tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255548042024-03-21T22:58:26.573+00:00Big Trip Two - The Big Trip ContinuesA travel blog - about my (big) round-the-world trip in 2007.
A philosophy on poverty - some views from an amateur trying to make a little difference.
A diary - of life for a Scotsman in wonderful Sydney.Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-66629118941328363682010-05-06T00:26:00.003+00:002010-05-06T00:29:12.165+00:00Animal Kingdom Shout Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkF0NyVP6VgOrv2TsicURuKCw-iJQxb5pBqZ9LaVrZJ1Ca3MZW1W812PXDYHdmR9jrsdR72lqwlLtdzQzJfM-S1Drh-1kdLpr2K85jWHoFRWYnYDme426z0FI-dgcJUaTlaNvwg/s1600/AK_art+2.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEkF0NyVP6VgOrv2TsicURuKCw-iJQxb5pBqZ9LaVrZJ1Ca3MZW1W812PXDYHdmR9jrsdR72lqwlLtdzQzJfM-S1Drh-1kdLpr2K85jWHoFRWYnYDme426z0FI-dgcJUaTlaNvwg/s320/AK_art+2.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467947150967177298" border="0" /></a><br />Hey all. Just a shout out for a new aussie movie opening at the start of June. Got Guy Ritchie... Won the Sundance Best Picture... Looks goooooood.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vision6.com.au/ch/22659/2ddszwb/1180937/20bf5yjcy.html">Here's the trailer.</a>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-15500790174718824402010-03-25T01:18:00.001+00:002010-03-25T01:20:19.462+00:00Small loans, big changesSome day soon there will be a proper update... but until then I just wanted to share this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyb4AHGeJ1w">amazing little clip. </a>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-44688347787858778752010-02-10T03:48:00.000+00:002010-02-10T03:49:16.676+00:00Perspective... its a wonderful thing<TABLE BORDER=0 CELLPADDING=8 CELLSPACING=1 style='border: 1px solid #000000; width:140px;' bgcolor='#ffffff'><TR><TD align=left style='font-size=12px; font-family:arial; color:#ffffff; background-color:#6C5955; line-height: 120%;'><a href='http://www.globalrichlist.com' onFocus='blur();' style='text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; color: #ffffff;'><img src='http://www.globalrichlist.com/_images/logo.gif' width=102 height=10 border=0><br>How rich are you? >></a><br><br><font style='font-size=12px; font-family:arial; color:#D1BEB9;'><strong>I'm loaded.<br>It's official.<br></strong>I'm the <font style='font-size=12px; font-family:arial; color:#ffffff;'>49,847,130</font> richest person on earth!</font><br></TD></TR></TABLE>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-52283735229177882972010-01-23T09:16:00.008+00:002010-01-23T09:54:50.080+00:00Is there anybody out there? Probably not!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti_2ERaE_A3qUXyzrzUg-H_jOliPp6pSiLLHH8dPfaZjnMsSq4pZi7vt3p22VKbyHsvpNy4xvYWfgyhFG8uQUl7hJbJP6N2b_i2ui8E0e9r7eoHrXVv63vXYpXrSkk_VZpxuwfw/s1600-h/colette+rowan+singing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti_2ERaE_A3qUXyzrzUg-H_jOliPp6pSiLLHH8dPfaZjnMsSq4pZi7vt3p22VKbyHsvpNy4xvYWfgyhFG8uQUl7hJbJP6N2b_i2ui8E0e9r7eoHrXVv63vXYpXrSkk_VZpxuwfw/s320/colette+rowan+singing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429862962616798930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Rowan and Colette. I love this pic!</span><br /><br /></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Myriad Pro"; panose-1:2 11 5 3 3 4 3 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Myriad Pro"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Hello! I expect a few regular readers have given up on me in the two and a half months since I last updated this blog. Apologies. I hadn’t forgotten. I have wanted to write something, but there just always seemed to be something else to do…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > <o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Hopefully a brief account of what I’ve been up to since November will act as some penance. :)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >My usual themes are:<span style=""> </span>working in the development field, life in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city></st1:place>, and travel. And as usual, I’ve got a little to say about all of these things.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztMM2HLNafaDrIXahcOVbYFHa4hmSZWM1aMmjyTGTSC2wEMkTXJ3SfHPi6WRYc6hSSahTcNIsFcObVN1h7X5Fr33gihEtspsC5qVL7QO4Yw3cMvJoNmnCTC2H3TP9CPBzVtUL3w/s1600-h/IMG_0289.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztMM2HLNafaDrIXahcOVbYFHa4hmSZWM1aMmjyTGTSC2wEMkTXJ3SfHPi6WRYc6hSSahTcNIsFcObVN1h7X5Fr33gihEtspsC5qVL7QO4Yw3cMvJoNmnCTC2H3TP9CPBzVtUL3w/s320/IMG_0289.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429864245747838034" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >When I last updated the blog at the start of November, I’d just returned from an inspiring trip to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I was full of enthusiasm for a non-microfinance project for mentally-ill women in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s poorest state, Orissa. </span><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Since then, I’ve been working to formalise processes for supporting both this project, and any future non-microfinance projects that we might wish to fund. Otherwise, the last three months at work have been typical of any three-month period since I joined <st1:place st="on">Opportunity</st1:place>, in that there have been big changes in personnel, and responsibilities. And being such a small organisation, any </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >changes inevitably affect me. Since I last wrote, four of our six-strong leadership team have, at least temporarily, left. Our donor relations director and investment director have moved on, and our programs director, Mark, has moved to the<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Philippines for 2 years, while, Chris, the head of our Strategic Services </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Department (and my boss) has moved with his family to India for a year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Right: At Ed's wedding.</span> </span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >This has changed my typical working day. Not least because, with my boss moving to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Hyderabad</st1:place></st1:city> last week, it has been somewhat quieter in the office. I am now a one-man department (though I still rely on several volunteers to keep me company) and I’m looking forward to the extra responsibility this year, both informally – as I will be the main person available to help develop and present our strategy – and formally, as I’ve now taken on responsibility for looking at the potential for new programs in Nepal, China, Indonesia and other SE Asian countries.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >I didn’t take any leave over Christmas. I even worked in the office on my own for two days. I already feel like I’ve hit the ground running in 2010 and I’m enjoying the job a lot again. Plus, I’ll be going to <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Nepal</st1:country-region></st1:place> with work for the first time in a little under 3 weeks. Though I usually kick and scream when I’m dragged out of my comfort zone, I find work inspiring when there is change, new demands and a variety of work areas. I grow bored when I fall into too much of a routine. I don’t think I’m going to be too bored in 2010. <span style=""> </span>And I should have plenty to write about.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuPtldwvN3P_l7NHRYG6a42qSjnX8-LrSKhc0n2EwxqQt030Fpml2BUBOb7MwZh86sxo7X7HTP9NlcTZ1a264uUiwgiBh_TemPBUIIHoLpl2UpaVqqybCiD0T5cva9CUbza7gQw/s1600-h/IMG_0366.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuPtldwvN3P_l7NHRYG6a42qSjnX8-LrSKhc0n2EwxqQt030Fpml2BUBOb7MwZh86sxo7X7HTP9NlcTZ1a264uUiwgiBh_TemPBUIIHoLpl2UpaVqqybCiD0T5cva9CUbza7gQw/s320/IMG_0366.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429865657634924770" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Christmas Work Do</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >The last time I wrote about anything <i style="">other</i> than work on this blog… hmmmm, I shouldn’t even say (blush). The subject was the ‘Spring on the Rooftop’ party. Seems like about, I dunno… four seasons ago now. I’ve hosted another rooftop party since then. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQWqtThAMfU8cVj79adjXQGvCiHlIs6vZK5bwKVyo7o_33cp22Ktjg5ZC14jtdT6gbxl_cZgcYQqnMoztucnJLYwtbcM8WTGfbnYbFu554mGl7Jj5RpmaAcs_eBTRz7wmn3cF5w/s1600-h/IMG_0355.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQWqtThAMfU8cVj79adjXQGvCiHlIs6vZK5bwKVyo7o_33cp22Ktjg5ZC14jtdT6gbxl_cZgcYQqnMoztucnJLYwtbcM8WTGfbnYbFu554mGl7Jj5RpmaAcs_eBTRz7wmn3cF5w/s200/IMG_0355.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429864540560248898" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Great party. Same people, different season, and a different rooftop. At the start of October I saw an apartment for lease that I liked. I’d been looking casually for 6 months. It’s nice to look when you don’t have any need to take the plunge as you can afford to be very fussy (I’m sure there’s an analogy with dating there, but I’m not going to say it).<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >I love the new place. A one bedroom apartment feels like a big improvement from a studio, and the building itself is impressive. </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Harry Seidler was <st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city>’s premier architect for decades and has designed some of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>’s most distinctive modern apartments and public buildings (including the Ian Thorpe Pool, built after his death in 2006).<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >My apartment block is one of his earlier, more modest efforts, built in the 1960s, but it’s still an interesting design, with the rooftop overlooking the Bridge and Opera House the highlight. I’ve moved closer to the harbour, closer to a nicer, quieter part of town, and there’s an icing on the cake. Where my last place had a gym that I never used, this place has a rooftop pool that I’m cooling off in at least three times a week. And it’s been a blessing in the last few months. Yes… get ready to start throwing bricks, I’m going to talk about this summer’s weather. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiOj_kof7rcfxI-jHhxGnkEJnPu2oeOBQT18NFu_KulXyCc7sn2sVSkDl6GSmiTv97B-70Dx_LfFJwJ8Qb9tqwdVkEp31gp-QsmoqwAXB02z582ZXMaItYF1ixbSRKKgAB0kbAQ/s1600-h/IMG_0358.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiOj_kof7rcfxI-jHhxGnkEJnPu2oeOBQT18NFu_KulXyCc7sn2sVSkDl6GSmiTv97B-70Dx_LfFJwJ8Qb9tqwdVkEp31gp-QsmoqwAXB02z582ZXMaItYF1ixbSRKKgAB0kbAQ/s320/IMG_0358.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429865251078573826" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >In the interests of keeping it brief, I’ll just mention today’s weather. It’s a Saturday, so I can’t tell you what the weather was like before 10am. Damn hot I’ll bet. By 11am when I got to Bronte beach it was 37C. The peak was 41C at 230pm, but that all changed when the temperature dropped 15 degrees in an hour as a storm barrelled across the city. As I write this it’s almost impossible to tell what will happen in the next few hours. There’s a free open-air concert in the Domain tonight but I’ll be taking the safe option of watching the Australian open on TV instead.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" > <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >There seems to be a weather record broken in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> every week. But if <st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city> takes the biscuit, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city> takes a large cake, a cake platter, and a set of 12 side dishes. When I was in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city> with work last week the lowest overnight temperature on the first night was 37C. Yes, that was the ‘coolest’ temperature during the night. Not that I noticed, tucked up in my air-conditioned hotel room. But I did notice the 43C temperature at 5pm that afternoon as waves of heat reflected off the pavement. I seriously considered frying an egg on the pavement, but my brains were boiled and scrambled and I just wanted to get indoors. When I left two days later, the peak temperature had dropped to 23C.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Ok, enough amateur meteorology.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >I couldn’t mention the last two months without breaking a bit of a personal taboo. Since I started this blog, I haven’t mentioned romance, aside from a few unheralded references. But there can’t be anyone I haven’t already told about Alise Grinfelde, so it will come as news to no-one that I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the last few months corresponding with a girl that I met at Ed and Dace’s wedding in October. Alise is a fellow European, but unlike me is still braving the frosty European winters. In <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Riga</st1:place></st1:city> the temperature is currently -30C. Apparently if you could go from +41C to -30C instantly you would perish within a few minutes. Ok, I just made that up, but I will be able to shed some light on that theory when I head back to <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place> next month. Alise and I will be spending some time together in <st1:city st="on">Paris</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Scotland</st1:country-region>, and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Latvia</st1:place></st1:country-region> when I go back ‘top-side’ in Feb/March. And of course, as you know already, I’m really looking forward to spending time with the family and celebrating Granny’s 90<sup>th</sup> birthday. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmM8xNj9jo7swXT5BJp5sxjFFue5LFA8TYEDyvRa8GL8ttHuko3OLhHkx8hWQO2558ImH6QezO7G3M06t4oqRlAO3EMxndGtdI1hob2RLEBxCEA6WapbXTj8wOeqtUDoBDhDw0w/s1600-h/wed+w+aiji.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmM8xNj9jo7swXT5BJp5sxjFFue5LFA8TYEDyvRa8GL8ttHuko3OLhHkx8hWQO2558ImH6QezO7G3M06t4oqRlAO3EMxndGtdI1hob2RLEBxCEA6WapbXTj8wOeqtUDoBDhDw0w/s320/wed+w+aiji.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429867643454974130" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Aija and Alise</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >So, I hope that all goes some way to explaining the lengthy silence in the blogosphere. If I’d written as many words on this blog as I’ve sent to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Latvia</st1:place></st1:country-region> in the last 3 months, I could probably publish another book. On the plus side for the blog, at least I will be able to post some travel snaps with someone good looking in them this time. ;)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10pt;" >Famous last words, but more updates will follow soon! I’ve written an article on my friend Dom’s art Mardi Gras exhibition that I just have to talk about.There’s the trip to <st1:country-region st="on">Nepal</st1:country-region>, and I have plenty to say about going back to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>. But next I’ll stick on some pics of two great parties – Summer<i style=""> </i>On the Rooftop (with some pool action), and New Year on the Rooftop, which was spectacular. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-34812757612265016302009-11-07T03:07:00.013+00:002009-11-08T23:51:33.211+00:00Hope Among The Poorest - Orissa, India.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RO9-TXUn5wwd46gduh6t4kFMgvg6LPAaWqHcnPfa3-Ob2vevr6U0zW9Sh_tXn6brfApkVoGDAEvAxe1pDZL7bAAZvvzGbCmu3nKr6ONBK8gMxzeY2go4rRqaDtTPgM2nCzLXRg/s1600-h/Minati.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RO9-TXUn5wwd46gduh6t4kFMgvg6LPAaWqHcnPfa3-Ob2vevr6U0zW9Sh_tXn6brfApkVoGDAEvAxe1pDZL7bAAZvvzGbCmu3nKr6ONBK8gMxzeY2go4rRqaDtTPgM2nCzLXRg/s400/Minati.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401196943859273570" border="0" /></a>
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<br />After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually 6 months, I was back in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> last week. I spent all but one day in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Delhi</st1:place></st1:city> progressing the two projects that comprise the largest part of my role with Opportunity International. I want to talk about that other day, when I journeyed more in curiosity than purpose, but ended up with a real need to ‘do something’.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >I’ve seen a lot of the Indian subcontinent now, the North (<st1:city st="on">Punjab</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Nepal</st1:country-region> and the Himalayas), the South (the big cities of <st1:city st="on">Hyderabad</st1:city> and <st1:city st="on">Bangalore</st1:city>, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and <st1:country-region st="on">Sri Lanka</st1:country-region>) and even a little of the West in <st1:place st="on">Gujarat</st1:place>. But I’d never been to the east. The east is a whole other realm of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> again. Different languages (Bengali), very different cities (Calcutta) and states that have more in common with neighbouring Bangladesh than with the rest of India.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Orissa stretches along hundreds of miles of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s eastern coastline. Its population of 37m makes it middling in terms of Indian states, and therefore pretty devoid of outside interest. Of course, you wouldn’t expect this place to gain much international attention, even if its population is greater than either <st1:country-region st="on">Australia</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canada</st1:place></st1:country-region>, two perennially newsworthy parts of the world. But how excluded and remote is a place when a 1999 cyclone (Cyclone 5B) could kill 10,000 people without even being considered important enough to warrant a name?
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Despite vast mineral reserves, that are only now being tapped by international mining companies, Orissa is marked by having possibly the worst development stats of any Indian state. Life expectancy is shorter, education levels lower, infant mortality rates higher than anywhere else in a country which generally performs very poorly on the Millenium Development Goals. And that’s why Opportunity International have more partners based in Orissa, than in any other state.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" > <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >If you want to tackle poverty, this is the place to come.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >I was the first person from <st1:place st="on">Opportunity</st1:place> to go to Orissa. Though I didn’t perceive any risk in the areas I went to, the state does have a reputation for lawlessness. A headline in this week’s Indian newspapers read “Maoists blow up guesthouse” (though no-one was injured) and there’s a lot of socialist activity and civic unrest.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Of the three microfinance institutions that we work with in Orissa, Manas and I visited Peoples Forum – one of our newest partners – to review their work generally, and to make a visit to a very interesting new development project there.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >We met two groups of women who are part of a microfinance program that has been running since 1989 and now has 25 branches and 35,000 clients.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjJ20wtXf7q7jA1Tp8EUBpAIMnXgv4Fl-9eO4RDg4jjOl0BXn9COPajkL10_MUPlwqc8YxTaTCpTTdTfLjgRY_y2o6oWp6yziOCtljoqiVGNaR9HHrR_kDaHu7ow3SQ4eu93xeA/s1600-h/Mamata3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjJ20wtXf7q7jA1Tp8EUBpAIMnXgv4Fl-9eO4RDg4jjOl0BXn9COPajkL10_MUPlwqc8YxTaTCpTTdTfLjgRY_y2o6oWp6yziOCtljoqiVGNaR9HHrR_kDaHu7ow3SQ4eu93xeA/s400/Mamata3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401197488265881426" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" > <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >The first group of 10 women make saris. They have borrowed Rp10,000 (about $250) each from Peoples Forum to pay for materials. They will repay the money over 18 months and then be eligible to borrow more money and expand their business. It was important to see where the women work – each of the rooms is barely bigger than the loom it accommodates. The rooms are dark with small windows, which are lit by light bulbs even in the middle of the day. And the work is hard, physical work. There’s a lot of effort needed to operate the machines.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >And what do they get for this hard work?
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Before Peoples Forum came along and provided the group with a loan, each of the women saved around Rs50 per month, and over a period of 18 months they had saved Rs1050 each in total, or about $25 in total.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Imagine where you were 18 months ago and then imagine you had spent every day since then working 8 hours a day in a small, dark room in a tropical environment, just to earn as much money as the typical Australian would spend on a round of drinks or a couple of cinema tickets. It’s staggering.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >But the MFI is trying to change this. By giving the women training and business support, they can earn more for the saris and increase their income and the amount they can save.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >The second group was even more interesting. The women here make ropes from raw material, again working 7-8 hours a day in the tropical heat, where peak temperatures can be 47C.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1d5mCFqC98yI3jqR43r_5EULiv4lEGyOPAA-IIoS1vvtEQSD_lkZc8RgBzB5XSA-kCtKdk-B8AeB9pBcUzFs6-rdSJ9-mqzLsVAjGf0vdyEziLGuPJiB0-EN0RJwwC5X6hsb2g/s1600-h/ropemaking1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1d5mCFqC98yI3jqR43r_5EULiv4lEGyOPAA-IIoS1vvtEQSD_lkZc8RgBzB5XSA-kCtKdk-B8AeB9pBcUzFs6-rdSJ9-mqzLsVAjGf0vdyEziLGuPJiB0-EN0RJwwC5X6hsb2g/s400/ropemaking1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401198069508464802" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >They purchase about $30 of raw material and it takes the group of 10 women 3 days to turn that into ropes which they sell for about twice as much. All told, this gives them an income of about $1 each per day. But again the MFI is giving the women hope of improving their lives. Through a loan, they will purchase an additional machine that will allow them to work more effectively, and they are even building a ‘factory’ of sorts that will let them work indoors in the monsoon season.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >What is really remarkable about this group is that the majority of them used to be lepers (they are ex-lepers as Monty Python would say). The houses that they are building with the profits from their rope making business are being built virtually next to a government-built leprosy mission. And they used to live in the mission, until they were cured.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >It is remarkable to think of the obstacles these women have had to overcome. Not just issues of caste, poverty and their status as women in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s poorest state, but also the stigma attached to leprosy. They are now running their own business and earning money that they are using to improve their lives.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >This is something that microfinance has always been about –demonstrating that people who are poor and excluded still have value in society. The work that Peoples Forum are doing is just taking that one step further.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >And the last program we visited on the day is arguably yet more ambitious.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYTwp_y1Amq1sSzPOwccVN2YX6Q6d-1u1mw_FNmyQiqlRwvHrdrfjg9oaRkFqMjoZKxWxIZMjUirG2FA6AIMG_yptPBXmqDT6wNqZfxMyZvar6sh8mR9HjugRRBPg6QJj06L3WA/s1600-h/Bamboo+products+made+by+the+patients.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYTwp_y1Amq1sSzPOwccVN2YX6Q6d-1u1mw_FNmyQiqlRwvHrdrfjg9oaRkFqMjoZKxWxIZMjUirG2FA6AIMG_yptPBXmqDT6wNqZfxMyZvar6sh8mR9HjugRRBPg6QJj06L3WA/s400/Bamboo+products+made+by+the+patients.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401195887150039058" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Mission Ashra is Peoples Forum’s project to provide care and shelter and rehabilitation to women who have ended up abandoned on the streets because they are mentally ill.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Why do they end up on the streets? Firstly, there is a real stigma attached to mental illness in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. When someone develops a mental illness, their family often aren’t able or willing to take care of them. And they are just dumped by their families. It may seem unimaginable, but often these women and girls – one-third of the ashram’s patients are teenagers – are taken to the city on the pretext of a holiday. And at the end of the holiday their families will just leave them in the hotel room.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >The natural reaction to this is horror and disgust. But understanding why this can happen is important to understanding why the small ashram that Peoples Forum is running could have a transformational impact far beyond its doors.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Attitudes to mental illness are shaped by education and experience. A lack of education and community awareness in the poorest parts of rural India, mean that mental illness is often thought to be incurable, a curse, and something that dehumanises people. This leads to a situation where the family feels that abandoning the individual is the only option they have.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >The second reason that so many mentally ill women languish on the streets is that, once they are in that situation where they’ve been abandoned, they have very limited capacity to help themselves. If you’re suffering from depression or schizophrenia, you find it difficult to seek help or to even look after yourself. And these women are very vulnerable. When the ashram rescues women, many of them have been the victims of physical or sexual abuse.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Almost all of the 150 women at the Ashram are from a very poor background. Many have been rescued as a result of a call to a public helpline that the Ashram provides. When they arrive at the ashram the woman will find herself in a site about as big as football field, maybe a little longer, and a little narrower. The facilities are limited. There isn’t even enough space in the rooms for beds. The beds have now been taken out and mattresses placed on the floor to accommodate the women.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvhzjPDT5bE7_6CnIVcZLkwndHB04SSrRmc_ux14HmNMG5cMoKEL7B-uwU4AcyV-l4Tj311kP05Ehyphenhyphen_ayeb9y0O0C9WWT6m3rfoUyQ4y94900MydSAeJuyFm029-gwC9q6T-UBQ/s1600-h/disease+wise+patient+list.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvhzjPDT5bE7_6CnIVcZLkwndHB04SSrRmc_ux14HmNMG5cMoKEL7B-uwU4AcyV-l4Tj311kP05Ehyphenhyphen_ayeb9y0O0C9WWT6m3rfoUyQ4y94900MydSAeJuyFm029-gwC9q6T-UBQ/s400/disease+wise+patient+list.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401194990372594962" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >There are a formidable list of mental conditions here (depression on its own would rarely be enough to see someone end up at the Ashram) and I feel sure even the best resourced facilities would find this patient-load challenging.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >But, despite limited space and resources, the Ashram does appear to have great success in looking after patients. Drugs are part of the answer – they have a full time pharmacist – and psychiatric care is available from nurses and a part-time psychiatrist. At the same time its obvious that drugs and medical attention are only part of the rehabilitation process. Perhaps just as important is the love and care being provided. On top of that, the Ashram makes stimulating activities a key part of the women’s daily experience. Yoga, music, gardening… these all provide some routine and stability to the patients’ lives, something to fill their time, and to give them some meaning.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCC82QaqD8Ub98NTu7sJQZMXatSya4fJJAZFrOhyRd0nTiR0q7ZLbMh5KfQLf4YAXNvInEXgO8coHFK_3xC8L8t2RcUEuvalpMyvxU5BnEFXi21PBv2l4e_57xqj_EpU_iVFrDg/s1600-h/IMG_1821.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCC82QaqD8Ub98NTu7sJQZMXatSya4fJJAZFrOhyRd0nTiR0q7ZLbMh5KfQLf4YAXNvInEXgO8coHFK_3xC8L8t2RcUEuvalpMyvxU5BnEFXi21PBv2l4e_57xqj_EpU_iVFrDg/s320/IMG_1821.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401194665852016162" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >But of course the ultimate goal is to treat the illness and make the women well again and able to go back to their families. That’s absolutely the aim of the ashram. And reuniting women with their families is a key part of what they do.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >And they have mixed success, which is perhaps not surprising. You can split the women into a couple of different groups. There are a group of women who have ‘gone missing’ – perhaps run away from home, or been abducted. In many cases their family will have thought they were dead. Often they are overjoyed to find their daughter or wife. But in many cases, because there is such a stigma attached to mental illness, that they don’t want the person back even when they have recovered. And that can cause huge rejection issues for the patient, and a relapse into depression and further mental illness.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYDpVCfe9KF_sZ4mdm6nz5LnMhwNYB32Ae8S8bPm-oShzc4sFc6R7dIMeC7VunS8nwn2LZt301Q9jqZuwg2aMpxTXTvIfqv9eXa647pAJysYxlD8Nx9Awg63h8amrlB69XeqrmQ/s1600-h/IMG_1811.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikYDpVCfe9KF_sZ4mdm6nz5LnMhwNYB32Ae8S8bPm-oShzc4sFc6R7dIMeC7VunS8nwn2LZt301Q9jqZuwg2aMpxTXTvIfqv9eXa647pAJysYxlD8Nx9Awg63h8amrlB69XeqrmQ/s320/IMG_1811.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401194016809040338" border="0" /></a></span>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >But mixed results does not mean the Ashram is not successful. Over 250 women have been reunited with their families in the last 6 or 7 years. With limited resources Mission Ahra is providing an absolutely essential service.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >And really, although it was very upsetting to see people in a distressed condition, in what I perceived to be a bleak and comfortless environment, actually these women are the <i style="">better off. </i>What is really heartbreaking is to think of the women out there who aren’t getting even this basic care and shelter.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >There are only 2 sites like this in the whole of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The other is in Chennai in the south of <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. With government resources for mental health extremely limited, there are thousands of women with mental illness in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> who are left vulnerable with no support. It is no exaggeration to say that the life-expectancy of these women is very short, and quality of life is desperate. It really does break my heart to think about this.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >But there is hope here too. As with their microfinance programs, Peoples Forum are demonstrating something really powerful. They are demonstrating that mental illness does not make someone less than human. These are human beings too. And they deserve care and love. They are also showing that, with care and shelter, many of these women can recover and go back to their families.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJgaTTtvJEMt8KZSaRD84XP-Q4P4VpYF_eo9dANCIalPzTbnIm1hRQZS8EKlOnETElEUwulvA6HGFnu1LsMm6M-0Wm_9fOc8seK6x8WGigfU1kTwL8Rk8Kq2FabWRI_MmsOYnog/s1600-h/Patients+are+encouraged+to+do+gardening.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJgaTTtvJEMt8KZSaRD84XP-Q4P4VpYF_eo9dANCIalPzTbnIm1hRQZS8EKlOnETElEUwulvA6HGFnu1LsMm6M-0Wm_9fOc8seK6x8WGigfU1kTwL8Rk8Kq2FabWRI_MmsOYnog/s400/Patients+are+encouraged+to+do+gardening.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401195449668891714" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Before I’d even left the ashram I’d started to think about what I could do, and what <st1:place st="on">Opportunity</st1:place> could do. We have expertise in two things that gives us a real possibility of helping here – we can sell a story to people when we find something truly inspiring and we can leverage something that works to expand that solution and maximise impact.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >Mission Ashra has the capability to not just help a few mentally ill women, but to change perceptions of mental illness. Peoples Forum would like to move to a new, larger site with better medical facilities – effectively something more like a hospital. This may start locally, and modestly, but I believe it can grow fast. I’ve already made this presentation to colleagues and we are taking the first steps to make things happen.
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMpLsXGbF3uUujlEL6QljM-LD3X54A-WPPDKaZxoGf6GPjoqLKvSr4NMz3_dg49H_MOe-lz6W2cEOIP4dLi3mixD2E9BMNT-_NIPtKRMzc2Nnutyx8RcFVDPZ5PGuLoBjc4ymsg/s1600-h/The+site+is+very+basic+but+a+place+of+shelter.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMpLsXGbF3uUujlEL6QljM-LD3X54A-WPPDKaZxoGf6GPjoqLKvSr4NMz3_dg49H_MOe-lz6W2cEOIP4dLi3mixD2E9BMNT-_NIPtKRMzc2Nnutyx8RcFVDPZ5PGuLoBjc4ymsg/s400/The+site+is+very+basic+but+a+place+of+shelter.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401196515053340626" border="0" /></a>
<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" >This last picture may appear to sum up how bleak the Ashram is, but actually these women are relatively lucky. The ashram is giving hope. The alternative is hopelessness. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMpLsXGbF3uUujlEL6QljM-LD3X54A-WPPDKaZxoGf6GPjoqLKvSr4NMz3_dg49H_MOe-lz6W2cEOIP4dLi3mixD2E9BMNT-_NIPtKRMzc2Nnutyx8RcFVDPZ5PGuLoBjc4ymsg/s1600-h/The+site+is+very+basic+but+a+place+of+shelter.JPG"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Ccscott%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Myriad Pro"; 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mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> </a> Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-73474141964156295392009-10-16T02:40:00.008+00:002009-10-16T03:04:21.520+00:00Cappuccino for a Cause<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q54Zs6xKoEz4GwJUlVyh6PaxXpXhlN4pacTN0omyQ82Aw-fDGqoIy-ftWPP_K0YsAj6fzYVrGf6Lg2OJUoZAxSuzSG0MKlLxOTTYtrdgYBDUV62TFdpnfLy0DFThfwsDolUcjw/s1600-h/GJ_Cappuccino_v2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q54Zs6xKoEz4GwJUlVyh6PaxXpXhlN4pacTN0omyQ82Aw-fDGqoIy-ftWPP_K0YsAj6fzYVrGf6Lg2OJUoZAxSuzSG0MKlLxOTTYtrdgYBDUV62TFdpnfLy0DFThfwsDolUcjw/s400/GJ_Cappuccino_v2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393025914183707730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cappuccino for a Cause: </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="latest_status"><span id="latest_text"><span class="status-text"><span style="font-style: italic;">As much as fund-raising, we're hopeful that this gets a lot of coverage for what we are doing, and we're seeing signs of some </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://bit.ly/1jL8Y3">press coverage </a><span style="font-style: italic;">already.<br /><br /></span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktNBkfXqurl4ES0uUbscPck7-Eh8QjnU7xjVhJsbxubxpiScNEek5RqFCdJ8qDjsOyjsOM5F50jnMcD_1oXs0b5lIWJEpDo5fcP6iHuyJgrz30sDx9KBkMN6U12FooAKwi9Cx1A/s1600-h/Cap_Choc.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhktNBkfXqurl4ES0uUbscPck7-Eh8QjnU7xjVhJsbxubxpiScNEek5RqFCdJ8qDjsOyjsOM5F50jnMcD_1oXs0b5lIWJEpDo5fcP6iHuyJgrz30sDx9KBkMN6U12FooAKwi9Cx1A/s400/Cap_Choc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393025268017260338" border="0" /></a>Work is a world of excitement today!!! As mentioned before, Opportunity have teamed up with Gloria Jeans for Cappuccino for a Cause. This is something really new for us - we've never had a big campaign like this before, so the team are really buzzing... and that's only partly from the coffee we've been drinking today to support the cause.<br /><br />Also, we have our big annual event tonight at Kirribili House which is a bit like renting out Ten Downing Street for the night. We'll have 150 movers and shakers in the room. Despite losing my voice (what a time for a bug to strike!), I'm really looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity to bring our message to even more people. Though I might have to pass the message on using sign-language.<br /><br />This kind of exposure is really exciting. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="latest_status"><span id="latest_text"><span class="status-text">Sometimes this side of things is just as exciting as getting out to the field, though with 10 days to go, I've definitely got one eye (one bum-cheek?) on the flight to India. </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" id="latest_status"><span id="latest_text"><span class="status-text"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/cscott/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-6.jpg" alt="" />Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-85487125337158213492009-10-09T03:06:00.005+00:002009-10-09T03:31:27.739+00:00Revisiting My Favourite Place in the World... via the Economist<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx437M6vDAGjFzC3oztP4WKz9yALi7u7Dd3pWQTJxCrVMA3ua8qli1hUex7dlWP7lzD1hOzNumuT_vge9GSBGH5XTummNoF5FyjaQhwpuJr7uI00kXDp8zu-6rZCqcGBhwbGAjrQ/s1600-h/a+fallen+maoi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx437M6vDAGjFzC3oztP4WKz9yALi7u7Dd3pWQTJxCrVMA3ua8qli1hUex7dlWP7lzD1hOzNumuT_vge9GSBGH5XTummNoF5FyjaQhwpuJr7uI00kXDp8zu-6rZCqcGBhwbGAjrQ/s400/a+fallen+maoi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390435696716275490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">One of my favourite pictures, from my time on Easter Island.</span></span><br /><br />In all of my travels, and of the 50+ countries visited, Easter Island is still the most mystic and exotic. A little clod of earth way out in the Pacific Ocean still pops into my thoughts and dreams... and I make no apologies for romanticising about somewhere that would capture the imagination of the most cynical traveller.<br /><br />Despite UNESCO World Heritage status, the island and its 5,000 inhabitants rarely make the news, so it was quite a surprise for me to see an <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14587314">article on Rapa Nui</a> in this week's Economist magazine.<br /><br />To be honest the article is a bit of a non-event - too short to do any more than list the current issues threatening the island environment, but long enough at least to bring attention to one of the world's most important historical sites. I believe such attention can be a positive thing, if it helps encourage Chile and La Isla Pascua develop a long-term plan to protect the place. But that attention could, I suppose, be negative, if it simply encourages people to visit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqlnD419x6krmSXTuAczXl9cSF0jkMrmdfayxKrr3SFue56h2o1bFsDRovJKocEEOyqfSbGnGsqAb1Vne_pZCACav-OaSaJTxMtthqbm0opuwMj3fj1pB4CfSV0XeQXFCtBbYvA/s1600-h/4109AM2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOqlnD419x6krmSXTuAczXl9cSF0jkMrmdfayxKrr3SFue56h2o1bFsDRovJKocEEOyqfSbGnGsqAb1Vne_pZCACav-OaSaJTxMtthqbm0opuwMj3fj1pB4CfSV0XeQXFCtBbYvA/s400/4109AM2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390435389191759426" border="0" /></a><br />I would love to go back, and would love more people to be able to have the experience I had there. At the same time, it's that type of attention that risks doing as much environmental damage today as the island's original inhabitants did hundreds of years ago. But there's no harm in reading about it, and if the economist article isn't emotional enough for you, you can always check out the <a href="http://calumsbigtrip.blogspot.com/2007/01/easter-island-la-isla-pascua-rapa-nui.html">effect it had on me</a>.Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-91879109005013618202009-09-29T07:16:00.011+00:002009-09-30T23:47:36.342+00:00Spring on the Rooftop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kTDnc0X1BHBuSDOQmZQmQBwFV6VHVwpGJWX82W8giq8fcNg-mlqh5AGAyuO3E7ImskgLwcd3AvPqZsO4cRUVqU-L53DMh9i9SnWsAStSplrkDgAtsyF4m7xnkgjl3R3gDoGKRQ/s1600-h/IMG_1734.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kTDnc0X1BHBuSDOQmZQmQBwFV6VHVwpGJWX82W8giq8fcNg-mlqh5AGAyuO3E7ImskgLwcd3AvPqZsO4cRUVqU-L53DMh9i9SnWsAStSplrkDgAtsyF4m7xnkgjl3R3gDoGKRQ/s400/IMG_1734.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386795869453847522" border="0" /></a><br /><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:author>Robert Dunn</o:Author> <o:version>11.5606</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Myriad Pro"; panose-1:2 11 5 3 3 4 3 2 2 4; mso-font-alt:"Myriad Pro"; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Myriad Pro"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">In the past two weeks, the exceptionally calm winter has given way to a rather unsettled Spring. Such is a perfect description of our weather here in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>. But I could equally be talking about my own personal circumstances!<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">The weather has been bizarre even by Australian standards. Last Tuesday, saw the worst dust storms to hit <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> since 1944. Being unfamiliar with dust storms – except for during my annual flat clean – I was at a complete loss to interpret the scene that greeted me when I woke up at 5am to see my room completely bathed in red.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogfMPeS_X-JO0-MvUownGBTaRYNwRBlfqFhVznCEzI10QGmgosaR9ijtOpuc70Y7DOn3m4X2XlO9yn0qOMqu6u8T7v-xlb3RvSpTowYq_kW6qPI1TssHzJi3An-gSud63Sf22_w/s1600-h/IMG_0219.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogfMPeS_X-JO0-MvUownGBTaRYNwRBlfqFhVznCEzI10QGmgosaR9ijtOpuc70Y7DOn3m4X2XlO9yn0qOMqu6u8T7v-xlb3RvSpTowYq_kW6qPI1TssHzJi3An-gSud63Sf22_w/s400/IMG_0219.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386789820971011170" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="color:black;">Imagine waking up in the morning and seeing this view out of your window. This is an undoctored shot of my view at 5am on Tuesday 22<sup>nd</sup> September. Now I can say that, though I’ve never been to the outback, the outback has come to me!</span><br /></i><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">It’s hard to overstate how odd things looked as I peered out of my window. Nuclear attack, meteor strike, or the Rapture... all seemed like plausible explanations. But by lunchtime the skies had cleared to a familiar blue, and the only puzzling thing was how the global news networks saw fit to drag the story out across the rest of the week. ‘<st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> brought to a standstill’ was one of my favourite headlines. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> is always at a standstill at 5am! But the press love to talk up a dust storm in a teacup. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWlP11laHvBKBFSY4S6hLVhwHNB7SCBoRTNBM9jvRUS8h_y-mxhV8ftzSMLCXtW3WeNKgCFM20ZYxJwZDGfShU_9VX_yPwHLk_9Bl3qD2N0RN_em8LmnVzAPhRDZOT-kMiV2QUQ/s1600-h/IMG_1724.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWlP11laHvBKBFSY4S6hLVhwHNB7SCBoRTNBM9jvRUS8h_y-mxhV8ftzSMLCXtW3WeNKgCFM20ZYxJwZDGfShU_9VX_yPwHLk_9Bl3qD2N0RN_em8LmnVzAPhRDZOT-kMiV2QUQ/s200/IMG_1724.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386786297695809538" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Let's get this barbey started. The Keith Foreman Grill cranks into action.</span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">The high winds were back for my big party on Saturday. This was the </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgnJczqPeLm1gFqWGQmvcW4ylGEQCSOmGDcjcgSelC43jqw-GTH_GF45dK8izHCODBrsh-tdytj75TUzjuPgaDF1jKGJnhI62ykL5z6Ia1IXC2BWIJNZIG2ix5J_xTaxnI94rWA/s1600-h/IMG_1730.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgnJczqPeLm1gFqWGQmvcW4ylGEQCSOmGDcjcgSelC43jqw-GTH_GF45dK8izHCODBrsh-tdytj75TUzjuPgaDF1jKGJnhI62ykL5z6Ia1IXC2BWIJNZIG2ix5J_xTaxnI94rWA/s320/IMG_1730.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386787039384094466" border="0" /></a><span style="color:black;">much anticipated ‘Spring on the Rooftop’ celebration. Some cold beers and cooked sausages helped the 30 or so punters forget the chill-wind for a while, but eventually we had to beat a hasty retreat to the local pub.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">There was a general consensus that the venue was pretty spectacular, and that this was an event to be repeated in a couple of months, when good weather would be guaranteed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">But this might not be possible…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">I’m hoping to move apartment soon. Much as I like my studio apartment, living in just one room does get a little tiring. On better days I like to think that a studio is great because ‘every room you are in is a large spacious room’ (!), but that makes Polyanna appear like a pessimist. And since I’ve started looking for somewhere else, I’ve been more unsettled where I am. The grass has started to look greener…</span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye2jakx3ca6iEtOd75JweVV0rn5ccJGOQ4FrOhumrwkd9vYJIlJPxnNPeJyfSOqIK_bx9-AM5e3yWGlhtr4R6BETArqnRdGqb2xoBYF47Ny8piwJdKdJVPW3FVZrii5wnQFgCKg/s1600-h/IMG_0212.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye2jakx3ca6iEtOd75JweVV0rn5ccJGOQ4FrOhumrwkd9vYJIlJPxnNPeJyfSOqIK_bx9-AM5e3yWGlhtr4R6BETArqnRdGqb2xoBYF47Ny8piwJdKdJVPW3FVZrii5wnQFgCKg/s320/IMG_0212.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386791377972157170" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Unsettling too are my travel plans for the next couple of months. I am still no clearer on when I will next be in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I hope it will be within the next month or so as work is always easier when I can keep strong connections with colleagues abroad. And thoughts of travel aren’t just restricted to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I would really love to pay a visit home to see the family. I’m hoping to get these trips worked out in the next couple of weeks. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">In the meantime, a much smaller trip beckons. The next event on the Spring calendar is Ed’s stag weekend. Fifteen of us are going to the Gold Coast for a weekend of wholesome fresh air and exercise. Or something like that. This must be the most anticipated stag weekend of all time. Expect limited reports and blurry photographs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-ayfWwsCz-ms-U31aASFn387-5f15AUydVTy3glzFrb7ieefAcDWK7h67eZKXy-JnygWH30kZA6P2hQiUbH5AmGzILnVgpbsl51ADOU2gYbr0FiXTS1fXUKYt416JLoLt2Pn9g/s1600-h/IMG_0211.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-ayfWwsCz-ms-U31aASFn387-5f15AUydVTy3glzFrb7ieefAcDWK7h67eZKXy-JnygWH30kZA6P2hQiUbH5AmGzILnVgpbsl51ADOU2gYbr0FiXTS1fXUKYt416JLoLt2Pn9g/s320/IMG_0211.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386788785771906338" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">This is the first day’s holiday I’ve had for six months (oh poor me!) and an interruption to my training routine, which has been going superbly. I’ve never felt fitter. I ran my first half-marathon last weekend and clocked 98 minutes. This was way better than expected and a similar pace to my best run for 10km – half the distance – some 8 years ago!<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglm9IrReXUeq2RypIlUj2R3tXGHqp_mOPg5td3I8KNpBY90mGidoaVHS_bDfd6pXVM3M17LoAjz0XQxdaTv8eRfD4DF5iXn9R-hBdyGIbWK7GzCbySU48vEtB0U0eCHSs-8TJA4A/s1600-h/IMG_0213.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglm9IrReXUeq2RypIlUj2R3tXGHqp_mOPg5td3I8KNpBY90mGidoaVHS_bDfd6pXVM3M17LoAjz0XQxdaTv8eRfD4DF5iXn9R-hBdyGIbWK7GzCbySU48vEtB0U0eCHSs-8TJA4A/s320/IMG_0213.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386792265455800610" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">I wish I could push myself as hard in the pool, but I’m nervous about the injury returning. Still, running has been a great alternative. At the start of the half-marathon, running across the harbour bridge, with thousands of other Sydneysiders, under the giant Australian flags... I started to well-up! And there can’t be many more inspiring locations to finish a road-race either - running round Circular Quay and up to finish under the opera house. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3ENbjCzvhloK6udVPAn29FQScLCX8GwtDZRnmypPEl7Jvhlwva9WXfi0koYkGzI5qw5BF_Zh24itP3rbDNvItUPD71NnrYnYTWcijjouip3lBG_-gidGjgT_yTNNPy0FvJItRA/s1600-h/IMG_0202.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3ENbjCzvhloK6udVPAn29FQScLCX8GwtDZRnmypPEl7Jvhlwva9WXfi0koYkGzI5qw5BF_Zh24itP3rbDNvItUPD71NnrYnYTWcijjouip3lBG_-gidGjgT_yTNNPy0FvJItRA/s320/IMG_0202.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386791636619511170" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:city st="on"><i style=""><span style="color:black;">Sydney</span></i></st1:city><i style=""><span style="color:black;">’s weather is only rivalled in unpredictability by <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city>. After my last update, I travelled down to <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Victoria</st1:place></st1:state>’s capital to attend a two-day conference. I stayed an extra night to catch-up with friends and go to the Dali exhibition at the National Gallery there. My 7pm flight was then delayed as all flight operations were temporarily cancelled due to a storm passing the airport. Not ideal when I had to get up at 5am in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> the next morning for the half-marathon! I eventually got five hours sleep, and another reminder of why I prefer <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-31127005430292877992009-09-22T00:50:00.005+00:002009-09-22T00:58:35.840+00:00Cappucino for a Cause<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SrggqAvuRtI/AAAAAAAACKI/ExkeL5-gTGE/s1600-h/6928_158628921420_158589031420_4026662_5293625_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 85px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SrggqAvuRtI/AAAAAAAACKI/ExkeL5-gTGE/s400/6928_158628921420_158589031420_4026662_5293625_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384089260648187602" border="0" /></a>Hi All<br /><br />On October the 16th and 17th, Gloria Jean's Coffees<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Srggy9t9F8I/AAAAAAAACKY/-GNDVBjvtMQ/s1600-h/6928_158594571420_158589031420_4026265_1941009_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 116px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Srggy9t9F8I/AAAAAAAACKY/-GNDVBjvtMQ/s200/6928_158594571420_158589031420_4026265_1941009_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384089414454286274" border="0" /></a> and Opportunity International are getting together to help people living in poverty. Buy a cappuccino from Gloria Jeans across Australia on those days and 50c will go towards Opportunity's Microfinance Programs in India, the Philippines and Indonesia.<br /><br />http://www.facebook.com/CappuccinoForACause<br /><br />Enjoy a caffeine high, and a buzz from helping others, at the same time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SrggtzbdY2I/AAAAAAAACKQ/-jXQGCnjI34/s1600-h/6928_158628926420_158589031420_4026663_8249295_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 85px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SrggtzbdY2I/AAAAAAAACKQ/-jXQGCnjI34/s400/6928_158628926420_158589031420_4026663_8249295_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384089325793010530" border="0" /></a><br />(Update on the Sydney Half Marathon coming up shortly...)Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-81565332384169149602009-09-13T10:39:00.008+00:002009-09-14T00:22:00.399+00:00Great times<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjUTvVWu4YRDxsi6pczPuvG2F_bFW30PEfVrkgQgNc5mdusudjVnPIFgMTswI4Q0qW-7-vNi2ijcN3-7Rb4oYrr2c1PhJBcUPDPKJkzsjb1O_5C5LQhWBFVVCHmTUyj0Rqz8jfg/s1600-h/IMG_0161.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjUTvVWu4YRDxsi6pczPuvG2F_bFW30PEfVrkgQgNc5mdusudjVnPIFgMTswI4Q0qW-7-vNi2ijcN3-7Rb4oYrr2c1PhJBcUPDPKJkzsjb1O_5C5LQhWBFVVCHmTUyj0Rqz8jfg/s400/IMG_0161.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381111567744040658" border="0" /></a><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:"Myriad Pro"; panose-1:2 11 5 3 3 4 3 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Myriad Pro"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:124667256; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-1908662960 770207040 201916419 201916421 201916417 201916419 201916421 201916417 201916419 201916421;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-start-at:7; mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:-; mso-level-tab-stop:36.0pt; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-18.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} ol {margin-bottom:0cm;} ul {margin-bottom:0cm;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The mercury topped 32C today. And according to my friend Olivier it’s still winter. I reckon Spring started on the 1</span><sup style="font-style: italic;">st</sup><span style="font-style: italic;"> of September, but this is awesome, even for Spring!</span><br /></span> <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">It was a nice day out for Olivier, Sandra and I today. We took the train and then a little ferry south of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> and after a short walk along the coast we found a secluded beach in the national park. It was a great beach for swimming, only later did we realise that it was a nudist beach. And I can report that – as has been said a thousand times before – it’s never the really fit people that you find on nudist beaches. Oh well, each to his own.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7v4qJCK3zInij_46LfWY-CDDlCtTusyxSLnOrDjCXOiatSvgMUAaIIvAhbW5ekG6thOjK2dNoNDKg9kPnvfHwcpBe3gU3n1a_631JQDwgwhouECclj-3KkvZLbzFiBNVivTIJQ/s1600-h/IMG_0098.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7v4qJCK3zInij_46LfWY-CDDlCtTusyxSLnOrDjCXOiatSvgMUAaIIvAhbW5ekG6thOjK2dNoNDKg9kPnvfHwcpBe3gU3n1a_631JQDwgwhouECclj-3KkvZLbzFiBNVivTIJQ/s320/IMG_0098.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380901618881759682" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span> </p><p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:black;">The freakishly warm winter has made for some great weekends. I went back to the <st1:place st="on">Blue Mountains</st1:place> with ‘the Irish’ last month. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Again it’s been such a long time since the last update, and when I apologise for that I do mean it – I wish I would find the inspiration to update more often these days. Maybe it’s partly because nothing particularly momentous had happened recently (until this week) while life has still been busy, and just so enjoyable. <o:p></o:p></span><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">There have been a hundred and one things on, with some highlights since my last update being…</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ugkps1pcFd4RlePzB3f4f25xi5UbFC8Z7aL1MS3KsFlz50e9Q_vAZtnQ5WnPokzJOSlvfwH465Zj4LC-ol35sxy6nDRCNfC4ye8DywEQNDhhrfo6t4DivzNuLhZDaR540pOy5A/s1600-h/IMG_0073.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ugkps1pcFd4RlePzB3f4f25xi5UbFC8Z7aL1MS3KsFlz50e9Q_vAZtnQ5WnPokzJOSlvfwH465Zj4LC-ol35sxy6nDRCNfC4ye8DywEQNDhhrfo6t4DivzNuLhZDaR540pOy5A/s400/IMG_0073.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380900654722859922" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="">-<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Last month I was one of 75,000 Sydneysiders taking part in the City2Surf fun-run. This annual event is the largest fun-run in the world. That’s largest as in number of people, not longest distance, obviously, though it’s still quite a challenge with a long uphill stretch in the middle of the 14km distance, before a long sprint downhill to the finish at Bondi beach. I was made-up with a time of 69 minutes, and it inspired me to enter the half-marathon (22km) next Sunday. I was absolutely done-in afterwards though, and the traditional post City2Surf drinking session nearly killed me! Thank <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ujpPbfk2qfRAStcQ8sQUn1uXXZBGF49vxIss7dypc1NWH825_33jkQqF2v6N0JR5rks_3-uLv8cWB674iCce26aryZbkfnplqsTfEmAh_KgudUUikjMKdw86axR_DmMaUxASCg/s1600-h/IMG_0077.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ujpPbfk2qfRAStcQ8sQUn1uXXZBGF49vxIss7dypc1NWH825_33jkQqF2v6N0JR5rks_3-uLv8cWB674iCce26aryZbkfnplqsTfEmAh_KgudUUikjMKdw86axR_DmMaUxASCg/s320/IMG_0077.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380900903092894978" border="0" /></a>goodness I cut my losses and escaped from the pub in the late afternoon and was in bed by 7pm.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="">-<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->All this running has gotten me a lot fitter and I think I can finally… with some conviction… say that my shoulder is cured (and never let it be mentioned again!). I was swimming in the sea today for the first time and hope to start with the ocean swimming club on Saturday mornings now that Spring is sprung!</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Right: the girls putting the 'fun' into 'fun-run'. :) </span></span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:";" ><span style="">-<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I’m just about to book my next trip to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. This is the longest I’ve been without a work trip (4 months) and I’m really looking forward to getting back to the field. But before that I’ve got Ed’s stag weekend, and then Ed and Dace’s wedding in October, which I think I’m MC-ing, after which I’m MC-ing a work event too (how am I getting MC-ing jobs with my Scottish accent… what the hell’s going on here?!?). Got a trip to<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbfY-bYwtjV0V0xwSW0Bb5sfcPq84LTxhIeD1Baj5G45f93ed_JkXrWG16aUIU9bgOwLptaoLLVL0wespfxDMcogQ_pm0bOb1SJqBEJnnqQHBXQRI8n2VX5Si_Gh7jFVfh6YudA/s1600-h/IMG_0142.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbfY-bYwtjV0V0xwSW0Bb5sfcPq84LTxhIeD1Baj5G45f93ed_JkXrWG16aUIU9bgOwLptaoLLVL0wespfxDMcogQ_pm0bOb1SJqBEJnnqQHBXQRI8n2VX5Si_Gh7jFVfh6YudA/s200/IMG_0142.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380902523054357090" border="0" /></a> <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Melbourne</st1:place></st1:city> next week too, followed by ‘Spring on the Rooftop’ – a bbq event at my place which should go gangbusters, given the level of excitement generated so far!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSO8pu2xHiaqlHxqhE8GsmzsSz8lfF4Vcn2n8_LC_-m9Aboq_pgM5w8sWBzBWb-Y39IC40vXqOFMBpQE4WPeKSt3L315BN6_IXDDJf4Plt8th1gnvJkn8YCXg-rTn1aQRyHo5d-Q/s1600-h/Rowan_Colette.JPG"><br /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">All of which means that there will be no shortage of more exciting news for the website between now and Christmas!<span style="color:black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color:black;">Right: Ed’s surprise birthday party. Not a surprise was Ed getting very (very) into the partying spirit. ‘Enough scotch to sink a battleship’ is the expression I reckon. Here he is getting into Dace’s hen night accessories. Almost topped recent antics at the Abercrombie…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">Lastly, the momentous news is that this week the immigration department approved my application for an extension of my working visa. The extention takes my visa up to 2011, which is rather more reassuring than my old visa which would have run out in a month’s time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;">A sincere thanks to Graeme and Fraser for badgering me to update. It’s effective… eventually!!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-41535435554135269272009-07-20T11:32:00.006+00:002009-07-20T12:02:20.602+00:00What’s worse – 105 Days in a Windowless Capsule or 3 Days in Canberra?<img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgg_H38vvl1rThoxs4OziMI02irmglHaYsYvHnLYG7MJiaGKjh6_toWCajTaA8-treJ61LPYHYl87S7sBlc_VBVnZLoF4TLG5PnrPSqJy4rBMOv_hpKxZRJkB2gukWftHdPuUNtQ/s400/IMG_0025.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360504368135340242" border="0" /><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="Street"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="address"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Myriad Pro"; panose-1:2 11 5 3 3 4 3 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Myriad Pro"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">With my shoulder still recovering slowly, I’ve decided to do a bit of running again. Here’s a shot from a run across <st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city>’s <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Anzac</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Bridge</st1:placetype></st1:place> – one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world. I’m hoping to run the 14km City to Surf run in a few weeks time. </span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">CAUTION:<span style=""> </span>I must warn readers who are sensitive to sarcasm and sardonic wit… …as this update follows a recent trip to <st1:city st="on">Canberra</st1:city>, a city deservedly famous in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region> as a national centre of dullness. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canberra</st1:place></st1:city> three times now, twice at gunpoint. Not literally at gunpoint of course, but being work trips I didn't have any influence over the choice of destination. This time I had a three day stay in Canberra for a microfinance course. This constituted my longest stay in the city yet, by two days, and about three-days longer than anyone needs to stay in the ACT, as <st1:country-region st="on">Australia</st1:country-region>’s <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Capital</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Territory</st1:placetype></st1:place> is known. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But before I really let rip on <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s capital city, something far more interesting caught my eye in the news in the last week. With all the focus on the 40<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Neil Armstrong stepping on to the surface of the moon, a rather less stunning milestone in the history of manned-space travel has been reached. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Six volunteers have just emerged from 105 days locked in a windowless capsule intended to simulate the cramped and inhospitable conditions that astronauts would have to endure on a manned flight to Mars. As incomparable a moment as Armstrong’s first step on the moon was, I have doubts about wh<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpduiq0z-nSdNE24WHMSxOXepCGW6ncgDE9G_pGs7NPU7D2hkZxuHrBjQsSfC0GYvBZ0Nfqi1LmQrSp6dOPPHvXA8e5D9hQDVRetkZTLMenIaK_-Fwn3kSKu9zasPIFRzd-8jzw/s1600-h/mars500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpduiq0z-nSdNE24WHMSxOXepCGW6ncgDE9G_pGs7NPU7D2hkZxuHrBjQsSfC0GYvBZ0Nfqi1LmQrSp6dOPPHvXA8e5D9hQDVRetkZTLMenIaK_-Fwn3kSKu9zasPIFRzd-8jzw/s320/mars500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360504093583526146" border="0" /></a>ether manned space flight is still relevant in these days when all the spectacular science is being done by unmanned telescopes like the Hubble (admittedly serviced by humans), and the newly launched - and criminally under-celebrated - Herschel telescopes. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8150385.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8150385.stm</a><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal">But even supposing for a moment that manned space flight does have a future, would you really volunteer to sacrifice 105 days of your life to such an experiment? Sure, these men could also say they were contributing to the scientific advance of mankind. But wouldn’t it grind you down to know that you were locked inside a glorified tin-can <i style="">pretending</i> to be an astronaut. In fact, mightn't there be something fundamentally abnormal – geeky, unimaginative, passionless (isn’t it telling that all of the volunteers were men) – about these people? </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Surely it’s only reasonable to ask:<span style=""> </span>what on earth (a rather appropriate construct I’m sure you’ll agree) leads people to volunteer to be shut in a fake space-capsule for 3 months? Even more unfathomable is that this 'adventure' will now be followed up by a repeat experiment, identical in every respect except that it will last 520 days…</p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Well one thing’s for sure – at least the experiment is far less dangerous than an actual manned voyage to Mars, where at any point in the two year journey, a rogue chunk of rock could careen into your space capsule, spilling you out into the atmosphere-less expanse of space. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Space isn’t the only place completely lacking in atmosphere. During my work trip I took an early evening constitutional around the streets of central <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Canberra</st1:city></st1:place>. Though I hadn’t expected it to be like the last day of the Rio Carneval, or the banks of the Seine in mid-summer, I was still shocked at how much <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canberra</st1:place></st1:city>’s streets lack any joie de vivre. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was like <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Edinburgh</st1:place></st1:city>’s <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Princes Street</st1:address></st1:street> at 10am on the 1<sup>st</sup> of January (though without the smell of rancid beer). Worn down by the soporific feel, I retreated to my hotel room, where at least Aussie Tv might provide some distraction. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeo3_qGz5OcHXIa94bRmee9LjZo4_pKEV30hro_Yyv4jFb-vd3EKoI1dfux2Bk1JDK7kycGWzJPMu6CiP0KaVrLjEW02xFDODZmDRgFpbPMZGl2BfFcrHB_7G_RRndN7HmrBGGg/s1600-h/IMG_0027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJeo3_qGz5OcHXIa94bRmee9LjZo4_pKEV30hro_Yyv4jFb-vd3EKoI1dfux2Bk1JDK7kycGWzJPMu6CiP0KaVrLjEW02xFDODZmDRgFpbPMZGl2BfFcrHB_7G_RRndN7HmrBGGg/s200/IMG_0027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360504606303571330" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Passing reception, I picked up a rather thin publication called “This Week in <st1:city st="on">Canberra</st1:city>” on the off-chance that the town’s streets were so empty because people were having a rip-roaring time at any number of exciting <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Canberra</st1:place></st1:city> events. And yes, it is possible that people were cramming themselves into ‘An A to Z of Animals in War’, an exhibition promising “stories of horses, donkeys, camels, dogs and other creatures used by military forces from the First World War to the present day”. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Or maybe there was a run on the unself-consciously named ‘<st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Cockington</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Green</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Gardens</st1:placetype></st1:place>’ with its “fascinating display of meticulously crafted miniature buildings”. Regulars at Cock Green - as it may or may not be known - must be reassured to learn that 30 years of the Gardens have not subdued the spirit of innovation there, where you can now find a “newly constructed Syrian arch, complementing the original English village”. Not sure those are traditionally considered to be complementary architectural styles, but clearly, as in Canberra, anything can happen at <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Cockington</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Green</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Gardens</st1:placetype></st1:place>…</p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-87984564053701324472009-07-17T04:15:00.001+00:002009-07-17T04:16:59.943+00:00Favourite Old Band * Favourite Modern Artist = Bliss<object width="400" height="300"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5629027&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5629027&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5629027">Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico "Run Run Run"</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/videotheque">Beck Hansen</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-88825483264347570472009-07-12T11:01:00.011+00:002009-07-12T12:17:20.350+00:00A Gen-X-er's Take on Tech...So I got a new iPhone 3GS. And its an incredible piece of kit. It's hard to resist the temptation to go on about it at some length. But how dull would that be... There must be thousands of 3GS reviews out there already. Dull, dull, dull.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnDk3183RI/AAAAAAAACHo/SK1cYq4xqkw/s1600-h/iphone3gs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 183px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnDk3183RI/AAAAAAAACHo/SK1cYq4xqkw/s400/iphone3gs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357528269966859538" border="0" /></a><br />So instead, I got to thinking, how great is technology today? Is this really a life-changing piece of kit, or just another toy? Is it even conceivable that this could be laughably out of date in just a few years...?<br /><br />As a Gen-X-er of a certain age, (old enough to remember the Sony Walkman, young enough to be uber-enthusiastic about new kit today) maybe I'm uniquely placed to get some perspective on this wonder-gadget with a cheeky wee look back on the technological hits and misses in my Gen-X life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1983 Nintendo Game and Watch – Donkey Kong Jr <span style="font-style: italic;">-HIT!-</span></span><br /><br />For me, this is where it all started. Nintendo have had a long history – from making a primitive kind of pub pinball machine in the 19th century (yep, Nintendo are older than Winston Churchill and the penny-farthing) to the mass-mass-market fun of the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnFqgVjeeI/AAAAAAAACIQ/VUrqNX32DBg/s1600-h/800px-Game_%26_Watch_NWS-_Donkey_Kong_JR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnFqgVjeeI/AAAAAAAACIQ/VUrqNX32DBg/s320/800px-Game_%26_Watch_NWS-_Donkey_Kong_JR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357530565759433186" border="0" /></a>Nintendo Wii. But I will always be nostalgic for the Game and Watch. The first hand-held video-game system, it was essentially just a large LCD- watch style screen (hence the name), limiting game play to platform-games and a very small set of possible actions. But it had that ingredient essential to all great games – an increasing level of challenge to match increasing expertise, and was thus perfectly addictive.<br /><br />I still have mine, though its whereabouts haven’t been definitely confirmed for years (probably under a mountain of lego somewhere), and so I became all dewy-eyed when I found the above picture on the net. The hours and hours of fun the 9-year-old me had with that thing. And yet it could have all been so different. Within hours of buying it on holiday in Spain (I was quite possibly driving my folks bonkers on that holiday), I was having palpitations as it appeared to have packed in on the flight home. Little did I know that 1984's LCD panels just weren't happy in a pressurised air-cabin. A major tearful episode was avoided when the game started belting out its zippy, blippy little tune (haven’t Nintendo always been great at that?) back on terra firma.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1984 ZX Spectrum + <span style="font-style: italic;">-HIT!</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">-</span><br /><br />The warbly tapes. The dodgy sound and graphics. The bizarre but fantastic games (was it just me, or was Ant Attack genuinely scary?). And nothing was more memorable from those first gaming days than Daley Thomson’s Decathlon. Battering that keyboard for all it was worth (all <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnF9fPt0MI/AAAAAAAACIg/_jeHMfx4JTs/s1600-h/daleythompson2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnF9fPt0MI/AAAAAAAACIg/_jeHMfx4JTs/s200/daleythompson2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357530891884024002" border="0" /></a>RSI, no Wii) and then hitting the spacebar to throw a javelin (a single line of pixels) through the air, where it would hang for about 3 minutes like a cruise missile, before landing on an unyielding and unconvincing electric-green square… many a sunny afternoon was wasted on that one.<br /><br />This was the pinnacle of computer game creativity – there were literally thousands of games, you could even write your own in your bedroom – and, on the creativity front at least, its been a mostly bobbly downhill slope from there. To think that Sir Clive Sinclair then made that obscenely shaped plastic-go-kart-death-trap thingy and then turned into a recluse(ish). If only they’d had reality tv in the 80s he could have carved out an alternative career as a bearded pantomime dame…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1987 Hitachi Ghettoblaster <span style="font-style: italic;">-HIT!</span>-<br /></span><br />For about 2 months before Christmas 1987, only one subject could occupy <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnEqpRIIBI/AAAAAAAACII/suAibxuItH0/s1600-h/39649488__1243765158__1__1-6f459e72f542eb6179369d0487c05fa1.__big__.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnEqpRIIBI/AAAAAAAACII/suAibxuItH0/s200/39649488__1243765158__1__1-6f459e72f542eb6179369d0487c05fa1.__big__.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357529468645154834" border="0" /></a>my mind for any length of time – portable hifi. And whilst these-days ‘portable hifi’ might mean something you can stick in your jeans pocket, back then it was something you could barely lift above your head. Undeterred, I would pour over the pages of Kay’s Catalogue, comparing features such as auto-reverse, graphic equaliser (3 or 5 band, 7 band if you were especially posh), bass boost and detachable speakers, this latter feature being something I was especially excited about, for a reason that I can no longer fathom. They were plasticky, they had crap radio reception, buttons frequently fell off at the least provocation… why is it a hit? Well it meant I could play music in my room, and that was revolutionary for me. Since then I’ve been a music freak. Job done.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1990 Panasonic G40 Barcode Reading VHS Recorder <span style="font-style: italic;">-Miss-</span><br /></span><br />Yes, the history of 1980s technology disasters has effectively boiled down to VHS beating up Betamax, and yes we were a Betamax family (wasn’t it great to catch the cat out with that top-loading mechanism?) but that story has been told too many times. Instead, my mention of video-recording tech has to be an example of a laughably bad solution to a (semi) legendary problem.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnFxJMaK_I/AAAAAAAACIY/3IASaYXOi-0/s1600-h/96123756.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 221px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnFxJMaK_I/AAAAAAAACIY/3IASaYXOi-0/s320/96123756.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357530679806143474" border="0" /></a><br />The fact that not being able to program your video recorder has become synonymous in the English-speaking world with having problems with new technology shows what a major problem this was in the 1980s. But it was a problem that was never going to be solved by scanning barcodes. Not a sensible solution. Obviously. Except that, for a while, all the major VCR manufacturers (including Panasonic) wanted us to think it might be.<br /><br />Ok, this wasn’t strictly 'my' techno miss, it was one for my parents, but it’s too weird not to mention. Come on – a giant sheet of barcodes where you scan one barcode for the channel, one for the day, one for the start time, one for the length of the program… are you kidding?? After recording just 4 episodes of Baywatch (well come on! what teenage boy didn’t???), I felt skilled enough to give a supermarket checkout lady a run for her money. What was wrong with just typing in numbers? Nothing apparently, as barcode technology was quietly dumped a couple of years after my folks bought the model pictured above. And that’s the barcode scanning pen on the right, which incidentally doubled up as a fairly weak laser-pointer that could be used to distract yourself - and passing drivers - when you realised that you’d accidentally recorded Murder She Wrote instead of Robin of Sherwood.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1996 Sony MiniDiscman - <span style="font-style: italic;">HIT! (and Miss)-</span><br /></span><br />The end of my unwavering faith in technology – a format that I thought would change the world (You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnGGKdz_LI/AAAAAAAACIo/l7GNGzgHQCQ/s1600-h/Minidisc_Sony_MZ1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnGGKdz_LI/AAAAAAAACIo/l7GNGzgHQCQ/s320/Minidisc_Sony_MZ1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357531040924826802" border="0" /></a> can record in digital! You can skip tracks!) but boomed for roughly 6 months, before fading painfully and gradually like the career of an ex-Spice Girl. Even the combination of my unfailing enthusiasm, and an appearance in the Matrix - the most fashionably futuristic movie of the 90s - couldn't stop its demise. I held out much longer than I should have done – though not as long as my friend Graeme has with cassettes, come on Graeme, 2009 mate, 2009! – and I still have about 200 of the little discs gathering dust in my mum and dad’s attic, with titles like ‘Best of Indie CDs!’ and ‘Stone Roses Second Coming’ barely visible in fading biro on their little sticky labels.<br /><br />But I loved them, and their demise meant I would never fully trust the technology industry again…<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1997 Sony Playstation <span style="font-style: italic;"> -HIT!</span>-<br /></span><br />Yes that’s right – just “Sony Playstation”, not PS1 or playstation 1, and certainly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnEe4PjVPI/AAAAAAAACIA/K-oqdANe2sU/s1600-h/playstation-1-one-sony-audiophile-cd-player-transport-rca-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnEe4PjVPI/AAAAAAAACIA/K-oqdANe2sU/s200/playstation-1-one-sony-audiophile-cd-player-transport-rca-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357529266506650866" border="0" /></a> not PS2 or PS3. This was the original. And it kicked Nintendo, Sega and Atari in the nuts and ran away with an entire industry. How? Simply by being a little cheaper, better in almost every area, and most importantly absolutely-top in the fun stakes. And never mind that it looked like a set of bathroom scales. Sony would later undergo collective amnesia in launching the over-priced, under-loved PS3, which has given away that colossal market advantage and apparently cost them all the profits they made on the PSOne and PS2. But who cares. Playstation was uber-cool in ’97 with games like Doom, Resident Evil and Wipeout, the latter featuring songs by Leftfield and the Chemical Brothers - who would have thought it… a video game… with a cool pop-culture tie-in!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2002 & 2006 Xbox & Xbox 360 <span style="font-style: italic;"> -Miss</span>-<br /></span><br />Microsoft tried to repeat Sony’s industry-grabbing game-play in 2001, but the Xbox<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnEIxV-EDI/AAAAAAAACH4/XLQLS2ZlAAw/s1600-h/xbox1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnEIxV-EDI/AAAAAAAACH4/XLQLS2ZlAAw/s200/xbox1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357528886697398322" border="0" /></a> (in spite of having just about the best video game ever in Halo) never quite cut-it. I didn’t keep either Xbox1 or Xbox2 for any length of time. Maybe they were trying too hard. More likely the games were just too safe and same-y. And if the Playstation One was a set of bathroom scales, these were the pug-ugly plastic boxes to break those scales.<br /><br />But I do have one very funny tale to tell from this. Apparently when my dad told my mum that I had bought the original Xbox, her reaction was “A sex box? What does he want with one of those?”. Yep, hilarious. But why didn’t she ask what a sex box was??? Mysterious. Lol.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007 Ipod Classic 80Gb <span style="font-style: italic;">-Hit!-</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnD8kFZopI/AAAAAAAACHw/2Bht5IRqfgs/s1600-h/ipodclassic-coverflow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 243px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SlnD8kFZopI/AAAAAAAACHw/2Bht5IRqfgs/s320/ipodclassic-coverflow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357528676979810962" border="0" /><br /></a><br />After many years of going French and buying Archos mp3 players, I eventually succumbed to Apple as recently as 2007. Within days I realised why Apple were able to charge more, and for a superficially similar product, with apparently less functionality. It… just…works. It does everything <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> well, and <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> intuitively. And of course it comes in such a sexy package.<br /><br />I loved my Ipod… but I wasn’t IN love with it… and then I got my iPhone. (lmao)<br /><br />So there we have it – my entirely selective, one-man history of technology. And one last point – anyone who says that the old days were better just needs to spend 10 minutes with my iPhone (if you can prise it from my cold, dead hands). That we might soon have such technology would have been an incredible idea, in fact unthinkable, just half a dozen years ago. And there's no doubt this gadget would have been like an alien visitation to the nine-year old lad with his Donkey Kong Junior Game and Watch.<br /><br />With this rate of progress there is surely so much to look forward to in the next few years. Might they even get round to inventing… …a sex box?Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-77952463313551153312009-07-09T09:21:00.003+00:002009-07-09T09:34:38.828+00:00An Amazing Six Months<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsTM7moYZZNat33xH1FGtmlp8Ld1obt4Mxa15Rz98y6zuCs08o2tLWrBn0eO0jogZ827uaKtRAzbSQwl9Ieyg0JXodZShh4U7nZwF9j3ZK8tWIxboqwXiobggpT2Y3MBHPTF6pg/s1600-h/p1050953.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsTM7moYZZNat33xH1FGtmlp8Ld1obt4Mxa15Rz98y6zuCs08o2tLWrBn0eO0jogZ827uaKtRAzbSQwl9Ieyg0JXodZShh4U7nZwF9j3ZK8tWIxboqwXiobggpT2Y3MBHPTF6pg/s400/p1050953.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356390430725959378" border="0" /></a><br /><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Myriad Pro"; panose-1:2 11 5 3 3 4 3 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Myriad Pro"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> in winter is like a date with a hungover Audrey Tatou. N’est pas parfait, but it’s still p-r-e-t-t-y d-a-m-n f-i-n-e…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">After a couple of weeks of mixed weather, things brightened up at the start of last week and the temperature was pushing 20C every day. Not bad for winter. Last weekend was the best of all with two full days of sun and blue skies. And there’s so many great places to be in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city></st1:place> when the sun is out. I am gradually getting to know them all, but there’s years of exploring left yet, and I’ve probably yet to see some of the finest spots. On Sunday I found a pretty unique spot that I’ve been meaning to get to for some time. </p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Sydney</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Harbour</st1:placename></st1:place> is said to be the greatest natural harbour in the world. It is to harbours what the <st1:place st="on">Grand Canyon</st1:place> is to holes in the ground. It's the sheer extent of the harbour, the number of coves and bays and beaches that is incredible. There are 317 km of waterfront in total, a fair portion of which is packed with the most expensive real estate in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>. But it’s the amount of untouched, natural shoreline that’s impressive. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal">Some of the wildest parts are at the headlands at the mouth of the harbour. North Head and South Head (which sit on the north and south side of the harbour respectively – nothing, if not informative, this blog) are a couple of hundred metres apart, but separated by almost 25km of coastline (and bridge). <br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal">I took ferry, bus, foot to north head on Sunday and had a really peaceful afternoon in the winter sunshine. Wearing just a t-shirt and jeans for much of the time, I spent a good few hours wandering around, admiring the views and watching the whale watchers – who seemed to be having a frustrating, whale-less day (as opposed to a whale of time), which was a shame given the immense beauty of the place.</p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">For me, it was a good time to relax and get a bit of perspective on the first half of the year. In the spirit of talking about ‘we’, rather than I, it's good to be able to say that <st1:place st="on">Opportunity</st1:place> had a really blessed first-half of the year. In spite of the terrible economic climate, and really gloomy outlook at times, we have met our fundraising targets for the first six months of the year. This is immensely satisfying because of the hard work that the team has put in, and because we know how important this will be to the poor, especially given how hard hit some communities will be by the economic crisis. And personally, I’m delighted. I’ve found the past six months the most rewarding of my career. I want to be able to continue to do this for a while yet…</p> <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And the chocolate event was a big success! Fanny and Alex’s chocolate creations were the absolute business. Liquid chocolate, mousse, sorbets… fantastic stuff. And my first experience of a panel interview wasn’t as terrifying as I’d expected, though I was perspiring quite intensely – I blame the warm, chocolate kitchen atmosphere hitting my unaccustomed Scottish noggin.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And that's about it for this week. Given such amazing news at work, everything else seems unworthy of reporting.<o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>After another stint of hard work, I’ve rewarded myself with an iPhone. A full review of this work of time-absorbing delivishness will follow in the next update.</p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-72300906473582234432009-06-28T06:39:00.007+00:002009-06-28T07:46:03.104+00:00From William Wallace to Willy WonkaHey, I'm trying to jazz up the website a bit again, hence the elephants marching across the top of the page (from Etosha National Park, Namibia). I'm not sure it looks ok on everyone's computer, so if you've any feedback on the new look, let me know! (Time permitting) this is still a draft of the new look. (I seriously need to dig out that html book I slept through a couple of years ago.)<br /><br />It's the depths of winter, but Sydney is still a beautiful place to be outdoors. This morning I went for a run in the botanics. When the notion takes me I can run through the park down to the edge of the harbour, round the edge of the water between the botanics and farm cove (the site of the first white settlement in Australia) and jog up to the Opera House in about 15 minutes. A round tour back through the botanics takes about 30 minutes and I never see a single car. This morning it was spectacularly beautiful and peaceful too. Why do I not do this more often??<br /><br />Well of course I'd do more outdoors-ey stuff like this if I did a little less socialising at the weekend, but being unattached in Sydney is always going to keep the number of 'quiet nights in' to a minimum. Similarly I'm typing this on the roof of my building - from the 17th floor you can see the bridge and the opera house to the left and out to the ocean to the right. Why is it two months since I was last up here??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzAaU0tenT9Q1zCmg_dBWgC86ZyVpWmOoLSgqDkz_pzsEHTaRMF_23Ng21BXB2oQT_b1LHgS_5SRi0UqJHjCbxyjOHXWZpJ2ViuPtzlrosuWJnSR6iBJw6LKhkjZ8e9Nw0BZyKg/s1600-h/IMG_1258.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzAaU0tenT9Q1zCmg_dBWgC86ZyVpWmOoLSgqDkz_pzsEHTaRMF_23Ng21BXB2oQT_b1LHgS_5SRi0UqJHjCbxyjOHXWZpJ2ViuPtzlrosuWJnSR6iBJw6LKhkjZ8e9Nw0BZyKg/s400/IMG_1258.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352274914125335202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">My running route. Out my front door, past Brett Whitely's matchsticks, out past the Boy Charlton pool and round farm cove to the Opera House (to the right of the bridge in the photo). This was the view from the roof today. </span><br /><br /></span>Work continues to be really sweet for me, and it will be even sweeter than usual this week. On Wednesday night I will be part of a panel being interviewed in front of an audience of young professionals in Sydney. We will be talking about Opportunity International of course, and also talking a little about the impact of the global economic crisis on the fight against poverty. The venue is a chocolate shop (ooh, free chocolate!), Boon Chocolates on Victoria Street in Darlinghurst. And the prospect of free chocolate has me very excited.<br /><br />Not that I <span style="font-style: italic;">need </span>free chocolate of course. But - not unusually for a Scot - I have a very sweet tooth. It's an affliction that comes and goes. At various times I can handle my condition (sic) pretty well but then at other times I just can't resist at least two 'treats' per day. This past month has been such a time. What constitutes a 'treat'? There's a modest list of top quality goodies that will satiate my junkie-like need for a sugary hit: crunchies (or violet crumble in Oz), mint aeros, McDonald's M&M Mcflurry and caramel slices are all near the top of the list, while home-baking (with it's built-in disregard for the dietary common-sense that afflicts products sold to the <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZdo_talCCAMcnZnJYd2fwpH3vLV-uEcD33lSX25h_4m-uOOtfCb-3gClDhCiGX_oW8rWGP79Sxf82mFWQfmfnjSTpUIZWpl2OkB66DBuL7GshjFj59zjV4odcO9HVdnNq-S4WA/s1600-h/caramel430x300.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZdo_talCCAMcnZnJYd2fwpH3vLV-uEcD33lSX25h_4m-uOOtfCb-3gClDhCiGX_oW8rWGP79Sxf82mFWQfmfnjSTpUIZWpl2OkB66DBuL7GshjFj59zjV4odcO9HVdnNq-S4WA/s320/caramel430x300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352274169185875282" border="0" /></a>general public) is almost an obsession, especially tablet, fudge and shortbread, all of which have that insane level of sweetness needed to satisfy a long-time sugar-abuser. (If my metabolic rate ever slows down I'm in so much bother...)<br /><br />But chocolate of any form will do nicely, thank you very much.<br /><br />So needless to say, I'm very much looking forward to Wednesday. I may not sleep until Friday, and then of course I'll have to go cold turkey at the weekend. But by God will it be worth it.<br /><br />And hopefully Andy Murray will give all Scots an excuse to stay indoors (and away from ice-cream vans and sweetie stories) next weekend. Come on Andy, surely the insanely high hopes of the British public will be met with Nadal already out and only 14-times Grand Slam winner Roger Federer standing between you and the title.<br /><br />Seriously though, I do think he has a chance. Could be a cracker on Sunday.<br /><br />Weather update: spectacular change in the weather in the 30 minutes since I started writing this update. I'm now back in my apartment as the expected lovely sunset vanished, usurped by a sudden storm and potential rain. Hmmm, it'll have to be an episode of peep show in front of the telly this evening.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTuKrIjCNuZMQaYwSqn5haMb1tmFzuYRcPCkvW__Pe7EkGzzPJ8RV9U6Qk2UYHry8VD5lZN4Hdc8mbv2qVQzZtNO-BNrExS0ZobsEdA4GrJogaJTs0H5jJI___RtPxD0VAea_cw/s1600-h/peepshow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTuKrIjCNuZMQaYwSqn5haMb1tmFzuYRcPCkvW__Pe7EkGzzPJ8RV9U6Qk2UYHry8VD5lZN4Hdc8mbv2qVQzZtNO-BNrExS0ZobsEdA4GrJogaJTs0H5jJI___RtPxD0VAea_cw/s320/peepshow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352274396815661698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Still love a good fix of quirky British comedy.</span></span>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-83898408832561735802009-06-20T05:43:00.011+00:002009-06-20T06:15:25.965+00:00Winter in Sydney<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2s7eLfp8oqPeH8drcLQmQsRdnkSAx79bZVbTCOTzr4_FtWQh7fncAZwRnBjUfHa26z7aRF7-xH4cDHFLvBEn7fA7u5CJgrJETREMPC0FNaxSiIR0bgMpH6q0t2rriw8mb2onyfg/s1600-h/aIMG_0895.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2s7eLfp8oqPeH8drcLQmQsRdnkSAx79bZVbTCOTzr4_FtWQh7fncAZwRnBjUfHa26z7aRF7-xH4cDHFLvBEn7fA7u5CJgrJETREMPC0FNaxSiIR0bgMpH6q0t2rriw8mb2onyfg/s400/aIMG_0895.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349282997330863890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">WW takes some time-out from the battlefield to attend to local morale...</span></span><br /><br />It’s been more than a month. I’ve tried a few times but…<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">…I’ve had mixed feelings about this website since I stopped travelling. I’ve been reluctant to talk about the day-to-day stuff. It could get rather tedious (whadda ya mean ‘could’ I hear you say?). It’s much easier to make this lively and interesting when I’m talking about foreign travel, because the focus is on… exotic places and weird customs and freaky things happening. And I’m not talking so much about me… </p><p class="MsoNormal">But I do want to keep the blog going. It's good to blog. It's something for me to look back on if nothing else.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But maybe... maybe I can keep things interesting by not talking about me. Instead of talking about me, I could talk about ‘we’ – what ‘we’ at Opportunity have been doing, what ‘we’ as in me and friends have been doing, maybe even talk about ‘we’ as in me and my romantic interests. Nah, actually I might leave that for another day... tmi…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because ‘we’ is what life should be all about (aaaahhhh!). Ahem, ok… definitely going to get on with it now, before this becomes nothing other than semantics and naval-gazing. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78cZB-IJTvXL9vYtm0iwUUKH6zBV1Lhr1noN281D6qXYSGhQuVwCwojRn0HeLX7CASk44rkcC47QzMt3vwx_l2DlQlNpQUj6VdpYexPDraPFnLWes-pAl3tEKGcVs7IRJlQRRAw/s1600-h/IMG_0891.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78cZB-IJTvXL9vYtm0iwUUKH6zBV1Lhr1noN281D6qXYSGhQuVwCwojRn0HeLX7CASk44rkcC47QzMt3vwx_l2DlQlNpQUj6VdpYexPDraPFnLWes-pAl3tEKGcVs7IRJlQRRAw/s320/IMG_0891.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349283308432127634" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><b style=""><br /></b></st1:place></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on">[and another thing - it's hard to get motivated to update this blog when blogger works so freakin poorly. If anyone can explain why all the paragraphs are stuck to gether and why I ahve to continually fiddle with these updates to get them looking remotely neat, please do tell. </st1:place>Ok, Counted to ten... <st1:place st="on">bitch over... High horse put back in the stable... ] <b style=""><br /></b></st1:place></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><b style="">Opportunity</b></st1:place><b style=""> <o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Opportunity International is a big part of my life at the moment. We (hey this is easy!) are going through a big big year in 2009. Not an easy year. We are working through the biggest global recession in 60 years – it affects our donors, it affects our partners (in <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Indonesia</st1:place></st1:country-region>), it affects our clients. We are working harder than ever to make sure we can keep the money flowing. We are working better as a (smaller) team. We are loving it actually – there’s always a buzz in the office. Uncertainty is never very nice, but there’s a real satisfaction in doing as much as you can, working together. Not that it’s all sweetness and light – we drive each other mad like any other office full of wilful people. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">We are relying more on the work of our ambassadors – our highly involved volunteers, who are running projects for us, not just to raise funds, but to raise awareness. Most of all we want to make friends this year. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Last weekend we had an event for ambassadors in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city>. We had a few presentations on our work, including a presentation from me on the effect of the global economic crisis. It seemed to go very well. We are investing effort now for the long run…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjlxmkcOGM-hj2BoFDc09tiHCGUGbZWrdd9-dINpMobLikNYPYwfoGi_MH6v1dedMg_t14fqgtvskD2YMLdjXKNC32vE9kPJBXWeNQuJJpRz202L3HPH8TgVTCb2tTTT1M2aR_Q/s1600-h/freedom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjlxmkcOGM-hj2BoFDc09tiHCGUGbZWrdd9-dINpMobLikNYPYwfoGi_MH6v1dedMg_t14fqgtvskD2YMLdjXKNC32vE9kPJBXWeNQuJJpRz202L3HPH8TgVTCb2tTTT1M2aR_Q/s320/freedom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349286329832268706" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Job satisfaction is often elusive. But if you can see an outcome (a product, a service, a change in the way things are done) making a positive change in peoples’ lives (whatever field you work in), and if you can know that <i style="">you</i> have made an important contribution to that outcome, then I think you’re there. I think <i style="">we’re</i> getting there.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Willie Wallace finds that freedom means different things to different people...</span></span><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Party<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Photos in this update are from last weekend’s (that was one busy weekend) fancy dress party. We had an awesome time, with great outfits (Jessica Rabbit, Mr T, Braveheart (yours truly), ballerinas and playboy bunnies). At the end of the night (ok, the next morning) it dawned on me that my wig was missing. Returning to the scene of the battle to ask for your wig back is something I’ll bet William Wallace never had to do. Mind you, even the bar staff had been trying it on, so it’s not surprising it went walk about…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s been great to reconnect with friends in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city></st1:place>. We’ve had bbqs, birthday parties (1yo, 2yo, 30yo), festivals (Brian Eno festival, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> movie festival) and generally done much in defiance of the steadily worsening weather. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Next week sees the shortest day. The temperature is never too low (it’s never in single figures), but it feels somehow freezing at times. Wearing a jumper to work has become a daily necessity. Going out for a coffee seems a justified defence ‘against the cold’. How did I ever survive in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>???!!!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4FlO-zM20-hPCTP_GQcG7mt9LxUM4tO_mNWgg4pqn8OzWGHhJ3LBLJxiiFoTHuPiy1UNjk_eDObCWHKQvnnGYYbPCCAi8u2-pziQ3keKEkPXYYD-IU2G3ShOb7ZHW3Su51jJiw/s1600-h/IMG_0923.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4FlO-zM20-hPCTP_GQcG7mt9LxUM4tO_mNWgg4pqn8OzWGHhJ3LBLJxiiFoTHuPiy1UNjk_eDObCWHKQvnnGYYbPCCAi8u2-pziQ3keKEkPXYYD-IU2G3ShOb7ZHW3Su51jJiw/s320/IMG_0923.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349283611326286098" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Iceman!!! Bogie at your 6, bogie at your... ahhh, whatever, let's just pose with Betty Boop.</span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">Fluff<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lots of things have tickled me in the last month. For a week I was a geeky follower of the shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. There wasn’t a battery replacement, a module installation, a stubbornly resisting screw that I didn’t read about three or four times. That’s not drama?? Are you kidding me?? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Brisbane</st1:place></st1:city> for the first time. Looks nice. Very legoland-ish around the river. I was there just for one day, nothing too exciting. Would love to go back. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been back at the physio. Being ancient, I break very easily these days. This time it’s the other shoulder. I now have lots more funny little exercises (steady!) to do over the next 6 weeks. At least I can still swim this time, though not in the ocean… and yeah I’m not missing that too much at this time of year. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I could go on, but I'll shut up at that. More fluff and 'we' soon.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdvc-VilbjNfsBN3l_YgEDdr7q7FGBrNuV5h15PfVQElynui7tKM-j7d1HIXCW3mDAq379eDrSJBdtRrImOIYvTb1-izL025lWTJVOUwIEpCWrDumu_xwxibux8KklyJFcfb8Cg/s1600-h/IMG_0911.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdvc-VilbjNfsBN3l_YgEDdr7q7FGBrNuV5h15PfVQElynui7tKM-j7d1HIXCW3mDAq379eDrSJBdtRrImOIYvTb1-izL025lWTJVOUwIEpCWrDumu_xwxibux8KklyJFcfb8Cg/s400/IMG_0911.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349283893705067858" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">And not an NRL player in site...</span></span><br /></p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-87333212743320628262009-05-30T23:44:00.008+00:002009-05-31T00:10:59.147+00:00The Philippines (Part 2)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZWd9_6dWEjVtjEXFVVKeOH5Rggc0Kpl8faMDAtZXhIlHCFfS9_FF2s1PKJZi09rnsSPGLNlpeUr0BubjMzQfcH58uS5IMGtvgBg0UuNcD5DsFcuz1RAmAqY7P_wdDaoBKxJQlw/s1600-h/IMG_1630.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZWd9_6dWEjVtjEXFVVKeOH5Rggc0Kpl8faMDAtZXhIlHCFfS9_FF2s1PKJZi09rnsSPGLNlpeUr0BubjMzQfcH58uS5IMGtvgBg0UuNcD5DsFcuz1RAmAqY7P_wdDaoBKxJQlw/s400/IMG_1630.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341769416117860082" border="0" /></a><br />After the most intensive six weeks of work since I started with Opportunity, I was looking forward to a week of relaxation and reflection on the beach, and some exceptional scuba diving. But it didn’t quite work out as I’d expected.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Slog</span><br /><br />The day after the conference I had a 9am flight to Manila to catch another flight to Coron, a large town in the north of the Palawan archipelago, a chain of islands in the west of the Philippines best known for their undeveloped tropical environment – fine white sandy beaches and perfectly clear blue waters.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w64TjnmzMCasdBMB712uu7TsdHgFKdC01vkjhTmor-fgrYMdlQXO3cz98FoNrbUt7KW4I-ymXpfT3NvU18ZsbTZ-4F0kUYB72n-iGwKsOi95hk1nn-Ddh0KXQtzNSe1xoIJdNw/s1600-h/IMG_1695.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w64TjnmzMCasdBMB712uu7TsdHgFKdC01vkjhTmor-fgrYMdlQXO3cz98FoNrbUt7KW4I-ymXpfT3NvU18ZsbTZ-4F0kUYB72n-iGwKsOi95hk1nn-Ddh0KXQtzNSe1xoIJdNw/s320/IMG_1695.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341770703600167730" border="0" /></a><br />I had a particular fixation on these islands because, in 1944, just off the island of Busuanga, American navy launched a surprise attack on the Japanese fleet, sinking 14 large ships in a raid which at that time was the longest-range aerial attack in history (many of the attacking planes ran out of fuel before they could return to their carriers). Today, these wrecks lie well-preserved in the very shallow water they sank in, teaming with marine life. In short, a divers dream!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb7difKlaWrQkDj-IlMwI8w4rIxyi-BiZPqT0gU1hBmYc5D919PK4xwmI9tJJOndCGVkKnjYUCyu2dFMNDPq9Wt2JbwTZa7hNHfUOAplg1DHlLKi6S6TIpTE3QXmiCzABFcxYcg/s1600-h/IMG_1640.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmb7difKlaWrQkDj-IlMwI8w4rIxyi-BiZPqT0gU1hBmYc5D919PK4xwmI9tJJOndCGVkKnjYUCyu2dFMNDPq9Wt2JbwTZa7hNHfUOAplg1DHlLKi6S6TIpTE3QXmiCzABFcxYcg/s320/IMG_1640.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341769776826027906" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The flight to Manila was routine and as the connecting flight took off in clear blue skies, I had no reason to think that we wouldn’t make it to Coron…<br /><br />About ten minutes from our destination, while gazing out of the window at the pure blue waters of the South China Sea, I noticed a column of cloud, storm-clouds in fact, which looked not a little like a typhoon. While I was still puzzling over this aberration in the middle of otherwise clear blue skies, the pilot (or it could have been the copilot or anyone that can do that voice I suppose) announced that we would be in a holding pattern for a while due to what he euphemistically called ‘bad weather’. After 20 minutes of lazy circling (blue skies, blue skies, blue skies, typhoon, blue skies) which fooled no-one, the pilot came on to regret that we had been ordered (by air-controllers, or by God, I’m not sure to which he was referring) to return to Manila.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Detour</span><br /><br />What I day. I spent several (yes, several) weary hours at Manila airport booking flights to Boraca<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-6MQIazxps7gtKgbQk_cj-ITPr8SYoy9iLvU7-aQLUc5e2MuaXQ546o3VH3CAJKrQeAo7Yq2H7vTk7zqTdkBkeV07RSVoOg8rl43QHkaFPRPIWUWG6-IreerxKtAGUe-BHMqWw/s1600-h/IMG_1702.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-6MQIazxps7gtKgbQk_cj-ITPr8SYoy9iLvU7-aQLUc5e2MuaXQ546o3VH3CAJKrQeAo7Yq2H7vTk7zqTdkBkeV07RSVoOg8rl43QHkaFPRPIWUWG6-IreerxKtAGUe-BHMqWw/s320/IMG_1702.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341770209138984626" border="0" /></a>y for the next day. Boracay is the most famous, and (over) developed resort in the Philippines, a pretty decent place to spend some relaxing days, and - more importantly – in a group of islands well clear of the typhoon. So it was the perfect location potentially. And I did feel like I was recharging my batteries there, though by the end of the week I was pretty bored. Beach resorts are not often a great place to be on your own, and this was a particularly couple-y place. I enjoyed the diving, it was pretty decent, if not out of this world.<br /><br />Somehow I found myself happy to be back in Manila though. Maybe the hotel helped – the global economic crisis has made some hotels ridiculously cheap, and the discounted price of five-star luxury has crept into even my budget. Hostels are fine by me, but I’ll take luxury when I can get it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trek</span><br /><br />So obviously I prolonged checking out of the Mandarin as long as possible, but eventually they had to kick me out on the streets. I had a few hours to kill before my flight back to Sydney and no appetite for further shopping, so I decided to take-in the new Star Trek movie.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wLNoOu78l0ClntdbrMJEcV73Z8-MEJn3jW8MpnufTH4vQzlaFQglxFR_1ipBFoD9IPOmbWhu0oNjLepn4u9ng_3C7lYxXUFrdj-SqMr1ke72BCpa7vQI4xsCirb9Wj1V_wECTA/s1600-h/IMG_1633.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wLNoOu78l0ClntdbrMJEcV73Z8-MEJn3jW8MpnufTH4vQzlaFQglxFR_1ipBFoD9IPOmbWhu0oNjLepn4u9ng_3C7lYxXUFrdj-SqMr1ke72BCpa7vQI4xsCirb9Wj1V_wECTA/s400/IMG_1633.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341772765447135490" border="0" /></a><br />I can't say I'm a fan, at least I'm definitely not a trekkie. I have seen most of the movies though and there seemed to be a fair amount of buzz about this one. And for once it's justified. This is a fantastic action movie. No better way of describing it in my opinion. Just really sharply put together. The story is very nicely together of where all the main characters came from<br /><br />What this is not though - and this will sound odd - is a sci-fi movie. For me sci-fi is the art of presenting something different and other-wordly. Superficially, this is just that. But its just too slick and though there are plenty of surprises, they are all 'knowing'. In every other Star Trek movie i've seen, there was something off-the-wall which suggested the writers were smoking something at some point in the production. On screen these moments could seem wobbly or kitsch, but they at least got you thinking. This is missing from the new Trek movie. By being slick, it's the perfect action movie, not the perfect sci-fi movie.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlqQP0hyphenhyphen-qTKMIrQOklV51PVNSU7IwBAHuVWy1bgQasnzSMvAoBjF5sJng_FQh7shzisLOomtrRak2kXmttdZx7L-xba_m5A2vQ0efXKZVYTF0EtRUBuCfdVZOibUiDPIGK57wQ/s1600-h/insp_expendability.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdlqQP0hyphenhyphen-qTKMIrQOklV51PVNSU7IwBAHuVWy1bgQasnzSMvAoBjF5sJng_FQh7shzisLOomtrRak2kXmttdZx7L-xba_m5A2vQ0efXKZVYTF0EtRUBuCfdVZOibUiDPIGK57wQ/s400/insp_expendability.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341771854905136610" border="0" /></a><br />And that was the Philippines. It was a funny trip. Nothing went quite as planned. And at the same time I can see the place has amazing potential and I hope to go back soon, and often. But not to fancy resorts. And not on my own. And definitely not during typhoons.Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-41797818600124017072009-05-18T13:08:00.008+00:002009-05-18T13:31:16.148+00:00The Philippines (Part 1)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEVYNxqt_nwGlOYd6YPajm5kE7szfV1zMN7Tvb2h9l4ZT-9FIGQt72umlYZQYc8_1GXGDFRdwISIpaa6f2znPchPAX89ze1ueCR3RXtNIhkbxlpysBcLtpbdPpaeAVXUSFGTINg/s1600-h/IMG_1542.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmEVYNxqt_nwGlOYd6YPajm5kE7szfV1zMN7Tvb2h9l4ZT-9FIGQt72umlYZQYc8_1GXGDFRdwISIpaa6f2znPchPAX89ze1ueCR3RXtNIhkbxlpysBcLtpbdPpaeAVXUSFGTINg/s400/IMG_1542.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337151451645159458" border="0" /></a><br />I was only back in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> a week and I was packing my bags again. It’s to my immense good fortune that my role within <st1:place st="on">Opportunity</st1:place> is one of the few that takes me out to the field, where I talk to our partner CEOs and staff, discuss our policies and even meet clients on occasion.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the busiest moments… I have to confess I do forget how fortune I am. That week in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sydney</st1:place></st1:city> was one of those moments.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But as exhausted as you do get, sleeping fitfully on flights, waking at 5am in hotel rooms, I think these times are cherished after the event.<span style=""> </span>I’m already smiling thinking about the trip to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. This is the first of a couple of updates explaining why:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style="">The Friendliest People<o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><o:p> </o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I never feel confident enough to make conclusions about a country after visiting as a tourist. It doesn’t stop me making some assertions – as I did about every country I visited on the Big Trip – but they are always qualified observations. There’s something about the tourist experience – visiting tourist sites, flitting from place to place, filling the voyeuristic, detached role of the tourist – that puts a barrier between you, and truly knowing a country. And by knowing a country I mean knowing its people, knowing how the society ‘works’, how people treat each other, and how they treat outsiders. That’s why my visits to <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region></st1:place> with work have been such a privilege, and so much more rewarding than my first trip, as a tourist.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqn2Z49VlUmg8Keg2iOIWanMzXb5WUYGI7RzuJ7uzWxvYjgbT1MqWpsQ05QYBt_3pp4ax2zgg0Ke698k_DHr5ngrrnSLqcauJyjRQ49DPuvfkU7xcd7DnCgFryJSQ7mPdomWTKQ/s1600-h/IMG_1573.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVqn2Z49VlUmg8Keg2iOIWanMzXb5WUYGI7RzuJ7uzWxvYjgbT1MqWpsQ05QYBt_3pp4ax2zgg0Ke698k_DHr5ngrrnSLqcauJyjRQ49DPuvfkU7xcd7DnCgFryJSQ7mPdomWTKQ/s400/IMG_1573.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337152294295561762" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">So I was delighted to be able to experience the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> for the first time with some purpose other than enjoying the beach, the shopping and restaurant food (not that there’s anything wrong with those things, which I did plenty of when the work was over!). My main purpose in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> was to make a presentation on Social Performance Management to some of the 600 attendees at the APPEND Microfinance Summer Camp 2009. Append is an organisation representing 12 MFIs that serve over a million clients in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. The summer camp was a chance for the Filipino MFIs and their staff to reflect on the past year at a 3-day retreat on the southern <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">island</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Mindanao</st1:placename></st1:place>.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuePrM02qvEZgdDGSHetgEBuqjEUO98YJYbrkfzSbjqz0cNtJrCOqm7l6h6VQBD8G5jyhUON2LthgSoLRJtbTsrN21JDA71BPoeXUgDo6R3svya-OnG9f0NrBZWd_fEOLP-y8hNg/s1600-h/IMG_1568.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuePrM02qvEZgdDGSHetgEBuqjEUO98YJYbrkfzSbjqz0cNtJrCOqm7l6h6VQBD8G5jyhUON2LthgSoLRJtbTsrN21JDA71BPoeXUgDo6R3svya-OnG9f0NrBZWd_fEOLP-y8hNg/s400/IMG_1568.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337151874966976210" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">The retreat was a revelation for me. Our Filipino partners are hard-working and have a level of dedication to poverty relief that you will not see in many other countries with a history of microfinance. But the summer camp is as much a celebration of the unity and shared mission of the staff as it is about any technical aspect of microfinance. There was much singing, dancing and ceremony. Religion is a very important part of life in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> and people are clearly very much in touch with the role of religion in their work. Karaoke was well featured in the evenings too, and though I would have given it a go, I was a little relieved when I was passed over in the karaoke event in favour of my colleague Mark (our program manager for the Philippines) who was pulled up on stage for a couple of 80s classics from Fame.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">In fact the atmosphere seemed odd and a little unnerving at first. It took me a while to realise that the reason the atmosphere seemed odd to me was because people were so relaxed at the event. The Filipinos are truly a people that are laid-back in social situations. They are the most social people I </p><p class="MsoNormal"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WEhSs52T5jN8rfQY8OxKfOsrfV5Z19z0b9qIqLA15duqh6Rj3ISQaaZHcxrlc9OevJHJd5oUxRuwktEZkQhg_2o6aHE09t7h1ZwiC5cpchlRuCj-9yIoNqHSCNrAtOgNOCGUCA/s1600-h/IMG_1521.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WEhSs52T5jN8rfQY8OxKfOsrfV5Z19z0b9qIqLA15duqh6Rj3ISQaaZHcxrlc9OevJHJd5oUxRuwktEZkQhg_2o6aHE09t7h1ZwiC5cpchlRuCj-9yIoNqHSCNrAtOgNOCGUCA/s320/IMG_1521.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337151094330153106" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal">have ever met. No wonder one-sixth of the world’s text messages are typed and sent in the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Philippines</st1:country-region></st1:place>!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The second day saw me presenting to a break-out group of about 100-150 people. This seemed to go fairly well. I’m not sure my accent was the simplest to understand, though peoples grasp of English in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> is excellent. I started the presentation by speaking a little Spanish, which was met with much appreciation (though actually I found out that the Filipino language Tagalog is only very loosely related to Spanish) despite my limited vocabulary! Anyway, I got through the presentation fairly well I think, and the conference was a great opportunity to make contacts with key people in each of our partners.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">And then on the third day we went white-water rafting. As well as being a good laugh, this was my first chance to see some of the natural beauty of the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> that the guidebooks will gushingly tell you is under-sold and much ignored.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ASMZ3fTU7jDs6aPVd3tRCE02UNyWkM5jaYH4pkg21UFEl2CNSNzCqYqxi4l85-A_QA0bA1fBvKDt8WOVOUCKsJYtvjDdg59oh0Wkei2lv5xq5tGrqsn0AUBZtKuNCBI2WGgtOQ/s1600-h/IMG_1579.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ASMZ3fTU7jDs6aPVd3tRCE02UNyWkM5jaYH4pkg21UFEl2CNSNzCqYqxi4l85-A_QA0bA1fBvKDt8WOVOUCKsJYtvjDdg59oh0Wkei2lv5xq5tGrqsn0AUBZtKuNCBI2WGgtOQ/s320/IMG_1579.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337152711880635218" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Why under-sold and ignored? Well, the Philippines has a strange demographic – it’s a place that’s hard to get your head around – an incredible 4,000 inhabited islands sitting lying shards of broken crockery in the South China Sea, connected by a hundred ferry routes, and more recently by almost as many domestic flightpaths. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on"><br /></st1:place></p><p class="MsoNormal"><st1:place st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> itself has much about it that is strange, and no doubt wonderful too, but sadly the ongoing terrorist activity on the island has gobbled up all the international attention. I’ve been to a lot of places that have been affected by terrorism now – Sri Lanka, Bali, Nepal - places where terrorism has become part of the definition of the place (as opposed to India for example, where mercifully, attacks on Delhi and Mumbai continue to be just a tiny part of the Indian story) and I’ve learned that the most respectful thing you can do is to appreciate that, for local people, this is often a part of their experience that they do not want to dwell on, or discuss with outsiders. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">In Cagayan de Oro, a town in the north of <st1:place st="on">Mindanao</st1:place> where we had the conference, I found people to be unfailingly welcoming, friendly and always looking to do something for you, not through any feeling of obligation (that I could discern) but through that joy in being sociable that I’ve mentioned already, and through a respect for other people.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91w4eP_xmxN2WAfecaY9V0M9G3hG6TKKjaghyBV_BgNS22FX9z9Pn1-mIhvJ8i-c0FcAMkgQP2KDpj7CT3ndb6uvduGPCeWrhvsX0NRlzTvDOoICUt1_Dx44nMrj8xAXEqH61YA/s1600-h/IMG_1583.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91w4eP_xmxN2WAfecaY9V0M9G3hG6TKKjaghyBV_BgNS22FX9z9Pn1-mIhvJ8i-c0FcAMkgQP2KDpj7CT3ndb6uvduGPCeWrhvsX0NRlzTvDOoICUt1_Dx44nMrj8xAXEqH61YA/s320/IMG_1583.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337153193006436402" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So that was the working part of the trip. I hope I’m privileged enough to return to return to visit our Filipino partners in the field. I can’t wait to see how they work with clients – I’m sure it will be a really enlightening experience. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Next update will feature encounters with typhoons, scuba diving, boxing matches and an imprompto meeting with a taxi driver who has just started protestant Quakerism in the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Stay tuned. </p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-64848141653664339812009-05-13T12:05:00.003+00:002009-05-13T12:21:27.836+00:00India 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnhbKWTCvk-c1eulv7Z_3J7m8D05m_xUp0dCB0PYqaD8lnKXuiXBhOpPtbUT7qjwaelzQOYZ3joS73ilvC1GjK_Ouv8U2boFksPIBw0tOPqwlLcAXdDBySWgu6F1B4YE8U4u1hQ/s1600-h/anatomy-of-a-sick-bag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnhbKWTCvk-c1eulv7Z_3J7m8D05m_xUp0dCB0PYqaD8lnKXuiXBhOpPtbUT7qjwaelzQOYZ3joS73ilvC1GjK_Ouv8U2boFksPIBw0tOPqwlLcAXdDBySWgu6F1B4YE8U4u1hQ/s320/anatomy-of-a-sick-bag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335280820741270354" border="0" /></a>(<span style="font-style: italic;">photos of India to follow!)</span><br /><br />Ok, for those of you who are counting, and I’ve had vocal reminders from a couple of peeps (thanks for the encouragement!), its been a month (again) without an update. I’ve been travelling across Asia fighting poverty. Ok, that sounds a bit too grand. I’ve been travelling to India and the Philippines making presentations on Social Performance Management (SPM). That’s better.<br /><br />There’s so much to cover. I’m going to start with an update on the India trip today. An update on the Philippines and what I’ve been up to in Australia can wait for another day (not in a month I promise!).<br /><br />So, India. This was my most rewarding trip yet. Though it was the second workshop that we’ve had with our partners, it felt like a new kind of experience to me, as I had so much more face-time with the CEOs. It helped that I had the chance to introduce the event and talk a lot about my pet subject, which meant I was pretty much front-and-centre for the two days of the workshop.<br /><br />I’m really pleased with how things are progressing. This is an important project for us – giving us the opportunity to introduce a new method of establishing and reporting on the impact that we are having on poverty, so it was very encouraging that so many of our partners are enthusiastic about SPM.<br /><br />I was exhausted by the end of the week and after a bit of shopping on the Friday night (Delhi malls are a great place to get some bargain clothes) I was more than ready to head home. And there the fun began. After six trips to India without mishap I was fairly blasé about the risk of Delhi belly. But as soon as I woke at 3am on the Saturday morning I knew the trip home was gonna be deeply unpleasant!<br /><br />As always with Delhi belly it started at one end (what do you mean too much information?) but it wasn’t long before the nausea kicked in. I left the hotel for the airport at 530am with several plastic bags to hand (cue worried looks from the driver). Amazingly (and to the driver’s delight) I made it to the airport, and indeed on to the flight without using the bags. But I knew was in real trouble when we had to queue on the tarmac for 20 mins before take off.<br /><br />I know the old saying about a kettle, but truly it is a watched ‘fasten seat-belts sign’ that never goes off. With sweat running down my forehead I willed 200 tonnes of Boeing 757 off the runway, into the air and up to a safe cruising altitude. As soon as the light went off I sprinted with unrestrained panic to the toilet. And I made it. Just. But it was a long time before I came back out again, and I certainly wasn’t touching any of those foil wrapped meals with the strangely rubbery green-beans (always rubbery green-beans, no matter the continent or airline).<br /><br />It was a very long trip back to Sydney and I didn’t really feel right for days. But I made the sprint to the loo and for that, I (and my fellow passengers) will always be grateful! Sadly though, this turn of events means I have had to give up a title. At work, I had become known as ‘cast-iron stomach Scott’ for my ability to disregard normal precautions when eating and drinking abroad, and never becoming ill. Now that title has gone, and I’ll think twice before I visit a Mexican restaurant in India again…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipr47tAevURNrDyDW1DgCjTLQ9JAQnreGPxCKf9x2a-CFLz1rfMj9MBdd5vnwiSlsOho-yJR-OhGEEo62I1SAl0F75DTwUoVr0f4ZqLpolcWjoAiZTf_ANMZ3dPHwlDrqUwVxT0A/s1600-h/katiemasters109.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipr47tAevURNrDyDW1DgCjTLQ9JAQnreGPxCKf9x2a-CFLz1rfMj9MBdd5vnwiSlsOho-yJR-OhGEEo62I1SAl0F75DTwUoVr0f4ZqLpolcWjoAiZTf_ANMZ3dPHwlDrqUwVxT0A/s400/katiemasters109.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335279242030329282" border="0" /></a><br />Talking of airplane food reminds me of that fantastic complaint about Virgin from a few months back (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/4344890/Virgin-the-worlds-best-passenger-complaint-letter.html). And another complaint on the news today has tickled me too. Katie Masters, who is 109 wrote to the Queen to complain that the birthday cards she was getting every year had the same photo of the Queen on the front. I think that’s bloody marvellous! And obviously the PR department at Buck Palace has improved somewhat in the last ten years as they sent Prince William to visit her to apologise. Maybe the British rarely complain, but when they do they do it in style. (It’s your hamster in the box Richard, and he’s not breathing!)Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-92032223966637819822009-04-10T15:36:00.005+00:002009-04-10T15:53:16.241+00:00India, the Philippines... and a free tv??<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9o2mcYZVI/AAAAAAAACDE/z0d-wTveTUk/s1600-h/india_flag.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9o2mcYZVI/AAAAAAAACDE/z0d-wTveTUk/s400/india_flag.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323088571817026898" border="0" /></a><br />I’m a bad blogger. Bad blogger! Once again, I’ve managed to go a month without updating this website, and though the ‘too busy’ excuse is more true than ever, I’m going to refrain from the sob story. Besides, it’s been good to be busy!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’ve been working like a drone again. And why? I’m off to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> today, for the first time in nearly six months. The trip is timed to coincide with our second MFI Partner Workshop. I’ll be talking about Social Performance Management – and a few other things beside – with our partners. I’ll also be taking photographs, interviewing partners and visiting SEWA Ashram again, but I’ll save that for my post-trip blog, which should be a good one!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9pA2a5sEI/AAAAAAAACDM/HuGKEV3X02o/s1600-h/philippines_flag.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9pA2a5sEI/AAAAAAAACDM/HuGKEV3X02o/s400/philippines_flag.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323088747904479298" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As if that weren’t excitement enough, this isn’t my only upcoming trip. Oh no. I’m only back from <st1:country-region st="on">India</st1:country-region> a week and I’m flying off again, this time to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Once again, I’ll be attending a conference with some of our partners. And once again, I’ll be talking about Social Performance Management.<span style=""> </span>There’s a packed agenda for that workshop, which includes karaoke (an intense passion of the Filipinos) and an evening in regional costume - hold your breath, this could be an outing for the kilt! After the conference, I’ll be staying on into May, for some well-needed R&R. I’m planning a week’s diving in Busuanga, a beautiful white-sand island, famous among divers for it’s Japanese WWII shipwrecks. Again, more on that in the next blog. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I’ve got much other news aside from work, but I’ll save some of that for now. Instead, I have to mention one story that’s huge in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Australia</st1:place></st1:country-region>, not least because it directly affects a substantial proportion of the population.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9ouuFaaxI/AAAAAAAACC8/ih84Pi8Q3vE/s1600-h/0,,5654927,00.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9ouuFaaxI/AAAAAAAACC8/ih84Pi8Q3vE/s400/0,,5654927,00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323088436429220626" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Yes, the big news here is on the economy front where Kevin Rudd is attempting to turn bad news ‘global financial meltdown’ into good news ‘free cash for (nearly) all’. And yes, free cash is pretty much that. Though officially going under the moniker of 'stimulus package', Kevin’s whiz consists of A$900 (450 pounds) paid out to every resident taxpayer earning under A$100,000. About 10m australians (half the population!) are eligible and the impact on the economy has been felt even before the payments have been made.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Most amusing has been the constant barrage of adverts for consumer items all priced around the A$800-900 mark! High definition TVs, washing machines and leather sofas are all mysteriously (or not mysteriously) converging on this figure, in the hope of getting secondary exposure to Kevin’s wad.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9qGolnpFI/AAAAAAAACDU/IjpRNAoEM4o/s1600-h/1981-SHARP-big-5in.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 376px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sd9qGolnpFI/AAAAAAAACDU/IjpRNAoEM4o/s400/1981-SHARP-big-5in.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323089946782180434" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I for one have my eye on a Samsung 32 inch full-HD LCD tv. I’m not exactly sure what all of that means, it's just that, in their ubiquity, these adverts are becoming mighty persuasive. There is one potential drawback for me, Samsung, and Mr Norman’s electrical emporium. I’m not exactly sure I’m going to get the cash. I think i'm eligible as i'm a resident for tax purposes, but i pay so little tax that – as I say, i'm not really sure. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. all the payments go out in the next month. That bank balance will be getting more close attention than usual in the next couple of weeks…</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bye for now. Will be back online after <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-57931992640055842592009-03-06T03:45:00.002+00:002009-03-06T03:51:52.209+00:00M8kadifranz<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SbCdrUZgb6I/AAAAAAAACC0/dFCpXDQ9NAE/s1600-h/m8kadifranz.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 58px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SbCdrUZgb6I/AAAAAAAACC0/dFCpXDQ9NAE/s400/m8kadifranz.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309917328205442978" border="0" /></a><br />One of Opportunity International's amazing ambassadors, Leah Israel has just set up a site offering the opportunity to buy some of the amazing made by Opportunity's clients in Africa, India and Asia.<br /><br />This is a fantastic initiative, giving a direct link between people here in Australia and our poor clients. Plus, the proceeds of all sales go directly to fund Opportunity's work. In the words of the site itself:<br /><br />"M8kadifranz Virtual Bazaar offers you an opportunity to buy many unique and beautiful items made by women and men, poor entrepreneurs in Africa, India and Asia. Together we can make a huge difference in this world! And it’s as simple as making a purchase. <p class="Indented1" align="justify">There is no "middle man" with M8kadifranz. All products sold on the Virtual Bazaar are handcrafted by indigenous people and have been purchased at fair prices. All proceeds go directly to fund the work of Opportunity International helping similar entrepreneurs realize their dream and to provide mosquito nets through Auzzie Mozzie."</p><p class="Indented1" align="justify">Please visit the site and let me know what you think:</p><p class="Indented1" align="justify">http://www.m8kadifranzvirtualbazaar.com/index.html<br /></p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-81952099217031841452009-03-04T22:13:00.003+00:002009-03-04T22:26:55.454+00:00Pathetic Sharks Update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sa7_qVjAbII/AAAAAAAACCs/OGrAq3I8jDE/s1600-h/sharks_178.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 234px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sa7_qVjAbII/AAAAAAAACCs/OGrAq3I8jDE/s320/sharks_178.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309462113519955074" border="0" /></a><br />Well this is getting out of control.<br /><br />The 'Bridge to Beach' swim - the big 11km swim that is my ultimate goal (in 2010!) - has now been cancelled "amid fears the water could be too 'bitey'".<br /><br />Apparently the organisers had reports from fishermen of a lot of baitfish (shark food) in the water. And because of this 300 people due to be taking part next weekend are left disappointed (not to mention the disappointment for the hungry sharks).<br /><br />I despair. We are such a media/publicity-driven society these days. Difficult though it is to be precise about probabilities, if you compare the risks of taking part in this event with the risks from any sailing, rugby or even running competition, I'm sure the harbour swim is relatively much safer. Why can't we let individuals decide if they want to take part in these things?<br /><br />I'd hate to think that I could do a lot of training for next year's swim only for it to be cancelled because someone else makes a rather bizarre (and probably publicity conscious) decision that it is not safe enough for me.<br /><br />Anyway, to finish on a positive note, I got my time for the 2km swim and it was 30 minutes dead, which I'm really chuffed with. An average of 45 seconds per 50m. Forget the spoilsports and bring on the next race!Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-2327216524887049222009-03-01T01:38:00.004+00:002009-03-01T01:45:35.304+00:00Swimming with the Sharks (well, not really)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SanoC1NLpBI/AAAAAAAACCk/r8gs55_4NwI/s1600-h/sydney-skyline_new.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308028771172590610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SanoC1NLpBI/AAAAAAAACCk/r8gs55_4NwI/s400/sydney-skyline_new.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />888 people took part in the Sydney Harbour 2km Swim this morning. The Chinese believe the number 8 is lucky and some people this morning were no doubt thinking that a dose of good luck would be no bad thing, given that yesterday saw the third shark attack in Sydney in three weeks!<br /><br />Just to put things in perspective, every shark attack in Sydney makes the news here because they are so rare. But they do seem to have picked up in frequency recently. </div><div><a href="http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/5358819">http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/5358819</a><br /><br />Once again the attack took place at dawn/dusk, and it’s becoming clear that – this year at least – you are taking a risk with life (or more probably limb) when you go into the water at these times. But I have a lot of sympathy – surfers in Sydney are some of the most passionate sportsmen and women around, and often early morning and late afternoon are the only fit with the good surf and school/work.<br /><br />I had absolutely no fear of a shark attack this morning, and not just because the chances of being ‘chosen’ were 888 to 1. If I were a shark I’d be staying well clear. With three helicopters in attendance it wasn’t exactly a predator’s ideal hunting environment. Mind you, didn’t the shark take down a chopper in the abysmal Jaws 2???<br /><br />In fact, as it turned out, the only risks were cramp and jellyfish. Cramp was a definite worry as I hadn’t swum this distance since my shoulder injury last May. But actually the race went very well. I felt good right the way through and finished strongly. In fact, I was feeling so good afterwards that my thoughts started to turn again to the 11km Circular Quay to Manly swim… maybe in 2010.<br /><br />And jellfish…? Well, for the first few hundred metres the water was full of them. It was quite magical actually. Layer upon layer of these symmetrical, pulsing shapes appearing out of the murky water as I ploughed along the surface. I think there is a similar scene in Finding Nemo, which is of course also set in Sydney! Despite touching their blobby forms on every other stroke, they seemed pretty harmless, though I did notice a few people getting treatment for stings at the end of the race.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308028521417884530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/Sann0SzBQ3I/AAAAAAAACCc/99CF4xbzCnw/s400/SydHarbourSwimClassic2.jpg" border="0" /><br />The times and results are out in 48 hours, and then it’s time to look forward to the next race. I love this aussie lifestyle!Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-27587887853489385512009-02-23T00:12:00.006+00:002009-02-23T00:31:58.687+00:00FASHION THEIR FUTURES<p>Hi everyone. This website is overdue a couple of decent updates. Which will follow... honest! But in the meantime, here's a great event in Sydney.<br /></p><br /><p>Combining fashion, cocktails, canapes and poverty relief, this should be a really inspiring and enjoyable evening in Sydney. The event has been organised by Heather, one of Opportunity's ambassadors, as a fund-raising event for us, and I think she's done a great job in putting this together.</p><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305782760946061970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 399px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SaHtT1GU0pI/AAAAAAAACCU/xrjsLq3v0zM/s400/fashiontheirfutures.png" border="0" /></p><br /><p>The cocktail party and fashion show will be held at Studio Twenty4, a fashion photography studio in Walsh Bay on Wednesday evening 29 April 2009.</p><br /><p>Designers including Bianca Spender for Carla Zampatti, Tim O'Connor, Melanie Cutfield, Kyotap, CUE and Veronika Maine, as well as upcoming designers such as Mimmelu and They Thank You, have donated stunning outfits for the catwalk show and to be auctioned at the event.<br /></p><br /><p>Tickets are on sale now and cost $85 (includes drinks, substantial canapés, catwalk show, fashion auction, goodie bag and lots of great prizes). To purchase tickets go to <a title="blocked::blocked::http://www.opportunity.org.au/ blocked::http://www.opportunity.org.au/" href="blocked::http://www.opportunity.org.au/">www.opportunity.org.au</a> and click on the ‘Donations/Events’ tab. The Fashion their Futures event page will explain the ticketing process. There is an "early bird" special which will entitle you to VIP seating at the fashion show so book early to avoid disappointment!</p>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25554804.post-42126244760017988002009-02-15T00:32:00.005+00:002009-02-15T00:51:59.921+00:00Ocean Swimming<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SZdmlhm43WI/AAAAAAAACCM/2CLgIFRbHss/s1600-h/shark_185x360_485699a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302819881114721634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_deElFE_vbfI/SZdmlhm43WI/AAAAAAAACCM/2CLgIFRbHss/s320/shark_185x360_485699a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It would be madness to go ocean swimming at Bondi beach just 48 hours after the first shark attack there for 80 years.<br /><br />Madness.<br /><br />But that didn’t stop twenty hardcore aussies going out for the regular Saturday morning swimming class yesterday. And I was delighted to be able to join them.<br /><br />I’ve been recovering from a shoulder injury for more than 6 months now. After 4 months out of the water, two months using fins and a few weeks swimming normally again, I at last felt that I’d recovered enough for the fairly testing challenge of swimming in the surf.<br /><br />And as for the sharks? Well, I did feel a few things bumping against my legs in the water, but there is often seaweed in the surf. In fact, the most notable event all morning was back on shore, where we were accosted by a Channel 9 filmcrew. Here’s a transcript that I’ve totally made-up as I wasn’t close enough to hear Spot over the roaring surf. But it probably went something like this…<br /><br /><em>Rugged ex-AFL Interviewer: </em>So can you explain to me what’s going on then?<br />Spot (crazy aussie swimming coach): Just your regular Saturday morning ocean swimming club mate.<br /><em>Interviewer: </em>Aren’t you erm… worried about sharks, after this week’s shocking events.<br /><em>Spot: </em>Nah!! You can’t worry about the sharks. They’ve got their place. They don’t really like the taste of humans anyway. They just get a bit confused sometimes.<br /><em>Interviewer: </em>You guys seem to be the only people willing to go into the water.<br /><em>Spot: </em>Ahhh, that’s just the weather mate. A bit of drizzle scares people off. There’s no safer time to go in the water. Way I reckon, there isn’t another shark attack due for 80 years. Couldn’t be safer!<br /><em>Spot: </em>(to squad) right you lot – back in the water, get right out beyond the break! Last one back’s a dribbly Pom… etc.<br /><br />And the swim went really well for me. I put a lot of stress on the shoulder swimming in and out of medium-height (for Bondi) surf and it stood up well. Going to do the harbour swim on 1st March now. </div><br /><div>If anyone’s interested, here’s the Bondi Fit website. I love the ocean swimming – nothing can set you up better for the weekend.<br /><a href="http://new.bondifit.com/Surf.asp">http://new.bondifit.com/Surf.asp</a></div><br /><div><em>Pssst: in case you think I’ve really lost my marbles, the attack at Bondi, and another one in the harbour last week both happened at dawn/dusk when light conditions are low and the sharks are more likely to be feeding. The risk at other times is much less, apparently… </em><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/bondi-attack-fires-up-shark-net-controversy-20090213-86pp.html">http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/bondi-attack-fires-up-shark-net-controversy-20090213-86pp.html</a></div>Calumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13761328471935094650noreply@blogger.com0