Happy new year!

It's been awhile since I've posted, but wanted to wish everyone a happy new year. Below is a link to the photos taken at the party we threw. While it wasn't on the Upper West Side, we had an amazing view of the bridge, over which they do the annual fireworks.



Additional posts to (hopefully) follow soon.

Photos from the past 8 months

I know I've been bad about posting and sharing photos. So, rather than subject you to the nearly 1,000 photos I have from my time here, I've put together a brief highlights video.

I hope you enjoy.

God save the Queen

When Australia declared independence from England in 1901, they decided to name the British crown as the monarch of Australia. Yeah, it doesn't make sense to me either, but they tend to do things differently here sometimes. As a result, we have Monday off in honor of the Queen's birthday (despite the fact that her birthday is actually in April...).

I was originally planning to go somewhere for the long weekend, such as Darwin or Uluru, but my plans fell through, and as they did I was scheduled to go on a business trip to Hong Kong the day after the long weekend, so I decided against it. Instead I'm spending the weekend mixing a bit of work with the free jazz festival in Darling Harbour and a brief trip down to Coogee beach to visit my favorite brunch spot (not much of a trip, it's actually a 20 minute ride on the bus).

After brunch at Globe yesterday, we went to the Coogee Bay hotel to enjoy a glass of wine overlooking the beach. One of my absolute favorite things about Sydney so far is the fact that it's 60 degrees here in winter, so you can still do things like this. I don't miss the cold winter of New York at all.

A brief update and photos

I've been busy over the past few weeks, training for my first half marathon (taking place tomorrow) and enjoying Sydney. I've been trying to find some good restaurants and brunch locations... and I'm happy to report I've been successful at finding them.

I'll post something more substantial in the next few days. In the meanwhile, here are some new photos. You should be able to view them, even if you don't have Facebook.

Photos from my first six weeks in Australia

By popular demand (and I use that term loosely), I've uploaded an assortment of photos from my first six weeks here in Sydney. Don't worry, I've greatly limited the number of pictures of the Opera House.

This link below should work for members as well as people who are not on Facebook, but please let me know if you have any trouble.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98457&l=b0978&id=563190400

Hobnobbing with Parliament

A large part of what Ogilvy PR does in Sydney is public affairs and lobbying work, so it wasn't a huge surprise yesterday when I was was told the company had bought a table at dinner for a former Premier of New South Wales (similar to our state governors... with a few exceptions). Several of our clients were coming and I was asked to attend the event, which I happily did.

What followed was an insight into Australian politics, which seemed as relaxed and informal as Australian culture. Several prominent members of the Federal Government were in attendance, such as Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson, Malcolm Turnbull, and local opposition leader Barry O'Farrell. I was surprised at how accessible the members of Parliament were. These are people featured on TV every day. No secret service, no political handlers, they just moved through the crowd on their own. I even got the chance to speak with Dr. Nelson personally when we passed one another on the way to the restroom.

Even more surprising was how down to earth they were. I was approached by a members of the state opposition saying, "are you Kevin? We hear you just moved here from New York." It seemed so far from U.S. politics.

After meeting these people, I feel as though I can start speeding without any worry... Ok, maybe not.

Long awaited (but brief) update

Yes, I'm still alive, I've just fallen behind at providing updates, as the last few weeks have been a blur. I found and moved into a (small but cute) studio apartment in Sydney's Potts Point neighborhood, which has lots of outdoor restaurants and cafes, is a quick walk to the train and 20 minutes from work. I also started training for the Sydney half marathon, which will be my first really long race. I've also started meeting people and found that a place starts to feel like you live there when you can bump into people you know on the street on a random Saturday afternoon.

I don't have tons of time at the moment, but I'll leave you with a brief story. I live on the second floor with big windows that overlook a quiet street and Elizabeth Bay (which is beautiful) -- pictures will come when I get around to taking them. In New York, my windows overlooked a fenced in alleyway, so I got quite comfortable walking around the apartment while getting dressed without closing the blinds.

Well, in my first few days in my new place, not really thinking about it, I was walking around in my boxers with the window open when I heard what I thought was little girls giggling at me. Realizing I had left the window open, I went over to close the blinds. When I looked out, instead of seeing little girls like I thought, I saw two kookaburras watching me (they are wild and live around Sydney). Wild-- in the States you'd only see them in the zoo.

It's a different world here.

Kev's faux pas

Apparently I didn't read enough of the US to Australian English dictionary I included last night. As a result, I sent our Consultant* into a 20 minute fit of laughter this afternoon when I told her about how much I love Cheez Doodles.

Apparently in Australia they're called twists... because "doodle" in Australian English is slang for penis.

You can say I was a wee bit embarrassed when they told me.

*For those in the U.S. in public relations, Consultant = Assistant Account Executive

A few more from this afternoon

The skies finally parted this afternoon (just as I was beginning to wonder if it was monsoon season). As a result, I was able to watch the Chinese New Year's Parade (from my balcony) and make it to Sydney's Taronga Zoo. Below are a few photos.

Many "dragons" came through the parade, but this was the largest.







I've never seen so many people out to celebrate a rat. Notice the piece of "cheese" it's following.







Downtown Sydney from the ferry to Taronga .








Koala bear with Joey. I thought the Joey was so cute, that I adopted him and named him George. I get to pick him up in a few weeks. Not sure how I'm going to get him back to the States. Somehow I don't think the customs declaration form has a spot for marsupials.




A few more Koalas. I love the one sleeping at the top of the tree.











Roos! I finally saw kangaroos, so now I actually feel like I'm in Australia.







This little wallaby was adorable. I have plenty (like 75) pictures of more animals from the zoo, such as elephants, zebras and chimps, but I won't subject you to more.






The view from Taronga of the bridge and the Opera House. As I've told you, I'm obsessed with the Opera House.

Images from the first week

Below, by not so popular demand, are just a few of the pictures I've taken of Sydney over the past few days.

I've decided I won't feel like I live here until I can walk past the Opera House without taking a picture. That may take awhile - it's one of the most majestic buildings I've ever seen.






This sculpture, made out of peaches, is a temporary art exhibit made to raise awareness of skin cancer. How do they keep the birds away? I have no idea.






Sydney Harbour Bridge. Built to be the longest, but sadly was measured to be a few feet shorter than New York's Verrazano which opened just before the Harbour Bridge.






One more of the bridge








A photo of the skyline from Darling Harbour. Isn't it, well, just darling?








I'll add more pictures as I continue to explore the city (if it ever stops raining...)

I have a lot of unlearning to do

I just finished my first week of work, and while I'm with the same company I worked for in New York, because of the different location and culture, I'm learning that a lot of things are very much the same, but a lot of things are different. The biggest learning I'm taking away from this week is that I have a lot of learning to do - or rather, unlearning.

Working in PR in New York takes a very type-A personality. There is a strong focus on urgency, the pace is fast, and client service is paramount. While there is a focus on client service here, because of the culture, the approach (both by my agency and the clients) is a lot more laid back. A few times this week the different approach has resulted on my getting stressed over people's perceived approach and follow-up, when in reality, I was coming at things with an American mindset. I know that as I settle into life here I'll adjust to the approach, but it goes against the way I've been doing business for the past seven years, so it may take some time.

And while things are different, I'm also learning things are very much the same. My first assignment here was to develop a media training for one of our clients, something I've done many times for our clients in New York. I was given some samples of what our Sydney office has done in the past, and it contained the exact same tips and techniques we teach in New York. It was nice to see how similar things can be around the world -- especially when you work for a global company.

This weekend I begin my search for an apartment. I've narrowed the map down to three neighborhoods in downtown Sydney that I think I'd like to live in. This weekend I'm going to do my own walking tour and start looking at listings online.

Saturday afternoon activities

When I finalized my transfer to Sydney, I purposely left a few days to adjust to the time difference, get settled, and yes, maybe see a few of the sights before I started work. Trying to be diligent, I left sightseeing until after I took care of all my errands (i.e., setup a bank account, get a cell phone, etc). So of course, guess when it started to rain? The moment I finished.

Lucky for me, the rain just subsided, so I ran down to the lobby of my residence, picked up a bunch of brochures and promptly booked myself on a pub tour of Sydney's Rocks area. After it ends, if the weather is still ok, I'm going to check out the evening hours at the Taronga Zoo -- after all, I haven't seen any kangaroos yet on this trip. Hey, maybe once I get situated I'll start my own combination tour and call it "Booze and roos."

Twilight at Taronga, as they call it, sounds fantastic. They set up music and keep the zoo open in the evening hours. As long as the animals aren't asleep, it should be fun.