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.

Melbourne Cup Week

Hello friends and family. I am wrapping up another great weekend here in Melbourne. I got moved into the new apartment, which is right in the heart of the city. We tried to get a place that had easy accessibility to lots of stuff and I think this is the one. I have attached a few pictures, one of the living room and one from the balcony.

On Tuesday November 6th Melbourne has a public holiday for a horse race. Yes, a horse race. http://www.melbournecup.com/melbourne%2Dcup%2Dcarnival/ Got to love this place!

The Melbourne Derby was held this weekend (Saturday) and I of course had to make an appearance. Here are a few shots from the track. The thing I loved about this track was that you could sit right against the rail, so we had an awesome view of the races. I met up with a group of Accenture folks for the event.

The weather was a little chilly today, but it should be warming up soon.

Cheers,
Matt

p.s. It doesn't take long to realize that no matter what continent you are on, nothing can replace the comfort that friends and family bring into your life. It is great hearing from people and getting pictures, etc. in email.