Shark!

Saturday was a beauty. A bright, sunny day and no swell meant that it was time to don the snorkel and mask and head into the water for a look around. I haven't really done much snorkelling since I've been here so Saturday was the perfect opportunity to do so.

I decided to swim from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach and Fairy Bower via the shore line. I had a great time in the water, the conditions were perfect and I saw loads of cool stuff including a big sting ray and a cuttlefish, as well as loads of parrotfish . I forgot to take my underwater camera which was a real shame because the visibility was great.











































Anyway, it was a little unnerving swimming with so much open water to one side of you, and for such a long distance. Maybe it's because I haven't snorkelled or scuba dived for so long. When I'm surfing it doesn't bother me at all but being able to see what is beneath you with a mask opens up a world of possibilities. But after forty minutes or so I had made it to the protected Shelly Beach. I then decided to swim over to the Fairy Bower dive site. The water was a little more choppy here as what little swell there was came round the break. I soon found myself in the middle of quite a large shoal of bait fish which was amazing. I then looked down and to my surprise I saw two 3-4 foot sharks come around the corner. Now I went to the Aquarium a few weeks ago so the species looked vaguely familiar. They were Port Jackson’s but at the time I was wracking by startled brain to work out what type they were. Nurse shark was the first thought I had and I know they have teeth. Anyway, they were definitely sharks and they were definitely very cool. I kept a nice distance but then one of them came straight for me. I immediately tried to swim away but it kept on coming. Queue my finest Ian Thorpe impression as I swam as fast as I could to the beach. Anyone watching me from the shore would have been in stitches. After a few seconds or so of frantic swimming I stopped, turned around and saw that the shark was right behind me. Once again I swam as fast as I could to the beach.

It was only when I was sat on Shelly Beach did I think that it may have been a Port Jackson. I thought these were harmless (it was probably just being curious, or it was attracted to my bright yellow fins) but even still, it was pretty scary. However I just had to get back into the water. I couldn't let this put me off as I spend as much time as I can in the water these days. So, after a few minutes I went back in. I don't mind admitting that I was pretty nervous. I wasn't up for swimming all the way back to Manly so I left the water again, walked half way back and then went in again, swimming for another twenty minutes or so. I made it back without any further incident, and was glad I overcame the fear.




























It was only when I got home and looked them up on the net, did I realise how harmless they are. Apparently they use their teeth to grind sea urchins and stuff but they can carry a nasty sting in their dorsal fin. What a woos!

The valuable lesson learnt from all of this is that next time I’ll take my camera.....

Book Twenty Nine

Ok, so this is Book Twenty Nine.....

I'm a bit lost for words to be honest. I haven't ever read anything like this before. Well, maybe American Psycho would be a distant cousin.

It only took me a couple of days to get through it but it could easily be completed in one sitting. I also bought Will a copy for his birthday last week. I can see it doing the rounds over here.

I’m not going to tell you what it's about (apart from it being about the average American male!), suffice to say you will laugh out loud, you will be shocked, you will be amused and you should be careful where you read it. The next time you are in Dymocks, WHSmiths or Borders pick yourself up a copy and read the first couple of chapters. I bet you buy it! Also check out the 'Acknowledgments' at the end – it's a nice touch.

On a completely separate note, how crazy is this whole Harry Potter thing? I walked into a bookshop on Saturday afternoon, after a bit of an all nighter in the city and Bondi, but had to leave almost straight away - it was too much to take in. I mean, shopkeepers dressed as wizards! Ok, I can understand the hysteria on Saturday but the same guy was wearing the same outfit on Sunday. Bonkers. I haven't yet read any of the books yet and really don't think I will. But now that I'm a bit of a book fan these days, maybe I should. What do you think?

Book Twenty Eight

Finally Book Twenty Eight is complete.

I put myself into Book Reading exile for a couple of weeks as I went and stayed with some friends closer to the city. This meant I had a shorter commute, and coupled with the fact that this book is nearly 500 pages long, well it just took me a while.

When I first started it I only managed to grab a few pages here and there. That 'style' may work for some books, but definitely not for this. When I moved back to Manly I definitely broke it's back as I ploughed my way through 40 pages or so a day.

Anyway, this books is another classic. Being a bit of a reading novice I had never even heard of it. I only found it because Khaled Hosseini, the author of Book Twenty Six, said that this was his favourite contemporary book. Having loved Book Twenty Six, I thought I'd give his recommendation a go (mind you, he also recommends Book Twenty Seven and I am still trying to get my head around that one).

I knew I had a bit of a challenge on my hands as soon as it began. Reading text written in mid-western American took a bit of getting used to. But I added another reading talent to my rapidly increasing repertoire (and what a great use of that word eh!) as I soon found myself reading like George Dubble Yah talks. Actually, that's not a talent at all is it (although I actually think he is from the deepest, darkest South, but its close enough for my analogy)? Anyway, I digress. I found myself really getting into this book and enjoyed it more with each page.

It tells the hopeless story of a migrant family, driven out of their farm by drought and economic hardship, who head west in search of a better life. I haven't ever read anything like this before. It may sound pretty dull but it's not at all and the final scene is very disturbing. Maybe it's the kind of text that sits in an English departments Book cupboard, maybe not? Mike.....?

It won the Nobel Prize for Literature as well, so I guess that means it must be good.

It is.

Bad Americana

I haven't really posted anything about my job on this blog so thought I'd do so now. I've been working for a Marketing company here in Sydney since last August. During that time I've had two jobs. The first was probably the worst job I have ever had. I hated it. I was working in an IT department and I wasn't very happy at all, so much so that I decided to quit in January. HR said that the business didn't want to lose me and found me a role in Operations. This is probably the best job I've ever had. I work with some brilliant people, on a great account and actually really enjoy being at work. Unlike the dark IT days, Sunday nights are now ok! My current contract is ending though in August and I've just had two departments wanting to sign me up. I've yet to sign my new deal, but it should be working on the same account, in the same seat, with the same great people, but with just a slight shift in focus on what I currently do - I'm hoping to get the best of both worlds so we'll see how the next six months go.

Last week we had our Half Year Party, to celebrate, erm, half a year of hard work. It was a fancy dress affair, with the theme being 'Bad Americana'. I went as a cowboy. I was loosely based on this character but most people think I was more like these guys!

I usually post pictures of my mates out of work, so here's a few of my mates from work. I didn't let the side down by taking 179 pictures of the party!