Mentors

With one of my Mentors, Brewy, having his first round of radiotherapy this week, I have been thinking a lot about our friendship and what I would consider a mentorship. It is awful to think that only a few weeks ago the great man was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer. Post surgery he now faces many months of treatment in order to bounce back.

He says "I don't mind being a pin-up boy for beating the odds" and true, he's done it before after a horrendous car accident many years ago. Talk about a cat with nine lives. It is probably from this and his general approach to life that I also learnt a huge amount about positiveness and making the most of out of life. He wasn't everyone's cup of tea. He certainly polarised people with his energy. You were either with him or left behind. For me, I felt I had a lot to learn from him and a number of my other rowing coaches and friends who acted as mentors (probably some didn't even realise they were doing it!)

I've been in Germany now for 2 1/2 years and notice that I miss having people around to inspire and motivate me. Without it i'm also going pretty well in life! No doubt about that however there is something to be said for having a strong network of support around. Being a foreigner it is difficult to find those people and maybe it is not as much a part of the non-work culture here. Finding the right mentors as part of that network is not easy and in the hustle and bustle of today's life it's rare to find people that go out of their way to just be around to impart their knowledge and third party perspectives.

I look back on my work life and sporting life and hope i've shared of my thoughts in a positive way and also maybe been somewhat of a mentor. I will do my best to recognise when people are looking for that support and hope that others will too. Because in a non-egoistic way it's important to recognise that and then invest your time into others.

To Brewy - best of luck mate. I know whatever they throw at you, you'll fight back harder.

Travelling is my lounge room

I like being on the move. There is something about it for me that is both an escape and rejuvenation of adventure and excitement. By the same token travelling for me means a chance to take a break, relax and reflect.

Hoop Hoop - Lucerne Marathon 2011

Lucerne put on a magnificent show today at the 2011 Lucerne Marathon today. With the lake as the backdrop and a clinically organised event, in typical swiss style, was hosted.

9,000 runners converged on the city with just as many, if not more, supporters to cheer the runners on.

The reason for Lucerne was due to the suggestion of Fausto meet up together with his Zurich based friends and run a half-marathon. I had run two halfs during the year and took this event as my end of summer season goal.

The Eros Club Wrap Up

The Eros Club met at the Eros Statue at Piccadilly Circus on the 1st of October for the 76th meeting last Saturday. On a bright, hot and splendid London day some 40 South Australians met following a tradition started by two friends, Gavin Walkley and Bob Simpson, in 1935.

For the group that made it on time (unlike myself), a group photo is taken to commemorate each short meeting at the statue. This year, after the photo the group retired to the Walkabout at Tempel. This appropriate venue, an Australian styled drinking venue, had earlier that morning hosted the AFL grand final and still had the sweaty smell of beer reeking from just wiped floor boards. In the back room the group enjoyed some finger food and beers. It was a chance to then meet fellow South Australians and share whatever stories they wanted to share. Personally, I really enjoyed meeting a number of friends from School and St Mark's, some of whom I hadn't seen in many years. Similarly enjoyable was to meet a number of totally new people, some who were visiting, some who were on a short work trip and some who'd been in London for 20 years. This is exactly what it is about....

The Agent General of South Australia who represents SA on a number of diplomatic and trade relations is the host to the event. This year he wasn't able to attend but the assistant Agent General and their team put on a great show for all the guests. I was able to share a few words about Gavin and what I knew of the Club and was delighted to hear a number were regulars and had met Gavin or Bob many years prior either in London or at the parallel event held in Adelaide.

These type of events are considered somewhat quirky in nature but symbolise the opportunity to create a tradition and feel of community in a somewhat fragmented world. The chances are you are likely to go only once in your life but that's all you need to then be entitled to the title of "Erotic". So let the fun go on...

Thanks again to the organisers both in London and those back in Adelaide who organised the dinner.

Thoughts from Adelaide

After a request from a work colleague who wanted some tips when in Adelaide in a few weeks and a general feeling of homesickness catching up with Adelaideans at the Eros Club on the weekend, I write this blog to put together some special places that remind of Adelaide and I will try to visit as a priority on my next trip home...read on...

Piccadilly Circus Eros Club Meeting 1st October

Dear South Australian friends who will be in London next weekend,

In 1935, my grandfather Gavin Walkley set out to meet a few of his other mates who were travelling Europe. With the assistance of mobiles or Facebook they organised themselves by way of setting a time and place and stuck to it. They met on the 1st of October at noon at the most central landmark in London they knew - the Eros Statue at Piccadilly Circus. For 75 years this tradition has continued.

Next weekend, on Saturday the 1st of October, the 76th meeting will occur; once again at the Eros Statue at noon. Hosted by the Agent General this remains a great chance to meet up with friends and other South Australians. South Australian's who attend become life members of The Eros Club and shall thereafter be known as an Erotic. The name was thought up well before Google came along and made the search somewhat embarrassing.

I would be delighted to see you (and all your other SA mates) there and hopefully inspire you to continue the tradition that a group of mates from Adelaide started. The format is usually to meet at the statue and then afterwards head to a local drinking spot to continue the afternoon. Sometimes there's even a Villi's pie and some South Aussie booze to go around...

There's a heap of information about the club both online.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Eros-Club/189737097750586
http://www.theerosclub.com/

I've attached some recent news clippings from the papers at home. "The Eros Club" Book is an account of the club to celebrate it's 50th anniversary.

The Eros Club by Gavin Walkley 
Messenger Newspaper Clipping

 I'm told RSVP IS ESSENTIAL - if you will be attending PLEASE EMAIL info@south-aus.eu

Please pass it on and I'm very much looking forward to seeing you next weekend!

Cheers,
Adrian

36 Hours in Paris

This is a complete rip off of the New York Times Travel section. They write amazing travel guides with tips on what you can do for 36 hours in a certain city.

I just so happened to swing through Paris for 36 hours and so thought i'd share some pointers - considering we had such a great time you should do yourself a favour and head to Paris for 36 hours (or preferably longer!).

Thanks to Emma, Aurore and Jimmy for their tips.

So here goes:

Fat Club - Amazing Race - Berlin

On a fine and sunny Berlin day in August, the Fat Club Amazing Race Berlin was held. Thanks to everyone who could make it to this Fat Club event, the high performance lifestyle program equal to none.

Seven magnificent and eager teams waited impatiently for the challenges to be revealed in the Monbijoupark in Berlin. The weather gods were very kind to us. So too was Berlin who provided the fun for this event.

This Report (required for the Managing Committee based in Australia) includes the following:
- Team Photos
- Questions + Answers
- Contributions from the Teams  (Go to the Summary of Photos here: TEAM CONTRIBUTIONS)

The Fat Club - Amazing Race - Berlin Update

Dear all Fat Club Challengers,

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=209092752472261

NOTE: TIME CHANGE: Please meet at Monbijou Park at 17:30 tomorrow. Please pass this on.

In 24 hours, the Fat Club Amazing Race Treasure Hunt will begin!

Noting the time change and all the information provided we are looking forward to having you join the challenge!

To give you an idea of the agenda:

- Meet at 17:30 in your outfits

- The Race will be explained and teams given their information
- Team Challenges til 8ish
- Prize Presentation at Final Destination after points are counted eg 9ish
- Eat / Drink / Party at Final Destination like it's 1969

Weather: If the weather is bad, we'll arrange a single challenge at the final destination. You will be informed of any changes via Facebook by 2pm tomorrow.

If there are any other questions, please contact Adrian or Petronela

This has been another notification by Fat Club - Your high performance lifestyle program

It's not you, it's me. I'm leaving you. Berlin. Temporarily.

I thought i'd jot down some the places i've been and generally like in Berlin. I got here in October last year and although working like a maniac for a start-up, I did get out and about a little bit. Berlin is one of those places were there are a million great things to do. I'm not as adventurous as some but definitely enjoyed finding a few gems in the city. I thank all my friends here for showing me a good time. Sadly I have to move to Frankfurt but I know i'll be back!

Check it out below :::::::::::::::

University of Art, Berlin

Last week the students of the University of Arts, Berlin exhibited their works.

I was there specifically to see the work of a friend Andrea Boller. She is a Brazilian who received a scholarship to study here. Her work initially focused on lines, hence the wire work. More recently she has focused on surfaces, hence the mesh work. Pretty interesting and at least quite unique at this exhibition.

We only saw a part of the exhibition but in this album are some highlights:
https://picasaweb.google.com/ajoest/UniDerKunstBerlin

Croatia July 2011

Just back from Croatia and settling back into a dreary Berlin evening. Photos have been uploaded:

https://picasaweb.google.com/ajoest/Croatia

The trip definitely deserves a few blog notes but will have to wait a day or two! Guten Abend,

India May 2011 - Final words / Impression

My lasting impressions of India are hard to quantify or qualify with words. Our small snapshot was exactly that; small. As i've written a number of times in this blog, what makes India so special is the people. It is they who live their lives as best they can. It cannot be said they are a 'developing country' unless you are talking economics, because actually their way of life is developed in the way that only they know how.

India May 2011 - The last day - Mysore and home

Our last planned adventure, at least for Sarah and I, was a planned trip to Mysore. Fred had another week or so on the sub-continent. The plan was to get up early and with the four of us (Praful, Sarah, Fred and I) head out to Mysore in Praful's car. We planned to get up early to try to avoid some of the traffic. I think by the time we go away at 8am, the roads were already clogging up. The road out to Mysore is 125km but in the end it took 5 hours with a breakfast stop. If there wasn't a huge traffic jam, there were speed humps or other obstacles slowing us down. It was tiring for the driver and also us in the car. Luckily his new little Ford had temperature controlled airconditioning and was as comfortable as we would get in any other form of transport.

India May 2011 - The Indian Wedding

Crashing out at Praful's pad was a welcome break. He has a great apartment with an open living room and big terrace. After not really sleeping properly a little afternoon nap was very enjoyable and needed. We had lunch at Forum (the big mall nearby) and did some last minute shopping to a) kill time and b) for the realisation that our Indian adventure was quickly coming to a close. Praful had cooked dinner for us, which we thought was amazing even if he played it down as peasant food! Actually he had kept the chicken an extra day because he had expected us in Bangalore the day before not planning for the delay. Praful was a superb host! We made our way to bed relatively early as the wedding was to start the next morning at 6am.

India May 2011 - Getting back to Bangalore

The problem was, we weren't meant to be on this train. We had booked, but like in an earlier blog, we had learnt how this reservation / waiting system works. We hadn't made it through the waiting list and were stuck at spots 5,6,7 on the list. Just about everyone we asked said we should just get on and find a seat. Sarah and I were skeptical because our waiting list positions hadn't moved in a few days, indicating the spots were fixed. Maybe because I was looking forward to a sleep on the train or because of stupidity we still tried our luck. When the conductor arrived and asked for our tickets we pleaded innocence and asked where our beds were. He was quite abrupt with us. I tried to negotiate and push him to work out a solution for us. We had just sat down in an empty cubicle.

India May 2011 - Allepey

Allepey is proclaimed as the "Venice of the East". Based in northern Kerala, one of the southern most states in India is basically a small fishing town with a large tourist population. Kerala is / was one of the only communist run states in India, thus seeing the hammer and sickle flown high was a common sight. Venice of the East because of the back-water areas, that have made this part of India famous. And it was for the back-waters that we had come.

India May 2011 - The Train Ride

Having heard a lot about the great train rides in India we had somewhat high expectations. These expectations were matched and exceeded.

Booking a train in India is not a trivial as hopping on a German fasttrain ICE and finding a seat and paying the conductor. As some routes are only provided once a week, a significant amount of planning is required. As there are only a limited number of seats, booking is essential. However instead of closing off the booking list when the train is full, your 'expression of interest to be on the train' is lodged and you are put on the waiting list. This list gets whittled down as people cancel their bookings. These cancellations are pretty high as many travel agents buy up tickets and if they can't sell them, simply cancel at the last minute. We had Avinash book nearly a month in advance for a sleeper train and was positioned around 25 on the list. Two days before our trip, we were 10ish on the list and by the afternoon before our scheduled departure had secured a seat each on the train from Gokarna to Mangalore and a bed each on the sleeper from Mangalore to Allepey.

India May 2011 - Gokarna

Gokarna is a small village in north west Karnataka on the west coast of India at the Adriatic Sea. The region of Goa is 50kms to the north as its more well known cousin. Pilgrims flock to Gokarna for the many temples and easy going pace of life. In fact the place was packed with Indian Tourists who had travelled far and wide to spend some time here. May is off-season for western tourists although a few lingered.

India May 2011 - Bus ride from hell

We had been warned. Our Irish friend, Maive, explained to us the night before how she would never recommend an overnight sleeper bus for travel around India. She told us of the drivers being notorious for ingesting pharmaceutical speed and living off a diet of whiskey. Taking one look at our bus driver's eyes, you could see he wasn't a healthy human-being and probably fitted into the stereotype Maive described.

We stuck it out a) thinking that our last bus ride wasn't so bad and b) through lack of another option but stick to plan. As we took off in a cloud of smoke, a grumbling diff and very hoarse exhaust - we thought the idea of a sleeper really was really quite good.

India May 2011 Hampi - Stepping back in time

In a blaze of glory, as the bus kicked up a large dust storm signally the arrival of new visitors, "fresh meat", we arrived. Hampi is both a spiritual hub and also a tourist haven. Tour guides and tuk tuk drivers converged on us like hawks smelling fresh tourist blood - something we had been warned of.

We escaped the onslaught with firm NO's to all and made our way to the Shaanti Guest House. Apparently the better place to stay in town, it's jail-cell rooms and basic ammenities were modest at best. Nonetheless a welcome place to turn the ceiling fan on full and close ones eyes after the journey and rest.

India May 2011 - Bangalore to Hampi

Waking up to our second day, we were somewhat refreshed after a real sleep on a flat bed under the cooling flow and hypnotic click-thump-click-thump of the ceiling fan.

After a slow breakfast and chat with the owner in the cool of the verandah of the hostel we made for the nearest autorick-shaw. Two lessons of india here: one, the tuk-tuk and two, bargaining.

India May 2011 - Photos

Go to https://picasaweb.google.com/ajoest/IndiaMay2011# for all the photos from the trip...

This is a combination of both Sarah's great shots and my photos.

India May 2011 - First impressions, Bangalore

After an average flight with Emirates (Hamburg via Dubai to Bangalore) we arrived to a modern Bengarulu airport in a mild heat with adventure in our minds.

I'm travelling with a long time friend Sarah to South India with the catalyst of the trip being to celebrate Avinash's (a mate from business school) wedding. We both came with grand ideas of exploring "Incredible india".

India May 2011 - Intro

With the news that a buddy from business school was getting married in May, I began to plan a trip to India. Specifically to southern India. It has always been a destination on my to-travel list and what better catalyst than this.

This blog series outlines our trip landing into Bangalore, busing to Hampi, then across to Gokarna, training down to Alleppey and then back to the wedding in Bangalore. All of this happened in two weeks. Sleep was optional...

Our hosts were the groom, Avinash and also Praful, another business school mate. Both were magnificent hosts organising and playing tour-guide where possible. I was lucky to have a great travel buddy - Sarah, a long time friend who wanted to join and helped make it a memorable adventure. Also to join was Frederic from business school. We met a ton a fantastic people along the way.

I hope this set of notes (it may take a week or two to complete!) give you a snap-shot of our adventure. Photos will be posted to picasa and linked along the way.