A New Beginning

It's been great to come back to NY. Resting in the apartment, feeling the summer heat, smelling those random odours, there's a feel to NY that can't be replicated elsewhere.

I think I'm also coming back to the city with a purpose to get out there and do more stuff. It was a semi-shocked feeling to think that I have already been here for almost 10 months, which means I'm nearly halfway through our secondment here. Work-wise the trip to Sydney was great in renewing old contacts and getting some global work. I should have charged the airfare!

Of course there is an option to extend, and I think we will probably take that option (if it's given to us). Even then I still have more of a realisation that the time here is not long at all.

Things on the immediate list:

• US Open (tickets booked in baby!)
• Trapeze class (thanks for the gift babes)
• Bryant Park movies
• Jones Beach out in Long Island
• Caribbean trip

Enjoy this fleeting summer while it lasts!

Sydney Work Review

As sad as this is, given I'm back in Sydney with family and friends, I'm writing a post about work.
Coming back to Oz I've been reminded how difficult it is to properly manage a project, especially a large enterprise one.

The amount of people to manager, issues to fix, risks to watch over and general grief counseling that is involved could make any PM insane. The problem is exacerbated by poor requirements, leading to one of the biggest scope creep issues I have ever seen. I'm coming here as a viewer of the storm, as opposed to being in the middle of it, so it makes for quite a learning experience. Time is a factor, and as crunch time nears for project delivery, communication really doesn't get the loving it deserves.

Thinking of the up and coming project on my radar, where I'll be trying to herd two quite different business units in all three regions of the globe will be quite a challenge. I need to make sure that I keep everyone engaged, or else there will almost a guarantee that things will be coming out of left field.

Of course, it's not like I was the best PM when I was here in Oz. Having talked to the guys that are now supporting the project I ran, I would have to say that there was a real lack of quality analysis on the work that was produced, and whether that is due to poor developers or poor BAs, the ultimate responsibility comes back to me. I'm just lucky that I have a PM friend in Sydney whom I handed over to, who is very good at working through these knotty issues. For someone who doesn't swear much, even he says that the solution I produced was "fucked", to use a technical term :)

In other news, it was wonderful to catch up with family and friends. I miss everyone here! Looking forward to XBox night on Wednesday hehe. Some things never change!

Feels Good To Be Home

After a marathon flight across the Pacific (with the inevitable delays at JFK airport and customs in Sydney) I'm typing this up in the family home at West Pennant Hills. I had the Qantas song going through my head as we flew into Sydney, and we were drenched with a wonderful sunny day as we stepped off the airplane.

There's been some changes, especially in the roads around Lane Cove, but I was glad that our house remains as deathly cold as I remembered it to be. My parents are in good spirits, and that's the most that I could ask for. Looking forward to seeing my sis and the kids tonight for dinner.

We talked of many things on the way home, family news, shares, work in NY, other random gossip. I gave my parents their pressies, which they appreciated :) Dad showed me his latest gadget purchase (some Motorola phone that he doesn't know how to use) and Mum regaled me on how she doesn't ever want to change the TV, as she's finally worked out how to record stuff on it.

Feels good to be home.

A Sign Along The Road

Bec asked me yesterday if I was feeling excited about my up and coming birthday. I thought about it for a while, and the answer is "meh...". It seems that I get older, the days go faster, and the birthdays don't mean as much.

Yes, I will be turning 30; yes, I will be ticking a different box on those random surveys; yes, the knees creak a bit more when I walk up some stairs. But essentially, do I feel different? A day does not maketh the man, or something like that.

I feel some of the major changes in my life were in coming over here to NY last year, to being fully committed to my relationship, to buying my new watch :) Turning 30 was not something I looked forward to, nor was it something I was scared of.

I've heard that men are in their prime during their 30's, as they have got their shit together and are really making a decent contribution to themselves and to society at large. Perhaps this birthday milestone is just a sign along the road that I am traveling, an acknowledgment that things are now coming together and that I am finally starting to be a wise man.

Consumption Over

So it's finally done. The arduous journey that my grandma started me on is complete, and I have the ticking watch to prove it. It's strange how much time went into this purchase, and all the trials and tribulations that came with it (trying to get a watch ordered in, couldn't find the ones I wanted, haggling with the sales person etc etc). I wish I put this much effort into buying shares (and the worse thing is that the share purchases are much more than the watch!)

Still, it's all good now, and I have a sense of completion. Next step is to send a picture of the watch on the wrist to grandma.

I've never had a mechanical watch before, and I have to say that they ticking they make when it put it next to your ear is quite cool. I also like the fact that the second hand sweeps, and doesn't flick from one second to the next.

Yay for new goodies. Hoping this watch will last a lifetime :)

Opening A Set

One thing that I've seen recently is this series called the "Pick Up Artist". Now, some people, when they first saw this series and told me about it, said that they automatically thought of me. Why?? :) Perhaps when I was a young turk I had many theories on relationships. Having watched the series, perhaps I should have taken some of those notes instead of making my own! Ah, water under the bridge.

What I did find interesting was the transformation of the guys themselves. To see them from when they first started to where they ended up at the end of the series was quite remarkable. True, the lines are hammed up, and sound a bit strange, but it all boils down to the confidence and belief of the guy in himself. I did like some of the moves, one where the guy spins the girl around, and in the process takes the seat she was sitting in. Gold!

So single guys, if you want some quality education in approaching girls, check it out. The series itself doesn't give that much material, but it's fun to watch.

Girls, if you ever hear the line, "so did you see the fight outside with two girls?", tell them "you mean the one where on of the girl's breast popped out?", that will stop their opening :)

Photo Update

Washington photos are up on Flickr. Enjoy!

Week(s) in Review

Ah, missed a week. Things in review:

1. Washington DC with Bec, Des and Jen was fantastic. I loved the spaciousness of the city, and the fact that all the museums were free! We had one seafood dinner (at Oceanarium) which was pretty good. Getting out of Manhattan added another 1.5hr to our trip, but for $40 for a 4-hour trip to a new city, it can't be beat. Oh, yes, I bought myself one of those space pens, the ones used by the astronauts. Now I can write upside down!
2. Poker night at a friends place, first time playing with them. Tournament style, came third out of 7. Annoying thing was second place got their money back, so I got nothing! Got beaten by a pair of 7's, when I had the flush draw and two overcard pair draws...not impressed. Will be going again, that was fun.
3. Some perfect storm of visitors to NY. We had Tax, Bei, Dex, Alan, Dave, Jo, Andrea, Gordon all coming to visit at once! Lots of drinking at our fave establishments, with a steakhouse and Korean fried chicken wings to supplement the alcohol. Good visitors are the ones who have done the touristy stuff already, are willing to go to new places and provide some service to us (thanks Dex for the BitTorrent setup :))

To top it all off, summer is definitely here. I'm walking around in my flip flops!

Good Friends

*I'm getting later and later on my Sunday post!*

We've had the privilege of having Jen and Des over for a few days before they embark on their "Across the USA" tour. It's been great to catch up with them, and once again reminds me how hard it is to establish good friendships in a foreign city.

I was comparing with Des what it would have been like to move to UK instead of US, and the amount of events that I would get to go to with friends would have been quite high from the start. Whereas here in NY, there are times where we wouldn't have that much to do on the weekend. We would sometimes have to think hard about things to do. Whilst that gives us a great level of freedom, there are time when it's just the two of us.

From that perspective, Bec and I have come to rely on each other a lot more. It has been said that NY can be a lonely place if you're here by yourself, so I'm very happy that our relationship has gotten stronger with this increased "togetherness", for want of a better term.

Slowly, we're making better friends, and I'm glad to say that I actually have one or two decent American friends. It really is about effort and time to establish that bond with people. Perhaps that is why it takes a year to really settle down into a place.

Playing volleyball definitely helps with the socialising, and now that Bec is "in" with these funky bars we go to, perhaps we might finally get some free drinks!

Truly Settled

I was asked by a colleague the other day about what I had done on the weekend, and I believe we have truly hit the settled phase of our New York stay by saying to her "oh, nothing much".

No trips to Miami, no big shows. But doing a regular weekend things, things that I could very much see myself doing in Sydney. I did some volunteer work delivering meals to elderly, dinner with friends, karaoke, lazy brunch, playing touch football, afternoon drinks with friends and late ramen Sunday dinner.

It's relaxing and enjoyable to walk around in the spring weather, and when I feel tired to go for an afternoon snooze at home.

New York, with all the glitz and glamour, still has a time and place to be worry-free.

For your enjoyment, some more flower photos.