Aussie Wendell

Just a quick one today to recommend you check out the Aussie who gives out free hugs in Pitt Street Mall...near our offices. Apparently it made Good Morning America this morning and was on the front page of You Tube today....good stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4&mode=related&search=

And if you want to know more about his (and the band behind the music) story, check out the story in The Sydney Morning Herald this afternoon...http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/freehug-man-speaks-out/2006/09/28/1159337257843.html

OK, so I have had this premonition my entire life, due in part I'm sure to the movie "Jaws" back in the 70's, that I'd probably die from a shark attack. It could also be due to the fact that when I do go swimming in the ocean, I have a tendency to go a bit too far out and stay out a bit too long....yes, I feel like I must have been a fish in my past life. (Pictures of Bondi Beach)
Anyway, this past weekend was my wake-up call. There were about 30,000 people at Bondi Beach, many in the water, when the alarms sounded and everyone had to evacuate the water..."Hundreds of swimmers were called out of the water at Sydney's Bondi beach today after three sharks were spotted close to shore." Again, like a scene from "Jaws," but it won't stop me from my ocean swims...here's the video.
http://media.smh.com.au/?sy=smh&category=bulletin&rid=22155&source=smh.com.au%2F&t=09Q5E6&ie=1&player=wm7&rate=704&flash=1


It was another beautiful weekend here in Sydney, but on Sunday, we suddenly got these "gale-force" winds that came out of nowhere. I was walking to Woolworths (yes, Woolworths is still alive and well here in Australia...in fact, it is one of the largest companies/grocery store chains in the country), when suddenly the winds picked up. I had to stop in my tracks because the air became clouded with dust & debris, falling branches, etc. I know I'm being a bit dramatic today with falling trees and sharks in the ocean, but it's true. Anyway, combined with the drastic drought conditions Australia has had recently, a few fires broke out in the suburbs, destroying 7 homes. The bad news is that it is not even summer yet.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Steve Irwin in this entry. Love him or hate him, he represented a lot of what Americans think of Australia and was considered a modern-day hero here. A state funeral was held last week, he was on the cover of every newspaper and magazine and you can almost hear the tourism industry racking their brains trying to find the next Steve Irwin or Paul Hogan....I'm not sure if he can be replaced, but there's a lot riding on his daughter Bindi.

Speaking of daughters...and/or nephews...not exactly the smoothest of transitions...here's another picture of my nephew Cooper with his mom...my sister, Kappi...

How is it possible that I haven't written in a month? I wish I could tell you that my life is ever-so-exciting that I just haven't had time...far from it. I do have a laptop now, so I can start to write at home again. My laptop I brought from The States doesn't seem to like Australia too much, so I've had to write when at work, on the weekends, etc. Well, no excuses, but there you have it.

Spring has arrived in Sydney with much fanfare...the weather is amazing. After a week of non-stop rain, the sun has come out and is seemingly here to stay. You know the saying April Showers Bring May Flowers, well just imagine the same for September & October. It is no longer dark when I walk to work and dark when I walk home...I now see the sun in the morning and can see the sun setting in the horizion when I leave the offices....yes, Spring is finally here. I can't wait for the time to change (Spring Forward) so that I'll have even more sunlight.

I got up at 6:00 yesterday (one of the perils of getting up every morning at 5:00 is that you/I can't sleep in on the weekends) and felt guilty because the streets were closed off for the Sydney Marathon...I felt like I should have run it, but I just haven't trained enough, so I grabbed the Sunday newspapers from the newsagent, got my coffee & headed to the beach...that's when I realized "this is why I came to Australia..." it was so peaceful to have the beach to myself, a few surfers and swimmers (myself among them...the water was cold, but perfect for a morning swim). Later that afternoon, my friend Matt and I took a ferry over to Taronga Zoo, not to go to the zoo, but just to take a nice ferry ride across the harbour to enjoy the day...again, why I came to Australia.

Speaking of water, swimming, etc. I went to the beach two weeks ago and almost had a "Wendell Story..." I was swimming across the bay at Coogee Beach and a Wobbegong Shark swam directly underneath me. It didn't look anything like this,
more like this....














but like everyone else in the world who saw Jaws back in the 70's, there is still a part of me that thinks at any moment I could be eaten alive by a Great White. Anyway, Wobbegong's are harmless, but needless to say, I made my way inland pretty quick...I swam at record pace that day...if only I could swim that fast under normal conditions.



And now here are some of the latest pictures of Cooper...how cute is he? I cannot wait to head back to The States in December so that I can see & hold him in person. My friends Justin & Simone just had a baby here in Sydney last weekend...Luella Kaley Chisholm. I took the train out to Liverpool to see them and the baby; if I can't see my own nephew then at least I can vicariously hold him through Luella.

I've taken it upon myself to conduct some thoroughly unscientific, qualitative research regarding Australian sentiments of/toward America/Americans. I'll come up with some issues, hypotheses and an executive summary to share with you at some point (my vain attempt at humour on a Monday morning), but let me give you a little background information/data...

I've been living here for almost 8 months now and this is not the same Australia that I first visited back in 1993, but then again, neither is America; both have taken political steps (together & respectively) that seem to have turned these two forward-thinking countries backwards in many ways. We (Americans) were once treated like brothers in a tightly-knit fraternity, but that has changed a bit. Don't get me wrong, Aussies still like us, but they wonder (as do I) how a country like America could be led by someone like George Bush. He has definitely put a strain on our relationship as two countries, as well as for people like me, living in Australia. I received a compliment (?) from a friend yesterday who said I was not like most Americans...who tend to be:
1) Living in an insular world, not yearning to know more about the world ouside of America
2) Loud
3) Obnoxious
4) Materialistic
5) Fat & lazy
etc. etc. Of course that is/was a generalization, but it is how many of us are viewed here. Anyway, back to my study...yes, it is a different world we are living in, and unfortunately, Iraq has proven to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Australia's close ties with America militarily have cost the Howard government so much in terms of respect, but unlike America where if you are against the Iraq war or even question it, you are unpatriotic & un-American, here, it is inherently Australian to question the government about everything. Anyway, I'm rambling. I guess I'll summarize with a bit of humour. I came across this on the internet (isn't that where everything comes from these days) and while funny, very true.

Australians: Dislike being mistaken for Pommies (Brits) when abroad.
Canadians: Are rather indignant about being mistaken for Americans when abroad.
Americans: Encourage being mistaken for Canadians when abroad.
Brits: Can't possibly be mistaken for anyone else when abroad.

Australians: Believe you should look out for your mates.
Brits: Believe that you should look out for those people who belong to your club.
Americans: Believe that people should look out for & take care of themselves.
Canadians: Believe that that's the government's job.

Australians: Are extremely patriotic to their beer.
Americans: Are flag-waving, anthem-singing, and obsessively patriotic to the point of blindness.
Canadians: Can't agree on the words to their anthem, when they can be bothered to sing them.
Brits: Do not sing at all but prefer a large brass band to perform the anthem.

Americans: Spend most of their lives glued to the idiot box.
Canadians: Don't, but only because they can't get more American channels.
Brits: Pay a tax just so they can watch four channels.
Australians: Export all their crappy programs, which no-one there watches, to Britain, where everybody loves them.

Americans: Will jabber on incessantly about football, baseball, and basketball.
Brits: Will jabber on incessantly about cricket, soccer, and rugby.
Canadians: Will jabber on incessantly about hockey, hockey, hockey, hockey, and how they beat the Americans twice, playing baseball.
Australians: Will jabber on incessantly about how they beat the Poms in every sport they play them in.

Americans: Spell words differently, but still call it "English".
Brits: Pronounce their words differently, but still call it "English."
Canadians: Spell like the Brits, pronounce like Americans.
Australians: Add "G'day," "mate" and a heavy accent to everything they say in an attempt to get laid.

Brits: Shop at home and have goods imported because they live on an island.
Australians: Shop at home and have goods imported because they live on an island.
Americans: Cross the southern border for cheap shopping, gas, & liquor in a backwards country.
Canadians: Cross the southern border for cheap shopping, gas, & liquor in a backwards country.

Americans: Drink weak, pissy-tasting beer.
Canadians: Drink strong, pissy-tasting beer.
Brits: Drink warm, beery-tasting piss.
Australians: Drink anything with alcohol in it.

Americans: Seem to think that poverty & failure are morally suspect.
Canadians: Seem to believe that wealth and success are morally suspect.
Brits: Seem to believe that wealth, poverty, success and failure are inherited things.
Australians: Seem to think that none of this matters after several beers.

For those of you who have not used or downloaded Google Earth, you may not want to because you'll find yourself using it for hours...it is truly amazing software that allows you to literally fly around the world, choose where you'd like to visit and get an unbelievable view of the country, state, city, town or even apartment in my case.
While Google hasn't made all of the 3-D applications available for Sydney yet, in most cities in North America you can actually have a 3-D view...I'm rambling, but truly amazing.

Go to www.googleearth.com to download and have fun....

It's not what you think, but yes, this is what it looked like for a while yesterday. We had an unbelievable hail-storm here yesterday that blanketed the city with a sheet of hail. Here at the Fairfax Digital offices, we have a metal roof, so sound of the hail was deafening...but I must say, amazing to watch.

While I didn't take any of these photos (I was too busy working/watching the hail out the window), the hill here is actually in my neighborhood of Surry Hills, a few minutes walk from the center of the city.

I was in a meeting yesterday where we were discussing the plans for Spring....in September! It truly is a bizarre experience to think of August, typically the hottest month in The States, as being Winter and September as Spring...it has taken me a while to get used to, but I must say, I'm looking forward to Spring weather again!

Anyone for some hail stones?

OK, you know the world has gone high-tech, somewhat crazy or a bit of both when the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has his own weblog (and I thought I was ahead of the curve...). He invites readers to vote yes or no to: "Do you think that the US and Israeli intention and goal by attacking Lebanon is pulling the trigger for another world war?"

On a more positive note, I came across this article this morning that had a beautiful picture of the "crystal palace" model of the Opera House. After the race on Sunday, I had brunch with friends' Justin & Matt, and their apartment looks over the harbour with a stunning view of the Opera House...when the sun hits it just right, it actually looks a bit like this...

It is 7:45 AM...at the office, now it's time to work. See, I told you I'd start writing more again. I might not be giving you too much insight on what's going on in my life here, but that's because, well, there's not too much to report. I might be half-way around the world, but my life hasn't changed all that much...still reading a lot, but I must say, books are outrageously expensive here...paperbacks are upwards of $25. People here don't think Sydney is terribly expensive, but I beg to differ, and remember, I came here from New York. Groceries, clothes, restaurants, gas, etc. etc. is more expensive than NYC. Anyway, now I really need to get back to work....G'Day!

A sea of red baseball caps made its way through the streets of Sydney yesterday, and I was in the middle of it all. The City 2 Surf 14K race was a good one, but I must admit, I was not impressed with the Aussie spectator turnout.













The scenery was great, rolling through some of the Sydney suburbs, culminating in a spectacular view of Bondi Beach as you get to the 10K mark...and even more exciting is that the rest of the race was downhill. Going back to the spectators, I guess I'm a bit spoiled, having run in some great races, the last one in the States being the NYC Marathon where the support from the crowd was incredible, through all five of New York's boroughs...but then again, you expect New Yorker's to be loud, huh? Then there's the Peachtree Road Race where every year you could look forward to hearing the "Chariots of Fire" or "Rocky" theme songs at Heartbreak Hill, or the thousands of people in Central Park for the NYC Triathlon that push you along that last 10K run. Here, the crowd was sparse and quiet. Sydney's a very athletic city, so maybe people just considered it just another day. Oh well, it was an unbelievably beautiful day, I finished in 63 minutes (not bad considering I haven't been training) and I have no reason to complain.

Now I'm back in the office on a Monday morning, and it's back to reality once again...it was nice to escape to Bondi in the middle of winter for the day....

Well it's official...I'm official. I received my Tax File Number from the Australian Taxation Office this week. What does that mean? I CAN GET PAID, oh yeah, AND pay taxes. To further my official status in Australia these days, I received the census form in the mail last week and had to be counted as a non-resident residing in Sydney.






I will be running in the City 2 Surf 14K road race this weekend, along with about 60,000 other people (no, I won't be painting my body)


For those of you in Atlanta, it is similar to the annual Peachtree Road Race, but a little longer and it goes from the center of the city to Bondi Beach...just a little different than Piedmont Park. Like any race, there is a "heartbreak hill" along the route. The hyperlink above will take you to an interactive map of the race. It should be fun.

Last year I raced in far too many triathlons, lost a lot of weight and spent too many weekends on the road with my bike in tow. I'm taking a bit of a break this year...I'll do a couple when summer arrives, but right now it's the middle of winter and, I'm enjoying being a bit, well heavier (I've added a few more kilos/pounds mostly from beer...boy these Aussies can drink!), and more sedentary...you know me though, I can't sit still for long, hence the road race this weekend.

And lastly, here's Cooper (oh yeah, and my sister...it's been all about the baby lately) looking peaceful and happy.

I guess you could say that I like the view from my office, as I seem to keep posting pictures from here. I'll post a few more and that'll be the end...

Here's what it's like walking home at night...a bit blurry, but you get the picture (no pun intended).
Also, the other day when I took photos walking here, it was a Sunday afternoon at Darling Harbour with tons of tourists...

I thought I'd show you what it looks like when I walk to work (sometime between 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM...depending on how many times I press snooze)...not quite the same...hardly a soul in sight and the sun is just coming up over the office buildings.

Today I could see my breath walking to work (and not because I have bad breath...it was cold this morning!)

While Sydney, or Australia for that matter hasn't gone as far as New York and California with regards to banning cigarette smoking, it certainly has taken some extreme measures to make sure people know cigarette smoking, well, is bad for you...

Prominently displayed on every cigarette package in Australia, there are now pictures, rather gruesome ones, that depict some worst-case scenarios of what cigarettes smoking does to you. Not only are they on the cigarette packages, but these images are on TV in commercials now too! All I can say is, thank God I'm not a smoker...I'd hate to reach into my pocket, pick up my pack of smokes and have these images looking at me every day!

A day in the life...if only it life was as it seems here in these photos. Every day, I am amazed at what a beautiful walk I have to work...that is when it's not raining. I posted a few photos of the first part of my walk, so here are the rest...getting closer to work...
That's our building on the left with the tall-ships on the right.
The entrance of the building...not a bad view, huh?

And on the way home from work, I take a different route; the footpath across Darling Harbour. I don't take the monorail...in fact no one does...it is a monorail that basically goes nowhere. Occasionally you'll see a tourist or two riding it, but even then on a rainy day.
My other office is in the tall white building to the right...Darling Park, so I get my exercise by walking between the two buildings from time-to-time. Just a little different than New York, huh?

I just thought I'd give you a glimpse into what my walk is like to work every day. OK, it is a bit glamourized here because it is a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky, but a glimpse nonetheless.
At a brisk pace, the walk, door-to-door is about 25 minutes...I walk down Oxford Street, to Hyde Park, down to the Convention Center, over the foot-bridge, past Darling Harbour and ultimately in Pyrmont where I'm sitting now. Yes, welcome back to the real-world; it is a beautiful Sunday afternoon and I'm in the office for a bit getting some work done. Truth be told, of course it doesn't look like this when I walk to work at 7:00 AM...the streets are empty, the sun is just coming up over the office buildings and at this time of the year, it is pretty chilly.
The Boat Show is going on over at the Convention Center, so the streets are filled with tourists, which I'm happy to report, I am no longer in that category now that I'm paying taxes.
I'll have to put another post up with some more pictures...

So here he is again, my nephew, Cooper, being loved by everyone...his father Perry...

and my mom & step-father. I haven't been homesick since I moved here...that is, until now. Maybe I'll photoshop myself into a picture so I can feel like I'm there.

My sister actually beat me to my own blog! Yes, I'm the incredibly proud uncle to "Cooper Mitchell Herrick" as of last week. At a dinner party on Friday night, we all raised our glasses of champagne to him and of course I made everyone go to the computer so I could show off pictures of Cooper....hey, my sister doesn't look so bad either for just having had a baby huh? Yes, I am a bit biased, but you have to admit, he is adorable!!!! Unfortunately I won't be able to hold him until December when I head back to The States, but by then he'll be nice & plump and I won't be so afraid that I'd break him.

Yes, I joined the ranks of the Australian workforce last week and I am now in week two. First, I must apologize for letting so many days go by without a single post...I've been subtly reminded by some of you. I will definitely do better now that I'm back in front of a computer everyday.

Anyway, I started work with Fairfax last week and was thrown right into the deep-end with projects galore. No time to get my feet wet, but probably the best way to get a handle on everything after a very long vacation...

I thought you might like a glimpse of what I look out at every day...a little different than what I faced in New York! I'm working on both sides of Darling Harbour; these two pics show the view from my Fairfax Digital office; I'll try and take a photo from the other side of the Harbour next week when I'll be at my other desk (I haven't seen it yet, but I hear the views from there are good too). It was a cloudy day when I took this photo, much like today...rainy and cool here. I could actually see my breath this morning on my way to work. Speaking of which...my walk to work. It takes about 25 minutes, but most of the walk is picturesque....walking along the water and across the foot-bridge (not the Harbour Bridge...that's on the other side of the city). If I opted to take public transportation, well, let's just say it would probably take me 40 minutes. Public transportation in Sydney is pretty bad at best...not that I'm complaining, but I got a little spoiled in New York. Ahhh, New York. I hear it's 100 degrees there today...it was in the 40's & 50's here today. Trust me, I didn't know it got so cold here, otherwise I would have shipped my Autumn/Winter clothes here!

Well, that's about it for today...back to work. It's good to be back and I'll keep you posted (from time-to-time at least) on life Down Under!!!