Monday, October 27, 2014

Sydney Showing Off

Melbourne and Sydney have the type of rivalry you'd expect from the two largest cities in Australia. Thankfully, Sydney did not win the Grand Finals of Footy (Australian Rules Football) this year. But they can always fall back on the honor of having the largest natural harbour in the world and certainly one of the most beautiful. Plus, this weekend, I was impressed by the art on display, all for free.

The harbour was on proper display as the day was a perfect spring day. Chase and Sasha were my hosts and we started with brekkie at the Cafe inside the Kirribilli ferry station. Then we hopped the ferry across to Circular Quay (pronouned Key).



Above: Poached egg on smashed peas, with chorizo, salad and toasted sourdough.
Below: Sailing the harbour in front of the Prime Minister's Sydney home.


We were pleasantly surprised to encounter the #chalkurbanart festival going on and spent a bit of time admiring and posing with the art, including the big one in front of the customs house. 


Above: Chase got a little stronger
Below: 6 chalk artists collaborated to create one gigantic piece of 3D art that you could pose in the middle of and have a photo taken from the 3rd floor of the customs house.



We caught the bus to Bondi Beach and got the requisite ice cream and hot dog to fuel our walk. 


I've been living in Australia for 3.5 years and I finally made it to the famous Bondi!



There is a nice path that runs south from Bondi Beach along the coast and this weekend we were lucky/unlucky enough to be there when the "Sculpture by the Sea" was on. The sculptures came in all sorts of shapes, sizes and themes. Some of my favorites below. We didn't splurge for the guide, so we can only guess at the true meaning.

One of our favorites was what we dubbed "Rocks n' Socks", since it looked like piles of rocks all lovingly wrapped in thin white socks and arranged so they almost blended in with the natural rocks. What does it mean!?


This black obsidian sculpture had striking lines and a shiny finish. I liked the rough edges as well.



Above: The crowds stretched along the entire path, as far as the eye can see.
Below: They do not realize they are being watched by one of the clones from "Attack of the Clones"






Chase contemplates the meaning of a collection of plastic bottle caps woven together with zip ties and filled with plastic jugs. "Overconsumption" was a number of pieces spread over the rocks like dead giant squids. *Note: color has been modified for effect


Black swans made from re-used wooden furniture. 


Chase does not approve of the dog cone.


Overconsumption seen from above.


At the sculpture that looked like a giant funeral pyre, we decided the wind and crowds had worn us out and decided to take a break. While laying on the grass we watched a bird literally hover, wings outstretched and not moving forward, back, sideways, just perfectly balanced in the air. It was an impressive combination of wind and bird behavior. I hope it was as fun as it looked. (sorry, no picture)

Lunch called to us from a pop-up cafe in a sea themed cottage in the midst of the sculptures. Tasty fried shrimp, burger and fries, plus a pastry for dessert, yummy!


Out front was a unique sculpture that looked like two tree houses connected by a wooden bridge, but one was a classic western house shape singing Hallelujah and the other was playing a call to prayer and looked like a mineret. The songs alternated and made you look back and forth between the two mini structures along the bridge. I liked the commentary, especially given my personal bridging of these two worlds.



Back at Bondi Beach, we sat and watched the surfers a bit and then we got an unexpected show. If you want to know the story, message me. No, there was not a shark attack.

Sydney always impresses when I visit, but I'm still glad I live in Melbourne. 

















Thursday, October 16, 2014

Measure of Success - Outside my Comfort Zone

I moved to Australia in April of 2011. Three and a half years later and the reason that brought me here, a regional Product role at Experian Marketing Services, no longer exists. So was the move a success?

There are things I had intended to accomplish when I made the original plans and then there is what happened. The incredible truth is, as is often the case, the reality turned out to be much better overall; with just with enough failures to make it worth the time. 

WHAT I DID: I launched an email product in China 
WHAT HAPPENED: It did not succeed due to a range of factors, one of which being that product alone is not enough

WHAT I DID: I sponsored the development of a mini-product out of Australia
WHAT HAPPENED: It has been a significant success in terms of ROI, but was never big enough to transform the business

WHAT I DID: I built a regional Product team
WHAT HAPPENED: A global re-org changed the focus and I decided not to join the global Product team. I'm proud of all my staff for weathering the transition well.

WHAT I DID: I drove the launch of a global product into APAC (Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan) 
WHAT HAPPENED: I learned that I can stand in front of a crowd and make my message heard. I also learned that product, while not enough on its own, it is quite important. And Sales is hard!

WHAT I DID: I helped Experian Marketing Services become Data Pass Certified in Australia
WHAT HAPPENED: I learned that Privacy is a tricky legal concept in general and Australia in particular

WHAT I DID: I came out here single, planning never to marry again
WHAT HAPPENED: I met a partner (Aussie term that does not imply same-sex) that I plan to spend the rest of my life with; we are planning a wedding in 2016

WHAT I DID: I travelled over much of Asia including India
WHAT HAPPENED: I managed not to get sick or injured while still veering off the beaten track sometimes - be careful where you wander in Kuala Lumpur!

WHAT I DID: I bought a flat (studio) and became a landlord
WHAT HAPPENED: Property in Melbourne is expensive, so I probably overpaid in the short run, hopefully not in the long run

Most importantly, I learned that when you are faced with options that scare you it just means you are facing a chance to learn. So, yes it was a success, because I faced the fear of moving continents for a job I'd never done and managed to build a life that I could not have dreamed of.

So with that in mind I have embarked on something that scares me - spending a year outside my professional comfort zone.

Priorities for the year:
1. Become fluent in Mandarin
2. Write more blogs - watch this space!
3. Become an Australian citizen
4. Plan an Epic Destination Wedding to Jordan
5. See more of Australia
6. See more of Asia