Visa woes

 
Friday 27th November

My short trip to Bali hasn't started well.

My original 1-year visa to Australia expired today. The intent was to leave Australia for a few days during which time I'll obtain a visitor visa enabling me to return for a week to referee another NSW Touch State Cup before I had to leave for good. I'd arrived at this plan following hours of research and also advice given to me on the phone by the immigration office - but naturally there was an uncommunicated technicality as there always seems to be with these things...

JetStar won't let me fly - this bombshell coming after I've queued for three quarters of an hour and with only 5 minutes left until check in closes. I don't think I've ever had panic and despair set in more quickly in my life. The reason I'm not being denied boarding is because I have a return ticket to Australia but am not yet in possession of a valid visa to get back into the country. But I am neither allowed nor able to apply for that visa unless I am off-shore... talk about a case of "chicken and egg"?! I'm moved to JetStar's service desk where despite being rather shaken I'm actually managing to remain reasonably calm. The service desk supervisor re-confirms my situation. Frustration builds but I suppress it as to be fair to her she's under legal direction and she's being as understanding as she can, besides which it would do no good. She asks if I have a ticket out of Australia to which I reply December 8th. She suggests to change my return flight from Bali to December 7th, this way I could fly today and also return to Sydney airport "in transit" because I would be leaving the country again within short timeframe. I try to explore other options with her but it soon becomes clear that this is the only way I'm getting out of Australia today - which I must do to avoid being illegal. So I reluctantly agree after which I'm checked in, my bag is tagged and I race to security and on to my departure gate.

The flight is unpleasant not because of anything on the part of the airline but because I am a massive bundle of stress. I try in vain to sleep because I know I'll be up late at the hotel online and making phone calls. I reflect on some of the lighter moments I've had with friends discussing having to "fight" to remain in Australia - a few suggesting that I "return on a boat" (topical/current local issue of a spike in asylum seekers) while another took a historical line musing that in the not too distant past "all I needed to do was steal a loaf of bread and I'd be sent here for free."

Immigration in Bali is what I would call a pretty standard experience - it costs US$10 for a visa which could be bought on arrival. But as I collect my luggage I'm approach by two guys in uniform who insist on taking my bags from me. Naturally I thought I was subject to a random security screening as is now common in many airports. One wheeled my suitcase while the other carried my hand luggage, first to a security scanner then past a customs desk. We turn a corner where they stop and demand US$10 EACH (!!) to return my property. My fuse is already pretty short - aside from the fact that I feel deceived they've wheeled my stuff the grand distance of about 25 metres - but I have no energy to argue so I give up the remaining US$11 in my wallet and take my bags back before exiting the building. Nobody has had their hands on my luggage since.

My airport-hotel transfer is there to meet me but we have to wait for another guest so I stand (im)patiently to one side. After 25 minutes the driver comes back - this is apparently his wait time limit so we leave. It's only a short distance from Denpasar airport to my hotel in Kuta but the traffic crawls and I'm not sure the driver got out of first gear. This is doing nothing for my nerves.

By now I've figured out that neither my Australian nor Irish SIM cards will work here. I knew the Australian one wouldn't but I'm pretty annoyed with 3 Ireland who assured me my Irish one would.

I check in to the hotel around 11pm knowing I will be checking out again in the morning - reason being I have an overnight dive trip booked to the north side of the island. After changing some money and buying an internet card I make my way to my room - concierge staff insist on assisting but I'm just not interested.

I don't unpack but reach immediately for my laptop and head straight for eVisitor visa application website which I have bookmarked. I plough through the application in a couple of minutes and consider changing my return flight now but any confidence I had of visa approval much less a quick one is completely eroded so I pull down as many contact numbers as I can find for immigration offices as well as airlines. Even if I have no mobile phone, I can at least hope to make calls through Skype. Fortunately it works and I use up the remainder of my time talking gibberish at my best friend who helps calm me down (thank you) so I can go to sleep. There's not much else I can do tonight except try to rest - it's now 1am and I have to be up again at 6.

Saturday 28th November

It comes as no surprise that I am wake before either my alarm call or phone alarm have a chance to do their job. I re-arrange my packing as I plan to take an overnight bag only on the dive trip. Ordinarily I wouldn't take my laptop anywhere near water but under the circumstances I feel on this occasion I have no option. I check out and send my large bag to storage before grabbing breakfast despite having zero appetite.

Reception staff kindly allow me use one of their internet computers without charge for the two minutes it required to check my email. I can't begin to describe the feeling of relief when I saw "NOTIFICATION OF GRANT OF AN EVISITOR..." appear on the screen in capital letters. My focus shifts to my flight but unfortunately I have to get off the computer - I should be in the lobby waiting for the diving people anyway.

They're 15 minutes late. I purchase an internet card and attempt to phone JetStar via Skype. I'm about two minutes into the call and about to give my credit card information when dive staff enter the lobby. I try to continue but my Skype call - whose audio quality has been awful - finally cuts out and at this point I'm just about ready to break something.

The AquaMarine Diving staff - some locals, some ex-pats - and I introduce ourselves and I explain what's going on. I'm obviously not explaining the situation properly enough so they understand. So I strip it down to the bare minimum: "I'm desperately trying to change a flight but have no phone and (now that I'm away from my hotel) no Internet access." We have a chat about what I would like to do and they very kindly offer to try to change my flight for me while I'm on the excursion with them, which I jump at. So I scribble down booking & flight details and about 5 phone numbers and drop them off at their office which we call in at to collect one of the other guides.

I know in my heart heart they're trying their best but after a morning waiting for phone calls that came in when Janri is either away from his phone or we are underwater I start to really worry again. Over my lunch and against my better judgement I provide my credit card details hoping they would be able to change the flight when they managed to get through but after returning from the afternoon dive I get the message that only the passenger can change the flight. Frustrating, but it's probably a necessary piece of red tape. So I have to make the decision to abandon my night dive, overnight stay (which is incidentally in the middle of nowhere with zero lines of communication) and dives next day - there was no way I would be able to enjoy things until I got this resolved.

After being dropped back at my hotel I attempt to check in for an extra night as they weren't expecting me until tomorrow. I'm sure people arrive on-spec at hotels all the time but given how difficult they managed to find it I began to wonder. After some concern over them not being able to bill my credit card things finally get resolved and I head to my room together with my luggage now returned to me and a freshly purchased Internet card. Again I skip unpacking but immediately get online. Thankfully the Skype call just about holds up and I'm able to get my return flight leg put back to what it was originally and I now have email confirmations of both it and my visa. PHEW.

Of course now that it's all over and I've written about it I can see things I could (should?) have done differently. It's funny how our thought processes get screwy under duress, isn't it? I think that's why as people we generally turn to somebody outside and thus unaffected by the system we're in and problems we're facing - they can look at things objectively and dissect them into manageable bits.

For now though I'm just glad to have the visa and my flight back to what it was. Hopefully I can now enjoy the rest of my time here but I don't think I'll actually relax until I'm back landside in Sydney.
 

Deportation day

 
Today is deportation day from Australia - I arrived here a year ago. I have to leave the country in order to apply for a tourist visa so I can hang around for one more [Touch] tournament. I must be the only person on the planet unhappy about a trip to Bali...
 

100 things restaurant staffers should never do

 
Interesting commentary by Bruce Buschel as published in the New York Times small business blog, "You're The Boss". I agree with 'most all of it.

• Part 1
• Part 2

 

The MOAB

The. Greatest. Burger. EVER.

Their chips are really good too - nicely thick but still crispy. Yum!

I get this monster served up as a wrap. What's on it? Pffft :-) what's NOT frickin on it?! --------->

The perfect salad

 
UNSW has a salad / pasta / juice bar in one of its food courts. You rock up and grab a takeaway box of lettuce, pick any 7 additions from the salad bar (you can add things like chicken or tuna for extra $) and a choice of about 10 dressings. They make it up right in front of you and you're away.

• Cos lettuce
• Chicken
• Sweetcorn
• Olives
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Roasted capsicum (bell pepper for readers in the northern hemisphere)
  
• Beetroot cubes
  
• Parmesan cheese (shaved)
  
• Red onion
• Dressing - I usually plug for Thai or Sun-dried Tomato & Basil.

Mmm tasty...
 

Waking up in a dust bowl

I've never seen anything like this. It was like waking up in a scorched desert scene from a movie like Dune or Terminator 2 - an eerie orange crimson dawn permeating through my bedroom window. I wondered briefly if when I looked out would I witness Armageddon with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse wreaking divine havoc on the world. OK that last sentence is actually a lie but it made good reading ;p

Last night Sydney was blanketed by a monster dust storm, blown in by westerly gales of up to 100kph. Those winds continue to buffet the city as I write this lunchtime, the silver lining being that they seem to be lifting the dust away.

Of course the story and its many pictures are all over the press - here are two of the better articles and galleries as well as some of my own photos.
 

Disney vs. Marvel

 
So Disney has flexed its financial muscle once again, this time buying Marvel for US$4bn. Not quite sure how I feel about it yet because I have enjoyed material from both brands in my lifetime So for now I'll leave the analysis to somebody else.

I will say that my initial reaction to the news was a mishmash of fear and hope that each brand's characters would stay clean and un-merged from the other. But after looking through this worth1000.com gallery I have to admit the possibilities are rather exciting!

Graphics and design are things I have never been good at so I am absolutely blown away by these talented digital artists. Some of my favourites are embedded below.




 

The Sixth Sense

 
No I'm not referring to the movie.

This of THE COOLEST piece of technology I have ever seen. Introduced at TED2009, The Sixth Sense is: "...a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine "Minority Report" and then some."

Truly astonishing.


 

Not there yet

 
A delightfully cynical view of Dublin's public transport system - but alas there is truth in every second of it :-( Anybody from or living in London or Sydney should be able to relate to some of it too!


 

An economic stimulus story

 
An interesting but cynical view of the Australian Government's proposed economic stimulus package. If you're not aware, in February 2009 Kevin Rudd's government announced plans to begin handing out cash payments totalling AU$42 billion (approx. €22 billion at the time) to Australian workers and families with the first payments due in March.


===============


It is the month of June - a resort town sits next to the shores of a large lake. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly, a rich, fat-cat tourist comes to town. He enters the only hotel, lays a $100 bill on the reception counter, and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 bill, and runs to pay his debt to the pig raiser.

The pig raiser takes the $100 bill, and runs to pay his debt to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The supplier of feed and fuel takes the $100 bill and runs to pay his debt to the town's prostitute who, in these hard times, provided her "services" on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel, and pays off her debt with the $100 bill to the hotel proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the $100 bill back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything. At that moment the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms, takes his $100 bill saying that he did not like any of the rooms and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now without debt and looks to the future with optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Australian Government is doing business today also.
 

When a soldier comes home

 
This is an excerpt of something that arrived in my email this morning - and I will admit that it would ordinarily be trashed as spam without a thought - but for some reason today I am moved by its words.

Lately I've been reflecting on life, particularly my own and it's recent dramas, trying to put some perspective on things. This was a timely reminder that just made me stop and think - not about soldiers per se or trying to draw direct comparisons with them - but more generally about how in western society most of us are preoccupied with acquiring wealth, living comfortably and "problems" that if we really think about them are rather trivial in the greater scheme of what's happening in the world.


===============


When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard...









...to listen to his son whine about being bored.









...to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.









...to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.









...to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep.









...to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.









...to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.









...to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.








...to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.









...to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.









...to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.









...to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.









...to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.









...to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.










...to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house.









The only thing harder than being a soldier... is loving one.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 11 - Referee Recruitment & Retention Program

 
A couple of weekends ago I participated in the Referee Recruitment & Retention course. It does pretty much as it says in the tin - is designed to equip people to present the entry level referee course (recruit) and provide basic coaching to new referees as well as discuss support structures and the like in order to keep new recruits motivated and developing (retain).

One of the best modules was the DVD/video session where we had to watch a game and come up with coaching assessments of the referees. In a serendipidous little twist, the game NSW are currently using is one from Euros 2007 featuring yours truly! I remember at the State Cup one of the Panel telling me that I "starred" in a coaching video they're currently using and thinking that's probably not a good thing...

... and OH MY GOD wasn't it just PAINFUL to watch! Fcuk me that's really how I used to go? After much ribbing from the other aspiring coaches - I knew what they were going to say before they even opened their mouths - we just got on with it and picked each referee's game apart. It was a really good exercise.

There really is nothing like seeing yourself on video - it makes verbal feedback so much more obvious and amazingly (if you're tuned in to yourself) gives you a heightened sense of awareness of your body the next time you perform the activity you've watched. I've since found myself noticing and changing things in my game as I've noticed them on-field during a game.

Most participants are awarded a Level 1 Coach and Level 1 Course Presenter accreditation upon successful completion of the weekend. My certificates arrived in the post from TFA yesterday - Level 1 Coach and Level *2* Course Presenter.

On the fast track... how pleased am I :-)
 

Intelligent elevators

 
Most elevator systems have a simple call button on the floor you're waiting on and send you the most suitable next available one (based on whatever heuristic is implemented).

Sometimes you wait... and wait... and wait... as all the people get on and off on the floors between where you are and where the elevator was when you called it.

Then there are the ilk who stop the elevator to travel one or two floors - perfectly able bodied folk too - and always when you're attempting to travel many floors. TAKE THE STAIRS YOU LAZY GITS!
(In my experience it's usually been for one of their numerous daily smoke and/or coffee constitutionals (in addition to regular break time) which was another source of personal irritation as I consume neither.)

Fortunately one manufacturer (I can't remember which) with smart designers has come up with some relief :-)

At a Sydney office where I worked recently, the elevator suite had the building's floor levels as its call buttons. Yes, alarm bell and door hold aside, there were no buttons in the elevator cars! You pressed the floor you wanted to go to before you got anywhere near the near them - especially if you used the one beside the main building door. The system would then send one or more elevators based on which floors were currently required and indicate which ones were going to which floors.

Brilliant concept - love it - wish it was in place everywhere!
 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 10 - NSW Country Championships

NSW Country Championships was held in Dubbo this year, a 6-hour road trip from northwest from Sydney (but with a difference of about 100km depending on route). I was originally not planning on attending until one of my referee mates pointed out that I really should "check the box" on it... and he was right because I have thoroughly enjoyed every State and National event I've been to so far and would have probably ended up kicking myself later for missing this one. Thanks Fraggle :-)

On-field, I have achieved everything and more that I wanted to in Touch before I came to Australia. So instead of participating as an active referee at this event I spent my weekend with the State Panel developing as a referee coach, getting a feel for how they do what they do and for what happens behind the scenes with the evaluation and [finals] appointments processes. I was grateful for the invitation as it would set me up very well for the Referee Recruitment & Retention Program I would attend in June to attain formal accreditation(s) for course presenting and referee coaching.
(Of course having got a taste for the fun these people have together when I met most of them for the first time six months ago at State Cup (my no-alcohol preparation for the previous 4 weeks blown in the process!) I was also looking forward to partaking in a little myself... not that I'll be writing about it!)

The weekend certainly opened my eyes to the public and behind the scenes effort that the Panel members put in before, during and after these tournaments. Even after one day, I was mentally tired and actually sore.

Friday saw a pretty leisurely road trip out to Dubbo - via Bathurst where I drove a "hot lap" of the famous Mount Panorama circuit (but that's for another story!) - followed by a chilled out afternoon of catch-up chat and banter as people arrived at the motel. Around 6pm most people headed across the road to the Leagues Club for a feed before the weekend "officially" started with the pre-tournament referees' meeting and subsequently the Panel's team meeting - both of which are largely to motivate and communicate expectations, strategy & procedural announcements.

Now normally the night before a tournament I'd be back in my hotel room relaxing and settling down for a reasonably early night in preparation for an early start. But I'm not active this weekend :c) so it's time to get a few drinks in! As it was my first time with the Panel though, I and another fella were also on "grommet" duty, which meant serving up drinks to the rest of them for the night! Good times... late too!

Saturday morning and dammit the cold/flu symptoms I've been trying to fight off the past week have caught up with me... though I should hardly be surprised. So I downed a mug of hot honey & lemon before heading to the fields - via Maccas for a brekkie roll - fried food is the order of the day the morning after a drinks session! Naturally there were plenty of other people with the same idea and surprisingly a lot of them were players.

Wish the exception of a short break for lunch, I spent 8 till 5 on my feet watching games, attempting to study and write up coaching sheets for 3 referees at a time and delivering feedback to them after the games. After play finished for the day we [Panel] all headed straight back to the hotel to begin the evening's meetings - reviewing the day and discussing upgrades, finals appointments and back-fill appointments. This took about 3 hours in total, not including having to break for the tournament referees' dinner. I'm told we "got off lightly" in time terms as frequently these meetings run into the small hours of the morning. I skipped drinks that night, instead curling up in bed with more hot honey & lemon and the Lions tour game on TV.

I actually fell asleep before the game ended but not before contemplating differences between attending a tournament as an active referee vs. as a referee coach... but more on that later.

Sunday morning was a similar to Saturday... early start, not-exactly-healthy breakfast and more game watching and referee assessing. Around midday we [Panel] all got together to have a full team debrief as people needed to travel. It was a really good open and honest session for all concerned. Normally the Panel will invite a couple of coaches to work with them at an event but this time out there were NINE of us, so a little more "full-on" for them but the flip side is I think lots of great feedback came out of it so well worth it.

As active referees, we pretty much show up and run according to a schedule that has been prepared for us... and yes we generally run our guts out. When we're off duty though, we can sit down, recover and relax somewhere getting out of the sun/wind/rain if we choose. The Panel does a bunch of prep work before each tournament and coaches spend most of their days on their feet watching and analysing games, followed by evenings stuck in meetings. This is a big ask requiring much concentration effort and I for one developed a renewed appreciation for what these people do at every tournament.

I'm so glad I did this and am looking forward to the RRRP now and getting back on the field at Vawdon Cup in Sydney :-)
 

MasterChef Australia

I'm a closet chef... somebody who loves to create good food but doesn't because I don't enjoy cooking just for myself and don't stock up on ingredients because half of them usually end up in the bin. (I really HATE seeing food wasted - there are too many starving people in the world so it's objectionable to me that the Western world discards so much with little thought.) So I really like this TV show, both as "entertainment" and as somebody who simply enjoys food. I get to soak up new gastronomy ideas, the majority of what gets cooked is done as something resembling an individual portion and because I learn by observing/doing the show (Ready Steady Cook is another example) particularly resonates with me. I'm so much more likely to experiment myself... and do.

Masterchef Australia gives cooking/cheffing the reality TV treatment and it WORKS. Take twenty aspiring and talented amateur chefs - regular people with regular jobs and no professional cooking experience but hold dreams of breaking in - put them through a series of group and individual challenges as well as professional "master" skills classes with two of the Australia's top celebrity/executive chefs as mentors and gradually whittle them down to one.

It's SO much better than it's British ancestor - three people cooking in a quiet studio kitchen with judges watching (and occasionally interviewing) quietly - admittedly good for the audience of its time but lacks variety in today's market. I don't know if the show still runs and/or if they've updated the concept. Admittedly I'd also rather watch Sarah Wilson over Lloyd "we've ruminated, cogitated and digested" Grossman any day. As with many of these type of shows today, she's simply the host with the pretty face who makes cameo appearances come challenge or eviction time and has variations of about 4 scripted lines to speak - that's it - and it's a good thing because it keeps the focus on the cooking.

The other reason I like Masterchef Australia better than almost any other show in this genre is the elimination guidelines. In other shows, for example The Biggest Loser, contestants are invited to vote out the person "they'd like to see go home" or words to that effect, the result being tactical voting, alliances and betrayal. In Masterchef Australia, the contestants are repeatedly reminded to cast their vote for the person "who contributed least to the team" or "performed the worst"in the relevant challenges, and as Gary Mehigan (one of the celebrity executive chefs mentoring the contestants) advised last night:"You've got some hard decisions to make... think carefully... we want the right people to stay in this competition."

I do wonder though, why the producers use Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold" (great track that it is) as the show's theme music. I mean, aside from that food can be hot or cold, what's the connection? Perhaps a thinly veiled reference to stereotypical chef temperament?


 

Leinster for the Heineken Cup!

 
In about an hour, Leinster will contest the Heineken Cup final for the first time, having smashed Munster off the park in the semi-final 3 weeks ago - something that gave me much satisfaction. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Munster at all. Munster is the heart & soul (not to mention proclaimed/propaganda crown jewel) of Irish rugby and I will happily and passionately support them, and Ulster & Connacht for that matter.

But many Leinster folk have morphed into fairweather supporters of our own provincial side, instead jumping on the winning bandwagon, claiming Munster is "their team", which bothers me. I'm confident those people will be back wearing blue today and it gives me satisfaction to say truthfully that blue was always my primary colour.

Allegiances aside though...

Ireland are Six Nations champions and Munster recently took the Magners/Celtic League (claiming Leinster's crown). It would be just FANTASTIC if Leinster could win the Heineken Cup (claiming Munster's crown in return!) to complete a clean sweep for Irish rugby and cap our greatest ever season.
 

Anti-speeding advertising campaigns

 
For years, road safety authorities in Ireland and UK have attempted to use "shock" tactics in advertising campaigns against speeding and drink-driving, displaying graphic images of destruction and painful injury. In the new age of digital special effects and reality TV though, people have become desensitised to these types of visuals. I reckon the Aussies have cracked it though, particularly when it comes (as these campaigns often do) to targeting the young male demographic.


 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 9 - Recognition I never saw coming

 
I've talked before about the genuine recognition culture that exists within the Touch Football community here in Australia. Tonight I was a recipient of it - I just arrived home from the Sydney Rebels AGM where I was presented with a fabulous Kooga over-jacket with Rebels referee branding.

The following is an excerpt from the Regional Director's report:

"There has also been a new initiative launched this year aimed towards our graded referees. This year has marked an emphasis on referees being more proactive to "put back" into their region. This can include actions such as:

• Senior referees presenting their own refereeing courses at their affiliate or better yet in neighbouring affiliates
• Assistant to a presenter in refereeing courses at their affiliate or better yet in neighbouring affiliates
• Being available for inter regional trial matches
• Refereeing in smaller affiliates from time to time to assist in development
• Attending NTL

It is my view that less experienced referees benefit from watching, talking to and ultimately work towards advancing through the system as the senior referees did before them. The following referees have not only met the above criteria but have excelled at it. Rebels Touch thanks you for your efforts."

I'd been doing this stuff because I got enjoyment, learning and satisfaction from it - certainly never saw this coming so am really quite chuffed :-)
 

Monday morning

 
Last night I moved house out to a Sydney coastal suburb called Clovelly. I'm also not working after wrapping up my most recent "temp" assignment on Friday.

I got up today and sat on a cliff face for 2 hours in the sun & sea breeze... just reflecting, listening to the waves & on occasion singing like nobody was there to listen.

Not a bad way to spend a Monday morning...



 

Keeping the air fair - part 2

 
Sometimes I wonder how certain people manage slip through recruitment filters undetected.

A six-year-old girl was recently banned from taking her teddy bear (wrapped in the plastic bag to keep it dry from the rain) aboard an easyJet flight in the UK after a check-in clerk deemed it "excess baggage". Tearful Alba Apreciado-Peris was told by the clerk that Bebe the bear was too big to join her in the cabin on a flight from Glasgow to Stansted. The female clerk then told Alba's stunned mother she would have to pay £9 (€12/AU$20) to put the teddy in the hold. She ended up posting the bear home.

Are you fcuking KIDDING me? I can appreciate that the employee was following company policy but it's a six-year-old child and surely common sense should have prevailed here. This is a perfect example of what's wrong in the world and I'm stopping before I get started. Jeez...

Addendum:
Full article from the Daily Mail.
 

Tweeting for Godot

Edited excerpt from an article that appeared in MX, a free commuter newspaper distributed in Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane.

Twitter-savvy bookworms are reducing classic literature to 140-character "tweets".

Samuel Beckett's bleak play Waiting for Godot has been shortened to "Vladimir and Estragon stand next to tree and wait for Godot. Their status is not updated."

Classics by Charles Dickens, JD Salinger and Jane Austen are among other novels boiled down to a sentence on the micro-blogging site, with modern books also being given a workover. Here's a selection:

Lady Chatterley's Lover – DH Lawrence
"Upper class woman gets it on with gamekeeper."

The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
"Professor of symbology tries to solve a murder by following clues around touristy locations in Europe. Very few paragraphs are longer than tweets."

Ulysses – James Joyce
"Man walks around Dublin. We follow every minute detail of his day. He's probably overtweeting."

Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
"Orphan given £££ by secret follower. He thinks its @misshavisham but it turns out to be @magwitch."

The Catcher In The Rye – JD Salinger
"Rich kid thinks everyone is fake except for his little sister. Has breakdown. @markchapman is now following @johnlennon."

Pride & Prejudice – Jane Austen
"Woman meets man called Darcy who seems horrible. He turns out to be nice really. They get together."

Briget Jones Diary – Helen Fielding
"Woman meets man called Darcy who seems horrible. He turns out to be nice really. They get together."
 

Penalty shootouts

 
The penalty shootout has finally managed to blight itself on rugby. Damn.

Last weekend saw one of the (Heineken) European Cup semi-finals decided on a penalty shootout. This was certainly the first time in this has happened in Heineken Cup history and possibly rugby history. I've struggled to find another game that has been decided like this (the 2003 World Cup Final came within seconds of it) and unsurprisingly it's given rise to much discussion & debate.

It is a LOUSY way to decide a game... and I've always thought so.

Penalty shootouts are most commonly seen in football, generally follows a dour period of extra time (which has often itself followed a 90-minute snorefest) where teams have decided to sit back and take their chances with the penalty lottery. FIFA, to their credit, did attempt to experiment with alternatives such as "golden" and "silver" goal: golden was sudden death, i.e. first team to score won, while silver gave the team who conceded until the end of the half to equalize otherwise the game was over. But both concepts failed due to teams more concerned with "not losing" the game rather then winning it. How often do you hear post-match reaction fob off the shootout inferring it's a lottery? The game wasn't really lost and I'm sure that's saved many a coach/manager job in the past.

At least in football all the players are (loosely) doing the same thing - attempting to kick a ball through a target - so it can be argued there isn't much different about what they're trying to accomplish with penalties.

Rugby union is completely different - yes there is kicking involved but it's not the core of the game nor core skill for every player. Rugby union is incredibly specialised - players need have a very different physiology and skill set depending on the position they play. A winger doesn't pack down in the scrum and you don't see a front row forward punt the ball 50 yards down field and chase down the catcher (Keith Wood being the exception). Martyn Williams, one of the greatest back row forwards to ever play the game, missed what turned out to be the decisive kick and I feel for him - he's there to win ball and be creative with it in hand, NOT to kick goals.

Peter Wheeler, Leicester's chief executive, summed it up well: "Let's not get involved in the blame game here because this was unchartered territory for rugby and we are all learning, but I found that very uncomfortable to watch. Just imagine if it had gone on for a couple more kicks. For all I know Martin Castrogiovanni or Gethin Jenkins might be useful goal-kickers, but almost certainly not, and how humiliating and illogical it would have been for two of the best in the world at what they do, having to decide a European Cup semi-final by attempting something that they never do."

Rugby union continues to have an ethos/code of gentlemanship, respect and honour about it. Players will pummel each other on the field and occasionally things flare up but generally once it's all over they will shake hands and say "good fight" regardless of winning or losing. Most if not all post-match reaction from Leicester (who won) conveyed a message of "we didn't want to win it like this." So Wheeler's choice of words - humiliating and illogical - is pretty appropriate.

Solutions? Let's look at some other sports.

In basketball and ice hockey, the concept of a tie game doesn't even exist. Extra time periods are played (as many as are necessary) until the game is decided. In basketball this is determined by the score at the end of each period while in ice hockey it's sudden death, first goal wins.

In the sport of Touch (Touch Rugby / Touch Football) an elimination game is decided by a "drop-off." It's still plain ol' extra time but each side plays with a player less - that is instead of 6 players they play with 5, with a further player from each side dropping every 2 minutes until it's 3-on-3. Meanwhile it's sudden death rules - the first team to score a touchdown wins but both must have had possession before the game can end. (I should probably mention though that in Touch unlimited rolling substitutions are allowed - thus teams can continually get fresh legs on.)

I love the drop-off in Touch and think it's a brilliant way to decide a game. There is no difference between normal and extra time in what a team has to do to win the game, i.e. score touchdowns. It's urgent and exciting: teams know that there is an increasingly higher chance they will concede that sudden death touchdown - fewer players, same size field - so they go out gung-ho to score it themselves. You always know when and where there's a drop-off at a Touch event because spectators and players who've only just finished their own game literally flock to that field - and the atmosphere is always, ALWAYS electric.

I can accept that maybe the drop-off maybe doesn't directly translate to rugby but I can certainly see a variation of it being a viable solution - after all, the Sevens version of the game is established and strong. With football too, there is 5- and 7-a-side, albeit on a smaller playing field. So we're not talking about breaking new ground here, just applying modifications of pre-existing concepts. Drop some players off, say down to 10-a-side, disallow all kicked goals and make teams score a TRY to win.

Ultimately, games should be decided though by playing the core of that game. Anything that gets closer to that - even if it's still imperfect - surely has to be a good thing?
 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 8 - NSW Referees Grading Night (30th Anniversary Dinner)

Grading Night is the annual dinner on the NSW Touch calendar where the successes and achievements of referees - some of the most important people in the sport - are officially recognized, including:
- Elevation to the ranks of a State Referee (level 4 or above)
- Length-of-service awards
- Selection for the TRYS program (Talented Referee Youth Squad)
- "Matthew Medal" (referee of the year)

I actually worried (excessively) whether or not I should attend, if it was my place to be there. I do like to consider myself a part of NSW Referees and also as having contributed back to the sport, but in the back of my mind it's also never been lost on me that I am "guest". Fortunately a few people helped me come to my senses because I'd have been pretty dirty with myself had I elected not to be there, now that I actually have. It was simply a wonderful evening - classy without being overly flashy, if you get my meaning. I think the keyword I'm looking for here, is "genuine".

NSW Referees doesn't feel like an organization to me anymore, it feels like a community - friends and family. I didn't recognise half the people in the room but knew I was looking at multiple generations of retired, active and upcoming referees and coaches and that having everybody together, even for one evening, was something special. Guest speaker Peter Fitzsimons, an "outsider" to Touch Football, even sensed this and remarked on it. Throughout the entire evening I witnessed sincere recognition and gratitude of people and their efforts, everybody who graced the stage thoroughly deserving.

Teenagers being inducted into a "talented youth squad". I've refereed with some of them and to see, for example, them holding their own in fast, intense games and not being intimidated by players & coaches many years older than them, has taught me a thing or two.

Long service: 5, 10, 15, 20 and, in the case of Paul Cini, 25 years service to NSW Touch. The game has barely been around for 40 years. I turned 30 last year so Paul has been doing this since I was 5 and that's amazing to me.

Referee of the year - Adam Foley & Sam Clark (joint), currently the #1 male and female referees in the world.

Then there's that blue blazer awarded to "State Graded" referees, that is those who attain Level 4 standard. People joke that the blazer is an awful colour but for those wearing it who genuinely "get it", I could see a sense of pride radiate from them. It is a WONDERFUL tradition - there's not enough of stuff like this left in the world - and I hope some day in my own refereeing career to be part of something like it.

At the last European Championships (July 2008), Matto planted the idea in my head of spending some time in NSW. He told me "I had talent", which I recall taking rather lightly as a cordial compliment - as I had no concept of his basis for comparison. So I found myself glancing around the room at people I've refereed with, travelled with, been coached by, studied - and in some cases look up to and consider mentors (regardless of whether they either realise or might want it). You don't have to look far...

At the recent Trans Tasman games, a member of the Panel joked that someday I might be refereeing a game like this rather than watching it... I think unaware this was something I already considered and wanted. It is amazing, as people, how our goals adapt over time. Last year I was content to be a "good" referee. Since I came to NSW I've wanted to become a "great" referee. Now it these people who are the standards to which I aspire.

The night is about reflecting on achievement and so I find myself thinking of my own. It's never been lost on me that I came from nowhere in terms of the greater Touch scheme of things, so the extent I've developed is due to having the company of the very best in the world... and I am so very grateful for that, even if it will only be for a short time.
 

Swine vs. Avian 'Flu

 
Who'd win in a fight?
(Man 'flu, probably...)
 

Miss USA vs. gay marriage

 
What the hell is so wrong with what Carrie Prejean said, or even how she said it?

Prejean was competing as Miss California in this year's Miss USA pageant. She said: "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage... I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman... No offence to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."

The press, however, referred to how her "outspoken opposition" to gay marriage "cost her first place in the competition." Here's one news article as an example, I assume many others ran with a similar line.

Re-read Prejean's words. "Outspoken opposition" is a pretty strong term - generally used in reference to demonstrations/protests, strikes or intensity in difference of opinion - and I am struggling to associate it with what she said. She stated her view genuinely, eloquently and politely. She didn't deny people of their right to choose or vilify anybody who had a different opinion to her.

"Her remarks drew a mixture of booing and applause from the crowd."

Let's make a reasonable assumption this reaction was split 50-50. It's also not an unreasonable assumption that the audience was at least loosely representative of (a) California where she's from, (b) other cities and states, including where the pageant was held, and (c) America as a country.

FACT: just four US states currently allow gay marriage while many others have passed legislation outlawing it. If you sought supporting evidence for the assumptions I'm proposing, there you have it.

Carrie Prejean believes in marriage between a man and a woman. SO WHAT? From what I can make out, so does America. Personally I want, if and when it happens, to marry a woman. SO WHAT? I have gay friends who want a man and lesbian friends who want a woman. SO WHAT? Why shouldn't somebody who wants a same-sex marriage have the right to be as happy (or miserable!) as somebody who wants a hetero' one? Does it have any impact on my or your personal happiness as an individual who somebody else you may or may not know wants to be married to?

But I'm not writing to debate her, my or anybody's personal preference or belief. It's the bigotry and hypocrisy of the "system" and the people JUDGING that's triggered me.

Miss USA - Miss Anywhere in fact - is at some level a representative of her country. Prejean's answer was in line with the politics and attitudes of most of her own most of America (not to mention many other countries she'd have been fortunate to visit during her reign). Otherwise there would surely there be propositions, ballots and legislation not just appearing all over the place, but being passed? That's not to say there aren't pockets of society fighting for it, they're more than likely not being listened to or even heard. She gave a politically correct answer that is socially acceptable to the majority only to be shot down for it by people who probably actually share her view but hide it, which stinks of hypocrisy and double standards.

Prejean, as things stand, doesn't seem like an inappropriate choice to me. Again, she simply stated her own personal belief. What's wrong with that? She didn't dump on anybody else for not sharing them or dispute their right to choose (though I'd like to be a fly on the wall for that conversation). So she'd be justified in feeling that her answer cost her the crown. She could have been three times as "good" as all the other contestants in every category but this answer would still have ruined her chances despite it being a representative of the nation. Freedom of speech, my arse.

Popular culture ridicules beauty pageants, stereotyping these girls as airheads obsessed with diet, cosmetics and wishing for world peace. They even made a movie - actually two - about it. All joking aside they're onto something with the world peace thing, something I'm certain I won't be alive for, but it'll continue to be a long and slow journey towards it while "society" (at whatever level you choose to think of it) continues to be reluctant / unwilling / scared to think outside the box, step outside its comfort zone and at least tolerate differences.

Actually, tolerance probably isn't enough. Try acceptance.
 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 7 - Trans Tasman Series & NSW 14/16s Regionals

It's back to Wollongong this weekend for NSW 14/16 Regionals - which I am refereeing in - and Trans Tasman international test match series between Australia and New Zealand. It should be a great festival of Touch Football and I'm really looking forward to it.

I do feel different about this weekend, almost like the pressure (I put myself under) is off having put in the hard yards and achieved my goals - I got my red badge at NTL last month and am firmly back on track for my black [badge] and to nominate for 2011 World Cup selection. So I'm in good spirits, relaxed and have come down to hopefully give something back to the NSW Touch Referees organization that has been very good to me as a guest over the past 5 months. That I will get to see Australia and New Zealand go at it - that, and anything else - will simply be a bonus.

The Trans Tasman Series

"Wow" is pretty much how I would have to sum this up. Every game was played at WIN Stadium, except for one that took place at Dalton Park (venue for the 14/16s) on ANZAC day after the memorial ceremony. I watched 2 out of 3 games in each division and it was THE B-E-S-T Touch that I have ever seen. Don't take my word for it though, see for yourself.

I refereed the New Zealand women earlier in the week so I had some idea how fast those would be, but the Men's games were faster again and that just blew me away. It was literally a case of "blink and you'll miss it" both in terms of general play and individual skill - one particular highlight for me being the most delicious inside reverse switch pass for a touchdown in Mixed Open game 2.

NSW 14/16 Regionals

Again, wow. These kids are TALENTED and I reckon the Southern Suns 16s Boys (who won their division) would challenge if not knock over many a Men's Open side back in Europe. Bold statement? Maybe. Feel free to challenge it AFTER you've seen the speed these boys run and ball skills. I remember the first time one of them sprung a 25-metre pass from middle channel to his wing who scored easily - fortunately I was on the sideline at the time because all I could do was stand there open-mouthed... before I realized I was on the scorecard side and had to restart the game :-)

It turned out that I was ranked the #3 referee for the event and appointed to the top final. I have to be honest I did not intend for it nor did I see it coming - I've gone to every event with the stance that I am a guest and therefore ineligible - until Sunday morning when somebody planted the seed in my head and for some reason I started to feel anxious! It's always nice to be recognized and I really enjoyed the hit out with Kim and Adam so thanks guys.

In one of my earlier games though I developed a rather irritating habit of losing concentration on the Half. I must have missed three "Half caught" decisions and I think I even called a "Half caught" that wasn't... maybe I was overcompensating. The lesson I learned here is that you always need to be on top of your game, always. It's very hard to separate the top referees from one another so it's those little concentration lapses and resulting mistakes that can cost you a ranking and even a final as a result.

Another great Touch weekend. I do love this game.
 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 6 - Reffing the New Zealand "Touch Blacks"

 
New Zealand are in town preparing for the "Trans Tasman" international series against Australia next weekend, 24-26 April, which coincides with ANZAC Day. There will be a men's, women's and mixed series - best of 3 games in each division - and I am looking forward to seeing them so very much.

Last night I had the pleasure of refereeing New Zealand women's side as they took on Australian national/regional NTL side, the Sydney Rebels. There was also a men's and a mixed game. Australian national squads are selected from NTL regional sides so these games were always going to be of the highest quality between the #2 Test playing nation in the world vs. some of the very best players from the #1 nation who are knocking on the door to represent their country.

Every one of these women was super fast, strong and skilful, which of course led to a hatful of touchdowns scored. The result wasn't kept to my knowledge but NZ outscored Rebels by a factor of about two to one.

This was arguably (at times definitely) the hardest, most intense run I've ever had on a Touch field - but was both happy and very satisfied that I could hold my own and (I felt) maintain my intensity and concentration levels throughout the game.

My first taste of refereeing the highest quality of Touch on the planet: I loved every minute and I want more.
 

Susan Boyle

 
I'm generally cynical of reality TV, but I do have time for Britain's Got Talent because it occasionally produces moments like this which charm the heart.

Susan Boyle appeared on the show's TV auditions the other night. As the judges did their initial chit-chat with her, I thought back to Paul Potts' audition from a few years ago, which still gives me chills when I watch, hoping I'd be about to witness something similar...

This clip tells a great story on many levels. Judging books by covers - go on own up it you did too and fair play to Amanda Holden for admitting it - Susan was written off within seconds of walking on stage and even mocked during her introduction, but by the time she'd sung about 4 bars she commanded a standing ovation and it was difficult to hear her over the cheering audience. Watch the judges' faces too while Simon's comments provide a real LOL moment in what was (I suspect) a heavily veiled apology / admission he too was wrong.

Goodonya Susan, congratulations and good luck to you.

Addendum:
Here's a great news digest from the BBC on the worldwide coverage this has seen in just a few days.
 

Small gestures

 
Today I observed an elderly lady exiting the main building here at Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital, where I've been working the last week or so. She was on one of those underarm crutches while her other hand/arm balanced a full tray of something and held both a shopping bag and her handbag.

"Excuse me Ma'am, can I help you get where you're going or are you ok?"

She looked up and smiled.

"What a delightful young man you are. Thank you but I'm an independent, stubborn old woman and I'll be just fine."

I'm reminded just how gratifying a simple, polite gesture can be.
 

The paradox of stem cells

 
Better dead than alive? Ingenious title - deliciously ironic.

Reference:
Hunyor S. The Paradox of Stem Cells – Better Dead than Alive. Royal North Shore Hospital Cardiology “The Beat Goes On” Conference, 28th November 2008.

 

The Touch Blacks are coming AND I'LL GET TO REF!!

 
I am so excited right now I'm ready to burst.

There's gonna be a "Trans Tasman" Test Series here in Australia over Anzac weekend (Apr. 24-26) when New Zealand and Australia will contest full international Test matches in Men's, Women's and Mixed divisions. Touch Footie doesn't get any better than that and I've already been looking forward to seeing it for weeks.

Well, for me personally, it actually just did get better. NZ will play warm-up games earlier in the week here against Sydney Rebels, my NTL/regional affiliate. And I've just been nominated [by Rebels] to the referee panel for these games!

Is it a full international? Okay, no. But I'm gonna be in the middle of the #2 Test playing nation in the world vs. a National/Regional Rep. side from the #1 Test playing nation... probably the highest and most challenging level of Touch I will referee in my fledgling career so I will TAKE IT GRACIOUSLY, thank you very much.

So much for resting after NTL... it's back to training for me! Bring it on :-)
 

Obama's first gaffe

 
More of a thoughtless comment than an overtly stupid "Bushism" but I suppose it's sobering to know the man can gaffe it up with the rest of them if he doesn't have his teleprompter.

Addendum (following debate with a US friend):
Note I inferred "lacking thought" rather than "calamitous". I like Obama and didn't personally think there was anything hard/cold in what he said or how he said it - but many people did (as the press reported). I'm questioning why would he even chance "going there" by even attempting to joke about what is a sensitive topic in today's society. There are so many things people will and already do attack him over - does he really need to give them ammunition, however subjective/perceptive it may be? That's where the gaffe is for me - and for what it's worth I do hope it blows over for him.


 

Feeling grand (slam!)

 
Wales vs. Ireland in Cardiff with the Grand Slam at stake... again. Well it's nice to see I wasn't too far off with my pre-tournament predictions given how things turned out. Italy were awful (Sergio Parisse aside) while France and Scotland were pretty much as expected (Scotland with their token win over the Italians and France up & down but clearly building for the future). I honestly didn't see Wales losing to France and but for ill discipline England may have surprisingly found themselves in the championship hunt.

It hasn't been the most spectacular Six Nations - not by a long way - but for the destiny of the Grand Slam, Championship and Triple Crown all to come down to the last kick of the last game, well Hollywood couldn't really have scripted it better, could it?

I thought it might be gone when Jones slotted that drop goal with 5 minutes left but once Munster (yes Munster... read on) got camped inside the Welsh 22 you just got the feeling a drop of our own was on the cards. O'Connell takes the line-out once again to get us on the move... maul... ruck... O'Connell picks... ruck... Horan to Wallace... I'll let RTE commentator Ryle Nugent's words tell the rest: "Horan... Wallace... Ireland in position... this MUST be it... this MUST be it for Ronan O’Gara... drop at goal... Grand Slam at stake... HE’S GOOOOOOT IIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!!!"

Two minutes remaining. In the grand scheme of things 120 seconds isn't much, but when your country is on knife edge between winning and losing major honours and the heart is pounding, well, it's a hellish eternity. Please lads don't blow it all by conceding a silly penalty...

Sixty seconds later: "No penalties," pleaded the RTE commentators, voices trembling about half an octave higher then about an hour ago. Seconds later: "Penalty to Wales."

Paddy Wallace might have had thoughts of emigration while Stephen Jones' kick - on target - and the last action of the game remember - looked like it had the legs to get over. "I just felt the game lacked a bit of excitement," Wallace joked back in Dublin at the public reception in response to O'Gara (at the time) being "ready to kill" him. Form a orderly queue...

But joyfully for a country starved of national (team) sporting success, it fell short. CHAMPIONS AS LAST!!! :-)

I woke at 4am Sydney time hoping to catch the game online. Thank you whoever you are, that piped the TV coverage live (well almost live) back across the 'Net. Despite the early morning drowsiness and sleep in my eyes at the time, I'm feeling pretty "grand" now.


 

Adventures in Aussie Touch Footie Part 5 - NTL

Well this is it, the big one, pretty much my raison d'être in Australia and what I've been gearing up to since I arrived back in November. I nominated for my referee accreditation upgrade at NTL and hope to come away wearing a red badge (or at least a recommendation to be awarded one). It's interesting trying to digest how my standards & expectations of myself have evolved because I find myself feeling that the European red (Level 4 from 5) will no longer satisfy me - though that's the only badge I can wear as I remain in the European system - secretly I hope to be told that I am of a good enough standard on-field for the Australian red (Level 5 from 6), which is a higher grade.

Thursday 19th February
Better pack water wings...

The venue is Port Macquarie, not Coffs Harbour as has been traditional in previous years. Having said that I'm not sure the venue would have mattered due to all the very heavy rains & flooding. This is how the Tuffins Lane fields currently lie about 3 weeks out from NTL. The walkway of that bridge is under about a foot of water so the back fields must be under almost 1 foot and we're talking about a BIG area here. The weather isn't showing any promise of improving either so I'll be interested to see how things pan out.

Tuesday 10th March
What is it about Touch and rising at the crack of dawn?

I had a decidedly unpleasant 6am start to get down to the Greyhound Coach terminal at Central Station - not a bad thing in hindsight as it set me up for getting up at similarly unsociable times for the rest of the week. Pretty uneventful road trip not that I'd know much about it having slept most of the way! Got to the motel not too long after Badge, Milo and Luke, so after unpacking quickly we headed off to the mall to get some lunch and stock up on groceries. The atmosphere is good, Dave has already fixed his hair twice and the banter is flying... it's going to be fun rooming with these guys.

You know how establishments like hotels and restaurants sometimes put out a sign welcoming large groups? Well this place was no different and I wish I'd taken a photo. The sign in question (hand-written on a white board) went something like this: Ki-ea Apartments welcomes NTL 2009 "Referees". Not seeing the joke? Re-read and pay attention to the quotation marks...

The pre-tournament referees' dinner took place that evening and this was another moment in my refereeing career here where I just had to stop, look around and appreciate where I was and the company I was in: 120 of the best Touch referees and arguably THE top 15 referee coaches on the PLANET. I found myself thinking of various (Touch) countries back in Europe - just for example Germany by my last approximation had about 120 players of which about 15 were in the refereeing system at some level - and I'm certainly not wishing to imply anything negative about Touch in Europe, far from it. The simple fact is that the game in Australia has been developing for almost 40 years while it is infant all over Europe - there are people in this room (and not in it but whom I've run with) who have served the game for up to 25 years. I just turned 30.

Wednesday 11th March

Day 1 and only senior grades play today - open grades begin tomorrow. The scary thing is "senior" grades here start at the 27 age bracket! That's much less of a concern for me though than the condition of the fields, which I've had a chance to check out as my first game isn't until later. Thanks to the recent weather they are, in a word, SHIT... completely waterlogged, marshy and in some cases still UNDER water. Even just walking tentatively about the place my feet are sinking into the ground and I think the trainers, strappers and physios may have a busy week ahead dealing with ankle and knee injuries.

Fields 1 (stadium) and 2 (adjacent), which remained above the water level, are in decent shape all things considered - still wet, but reasonably firm underfoot. I can foresee appointments being a potentially contentious issue as these field conditions will influence how we referees can perform. I'm only up against against the system for a badge upgrade and I'm concerned. I'm sure it's absolutely weighing more on the minds of people competing for rankings and finals appointments.

Got to the field for my first game and sure enough about half of it is under surface water and I'm wondering how this is going to go. I'd already overheard a story of one referee, in similar conditions, faced with a decision to award a change in possession for a "rollball more than 1m". The player had performed a valid rollball (on water, unfortunately for them) but the ball subsequently FLOATED off the mark! I can't remember what the outcome was but it's a great example of letter vs. spirit of the rules.

I will admit to initially being a little precious in my on-field movements in an attempt to avoid getting overly soaked & filthy but quickly came to the realization that an attitude of "snap out of it, suck it up and get stuck in" was required. So I did and was pleased to get at least that nonsense out of my head - now I could focus on my upgrade performance for the rest of the game and the day.

Come the afternoon though, I was feeling pretty deflated and down on myself. I felt I hadn't put in anywhere near the performance I knew I was capable of - thinking of my men's open semi in WA State Champs just 10 days prior, though that game was admittedly played on a flat, bone-dry field in glorious sunshine. One of my biggest assets as a referee has always been my pace and the fields here just nullified that - I'd plant my foot changing direction or pushing off to sprint only for the ground to leech onto my shoes and suck the energy from my legs. It was a real struggle to get good, early position & presence - never mind maintain it - and while my mind was preoccupied with that it began to lose focus on other aspects of the game. I really wasn't happy.

Thursday 12th March

Day 2 and I'm running in the first timeslot... on field 2. YYYES! This was my chance to have a really good hit out, hopefully with one of the [coaching] Panel watching. I got my wish, was pleased with how I ran and my coaching feedback indicated I'm back on track. Result!

My other games today were back out in the "swamp" as I am now referring to it, but despite the field numbers changing from yesterday (which made for some interesting pre-game scrambles!) and an intense mixed open on an absolute horror field, I was pleased with the day - not least because I was starting to feel myself thinking on-field to adapt what I was doing to the conditions and read the game better because I didn't have my pace as backup to get me out of a jam.

There are similarities in the Australian and Irish sense of humour... we both enjoy some good banter. I had a "senior" women's (it was 30s I think) this afternoon and if it wasn't enough that the half one of the 35s teams vacating the field after the previous game shamelessly flirted upon hearing my accent (no I'm not complaining and yes of course I played along!) one of the players responded to my, ahem, "encouragement" for higher effort to get back onside with something along the lines of "we're being deliberately slow because we like hearing you talk", followed by a wicked grin and a wink! You cheeky minx... Now I'm sure this isn't what the [coaching] Panel has in mind about building rapport with players but they continually talk about the importance of the OUTCOME over other things, so I'll just reach for that and smile innocently :-)

This morning I was also asked if I would do an interview for TFA so during the afternoon their communications interns returned to the referees' tent and I answered their questions. I'm wondering now what material they'll use and how it'll appear when written down... and yes I did conveniently forget to mention the previous story.

Friday 13th March
Happy birthday Mum - I'll be calling you later.

Day 3 - another 6am start - and I realised they'd already posted yesterday's interview* from comments on Facebook (God or Deity of your choice bless web-enabled mobile phones). Upon arrival at the grounds I had people saying to me I'd been mentioned on the radio which was a little surreal to be honest. I'll chalk it up to novelty value... first European referee at NTL (I think?) and, as I learned yesterday, the locals do seem to like an Irish accent.
* Apologies to Touch München the Bavarian Open was omitted from the written version. I'm absolutely convinced I spoke of it...

I've a similar schedule to yesterday with my first game on field 2 and the others in the swamp - though later on I would re-assess its condition as "bog" as it managed to drain and firm up a little.

Back to business. Upgrades will be announced tomorrow so today is my last chance to impress and I intend to leave it all out there in this first game. I found myself doing a pre-game double-take when one captain introduced herself as Sharyn (Williams - Australian women's open captain who I've only ever seen on DVDs and heard described by words like "legend" and "star") but once that minor distraction was out of the way it was game face on & time to shine. I thought I put in a good performance - thankfully so did the Panel - so I was happy and relieved with my turnaround since Wednesday afternoon. Now all I can do is wait and hope I've done enough.

Saturday 14th
Finals, Rankings, Appointments, Upgrades.

5:30am (yuck!) start today as the morning referee's meeting on the final day of an event customarily requires additional time - in addition to the usual information updates and fines session there is also the non-trivial matter of announcing badge upgrades, finals appointments and rankings - and since the match schedule won't start later, we have to start earlier.

As they started announcing Level 5 upgrades my confidence was up but it began to wane as badges left the table. I was not expecting to receive a badge - I'm not in the Australian system, remember - but I was hoping to at least hear my name.

With one Level 5 badge left on the table they moved on to Level 6 announcements. I just sat there quietly disappointed confused but still hoping - there's one badge left - could it be, however strange, that I might get some sort of special mention at the end?

Just two badges left on the table now - a 6 and a 5 - for a "unique, special moment to finish" as we would have a simultaneous father and daughter upgrade - Rob and Rebecca Ward. I then realised that I hadn't noticed Bec's name wasn't called earlier and felt rather guilty about it, even selfish. She was a team mate, we were both going for our Level 5, we'd refereed together, supported and run water for each other. She also somehow managed to convince to jumping into an ice bath for the first time - an unconventional way to bond with someone but it worked! Despite feeling pretty crushed myself I was pleased to be part of the moment and just happy for her - I understood too well how she would have been feeling - before returning to my own little world as I had a game first timeslot and the meeting was now running over time.

So I slipped away to tog out wondering how I would be able to concentrate with my mind at least distracted if not consumed trying to figure out where I blew it. I absolutely believed that I was at least as good as some of the other upgrades. Luke and then Badge - thank you guys - came to chat to me which did help me get some focus back and Badge (who was in fact my team leader) would arrange it so I'd get a coaching debrief ASAP.

This happened after lunch (after stewed for the morning and run two games) but by now I just was grateful to get it all. Jim chatted with me for about a half hour - thank you Jim - not just giving me feedback but answering all my technique and "how do I push on further?" related questions. Mission accomplished though - I'm good enough for the Australian Level 5 and the upgrade recommendation will be going back to Europe. RED BADGE BABY YEAH!

Time now to feel relieved, relax and enjoy the finals over a beer with mates - and reflect on the experience and journey this week has been.