What Did You Call Me?

Monkey. That is what the captain of the India national cricket team supposedly called a player on the Australian cricket team which resulted in a 3 match suspension that sent the cricket world into a tailspin. The players involved are: Andrew Symonds of Australia and Harbhajan Singh of India.

After Australia took 3 matches in a row from India there was a flurry of news reports reporting that Singh had called Symonds a 'monkey' during the final match on Sunday.

This is not the first time that there has been controversy within the ranks of cricket. I have been over here for 6+ months and it seems that there has always been some controversy following the Australian cricket team. Either they are being accused of racism or they are accusing their opponents of racism. I can't figure it out.

Cricket over here is as big a sport as rugby is. Its played during a different season and is basically the only game in town. There are professional cricket teams that represent their own states within Australia but the entire country gets behind the national team when it is playing.

India has been a powerhouse in cricket for years which in itself is puzzling. I wasn't aware that India was a powerhouse in any sport?! The rivalry between Australia, a fairly new and upcoming world powerhouse, and India is similar to the Red Sox and the Yankees. Every year when MLB releases the following season's schedule every Red Sox fan immediately looks to see when the Sox are playing the Yankees. Its a right of passage to grow up hating the Yankees for no reason other than you are a Red Sox fan. The same can be said for Australians regarding the Indians when it comes to cricket. The major difference is that national pride is at stake here too. That makes this 100 times more rel event than any city or state rivalry back in the US. The Australians take cricket very seriously and have deep passion towards their national team.

Long story short is that the cricket board suspended Singh for 3 games due to the allegations. India in turn protested and appealed. They also said they will not finish the tour in Australia until Singh is allowed to play and vindicated. The one scape goat in all of this? The head referee of the match on Sunday who it was determined lost control of the players on the field. Everyone knows that is not the case but someone had to be the scape goat. India flexed its muscle and the cricket world caved in. The matches are going to go on as scheduled and Singh will be allowed to play.

I am not sure how the news casts are going to take up the 10 minutes they have allocated to this lead off story for the past week going forward. They can't even report about the drought anymore since its been raining for 3 straight weeks!

I don't understand cricket at all. I have tried to understand it and watch it but I lose interest about as quickly as I do when I am watching NASCAR or Indy. One of these days I am going to take the time to learn the game but as of right now I have the New England Patriots and the Boson Celtics who are my main concerns!

Bring on Jacksonville!

Back in Brisbane After A Great Vacation

It took me 24 hours, 4 flights from Boston to Cincinnati to Los Angeles to Sydney to Brisbane and 2 calendar days but I am back in the land down under for the rest of my assignment.

Leaving Boston this time was harder than the first time at the end of July 2007. I realized when I was home just how important family and friends are to ones happiness. I am enjoying Brisbane and Australia a lot but nothing compares to the feeling of friendship and love one gets when they are in their home town and surrounded by family and friends.

My 2+ weeks back in Boston were jam packed and I apologize if I didn't get a chance to see all of you when I was in town. I will be back at some point over the Summer. It will be either for good in the beginning of July or for a short vacation in the middle of August. I am already looking forward to it!

The weather here was raining on Thursday and Friday. Not just any rain but tropical downpours that have flooded parts of the region. This is good news to the locals though since they will take flooding over drought. The newspapers continue to report that the rain isn't falling in the correct locations where the damns are but I don't see how the rains in the past few days haven't helped out the drought in some way.

Work is going to be a challenge over the next 6 months. CitiStreet AU is in the middle of a reorganization and they are making sure everyone has more than enough work to do. I have a feeling my workload is going to be tripled but that is okay, I am ready for the challenge. The hard part is that I have a lot of vacation time booked between now and June so that could present a challenge to myself and my project managers. While I am in this part of the world I am going to take every opportunity I have to see as many places as I can. This is an opportunity of a life time and I am going to take advantage of it! I will find that happy balance between work and play but it may take some extra hours in the office when I am in Brisbane.

My posts going forward are going to touch on some social topics of my experiences of life and culture here in Australia. I am also going to take you on a visual tour of the places I am planning to visit in 2008. If you have ever wanted to come to Australia this will be your chance to live vicariously through my travels!

Again, I had a great time back in Boston. It is a beautiful city especially with freshly fallen snow!

Bring on 2008!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

To all my family and friends... I wish you all a very merry Christmas and an equally happy New Year.!!!!!!!!

I will be back online from Australia 2008 January

Its Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas....not really

As I look at my calendar it is saying that today is December 6. Nineteen days away to Christmas. As I look at the weather forecast for the next few days it says that its going to be 87 degrees on Saturday.

Something isn't right here!

The Christmas season for people who live in the Southern Hemisphere is about more than the holiday. Its about the beginning of Summer, the end of school for teenagers and their younger brothers and sisters, the start of the holiday (vacation) season, and time to get those shorts out of the closet and making sure you AC is up and running.

I have talked to several people down here in Brisbane who are originally from the States and they say that even though they have been living in Australia for years they still don't feel the Christmas spirit like they did in the States. The weather plays the deciding factor in this. It is strange to be walking to work in 80 degree heat get into your office and see Christmas decorations up. Even though I know its December my body is telling me its July or August.

This Friday night is the CitiStreet annual Christmas party. There are over 350 people going to this event which will be held at the Brisbane Convention Center. It will have an open bar for beer and wine, a full dinner, and dancing. My biggest concern is how am I going to get to the Convention Center. Not because the center is far away or hard to get to but because I will be in a shirt and tie and I don't want to become a ball of sweat as I make my way from my apartment to the Center. Normally for a Christmas party I am concerned with how to get through the zero degree weather and potential snow, sleet or ice..... not 85 degree heat and 85 percent humidity.

When I am back in Boston in little over a week I know one of the first things out of my mouth will be 'Wow, its freezing here'! I guess I a true Bostonian. Can't wait for the Summer during the Winter and visa versa!

Thanksgiving Down Under

This past Thursday I boarded a Virgin Blue flight down to Sydney to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend. My co-worker Caryl went along with me as well.

After checking into our hotel, The Vulcan, and laughing at how small the rooms were we set out to explore this capital city of New South Wales, Australia. 5 hours of walking later being lost for 4 of those hours had us seeing most of the sights that makes Sydney famous.

Our main goal was to find a restaurant that would be serving up a helping of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. After searching high and low we realized that although there are alot of American tourists and companies in Australia we were not going to have our traditional Thanksgiving dinner. To make matters worse the restaurant we did pick undercooked my barrimundi fish fillet and overcooked Caryl's steak. Luckily that was the worst of the weekend. The rest of it was great.

On Friday we set off to the Aquarium at Darling Harbor and then took a Sydney Harbor boat tour. On Saturday we didn't let the clouds and mist stop us from boarding a bus and heading over to Bondi Beach. After a 30 minute bus ride we arrived at Bondi and as we arrived the sun arrived too! We lucked out by having a great sunny day to check out all of the sights at Bondi. On Sunday we boarded a sightseeing double decker bus and took a 90 minute tour of Sydney. This was a great way to learn about all of the historic places in Sydney.

The Opera House was the scene of the Australian Idol finale on Sunday night. We were trying hard to see if we could take part of the event by scoring some tickets but we had no luck there either. At one point a producer came out to the crowd with a handful of tickets scanning the crowd to see who would be lucky enough to get in. I thought that this would be my chance. I went up to him, seeing the golden tickets only inches away, and asked if I could have two for my co-worker and myself who were over from Boston. He looked at me up and down, and very politely said in his thick Australian accent 'Sorry mate, you don't have the right look'. As I walked away dejected I saw him hand out the tickets to young teenagers and 20 somethings who were dressed to the 9's. I started to laugh to myself thinking that the guy could have said 'Hey mate, you are way too old'.... LOL!

My next flight will be to head back to Boston on December 14 for two weeks to celebrate Christmas with my family and friends!

Pass Thanksgiving Go Straight To Christmas

This Thursday millions of Americans back in the States will be sitting down with their family and or friends to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I on the other hand, will be in Sydney searching high and low for a restaurant that will be serving up a Thanksgiving feast! I am afraid that this will not be an easy task.

The weather is not getting cool, the leaves are not changing colors, and the airports are no less crowded this week than any other week in Australia.

You really begin to realize how far away from Boston you are when it is mid to late November and you are wearing shorts day in and day out and the daily temperature and humidity is climbing up and up upon every forecast!

The Australians, like most things American, are intrigued by Thanksgiving. I have been asked a lot of questions about its history and what the traditions are. Luckily the Australians can't give me too much grief on how the native Americans were treated in the years after the Pilgrims first landed due to the history the Australians have with their original people, the Aborigines.

About two weeks ago all of the stores in Brisbane have gone full tilt towards Christmas. The decorations have gone up and the sales have already started. Its easy to look forward to Christmas as an Australian because not only is it a time to share with family but its also the unofficial start of their Summer.

I wish I was back in Boston to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving but I have a date with Bondi Beach for the weekend in Sydney! I may even try my hand at surfing!

The Race That Stops A Nation

Last Tuesday, the first Tuesday of November, there was a 'race that stopped a nation'. This race stops the nation every first Tuesday of November every year. It is the Melbourne Cup and it is the Superbowl, World Series, and Final 4 all wrapped up into one for Australia. Australian's loves horses. Horse racing here is a way of life. Melbourne Cup day is a holiday in Victoria, where Melbourne is, and in every other corner of the country there are empty offices and people gathering at local pubs or restaurants to celebrate the history, the glamour, and the joy that is the Melbourne Cup.

Mark Twain said, "Nowhere in the world have I encountered a festival of people that has such a magnificent appeal to the whole nation. The Cup astonishes me."

There is an entire festival that lasts 6 weeks in Victoria building up the the Melbourne Cup. This race has been run every year since 1861 and has never been cancelled due to war or any other natural or human disaster.

The Australian's respect the Kentucky Derby back in the States but they always ask, already knowing the answer, 'does the race stop the nation' to which my reply is 'no, it doesn't stop the nation'.

The Melbourne Cup is a 2 mile race and although I was at work I did manage to sneak away with a few co-workers down to the local TAB (betting place) and put some money down on a few horses. One scratched, one came in second to last, and I almost hit the trifecta by pure luck on a computer generated quick pick. Our office did shut down for about an hour to have a catered lunch and to watch the cup in all of its glory! This truly is a 'race that stops a nation.'