Festivals Galore

Hello again from the land down under. Stephanie and I have had a busy month (or so) with lots of adventures. As the summer is winding down there have been severals festivals around Melbourne. There was the St. Kilda (Beach) festival, the Melbourne Boat and Lifestyle show, the Food and Wine Festival including the Saturday wine tasting event and the Thai food festival on Sunday.

Work has been going well, although busy. Stephanie and I have gotten into a pretty good groove on balancing the work schedule with our adventures, which are usually on the weekends. We have a few long weekends coming up (Labor day then Easter Weekend).

We wanted to share some of the photos from our recent trips.

We hope you all are doing well.

Best wishes,

Matt

p.s. We are looking forward to having Debbie "Doc" Payne down in May. We'll get the planning going soon for that. Peter Markey is also on the radar, as well as a few other potential candidates!!!

A wonderful view on our way down to Phillip Island (http://www.visitphillipisland.com/) where we saw some incredible Australian wildlife. This was just before crossing the bridge from the Melbourne peninsula to the island.

















On Phillip Island we visited a Koala santuary. Picture of me with a sleeping Koala in the background.











Closeup of a sleeping koala in the tree. He seemed very comfortable, and even started to munch on some leaves while we watched.

Stephanie got a picture with one of the pettable Koalas!

A wonderful sunset viewing from the Southwest corner of the island. This is where we saw some of the sea lions, a wild snake, a rabbit, and a baby penguin!

Stephanie and Matt on a lookout off Phillip Island.

On of the great attractions on Phillip Island is the arrival of the penguins in the evening. You aren't allowed to take photos, but Stephanie and I took part in the staged equivalent. Cheesy but necessary.

In between festivals we mixed in some of my new favorite sport... cricket. We saw a Twenty20 version of the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia versus India. Australia crushed them on this evening, but it has been a fairly equal battle between the two countries.

Matt relaxing behind the wheel of his new boat at the Melbourne Boat show over at the Docklands. He saw many he liked, but preferred taking pictures over writing checks.

Final table for Sean Kerr... no more All-In Blinds would be seen for a while on poker nights following Sean's departure. It was a tough loss for all.

Matt, McKoy, and Tristan at Sean's rolloff party at the Long Room. Good times were had by all.







We changed up sports with the start of "Footie". Also known as Australia Rules Football. We watched a preseason match between Hawthorne and Carlton... won easily by Hawthorne.




Stephanie caught a picture of this guy on the street just before heading to Seaford beach. This was the only person we have seen drinking Fosters since being in Australia. Fosters, Australian for beer... well actually for those who don't have any other options.









On a separate beach event we caught this shot of St. Kilda beach. This is the closest beach to us in Melbourne... about 20 minutes by tram.


After St. Kilda beach we headed to The Espy. One of the great local bars down in St. Kilda. This day we caught some cover tunes from a local band that was about 60 years past their prime.



























Stephanie and Matt on a evening cruise with PK and Kyoko. City view in the background.
Another view of the city from the boat.


A few views from the boat. A nice sunset and a sweet view of the West Gate bridge.

Charlie, McCoy, and Matt at the Growling Frog golf course in Yan Yean, Victoria. I shot an 88, not too bad given the windy conditions, and a triple bogey on #18!!!

There was a pack of wild kangaroos on the golf course. Here is a shot of one overlooking the course and the wonderful scenary.

Stephanie and Matt at a wine tasting event on Southbank, just across the Yarra river from our apartment on Collins Street. We bought several bottles of wine from local wineries.



And finally, a shot of the crowds from the Thai food festival. A great weekend.

Starting a Tab

G'day.

Ok, so it has been too long since the last post. I'll keep the works short, and the pictures plentiful. December was a wonderful month, and we are now well into January here in 2008. I ended up heading home for Christmas week, which was a great decision on my part. We got to see lots of family and friends.

The theme for 2008, as defined by the brothers of the Nut Club, is Start a Tab. The theme is fairly self explanatory. In summary it all about living life to its fullest this year. Play the cards you are dealt and make the most of them.

Your friend,
Matt

p.s. There is no way to put a price tag on the good times.




2007 Accenture Melbourne Holiday party. Matt, Ethan, Rita, and Mr. Mike McCoy ESQ.










The week before heading back to the US we (me, Mike McCoy, and Charlie Foltz) flew down to Tasmania. We did so to play the #1 ranked public course in all of Australia. Barnbougle Dunes is also the 7th ranked course in the world. It was incredible to say the least. http://www.barnbougledunes.com.au/

Heading down toward #7 along the ocean.


Back in Alabama. Here is one of me and Stephanie from Sissy's house in Decatur. Christmas eve we spent the night in Decatur. We had a turkey and dressing meal on Christmas day, which made up for missing Thanksgiving in the states!




























I finally got to see Mom and Grandma's new house in Montgomery. It is beautiful, and I am proud of them for getting the move done. Here is a shot of me, mom, and Sydney overlooking the lake in front of their house.

Sydney was happy to see us, and loves hanging out with her cousins Charlie and Princess.





We made it back to Melbourne on the 30th of December. We has a wonderful dinner at The Press Club in the central business district. The night was capped off with fireworks on the Yarra River. We saw shows at 9pm at Federation Square, and then at midnight over by the Crown Casino. It was over 100 degrees on New Years Eve, definitely the hottest I have ever seen.

In one of the first weekends back in Melbourne we went to meet one of the folks I work with on the project. Annette was very generous to take us out with her family on a beautiful Saturday.

Here is a shot from Murray's lookout, just off the Mornington Peninsula. This is just about 1 hour South of Melbourne.

Me and Annette on the beach. Small beach sheds in the background.

Me and Annette with her husband Wolfgang at one of the lookout points on our beach journey.

Here is one of me and Stephanie.

Ok, change of topics. We got a new dining table (aka poker table) for the apartment. It has already come in handy for a few poker events at the House of Payne.

Me, Charlie, Mike, and Tim went to play golf at Kingston Links. It was the first round in several weeks, so the game was a bit off. Didn't help some of the lies I had in the rough. Check this actual one out... I did the smart thing and took the unplayable lie penalty.

Me and Stephanie heading to dinner at Livebait in the Docklands. There is a very nice harbor here, with lots of sail boats and some incredible yachts. We went out for Rita's 30th birthday party. The 3rd surprise party in as many weeks!

Mike, Charlie, and me getting an early start of before heading over to the Australian Open 2008.
Our seats outside never panned out due to rain off and on during the day. Charlie, Tim, me, Wes, Rita, and Claudia enjoying some cold backs.

A generous couple gave us their tickets as they left the tennis tournament. We were able to see the epic Roger Federer and Janko Tipsarevic match. 4 and half hours of incredible tennis.

The Mo is No Mo

Hello again. It is now December, and the Mo [from Movember] is no more. I did, however, want to pass along some additional photos for posterity. The first is with the volleyball team from the Melbourne Corporate games. We won 2 out of our 3 games, a pretty good showing for a bunch of workaholics.

The next three photos are of me and the some of the team leads from the project. We went out for a rolloff dinner for a few of the team members, including Larry. Larry and I have continued to play golf on the weekends. He will be heading back for Beijing soon, once the US gives him back his passport!

Anyhow, just a short note for today.

Take care, and I hope everyone is looking forward to the holidays.

Your friend,
Matt

p.s. Still hard convincing myself that Christmas is so close with it being as warm as it is here… several of the stores are playing Christmas music, including Starbucks. Hard also not being around friends and family.

New Sports/Old Sports

Greetings from the greatest island in all the land. It has been a great few weeks, and am looking forward to reporting out on some of my adventures.

Larry and I ventured out last weekend for another round of golf at Kingston Links (http://www.kingstonlinks.com.au/html/index.htm ) just south of Melbourne. The course was in great shape and the scores for the day were equally as good. Larry, who has been playing less than a year, shot a 95 or so. I had a 84 (43/41). I think my score was due in large part to the new putted I purchased on Saturday with a portion of my winnings from the poker table the previous evening. I’ve included a few pics from the course.


Sunday was the day of new sports. I traveled to St. Kilda beach (20 min tram ride) with Ethan for my first Lawn Bowling event. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_bowling It was a great day on the lawn, and the game was quite fun and relaxing. You can get an idea of the facilities via the picks below. The game was basically a cross between bocce ball and bowling. What a great combo.

We continued our evening with ‘a few’ additional beers down at St. Kilda beach with the 15 or so folks that met up for the bowls. I got a crash course in Cricket from the guys that had been down for several months. I think I’ll need several more crash courses before I’ll be able to understand/enjoy that game. I’ve included a shot from the beach, and a pic with Ethan and the infamous “Ute” vehicle with which he is infatuated. To me it is nothing more than a glorified El Camino.

This weekend, the one wrapping up now, was pretty laid back. I went into the office yesterday to help out for a few hours. Last night was dinner at my favorite steak place, Squires Loft, http://www.squiresloftcity.com.au . The best steak I have had since getting here.

On Sunday I played in the Melbourne Corporate Games as part of the 6-on-6 mixed volleyball event. We went 2-1, not too bad for a bunch of workaholics. The real sporting event started up at 12 noon here (8pm Saturday back east). The IRON BOWL!!! I was able to watch the final quarter, as my beloved Auburn Tigers held off the University of Alabama Saban 17-10. It was the sixth year in a row. I memorialized the event with a pic from the living room.

Don’t look to hard at the photo. Yes, that is a mustache or “mo” as they call them here. I am participating in the annual rite of passage known as Movember. http://www.movember.com/au/home/
Don’t worry Stephanie, it will be gone before you next see me.

Until next time,
Matt

p.s. This place is starting to grow on me more each day. You can’t image how refreshing it is to be surrounded by some of the happiest, most pleasant people in the world. It is highly contagious.

Work/Life Balance

Hello again from Melbourne. The weather continues to get better each day, with it averaging around 25C these days. The final racing day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival week was completed this weekend. A 100-1 long shot took day the Emirates Stakes race. Incredible win.

I am starting to get my head around the work, which is allowing me to settle more into the non-work life down here. I am never really able to get comfortable in a new setting until I can get my thoughts straight on what brought me here, which is to try and make a difference for a client down here.

The photos down here are some random shots from the office here at 485 La Trobe St in downtown (aka Central Business District) Melbourne. In the distance you can see a bit of the see. I didn't realize how accessible and visible the water was from my previous visit.

We have found a way to make the most of the late evenings at work on Friday by combining a little business (lead planning sessions) with a little pleasure (case of beer). I snapped the photo below on Friday evening at the office.

I got out for another round of golf with Larry on Saturday. We played down at Sandringham Golf Link, just south of Melbourne in a town called Cheltenham. I shot my best score in years, posting a 87 (43/44). http://www.sandringhamgolflinks.com.au/index.htm

There would not be much of a life to balance without a little college football on Sunday mornings. I setup shop at Starbucks this Sunday to watch the Auburn/Georgia game on my PC via the Slingbox (http://www.slingmedia.com) we have setup at my friend Pete's condo. Resolution on the game over the internet was great. Outcome of the game was not. There is always next year. One more small, insignificant, game left this year versus the Crimson Tide. Fear the other hand.

Until next time, all my best.

Your friend,

Matt

p.s. One of the hardest things about focusing on the moment (inside and outside of work) is the fluidity associated with the business I am in. One quick series of events and my journey is over. I try to tell people all the time that we can't be bogged down by those things we can't control. I think I need to eat some of my own dog food.

p.p.s. Taught my lead here a new saying: "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig." He wrote it on his whiteboard.