Melbourne, Australia

Contrasts - Bondi

Calm Bondi Beach in Summer.....

Wild Bondi in Winter.....

Report Card

Challenge: A

Excitement: A

Opportunities to Travel: AAA

Team: A

Yes, this is the report card of my new job.

Wow. Wow. Wow. This job is going to be so challenging. And what kind of job does KateOnTheNoGo love doing? CHALLENGING JOBS!

I've entered the world of blackberries, business class flights and own offices.

How do I feel about it? Overwhelmed but so ready to take on the challenge.

I look at my new business cards, at my new title, and I smile to myself. How did I land this job? What did I do to get such an amazing opportunity?

Then there are the obvious questions - how will I stop this job from consuming my entire life? How am I going to develop the tools in order to deal with the stressful times (its all roses and candles at the moment!).

I guess these are things which I am going to have to learn, as time goes on.

First Destination: Melbourne, Australia.
Hotel: The Westin Hotel - http://www.westin.com.au/melbourne/index.html
Purpose: Meet and Greet.

Stay tuned. I may have some opportunities to photograph, but only limited.

Will keep you posted of course!

K

Exhausted.

No other word for it.

Full stop.

Back Against the Wall

My back is completely against the wall.

But this is where great achievement is obtained.

I am so overwhelmed by the things that need to be done, but so excited about the difference I can make.

Phew!

So tired!

"Great achievement often happens when our backs are against the wall."
Robin Sharma

It was the final day of freedom (ie. unemployment) and what do i do?

10am - Coffee with M @Bondi Junction.

12.15pm - Coffee with Sylvia @ Cremorne.

2.15pm - Coffee with Leah @ Double Bay.

Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.

I cannot drink anymore coffee. In fact, when I am wide awake at 4am tomorrow morning on my first day at work because today I drunk too much coffee, all I am going to think about is the fact that I shouldnt have drunk too much coffee.

Ugh.

Great Expectations

Tonight, I was sitting there reflecting on something that someone said during somewhat of a "discussion". The person said to me (quote unquote)

"What is it that you are looking for? A husband?"

I try to avoid using this blog as a service to get messages to people who I think are reading. I believe that if you have to say something, you say it to them directly. Accordingly, I do not ever put anything on this blog about someone unless I approach them about it first. I havent had a chance to approach them to discuss this, simpy because I havent had the chance and to be honest, its not big deal given the state of play now with that particular person. But I'm reflecting on it tonight and I can't help but comment on it because it feeds into another discussion I was having with someone else tonight. This girl had just had a six month relationship break up, and she was terribly upset because "she was going to marry him".

The thing is, I actually am not particularly swept up on the idea of marriage. Before you all go and accuse me of being a feminist bra burning corporate machine, let me explain. I truly believe in the "fairytale". Boy meets girl, boy and girl connect, boy and girl get to know each other, boy and girl commit to being with each other and only each other and they live happily ever after. There is no point in time where there is a ceremony with cringe-worthy speeches and ugly taffetta bridesmaids dresses. Call me naive, but being together a lifetime doesnt get sealed the minute you walk down the aisle and is certainly not guaranteed the minute you "marry someone". Marriages are breaking up every day, day in day out. Men and women are committing adultery left, right and centre. What has marriage done to stop two people from breaking up?

Thanks for the idea of a husband, but no thanks. I'd rather continue the search for someone that really and truly loves me for me, every day, for the rest of my life. I won't need a ceremony to make me feel more comfortable each day. I'll be comforted by the idea that my man wakes up each day and loves me just that little bit more than the day before. That is more important to me than finding someone that I can label as "my husband".

So no. I'm not looking for a husband.

Ready.

"The best among us are not more gifted than the rest. They just take little steps each day as they march towards their biggest life. And the days slip into weeks, the weeks into months and before they know it, they arrive at a place called Extraordinary."
- Robin Sharma, The Greatness Guide.

Waiting

for the scones to cook...

The Primary Issue Facing Americans

The Economy ?

Foreign Policy ?

My view is that whoever takes on the Presidency is going to have to focus on the domestic situation. However, I fear that in doing so, the US will drop the ball with respect to the mess it still has to clean up as a result of Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is what happens when I watch too much CNN on rainy days.

Its Raining

Its pouring with rain today.

The problem is, I've spent the entire week doing nothing. Along comes the weekend, I'm all ready to get out and play, and its raining!

I think I will go and bake scones.

Call Me Naive But.....

With all of the talk about American politics right now, I've noticed something that really annoys me.

I repeatedly hear commentators say:

"Oh [such and such] will appeal to the Latino vote."

"Oh [such and such] will appeal to the Women vote."

"Oh [such and such] will appeal to the Black vote."

"Oh [such and such] will appeal to the Jewish vote."

"Oh, [such and such] will appeal to the Young vote."

So does that mean only the older, white male population of America will be voting for a President without personal bias??

Those that are willing to pigeon hole minority groups like this, I believe, insult the intelligence of humans and challenge the true nature of democracy.

Right.

I'm done.

Live. Sydney. Rainy Day.

A Day Out On the Harbour

Dunbar House, Watsons Bay

Doyles, Watsons Bay

One of the many pieces of prime real estate, Point Piper

Another mansion, Point Piper

1 O'Connell Street Bell Tower, Sydney

The famed Opera House

The Sydney Skyline

On the Harbour, Sydney

Circular Quay, Sydney

Something Different - Citiscapes

The Beauty of Forgiveness

Today I spoke to Owen, my boyfriend from when I was in Scotland.

It is so nice to put aside all of the hurt and pain and talk like human beings again.

We tend to allow the past get in the way of so much, when all it takes is a little forgiveness and a whole lot of love.

Rummaging Around...

Today, I was cleaning out my old bedroom at my mum and dad's home and I discovered an old journal of mine, dating back to 2001. Back then, I was at the ripe old age of 21, and I thought I had the world figured out. I thought I had MYSELF worked out at that stage. Interestingly enough, one of the entries was written on 12 September 2001 which (as you may know) was the day that Australia woke up to find out that the planes had been flown into the World Trade Centre. In the space of 24 hours, I realised that I didnt have the world, or myself, figured out at all.

"Its 2.15am on Wednesday morning. Why am I awake? At 11pm, I was woken up by Dad, telling me something that has personally devastated me. I need to document this for history's sake because something that has happened could ultimately affect the way the world works.

America has shut down totally. Massive terrorism has struct, the World Trade Centre is gone. The Pentagon is on fire. Plans are crashing. Borders are shut. Airports have been evacuated. In all honesty, I cannot begin to imagine the amount of people who have just died. I am prbably never going to experience this in my life again. I hope the world doesnt. I cant sleep. I worry. I am distubred. I am scared. I am terrified for my own country. I am terrified for America. I can
only imagine what daybreak will bring... I just cant believe it...."

"... Well daylight has arrived. I feel very empty. I nearly broken down in tears at the service station when I bought the newspaper. I just came into my room just then and cried. I have never felt a feeling like this before. What kind of world do we live in?"

Newspaper stands are empty today... stuff that just doesnt happen has happened... I just cannot write words to match what is going on right now. All TV stations are onthe news, Wall Street has shut down. Its night fall, nearly 11 hours or so after it has happened and I dont think I've ever experienced anything like this."

Television

Today I watched a television show on Animal Planet. I love pay tv. The show was called "Meerkat Mansion". All about the mating rituals of meerkats. Facsinating stuff.

Cutting edge television.

*sigh*

I need to start work again. And soon.

.

I Am Not Ashamed to Admit...

.... that it is 4.28pm on a raining Thursday afternoon, and I am snuggled up in bed with the covers over my head.

he he he

Can I stay unemployed forever?

Please?

So...

Barack Obama it is!

More Rummaging Around

Florence, from back in 2005.

I live in the most beautiful city in the world. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else right now!
Its taken me many years to reach this point! ha ha

Family = Love

I have travelled down to spend a couple of days with my family. It could be because I dont know how much time I am going to get to spend with them in the coming months. I certainly hope that I will have just as much time as I did before, but you just can never tell. I dont like the thought of not being around my family. I gave up Scotland because I could not bare being without my family. Some people need their families more than others. I need my family. Who knows, one day I may have a family of my own that will mean just as much.

The only bad thing about coming home is that the cupboard is FULL of chocolate and junk food.

Terrible.

Its Just Dawned On Me....

.... in eight days, I will be the Corporate Lawyer for the entire Asia Pacific Region for a multimillion dollar global company.....

Sheeesh!

Not bad.

Kinda scary.

But am ready for the challenge!

Keeping It All In Perspective

First Day of "Unemployment"

Today was technically my first day of unemployment.... unemployment which is only going to last a whole eight days, but I still like to think of it as unemployment. The reason is because its the only time that a person really can relax and not be responsible for any kind of work at all. Its fantastic. That said, as you all know, I dont cope well with idle activity so my first day was quite a struggle. I didnt really know what to do with myself. I found myself firstly going to the gym, and then grabbing my usual newspaper and coffee and sitting down on the promenade of Watsons Bay. I manage to spend a good hour and a half there, reading the newspaper from cover to cover, before that became boring.


I then went and stood up at the Gap, staring out across the ocean, hoping i'd spot some whales or some form of marine life to keep my occupied for a little while. Whales often come up to the Heads and into the Harbour if the water temperature is warm enough, however today wasnt my day. I soon tired of that and decided that it was far too cold.

How am I going to survive the next eight days??

Relaxing is difficult when you are a workaholic.

World Press Photos 08

Today I visited the World Press Photos 08 exhibition at the State Library of NSW.

As many of you know, its always been my dream to make a living out of photography. As many of you also know, the salary of a travelling photographer doesn't match that of a corporate lawyer, hence why I have never made the leap across. Despite this, by seeing the World Press Photos exhibited and watching so many people being moved by the stories behind the pictures, that tiny glimmer of hope that one day I will be able to spend just one year of my life photographing the world reemerged.

http://www.worldpressphoto.org/