Going bush

The city can get to you from time to time.
Maybe it's the fact that there are people everywhere, maybe it's the constant feeling of being in a hurry or the fact it takes so long to get anywhere.
I never used to enjoy where I grew up, a decent sized city but a minor suburb compared to the biggest city in Australia. You learn to appreciate the simple things though.
So a few days away from the rat-race and in the fresh country air will be appreciated.
So, as they say - road trip!

Half living

'A life lived in fear is a life half lived'.

It's a quote from the movie Strictly Ballroom, a classic film in its own right and a line that could not be any truer.
Particularly for me.
I am tired of living in fear. It's easy to say that you should just not be afraid any more but that is far too simplistic.
What am I afraid of? That is something that is hard to define - I am afraid of losing my freedom, that my health scare of six years ago now is just waiting to come back and get me.
I had a startling reminder of this a few days back.
I thought I had passed blood in the bathroom and I kinda went cold and numb for a second at the thought of it and what it would mean.
Long story short it wasn't blood but jam that had been discarded in the bowl and had not flushed completely away. It was a massive relief to say the least but the feeling has stuck with me to an extent.
It was an illustration that what happened there is a possibility, though not a likelihood at this stage, that it could one day be a reality.
A bout of what I think was food poisoning a day earlier didn't help, either.
I fell back to old habits, thinking that if it were real then there were all these things I had planned that I wouldn't be able to do - things I had been looking forward to.
Anyway, I will get a clearer picture on where all that stands at the end of the month when I have my about 2-yearly look through assessing my inner health - you know what I mean.
Now the last two of those have been excellent and, really, there is no reason why I should think that this time will be any different. I could get picky about a couple of small things but, largely, I am doing pretty well.
Having committed myself to go to the gym as much as possible is also helping and I have noticed some differences. Hopefully as my physical body strengthens my mind can as well.
I often think it is funny that what scares me are things from within and not external things. It's almost like my phobia about magpies.
But that's another story.
I have taken some rather large steps this year and another one will be taken later this month, an achievement that I thought impossible a few years ago is now something I am looking forward to with some vigor.

Adventures

I've tried a few things lately with mixed results.
Overall I have to say that I have learned a lot, and not only about myself.
Sometimes when you attempt to improve yourself you don't expect things to be difficult - I'm not naive enough to believe that significant change is easy but when there are chemicals involved you have to take things steady (I am talking, in part, about prescription medication).
On the plus side I've become used to heading to the gym a couple of times a week and am almost comfortable there. That is something I didn't think possible.
Also a plus is that I have noticed the difference this type of regular exercise is having.
Perhaps a bit short sightedly, I decided to try and reduce the medication and this was a shade premature I think. So I had to stop and concede that I'm not ready yet, even though in some way I am very ready.
I'm not giving up on that quest, just postponing it.
I've also been a little more adventurous lately and, among other things, finally decided to book a trip to Perth which is something I had in the 'want to do but too hard basket' for quite a while.
That's happening in November and I have a couple of trips to Melbourne coming up before then. Who would have thought a few years ago that I would become such a jetsetter!

Progress

I'm happy to say there has been progress in the challenge of getting to the gym.
Unfortunately I didn't get there today but have been three times in the past 10 days. The plan is to be there tomorrow just for a bit of a lighter session as my shoulder blades feel like they have a steel bar shoved through them.
More stretching is required to ease that issue.
I have to say that in general I feel a little better having been more active in the past couple of weeks. I still get troubled by little things that my mind can turn into larger things but that is a work in progress as well.
So the plan is a cardio session for Friday with a bit of weights then a similar session on Monday before hopefully getting back into the routine this time next week.
Also looking forward to another trip to Brisbane in a couple of weeks time. Haven't been there properly since I was a teenager and the two times I have been there since then I saw the airport and the racecourse and Moreton Island.
So it will be cool to have a look around and hopefully meet some new people and catch up with some new friends up there.

Adelaide for a day

A couple of weeks back I took a day trip to Adelaide.
Yes, Adelaide is a bit far to go just for one day but there was a purpose and after that purpose was taken care of I had a few hours to wander around and check out the city.
They say Adelaide is a bit like a big country town. That may be underestimating it a bit but from what I saw it is a very pretty city, especially when the weather is perfect.
Among my meanderings I took in some of the cultural activities going on, checked out (and thought about crashing) the uni o-week stuff which included a large sized chess game (which I kinda always wanted to play), walked along the Torrens River and saw some cricket at the Adelaide Oval.
It'd be interesting to see what the city has to offer when you have more than three hours.

I'd like to.....

I've been thinking about some of the things I'd like to do this year.
In one way or another they represent a challenge but I think potentially all are very positive goals.

1. Organise and save up for a trip to Perth towards the end of the year.
2. Lose at least 5kg but no more than 8kg.
3. Get into the habit of going to the gym at least once a week and exercising at least five times a week.
4. Go to an NRL, or AFL, game. (I prefer watching them on TV but I haven't actually been to a game for years).
5. Go to a play or musical at the theatre.
6. See a live band (hopefully someone appealing will tour in 2011).
7. Try opening up to having a relationship.
8. Win the battle with the way my mind can work against me.
9. Be nicer to myself overall.

I think the majority are very much achievable. It's now up to me to put in the hard work.

A week after the storm

Last weekend I went to Melbourne for what is known as 'Super Saturday' at the races but as it turned out it was memorable for completely different reasons.

What is strange though is that when I arrived back in Sydney on Sunday how little some people knew about what happened in Melbourne the day before.

Despite the predictions of showers all weekend I didn't take an umbrella with me. Some may call that a rookie mistake when you're planning to go to Melbourne.

I arrived the Friday and it was very humid but no real signs of rain. I met up with a couple of friends for a drink (after overshooting my tram stop by one) and then headed for Crown Casino. That was mainly because I hadn't been there before and I thought I might as well check it out. I chatted to a guy called Bobby on the tram on the way (initiated by the need for some direction on my part) who was off to watch the AFL game on that evening.

Crown Casino is something else. It makes Star City look like a backroom poker lounge. It's also quite mesmerising and it's very easy to get disorientated. I suppose that's one of the tricks of casinos.

Anyway, the next day I headed off to Flemington for the races.

It was an awesome day weather wise and I arrived there on the train. If anything it was a shade on the hot side. I met up with Luke, a guy I work with (sort of), for a bit and settled in to watch the Newmarket Handicap.

You could see a storm coming. It came up a lot faster than anyone expected and five minutes after the race it started to rain. No more than five more minutes later it started to hail and we're talking golf ball size at least.

Flemington was virtually covered in darkness as the sheer volume of hail that was falling turned the setting from lush green grass to appearing to be covered in snow.

As a result of the freak storm the racecourse was flooded, the trains were knocked out and the races called off. I had to line up for a bus for about 40 minutes and ended up at Footscray train station to catch a train into the city.

Flinders St Station looked like a tidal wave had run through it, sections of road were covered in water and debris littered around town.

Quite an experience. Of course I was sheltered from the storm in more ways than one - I was under cover when the storm hit and of course had nothing valuable unprotected, unlike some whose cars were either covered in water or damaged by hail or both.

I have to say I've seen some big storms over the years but never anything like this. Lightning strikes that seemed to cut the sky in half, thunder that would put God's tenpin bowling team to shame and hail that left piles of ice everywhere.

Won't be forgetting that weekend.

Whirlwind trip

I crammed so much into the short time I spent in Melbourne last weekend I almost don't know where to start.

In an effort to cut down on taxi expenses I caught a shuttle bus into the city and then walked to my hotel. Only, I got kinda lost as I was being a bit too casual about my directions.

After some backtracking I found it quite easily and dumped off my stuff, eager to see as much as I could by evening when I had planned to enjoy a relaxing night in.
I quickly found my way to the Eureka skydeck (obviously the building in the centre of the photo to the left towering over the rest) on the other side of the Yarra and headed for the 88th floor and the viewing area near the top of Melbourne's tallest building.

The ability to see the entire city is amazing and a great way, I thought, to take it all in. Some landmarks stood out easily like Flinders St Station, the MCG and the Docklands area.

After snapping some photos I headed off for a walk along the river and some lunch.

The one thing about sitting by the river to eat is that you're usually accompanied by at least one seagull.

When I had finished eating I saved some bread for the birds and as soon as I threw the patient gull a piece another six or seven suddenly emerged to try and get some for themselves. Now I didn't save so much as to feed a flock of seagulls so sadly some missed out.

I decided to see a different part of Melbourne to the last time and went for a walk past the MCG (second picture, the view from the Skydeck of the cricket ground and tennis centre) and towards Richmond.

On my way I passed Olympic Park, where the Melbourne Storm have played a lot of their games, and the Collingwood Football Club.

In the park behind the club there was a an AFL game in progress so I stopped for a while and had a look.

I was told it was a trial match between Collingwood and North Melbourne reserves teams (third picture, Collingwood are in the black and white, reserves waiting to go on the field) and there was a reasonable crowd for such a low profile game on a Friday afternoon.

But Melbourne lives and breathes AFL as I had confirmed when the pre-season semi-final was on in prime time TV that night.

I ended up catching a tram back to the city and headed to the hotel for a short rest before taking off again for dinner.

I ate at a restaurant overlooking the Yarra, a nice setting for the end of the week.

Then I wandered back to the hotel to read the papers, a magazine I had bought and just kick back to watch the AFL and the Simpsons episode that preceded it.

Some time during the football there was an earthquake near Melbourne registering 4.7 (so it was officially a tremor) but I didn't notice even though I was on the eighth floor of the building.

In the alley where the hotel is located is this pub that was absolutely packed, and I mean beyond capacity, with a lot of the crowd outside in a designated area.

The next morning I was up fairly early and went to, of all places, McDonalds to grab some breakfast as I couldn't find a cafe open at the time. OK, I only had English muffins with vegemite. I checked out of the hotel and headed to the train station to go to the races. It was great catching the train, not to mention cheap, and it was also another opportunity to see a different side of Melbourne.

The races were great again, Super Saturday, and I met a lot of people who I'd spoken to many times but hadn't met in person before so that was great.

In general I met some nice people, and I found that people are generally friendly, they smile at you in the street and aren't bothered by saying hello. Unlike Sydney, generally.

On the flight back I chatted to an interesting guy from Germany and one from Ireland who were heading to Sydney to continue their travels. Again I had an awesome time down in Melbourne and I'll go back again hopefully for a bit longer so I can hire a car and see a bit more of places like Geelong, Mornington and Ballarat etc.

Be still

Somewhat inspired by driving past my previous church a few days ago I decided to actually go to church on Sunday near my place.
I'd been there a few times before so I wasn't a complete stranger and had a friend who goes there to meet up with. The service still takes getting used to but the style is accessible and that's great if you're not a regular.
A couple of things struck me from the sermon and the general feel of the meeting.
The first was about being still on the inside. I found this very interesting and relevant because a lot of the time I don't feel that there is stillness underneath me.
The second was about growth, personal growth through spiritual growth.
So I guess it was timely making a visit to that church. You get the feeling you've heard messages that you needed to hear, or that God was wanting you to hear.
I haven't made a firm commitment to go back straight away but I possibly will soon. I don't get the feeling that this church is suitable long term but that's not something you can know after one visit.
I settled on my next trip to Melbourne and that's taking place in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to it again and this time around I am going to keep my long term well being in mind and make sure I don't overdo it like last time. Not saying I didn't enjoy last time but it definitely contributed to some unpleasantness last week.
The other thing worth mentioning is that my parents' new house will be built shortly and they expect to move back in mid-year.

The Flemington experience

A large part of my trip to Melbourne was to go to the races down there (as you would expect from me) and it was simply awesome.

Even though I have worked in the industry for closing on nine years I felt like a bit of a kid going to the big smoke for the first time. (Ironic since I was travelling from the biggest city in the country to the second biggest).

When I arrived at Flemington (the racecourse where the Melbourne Cup is held for those who don't know) the first person I encountered was someone I knew from Sydney (a racing official) and he and a few others were heading onto the course to check it out. I tagged along and got to walk up and down the home straight for as long as I liked.

In contrast to the day before the conditions were much more comfortable and there was even a breeze - ideal conditions for a race meeting.

I wandered on the track for about half an hour before heading off to meet a number of people, which was my aim for the day.

I watched the last race from the grandstand as opposed to the mounting area and it was great to take in the whole track.

I also played racing fan a bit by hanging out and having a look at Weekend Hussler, one of the best racehorses in the country when he arrived at the horse stalls. The trainer gave me a cap and I had a bit of a chat to him. There was quite a crowd around to check him out.

I didn't take any pictures of his race, he ran fourth and was quite unlucky.

The second photo i of an earlier race, the winner is the horse to the far left and is just about to get a clear run. It was taken about 300m from the winning post and you can also see a bit of the Melbourne skyline in the background.

The day seemed to fly by. I met a couple of great young racing reporters there. One of them surprised me a bit by telling me he remembered reading some of my stuff when he was a teenager. It made me feel a bit old but he said he was 25.

Still it was weird to meet someone like that who had read my stories from a different state.
After the races I headed straight to the airport for the trip back. Airports are fairly boring and once you've checked in I found there was little in the way of decent food.

Anyway it was a great experience all up and I will definitely do it again, but perhaps in a less whirlwind way.

I love Melbourne

Despite looking like a stunned mullet in this picture, I had an awesome time in Melbourne this weekend.
The trip was the one I mentioned a week or so back about being the challenge I set myself, to do something out of the comfort zone.
So it was a trip to Melbourne, where I knew nobody and very little about getting around even though I had been there once before, about nine years ago. My situation then was much different to now, though.
I flew down on Friday lunch time and arrived in Melbourne to temperatures of about 45 degrees (Celsius), the city having been in the middle of a heatwave. It was hot, no doubt, but fortunately it was a dry heat with very little humidity and that is a lot easier to handle.
I arrived at my hotel in Carlton and changed my shirt, then headed off into the city to explore.
I remember just as I was walking there how awesome it felt to be doing it. I made it to the city in about 10 minutes and took a tram ride around the city until I arrived at Federation Square.
The first thing I wanted to do was check out the Australian Racing Museum and it was good, as far as museums go. I then walked along the river to Rod Laver Arena where the Australian Open tennis was being played and caught another tram back to the city.
I met a guy on the tram who was from, well I'm not sure where exactly, Canada or the US I think and he was telling me how he was going to St Kilda. After a bit more walking around I decided to head that way myself and caught another tram down there.
I walked along St Kilda beach, which was packed as you'd expect with the weather, and had dinner there as well.
After that I caught another tram back but caught the wrong one and almost ended up getting lost until I realised I needed to get off. I walked a few blocks back towards the city and eventually got onto the right tram. By this time it was much more comfortable and I found people to be generally pretty nice. There was one idiot who tried to pick a fight with a tram driver and another guy on a bike that almost collided with a tram I was on.
I walked back towards my hotel, it was 9pm by now, and missed the street I needed to turn down and got a bit lost but I didn't really mind because I was enjoying the walk despite being a bit tired.
I hung out in my room for a while and went to bed a bit late, then got up Saturday morning to prepare for my trip to the races (of course). More on that shortly.

Pushing the comfort zone

I live in a world that is predictable, to an extent, manageable and largely comfortable (relatively speaking) and I am preparing to, in a small way, step out of that comfort zone.
Next weekend I have a short trip away planned. It's really only 36 hours but it is to a place that is largely foreign to me (I've been there once, about 9 years ago).
That's the whole point though. To go somewhere that will stretch me a bit. As much as I, in some way, enjoy my world I have long craved to snap out of the patterns of the last couple of years.
There's a longish story behind it so if you want to know then ask and I will tell you.
But I have been working up to doing this for a while, and I've been keen to go south for a while as well (a longer while) and after Christmas I decided I should do it.
After a day or so of changing my mind, or trying to talk myself out of it a bit, I locked in the trip, booked accommodation and flights and now we're set.
I really can't wait for this flying visit, it's exciting and there are a few places I plan to go that I have always wanted to see.
I'll explain fully when I get back but I couldn't hold it in any longer.
Look at me, I'm growing!