On ending the year

Conscious that I had not blogged in an eternity, I almost sat down the other day to write an entry entitled “On redundancy”. This year, countless professionals have been shipped out, and the City of London in particular has been hit quite hard. One of my bestest friends was made redundant a few months ago and only a week ago another person from my small team of environmental law specialists was let-go. It is an appalling state of affairs to see perfectly qualified, intelligent human beings being whisked out of their offices with hardly an opportunity to pick up their belongings. And where do you go? At least in law, very, very FEW firms are hiring unless you happen to be an employment or insolvency lawyer. This is the first recession I have been through in my professional life and it has not been pleasant at all. I mean, were I to be made redundant I would probably rejoice in the pay-out, but would be incomprehensibly inconvenienced with losing my right to remain in the UK! (I have begun the process to now obtain a visa which is not contingent on my place of work which thankfully, it seems I qualify for).

But, I did not want to write a down-in-the-dumps entry dedicated to the unfortunate circumstances of many of those around me. Partly because I have to believe redundancy is a blessing in disguise and those left out in the cold now, will eventually move onto bigger and greater things. My friend being a good example; soon to leave for Africa to work as principal environmental counsel at a global financial institution.

What I do want to do, however, is briefly reflect on how fantastic a year 2008 has been on balance (This is important as I will otherwise forget!). It was made fantastic first and foremost by the friends I have made and the friendships that have grown and blossomed. It was made awesome by the blokes I met through hockey and flying to Barcelona to compete with them. The travel I have managed to accomplish this year, as last year, has been incredibly satisfying and rewarding. Barcelona (twice), Oslo, Cologne, Los Angeles, New York and of course Sydney to visit mum, dad and my closest friends. I’ve seen Elton John live at the O2 and an old high school friend play the lead role in a West-End musical. I went to Disneyland for the first time (and unbeknownst to my friend D, couldn’t help but suspire uncontrollably and well up under my sunglasses when Mickey came out twirling a baton before a grand brass band *just* as we entered the park!). I flew first class for the first time and drove on the wrong side of the road for the first time from Malibu to LA proper… I’ve converted to macs, and iPods and feel they really add value by helping me get stuff done… (and they are so pretty – It really has been a year of firsts for me.

Professionally also, I’ve furthered my specialisation into climate change and carbon trading. I’ve worked on multi-jurisdictional deals on a mixture of international regulatory matters (like the commercial aspects of the Kyoto Protocol and renewable energy projects) and other more plain vanilla environmental legal matters but which have been on the whole thoroughly interesting and, well quite frankly, exactly what I signed up for when I decided to specialise into this quirky field almost 6 years ago now!

I have certain plans for next year such as strengthening friendships even more (sooo important in my life at this loyte stoyge), learning to play the drums (yep! – wheels already in motion on that one), travel travel travel (Copenhagen and French Alps already on the agenda) and of course seeing my folks again who I miss dearly. I also need to make sure I lead a healthier lifestyle which will include going to bed *much* earlier of  a night time and actually using that gym membership as opposed to whining about the monthly fee that comes out of my pay!

On a macro level, the year has been very down-beat. However, looking into the specifics one realises that everyone is in the same boat and its simply a matter of survival. I can think of no better way of surviving than focusing *no matter what* (and perhaps myopically) on the opportunities the year has provided, and anticipating those which the next will invariably bring.

Happy Christmas and all that!

JC :0)

Pop art

A cartoon version of me.

Seeing yourself in 2D is a little freaky. Your salient facial features are accentuated. It almost makes you see what you don’t ordinarily see. Its a little surreal, but very intriguing.

I like it!

If you want your mug transformed into a sharp looking caricature, and want more details on what you need to do, cost etc, then look no further than:

 

Bradon.Anderson@gmail.com

 JC =)

My latest addiction

I am such a kid. I absolutely LOVE this online game.

Miniclip are the total legends of online gaming!

Click on the link below and enjoy flying through hoops in your snazzy little plane – hold down space bar to go at faster speed and score more points!

Stunt Pilot Be the best Stunt Pilot and complete all the courses without crashing!

Play this free game now!!

It’s good to let out your inner kid sometimes!

JC =)

Pangs of glee #1

I often get little pangs of glee as I sit either in the office, or at home day dreaming. I think I will begin to document them as they arise. The latest gleeful pang is the nervous excitement about going to see Elton John perform his Red Piano Tour show at the O2 arena this coming December. What a treat!

I even had to get the tickets on the “secondary market” of Ticketmaster tickets of sorts… I’m still to master the art of scooping tickets on the day they are released… Its just all those Rude Vile Pigs that hoard them all!! Appalling!! heheh. Whilst purchased at a bit of a premium, the seats are fab and I reckon its going to be well worth it!

JC =)

Time for a quote

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”

Harvey Fierstein

I had seen this quote somewhere before and never thought much of it. Recently, googling as I do, it randomly came up again only this time, the words really spoke out. The truth is, I have always subscribed to this even before I had read it. I’m not generally seen as an extrovert (although this depends on my surroundings – some people *would* be surprised!) nor am I known to be outwardly bullish. However, I have always aggressively strived for what I wanted. I think internally I have always sought to be defiant in the face of adversity. It’s how I was tought to be.

Perhaps a younger, less experienced version of me, wasn’t so good at living out that mantra (at least not in every aspect of my life)… Academically and financially, I did the best I could. However, in other aspects, there was a time when I did let myself be made a victim and when my self esteem tumbled.  Subsequently, I found it difficult to trust people, to confide in people and to value the good that *was* in my life. While it did not take me long back then to realise that blame could not be mine in absolute, I don’t think I really ever forgave myself for letting that happen.

Thankfully, recently and years later, the world conspired to organise a reconciliation of cathartic proportions. I am grateful. It’s true however, that being the Aquarian that I am, I will never, ever forget. However, at least now the past can stay there and things can be civil, free of ill-will, pangs of fester and negative “vibe”. Older, wiser and more cautious now – I reckon this is probably the necessary extent of the treaty. But it is enough to mean that all is good.

It is clear in my mind that over the years, my journey through life has been nothing short of fantastic.  Much like the Orange adverts, “I am who I am because of everyone” (which is true in part), I think the inverse is truer for most people; That everyone who I hold dear now and who chooses to be part of my life, is so in large part, because of the person *I* am and have become.

In this knowledge, I am happy.

JC =)

What a day

I’ve had quite a day today – one not to be forgotten. I know my mate D has also had a crazy one, perhaps crazier than mine. The good thing was that we could meet up in the evening, go to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Adelphi, and forget about life for a couple of hours.

The show *was* amazing. So many colours, and great performers too. In fact, my mate R from high school, also an Aussie-Chilean, was playing the lead role whilst Lee Mead was away. It made the night extra special, and its hard to explain, but in a totally non-patronising way, I was so proud to see a friend and contemporary doing so bloody well =)

I still can’t wipe that smile off my face.

JC =)

Halogen chronicles

The worry has lingered ever since we moved into the lovely London flat in SE1. The whole recessed lighting thing has always been rather foreign to me… I grew up in a 2 bedroom flat in the western suburbs of Sydney where back in the day, ceilings were sprayed with some kind of lumpy cement and lighting consisted of musty coloured lamp shade lights emitting an unnatural yellow glow, or clumsy hemispherical bowls that collected dust and became the final resting place for many a moth!

My funky new-build flat belongs to a block of apartments located opposite a park and a stone’s throw from the Thames. Every single light fitting is recessed as is the norm in most developments these days. When we moved in all of the lights were working and it was good times. Since then, however, two halogen bulbs have blown in my bathroom, and all of the nifty little cupboard lights in the kitchen have blown also…. bad times.

Changing a light bulb used to be so easy. Not so anymore.

After a quick reccie to see what kind of light bulbs I had in the loo, I realised one of them could easily be screwed in and out of the socket (woohoo!). The other however, required me to somehow pull the whole fitting from the ceiling. This bothered me so I put it back before I knocked more bits of plaster to the ground. The little spot lights in the kitchen looked easy enough to change – they were tiny bulbs with two tiny pins sticking out of them.

Too overwhlemed to deal with the funny pull-out-of-ceiling light bulb in the loo, I took myself to Rob Dyas (kind of like a Mitre 10 store in Oz), nonchalantly grabbed a handful of light bulbs and successfully installed them! (Not the funny one though – I had no idea what make or model it was).. Shame – ALTHOUGH I now know them to be called an “MR16″… Jeff Weisman on You Tube is a star – check him out below – and witty too, implying somehow that inanimate objects can sometimes “swing both ways” (at 4:40) … LOL

Hurrah for You Tube!

JC =)

N!GEL HALL chic

As I sat in my living room that weekend, watching as ever the trains from the south trundle into London Bridge station out on the arched railway bridge from my window, I regarded my shoes and decided something had to be done.

I love shoes and clothes. I just hate buying them.

Increasingly, my attention has been drawn to my characteristically casual appearance and demeanour. “You don’t look/seem like a lawyer” has oft been related to me (usually in a social setting, whilst wearing my routine Wranglers and Chuck Taylors) – never something to cause me loss of sleep, but still curiously nagging…. On Fridays we are permitted “smart casual” in the office, defined to mean “no jeans”. I only have jeans. It’s either jeans, or a full business suit for me – no inbetweens.

So with that in mind, I made the trip on the jubilee line to Bond Street, weaved through the hundreds of people swarming along Oxford Street (I *was* always the one to beat on Frogger at the games arcade) and slid into Selfridges.

Expensive, vast, overwhelming, stark. I was ready to leave, roll a cigarette and jump back on the tube until I happened upon a pair of black shoes that were much to my liking. After trying on the 43, I paid for them, thankful that my trip had not been in vain. I remained, however, uncomfortable with the fact that I still had no quasi smart clothes to wear. Surely its about time I smartened up?

The soft autumnal hues at the Nigel Hall mini-shop at Selfridges beckoned. As I circuled the clothes racks I realised I could see myself in the deep red v-neck jumper and those charcoal felty trousers. The striped light-blue shirts were nicely trimmed with a brown leafy pattern set in front of white cloth. The jackets looked well-made and very smart, without looking wanky or over-the-top. As much as I hate trying clothes on, I simply had to this time…..

…..I would return to the Nigel Hall shop the next weekend to spend even more money on his clothes! I suppose I really am a typical Aquarian. Blasé to the extreme except when their minds are made up, or have been convinced of something, will relentlessly (and perhaps myopically) pursue that something – in this case, this clothing range….. I even got a nod and a complement from the shop assistant the second time round: “You’re looking really well dressed today – I really like it”* – Whilst the remark was not free from bias on any view, it was certainly nice to hear.

I will never stop loving my Converse, jeans and check shirts nor my comfortable look which makes *me* feel comfortable as a person. But I think I can start to make room for some nicer things now too – every now and then!

JC =)

*I wasn’t wearing Nigel Hall at the time either – Check out http://www.nigelhallmenswear.co.uk for a peek!

On the Conquistador

The Spanish Conquistadors are supposed to have been a young enterprising bunch of lads who raped, pillaged and introduced weird and wonderful European diseases amongst the indigenous people of the Americas in the process of conquering the New World. The indigenous people of Chile were the last to be massacred and conquered by the Spanish as they put up the best defences compared to the others throughout South America yet were still no match for the technologically advanced Europeans.

About 439 years after Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago de Chile, I would be born in Valparaiso in the Hospital Aleman (German Hospital). If it wasn’t for the crazy Spanish, I would not be here today. Chile is a mix of people largely of the mestizo race, some more European-looking than others, but essentially a truly mixed yet fairly homogenous race. Many Irish, Germans, Italians and English settled on the shores of Chile throughout the years – its expansive coastline welcoming many people and cultures. My grandmother actually migrated from La Mancha in Spain during the Franco fiasco and so my connection to Spain is even more pronounced as I have family who still live there today. Couple my heritage with the fact I grew up in Australia and for all intents and purposes, am an Aussie, I count myself pretty lucky… privileged even.

I went clubbing last night – danced the night away! I had a wonderful time until I met one of the most ignorant, pig headed people I think I will ever meet. My friend C was on a snogging rampage and met a Spaniard (Galician) named A (lets call him Arsehole). For whatever reason, it became clear that Arsehole was somehow threatened by me… Hey that’s fine – it wouldn’t be the first time some insecure sod would feel this way. So this is how it went (abridged version):

Arsehole:  “so where are you from? what do you do?”

Me:  “Well, I was born in Chile – but I grew up in Australia… I have family in Spain in La Mancha – you’re from Spain?”

Arsehole:  “Oh yes. Galicia.. so what do you do?”

Me:  “I’m a lawyer”

Arsehole:  (mood: cocky/arrogant) “There is nothing much in La Mancha… and if you’re from Chile, then you’re an “indio” (translated – tribal/indigenous native with racist connotations)”

Me: (mellowed by the 7th vodka diet coke in my hand and in complete disbelief) “That’s funny” (as I walked off).

As I sobered up that night (more like 5am as I left the club) I felt pangs of anger and rage that I hadn’t actually clobbered the wanker. I suppose I didn’t want to cause any trouble for C who later walked off with Arsehole, but returned alone as it turns out. My emotions evolved from anger to disbelief to shock and finally to pity. I seriously can’t believe this guy thinks he can go around calling any Latin American person he may well be threatened by, the equivalent of calling someone a “pigmy” (ie, its the patronising racist connotation that is offensive – not that it is an insult in itself to be called “indigenous” or whatever)… The Conquistadors at least had a method to their madness and a mission to advance and promote progress (as any imperialist did)… “Arsehole” on the other hand, was just that and nothing less.

JC =)

On alcohol

It was only 12 years ago that I experienced inebriation for the first time. We had trundled off to the bottle-o (or an offie as its called here) after our Jeet Kune Do session as part of school phys ed. My mate N was already over 18 even though I was just 16. He plied me with a glorious bottle of Passion Pop (a cheap and nasty $2 fizzy wine) and we rejoiced as we drank the frothy brew along the then untamed banks of the Parramatta River. We proceeded to Burger King where I devoured a whopper meal and couldn’t help giggling and toppling over in the U.S.-diner-like booth much to my amusement and dismay. N and I remain good mates to this day. I still drink a lot – but have never again seemed to reach that same level of euphoria as I did back in 1996.

Controversial as it may be, I remain indebted to alcohol for giving me some of the best times of my life. A bottle of Orkney-brewed Dark Island ale complemented my Scottish steak in a recent trip to Edinburgh.  Schooner after schooner (a drinks measure, a little smaller than a standard pint) of Victoria Bitter lubricated my being on numerous occasions at the Newtown Hotel, where I would not infrequently pass the afternoon away on a Sunday with good friends. The sweet sensation of Munchen rice beer complemented my bratwurst, sauerkraut and mustard snack on a lazy afternoon in Germany. A sudden pang for Guinness was the order of the day the other night in Shoreditch – the malty liquid providing me with a real sense of comfort. It snowed that day in London, for the second time in 2008.

So I’ve moved on from the Passion Pop and the euphoria is no longer as primal. But its still there; just a little more sophisticated now…. which ain’t a bad thing =)

JC