Thursday, November 1, 2007...the date of my first post. It seems so long ago that I first sat down to describe the beginning of my journey. It seems so long ago that I described how incredibly nervous I was to take the plunge and leave home. But now, here I sit, 50 posts and ten months later, describing the exact opposite. Describing how wonderful this journey as been. How truly life changing this entire experience is, and will continue to be years down the line. My how times have changed...
But yes, my time hear is nearly at an end and so many emotions are running through my head. Absolute joy that I will be back home among my friends and loved ones. A surge of pride that I faced this challenge head on and won. A sense of accomplishment that I chased a dream and became a better person for it. But on the other hand, a profound sense of sorrow stirs with the thought of leaving this great land. A sense of loss while saying goodbye to my friends. A feeling of lonliness knowling that I will never have this experience again.
But in the end, as I wrap up this journey, no amount of joy or sorrow can deflect the sense of love that I felt daily from both sides of the world. From beginning to end the amount of support and kindness I received, in many different fashions, kept me stronger than I have ever thought I could be. When I was feeling a bit out of place, a call from a friend pulled my head back in. When the holidays came around, cards and letters from home lifted my spirits. When I needed a kick in the butt, Lisa P gladly provided (just kidding!!!). So thank you to everyone who made this journey possible, because you are the ones who have made this experience truly remarkable. It is in the people closest to us that we find our greatest source of strength.
And so I say "I'll see you soon" to all my mates back home. I'll say "until next time" to all my mates still here. Fair dinkum, you are all the best blokes a seppo like me could ask for. I reckon we'll see each other soon, and when that day comes, bob's your uncle. Cheers everyone and I'll see you in Chicago on Saturday night!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A Valiant Effort
While some things are meant to be, others are not. And as much as we worked and fought, Saturday was not our day to be victorious, falling to the mighty Hammersley-Carine by nearly 5 goals.
The day started off on the right foot with the team arriving at TJ Perrott Reserve in the right state of mind. After such a big win the previous week, it's always a concern a let-down will occur, but this was not the case. The team arrived fired up and ready for another upset bid. Taped up and boots on, I was anxious to get on the field and face Dan and his team (one of only 2 teams we hadn't yet beat during the season). It was a bright and sunny day as the oval overlooked the Swan River and as a crowd of nearly one-thousand watched over us. You could feel the electricity in the air.
From the first bounce the Scarborough Eagles looked poised for an upset as we kicked the first goal of the match. With a gusty effort on only one leg (he had a torn calf muscle), Willow started us off right and got us going early. From around the ground every player was making incredible plays as the tempo picked up every quarter. From the stands the crowd couldn't believe what they were seeing as we continued to lead at quarter, half, and three-quarter time (it should have been more at this time because we had the breeze to our back but we couldn't capitalize).
But sadly those present were ready for an upset that would never come. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hammersley-Carine began to show their true colors as they kicked two quick goals to cut the lead to just one goal. From then the tide had turned and they could smell the victory and wouldn't be denied. Despite our most valiant efforts, once the final siren went the mighty Eagles had fallen by nearly 5 goals. It was a sad sight, but nothing to be ashamed of as we played better than we ever believed and gave the opposition (the best in the competition) their hardest victory in a long time.
So at last, the curtain has closed on my footy career Down Under. What started way back in January has come full circle with many ups and downs along the way. From beginning to end this has been an incredible journey and something that I will take with me until I die. I can only hope that others will make this same leap of faith that will undoubtedly change their lives forever.
The day started off on the right foot with the team arriving at TJ Perrott Reserve in the right state of mind. After such a big win the previous week, it's always a concern a let-down will occur, but this was not the case. The team arrived fired up and ready for another upset bid. Taped up and boots on, I was anxious to get on the field and face Dan and his team (one of only 2 teams we hadn't yet beat during the season). It was a bright and sunny day as the oval overlooked the Swan River and as a crowd of nearly one-thousand watched over us. You could feel the electricity in the air.
From the first bounce the Scarborough Eagles looked poised for an upset as we kicked the first goal of the match. With a gusty effort on only one leg (he had a torn calf muscle), Willow started us off right and got us going early. From around the ground every player was making incredible plays as the tempo picked up every quarter. From the stands the crowd couldn't believe what they were seeing as we continued to lead at quarter, half, and three-quarter time (it should have been more at this time because we had the breeze to our back but we couldn't capitalize).
But sadly those present were ready for an upset that would never come. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hammersley-Carine began to show their true colors as they kicked two quick goals to cut the lead to just one goal. From then the tide had turned and they could smell the victory and wouldn't be denied. Despite our most valiant efforts, once the final siren went the mighty Eagles had fallen by nearly 5 goals. It was a sad sight, but nothing to be ashamed of as we played better than we ever believed and gave the opposition (the best in the competition) their hardest victory in a long time.
So at last, the curtain has closed on my footy career Down Under. What started way back in January has come full circle with many ups and downs along the way. From beginning to end this has been an incredible journey and something that I will take with me until I die. I can only hope that others will make this same leap of faith that will undoubtedly change their lives forever.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Semi-Finals
Another weekend and another win!! This past weekend we took on the boys from Collegians on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon at Hamer Park. We had previously lost to this lot in one of the first games of the season, so we were ready for some revenge. Right away our team jumped out to a two goal lead and continued with the lead throughout the entire game. But no matter what we did, we couldn't quite put them away. They kept fighting and clawing their way back into the game, but we were doing just enough to keep them at bay.
Through some outstanding performances and a very tight final term, the boys from Scarborough managaged to frustrate Collegians enough to miss open targets and open goals. On our offensive end of the field, they were doing about the same effectively keeping the game in reach. But, with a ferocious last few minutes, Collegians couldn't do enough and eventually succummed to the Eagles 46-45.
This coming weekend were are playing against Hammersly-Carine, who we have lost to twice this season. But, this time around we have the upper hand as we are playing better footy that we have all season. If we win this weekend we will then be playing next weekend in the Grand Final, which would be a dream come true. This game also has significance for me as Hammersly-Carine features a player who played with the Bombers a couple seasons back, my friend Daniel Hyman. A great friend and someone that I am looking forward to beating. It's going to be incredible!!
Through some outstanding performances and a very tight final term, the boys from Scarborough managaged to frustrate Collegians enough to miss open targets and open goals. On our offensive end of the field, they were doing about the same effectively keeping the game in reach. But, with a ferocious last few minutes, Collegians couldn't do enough and eventually succummed to the Eagles 46-45.
This coming weekend were are playing against Hammersly-Carine, who we have lost to twice this season. But, this time around we have the upper hand as we are playing better footy that we have all season. If we win this weekend we will then be playing next weekend in the Grand Final, which would be a dream come true. This game also has significance for me as Hammersly-Carine features a player who played with the Bombers a couple seasons back, my friend Daniel Hyman. A great friend and someone that I am looking forward to beating. It's going to be incredible!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Finals Fever
Just about the only exciting news from this side of the pond is that my team has won our first round of the playoffs. We won in dramatic fashion over Mt. Lawley for the second straight week. After a very slow start, we found ourselves down by 18 points at quarter time, but completely outplaying them in every part of the game, except accurate goal kicking. By halftime we had crawled our way back to within a couple points, and maintained the spread until the beginning of the fourth quarter. With a victory in the balance, we started the fourth quarter on a surge, kicking 5 straight goals to take the lead and the victory. A well earned win for the boys and I couldn't be more proud.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Time to Rumble
First, a big Happy One Year Anniversary to Lisa and Tim! I can't believe it's already been one year since they tied the knot. Such a special memory that I'm sure no one will ever forget. I can still remember dancing on the Royal Argosy (is that the right spelling???), getting told to be quiet while in the courtyard of our hotel, and watching people get hit in the face with flying fish at Pike Place Market. So many funny memories that I will never forget. Congratulations again!!
Secondly, a big Happy 25th Birthday to Lisa P!! This past Saturday, Lisa turned the big quarter century and I know she celebrated in style. With friends from school and work she painted Milwaukee red while calling me throughout the night, just to say hello. I was quite flattered.
Thirdly, some good news from this side of the pond. My knee is good to go and I am ready to kick some butt this weekend. This past weekend we had our regular season game against Mt. Lawley, which was a must win for us. Previously I stated that we had cemented a spot in the playoffs, but I was wrong. We had to win this past game to make the playoffs, and we did it in fine style. Down by 2 goals at halftime, we came back to win by 4 goals. Very exciting and a huge relief for me because now I can actually play again!! Very thrilled. Our game this Saturday is again against Mt. Lawley, so we know it will be tough but I am confident we will be victorious!! What a great feeling it would be to win some more games and come home as a Champion!! Wish me luck!!
Fourthly, my tenure at Meerkats is over and I am a bit disappointed. I had a great time and learned a lot and have already started missing some of my co-workers. What made it even harder was that they had a going-away gig for me on Friday afternoon. We had cake, sausage rolls, meat pies, and they even gave me a really nice present, an official West Coast Eagles team jacket. Very nice of them and really unexpected. I can't wait to show it off around Milwaukee.
Lastly, since I am no longer working I am sorry to say that their will be no more pictures. I am using Jared and James' computer and their provider only allows a certain amount of uploads/downloads a month. And, since they are Packers' fans, their entire allotment is spend on downloading Packers' clips. I will see if I can find a way around this, but I'm not too confident.
Anyways, less than 5 weeks until my plane touches down and I couldn't be more excited. I will miss it here terribly, but home is where the heart is, and my heart is in the Midwest US.
Secondly, a big Happy 25th Birthday to Lisa P!! This past Saturday, Lisa turned the big quarter century and I know she celebrated in style. With friends from school and work she painted Milwaukee red while calling me throughout the night, just to say hello. I was quite flattered.
Thirdly, some good news from this side of the pond. My knee is good to go and I am ready to kick some butt this weekend. This past weekend we had our regular season game against Mt. Lawley, which was a must win for us. Previously I stated that we had cemented a spot in the playoffs, but I was wrong. We had to win this past game to make the playoffs, and we did it in fine style. Down by 2 goals at halftime, we came back to win by 4 goals. Very exciting and a huge relief for me because now I can actually play again!! Very thrilled. Our game this Saturday is again against Mt. Lawley, so we know it will be tough but I am confident we will be victorious!! What a great feeling it would be to win some more games and come home as a Champion!! Wish me luck!!
Fourthly, my tenure at Meerkats is over and I am a bit disappointed. I had a great time and learned a lot and have already started missing some of my co-workers. What made it even harder was that they had a going-away gig for me on Friday afternoon. We had cake, sausage rolls, meat pies, and they even gave me a really nice present, an official West Coast Eagles team jacket. Very nice of them and really unexpected. I can't wait to show it off around Milwaukee.
Lastly, since I am no longer working I am sorry to say that their will be no more pictures. I am using Jared and James' computer and their provider only allows a certain amount of uploads/downloads a month. And, since they are Packers' fans, their entire allotment is spend on downloading Packers' clips. I will see if I can find a way around this, but I'm not too confident.
Anyways, less than 5 weeks until my plane touches down and I couldn't be more excited. I will miss it here terribly, but home is where the heart is, and my heart is in the Midwest US.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Playoff Fever!!
Hello everyone and welcome back to the United States Tim and Lisa! I hope your trip to Europe was incredible and I can't wait to read the blog and see the pictures. I am so very jealous of you two and I can't wait to have a trip there myself!! Visiting Prague, Greece, and Rome would be such an inspiring trip. So much beauty and history, I think I should start planning right now!!
On this hemisphere things are just as exciting as my time here begins to draw to a close. Over this past weekend my team scored another victory cementing our place in the Finals (playoffs). Our team puzzle is nearly complete, except that I am still sitting out with a knee problem. I tried to go, but after the first ten minutes I was in pain and had zero mobility. At this point we were already up by 4 goals, so I decided it was about time to get off the ground. It's really disappointing to not be playing because this is the most important time of year and I would do anything to finish the season strong. The knee is healing slowly, but I'm going to see a sports doctor to get a proper assessment. Hopefully it's nothing serious!! This weekend we're playing Wembley and we should come away with another win. This will give us home field advantage our first playoff game, which will also be against Wembley. Wish us luck!!
Another exciting/humbling event is that my time here at Meerkats is nearly expired. My list day is Friday (tomorrow) and it's really excited to branch out into other work, but really sad to be leaving. I've had such a great time working with everyone here and made so many memories and friends, that saying goodbye will be difficult. These people have become like a family to me (a loud, swearing, and beer drinking family) that I will never forget. What a experience this has been. What a lucky man I am. One of my co-workers in the IT area has volunteered to burn all my files/photos to CDs for me to take back to the states. It will be nice to look at these in 10 years to remember all the great times.
In some positive news, my car is back up and running!! After a few discussions with the mechanic, the problem was a bad circuit/relay board under the dash board. Apparently when it overheats it short circuits, cutting power to the fuel pump. This car has been such a clunker, but it sure has kept me on my toes and kept things interesting. It has also really made me appreciate public transportation.
One thing that I am looking forward to when I'm home is football. I love watching footy and all Australian sports, but since pre-season NFL has started up things around the house have been buzzing. I forgot that Jared and James are from Wisconsin (born and living in Green Bay for a number of years) and are crazy Packers fans. Both have been wearing their hats around the house and downloading all the video clips every day. It's great to have such excitement, but these guys are total Cheeseheads. I can't wait until Detroit takes them to the cleaner!!
On this hemisphere things are just as exciting as my time here begins to draw to a close. Over this past weekend my team scored another victory cementing our place in the Finals (playoffs). Our team puzzle is nearly complete, except that I am still sitting out with a knee problem. I tried to go, but after the first ten minutes I was in pain and had zero mobility. At this point we were already up by 4 goals, so I decided it was about time to get off the ground. It's really disappointing to not be playing because this is the most important time of year and I would do anything to finish the season strong. The knee is healing slowly, but I'm going to see a sports doctor to get a proper assessment. Hopefully it's nothing serious!! This weekend we're playing Wembley and we should come away with another win. This will give us home field advantage our first playoff game, which will also be against Wembley. Wish us luck!!
Another exciting/humbling event is that my time here at Meerkats is nearly expired. My list day is Friday (tomorrow) and it's really excited to branch out into other work, but really sad to be leaving. I've had such a great time working with everyone here and made so many memories and friends, that saying goodbye will be difficult. These people have become like a family to me (a loud, swearing, and beer drinking family) that I will never forget. What a experience this has been. What a lucky man I am. One of my co-workers in the IT area has volunteered to burn all my files/photos to CDs for me to take back to the states. It will be nice to look at these in 10 years to remember all the great times.
In some positive news, my car is back up and running!! After a few discussions with the mechanic, the problem was a bad circuit/relay board under the dash board. Apparently when it overheats it short circuits, cutting power to the fuel pump. This car has been such a clunker, but it sure has kept me on my toes and kept things interesting. It has also really made me appreciate public transportation.
One thing that I am looking forward to when I'm home is football. I love watching footy and all Australian sports, but since pre-season NFL has started up things around the house have been buzzing. I forgot that Jared and James are from Wisconsin (born and living in Green Bay for a number of years) and are crazy Packers fans. Both have been wearing their hats around the house and downloading all the video clips every day. It's great to have such excitement, but these guys are total Cheeseheads. I can't wait until Detroit takes them to the cleaner!!
Friday, August 8, 2008
6 Weeks
Well, in exactly five weeks I will be boarding a plane to head back to the United States. Back Home. Back in Milwaukee. And back to being American. It's a sobering reality to really see the end, but it's a great reality none-the-less. I have had an absolute blast here these past 9 months, but still nothing compares to home and the people who make it special. I can't wait to see everyone again.
With that being said, I am going to really try and soak in my remaining few weeks here, starting with lots of bike rides and long walks. You may be saying to yourself, yeah that's a great idea to really take in the sites. And, you wouldn't be wrong: but I would have to disagree only because this has been forced upon me because my car died on the way home a few nights ago. Literally, James and I were driving home from Brett's place and the car died, no acceleration or anything, and we ended up walking back the last couple kilometers. Not quite the way I pictured ending the night, but still pretty funny. Currently I am still without car and greatly enjoying the night time bike rides.
In other news...my footy team is still doing well and in the hunt for a Finals appearance (the playoffs). Currently we are sitting in contention, but a win this weekend will guarantee us a stop in the top 5. The buzz around the team is incredible and I can't wait to get on the field to have a win. But, that will be waiting a bit because my still ain't quite right. My MCL is still a bit off, so I will only be played sparingly this weekend, just to make sure I don't injure it even further. I should be completely fine by next weekend, but this waiting period is awful!!
In international footy news, the International Cup begins in a couple weeks and I am still being courted to play for the US. I have already spoken with the coach about my situation (my finals series happens on the same dates), but they are really persistent. If things work themselves out, I may even be able to get flown to Melbourne to play a few games while still playing for Scarborough in the Finals. Could be a pretty great experience!!!
In work news, my next day will be a week from today and I am not excited. Meerkats has been such a great experience for me and I am dreading to go home to any type of dictatorship company. Every person here has made me feel so welcome to the point that I feel like many of these people are my great friends. What an incredible experience and something that i do not take lightly or for granted. Maybe I can take this business model and replicate it back in the States!!! Would be well worth it because this place has found such an incredible balance of work and play that no company in the States (that I have seen) can match.
Anyways, it's nearly 5 pm and I am ready to go home. I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the warm weather (it's supposed to rain all this weekend here)!!! And please, pray for the people of Wisconsin and their dramas with Brett Favre.
With that being said, I am going to really try and soak in my remaining few weeks here, starting with lots of bike rides and long walks. You may be saying to yourself, yeah that's a great idea to really take in the sites. And, you wouldn't be wrong: but I would have to disagree only because this has been forced upon me because my car died on the way home a few nights ago. Literally, James and I were driving home from Brett's place and the car died, no acceleration or anything, and we ended up walking back the last couple kilometers. Not quite the way I pictured ending the night, but still pretty funny. Currently I am still without car and greatly enjoying the night time bike rides.
In other news...my footy team is still doing well and in the hunt for a Finals appearance (the playoffs). Currently we are sitting in contention, but a win this weekend will guarantee us a stop in the top 5. The buzz around the team is incredible and I can't wait to get on the field to have a win. But, that will be waiting a bit because my still ain't quite right. My MCL is still a bit off, so I will only be played sparingly this weekend, just to make sure I don't injure it even further. I should be completely fine by next weekend, but this waiting period is awful!!
In international footy news, the International Cup begins in a couple weeks and I am still being courted to play for the US. I have already spoken with the coach about my situation (my finals series happens on the same dates), but they are really persistent. If things work themselves out, I may even be able to get flown to Melbourne to play a few games while still playing for Scarborough in the Finals. Could be a pretty great experience!!!
In work news, my next day will be a week from today and I am not excited. Meerkats has been such a great experience for me and I am dreading to go home to any type of dictatorship company. Every person here has made me feel so welcome to the point that I feel like many of these people are my great friends. What an incredible experience and something that i do not take lightly or for granted. Maybe I can take this business model and replicate it back in the States!!! Would be well worth it because this place has found such an incredible balance of work and play that no company in the States (that I have seen) can match.
Anyways, it's nearly 5 pm and I am ready to go home. I hope everyone has a great weekend and enjoys the warm weather (it's supposed to rain all this weekend here)!!! And please, pray for the people of Wisconsin and their dramas with Brett Favre.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
What's the Status, Doc?
This weekend I will be sitting out of my match because of a knee injury. In last weekend's game an opponent slammed into the outside of my right knee, straining/spraining my MCL. It's not serious (no surgery or anything), but I still need to ice it and rest up before I can play again. Very frustrating, but good motivation to come back even more determined.
Lisa P and Patrick D - 5
Well, it's now the 5th installment of Lisa's visit and I think it's about time to wrap it up; not because I want to, but because i could go on for ages. I'll just do a quick summary of all the cool stuff we did.
Caversham Wildlife Park - Visited here to play with the kangaroos and koalas. Luckily the weather held strong for us and we were able to have an outstanding time. Took lots of pictures with the roos, and Lisa tried to feed every one, except for the smallest one we found which tried to attack her. I also took the girls here when they visited.
Swan Valley Breweries - Directly after Caversham we went beer tasting (just like I did with the girls), but this wasn't as successful as 3 of 5 were closed. Pretty disappointed, but it worked out as we got to enjoy each brewery much more (rather than rushing around to hit them all). Really enjoyed sitting outside, drinking, and playing quarters outside of Feral Brewery. Lisa destroyed me in quarters, and I believe I still owe her a foot massage.
Fremantle - Took an entire Sunday to walk around and enjoy the great city. Made a quick stop at a surfing contest on the way down, but the waves were about the size of pillow, so it wasn't the best contest. Headed all around Fremantle, especially the markets (one vendor gave me a free apple), the beach, and the Round House (historic site, a former fort). Made a quick stop at Sail & Anchor for a couple brews (in honor of Tim) and to give our friends back home a call (reunion weekend in Milwaukee for Kristyn's birthday). Ended the day at Little Creatures microbrewery having beer, chips, and people watching while sitting in the beer garden overlooking the harbor.
The Paddo + Nightlife - Attempted to have a crazy night on the town, but didn't quite succeed. Started the night at the clubhouse after my game and then headed to The Paddington Ale House for some dancing. Left around 11:15 to head to another bar (early to beat the crowd and massive line), but the line was already formed. Headed to 2 other places but both were closed, so we headed home, opened some beers and turned on the music to have our own dance party. No, Jared and James didn't join. They were on a bike trip down South. Besides, they can't dance to save their lives.
Perth - Visited downtown for a day, and luckily the weather wasn't completely bad. It did sprinkle a bit, but we still managed to ride the river ferry, eat lunch in South Perth, wander around King's Park, go to the top of the Bell Tower, and generally meander around downtown. Overall a great day, despite the disturbing number of mullets and rat tails we saw. Australians have no fashion sense, unless you still live in the 80s or are blind.
Footy - Lisa got to see two more games, plus the black lab puppy that my teammate owns. Lisa wants a black lab puppy terribly, so she was loving it. Anyways, had a couple more games and we split the two. Lost in the last 5 minutes to our rival, North Beach, but it must have been really exciting to watch. Even though the Reserves haven't won much this season, they still know how to put on a show. Now she knows how footy is supposed to be played, not quite the same as the US version.
Overall, the two weeks that Lisa spent here were the most enjoyable of all my time here. I've had a lot of great memories here with footy, the beach, the girls, and fun nights on the town, but having her here topped them all. Still though, we were thinking of everyone the entire time and we can't wait to get together again.
Caversham Wildlife Park - Visited here to play with the kangaroos and koalas. Luckily the weather held strong for us and we were able to have an outstanding time. Took lots of pictures with the roos, and Lisa tried to feed every one, except for the smallest one we found which tried to attack her. I also took the girls here when they visited.
Swan Valley Breweries - Directly after Caversham we went beer tasting (just like I did with the girls), but this wasn't as successful as 3 of 5 were closed. Pretty disappointed, but it worked out as we got to enjoy each brewery much more (rather than rushing around to hit them all). Really enjoyed sitting outside, drinking, and playing quarters outside of Feral Brewery. Lisa destroyed me in quarters, and I believe I still owe her a foot massage.
Fremantle - Took an entire Sunday to walk around and enjoy the great city. Made a quick stop at a surfing contest on the way down, but the waves were about the size of pillow, so it wasn't the best contest. Headed all around Fremantle, especially the markets (one vendor gave me a free apple), the beach, and the Round House (historic site, a former fort). Made a quick stop at Sail & Anchor for a couple brews (in honor of Tim) and to give our friends back home a call (reunion weekend in Milwaukee for Kristyn's birthday). Ended the day at Little Creatures microbrewery having beer, chips, and people watching while sitting in the beer garden overlooking the harbor.
The Paddo + Nightlife - Attempted to have a crazy night on the town, but didn't quite succeed. Started the night at the clubhouse after my game and then headed to The Paddington Ale House for some dancing. Left around 11:15 to head to another bar (early to beat the crowd and massive line), but the line was already formed. Headed to 2 other places but both were closed, so we headed home, opened some beers and turned on the music to have our own dance party. No, Jared and James didn't join. They were on a bike trip down South. Besides, they can't dance to save their lives.
Perth - Visited downtown for a day, and luckily the weather wasn't completely bad. It did sprinkle a bit, but we still managed to ride the river ferry, eat lunch in South Perth, wander around King's Park, go to the top of the Bell Tower, and generally meander around downtown. Overall a great day, despite the disturbing number of mullets and rat tails we saw. Australians have no fashion sense, unless you still live in the 80s or are blind.
Footy - Lisa got to see two more games, plus the black lab puppy that my teammate owns. Lisa wants a black lab puppy terribly, so she was loving it. Anyways, had a couple more games and we split the two. Lost in the last 5 minutes to our rival, North Beach, but it must have been really exciting to watch. Even though the Reserves haven't won much this season, they still know how to put on a show. Now she knows how footy is supposed to be played, not quite the same as the US version.
Overall, the two weeks that Lisa spent here were the most enjoyable of all my time here. I've had a lot of great memories here with footy, the beach, the girls, and fun nights on the town, but having her here topped them all. Still though, we were thinking of everyone the entire time and we can't wait to get together again.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Lisa P and Patrick D - 4
Once we had returned home and sufficiently slept in, our plan for the day was to sit around and watch movies. We figured it would be a great way to just relax and enjoy each other's company. But, as we got prepared to head to the movie store the clouds parted and we figured an even better way to enjoy the day was at the beach. I was really hoping that we would be able to spend some time at the ocean because we have such beautiful beaches, and a trip to Perth isn't complete without it. And since it's winter and warm sunny days only happen once or twice a week, we took advantage.
The cool thing about the ocean here is that the temperature only fluctuates about 2 degrees (Celsius) the entire year. So no matter the wind temperature, the ocean seems nice and warm, even without swimming through where someone peed themselves. Lisa really enjoyed herself as she got to see what Perth is all about, even though she wouldn't go in the water. Once we had our fill of swimming and wanted something new, it was off to the parking lot to teach Lisa to drive stick. She did a great job and only killed the car a few times; much better than myself. I didn't lose my patience once and really enjoyed riding in the passenger seat for a change. Eventually though, the clouds rolled and it was my turn to drive down to Scarborough Beach to watch the sun set. We ended the night with a great Mexican feast complete with Corona, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. Chef Lisa was the star of the night.
The following day we spent the majority of our time at the Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA). This aquarium is very unique because it only houses species that are native to Western Australia. It was really interesting to see all the different varieties of animals that are in our ocean. Lisa and I got to walk through an underwater tube and watch sealife from the ocean floor, pet sting rays, port jackson sharks, starfish, and watch sea lions from an underwater viewing window. it was a thrill viewing and interacting with the animals. Lisa and I got some great pictures of us petting them too!! Funny story, when I picked up the starfish (after we had played with it) a toddler walked up and looked at it, so I held the starfish for him to pet. He slowly reached down, picked it up, and threw it back into the water as far as he could.
The cool thing about the ocean here is that the temperature only fluctuates about 2 degrees (Celsius) the entire year. So no matter the wind temperature, the ocean seems nice and warm, even without swimming through where someone peed themselves. Lisa really enjoyed herself as she got to see what Perth is all about, even though she wouldn't go in the water. Once we had our fill of swimming and wanted something new, it was off to the parking lot to teach Lisa to drive stick. She did a great job and only killed the car a few times; much better than myself. I didn't lose my patience once and really enjoyed riding in the passenger seat for a change. Eventually though, the clouds rolled and it was my turn to drive down to Scarborough Beach to watch the sun set. We ended the night with a great Mexican feast complete with Corona, tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. Chef Lisa was the star of the night.
The following day we spent the majority of our time at the Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA). This aquarium is very unique because it only houses species that are native to Western Australia. It was really interesting to see all the different varieties of animals that are in our ocean. Lisa and I got to walk through an underwater tube and watch sealife from the ocean floor, pet sting rays, port jackson sharks, starfish, and watch sea lions from an underwater viewing window. it was a thrill viewing and interacting with the animals. Lisa and I got some great pictures of us petting them too!! Funny story, when I picked up the starfish (after we had played with it) a toddler walked up and looked at it, so I held the starfish for him to pet. He slowly reached down, picked it up, and threw it back into the water as far as he could.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Lisa P and Patrick D - 3
Bright and early the following morning we packed our bags and headed out for our next adventure. It was now Tuesday morning and we were looking to get back home tonight, but not without some fun along the way. Continuing on a Southern course, we headed out of town aiming to reached Cape Leuwin, and the Cape Leuwin Lighthouse, the most Southwestern edge of the country.
The drive to the cape is only about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and is scarcely populated, so Lisa took over the controls to test her skill on the opposite side of the road. Sitting in the passenger seat I got the job of navigating us to the cape and to yell at Lisa to pull over to take as many pictures as possible. Our first stop was at a little pull-off right on the ocean where rocks, beach, ocean, and shrubs collide. With such a beautiful site and the Southern Ocean in view, I suggested to Lisa that she should touch the water (so she can say she's been to the Southern Ocean), but to be careful of the slippery rocks. You can see where this is heading, and the picture of Lisa's wet butt is the result. I was actually worried that she was going to slide all the way into the ocean, which would have been really bad. Laughing about it, we looked to our right to see a beach about 50 feet away, so we headed over there to take some photos and for me to touch the water. But, alas, the ocean won again as a massive wave came up the shore as I was bending down and it drenched my shoes and ankles. Very clever Mr. Ocean.
Hopping back in the car we continued down the coast line pulling over once again for some pictures and to watch a few whales. We could only see their blow-holes, but it was a pretty cool site. Our final stop was the lighthouse, which was pretty neat to see, but very overpriced to visit, so we just walked around outside the fence a bit and took some pictures in the gale force winds, which made Lisa's hair look like a bad 80s hair cut. Still though, it was pretty cool to see where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. Fully satisfied with our journey so far, we turned back North to explore Mammoth Cave before we headed home. With Lisa still in the driver seat we were headed back North through constantly changing terrain. From towering forests to open farm lands, the thick bush to flowing vineyards, the terrain was a site to behold. I think Lisa enjoyed it too, because at one point we nearly ran off the road and I had a few choice words with her. Ok ok, she didn't do that bad, but it was a bit too close for comfort for me, so she made me drive the rest of the way.
Mammoth Cave is the most Northern cave in a series of caves along Margaret River/Southwest area. Originally named "Dawn of Creation," Mammoth Cave hosts great historical significance as it holds fossils from ancient animals, fauna, and newly extinct animals. Scientists continue to visit the cave every year to unlock it's secrets and to learn more about the history of the area. We learned all about this as we walked on a self-guided tour through the cave with portable headsets describing the cave as we walked. The cave itself lies in the side of a hill in the towering Karri Forest and winds through the rock a couple hundred yards to the exit. The exit itself was formed when the cave roof collapsed, leaving a massive gap in the Earth where the only way out is up. Pretty neat and wildly beautiful.
We got home that night around 7 pm and sat on the couch to relax and enjoy some NCIS. A long day but a day well spent. Getting defeated by the ocean, whale watching, bad 80s hair styles, spelunking, and a small fight. It had it all.
The drive to the cape is only about 40 kilometers (25 miles) and is scarcely populated, so Lisa took over the controls to test her skill on the opposite side of the road. Sitting in the passenger seat I got the job of navigating us to the cape and to yell at Lisa to pull over to take as many pictures as possible. Our first stop was at a little pull-off right on the ocean where rocks, beach, ocean, and shrubs collide. With such a beautiful site and the Southern Ocean in view, I suggested to Lisa that she should touch the water (so she can say she's been to the Southern Ocean), but to be careful of the slippery rocks. You can see where this is heading, and the picture of Lisa's wet butt is the result. I was actually worried that she was going to slide all the way into the ocean, which would have been really bad. Laughing about it, we looked to our right to see a beach about 50 feet away, so we headed over there to take some photos and for me to touch the water. But, alas, the ocean won again as a massive wave came up the shore as I was bending down and it drenched my shoes and ankles. Very clever Mr. Ocean.
Hopping back in the car we continued down the coast line pulling over once again for some pictures and to watch a few whales. We could only see their blow-holes, but it was a pretty cool site. Our final stop was the lighthouse, which was pretty neat to see, but very overpriced to visit, so we just walked around outside the fence a bit and took some pictures in the gale force winds, which made Lisa's hair look like a bad 80s hair cut. Still though, it was pretty cool to see where the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean meet. Fully satisfied with our journey so far, we turned back North to explore Mammoth Cave before we headed home. With Lisa still in the driver seat we were headed back North through constantly changing terrain. From towering forests to open farm lands, the thick bush to flowing vineyards, the terrain was a site to behold. I think Lisa enjoyed it too, because at one point we nearly ran off the road and I had a few choice words with her. Ok ok, she didn't do that bad, but it was a bit too close for comfort for me, so she made me drive the rest of the way.
Mammoth Cave is the most Northern cave in a series of caves along Margaret River/Southwest area. Originally named "Dawn of Creation," Mammoth Cave hosts great historical significance as it holds fossils from ancient animals, fauna, and newly extinct animals. Scientists continue to visit the cave every year to unlock it's secrets and to learn more about the history of the area. We learned all about this as we walked on a self-guided tour through the cave with portable headsets describing the cave as we walked. The cave itself lies in the side of a hill in the towering Karri Forest and winds through the rock a couple hundred yards to the exit. The exit itself was formed when the cave roof collapsed, leaving a massive gap in the Earth where the only way out is up. Pretty neat and wildly beautiful.
We got home that night around 7 pm and sat on the couch to relax and enjoy some NCIS. A long day but a day well spent. Getting defeated by the ocean, whale watching, bad 80s hair styles, spelunking, and a small fight. It had it all.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Lisa P and Patrick D - 2
After a great night's sleep in a really comfortable Queen sized bed (much better than my double), Lisa and I arose bright and early to prepare for the day's activities. Our first stop of the day was Wild Tyme cafe for an outstanding breakfast and freshly squeezed orange juice. I'd recommend this place to anyone as my egg benedict were some of the better ones I've had.
After a quick breakfast we had about 2 hours to kill before the tour began, so we enjoyed a nice walk around town, stopped at the bakery for some fresh donuts, and went to the information center to get some brochures about the area. This only managed to kill about 45 minutes, so we decided to grab the car and go explore the surrounding land. Our first stop of the morning was the hotel that Beth, Tim and myself stayed at on our visit (I couldn't quite remember which room it was, so I took pictures of both). Our second stop was the Colonial Brewing Company, located about 5 minutes North of the main strip. Margaret River is known for their fine wines, but they don't make half-bad booze either. Sitting out back on the beer garden, we enjoyed 5 different styled of beer and savored every last drop. The scenery was just as delicious as the garden was surrounded by open range farm land and gum trees. Quite a site. We enjoyed every second of the tasting tray and struck up a conversation with the only other people there, one of whom happened to be from Nevada.
About noon-thirty we rolled back to our place to meet the tour group and begin our wine tasting adventure. Our driver, Steve, picked us up outside our place and drove us out to meet up with the rest of the group at Voyager Estate. The estate was as beautiful as the wine was delicious. I hope Jared enjoys his Cab Sav. The server, James, informed us about all the reasons why Voyager had such great wine, and he wasn't wrong. The wine here was outstanding and James was one cool guy, but a total surfer persona. I wanted to tell him to "hang ten" as we left.
Feeling a bit more saucy our group rolled onto the second stop, Watershed, which impressed greatly with the views, but not so much with the wine. Tasting one after another, Lisa and I became less and less interested, so we began taking pictures of the group, our driver Steve, and Lisa's silver shoes. Still though, it was free and the scenery was pretty spectacular as vineyards surrounded the estate on 3 of 4 sides. Lisa's pictures show this (to be put up soon). Now nice and sauced up, the games began as Lisa made fangs out of pretzels and we raided the snack basket provided by Steve. Those salami, cheese, and crackers were sooo good. Our third stop for the afternoon was Pierro estate, but I'm not sure if estate is the correct word, because it looked more like a barn, which they tried to justify as "rustic." But, the inside was cozy and the company was friendly, so the overall experience was a winner.
The last winery was Moss Brothers which included barrel tasting!! Normally wine tasting involved wine strictly from the bottle. but this place actually let us walk into the wine cellar and taste the wine directly from the barrel. A novel idea and certainly delicious. Here Lisa and I tasted our favorite wine (in our price range) and picked up a couple bottles. The last two stops for the day were at the Margaret River Dairy Co. for some cheese tasting and the Margaret River Chocolate Co for some free samples of chocolate. Living in Wisconsin, the cheese tasting was a welcome surprise, but a disappointing result. I believe one of the flavors was literally Hobbit's feet. The Chocolate Co was much better, and James B. would agree (we got his present here).
Around 5:30 the tour wrapped up and dropped us off back at our place. Feeling a little tipsy and not too hungry, we immediately passed out with the radio playing. Waking up a few hours later and a bit hung over, we headed off to The Spaghetti Bowl (Beth, Tim and I also ate here), for some great pasta, great company, and a lot of water.
After a quick breakfast we had about 2 hours to kill before the tour began, so we enjoyed a nice walk around town, stopped at the bakery for some fresh donuts, and went to the information center to get some brochures about the area. This only managed to kill about 45 minutes, so we decided to grab the car and go explore the surrounding land. Our first stop of the morning was the hotel that Beth, Tim and myself stayed at on our visit (I couldn't quite remember which room it was, so I took pictures of both). Our second stop was the Colonial Brewing Company, located about 5 minutes North of the main strip. Margaret River is known for their fine wines, but they don't make half-bad booze either. Sitting out back on the beer garden, we enjoyed 5 different styled of beer and savored every last drop. The scenery was just as delicious as the garden was surrounded by open range farm land and gum trees. Quite a site. We enjoyed every second of the tasting tray and struck up a conversation with the only other people there, one of whom happened to be from Nevada.
About noon-thirty we rolled back to our place to meet the tour group and begin our wine tasting adventure. Our driver, Steve, picked us up outside our place and drove us out to meet up with the rest of the group at Voyager Estate. The estate was as beautiful as the wine was delicious. I hope Jared enjoys his Cab Sav. The server, James, informed us about all the reasons why Voyager had such great wine, and he wasn't wrong. The wine here was outstanding and James was one cool guy, but a total surfer persona. I wanted to tell him to "hang ten" as we left.
Feeling a bit more saucy our group rolled onto the second stop, Watershed, which impressed greatly with the views, but not so much with the wine. Tasting one after another, Lisa and I became less and less interested, so we began taking pictures of the group, our driver Steve, and Lisa's silver shoes. Still though, it was free and the scenery was pretty spectacular as vineyards surrounded the estate on 3 of 4 sides. Lisa's pictures show this (to be put up soon). Now nice and sauced up, the games began as Lisa made fangs out of pretzels and we raided the snack basket provided by Steve. Those salami, cheese, and crackers were sooo good. Our third stop for the afternoon was Pierro estate, but I'm not sure if estate is the correct word, because it looked more like a barn, which they tried to justify as "rustic." But, the inside was cozy and the company was friendly, so the overall experience was a winner.
The last winery was Moss Brothers which included barrel tasting!! Normally wine tasting involved wine strictly from the bottle. but this place actually let us walk into the wine cellar and taste the wine directly from the barrel. A novel idea and certainly delicious. Here Lisa and I tasted our favorite wine (in our price range) and picked up a couple bottles. The last two stops for the day were at the Margaret River Dairy Co. for some cheese tasting and the Margaret River Chocolate Co for some free samples of chocolate. Living in Wisconsin, the cheese tasting was a welcome surprise, but a disappointing result. I believe one of the flavors was literally Hobbit's feet. The Chocolate Co was much better, and James B. would agree (we got his present here).
Around 5:30 the tour wrapped up and dropped us off back at our place. Feeling a little tipsy and not too hungry, we immediately passed out with the radio playing. Waking up a few hours later and a bit hung over, we headed off to The Spaghetti Bowl (Beth, Tim and I also ate here), for some great pasta, great company, and a lot of water.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Lisa P and Patrick D - 1
Lisa gone. Vacation over. Now it's time to sit back and enjoy the memories and what great memories were made. I could go on and on about all the great times we had and the neat things we did, but to save some time I think I may summarize just a bit.
Lisa's flight arrived on Friday, July 4, and I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate Independence Day. I picked her up from the airport around 3 in the afternoon and from then on it was game on as both our expectations and emotions were running sky high. Admittedly, we were both nervous and we hadn't the slightest idea of what to expect. Would we still work? Had we both changed? But, from the first hug all the fears were laid to rest as we still went together like peas and carrots. After all the months of talking about it and wondering what would happen, the time had finally arrived, and what a great feeling it was. The rest of the day was spent poking each other's faces and holding hands as it still felt like a dream.
Once we had all settled in and Lisa had had a nice shower, our adventures began. Our first adventure of the trip was my footy game the following day. Ok, so it's not really an adventure, but it was Lisa's first proper game on a proper oval, so just go with it. The game had major significance as one of my team mates was breaking the record for games played at the club. This game was to be his 314th game in a Scarborough jumper. Quite an accomplishment, and something we didn't take lightly. Both teams came out fighting and hungry for a victory, but as the time wore on we began to out-run and out-hustle the opposition. Our club ended up pulling away for a 9 goal victory (I think??) with yours truly making a 60 meter sprint out of defense to kick a goal from about 45 meters out. Not going to lie, I felt pretty cool. That night the celebration was a bit subdued as we left the club house early to make each other dinner and to prepare for Margaret River the next day.
After a night spent trying to steal the covers back from Lisa and learning how to sleep without sprawling over the entire bed, the bleary eyed couple arose and prepared for our southern adventure. Our first stop was at AVIS to get our rental (my car would probably fall apart Blues Brothers style on a trip this long) and for me to get used to driving an automatic again. I tell you, it felt really weird at first. Lisa can testify as I drove for a couple miles with the parking break on. Whoops. Once that hurdle was cleared we were on our way and set for a crazy couple days full of wine, chocolate, and beautiful scenery.
For those who don't know, Margaret River is a massive wine region about 3 hours South of Perth. Margaret River is said to be just as good as Napa Valley or the wine region of France. Not unexpectedly it's a major tourist destination during the holidays, but as it's not tourist season, Lisa and I practically owned the place. But, you wouldn't know it by the appearance of where we stayed. We arrived in Margaret River around 4 pm looking for the majestic Magnolia Studios. From the website the place looks like a beautiful establishment with a contemporary design. But, in actuality the entire establishment is one studio set in the upstairs of a large barn/shed looking building, but the inside did have a contemporary design. The outside staircase leading up to the room reminded me of a bad B-grade movie where the murderer is creeping up the fire escape to pounce on the unsuspecting female in the shower. The single light above the door at the staircase landing didn't help to diminish that feeling. Still though, the inside was quite comfortable and just the right size for us. Once we had settled in we had a quick change of clothes and then headed off to the main strip for some dinner and walking around to see the area. A great way to spend a Sunday night.
Lisa's flight arrived on Friday, July 4, and I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate Independence Day. I picked her up from the airport around 3 in the afternoon and from then on it was game on as both our expectations and emotions were running sky high. Admittedly, we were both nervous and we hadn't the slightest idea of what to expect. Would we still work? Had we both changed? But, from the first hug all the fears were laid to rest as we still went together like peas and carrots. After all the months of talking about it and wondering what would happen, the time had finally arrived, and what a great feeling it was. The rest of the day was spent poking each other's faces and holding hands as it still felt like a dream.
Once we had all settled in and Lisa had had a nice shower, our adventures began. Our first adventure of the trip was my footy game the following day. Ok, so it's not really an adventure, but it was Lisa's first proper game on a proper oval, so just go with it. The game had major significance as one of my team mates was breaking the record for games played at the club. This game was to be his 314th game in a Scarborough jumper. Quite an accomplishment, and something we didn't take lightly. Both teams came out fighting and hungry for a victory, but as the time wore on we began to out-run and out-hustle the opposition. Our club ended up pulling away for a 9 goal victory (I think??) with yours truly making a 60 meter sprint out of defense to kick a goal from about 45 meters out. Not going to lie, I felt pretty cool. That night the celebration was a bit subdued as we left the club house early to make each other dinner and to prepare for Margaret River the next day.
After a night spent trying to steal the covers back from Lisa and learning how to sleep without sprawling over the entire bed, the bleary eyed couple arose and prepared for our southern adventure. Our first stop was at AVIS to get our rental (my car would probably fall apart Blues Brothers style on a trip this long) and for me to get used to driving an automatic again. I tell you, it felt really weird at first. Lisa can testify as I drove for a couple miles with the parking break on. Whoops. Once that hurdle was cleared we were on our way and set for a crazy couple days full of wine, chocolate, and beautiful scenery.
For those who don't know, Margaret River is a massive wine region about 3 hours South of Perth. Margaret River is said to be just as good as Napa Valley or the wine region of France. Not unexpectedly it's a major tourist destination during the holidays, but as it's not tourist season, Lisa and I practically owned the place. But, you wouldn't know it by the appearance of where we stayed. We arrived in Margaret River around 4 pm looking for the majestic Magnolia Studios. From the website the place looks like a beautiful establishment with a contemporary design. But, in actuality the entire establishment is one studio set in the upstairs of a large barn/shed looking building, but the inside did have a contemporary design. The outside staircase leading up to the room reminded me of a bad B-grade movie where the murderer is creeping up the fire escape to pounce on the unsuspecting female in the shower. The single light above the door at the staircase landing didn't help to diminish that feeling. Still though, the inside was quite comfortable and just the right size for us. Once we had settled in we had a quick change of clothes and then headed off to the main strip for some dinner and walking around to see the area. A great way to spend a Sunday night.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Bali - Post 4
... And finally, the big workshop day arrived!! For the full-day shop the company rented out the Presidential Suite at the hotel. Unfortunately I didn't get any picture of the entrance, so I'll try and describe it as best I can. The design of the Suite reminds one of entering a castle, as the main building is surrounded by a 15 foot stone wall with the entrance resembling the stone carving overlooking the pool. After passing through the main entrance, the visitor must walk on a cement and pebble walk-way sitting atop a reflecting pool filled with goldfish and lilly pads. The walk-way leads directly to the steps to the main building which is built as one would imagine a tropical paradise house. It was quite a sight and it made most of the group stare around in excitement. The back of the Suite (I did get pictures of this!) included a sprawling lawn, a personal pool, and non-stop views of the rolling ocean. The pictures really show the scene well. Needless to say, the 10 minutes breaks were spent playing in the pool and entertaining the workers, especially the one who was wedding the lawn with a fork.
The outline of the workshop was basically all the exciting news in the industry, where the future is headed, and how Meerkats will evolve. Over the previous week our two directors were in France attending the Cannes Advertising Festival learning all about the advances in the industry. From the many number of ads viewed, watched, and listened too, and the hundreds of presentations (by various industry and company leaders), our directors put together incredible and very interesting summaries about where the advertising industry is headed. If you can believe it, my industry is trying to move away from standard, annoying ads; Instead it is moving towards consumer involvement where the ads are created by everyone, not just big companies. Pretty cool concept.
When the workshop ended at about 5:30 in the afternoon, it was back to the main pool to get started on the big night to come. Bintangs all around and a setting sun were all we needed to get our spirits up to reek some havoc once again. Our first stop of destruction was the Zanzibar restaurant, a local place just down the road overlooking the beach. With everyone feeling the effects of alcohol before we even arrived, our group settled on the 2nd story and quickly cleared the deck with our thunder-like voices. It didn't take long before the pink wig was passed around as a few games of pool got going and the subject of America v Australia got discussed. I didn't make any friends when I referred to Australia as "America's little whipping boy," but that was besides the point. America 1. Australia 0.
With dinner done and many black-mail style pictures taken, we decided to head out on the town with Tom as our tour guide once again. Looking for something off the beaten path, he headed us down a back alley which lead to certain kidnapping, but we pulled just short and ended up walking into a mobster bar which lead to death. The inside of the place was practically pitch black with shadowy tables, booths set up in the blood red walls with curtains covering them, and not a soul on the dance floor. Quickly 3/4 of the group ran out, but a few of us decided to have a seat and enjoy our last night. It wasn't 15 minutes later that we realized that most of the bar was staring at us, so we killed our beers and got out of dodge before we ended up as luggage. Luckily though, about 50 meters away we found an open-air bar with a live band playing all American hits. Here we spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking with a group of Europeans. By "the rest of the night," I am actually only referring to the next few hours because once again, a few of us found ourselves swimming at about 4 am... clothing optional for the girls.
With the final night complete and a good night's rest, the last day was spent taking care of business as a few of us did a bit of shopping, walking around, and getting massages. Now in the states clothing and massages are fairly expensive, but not in Bali. To purchase any clothing from street vendors (this is how it's done everywhere) it is expected to haggle until the price reflects how cheap the clothing really is. I think I paid about $5 for two t-shirts. The massages were incredible and even cheaper, as an hour only costs about $10. Very well worth it. It was also fairly cheap to get around, as we only paid about $6 for a 20 minute cab ride and about $10 for a 35 minute scooter ride!! Yup, I rode on the back of a scooter without a helmet as it wove in and out of traffic. It was more scary than riding in a car with Kristyn McKee driving!
Our flight home left at 2 am and arrived back in Perth at about 5. This was the third time on the trip, and 2nd day in a row that I got to see the sun rise. Very tired but so well worth it as I had the trip of a lifetime. Bali is such a unique place. It has such stunning natural beauty, but also has an open sewer system running along some roads. It has all the modern conveniences, but still most of the people don't wear shoes and unkept dogs run wild tearing through garbage bag which line the streets. It is a country where lady-boys attempt to earn money on the corner and people can dance nude in dance clubs without getting kicked out, but strip joints are illegal (my dirty co-worker tried). It is a very far cry from the modernized West. This is one trip I will never forget, because no place I have ever been has made me feel so far away from home.
The outline of the workshop was basically all the exciting news in the industry, where the future is headed, and how Meerkats will evolve. Over the previous week our two directors were in France attending the Cannes Advertising Festival learning all about the advances in the industry. From the many number of ads viewed, watched, and listened too, and the hundreds of presentations (by various industry and company leaders), our directors put together incredible and very interesting summaries about where the advertising industry is headed. If you can believe it, my industry is trying to move away from standard, annoying ads; Instead it is moving towards consumer involvement where the ads are created by everyone, not just big companies. Pretty cool concept.
When the workshop ended at about 5:30 in the afternoon, it was back to the main pool to get started on the big night to come. Bintangs all around and a setting sun were all we needed to get our spirits up to reek some havoc once again. Our first stop of destruction was the Zanzibar restaurant, a local place just down the road overlooking the beach. With everyone feeling the effects of alcohol before we even arrived, our group settled on the 2nd story and quickly cleared the deck with our thunder-like voices. It didn't take long before the pink wig was passed around as a few games of pool got going and the subject of America v Australia got discussed. I didn't make any friends when I referred to Australia as "America's little whipping boy," but that was besides the point. America 1. Australia 0.
With dinner done and many black-mail style pictures taken, we decided to head out on the town with Tom as our tour guide once again. Looking for something off the beaten path, he headed us down a back alley which lead to certain kidnapping, but we pulled just short and ended up walking into a mobster bar which lead to death. The inside of the place was practically pitch black with shadowy tables, booths set up in the blood red walls with curtains covering them, and not a soul on the dance floor. Quickly 3/4 of the group ran out, but a few of us decided to have a seat and enjoy our last night. It wasn't 15 minutes later that we realized that most of the bar was staring at us, so we killed our beers and got out of dodge before we ended up as luggage. Luckily though, about 50 meters away we found an open-air bar with a live band playing all American hits. Here we spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking with a group of Europeans. By "the rest of the night," I am actually only referring to the next few hours because once again, a few of us found ourselves swimming at about 4 am... clothing optional for the girls.
With the final night complete and a good night's rest, the last day was spent taking care of business as a few of us did a bit of shopping, walking around, and getting massages. Now in the states clothing and massages are fairly expensive, but not in Bali. To purchase any clothing from street vendors (this is how it's done everywhere) it is expected to haggle until the price reflects how cheap the clothing really is. I think I paid about $5 for two t-shirts. The massages were incredible and even cheaper, as an hour only costs about $10. Very well worth it. It was also fairly cheap to get around, as we only paid about $6 for a 20 minute cab ride and about $10 for a 35 minute scooter ride!! Yup, I rode on the back of a scooter without a helmet as it wove in and out of traffic. It was more scary than riding in a car with Kristyn McKee driving!
Our flight home left at 2 am and arrived back in Perth at about 5. This was the third time on the trip, and 2nd day in a row that I got to see the sun rise. Very tired but so well worth it as I had the trip of a lifetime. Bali is such a unique place. It has such stunning natural beauty, but also has an open sewer system running along some roads. It has all the modern conveniences, but still most of the people don't wear shoes and unkept dogs run wild tearing through garbage bag which line the streets. It is a country where lady-boys attempt to earn money on the corner and people can dance nude in dance clubs without getting kicked out, but strip joints are illegal (my dirty co-worker tried). It is a very far cry from the modernized West. This is one trip I will never forget, because no place I have ever been has made me feel so far away from home.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Bali - Post 3
...So as our friends were growing more and more unsober as the night wore on, things just got more and more interesting. Now, before I go on, I have to explain that everything around Kuta revolves around tourism. Visitors from all over the world are practically the only source of income for most people and businesses. Because of this, tourists are treated like royalty (except at the airport and when people try to smuggle drugs; they get put to death) where practically anything goes.
With this understanding, our group knew we were free to do as we wished, but everyone else in The Bounty knew it as well. The first instance this arrogance appeared was at around 2 am as I was taking a break from dancing and talking with Gerry; two European men start to climb into and on top of one of the dance cages in front of us. Laughing with Gerry, we were taking bets as to who would fall off first (about a 10 foot drop), when out of no-where both men pulled off their pants and started dancing nude. This display continued to massive applause for about the next 30 seconds, until the owner made them pull up their pants, and then bought them a couple drinks to settle down. Seriously, these guys didn't even get kicked out, but were actually rewarded for their efforts. Tourists rule.
As the night continued on our two unsober friends, Jason and Ben, continued their fine display of classiness as Ben proceeded to fall asleep while sitting on the edge of the cage steps. The beer he was holding must have been pretty tired too because it decided to take a nap and laid down right on his lap, spilling the beer like he had peed his pants. Jason was a much more awake site, but no less entertaining. The money he gave away eventually got spent on shots for his new friends, but he should have saved that money and purchased a new pair of pants and t-shirt. Why, do you ask? That's because his attempt at leaning on a table ended up nearly flipping the table and succeeded at putting him on his butt with all the alcohol from the drinks spilling all over him.
It was about this time and Adam, Gerry, Rodg, and myself decided to head home and call it a night. We were all exhausted, but for some reason Adam and I thought it would be a great idea to have a swim in the pool (since it doesn't shut like in most hotels). The water was nice and refreshing after such a long day, so it was completely worth hanging out and talking until the sun was just peaking over the horizon. "Time for bed" we said, and headed off to our rooms to sleep in our comfortable beds. But no such luck for birthday boy Ben, as he lost his key, didn't go to the front desk to get another one, and ended up sleeping on the tile floor outside his room. The only possible way to ended the night.
The following day was much different than the first crazy night. Everyone sort of went their separate ways as the girls got massages and went shopping, the guys relaxed by the pool (where I got sunburnt), and Ben and Jason slept away most of the day. I took this time to have a walk around and take pictures because the weather was perfect. Absolute paradise. The night was highlighted by a group dinner outside the Japanese restaurant attached to the hotel and right next to the pool. All the food was freshly prepared (cooked right in front of us) at the indoor buffet. I'm pretty sure I filled up my plate about 5 times. Once dinner finished I headed to bed to get a good night's sleep before the Meerkat workshop the follow day.
With this understanding, our group knew we were free to do as we wished, but everyone else in The Bounty knew it as well. The first instance this arrogance appeared was at around 2 am as I was taking a break from dancing and talking with Gerry; two European men start to climb into and on top of one of the dance cages in front of us. Laughing with Gerry, we were taking bets as to who would fall off first (about a 10 foot drop), when out of no-where both men pulled off their pants and started dancing nude. This display continued to massive applause for about the next 30 seconds, until the owner made them pull up their pants, and then bought them a couple drinks to settle down. Seriously, these guys didn't even get kicked out, but were actually rewarded for their efforts. Tourists rule.
As the night continued on our two unsober friends, Jason and Ben, continued their fine display of classiness as Ben proceeded to fall asleep while sitting on the edge of the cage steps. The beer he was holding must have been pretty tired too because it decided to take a nap and laid down right on his lap, spilling the beer like he had peed his pants. Jason was a much more awake site, but no less entertaining. The money he gave away eventually got spent on shots for his new friends, but he should have saved that money and purchased a new pair of pants and t-shirt. Why, do you ask? That's because his attempt at leaning on a table ended up nearly flipping the table and succeeded at putting him on his butt with all the alcohol from the drinks spilling all over him.
It was about this time and Adam, Gerry, Rodg, and myself decided to head home and call it a night. We were all exhausted, but for some reason Adam and I thought it would be a great idea to have a swim in the pool (since it doesn't shut like in most hotels). The water was nice and refreshing after such a long day, so it was completely worth hanging out and talking until the sun was just peaking over the horizon. "Time for bed" we said, and headed off to our rooms to sleep in our comfortable beds. But no such luck for birthday boy Ben, as he lost his key, didn't go to the front desk to get another one, and ended up sleeping on the tile floor outside his room. The only possible way to ended the night.
The following day was much different than the first crazy night. Everyone sort of went their separate ways as the girls got massages and went shopping, the guys relaxed by the pool (where I got sunburnt), and Ben and Jason slept away most of the day. I took this time to have a walk around and take pictures because the weather was perfect. Absolute paradise. The night was highlighted by a group dinner outside the Japanese restaurant attached to the hotel and right next to the pool. All the food was freshly prepared (cooked right in front of us) at the indoor buffet. I'm pretty sure I filled up my plate about 5 times. Once dinner finished I headed to bed to get a good night's sleep before the Meerkat workshop the follow day.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Bali - Post 2
...And after we ran away from the security guards like boys out of the girl's change room, we figured it was about time to head out on the town. So, with numbers in force and monopoly money in our pockets, we headed out to the town of Kuta for some great fun with the locals; and we weren't to be disappointed as the run in with the security guards was only the tip of the ice berg.
Leaving the hotel the group of us piled into a couple cabs and headed into the bar district which resembles River Splash (a Milwaukee celebration), except with miniature streets, the smell of sewer (I guess that is sort of like Milwaukee...) and much seedier looking people. After walking around for about 25 minutes finding our co-workers' friend (she is Australian but now lives in Indonesia), our first stop for the night was some random bar I don't know the name of. I don't know the name of it because my friend Adam and I went in, looked around, and ran back out because we were pretty sure we walked into a gang bar.
The second stop for the night was at the Sky bar, a much classier establishment that resembles a 3 story apartment building in Chicago (tall and thin). The bar is located on the top story, with an open top, and music louder than a KISS concert. A great place to hang out with a group, but not a great place to socialize with co-workers. Still though, the view was fantastic as we drank under the stars and looked out over the entire street scene below. Quite a site as we saw no less than a dozen people almost get run over by cars and motor-bikes.
One by one people headed back to hotel content with calling it a night. Feeling a bit tired myself but not quite ready to head home, Adam and I decided to move the party to a more upbeat and free-moving location. So down the stairs we went and over to our third stop of the night, The Bounty (named so because part of the exterior resembles a pirate ship). Wow...that's all I have to say. No words can quite describe this place, but I'll do my best. As you first walk in it looks like any other dance club, with an elevated dance floor, dance cages, and a massive bar. But, upon further inspection, you realize that all the lights are on, about 1/3 of the guys aren't wearing shirts (awkward...), and half the people are European, but that's besides the point. This place was a full-on dance club that serves alcohol in fish bowls and doesn't care when your 60 year old co-worker insists on coming along (he didn't know what he was in for).
Feeling in the groove and ready to shake my rump, we all set out for the dance floor with fish bowls in hand (except Gerry, the 60 year old) and some pep in our step. I'm pretty sure The Bounty has never seen a group of such awful dancers, so it's safe to say we are practically legends of the club. Soon though we were cutting a rug and watching our friend Ben (it was his birthday) ignore every girl who came up to talk to him; he wasn't ignoring them because he is a mean guy, he was ignoring them because he was too drunk and didn't realize they were talking with him. Beside Ben was his ever present companion Jason, who was much worse than he was and literally giving away money to people. Quality...
Ok, this has gotten long enough and I have some work to do. I'll try to write again tomorrow!!
Leaving the hotel the group of us piled into a couple cabs and headed into the bar district which resembles River Splash (a Milwaukee celebration), except with miniature streets, the smell of sewer (I guess that is sort of like Milwaukee...) and much seedier looking people. After walking around for about 25 minutes finding our co-workers' friend (she is Australian but now lives in Indonesia), our first stop for the night was some random bar I don't know the name of. I don't know the name of it because my friend Adam and I went in, looked around, and ran back out because we were pretty sure we walked into a gang bar.
The second stop for the night was at the Sky bar, a much classier establishment that resembles a 3 story apartment building in Chicago (tall and thin). The bar is located on the top story, with an open top, and music louder than a KISS concert. A great place to hang out with a group, but not a great place to socialize with co-workers. Still though, the view was fantastic as we drank under the stars and looked out over the entire street scene below. Quite a site as we saw no less than a dozen people almost get run over by cars and motor-bikes.
One by one people headed back to hotel content with calling it a night. Feeling a bit tired myself but not quite ready to head home, Adam and I decided to move the party to a more upbeat and free-moving location. So down the stairs we went and over to our third stop of the night, The Bounty (named so because part of the exterior resembles a pirate ship). Wow...that's all I have to say. No words can quite describe this place, but I'll do my best. As you first walk in it looks like any other dance club, with an elevated dance floor, dance cages, and a massive bar. But, upon further inspection, you realize that all the lights are on, about 1/3 of the guys aren't wearing shirts (awkward...), and half the people are European, but that's besides the point. This place was a full-on dance club that serves alcohol in fish bowls and doesn't care when your 60 year old co-worker insists on coming along (he didn't know what he was in for).
Feeling in the groove and ready to shake my rump, we all set out for the dance floor with fish bowls in hand (except Gerry, the 60 year old) and some pep in our step. I'm pretty sure The Bounty has never seen a group of such awful dancers, so it's safe to say we are practically legends of the club. Soon though we were cutting a rug and watching our friend Ben (it was his birthday) ignore every girl who came up to talk to him; he wasn't ignoring them because he is a mean guy, he was ignoring them because he was too drunk and didn't realize they were talking with him. Beside Ben was his ever present companion Jason, who was much worse than he was and literally giving away money to people. Quality...
Ok, this has gotten long enough and I have some work to do. I'll try to write again tomorrow!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Bali - Day 1
Back from Bali, and back to reality. What an incredible trip that no words can accurately describe. It is such a land of varying contrasts that it's hard to fathom a place like Bali actually exists. From the approach on the landing through to the departure of the plane, never have I been as continually surprises (both good and bad) as I was while in Bali. Because of that, I have broken up the trip into a few different entries so that I gave give each entry its due.
After months of waiting the big departure date arrived. For the week preceding all anyone could talk about was the trip and how much fun it would be. Having never been there before, I listened intently to every story and felt like a Junior in high school going to their first Prom. So, I got a great night's sleep, woke up early, packed my bags, and I was ready to go. Our plane departed at 1:50, so our group was directed to arrive at 11:30 so we could check in together. Since I live about as far away from the city as possible, I was ready to go by 10:30, just to give myself plenty of time. Good thing Dad trained me well, because as soon as I was ready to go, my car wouldn't start. I tried and tried, but nothing worked. Freaking out I ran across the street to the neighbors' house to get a jump, but that didn't work either (the guy thinks I have a block in my fuel line). Absolutely panicking now I called a cab for a ride, which surprisingly showed up in a matter of minutes (they usually takes about a half hour to show up, so my heart was quickly sinking) and got me to the airport only 15 minutes late. Not the best way to start a trip, but from then on it was smooth sailing.
The flight boarded around 2 and it went as smooth as possible. I sat next to my best friend from work, who in turn sat next to another friend (I had the window), which it just so happens are both pilots, which means I learned a whole lot about flying. From take off to landing, I learned all about airplanes, but managed to tune them out a bit as I watched the movie and drank some free beer (international flights are the best). Our flight touched down just after 5 on the beautiful island of Bali, and we were immediately immersed in the culture, as the entire country smells of incense, the workers force their services on you (seriously, my bags were practically ripped our of my hands by porters who was forcing me to a money changer to give them a tip. I eventually gave them 3 Rupia, which equates to about .0003 cents American), and the weather makes you sweat through every piece of clothing, even the clothes you aren't wearing.
Our guide, Dewa, picked us up from the airport to take the group to the hotel, the Hotel Padma, about 25 minutes away. Along the ride he talked all about the culture, how to say certain phrases, how to haggle for clothes, and how to avoid getting Bali Belly (getting extremely sick from drinking the water; use only the bottled stuff). I sat on the bus trying to take everything in, but in no way did it prepare me for going out on the town. Arriving at our hotel was like arriving in a postcard. Set off one of the main strips, the Hotel Padma is build as a monument to the natural beauty of the Island. Massive palm trees, stone statues, water fountains, goldfish laden reflecting pools, and anything that can possible enter the imagination. What an incredible experience and an inspiring sight.
Once at the hotel our first order of business was to change some money (1 AUD / 8900 Rupia), check in, and head down to the pool for a drink and a swim. What a stunning sign at night, as the pictures show, with the illuminated pool and the elegant bar set in stone where a person can swim right up. After a quick swim and a couple drinks (the local beer, Bintang, is excellent), we got our stuff together and headed down the road to have a bite to eat before the night began. For dinner, we walked about 1/4 a mile away to this excellent Italian restaurant located directly on the beach. All in good spirits, we all had a great dinner, had too much to drink, and ended up lighting off illegal fireworks on the beach. Not a bad way to spend some free time, until the security guards came down with flash lights and told us to move on. It was funny, but I was scared.
Well, this has gotten pretty long so I am going to get going, but I had a lot more to tell!!! I hope you enjoyed the first bit!!
After months of waiting the big departure date arrived. For the week preceding all anyone could talk about was the trip and how much fun it would be. Having never been there before, I listened intently to every story and felt like a Junior in high school going to their first Prom. So, I got a great night's sleep, woke up early, packed my bags, and I was ready to go. Our plane departed at 1:50, so our group was directed to arrive at 11:30 so we could check in together. Since I live about as far away from the city as possible, I was ready to go by 10:30, just to give myself plenty of time. Good thing Dad trained me well, because as soon as I was ready to go, my car wouldn't start. I tried and tried, but nothing worked. Freaking out I ran across the street to the neighbors' house to get a jump, but that didn't work either (the guy thinks I have a block in my fuel line). Absolutely panicking now I called a cab for a ride, which surprisingly showed up in a matter of minutes (they usually takes about a half hour to show up, so my heart was quickly sinking) and got me to the airport only 15 minutes late. Not the best way to start a trip, but from then on it was smooth sailing.
The flight boarded around 2 and it went as smooth as possible. I sat next to my best friend from work, who in turn sat next to another friend (I had the window), which it just so happens are both pilots, which means I learned a whole lot about flying. From take off to landing, I learned all about airplanes, but managed to tune them out a bit as I watched the movie and drank some free beer (international flights are the best). Our flight touched down just after 5 on the beautiful island of Bali, and we were immediately immersed in the culture, as the entire country smells of incense, the workers force their services on you (seriously, my bags were practically ripped our of my hands by porters who was forcing me to a money changer to give them a tip. I eventually gave them 3 Rupia, which equates to about .0003 cents American), and the weather makes you sweat through every piece of clothing, even the clothes you aren't wearing.
Our guide, Dewa, picked us up from the airport to take the group to the hotel, the Hotel Padma, about 25 minutes away. Along the ride he talked all about the culture, how to say certain phrases, how to haggle for clothes, and how to avoid getting Bali Belly (getting extremely sick from drinking the water; use only the bottled stuff). I sat on the bus trying to take everything in, but in no way did it prepare me for going out on the town. Arriving at our hotel was like arriving in a postcard. Set off one of the main strips, the Hotel Padma is build as a monument to the natural beauty of the Island. Massive palm trees, stone statues, water fountains, goldfish laden reflecting pools, and anything that can possible enter the imagination. What an incredible experience and an inspiring sight.
Once at the hotel our first order of business was to change some money (1 AUD / 8900 Rupia), check in, and head down to the pool for a drink and a swim. What a stunning sign at night, as the pictures show, with the illuminated pool and the elegant bar set in stone where a person can swim right up. After a quick swim and a couple drinks (the local beer, Bintang, is excellent), we got our stuff together and headed down the road to have a bite to eat before the night began. For dinner, we walked about 1/4 a mile away to this excellent Italian restaurant located directly on the beach. All in good spirits, we all had a great dinner, had too much to drink, and ended up lighting off illegal fireworks on the beach. Not a bad way to spend some free time, until the security guards came down with flash lights and told us to move on. It was funny, but I was scared.
Well, this has gotten pretty long so I am going to get going, but I had a lot more to tell!!! I hope you enjoyed the first bit!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Nearly There
Well the week has finally arrived. This weekend, I travel to the beautiful island of Bali!! Our group is leaving Saturday mid-day and returning Wednesday at about 4 am. Should be an incredible time. For those of you who wish to get jealous, the area we are staying at is name Kuta, at the Legian (there are two, but I'm not sure which one). One of my co-workers was there just a few months ago and he describes it as an idyllic paradise. I can't wait. All we've been doing this week is talking about the upcoming trip and how much time we're going to spend relaxing with a beer near the pool and ocean. I can't wait to get a sunburn in another country!! Wahoo!! Not a bad way to spend 4 days. I'll be sure to take as many pictures as possible!!
In other news...my team scored a great win over the weekend! We played against the Beechboro FC at their home ground, which was in the middle of no where. Seriously, no where. 3/4 of the town turned out to watch the game as their is nothing else to do in the area. But, I was more than happy to disappoint their home crowd as we impressed with our incredible come from behind win. At half-time we were down by about 3 goals, but came out with a mission in the second half and walked away with a 3 goal win. Quite the turn around. Personally, I thought I played a great game. Took a few hard marks (as I got punched in the head), was in the middle of two scuffles/fights, had about 20 possession, and a number of tackles. All the training is finally paying off as I am beginning to read the play much more easily. It's just a shame I won't be around to play this weekend as I want to keep this play going!!
That night we had our awards at our club sponsors bar, the Paddington Ale House (a pretty fun pub). Kristyn and Alex have been there and can safely testify that it is a fairly dodgy place to spend a Saturday night; not because there are a lot of scuzzy people, but more because it's full of Australians. Haha! But, instead of dancing, me and my buddies watched the Rugby match between Ireland and Australia on the projection screen. Great match as Australia pulled out at victory with a gusty performance. Nick and Beth would have really loved watching it. I was glad I watched the match (instead of drinking/dancing) as Sunday morning it felt great to wake up without a hang over, have a good work out, and then go play in the ocean. Jared and I decided it would be a good idea to go swimming despite the fact that the waves were about 10-15 feet high, it was raining, and the wind was blowing. We had a blast riding the waves into shore while getting tossed all over the place. Freezing cold, but very worth it.
Besides the normal weekend stuff, things lately have been pretty ordinary. I'm still enjoying every second here, but I miss everyone from home. Just over three months until i get to see everyone again!! Cheers!!!!
In other news...my team scored a great win over the weekend! We played against the Beechboro FC at their home ground, which was in the middle of no where. Seriously, no where. 3/4 of the town turned out to watch the game as their is nothing else to do in the area. But, I was more than happy to disappoint their home crowd as we impressed with our incredible come from behind win. At half-time we were down by about 3 goals, but came out with a mission in the second half and walked away with a 3 goal win. Quite the turn around. Personally, I thought I played a great game. Took a few hard marks (as I got punched in the head), was in the middle of two scuffles/fights, had about 20 possession, and a number of tackles. All the training is finally paying off as I am beginning to read the play much more easily. It's just a shame I won't be around to play this weekend as I want to keep this play going!!
That night we had our awards at our club sponsors bar, the Paddington Ale House (a pretty fun pub). Kristyn and Alex have been there and can safely testify that it is a fairly dodgy place to spend a Saturday night; not because there are a lot of scuzzy people, but more because it's full of Australians. Haha! But, instead of dancing, me and my buddies watched the Rugby match between Ireland and Australia on the projection screen. Great match as Australia pulled out at victory with a gusty performance. Nick and Beth would have really loved watching it. I was glad I watched the match (instead of drinking/dancing) as Sunday morning it felt great to wake up without a hang over, have a good work out, and then go play in the ocean. Jared and I decided it would be a good idea to go swimming despite the fact that the waves were about 10-15 feet high, it was raining, and the wind was blowing. We had a blast riding the waves into shore while getting tossed all over the place. Freezing cold, but very worth it.
Besides the normal weekend stuff, things lately have been pretty ordinary. I'm still enjoying every second here, but I miss everyone from home. Just over three months until i get to see everyone again!! Cheers!!!!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Back to Footy
Hello all again!! Time for another chapter in my tale of adventure (well, not so much). So the past two weeks have been rather uneventful. Last weekend our footy club had a bye so we took advantage of the free time by having our annual BeerFest!! What better way to celebrate the Queen's birthday (Monday was a public holiday for it) on a Sunday afternoon at the Club House! The idea of the event was a sampling of beers from around the world. What a great idea in theory, but in actuality it just turned into a drunken spectacle of people participating in competitive golf shots, roof beam climbing, wrestling matches, and shirtless dancing on tables. It's a night I'll never forget because I've never said "holy crap" so much in my life. I left around 11, but I believe the latest people went home was around 4 am. Not too bad considering that's over 12 hours of drinking. Australians can party, hands down.
This past weekend we again picked up our footy seaason and notched another loss on the belt. If it sounds like I'm being cynical it is because I am. I am not used to losing this much and it is extremely annoying. For 3/4 of the game we played extremely well and were leading the reigning Premiers from last year at the end of the third. But, again we fell flat and ended up losing by about 21 points. Not too exciting, but at least we know the potential that we do have. I feel our first win is just around the corner!! Individually, I played pretty well and ended up winning another award, despite being semi-sick during the week and dry-heaving in the first 5 minutes of the game. Wasn't my best outing, but at least I know I am getting better.
Besides these two events things have been pretty uneventful. The weather is turning a little more dreary and is reminding some of my co-workers of London. Just this morning it was raining cats and dogs, but now the sun is peaking through a bit. Not a bad turn of events. The weather for the rest of the week is set to be beautiful, so I'm hoping to spend a bit of time at the beach or around a bon-fire in my back yard. I hope everyone back home is beginning to enjoy the warm weather (besides the rain and tornados)!!
This past weekend we again picked up our footy seaason and notched another loss on the belt. If it sounds like I'm being cynical it is because I am. I am not used to losing this much and it is extremely annoying. For 3/4 of the game we played extremely well and were leading the reigning Premiers from last year at the end of the third. But, again we fell flat and ended up losing by about 21 points. Not too exciting, but at least we know the potential that we do have. I feel our first win is just around the corner!! Individually, I played pretty well and ended up winning another award, despite being semi-sick during the week and dry-heaving in the first 5 minutes of the game. Wasn't my best outing, but at least I know I am getting better.
Besides these two events things have been pretty uneventful. The weather is turning a little more dreary and is reminding some of my co-workers of London. Just this morning it was raining cats and dogs, but now the sun is peaking through a bit. Not a bad turn of events. The weather for the rest of the week is set to be beautiful, so I'm hoping to spend a bit of time at the beach or around a bon-fire in my back yard. I hope everyone back home is beginning to enjoy the warm weather (besides the rain and tornados)!!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Something BIG and Something little
G'day once again! I hope everyone is doing well back home and that the weather is finally turning warm. Life on this side of the world is pretty much the same so this will be a quick post (I'm assuming after the last two massive blogs this is a welcome relief).
Over the weekend the not-so-mighty Scarborough Eagles lost once again to the team from University. Our record (for the 2s or Reserves) now stands at a dismal 0-6. Truly uninspiring as University was only one above us in the standings. To add insult to injury I did manage to smash/jam both of my thumbs while tackling the opponent. Untying my cleats has never been so hard. But, the weather was beautiful and I did manage to get my first sunburn in some time.
Now, onto the title of this blog...Something BIG and Something little. The little something is the amount of time I have left until 1. Go to Bali (25 days) and 2. Until Lisa arrives (38 days). I'm really looking forward to a trip to the tropical island, but I think it'll be paradise here when she arrives (how corny was that???). It must be the romantic in me. Most importantly though, the BIG news of the day is...drumroll please...I have set my return date! I will be arriving on Saturday, September 20th at 4:54 at Chicago O'Hare International. I was unable to get my route changed to make a stop in Seattle (sorry Tim!), but it will be great to be back on US soil. I have little under 4 months left Down Under and I can't wait to see everyone again.
Over the weekend the not-so-mighty Scarborough Eagles lost once again to the team from University. Our record (for the 2s or Reserves) now stands at a dismal 0-6. Truly uninspiring as University was only one above us in the standings. To add insult to injury I did manage to smash/jam both of my thumbs while tackling the opponent. Untying my cleats has never been so hard. But, the weather was beautiful and I did manage to get my first sunburn in some time.
Now, onto the title of this blog...Something BIG and Something little. The little something is the amount of time I have left until 1. Go to Bali (25 days) and 2. Until Lisa arrives (38 days). I'm really looking forward to a trip to the tropical island, but I think it'll be paradise here when she arrives (how corny was that???). It must be the romantic in me. Most importantly though, the BIG news of the day is...drumroll please...I have set my return date! I will be arriving on Saturday, September 20th at 4:54 at Chicago O'Hare International. I was unable to get my route changed to make a stop in Seattle (sorry Tim!), but it will be great to be back on US soil. I have little under 4 months left Down Under and I can't wait to see everyone again.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Back to Reality
Well all, the vacation (well, not for me) is over and it's time to return to normal life. Well, as normal as it can get over here. I had a great time with Alex and Kristyn visiting. It is something that I will never forget. Some great times were had as we traveled all over Perth; got attacked by birds, played with koalas, and danced the night away. In my last post I had talked up to the point where the girls had gone down to Margaret River, so that's where I'll pick it up again.
Tuesday: The girls arrived home while Jared, James and I were all at training. It was a beautiful day so instead of sitting around the house, the girls got a bit dressy and headed down the coast for a nice seafood dinner. Kristyn wanted crap cakes. I'm glad I wasn't around as I don't like seafood, so it worked out just fine.
Wednesday: Wednesday was a great day as I played a little hooky (don't worry, no work people have this address) and called in sick to work. It didn't take much convincing as my co-workers are practically all sick. So, instead of spending the day in front of the computer playing on Facebook...I mean working...the girls and I headed out to the Swan Valley to see the animals the the wineries/breweries. The first order of business was Caversham Wildlife Park where they had heaps of Australian animals, some American farm animals, and camels. Yes, camels. I think the best part of the adventure was petting the koalas or the girls on the camel ride. But, the best part of the trip for me was watching the girls freak out any time a large kangaroo got too close. I laughed non-stop the entire time were were in the paddock with them. But, then there was the joey (baby kangaroo) that we named Scar. He was nice and small so the girls had no fear petting him. The weather was beautiful and the Indian tourists were only slightly annoying, so it was a great time.
After we left the park were headed out into the valley to explore some of the local brew and wine. We stopped at a number of places including the Feral Brewery, Duckstein, 2 vineyards, and ended up eating "hot chips" at the Mash Brewery. Hot chips are an Australian favorite and I think the girls are hooked (all they are, are potato wedges dipped in sour cream and sweet chili sauce...yum yum). By the time our tour was over the girls were feeling very saucy and I was regretting being the DD. Nonetheless, we headed back home where the girls treated Jared, James and myself to a home made dinner, some Kilkenny beer, and some local wine. But, the night was still young as the girls wanted to hit the town and mingle with the locals. By this point is was nearly 10 pm, so we decided to go to a pub about 10 minutes away, but the girls had other plans as they refused to move after swearing before judge and jury that they would wake up from their 15 minute naps. Big mistake, so I guess the night was later than we thought. I'll never let them forget this one.
Thursday: Thursday was another "sick" day as the girls and I headed south to Rockingham for some Penguin adventures. The day started off as a beautiful morning but quickly became overcast with scattered showers, but we were undeterred as we pressed on. After a number of wrong turns, unmarked streets, and a nearly overheated car, we arrived at our destination; Penguin Island. The Island is only about 3/4 of a kilometer off the coast and is so close, that during low time a person can actually walk from the main land over to it. Pretty neat, but not recommended as a person would get swept away when the time came in. The Island was a great time as we saw Little Penguins get fed, massive flocks of birds, green skinks (a lizard), a woman with a massive hair-lip (that's sort of mean), crazy birds that would attack us as we walked on the path, and Kristyn scared to death and screaming running from the attacking birds as her pants were falling down. I don't blame her though as I did almost have a land on my head and peck me. Hahaha... What a day...
Friday: I actually went to work this day while the girls walked around the city and did some shopping. There is so many cool things to do down here that they spent nearly the entire day walking around, not sitting around eating hot chips and drinking beer as they said they would. We did meet for lunch at an Italian restaurant down the road and for hot chips after work, but nothing too crazy. The main event of the day was watching the Western Force play their rival the Brumbies in the last game of the season. Jared and James couldn't come as the last two tickets didn't work out, so it was just us three and Luke (Donna and Tracey sat in a different section). The game was outstanding as the Force, down 22-0 at half-time, rallied to win 22-29. Absolutely thrilling as the girls saw one of the best games of the season. Once the game was over were had a nice dinner at yet another Italian restaurant. The second time around it was just as delicious.
But,, despite the great day and awesome game, the funniest part of the day was after the game ended. Since I don't drive to work, the girls and I had to catch the train home. No worries as their is a train station 2 minutes from where we ate dinner, but too late as we had to wait 25 minutes with 4 piss drunk Australians walking around. No worries though as the train came, we headed into the main station to switch trains, avoided a fight (a drunk guy and girl on the train. he was trying to hide from her but she wouldn't have any of it), and finally got on the train North. So, sitting on the train heading North, Alex asks if Jared would come and pick us up. No worries; so i called and he doesn't answer. The phone was right next to him but he didn't hear it ring all 3 times. So, our only option is to walk, but stupid me gets off on the wrong stop. No worries though, as I thought it was closer to home. Dead wrong. But, as luck would have it the busses were still running and one bus line run within 3 blocks of my house. So like I kept saying...No Worries as I knew it would work out...
Saturday: Game which we lost. Very mad about. I played back up in the 2nds but still angry as we lost to a team we had beat in the pre-season. It just seems like the 2nd don't know how to win games. It was still a great day though as we had fun at the awards ceremony, went out to the Paddo drinking and dancing, and finally driving to the airport at 3:30 in the morning.
All in all, it was a great time. Every day was something new and exciting. But, it did make me miss everyone back home. I can't wait to see you all again. I think about you all a lot. Also, a huge thanks to Kristyn and Alex for visiting. It means a lot to me to have friends as great as you two.
Tuesday: The girls arrived home while Jared, James and I were all at training. It was a beautiful day so instead of sitting around the house, the girls got a bit dressy and headed down the coast for a nice seafood dinner. Kristyn wanted crap cakes. I'm glad I wasn't around as I don't like seafood, so it worked out just fine.
Wednesday: Wednesday was a great day as I played a little hooky (don't worry, no work people have this address) and called in sick to work. It didn't take much convincing as my co-workers are practically all sick. So, instead of spending the day in front of the computer playing on Facebook...I mean working...the girls and I headed out to the Swan Valley to see the animals the the wineries/breweries. The first order of business was Caversham Wildlife Park where they had heaps of Australian animals, some American farm animals, and camels. Yes, camels. I think the best part of the adventure was petting the koalas or the girls on the camel ride. But, the best part of the trip for me was watching the girls freak out any time a large kangaroo got too close. I laughed non-stop the entire time were were in the paddock with them. But, then there was the joey (baby kangaroo) that we named Scar. He was nice and small so the girls had no fear petting him. The weather was beautiful and the Indian tourists were only slightly annoying, so it was a great time.
After we left the park were headed out into the valley to explore some of the local brew and wine. We stopped at a number of places including the Feral Brewery, Duckstein, 2 vineyards, and ended up eating "hot chips" at the Mash Brewery. Hot chips are an Australian favorite and I think the girls are hooked (all they are, are potato wedges dipped in sour cream and sweet chili sauce...yum yum). By the time our tour was over the girls were feeling very saucy and I was regretting being the DD. Nonetheless, we headed back home where the girls treated Jared, James and myself to a home made dinner, some Kilkenny beer, and some local wine. But, the night was still young as the girls wanted to hit the town and mingle with the locals. By this point is was nearly 10 pm, so we decided to go to a pub about 10 minutes away, but the girls had other plans as they refused to move after swearing before judge and jury that they would wake up from their 15 minute naps. Big mistake, so I guess the night was later than we thought. I'll never let them forget this one.
Thursday: Thursday was another "sick" day as the girls and I headed south to Rockingham for some Penguin adventures. The day started off as a beautiful morning but quickly became overcast with scattered showers, but we were undeterred as we pressed on. After a number of wrong turns, unmarked streets, and a nearly overheated car, we arrived at our destination; Penguin Island. The Island is only about 3/4 of a kilometer off the coast and is so close, that during low time a person can actually walk from the main land over to it. Pretty neat, but not recommended as a person would get swept away when the time came in. The Island was a great time as we saw Little Penguins get fed, massive flocks of birds, green skinks (a lizard), a woman with a massive hair-lip (that's sort of mean), crazy birds that would attack us as we walked on the path, and Kristyn scared to death and screaming running from the attacking birds as her pants were falling down. I don't blame her though as I did almost have a land on my head and peck me. Hahaha... What a day...
Friday: I actually went to work this day while the girls walked around the city and did some shopping. There is so many cool things to do down here that they spent nearly the entire day walking around, not sitting around eating hot chips and drinking beer as they said they would. We did meet for lunch at an Italian restaurant down the road and for hot chips after work, but nothing too crazy. The main event of the day was watching the Western Force play their rival the Brumbies in the last game of the season. Jared and James couldn't come as the last two tickets didn't work out, so it was just us three and Luke (Donna and Tracey sat in a different section). The game was outstanding as the Force, down 22-0 at half-time, rallied to win 22-29. Absolutely thrilling as the girls saw one of the best games of the season. Once the game was over were had a nice dinner at yet another Italian restaurant. The second time around it was just as delicious.
But,, despite the great day and awesome game, the funniest part of the day was after the game ended. Since I don't drive to work, the girls and I had to catch the train home. No worries as their is a train station 2 minutes from where we ate dinner, but too late as we had to wait 25 minutes with 4 piss drunk Australians walking around. No worries though as the train came, we headed into the main station to switch trains, avoided a fight (a drunk guy and girl on the train. he was trying to hide from her but she wouldn't have any of it), and finally got on the train North. So, sitting on the train heading North, Alex asks if Jared would come and pick us up. No worries; so i called and he doesn't answer. The phone was right next to him but he didn't hear it ring all 3 times. So, our only option is to walk, but stupid me gets off on the wrong stop. No worries though, as I thought it was closer to home. Dead wrong. But, as luck would have it the busses were still running and one bus line run within 3 blocks of my house. So like I kept saying...No Worries as I knew it would work out...
Saturday: Game which we lost. Very mad about. I played back up in the 2nds but still angry as we lost to a team we had beat in the pre-season. It just seems like the 2nd don't know how to win games. It was still a great day though as we had fun at the awards ceremony, went out to the Paddo drinking and dancing, and finally driving to the airport at 3:30 in the morning.
All in all, it was a great time. Every day was something new and exciting. But, it did make me miss everyone back home. I can't wait to see you all again. I think about you all a lot. Also, a huge thanks to Kristyn and Alex for visiting. It means a lot to me to have friends as great as you two.
Monday, May 12, 2008
33 Hour Journey
Hello again to everyone back home! It's about that time again so I hope you all have your reading glasses on. So this weekend was the most memorable weekend so far on my trip. Not only did I have an amazing game and I played extremely well, but also I got two visitors!!
First off, the game. This weekend I once again played in the Thirds, which I was pretty disappointed about, but decided to make the most of the opportunity. Every weekend about 14 players don't even get a game, so I should consider myself lucky to be playing! Anyways, the game was played at the Yokian (I think) Reserve against an opponent who was struggling a bit ( I can't remember their name). We had one win under our belt and the opponent had yet to win a game, so they came out ready to play. As the game began we could tell we were in for a dogfight, but we were ready to step up to the challenge. Slowly but surely we pulled away in the first quarter and then dominated the rest of the game. The final scored showed a win of nearly 11 goals. So, for the second straight week, we got to sing the team song which I don't know the words to.
Personally, I played extremely well at both Half-back flank and a wing. All over the field I picked up balls, had accurate kicks, strong tackles, and smart decisions. I have really begun to understand the flow of the game over here and am adjusting really well to it. I'm even learning when the right way to get into a scuffle as I got into another one, my third in four games. When the final sired sounded, I got heaps of compliments followed with an award at the Clubhouse that night. Hopefully next week I will get moved back up and continue with my solid play!! A big congratulations also need to go out to the One's team as they defeated our rival, North Beach, by 5 points for their first win. North Beach was 3-0, and the reigning Champions, so it was a huge win for the club.
But, the best part about the weekend was the arrival of my friends Kristyn and Alex!! Friday morning I called in sick (I'm using my vacation days for Lisa's visit!) and cleaned the house and prepared for their arrival. The plane arrived around 12:30 so I arrived early to get a good picture taking spot. But, things turned out even better as I was allowed to go through security and right up to the terminal! As they got off the plane I found a seat to take some pictures to really capture the moment which i think worked. It was great to see their smiling faces, but not so great when I saw the amount of luggage they brought. Seriously, enough for a small army.
After the drive back to my place and some much needed showers, the three of us decided to go exploring (well, not so much me) along the coast. I figured they would want to go to the beach and ocean after their journey, so off we went! The first stop of the adventure was Mullaloo beach, which is one of the best beaches in Perth. The beach is just down the road from me, so after a short 5 minute drive we arrived at the water ready to see the sights. it was beautiful as the sun was shining and there were only a couple people in speedos. We only stayed here for about 15 minutes as there is so much to see and not enough time!
Our second stop on the adventure, after a nice drive along the coast, was Scaroborough beach, arguably the best beach in Perth. From here we played in the sand, put our feet in the water, took tons of pictures, and watched a stunning sunset. Just standing there with the girls watching the sun fall over the horizon makes me wish that everyone could have been there with us. We were thinking about everyone!
Finally, as the day drew to a close, we piled into the car and headed for home. The girls were starting to get tired, which showed as both fell asleep on the ride home. No worries though as I know the feeling. I was just happy they lasted as long as they did! After a quick dinner of home made stir fry made by yours truly, the girls were off to bed to sleep the night through, which was pretty accurate considering they slept for 14 hours straight. Not going to lie, I was rather impressed
Saturday was my footy game and award ceremony which they got to watch. I felt all cool receiving my award in front of them. Once the ceremony had ended we stayed at the Clubhouse to celebrate with the team, which included some awful dancing, pants-down time (not me, but Jared and some other players pull their pants down (not the under ware) and stand around talking), a lot of crude jokes, and everyone knowing instantly the girls were Americans. We had a great time as the girls got to meet a lot of the team and they got to enjoy some great Australian brew.
Sunday was the best day so far as we spent the morning picking up the rental car (Alex was the driver. If Kristyn drove I wouldn't be on the roads), eating breakfast (I had some awesome pancakes) outside along the beach at Cottesloe Beach, some drinks at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, and walking around King's Park for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect so lots of pictures were taken. I could sit here and describe everything, but I don't have that kind of time and this is getting long enough already. The day/weekend ended with a bon fire out back of our house while having a couple beers and enjoying the stars. With a day like that ending with such a perfect night, it's hard not to believe this is paradise.
Right now the girls are down south at Margaret River enjoying some wine tasting. Margaret River is a massive wine making valley, like Napa Valley in California, and the wine is spectacular. Beth, Tim and myself spent a bit of time down there and enjoyed every second of it. I'm sure they will take tons of pictures and hopefully they'll bring back some wine for my enjoyment!!
First off, the game. This weekend I once again played in the Thirds, which I was pretty disappointed about, but decided to make the most of the opportunity. Every weekend about 14 players don't even get a game, so I should consider myself lucky to be playing! Anyways, the game was played at the Yokian (I think) Reserve against an opponent who was struggling a bit ( I can't remember their name). We had one win under our belt and the opponent had yet to win a game, so they came out ready to play. As the game began we could tell we were in for a dogfight, but we were ready to step up to the challenge. Slowly but surely we pulled away in the first quarter and then dominated the rest of the game. The final scored showed a win of nearly 11 goals. So, for the second straight week, we got to sing the team song which I don't know the words to.
Personally, I played extremely well at both Half-back flank and a wing. All over the field I picked up balls, had accurate kicks, strong tackles, and smart decisions. I have really begun to understand the flow of the game over here and am adjusting really well to it. I'm even learning when the right way to get into a scuffle as I got into another one, my third in four games. When the final sired sounded, I got heaps of compliments followed with an award at the Clubhouse that night. Hopefully next week I will get moved back up and continue with my solid play!! A big congratulations also need to go out to the One's team as they defeated our rival, North Beach, by 5 points for their first win. North Beach was 3-0, and the reigning Champions, so it was a huge win for the club.
But, the best part about the weekend was the arrival of my friends Kristyn and Alex!! Friday morning I called in sick (I'm using my vacation days for Lisa's visit!) and cleaned the house and prepared for their arrival. The plane arrived around 12:30 so I arrived early to get a good picture taking spot. But, things turned out even better as I was allowed to go through security and right up to the terminal! As they got off the plane I found a seat to take some pictures to really capture the moment which i think worked. It was great to see their smiling faces, but not so great when I saw the amount of luggage they brought. Seriously, enough for a small army.
After the drive back to my place and some much needed showers, the three of us decided to go exploring (well, not so much me) along the coast. I figured they would want to go to the beach and ocean after their journey, so off we went! The first stop of the adventure was Mullaloo beach, which is one of the best beaches in Perth. The beach is just down the road from me, so after a short 5 minute drive we arrived at the water ready to see the sights. it was beautiful as the sun was shining and there were only a couple people in speedos. We only stayed here for about 15 minutes as there is so much to see and not enough time!
Our second stop on the adventure, after a nice drive along the coast, was Scaroborough beach, arguably the best beach in Perth. From here we played in the sand, put our feet in the water, took tons of pictures, and watched a stunning sunset. Just standing there with the girls watching the sun fall over the horizon makes me wish that everyone could have been there with us. We were thinking about everyone!
Finally, as the day drew to a close, we piled into the car and headed for home. The girls were starting to get tired, which showed as both fell asleep on the ride home. No worries though as I know the feeling. I was just happy they lasted as long as they did! After a quick dinner of home made stir fry made by yours truly, the girls were off to bed to sleep the night through, which was pretty accurate considering they slept for 14 hours straight. Not going to lie, I was rather impressed
Saturday was my footy game and award ceremony which they got to watch. I felt all cool receiving my award in front of them. Once the ceremony had ended we stayed at the Clubhouse to celebrate with the team, which included some awful dancing, pants-down time (not me, but Jared and some other players pull their pants down (not the under ware) and stand around talking), a lot of crude jokes, and everyone knowing instantly the girls were Americans. We had a great time as the girls got to meet a lot of the team and they got to enjoy some great Australian brew.
Sunday was the best day so far as we spent the morning picking up the rental car (Alex was the driver. If Kristyn drove I wouldn't be on the roads), eating breakfast (I had some awesome pancakes) outside along the beach at Cottesloe Beach, some drinks at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel, and walking around King's Park for a few hours. The weather was absolutely perfect so lots of pictures were taken. I could sit here and describe everything, but I don't have that kind of time and this is getting long enough already. The day/weekend ended with a bon fire out back of our house while having a couple beers and enjoying the stars. With a day like that ending with such a perfect night, it's hard not to believe this is paradise.
Right now the girls are down south at Margaret River enjoying some wine tasting. Margaret River is a massive wine making valley, like Napa Valley in California, and the wine is spectacular. Beth, Tim and myself spent a bit of time down there and enjoyed every second of it. I'm sure they will take tons of pictures and hopefully they'll bring back some wine for my enjoyment!!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
Well folks, this past weekend my team celebrated our first win of the season!! This week I played with the Thirds against Wannaroo and we absolutely smashed them. I think we won by a total of 22 goals and I played extremely well. I think I gathered something like 20 possessions and had about 10 kicks, which is really good. I even had my first goal of the year!! At the end we all got into a circle to sing the song, which I don't know, so I just stood around smiling. Very excited and great motivation to work even harder!
I think my favorite moment of the game was early in the 2nd quarter. By this point we were ahead by about 10 goals and the other team was getting extremely angry. We were attacking on offense and the ball was on the ground, and me and a team mate were both near it, so I let him get the ball and I shepparded (to shepperd is to use one's body to hit an opposing player so your team mate has a free run at or with the ball) his defender. Well, he didn't like it much and put me in a headlock from behind and threw me down. Extremely angry at the cheap shot I proceeded to get up, grab his jumper around the neck and give him around 5 close range punches to the jaw while talking some trash. But, the best part was that I got a free kick, delivered a beauty down-field, and we ended up kicking a goal. Justice was served...
On the downside I was playing in the Thirds. On Thursday, just before selections, my coach approached me and said I would be playing Thirds for a week or two, just so I can play my natural position of half-back flank. In the Twos I've been playing forward pocket, wing, and on the ball. I've never played any of those positions before so I was struggling a bit. But, once I moved back to my position I began to kick ass again. Now I just hope to get moved up and put in a position where I can help the team. I think with the confidence I gained from my performance last week it will only get better.
Like I've been saying all along: "I don't care where I start. It's where I finish that matters." And, if I keep on improving at the rate I am, I think I'll be finishing with a very strong showing. Just yesterday at training I got a number of compliments on my improved skills and natural awareness. I'm not huge on compliments, but it does feel good to get noticed every now and again.
Lastly, new pictures of the Mr. Scarborough competition have been put up. They are a bit scandalous so don't say I didn't warn you!
I think my favorite moment of the game was early in the 2nd quarter. By this point we were ahead by about 10 goals and the other team was getting extremely angry. We were attacking on offense and the ball was on the ground, and me and a team mate were both near it, so I let him get the ball and I shepparded (to shepperd is to use one's body to hit an opposing player so your team mate has a free run at or with the ball) his defender. Well, he didn't like it much and put me in a headlock from behind and threw me down. Extremely angry at the cheap shot I proceeded to get up, grab his jumper around the neck and give him around 5 close range punches to the jaw while talking some trash. But, the best part was that I got a free kick, delivered a beauty down-field, and we ended up kicking a goal. Justice was served...
On the downside I was playing in the Thirds. On Thursday, just before selections, my coach approached me and said I would be playing Thirds for a week or two, just so I can play my natural position of half-back flank. In the Twos I've been playing forward pocket, wing, and on the ball. I've never played any of those positions before so I was struggling a bit. But, once I moved back to my position I began to kick ass again. Now I just hope to get moved up and put in a position where I can help the team. I think with the confidence I gained from my performance last week it will only get better.
Like I've been saying all along: "I don't care where I start. It's where I finish that matters." And, if I keep on improving at the rate I am, I think I'll be finishing with a very strong showing. Just yesterday at training I got a number of compliments on my improved skills and natural awareness. I'm not huge on compliments, but it does feel good to get noticed every now and again.
Lastly, new pictures of the Mr. Scarborough competition have been put up. They are a bit scandalous so don't say I didn't warn you!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
0-2 and #2
The theme of this updates is the number 2. Why, do you ask? Well, the first answer is that our team has fallen to 0-2 after the first two rounds of the season. This weekend we had our first home match of the season against West Coast Cowan, the reigning Premiers of Grade B (We're grade A. If you win or come in second in Group B you move up a group). It was a bright and beautiful day as the crowd gathered to watch the match.
Through the first half of play we played our guts out and played right with them. Our movement through the middle and center clearances were spot on, but our attack on goal left something to be desired. I played a forward pocket (offense) and was often frustrated with the lack of precision attacking and down-field vision. More than once were people missed as we made our move to score. But still, our back-line played a tremendous game and kept us in it. But, despite our best efforts we slowly fell behind in the second half and eventually succumbed to an eleven goal loss. Very disappointing, but also encouraging as we showed heaps of improvement. Personally, I know I played a much better game and feel myself understanding the game much more every week. Of course, a win is always welcome, but self-improvement is great too as it is why I am here. I think next week will be even better!
The League side faired much better but still felt short of the W. After exchanging leads throughout the game, WC Cowan eventually pulled away and went home with a 3 goal victory. Not the best day to be an Eagle, but also not the best day to play for Cowan as they suffered some awful injuries. In my game, one of their players had their ankle landed on by one of our back-men and the result was a broken ankle at a 90 degree angle. I've never heard such screaming in my life.
The second theme of the number 2 is my result in the Mr. Scarborough competition. As I previously mentioned, the football club has an annual event where a panel of ladies bestow the Mr. Scarborough award on one lucky guy. The competition is set as a Miss America type pageant where competitors have to strut their stuff on a cat walk and answer questions. From each team two contestants were chosen to show off their night-wear (going out clothes), sleep-wear, and footy wear. As you may be able to guess, some of the contestants had to dive head-first into the liquid courage to compete, which only added to the hilarity.
Well, like most things Australian, it's all for a good laugh as each competitor tries to be as raunchy as possible on the walk way and in answering questions. I am not going to go into detail about anything that was done, and here's an example of why: During the night-wear portion one person came on stage wearing ski-goggles and a woman's thong and nothing else. Enough said. But, have no fear, I kept my dignity and the worst I wore was a Speedo (which are disturbingly common in Australia so it wasn't bad at all) with the words "Such is Life" written across my stomach. The words/tattoo was an Australian joke referring to an ex-AFL star, Ben Cousins, who was found passed out on a park bench after his team won the Premiership. I also showed off a pair of silk Australian flag boxers with the words "Gun Show" written on my biceps for sleep-wear and a pair of footy shorts and socks for footy-wear. I think the reason I came in second is because I gave each one of the girl judges a flower during one of my walks (I found a basket of flowers in our changing room. I found out later those flowers were supposed to go to some other girls, but oh well). They must have loved the Polish charm (Thanks Mom!!)
Needless to say, my antics got me second place and I am proud of it. No other American has competed before and I must have made a good impressions. Maybe it's my baby blue eyes (Thanks Dad!!). Either way I had a lot of fun and Jared took a number of pictures. Once the competition was over we stuck around the club house for a while, laughed at some of the craziness, and then headed out on the town. Overall, the day wasn't a total loss. We got to really bond together which will only help us become a stronger team.
Through the first half of play we played our guts out and played right with them. Our movement through the middle and center clearances were spot on, but our attack on goal left something to be desired. I played a forward pocket (offense) and was often frustrated with the lack of precision attacking and down-field vision. More than once were people missed as we made our move to score. But still, our back-line played a tremendous game and kept us in it. But, despite our best efforts we slowly fell behind in the second half and eventually succumbed to an eleven goal loss. Very disappointing, but also encouraging as we showed heaps of improvement. Personally, I know I played a much better game and feel myself understanding the game much more every week. Of course, a win is always welcome, but self-improvement is great too as it is why I am here. I think next week will be even better!
The League side faired much better but still felt short of the W. After exchanging leads throughout the game, WC Cowan eventually pulled away and went home with a 3 goal victory. Not the best day to be an Eagle, but also not the best day to play for Cowan as they suffered some awful injuries. In my game, one of their players had their ankle landed on by one of our back-men and the result was a broken ankle at a 90 degree angle. I've never heard such screaming in my life.
The second theme of the number 2 is my result in the Mr. Scarborough competition. As I previously mentioned, the football club has an annual event where a panel of ladies bestow the Mr. Scarborough award on one lucky guy. The competition is set as a Miss America type pageant where competitors have to strut their stuff on a cat walk and answer questions. From each team two contestants were chosen to show off their night-wear (going out clothes), sleep-wear, and footy wear. As you may be able to guess, some of the contestants had to dive head-first into the liquid courage to compete, which only added to the hilarity.
Well, like most things Australian, it's all for a good laugh as each competitor tries to be as raunchy as possible on the walk way and in answering questions. I am not going to go into detail about anything that was done, and here's an example of why: During the night-wear portion one person came on stage wearing ski-goggles and a woman's thong and nothing else. Enough said. But, have no fear, I kept my dignity and the worst I wore was a Speedo (which are disturbingly common in Australia so it wasn't bad at all) with the words "Such is Life" written across my stomach. The words/tattoo was an Australian joke referring to an ex-AFL star, Ben Cousins, who was found passed out on a park bench after his team won the Premiership. I also showed off a pair of silk Australian flag boxers with the words "Gun Show" written on my biceps for sleep-wear and a pair of footy shorts and socks for footy-wear. I think the reason I came in second is because I gave each one of the girl judges a flower during one of my walks (I found a basket of flowers in our changing room. I found out later those flowers were supposed to go to some other girls, but oh well). They must have loved the Polish charm (Thanks Mom!!)
Needless to say, my antics got me second place and I am proud of it. No other American has competed before and I must have made a good impressions. Maybe it's my baby blue eyes (Thanks Dad!!). Either way I had a lot of fun and Jared took a number of pictures. Once the competition was over we stuck around the club house for a while, laughed at some of the craziness, and then headed out on the town. Overall, the day wasn't a total loss. We got to really bond together which will only help us become a stronger team.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Round 1 Weekend
Well, hello again to everyone. This past weekend was a buzz of excitement as the 2008 season has finally begun!!! For the week leading up to Round 1 I was more excited than a kid in a candy store. Every day I would wake up just ready to get on that field and kick butt. Our practices were sharp and we looked like a team poised for victory.
Our opponent for the game was a team named Trinity Aquinas, a University team located in South Perth. Over the past several years TA has been one of the best teams in the comp, so this was a great assessment of our team. The game took place at their home field (the smallest and worst field in the comp), and after a short detour due to Jared's faulty directions, we arrived ready to go. The locker room was filled with anticipation as our tough pre-season training would undoubtedly push us to victory, but we were mistaken.
From the opening bounce we were dominated all over the field as the game degraded to a game of "Everyone Run Where Ever You Feel" across the middle. With such loss of structure, the increased speed of the game, and lack of game experience, I felt lost all over the field. I still managed to make some decent plays, but when the final siren rang we lost by about 70 points. Overall, everyone had a very disappointing game. I was extremely disappointed in myself and I guarantee it won't happen again. I've only got once chance at this season and I am going to take full advantage of it.
Sunday morning, after licking my wounds of defeat and searching for my lost ego, some friends from work and myself got together to surprise a coworker for his birthday. We got together to play laser-tag out in the Swan Valley behind where I have played Super Golf in the past. The area was complete bush land with forts and tents set up all over the place. it was a great time and the perfect way to recover from a terrible Saturday.
I do have some pictures from this weekend, but not many. And, as you can probably tell, I'm in a rather tired mood so I didn't try to be cleaver or explain anything in much detail. Sorry, but my hands hurt from typing all day at work. I'll make up for it next week after we kick butt this weekend and come home with a victory.
Our opponent for the game was a team named Trinity Aquinas, a University team located in South Perth. Over the past several years TA has been one of the best teams in the comp, so this was a great assessment of our team. The game took place at their home field (the smallest and worst field in the comp), and after a short detour due to Jared's faulty directions, we arrived ready to go. The locker room was filled with anticipation as our tough pre-season training would undoubtedly push us to victory, but we were mistaken.
From the opening bounce we were dominated all over the field as the game degraded to a game of "Everyone Run Where Ever You Feel" across the middle. With such loss of structure, the increased speed of the game, and lack of game experience, I felt lost all over the field. I still managed to make some decent plays, but when the final siren rang we lost by about 70 points. Overall, everyone had a very disappointing game. I was extremely disappointed in myself and I guarantee it won't happen again. I've only got once chance at this season and I am going to take full advantage of it.
Sunday morning, after licking my wounds of defeat and searching for my lost ego, some friends from work and myself got together to surprise a coworker for his birthday. We got together to play laser-tag out in the Swan Valley behind where I have played Super Golf in the past. The area was complete bush land with forts and tents set up all over the place. it was a great time and the perfect way to recover from a terrible Saturday.
I do have some pictures from this weekend, but not many. And, as you can probably tell, I'm in a rather tired mood so I didn't try to be cleaver or explain anything in much detail. Sorry, but my hands hurt from typing all day at work. I'll make up for it next week after we kick butt this weekend and come home with a victory.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Football (in all forms) and Driving
Well, not a whole to talk about, but some cool and funny things to report. First off friday night I had an absolute blast as Jared, Luke, Tracy, and Donna (the last three are Australians) and I watched the Western Force play a rugby match against the Bulls of South Africa. As I previously stated (I think...), the Western Force participate in the Super 14s, a rugby league including teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Jared and I managed to score free tickets (again) through Luke and his girlfriend Donna (Luke plays for Scarborough and Donna is a massage therapist for the Force). Our seats were incredible as we were 2 rows from the pitch and 50 feet from the players tunnel. Great seats as I gladly went picture happy.
The game was intense as the Force needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The season is only 14 games and only the top 4 teams advance to the knockout rounds, so each game counts and this one was a biggie. Not only was this game important because of the playoffs, but also because of the opponent. The Bulls are the reigning Super 14 champs and boast some outstanding players, and also feature the best player in the world, Bryan Habana, who won the 2007 World Player of the Year as the South African rugby team won the World Cup. I took lots of pictures of him.
The stadium was alive with excitement not even the rain could dampen (and it tried, believe me) as the two teams began play. The Force jumped out to a 9 point lead as they moved the ball well and made sure tackles. The game was all Force until play resumed after half time as the Bulls scored 14 unanswered as Habana collected two tries. All hope was lost but the Force never gave up and managed to squeeze in a try with 1 minute remaining to take a 15-14 lead. Once the siren roared the excitement couldn't be contained as airhorns and sirens sounded all over Subiaco Oval.
Saturday was also a great day as we had another scratch-match, this time against Whitfords. After last weekends third-quarter meltdown, the Scarborough team was ready to open a can of whoop-ass on any side we faced, and we did not disappoint (despite the torrential downpour all morning and through half-time) . We opened up the scoring with two straight goals and never looked back. All over the field we out-marked, out-skilled, out-kicked, and out-tacked a generally good Whitfords side. It was a great feeling as we are coming together just as the season begins next week. One incident of note is that I got to punch my first oppenent of the season. Footy over here is played much dirtier and this kid, probably 5'0" and 110 lbs, rammed me directly in the back during a dead ball. So, a subtle punch to the gut convinced him to rethink his sports attitude. Needless to say, he didn't shake my hand after the game. Sorry, but no pictures from the game as it was raining terribly. Didn't want to ruin the camera.
Sunday was another fun day as I got to sleep in, sit outside and read, and learn to drive stick. My friend GD is letting me use his old car while I am here (it became available to me abut 2 weeks ago) and I finally got the chance to pick it up. The three of us drove down to his house Sunday afternoon to begin the lessons only to find that he was in London, but his mom was around to give us the keys. She/Pam invited us inside to chat a bit and as polite young men, we accepted, even though the house had a funky smell too it, like an old library. After a bit of chatting she asked who was going to drive the car and I put up my hand enthusiastically, like I was 16 years old again. Here is what happened next:
Pam: You don't drink and drive do you?
Me: No.
Pam: Good, because it's a really bad idea. Too many people die every year from drinking and driving.
Me: It's really sad how people do that.
Pam: But I do it sometimes.
Me (exchanging "holy crap" looks with each other): What?
Pam: But it's not that far. Just about four blocks.
To clarify, Pam's house is in a subdivision full of massive hills. Not the safest sober driving, let alone drinking any amount of alcohol. It was about that time our ESP kicked in and we decided to get out of there. After a polite good bye (and a offer of a glass of brandy to go from Pam...I'm not kidding), we got in our cars and left as quickly as possible. Now, after many stalled engines, I can safely navigate on the opposite side of the road driving stick. Just a few more weeks and I'll be a pro at it!
The game was intense as the Force needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The season is only 14 games and only the top 4 teams advance to the knockout rounds, so each game counts and this one was a biggie. Not only was this game important because of the playoffs, but also because of the opponent. The Bulls are the reigning Super 14 champs and boast some outstanding players, and also feature the best player in the world, Bryan Habana, who won the 2007 World Player of the Year as the South African rugby team won the World Cup. I took lots of pictures of him.
The stadium was alive with excitement not even the rain could dampen (and it tried, believe me) as the two teams began play. The Force jumped out to a 9 point lead as they moved the ball well and made sure tackles. The game was all Force until play resumed after half time as the Bulls scored 14 unanswered as Habana collected two tries. All hope was lost but the Force never gave up and managed to squeeze in a try with 1 minute remaining to take a 15-14 lead. Once the siren roared the excitement couldn't be contained as airhorns and sirens sounded all over Subiaco Oval.
Saturday was also a great day as we had another scratch-match, this time against Whitfords. After last weekends third-quarter meltdown, the Scarborough team was ready to open a can of whoop-ass on any side we faced, and we did not disappoint (despite the torrential downpour all morning and through half-time) . We opened up the scoring with two straight goals and never looked back. All over the field we out-marked, out-skilled, out-kicked, and out-tacked a generally good Whitfords side. It was a great feeling as we are coming together just as the season begins next week. One incident of note is that I got to punch my first oppenent of the season. Footy over here is played much dirtier and this kid, probably 5'0" and 110 lbs, rammed me directly in the back during a dead ball. So, a subtle punch to the gut convinced him to rethink his sports attitude. Needless to say, he didn't shake my hand after the game. Sorry, but no pictures from the game as it was raining terribly. Didn't want to ruin the camera.
Sunday was another fun day as I got to sleep in, sit outside and read, and learn to drive stick. My friend GD is letting me use his old car while I am here (it became available to me abut 2 weeks ago) and I finally got the chance to pick it up. The three of us drove down to his house Sunday afternoon to begin the lessons only to find that he was in London, but his mom was around to give us the keys. She/Pam invited us inside to chat a bit and as polite young men, we accepted, even though the house had a funky smell too it, like an old library. After a bit of chatting she asked who was going to drive the car and I put up my hand enthusiastically, like I was 16 years old again. Here is what happened next:
Pam: You don't drink and drive do you?
Me: No.
Pam: Good, because it's a really bad idea. Too many people die every year from drinking and driving.
Me: It's really sad how people do that.
Pam: But I do it sometimes.
Me (exchanging "holy crap" looks with each other): What?
Pam: But it's not that far. Just about four blocks.
To clarify, Pam's house is in a subdivision full of massive hills. Not the safest sober driving, let alone drinking any amount of alcohol. It was about that time our ESP kicked in and we decided to get out of there. After a polite good bye (and a offer of a glass of brandy to go from Pam...I'm not kidding), we got in our cars and left as quickly as possible. Now, after many stalled engines, I can safely navigate on the opposite side of the road driving stick. Just a few more weeks and I'll be a pro at it!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
2008 Season
Beach sessions. 10 K runs. Hill sprints. 110 degree weather with a sun that could fry an egg. Footy: It's played with one ball but we suggest you bring two.
The 2008 season is almost upon me and I can hardly contain myself. I have been training for nearly two and a half months for this moment and I can't wait any longer. April 19 is Round 1 and I only get more antsy as we continue to play scratch matches. This past weekend was our first real test as we played against an opposing side for the first time. The team we played was Swan Athletic, a B-grade side (we're A-grade) located in the Swan Valley about 30 minutes East of where I live. Three games were played that day, starting with the Colts (the under 19 team), then the Reserves (where I am), and then the League Side (where Jared is). Both the Colts and my team didn't fair so well as we both fell by a few goals. The League Side was the shining spot as they dominated Swan by about 13 goals. Not much of a contest, but fun to watch. In the end though, the results don't mean much as our coaches are working out who will play where. For example: I played four different positions throughout the game and others played as many as 5. By the time Round 1 comes around everything should be set.
So far I can feel my skills and fitness getting better every day. Just talking with a few team mates they have mentioned how much I've improved since I arrived. it's a great feeling knowing my hard work has paid off. I can't wait until the next game where I will be much better so I can go out there and take some kicks, hit some goals, and hit some opponents. I love this level of footy and I know I will have a great season.
Unfortunately no pictures were take of the game. Swan Athletic is known for having some dodgy followers as a number of people in the past have been robbed, so I decided a camera wasn't the best idea. But, this coming weekend we have another scratch match against Whitfords, but this time at our home ground. I will be sure and bring my camera and have Jared take some pictures.
The 2008 season is almost upon me and I can hardly contain myself. I have been training for nearly two and a half months for this moment and I can't wait any longer. April 19 is Round 1 and I only get more antsy as we continue to play scratch matches. This past weekend was our first real test as we played against an opposing side for the first time. The team we played was Swan Athletic, a B-grade side (we're A-grade) located in the Swan Valley about 30 minutes East of where I live. Three games were played that day, starting with the Colts (the under 19 team), then the Reserves (where I am), and then the League Side (where Jared is). Both the Colts and my team didn't fair so well as we both fell by a few goals. The League Side was the shining spot as they dominated Swan by about 13 goals. Not much of a contest, but fun to watch. In the end though, the results don't mean much as our coaches are working out who will play where. For example: I played four different positions throughout the game and others played as many as 5. By the time Round 1 comes around everything should be set.
So far I can feel my skills and fitness getting better every day. Just talking with a few team mates they have mentioned how much I've improved since I arrived. it's a great feeling knowing my hard work has paid off. I can't wait until the next game where I will be much better so I can go out there and take some kicks, hit some goals, and hit some opponents. I love this level of footy and I know I will have a great season.
Unfortunately no pictures were take of the game. Swan Athletic is known for having some dodgy followers as a number of people in the past have been robbed, so I decided a camera wasn't the best idea. But, this coming weekend we have another scratch match against Whitfords, but this time at our home ground. I will be sure and bring my camera and have Jared take some pictures.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Oasis Ball
Well, the Oasis Ball pictures have been up for a about a week, so I guess it's time to actually write about them. The Oasis Ball is the annual awards banquet for the advertising industry in Perth. Every year the industry comes together to award the team/company that persuaded the Perth/Australian consumers better than the rest. And this year, what better way to celebrate than with an award show themed "Exotica."
The event took place at the Perth Convention Centre, a state of the art facility located directly downtown on the Swan River. For the Ball, the governing body had rented out of the main ballrooms with an outdoor balcony overlooking the downtown CBD (Central Business District), the Swan River, and South Perth. It was a beautiful site that only got more extravagant as the night progressed.
The Oasis Ball kicked off with drinks and music in the reception area outside the main ballroom. I arrived with Mark Pinney and Ronnie Duncan (Mark is my boss and Ronnie is one of the founders) around 6:30 in the evening and it was quite a site. Upon entering I was greeted with a royal reception as everyone, except for myself, was dressed in suits, tuxes, and ball gowns. I chose the more sensible route and wore jeans and a black button-down with aviators. I felt a bit under dressed for all of 27 seconds until I ran into Mike Edmonds, the other founder, who was wearing jeans, converse all-stars, and a button-down shirt with flaming skulls on the shoulders. Very classy. But, we were over-dressed compared to some; Namely the man and woman (both part of the "exotica" theme) dressed in only thongs and body paint. He looked like Tarzan and she was dressed/painted like a leopard.
The reception area was adorned with paintings, sporting memorabilia (Australian national rugby jersey signed, cricket bats and balls, posters), and other various items (a Les Paul guitar signed by Eric Clapton, a framed Sopranos poster signed by the entire cast) all up for grabs in the silent auction. Not much of the betting type, I opted to enjoy the free champagne, beer, and wine while listening to the sounds of a traditional African band (just think of the sound of drums from any movie involving Africa) playing in the corner.
Once the ceremony began the "exotica" theme took full figure as the crowd was thoroughly entertained by belly dancers, gypsy women, fire dancers, Middle-Easter prices/dancers, smoke machines, a Moroccan hookah bar, waiters in Japanese garb and masks, and most notably Tarzan and Leopard-woman. Intermingled were different presentations honoring people and their achievements, the vast majority being the achievements of not-for-profit organizations (for which all the proceeds of the Oasis Ball would go). Honorable cause (proceeds to charity) and a great idea considering the massive silent auction, the live auction (of different advertising things, such as insertions, TV spots, etc), and the raffle for a trip to Mauritius. Once all the different speakers and auctions were finished, the award ceremony began.
Meerkats was finalists in three different categories (there were only about 10); Namely Campaign of the Year, Advertisers of the Year, and Agency of the Year. With high hopes the ceremony commenced as we brought home the Campaign of the Year award for iinet, the second largest internet provider in Australia. Mike and Ronnie accepted the award with great humility as they gave the only speeches that weren't self-promoting and exceedingly arrogant. I felt proud to be part of such an organization.
Once the ceremony wrapped up and the emcee said his final thoughts, the formal stage was over. Now began the actual party as a massive dance floor was revealed behind the hookah bar (the dance floor looked as if someone had raided Vegas). It was about the size of a basketball court and full of flashing lights (just like the Vegas strip) and smoke machines. Practically everyone ended up on the floor dancing and having a great time shaking our butts to the sounds of Lynard Skynard and Madonna.
What a great night and a once in a lifetime experience. I hope my pictures do more justice than my writing, but I wanted to keep the text to the basic descriptions, otherwise I would be going on for ages.
The event took place at the Perth Convention Centre, a state of the art facility located directly downtown on the Swan River. For the Ball, the governing body had rented out of the main ballrooms with an outdoor balcony overlooking the downtown CBD (Central Business District), the Swan River, and South Perth. It was a beautiful site that only got more extravagant as the night progressed.
The Oasis Ball kicked off with drinks and music in the reception area outside the main ballroom. I arrived with Mark Pinney and Ronnie Duncan (Mark is my boss and Ronnie is one of the founders) around 6:30 in the evening and it was quite a site. Upon entering I was greeted with a royal reception as everyone, except for myself, was dressed in suits, tuxes, and ball gowns. I chose the more sensible route and wore jeans and a black button-down with aviators. I felt a bit under dressed for all of 27 seconds until I ran into Mike Edmonds, the other founder, who was wearing jeans, converse all-stars, and a button-down shirt with flaming skulls on the shoulders. Very classy. But, we were over-dressed compared to some; Namely the man and woman (both part of the "exotica" theme) dressed in only thongs and body paint. He looked like Tarzan and she was dressed/painted like a leopard.
The reception area was adorned with paintings, sporting memorabilia (Australian national rugby jersey signed, cricket bats and balls, posters), and other various items (a Les Paul guitar signed by Eric Clapton, a framed Sopranos poster signed by the entire cast) all up for grabs in the silent auction. Not much of the betting type, I opted to enjoy the free champagne, beer, and wine while listening to the sounds of a traditional African band (just think of the sound of drums from any movie involving Africa) playing in the corner.
Once the ceremony began the "exotica" theme took full figure as the crowd was thoroughly entertained by belly dancers, gypsy women, fire dancers, Middle-Easter prices/dancers, smoke machines, a Moroccan hookah bar, waiters in Japanese garb and masks, and most notably Tarzan and Leopard-woman. Intermingled were different presentations honoring people and their achievements, the vast majority being the achievements of not-for-profit organizations (for which all the proceeds of the Oasis Ball would go). Honorable cause (proceeds to charity) and a great idea considering the massive silent auction, the live auction (of different advertising things, such as insertions, TV spots, etc), and the raffle for a trip to Mauritius. Once all the different speakers and auctions were finished, the award ceremony began.
Meerkats was finalists in three different categories (there were only about 10); Namely Campaign of the Year, Advertisers of the Year, and Agency of the Year. With high hopes the ceremony commenced as we brought home the Campaign of the Year award for iinet, the second largest internet provider in Australia. Mike and Ronnie accepted the award with great humility as they gave the only speeches that weren't self-promoting and exceedingly arrogant. I felt proud to be part of such an organization.
Once the ceremony wrapped up and the emcee said his final thoughts, the formal stage was over. Now began the actual party as a massive dance floor was revealed behind the hookah bar (the dance floor looked as if someone had raided Vegas). It was about the size of a basketball court and full of flashing lights (just like the Vegas strip) and smoke machines. Practically everyone ended up on the floor dancing and having a great time shaking our butts to the sounds of Lynard Skynard and Madonna.
What a great night and a once in a lifetime experience. I hope my pictures do more justice than my writing, but I wanted to keep the text to the basic descriptions, otherwise I would be going on for ages.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Footy Camp and Rugby
Well, what a crazy weekend it was down here. Over Saturday and Sunday we had our footy camp, which is basically a weekend retreat for team building. Saturday morning started off nice and early with a scratch-match at 9 am. It was just an intra-squad scrimmage so the intensity wasn't full-on, but it was still a good litmus test for myself. I started off a bit nervous, but after the opening bounce I calmed down and got into the flow. I actually played pretty well (played half-back, my normal position), but unfortunately my side lost. Still though, the fitness and skills of the team were pretty good, so I'm looking forward to the season with confidence! Our next scratch-match is next week, so I should have much more confidence and play even better!
The game ended around 10:45, so after a quick shower the team took off to the camp grounds as we had to arrive by 11:45 (the grounds were 45 minutes away). Once at the grounds we had a quick lunch, broke into groups, and then straight into the activities. Our first activity was a team exercise where we had to solve a problem which involved moving eggs, two barrels, and two planks of wood from one end of a imaginary pit to the other. It wasn't difficult as we finished in 3 minutes. After that we had a game of basketball outside in the baking sun. It was only about 90 degrees...no big deal. It was a lot of fun as I realized the Australians aren't very good. I laughed the entire time. I knew it was going to be fun when the point guard threw the ball over the backboard on his first layup attempt.
After basketball we had a ropes course. It isn't at all like it sounds as it was actually a ropes climbing course with rock climbing, repelling walls, a zip line, and cargo nets. What a great time. I've never done anything like it before and it was heaps of fun. Even though I'm scared of heights, it was great fun and pretty darn cool to jump off a building on a zip line. After that we had a quick dinner and then the nightly activities, which was a team meeting, watching a game of footy, and drinking beer. I was exhausted so I was in bed by midnight while some other people were up until 1...crazy Australians.
Well, those people who stayed up late sure regretted it as the entire team had a 6:30 am survivor challenge. The challenge involved a swimming leg, filling a pale with sea water only using shot glasses (which took forever), a digging section, and the putting together of a puzzle. My team came in second, which wasn't bad considering we couldn't find the puzzle pieces buried in the sand for 10 minutes. The only bad part was that it was freezing outside!!!
The rest of the day had some more activities: Cricket, Volleyball, and a scavenger hunt. Everything ended around noon, which was fine by me as I was rooted. All I wanted to do was to sleep, but that wasn't to be as that night Jared and I went to watch a rugby match between the Western Force and the Crusaders (out of New Zealand), who are part of the Super 14. We scored some free tickets from a friend on the Scarborough team as his girlfriend is a massage therapist for the Force. The game was incredible as our seats were in the corner of end zone three rows up from the field. Directly in front of us we saw three trys scored, a few scrums, and the game losing turnover. Each side featured players for their National teams, so the level of competition was superb. Nick, if you're reading this, these are some MASSIVE people. It's like watching an NFL linemen who is pure muscle, no fat, who can run a 4.5, and has a chest as thick as a tree. Not quite like DePaul rugby. Unfortunately my battery for my camera was drained so I didn't get to take any pictures, but I'm sure there will be more opportunities!!
The game ended around 10:45, so after a quick shower the team took off to the camp grounds as we had to arrive by 11:45 (the grounds were 45 minutes away). Once at the grounds we had a quick lunch, broke into groups, and then straight into the activities. Our first activity was a team exercise where we had to solve a problem which involved moving eggs, two barrels, and two planks of wood from one end of a imaginary pit to the other. It wasn't difficult as we finished in 3 minutes. After that we had a game of basketball outside in the baking sun. It was only about 90 degrees...no big deal. It was a lot of fun as I realized the Australians aren't very good. I laughed the entire time. I knew it was going to be fun when the point guard threw the ball over the backboard on his first layup attempt.
After basketball we had a ropes course. It isn't at all like it sounds as it was actually a ropes climbing course with rock climbing, repelling walls, a zip line, and cargo nets. What a great time. I've never done anything like it before and it was heaps of fun. Even though I'm scared of heights, it was great fun and pretty darn cool to jump off a building on a zip line. After that we had a quick dinner and then the nightly activities, which was a team meeting, watching a game of footy, and drinking beer. I was exhausted so I was in bed by midnight while some other people were up until 1...crazy Australians.
Well, those people who stayed up late sure regretted it as the entire team had a 6:30 am survivor challenge. The challenge involved a swimming leg, filling a pale with sea water only using shot glasses (which took forever), a digging section, and the putting together of a puzzle. My team came in second, which wasn't bad considering we couldn't find the puzzle pieces buried in the sand for 10 minutes. The only bad part was that it was freezing outside!!!
The rest of the day had some more activities: Cricket, Volleyball, and a scavenger hunt. Everything ended around noon, which was fine by me as I was rooted. All I wanted to do was to sleep, but that wasn't to be as that night Jared and I went to watch a rugby match between the Western Force and the Crusaders (out of New Zealand), who are part of the Super 14. We scored some free tickets from a friend on the Scarborough team as his girlfriend is a massage therapist for the Force. The game was incredible as our seats were in the corner of end zone three rows up from the field. Directly in front of us we saw three trys scored, a few scrums, and the game losing turnover. Each side featured players for their National teams, so the level of competition was superb. Nick, if you're reading this, these are some MASSIVE people. It's like watching an NFL linemen who is pure muscle, no fat, who can run a 4.5, and has a chest as thick as a tree. Not quite like DePaul rugby. Unfortunately my battery for my camera was drained so I didn't get to take any pictures, but I'm sure there will be more opportunities!!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Nothing Specific
Hello hello! Good to be here again as I have lots to report. The past few weeks have been full of fun and change. The most significant change is that I am no longer living with Brett and Zareena. I have moved in with Jared and James Brunmeier, who are about 10 minutes North of Brett. This past weekend we decided to make the move as I was getting along in my job. I am now living in Beldon, which is a small area right next to Joodalup. Their house is a nice place and so far I am loving it. Just a block away is a park, a small shopping center, and the bus stop. It is a bit further from the beach, but it's good motivation to go for a 15 minute run. My new address is: 102 Gradient Way, Beldon, WA 6027. I'll be sure and take some pictures soon.
Another change is that we are starting to get more into the footy season! Pre-season practices are still chugging along, but we are now adding warm-up matches on the weekends. This coming weekend (March 8) we have our first scratch-match. It's just intra-squad stuff so it won't be too difficult, but I'm really excited about it! Also this weekend we have our annual footy camp. After the scratch-match on Saturday morning, the team takes the rest of the day and the next morning to do team building stuff such as basketball, bocce ball, cricket, and a ropes course. We are also told to bring a shot glass, so this should get interesting. The entire team is sleeping in a rented unit (not sure what exactly), so Saturday night may get a bit wild. Most likely no pictures to come.
On a different note, I had to go see the Doctor this past week as a lump has formed on the back of my neck. It appeared within a couple of days and started to get painful, so it was a good idea. Well, it turns out I have a cyst. The doctor put me on antibiotics (Penicillin, apparently I'm not allergic) and it should either go away or it will have to be removed. Either way, it's not cool. I guess these Australians have started to infect me!! haha...bad joke.
Last, but not least is probably one of the most fun things I've done since I got here. Surfing. Last Friday James, Jared, and myself met our friend Luke (an Aussie) to go watch the West Perth Falcons reserves play (that's who James and Jared used to play for) in a scratch-match against East Perth. During the game, Luke asked if we wanted to try surfing seeing as James had just purchased a board. So, bright and early Sunday morning James and I headed out to catch some waves. I was a bit nervous at first because two Great White Sharks had been spotted off Rottnest Island the day before, but after twenty minutes it didn't even cross my mind. We spent the morning trying to surf, but only succeeded in falling off the board and getting smashed by the waves. The next day was spent in pain where the board chaffed our skin and the wax ripped out our hair, but it was worth it. It was a great time and I will be trying it again.
Anyways, it's nearly been three months since I left and I wanted to tell everyone that I miss them. I know I don't get to talk much, but know that I am thinking about you. Also, my phone number is +0447556249 (I forgot to mention earlier) if anyone needs to call me.
Another change is that we are starting to get more into the footy season! Pre-season practices are still chugging along, but we are now adding warm-up matches on the weekends. This coming weekend (March 8) we have our first scratch-match. It's just intra-squad stuff so it won't be too difficult, but I'm really excited about it! Also this weekend we have our annual footy camp. After the scratch-match on Saturday morning, the team takes the rest of the day and the next morning to do team building stuff such as basketball, bocce ball, cricket, and a ropes course. We are also told to bring a shot glass, so this should get interesting. The entire team is sleeping in a rented unit (not sure what exactly), so Saturday night may get a bit wild. Most likely no pictures to come.
On a different note, I had to go see the Doctor this past week as a lump has formed on the back of my neck. It appeared within a couple of days and started to get painful, so it was a good idea. Well, it turns out I have a cyst. The doctor put me on antibiotics (Penicillin, apparently I'm not allergic) and it should either go away or it will have to be removed. Either way, it's not cool. I guess these Australians have started to infect me!! haha...bad joke.
Last, but not least is probably one of the most fun things I've done since I got here. Surfing. Last Friday James, Jared, and myself met our friend Luke (an Aussie) to go watch the West Perth Falcons reserves play (that's who James and Jared used to play for) in a scratch-match against East Perth. During the game, Luke asked if we wanted to try surfing seeing as James had just purchased a board. So, bright and early Sunday morning James and I headed out to catch some waves. I was a bit nervous at first because two Great White Sharks had been spotted off Rottnest Island the day before, but after twenty minutes it didn't even cross my mind. We spent the morning trying to surf, but only succeeded in falling off the board and getting smashed by the waves. The next day was spent in pain where the board chaffed our skin and the wax ripped out our hair, but it was worth it. It was a great time and I will be trying it again.
Anyways, it's nearly been three months since I left and I wanted to tell everyone that I miss them. I know I don't get to talk much, but know that I am thinking about you. Also, my phone number is +0447556249 (I forgot to mention earlier) if anyone needs to call me.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Fremantle, AFL, and Work
Yup, it's a lot to cover but no worries as each will probably only be a paragraph. So, last weekend was a new adventure as I traveled down to Freo for some fun and footy!! Saturday started off fairly ordinary as I worked out and watched some footy on TV. As the afternoon rolled along I jumped on the train and headed South to meet up with Paul in Fremantle. I arrived around 6 and we picked up some food (kebabs are delicious), some beer, and headed back to Tony's place to watch the last game of the day. Once the game ended, we met up with his friends to head to the bar and to watch the international students (first weekend in Fremantle) make fools of themselves. The night was fairly uneventful as many of the students were too tired to go out, so we just went to a few bars and ended the night with some pool and more kebabs.
Sunday night was great as Paul and I got to go to our first AFL game!! The game took place at Subiaco Oval which is in the city in the area called Subiaco. The game featured the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers. It's a huge rivalry, but usually West Coast dominates. In this case, Fremantle railed the Eagles for a 44 point win! We enjoyed the game while sitting behind the goals in the Fremantle section at the West end of the stadium. It was a great vantage point as I have tons of pictures of the play, the halftime show (tons of little kids playing footy all over the field), and the stadium. We really don't have a favorite team, so we just cheered along with whoever was playing well. The stadium is massive, but only has a capacity of about 35,000 as the size of the field dictates the size. Still though, the stadium was extremely loud as every fan was passionately screaming at the opposition and the refs. I can't wait to go to a game when Alex and Kristyn and Lisa visit! it's quite an experience!!
This week has been interesting as I finally started work!! The company is called Meerkats and I am loving it. I haven't really done a whole lot of work yet, as I am still learning, but the atmosphere is incredible. It's such an upbeat and lively place that it seems everyone LOVES their job. In my four days here I have not heard one person express any dis-satisfaction or annoyance or anger with the place. How refreshing!! Just yesterday on my birthday they got me a cake, presents, and even sang to me after only having been here two days!! I was blown away at the level of team spirit and enjoyment and genuine love for their work. If I ever start my own company I will try to model it after this place as Meerkats just seems to brew happiness and comradery.
i hope everyone back home is doing well and staying warm. Take care and I will have pictures up soon!
Sunday night was great as Paul and I got to go to our first AFL game!! The game took place at Subiaco Oval which is in the city in the area called Subiaco. The game featured the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers. It's a huge rivalry, but usually West Coast dominates. In this case, Fremantle railed the Eagles for a 44 point win! We enjoyed the game while sitting behind the goals in the Fremantle section at the West end of the stadium. It was a great vantage point as I have tons of pictures of the play, the halftime show (tons of little kids playing footy all over the field), and the stadium. We really don't have a favorite team, so we just cheered along with whoever was playing well. The stadium is massive, but only has a capacity of about 35,000 as the size of the field dictates the size. Still though, the stadium was extremely loud as every fan was passionately screaming at the opposition and the refs. I can't wait to go to a game when Alex and Kristyn and Lisa visit! it's quite an experience!!
This week has been interesting as I finally started work!! The company is called Meerkats and I am loving it. I haven't really done a whole lot of work yet, as I am still learning, but the atmosphere is incredible. It's such an upbeat and lively place that it seems everyone LOVES their job. In my four days here I have not heard one person express any dis-satisfaction or annoyance or anger with the place. How refreshing!! Just yesterday on my birthday they got me a cake, presents, and even sang to me after only having been here two days!! I was blown away at the level of team spirit and enjoyment and genuine love for their work. If I ever start my own company I will try to model it after this place as Meerkats just seems to brew happiness and comradery.
i hope everyone back home is doing well and staying warm. Take care and I will have pictures up soon!
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