Cairns & The Great Barrier Reef

Finally got to the end of my 1st session at AGSM - seems to have dragged on a bit towards the end - and completed my 1st set of exams. All seem to have gone ok, so I guess that I'll hear some positive news on 6th June. I decided to head north, to Cairns & the Great Barrier Reef to enjoy a bit of a vacation - unfortunately Lucy couldn't come due to work commitments. Here's the run-down on my 4 night trip:

Tuesday: Manage to find a cheap & easy way to get to the airport - bonus - and the check-in is painless (I don't even get asked for ID). Flight is an easy 3 hours and upon arrival in Cairns I can immediately feel the change in humidity - even if it is winter! Get picked up by the guys at Calypso Inn (my home for the next few days) and then go for a walk along the promenade into town. Surprised to find that the nearest beach is several kilometers away and all that Cairns has is a a lot of mud - and you can't even go on that due to the risk of crocs! There is a 'lagoon' in the centre of town that acts as a mecca for the sun-worshippers, but to me it just looks like a big paddling pool. Walk around town, visit the museum & regional gallery (neither are particularly interesting) before grabbing a bite to eat in the night market. Decide to save my beer legs and so head to the cinema to watch 21 - not bad, but thought the book (Bringing Down the House) was somewhat better.

Wednesday: An early start to the day as I'm off on a sailboat to tour some of the Great Barrier Reef - my principal reason for been 3,000km away from home! A sailboat - Ocean Free - takes me out to a mooring spot off Green Island and I jump in for a snorkel.... absolutely amazing. It seems like another world is in existence just below the waterline. Decide to do an introductory scuba dive, and that is an awesome experience too - I can see why people get hooked on this stuff - felt like I was walking in space! Meet a guy from Manchester called Steve - he's on the 1st leg of a 5 month tour of Asia / Australia - strike up a bit of conversation & arrange to meet up for beers later in the evening. Have a slow sail back to Cairns - glorious day.
Find myself waiting for the start of the 1st Origin game on a table with an older lesbian couple, and two 18-yr old English lads who have just arrived in Australia (they look about 12!). Very strange conversation.... and I'm somewhat relieved when the game starts, and then Steve arrives to share a few beers. NSW put up a great display & are worthy winners - atmosphere in the bar is electric & I've had a couple of jugs of beer - a great start to the evening!
Decide to go on an organized pub-crawl - $15 gets me entry to a number of places & a free drink in each - well worth it. Start off at the Bohemia Resort (where some drunken bloke buys me a Jaeger Bomber.... dangerous... and I meet someone with "Fuck You" tattooed on his arm.... nice) before heading into the main town to Gilligans (giant back-packer resort...they should cut down on the RnB though), PJ O'Briens (a Coyote Ugly dance-off on the bar.... nice... and snakebites for $6.... better!), Woolshed (literally decked out like a woolshed - probably the best venue of the night) and Cadance (a real pikey place... avoid). By now it's getting on for 3am, and the kick-off in the CL is approaching.... head to the Casino in the hope that it will be open 24hrs.... unfortunately, it must be the only casino in Australia that shuts at 2am.... so it's home to bed. Top night!

Thursday: Sleep through the alarm call for the CL kick-off and so resolve to not find out the result & watch a replay later in the day. Fair to say I've got a rough head today. Meet up with Steve again to watch the CL in PJ O'Briens... have some bar food that looks better than it tastes and settle down to watch what proves to be a good game (certainly compared to other finals I've seen). Pleased Utd win, as I really can't stand Chelsea. Just wonder what drugs ESPN are on in picking their commentary team - never trust an American to come up with good sports coverage.
Sun seems to have come out whilst we've been sat in the dark and dingy bar, so have a slow walk back to the Calypso. Have a very amusing dinner - listening to 2 young girls from Dover tell an American girl about the UK. They rave about the best restaurant - Toby Carvery!?! - and how many roast potatoes their friend can eat. They talk about eurotunnel & it's distant rival eurostar (which apparently takes 11 hours to get from London to Paris). And finally after reeling off a massive list of all the places they have visited (most of europe, USA, Canada & Thailand) they give Tenerife as their favourite destination. I'm almost choking on my food with laughter.....

Friday: Had planned to take the scenic railway out to Kuranda, but the weather is distinctly overcast and the few showers that drench me as I walk into town put me off the idea. Instead, I enjoy a leisurely breakfast and then shelter from the rain by watching 'Gone Baby Gone'.... not a bad effort from Ben Affleck & his brother is looking more like him as he gets older. Spend much of the afternoon reading & chilling out at the Calypso, before the showers relent and I can make it out for a walk along the promenade. Have some great Mexican food for dinner (gorge myself on the $9 all you can eat menu!) and then watch the Manly v St. George game before heading to bed.... my 6am flight tomorrow means that I have to be up at 4.30am to get to the airport in time.... ouch!

I guess to summarize - I had a really good time. The Calypso is a great place to stay if you're looking for 'backpacker style' accommodation, and the staff are really friendly & helpful. Cairns itself is really set-up for back-packers, lots of places to drink beer & party, etc.... but there really isn't that much else to do.... The Great Barrier Reef is of course the major (perhaps only reason) to make it to Cairns.... and that truly is amazing.

Going bananas, Mardi Gras, another late night & V Festival

As March comes to an end, I thought it appropriate to give another update on our life in Sydney. March was another exciting month as summer drew to a close & the sun finally paid us a visit - we're enjoying a real 'Indian Summer'. The month got off to a great start with the annual Mardi Gras Parade. Lucy & I met up with a few friends & tucked into a few beers whilst watching the many floats proceed past - we managed to secure a good viewing spot this year & bought a couple of plastic stools for Lucy to stand on! The black rats (Bundi & coke in a can) slipped down too easily, whilst a couple of middle-aged ladies from Queensland did their best to take me home with them - but fortunately resisted and ended up having a bit of a late one with more friends in the 'Macquarie Hotel' (surprisingly good place with it's own micro-brewery).

During the next week, I managed to secure the post of President of the Finance Society - the 1st time I've ever actually ran for any elected post, so a good win ratio for me then! I'm looking forward to the challenge of elected office for the next year - I just hope that I can do something that makes a difference & don't let the course-load prevent me from doing a good job.

Had a great night in Newtown. Watched Hughesy go bananas and that was excellent - he's one of the best Aussie comedians out there & he even makes me laugh by just standing there as his face is crazy! Particularly enjoyed the gags about blokes throwing kebabs at his house - except it wasn't his house! Followed that with a lovely African meal washed down with a massive plate of ice-cream in Slice 'n Ice. Most make an effort to get back to Newtown as it's a vibrant place to spend some time & the Enmore Theatre (where we caught Hughesy) is a great venue.

The following weekend we went to see Jack Johnson play a concert in Centennial Park and he put on a good show. For me, it brought back memories of our wedding day & the first dance. A couple of weeks later and we were back at Centennial Park for the V Festival - a beautiful day, really well organized & some great music. Highlights for me - apart from the free inflatable drinks tray - were Roisin Murphy (ex Moloko) & Queens of the Stone Age. Smashing Pumpkins weren't bad either & there was a bizarre performance by The Rakes (aussie version) - the lead singer is as mad as a hatter! But Duran Duran were absolutely terrible - and I don't mind a bit of cheese - Simon Le Bon sounded so flat I thought I'd have to scrape him off the floor.

Also during March, we had a fleeting visit from Liz & Andrew. Managed to pack in a lot of the Sydney highlights - Lady Macquarie's Chair, Botanical Gardens, Opera House, etc and had a lovely meal at a place called Ripples (overlooking the harbour). Unfortunately, the night took a turn for the worse when I decided I'd had enough of the Opera Bar and ended up with friends in the Cross - drinking teapots filled with spirits until the early hours. Home at 5.30am, up at 7.00am for breakfast - still drunk! The dip in the ocean at Freshwater did me the world of good though! The trip rounded off with a BBQ at Coogee & then a bit of time at Bondi the next morning - the weather really is glorious at the moment. Bit of a change from the UK where snow hit over Easter!

A short & sweet visit, Queen's in town & Lucy's Birthday

February was a bit of an action packed month that saw Lucy & I very busy. Highlights were Lucy's birthday - I cooked a breakfast and we had a lovely day together. The day after we attended a bird-watching breakfast at Centennial Park that Lucy enjoyed - it's amazing how much wildlife there is in and around where we live. Afterwards, we headed into CBD for the annual Chinese New Year Parade - slightly bizarre - and some great Yum Cha in Chinatown.

The following weekend, Lucy headed to 'Surf School' with Keith (I was supposed to go but had a badly sprained ankle - 5-a-side!) and seemed to have a great time. Even managing to stand up on the board a few times before the arrival of 'bluebottles' (the jellyfish & not the fly version!) brought a premature end to the day. Word of advice to anyone surfing for the 1st time - wear a wet-suit with long legs! We followed that with a night-out on The Rocks with a few friends.... steak at Philip's Foote, followed by a few too many beers at Lowenbrau - needless to say Captain Spank paid me a visit overnight!
Other highlights were the visit to Sydney of the two Queen's - Victoria & Elizabeth - and it wasn't even Mardi Gras! Of course, I'm referring to the cruise liners. Victoria was particularly impressive - it seemed as though an apartment block had floated into town!

Enjoyed a great comedy night at The Fringe in Paddington - all 3 of the acts were good (a big change from the last event we had attended in Manly's boat-shed) and the food wasn't too bad either. Certainly a good place to go for a Monday night, and it was packed. Poor guy sat at the front was an airline pilot & he got picked on mercilessly. Also went to University of Sydney to listen to a talk by Tim Harford - an economist - on 'The Logic of Life'. An interesting chat on how economics can be used to explain everyday things such as crime, smoking & even marriage. Unfortunately, the rain we had put paid to our attempts to visit the open air cinema - but then there's always next year! We did enjoy a cracking performance of 12th Night down at Coogee - together with Jackie & Dickie George and a picnic!

Highlight of the month though had to be the all too short visit from Keith - an old friend of Lucy's. He came out to Oz to work, but due to ethical reasons he decided it wasn't for him and so he headed back to the UK (about 10 kilos lighter!) after a brief vacation. Best bit of it for me was his first day - we did the Coogee to Bondi walk (a 3 hr roundtrip walk is a great idea when you've just got off a 24 hour flight!) and ended up in the Palace - a bar (that was supposed to be a shopping centre) overlooking Coogee Beach. After spending ages convincing Keith that we didn't get sharks that often & so it was safe to swim / surf we turned around to find helicopters, speedboats, etc zooming around looking for sharks & the loudspeaker warning everyone to get out of the water! Very amusing! And I'm still not sure how I managed to convince him to take my place on the surf trip! Come back soon mate!

Australia Day '08

26th January brought along our 2nd Australia Day – and another glorious day of sunshine. Having had a long & tiring week we decided against making it to the Aborigine ceremony that starts the day (will aim to make it one year!) and made it to the CBD for the passing of the ‘ship-parade’. Amazed by the crowds we wandered around the Rocks, stopping at times to sample the live music on offer and particularly enjoying ‘The Bottleman’ – a guy who plays a wide range of tunes on a selection of beer bottles (although the end of his session was drowned out by fighter jets flying overhead).

Most disappointing aspect of the day was the fact that the Museums charged $5 each - rather than the free entry of last year. A real shame as it is the only day of the year with free entry (unlike London which has free entry throughout the year) and I see it as a great way of encouraging people to experience some culture & history.

Making our way up Macquarie Street we passed a huge selection of vintage cars – although it seemed Lucy was most taken by the caravans – and popped into the Royal Mint (one of Sydney’s oldest buildings). Our original aim was to make it to the Triple J countdown in the domain, but the size of the queue put us off somewhat and so we wandered through the grounds of the hospital and ended up in the RBA building viewing an amusing 60’s video of it’s creation. Interesting to see the Sydney skyline of the 60’s, the half-built Opera House and a building that was seen then as a ‘grand & modern’ building but would now be considered a bit of a ‘concrete monstrosity’.

We ended up spending much of the afternoon taking in the live music provided by the ABC stage in Hyde Park. Sampled a couple of Bluetongue Ginger Beers, caught some sun & listened to a wide selection of music – jazz, samba & Australian Indie! – before heading over to Darling Harbour for the end of day fireworks celebrations.

If I was amazed at the number of people in Circular Quay earlier in the day, I was dumbfounded by the mass of people in Darling Harbour. We fought our way through to the bar in Tumbalong Park and had a drink with Arjun (from my MBA course) and his wife (Kiran) before heading back to watch the firework display – impressive but not on the same scale as NYE. We then had the misfortune of struggling through the throng of people in order to leave the harbour and make it for a drink somewhere. After close to 45 mins of struggle we eventually made it to the Shelburne Hotel for a drink or two.

Lucy & I then headed off to Hyde Park Barracks to enjoy a DJ session from Moodyman. Whilst the music was top notch – if a little more ‘retro’ than I expected – it was becoming a struggle to stay awake. A long day in the sun after a long week at Uni was taking its toll and the beers weren’t helping! Decided to leave around 1am and try our luck at the Spiegel Tent….where unfortunately we found it’s fame had spread and the length of the queue clinched our decision to head home. Whilst not quite living up to the standards of our 1st Australia Day in 2007 it was still an excellent day, one that really brings out the best in the Australian psyche – I only wish we could have a similar day of national pride & reflection in England.

Becoming a student again

Well, I’ve just completed my first couple of weeks back at Uni – as part of my MBA - and I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised with the way things have gone so far. Having had the obvious concerns about leaving the workplace and returning back to study I have been relieved with the pace of things at the AGSM.

Whilst I do still harbour some anxieties - my biggest fear, that of turning-up to find a class full of people with whom I had little / nothing in common has proved to be far from the case. Most importantly, the “make-up” of the group has impressed me with a strong contingent from Australia, UK, India & North America. However, I feel the male:female ratio (currently 6:1) could be improved somewhat.

There is plenty of hard-work to come but so far we have had a gentle introduction. The first week (“O-week”) brought a series of presentations on the course structure, an introduction to the campus & city and plenty of ‘networking’ opportunities – otherwise known as beer drinking! Unfortunately, the City Challenge (a treasure hunt around the CBD) was timed to coincide with the wettest day of the year so far – not the most pleasurable experience.

Week 2 – the start of our Foundations of Management - has brought a number of sessions on reflective practice and although I would admit to not been the most reflective or self-aware person on the planet I have thoroughly enjoyed the week and hope to put some of my learning into practice during the rest of my career. Most enjoyable was a session where the group came together to ‘make music’ – West African music at that. Awesome.

The next couple of weeks bring more focus on general management skills before we start the first of our core modules in Economics, Accounting, and Organisational Behaviour. Looking forward to it all.

Also pleased to report that I passed Level I of the CFA professional exams – encouraging since my study period was spent travelling around NZ & SE Asia and only 39% of people passed!

Festive Season '07 / '08

Having had a superb time in the run up to Xmas – sorting out a new place to live & spending some time travelling around Australia – we looked forward to the Festive Season with relish.

Christmas Day was spent with Mike & Roxy (who we met in Thailand) and their friend Kenny. First, we headed to Bronte to spend a ‘traditional’ Aussie Xmas at the beach – launching our celebrations with a glass of wine and some snacks. Plenty of people dressed as Santa, some crashed out on the beach and even a few adults partaking in the mini-railway! Thankfully, the police were keeping a low profile and not stopping people from enjoying a festive drink. For lunch, we headed to Kenny’s place in Bondi – wading past the people streaming from the Catholic church in their gaelic football shirts! A mighty feast with plenty of ‘pop’ to wash it down awaited us & we had a really good day. Interesting that as we walked home 99% of the people we met were Irish! I sometimes wonder how many people there would be in Ireland should everyone return home!

On Boxing Day we headed into the CBD to watch the start of the Sydney – Hobart yacht race. An impressive sight, but we had unfortunately taken the wrong option in heading to Lady Macquarie’s chair as the start was more towards the mouth of the harbour. We made it back to our apartment just in time to catch the main-field cruise past Coogee. Spent the afternoon driving to Canberra – on our way to Melbourne – and stopped over in a campsite on the outskirts of the City. Had a lovely Thai meal in a place we’ve visited a couple of times before & still amazed at how quiet the City is on an evening.

Drove the remaining 600km+ to Melbourne on the 27th and arrived at the hostel around 3pm – plenty of time to make an initial excursion into the CBD. First impressions of Melbourne were of a more ‘European’ feel than Sydney – prompted by the style of buildings and the trams circulating. I liked the place immediately. Caught the tail-end of the day’s play in the cricket on a big-screen in the funky designed Federation Square. And then watched a documentary – Wattstax- accompanied by some awesome music.

The 28th brought an early start – breakfast by the river, then a walk around the Botanical Gardens before a stroll over to the MCG. What an impressive stadium! Lacking the historical architecture of the member’s pavilions at the SCG, but a truly modern stadium with a 90,000+ capacity. A crowd of 35,000 managed to generate a decent amount of noise & I would love to go back there for the AFL Grand Final when it is full to the brink. Had a lovely day sat in the sun – but worried at some points about getting burnt – fortunately we were ok despite the 40 degree heat. Had lunch in the nearby area of Richmond & after the game met up with Simon (who we had met in Thailand) and had a few drinks and an amazingly hot bowl of Thai noodles!

Pleased to get a good-nights sleep after a day sat in the baking sun, we made another early start on the 29th on our main day of sight-seeing. First stop was the Victoria Markets and then after a look at the museum of immigration – I’m fascinated by the story of immigration and what causes a person to ‘up-sticks’ and move half-way around the world – we conducted a walking tour of the City. Most disappointing aspect of the day was Captain Cook’s Cottage – uprooted from his home (near my birth-place) and shipped brick by brick to Melbourne. It’s not even certain that he lived there & I didn’t appreciate having to pay $5 to look around a small cottage! With the heat getting back up towards the 40’s we had a walk along Brunswick St – checking out some of the many interesting stores & scoping out places for the evening before having a lovely glass of home-made lemonade. Had a cool down and shower before heading back out to the Brunswick St area – surprised by how few people were around & how many places closed for the Xmas break – we found a lovely little tapas place for dinner, complete with a full-range of Mountain Goat beer & live music. Followed that up with a few drinks on Brunswick St – impressed by the character of the bars & the drummer situated outside the bar! – before the tram-journey home.

Managed to drive the full 900km+ back to Sydney in one 10 hour stint. I was sorry to leave Melbourne behind, but I’m sure it’s a place I will spend more time in at some point.

NYE was the next real point of interest & we spent that at Taronga Zoo. The $100 tickets gave us access to fantastic views of the Harbour, some great live entertainment (Lucy & I were even up and jiving at a few points), a sample of animals to view and the opportunity to bring our own food & wine rather than paying the extortionate prices in the CBD’s bars. It was hard to take ourselves away from the Vanilla Ice show in Coogee, but we coped! The views from the zoo were superb, everything well organized (apart from animal access) and the fireworks themselves just amazing!

Our next major point of call was the SCG for the opening day of the Australia v India Test. An easy journey from our new home in Randwick and another glorious day in the sun. The only disappointment for me was not having the opportunity to see Tendulkar bat, however, I was greatly encouraged by the reception he did receive as I watched on TV. He really is ‘the little master’ and it will be a sad day when he leaves the game. A few drinks with Sanchia & friends on the way home (yet another person we met in Thailand!) and a great end to the Festive Season ’07!