission to use names) came to Halifax two times to see his brother. I met the sister when she was in Halifax for Hurricane Juan. She didn't come for the Hurricane, but it was still a fun time. Gorgeous sunny days and lots of barbecue meat that had to be eaten. But that was (Holy cow!) 10 years ago. I digress...

Since I first learned that I was coming to Australia, H has been sending me suggestions and notes in text messages and emails. He asked me to meet him on Friday, "On Clarence between Market and King, opposite a brew pub."

Sounds mysterious. I'm intrigued.

After hugs and hellos, H slipped into a back lane and I followed. Around a corner into an alley dead end, past a burley fellow and down a grungy fire escape.

As he skipped down the stairs ahead of me, he said, "You should open the door to get the full effect." He stopped to let me move past.

Behind the door was a dark, brick-walled room, packed with people sitting at tables and drinking, the music rollicking. We walked into the darkness. The wall of the bar goes from one end of the club to another and is packed floor to ceiling with bottles, some only accessible by a sliding ladder. The five busy barmen all wear spotless white aprons and have handle bar mustaches, as if they stepped out of the prohibition era. Candles blinked on table tops, the conversation rose and fell around the music. If all the girls were wearing flapper dresses and the boys suits, we could have shot a movie set in the roaring twenties.

Did you know that Tasmania has whiskeys? Well, I had 2 Tasmanian whiskeys. The first was creamy caramel with hints of smoke. The second had a hard edge, not as winning, but still good.

Next stop, China Town where I ordered 3 lamb skewers cooked fresh on a charcoal barbecue. Spicy surprises, perfect for walking and eating.

Next, we were in the university area. We stopped in a student bar, complete with couches with missing springs. (Hiccup) Another beer.

Off we walked through the university (can't recall which one, will look it up) with carolling bells, sandstone courtyards, and the scent of old books everywhere.

Closer to H's home (we've now been walking for the better part of 2 hours - I get the idea he likes walking), we stopped at the Zanzibar and climbed the two flights of stairs to the rooftop. Finally I had a real opportunity to see the Australian sky and stars. It was a quarter moon, so only the brightest stars were visible, but it was still stunning. (Hiccup)

The evening ended at H's where sis, her hubby and two other friends were waiting. As we dined on an assortment of meats and cheeses, H made a lovely vegetable pasta dish to cap off the evening. I should have been thoughtful enough to bring dessert. Next time.

It was lovely to be a part of a conversation again after so many nights sitting alone in restaurants. To sit around a home table and particularly, to listen to talk of research and arguments over dog and cat genetics. I have some pics and will add if permission is received (and we don't look awful).

Saturday was a work day for me. Today I check out Sydney.

Bris-Vegas

Saturday, September 15, Part 2

Jumping off the boat from my Koala / Kanga adventure, I strolled into GoMA, the museum of modern art. The Motel sign shown is placed just outside the museum's entrance. On the other side it does indeed say "Bris-Vegas."

The text on the sign reads:

You don't understand. Not at all, not at all. Pleasure overules pain, if you can catch that drift. When it's barrelling, it's magic. You're like compressed inside - it gives you a high, you expect to see angels!
LOCAL. NATIONAL. INTERNATIONAL.
Where there is no vision the people suffer.

The only other sign in town of Bris-Vegas was across from the library, where the old state treasuring has been turned into a casino. There's a bar there called "Kitty." Cute.

 



Inverted crystal, Colleen reflected.

On my next trip to Brisbane, if there is one, I promise to do one of the coasts and tell you about it.



The GoMA is on the South Bank of Brisbane, which is one happening place. From the curving, trellised walkway to the fake beach and barbecues, on sunny days it seems to be where families go. The pool/beach area is surrounded by palm trees. In the park land next to the pools are gas-power barbecues, free for anyone to use.

 

There are two pools, one that goes up to two meters in depth, another that is barely half a meter in depth, designed for toddlers. A tracing of the Brisbane river spills water when walked upon. A seal squirts water when a little one sits on it. A big bucket hanging high in the sky turns over and spills water on the little one who pushes a button.

 

The deeper pool is... well, like a beach. The white sand slopes into the water, just like a beach. Big difference with this beach, though: no stinging jellyfish or rip tides. It also doesn't hurt that close by, just beyond the trellised walkway, are shops and cafes, perfect for grabbing a cup of coffee or having dinner before heading home.

 

The yearly Brisbane festival was on, which meant arts events all over the city. There was also a nightly laser light show called GLNG. For this show, they have placed laser lights on the tops of the biggest buildings in the city. Water and smoke spray from a barge in the middle of the river that also holds more lights. Music booms, the lights spin, twirl and create impossible shapes.

 

My photo does not do this show justice. But if you follow the GLNG link there is a video that gives you a good sense of what the show is like. 

Koalas and Roos!

Saturday, September 15.

The boat left the Southbank of Brisbane at 10 am and putted up-stream at 10 knots. One hour ride past ostentatious homes and we arrived at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary.

They have many things at the sanctuary including crocodiles, birds, Tasmanian devils (nocturnal, so sleeping), wombats, duck-billed platterpus' (platterpi?), koalas and kangaroos.

The koala handlers were young women wearing tan shorts and fluffy ears. For a small fee, you could "cuddle a koala" and have your picture taken. The koalas obviously have a union, as each koala can only be 'cuddled' by sucessive strangers (1 minute each) for 30 minutes per day. Every so many days, they get a day off. 

 Here am I, holding a koala named Major, who I learned from his handler, is in cuddling training. He did a pretty good job, don't you think? Give him a promotion!

The fur is as soft as it looks and they smell of musky hemp. They are pliable little guys, who don't seem to mind being moved from person to person. They have huge claws for climbing trees; the handlers wear black rubber bracelets around their wrists to protect them. They also carry boughs of eucalyptus that they munch on continually.

After my reassuring cuddle, I was embolded to see some kangaroos close up. In a fenced in area kangaroos hopped about, looking for tourists to give them food. These guys were everywhere, and let us get close up. In many instances I watched a young child almost step on a tail.

Up close, they remind me of a cross between a deer and a rabbit. They like to lounge around in the shade. Sometimes you see an extra appendage sticking out of a tummy, and realize it's a joey in its mum's tummy. This guy seems to be heading there:

They walk slowly in a way that looks quite painful. They lean forward on their smaller forepaws then jump a small distance, reach forward and jump again. Take a look at the red fellow here:

When moving on their hind legs, they bounce at speeds of 20-40 kmh. For short distances they can travel at 70kmh.

Getting up so close and personal with these animals, as opposed to seeing them in a cage, allows you to feel their presence. I was awestruck as roos passed around me, came up to me looking for some food, passed me by. One young man had no food left, but rubbed the roo's neck. The roo leaned its head back and twisted its head in pleasure.

How different their lives must be in the wild. These kangaroos are safe and will be cared for, but you have to wonder what they lose.

I got to know a couple of Dallas, Texas on the way back, as well as some software developers from the U.S. and India. A gang of Spanish visitors took over each room they moved to, talking loudly, drinking, playing jokes with each other that none of us could understand.

Back in town, I discovered the wonders of Brisbane's Southbank.

But that will take another post.

Is it over yet?

Tough.

Week.

Ugh.

Sigh.

I want a bath.

They don't have baths here.

The shower stall in my hotel room has the taps to the shower outside the stall. No kidding. 1940s structure with some kind of update. Who thinks this is a reasonable solution to the problem?

But I digress. Back to the week that has just past.

From the 6 am calls with Canada to the 11pm call with Ireland on Friday while drinking a glass of wine.  Stuck at my desk all hours, incapable of getting away, even for a bite of lunch (and the hotel food too disapointing to call room service.)

I knew there would be times like this. 60+ hours later, I'm wiped and looking forward to some Brisbane adventures.

I'm also looking forward to re-configuring my priorities to make them more manageable. Last thing any of us want is me becoming sick.

I'm not surprised or daunted. This kind of thing happens with every new project. You think things through in advance, believe you have it all mapped out. Then the rubber hits the road and your car skids from side to side for the first few blocks. The key is to keep focused, look at the big picture and take a deep breath. Figure out the steering and get it into focus. So, that's in my thoughts this weekend.

During the week I realized that there are really only 3 days of shared work with other time zones: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On my Monday it's everyone else's Sunday night. On my Friday night, everyone is just getting started on their Friday. Any communication with the home offices, such as setting up an interview with a potential candidate, typically takes a 2 or 3 day exchange.

Amidst all of the mayhem there were successes. A new team member who seems to have gotten off to a blazing start. Meeting some talented individuals who shimmer with a vibrancy that rubs off on you and makes you feel good all over. Meeting some clients who have great ideas, are forward looking and fun to be with, too.

So, although it's been tough I'm not bowed, only emboldened. It is the spirits of the people I work with, the positives sparks we ignite together, that make me feel like I'm making progress, and that's what keeps me going. Small steps, yes. But progress.

I can't wait to tell you what happened on my Saturday! Log back in tomorrow for all the exciting details and photos.

Cheers.

In Brisbane

No one checked my ID at the airport. No one. Should I be concerned about that?

The lady who checked my bag, the smiling security officer who saw my Canadian passport, the stewardess who took my ticket all said, "Going to Bris-Vegas, eh?"

"Bris-Vegas"?

When I asked a colleague what Brisbane is like they hesitated for a moment then said, forbodingly, "It's different."

Arrived at the hotel in Brisbane at 11pm last night. The hotel is circular and vintage 1940s. There's a tobacco rank to my room despite "no smoking" signs posted on every wall. The taps for the shower are outside the shower stall itself. Yes; outside. Will post a pic later.

Had meetings with Fredericton until 12:30.

But this morning is stunning. I look out over a park, see mountains in the background and can't wait to get to know this town a bit better. I hear there's a Koala sanctuary of some sort. Sounds intriguing. The Gold Coast also beckons.


 

Work has started

Oh dear, the silence. Work took over my life on Wednesday and suddenly it is as if my 'life' stops. Or at least, the reporting of it.

Work involved meeting my Australian colleagues, two clients and local candidates we are considering. Taking the train, the tram, even when looking in shop windows, I'm trying to get a feel for this pace, these people.

Similar to us Canadians, they aren't mentioned much in the foreign media. Isolated by time zone, location and sheer scale of the place, Australia has been a global afterthought. But thanks to a mining boom and a strong banking sector, Australia is coming into its own. The vibe here is fresh, youthful, optimistic and quite funky.

Melbourne's downtown is similar to Vancouver's in size and is made up of little streets and lanes with small funky shops and cafes. I love the little Victorian arcades with mosaic tile floors:

I've been trying to learn how, in such a temperate climate, these arcades became so prevalent. No answer has satisfied me yet.

Saturday I finally got my bike ride along the Yarra. It was blustery and cold, but still fun. I enjoyed watching the rowers in their long, lean boats push up or down river, their coach on a bicycle with a megaphone following them on the shore.

Then it was to the Ian Potter Centre to see Australian art. I was struck by the vibrant colours and shapes of the modern aboriginal works:

 

I was also impressed by the Australian post impressionists such as Arthur Streeton. Like Canadian work of the same period, the focus of many paintings is all on the land. If images of people appear, they are distant or blurry.

 

As it was a windy, blustery day, I also had an opportunity to return to the La Trobe reading room at the State Library. I went up to the sixth floor and took pictures as I made my way down through the exhibits to the ground. This building was one of the first to use poured concrete, but it sure doesn't look like Early Canadian Concrete architecture I've seen.

 

 

I also ambled into Chinatown where I discovered an alley with some rather unique signs that must be part of an art project:

 

 

This image looked much better in Paint.net. I'll update later so you can actually read these. Other signs said:

• We look at it and do not see it. We listen to it and do not hear it.
• Yield and overcome. Bend and be straight. Empty and be full. Wear out and be new. Have little and gain. Have much and be confused.
• Work without doing. Taste the tasteless. Magnify the small, increase the few. Reward bitterness with care.

In the eve I went to Turf bar to watch some footy. The All Blacks won. Of course.

 

Sunday, I went on a day-long wine tour of the Yarra Valley. I met a lovely young man named Gabriel, who is originally from Hong Kong but is studying architecture in the U.K.

 

Our bus took us to 4 wineries. We tried Chardonnay, Shiraz, Sparkling Shiraz and many more. The cloudy morn turned into a stunning day where we could enjoy our last minutes together on the Domaine Chandon back patio:

 

On the trip back I saw my first kangaroos. They were off a good distance, under some trees planning a coup.

This week I begin work with a bit more vigour. I need to figure out how to print documents for meetings. A trip up to Brisbane is possible. I'll try to keep updating more frequently despite this, but may include fewer photographs.



Speaking of which it's after 8:30am. I better get at it.


 

A day in Melbourne

My goal was to find some armour for my iPhone, which led me first to a "dollar store" then to Melbourne Centre, a mall comparable to Toronto's Eaton's Centre. This mall in central Melbourne (duh) has an Alice in Wonderland design aesthetic that is bold, playful and cheeky.

 

 



 Across from the mall, I stepped into the city library and found a classic building wrapped in a modern  envelope. A central classical room had doorways in each corner leading to "Arts," "Resources," and "Experimedia" rooms. Up some stairs was a gallery which led to two more classic reading rooms, including the Trobes reading room, shown right. A wedding cake of a room, with stark white walls leading to a dome of skylights. The light was so bright photographs of the dome turned out as washes of nothingness on my iPhone, so I'll have to go back on a cloudy day.

From here I jumped on the free Circle Trolley that takes you around the city. On Flinders Street I intended to grab a bike, but was so enthused by the gallery in the library I decided to go on to the Australian National Gallery.

 

The special feature was a Napoleon exhibit covering his entire career with paintings from his day, furniture pieces, jewellery and videos of the buildings where he lived. Gosh, Napoleon had an ego the size of the universe but he also accomplished one heck of a lot, from changing judicial codes across France, to re-visioning Paris from the ground up. There were many famous portraits of the little emperor on a horse, in busts, but I was  particularly ecstatic to see other paintings of the time such as David's "A Marat" - a fave of mine. Video footage proved a creative means to show the rooms where he lived in all their splendour. Napoleon sure liked grand looking beds, framing them in enough drapery to make wedding dresses for one hundred empresses. The only unfortunate part of this visit: the Australian collection is at another gallery that is not open on Mondays.

My day ended with a half pint at an Irish pub where I met an Irishman from Dingle (a 45 minute drive from Tralee where PulseLearning has an office) and a lovely meal at a Spanish tapas restaurant where I met a man from Perth who is originally from Kleinberg, Ontario.

Small world.

Today I'm off to the Victoria Market and a meeting in the afternoon.

The journey and arrival

"This promise is all foam and no beer." Australia's leader of the opposition in response to the Prime Minister's promise to update the funding formula of the public school system.

"Cycling is the new golf." An Australian colleague.

 - - -

It is now 8:00am in Melbourne, 6:00pm Sunday in Toronto. I find it hard to believe that a) I am awake and feeling quite chipper; and b) I'm awake at all.

My seat was J60 on the Qantas flight from LA to Melbourne, barely half way down the plane, which gives an idea of how humongous the plane was. I'm not an airplane geek, so I don't recall the type of plane it was. A800? A380? It was two stories at the front and had rows of 10 seats across where I sat.

A webcam was situated on the back wing of the plane so we could watch the clouds go from our seats. Here is a capture on arrival at our Melbourne gate:

 

With the help of some good drugs from my doctor and a philosophy podcast on the enlightenment, I amanaged to sleep 6 hours.

 

The apartment is not unlike a staged condo, with white modern furniture and a bedroom that is hidden by rolling glass walls.

 

My colleague on the ground here left me some welcoming gifts for:

1. Corporate signage in the hallway and on my bed;
2. A box of fruit, yoghurt, milk in the fridge and a smoothie.
3. The SIM card for my iPhone
4. My new laptop

Now, if sleeping with the corporate banner across my ankles is not 'thinking outside the classroom,' I do not know what is.

 

Off I go today to get some armour for the iPhone so I don't ruin it; an electronic doo-dad so I can connect my north american gadgets to Australian electricity sources and get to know this city a bit better. 

 



 

23 hours in airports or cramped airplane seats later... Melbourne is sunny, cool, with the sun setting around 7:30pm.

I somehow lost a day on the trip. If you've seen Saturday, September 1st anywhere, let me know I'm looking for it.

More on the journey tomorrow.