Studio Notes by Shai Coggins» Australia Buzz

Notes and Thoughts from City To Bay in Adelaide 2010

Shai Coggins — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:58:46 +0000

Well, most of the aches and pains have come and gone. After all, it has been over a week since I walked the 12K from Adelaide City to Glenelg during the City To Bay Fun Run/Walk this year.

And, before any of you who know me (and my fitness levels!) start choking on something, no, this isn’t the start of a new, healthy me. And, even though this is a great annual charity event in my home city, I have to admit that I wasn’t feeling very noble when I basically got signed up to this under a lot of… aherm… peer pressure.

Truth be told: The idea of doing any kind of long distance walking terrified me because I know that I’m not exactly a fit person. The thought of being in a lot of pain… and worse, going through a lot of pain while getting humiliated… just didn’t sit well with me. Even if it was for a good cause!

So, when my colleagues asked for volunteers for the walk a few weeks ago, I am embarrassed to say that I was one of the first to say, “No, thanks!”

Little did I know that it wasn’t the last I’d hear of it.

I’m not going to share the details of what some of them did to tease me in to joining the team, but needless to say, I caved.

I wish I could’ve come up with some excuse other than, “I’m too unfit to join,” but I’ve never been good with coming up with excuses (Yes, I was the sort of person who actually gave my real number to guys who used to ask when I was still single. Silly huh?).

My anxiety about doing the walk just kept building up that I think I practically made myself sick, as I did end up with a cold a couple of days before the day. However, I know that anything less than a burst appendix or a car accident wouldn’t have sufficed at the time as a way to get out of walking that very long and excruciating 12ks.

On the day of the walk, I showed up. Nervous and shivering with cold, but willing to see just how far I could go. I told myself that I’d just walk until I can no longer walk. I seriously didn’t think I could finish.

In my mind, I’d probably be giving up by 3Ks. If I reached 6Ks without collapsing, I’d be over the moon.

Out of an office of 12 employees, there were 6 of us who ended up signing up (some with their respective partners/friends). However, one had to drop off.

By the time we reached past 3Ks, 3 of our 5-person team (with folks joining them) ended up walking further and further from me and my female colleague (and designated “walking partner” of the day). Well, basically, she and I made a pact that when the other person wants to stop/give up, the other one will join in.

Our initial goal was to get to 6K. And, for some reason, we were still quite happy and somewhat energised by the time we reached that halfway mark.

We said we’ll try to get to 9Ks.

It was then that things started looking bleaker by the minute. Every step became painful. It even started pelting down with rain. We were cold, wet, hungry, tired, and in a lot of pain.

Giving up felt like the only option.

By the time we got to 9Ks, a tram ride to the finish line looked horribly tempting.

Instead, we ended up getting ourselves a sausage sizzle and squeezing in a lot of pep talk.

Well, the pep talk was partly about how we’d hate to cop it from our colleagues and friends. Besides, we both announced the fact that we were walking at City 2 Bay in our social media networks (maybe they do help to stay accountable!).

But, mostly we talked ourselves in to finishing because it felt so lame to give up when we were 3/4 of the way through.

So, we found our own way to keep walking — through aching feet and muscles. We finished and I think we clocked somewhere around 2:35 (yes, it’s in the papers!). Just 15 to 20 minutes behind the rest of our team. Not bad, considering we did sit at a bus stop for a few minutes, stopped at the loo (where I nearly blacked out), took photos at the halfway mark, bought sausage sizzle, and even chatted to someone I know who we bumped in to on the way to the finish line…

At the end of the day, we finished the walk. We did what we came to do. Slow and exhausted, but we were jubilant.

Sure, I ended up with fever that afternoon and couldn’t get out of bed for the rest of the day…

Sure, I was basically walking at a snail’s pace and saying “ow” at every turn for about a couple of days…

But, I actually did it. And survived.

We even sort of celebrated with our ‘team’, who we met in Glenelg at the end of the walk.

So, what are my Top 5 Take-Aways from this experience?

1. To me, this is a great reminder to never underestimate my capacity to get past my comfort zone. I could’ve sworn I’d never join a walk. But, thankfully, even if I never sign up for another City 2 Bay, at least I know I’ve done it before. And I can do something else now that seems way too impossible to do. Like, maybe, parasail or skydive. Heh.

2. If the ultimate goal seems too huge, it’s good to find little goals to meet. My first mini goal was to get there on time. Waking up at 5 am on a Sunday morning is not my idea of fun. But, I did it. And, my second goal was to get past 3Ks without passing out. I almost made the 6K my final goal. But… Well, see take-away #1.

3. When something massive is at hand, it’s always nice to have some kind of inspiration. But, if that inspiration disappears out of view, well… Keep making up new ones!

4. Finding a number of good reasons to do something is always helpful. It helps to remind myself why I’m doing something (even if part of that reason is “so I don’t get teased about not being a team player” or something or the other).

5. Having a good solid team to keep you going could make or break your resolve to finish something. In my case, even though more than half our team ended up going without us for most of the walk, I was grateful that I had someone who was happy to walk at my pace… Having someone to laugh with, talk to, and just walk beside me without trying to rush me or make me feel bad just made all the difference between giving up and finishing with a smile on my face, even through the pain.

Hmmm… No wonder walks/marathons are often likened to love and life.

And now, the question that I seem to keep getting asked: Will I do it again?

Offhand, I’d like to say an outright no.

But then, having thought about it more, I’d say now that perhaps I’d consider it again… But, ONLY if I knew I had a solid walking team who’d stick together no matter what.

Photos: 1. City2Bay in Adelaide 2010 – Finally! The Finish Line., 2. City2Bay in Adelaide 2010 – 6Ks to Go!, 3. City2Bay in Adelaide 2010 – My Bib!, 4. Part of the Connecting Up Team wearing our DonorTec shirts

On Live AFL, Sporty Boys, and Minda, Inc.

Shai Coggins — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:36:00 +0000

I have to admit it: I’m not really a big Australian Rules Football fan. But, when you live in Australia, and you’re raising a boy in Adelaide, it’s not something that you can escape from that easily. The same way that I know I couldn’t escape from cricket and football (soccer), being married to a sports-fanatic Englishman.

And, whilst I have become a cricket and a soccer convert (Rugby too, believe it or not) — I have not turned to AFL all that much. But, somehow, it felt like it was just a matter of time before I had to choose a footy side (Port Adelaide vs Adelaide Crows).

When my son started school, footy talk has slowly crept in to our lives. Not as much as soccer and cricket, of course. But, definitely talks about footy teams began making their way in to our daily conversations.

Then, one day, my son came home with a decision: When it comes to footy, he is going to barrack for the Adelaide Crows. So, of course, hubby and I support whoever he supports.

That’s why when I heard from the PR department of Minda, Inc. (the organisation for people with intellectual disabilities that I support) — that they’re giving away some free tickets to the Adelaide Crows vs Geelong game held last Saturday thanks to some sponsors — I put in my request for a family pass. The clients and full time staff were first priority, of course. So, I wasn’t quite sure if I’d get a pass or not. Thankfully, there were enough tickets to go around.

So, our family went to watch a live AFL match together. It was our first time to watch the Crows in action. Unfortunately, they lost even after putting up a decent fight. Well, it wasn’t a surprise, really… seeing as Geelong is meant to be the strongest team in the league right now.

In any case, other than seeing the delighted looks on my kids’ faces, it was also wonderful to see the clients from Minda having a great night out, watching their footy heroes. It’s always fabulous when individuals and organisations sponsor such events for the clients and staff. It really makes a difference to people’s lives. I hope that there will be more of that sort of thing for the organisation and the clients.

So yeah, the overall experience was definitely fun. Loud, colourful, sporty fun.

Amazing Australians Online: On the Victorian Bushfire Disaster and the Web

Shai Coggins — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 10:55:55 +0000

On this day of hearts, I’d like to dedicate this post to a different kind of love that people have an amazing ability to give during very difficult times.

As most of you would’ve heard by now, one of the worst disasters has struck Australia and its people last week – the terrible Victorian Bushfires. The effects of it are still felt until now. And most likely, for many months and years to come.

It’s a heartbreaking situation to watch, even just on television, the web, and in the papers. I can never imagine what it must be like for those who lost lives, homes, properties, and loved ones.

However, one of the wonderful things that came out of this is the incredible amount of support that people have done to help those in need. At a time when it’s easy to feel jaded and disillusioned by the terrible things that people do and say – it’s incredible to witness the beauty of the human spirit.

I cannot put together a comprehensive enough list of every single person who did amazing things over the last week or so. I wish I’m able to. But, how can I? When I know that so many people have done so many things as best as they can to extend help — from the young students who donated in schools’ Bushfire Appeals to big corporations who held their own Bushfire Drives and Campaigns.

It’s good to see people getting together for a common cause.

Some such people include the fantastic number of Australian bloggers, online entrepreneurs, and social media enthusiasts who did their best to use the web to offer help, resources, news, and other information. These are some of those that I have been made aware of:

GROUPS AND CAUSES

The Phoenix Appeal – A fundraising group organised by artists on the artist e-commerce site, RedBubble.

Samboy is Back: $10,000 for the Victorian Bushfire Appeal – A Facebook group that organised a fundraising effort.

Applaud the CFA Heroes and Empathise with the Bushfire 09 Victims – Another Facebook group that offers support.

SitePoint Sale – Web development company based in Australia put together a 5-for-1 special sale where 100% of sales from ebooks will be donated to the Bushfire victims. Darren Rowse of Problogger (who’s based in Victoria) also helped to organise this initiative. (Also blogged at JMMO).

Flickr Group: Victorian Bushfires 2009 – A collection of photos on Flickr shared by various sources.

OzBushfireAppeal – A collective of artists and craftspeople on Etsy who pulled resources together to sell their goods to raise funds for the Victorian Bushfire victims.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF SOME AUSTRALIANS ONLINE

How to Help: Victorian Bushfires – Jasmin Tragas of Wonderwebby has put together a very useful blog post on the different ways to help those who are affected by the bushfires.

Fires in Victoria and Social Media in Australia – Fellow Adelaide-based blogger Lee Hopkins put together a very extensive commentary and resources on how social media played a part in this situation. Including videos and photos collected from Flickr and YouTube.

@Miscmum – Karen, a blogger/social media enthusiast based in Victoria, has also been Tweeting about the event.

@BeauGiles – An Australian Twitter user who put together @bushfires and @vicfires at Twitter to gather and share information.

@774melbourne – Twitter updates from the radio station.

Other Twitter users worth mentioning (as nominated by fellow Aussies): @alicam, @wolfcat, @coliwilso, and @jimboot.

Also see:

UPDATES:

Help Recover from Fire – as recommended by Kay Walker
Handmade Helps Out – as recommended by Melissa W
The Toy Society – as recommended by Melissa W

If you know of anything or anyone else who should be included in this list, please feel free to let me know via comments and I’ll do my best to update this accordingly.

In any case, I hope you will join me in applauding the many Australians who did all they can to help at a time like this. Thank you.

Image source: PicApp

Some info source: Shelley Heath, Maria Kleine, Alister Cameron, and Lee Hopkins.

Adelaide Bloggers and Social Web Media January 2009 Meet-Up

Shai Coggins — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:57:06 +0000

I believe it’s safe to say that our first Adelaide Bloggers and Social Web Media Group get-together of the year started off pretty well. Not only did we manage to get our first venue sponsor (yes – free house wine and softdrinks + 50% off everything else we ordered + free 3 hour parking) via Caffé Primo – Norwood – we even managed to have a pretty decent attendance (25 attendees, even though it’s a long weekend – and a few new folks joined us too + some of our old friends and regulars).

And yes, thanks again to Ara, the owner of Primo Norwood. He even came to talk to the meet-up attendees at the start of the party, to tell us how and why he franchised a Primo. And, his dream of changing and making things better – as well as his general love for the food industry. It was great.

Another thanks, of course, goes to my sister, Sasha Manuel, who made the contact and organised the sponsorship deal. If she lived in Adelaide, I would’ve definitely asked her to keep working on these types of deals. Heh.

I’m really hoping that this is just the start of better and more exciting things to come for our growing group. I’ve got other ideas, and I’m hoping to find ways to pull them off. But yes, social media is definitely alive and kicking here in Adelaide. And, I’m really grateful to all our friends and members who help to make this happen. Thank you, all!

To see individual pics – visit this Facebook Album or our January 2009 Meet-up Page on Facebook. Or, you can also check out the movie slideshow below.

Now, here are the folks who helped us to make this event a success -

Bern Relos (Facebook)
Murray Davis (Facebook)
Stephen Mitchell (Facebook)
Kay Walker (Facebook)
Andrew Cox
Taryn Hicks (Facebook)
Derek
Steve Davis (Facebook)
Jenny Rudd
Rowan Timm
Charlie Robinson (Facebook)
Robyn Sharyn (Facebook)
Geoffrey Kwitko (Facebook)
Monique Klein (Facebook)
Richard Pascoe (Facebook)
James Govan (Facebook)
Marilyn Rudd
Michael Gallagher (Facebook)
Maria Kleine (Facebook)
Jim Manning (Facebook)
Michael Purse
Anthony Coles (Facebook)
Steve Thomas (Facebook)
Sasha Manuel (Facebook)

Also, here are some blog posts about the event (Note: If you’re an Adelaide blogger who joined the event and blogged about it, please let me know so I can add your link here too.) -

Day 23/365 Adelaide Bloggers Meetup by Steve Thomas
Trying a short post by Kay Walker

Again, thanks so much for making this happen. Until next time!

Oh, and yes, if you want to be notified of future events, check out our Facebook group page and/or our Meetup Page* (Sponsored by australianblogs.com.au). We have tentatively booked the 24th of April 2009, Friday, 6 to 9pm, as the next meet-up date.

Here’s the video slideshow of photos from the event -

Aussie Bloggers Meet!

Shai Coggins — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:01:04 +0000

A few days ago, Karen Cheng, one of the top Australian bloggers (and a good long-time online friend), wrote to me saying that she’ll be in in my neck of the woods for a quick visit. She wanted to meet up for lunch or a cuppa, just to catch up. At the time, the purpose of the trip was kept hush-hush because she was being asked to meet with a famous celebrity athlete. Later, it was revealed that she was only one of two interviewers who was granted an exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong, who’s currently participating in the popular Tour Down Under here in Adelaide. I was really thrilled for her (and the fact that a blogger got such a fabulous opportunity!).

Of course, I knew that I’d be making time for her no matter what. After all, when I visited Perth/Fremantle, WA a few years ago – and I wrote to her that I was going to be in town – she was more than enthusiastic about meeting up. She even brought her lovely family with her.

Anyway, my sis ended up tagging along during our get-together. Of course, they both talked shop about fashion/beauty blogging, as it’s an interest that they share. Other than that, we chatted about the state of social media in Perth and Adelaide, as well as a few other things about work, family, design, shopping, and other similar interests. It was definitely a fabulous catch-up. Sasha shared more pics and her side of the story at Style Manila.

And, writing of Australian Bloggers and Meet-Ups, I thought I’d mention that the Adelaide Bloggers’ and Social Web Media Group is holding its first 2009 get-together tomorrow, Friday, 23 January 2009. For more information and/or to RSVP via Facebook, check out the January 2009 Meet-up Event Page. Or, our Meet-up.com Page (sponsored by Australianblogs.com.au). Other than the fact that this is the first meet-up that I’ve organised this year, I’m really excited to share that this is also the first meet-up where we managed to get a venue sponsor.

Yes, the meet-up is being held at Caffe Primo – Norwood from 6 to 9pm. And, the good folks at Caffe Primo has offered free house wine + softdrinks to all attendees AND a 50% discount on all other orders. Let’s hope that we got those details right! In any case, a special thanks goes out to my sister who did the legwork on organising that sponsorship deal.

I’m looking forward to seeing good friends from the group – and meeting new ones this year. And, I hope that we’ll have more exciting things to come for our growing group – and for Australian bloggers and social media enthusiasts as a whole.

———-

Note: As I was preparing this post, South Australian Premier Mike Rann and Deputy Premier and Treasurer Kevin Foley just followed me on my Twitter account. Well, at least that’s what their profiles say. Whether they’re really Mr Rann and Mr Foley… we’ll see. I wonder if they’d come to the meet-up, though? After all, they just live nearby!

The Best Job in the World : A Call for Applicants

Shai Coggins — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:45:41 +0000

Can this be true? Is Australia finally getting it? Are we going to see more of this?

I was really thrilled when I first heard about this fabulous job opportunity during today’s edition of Sunrise on Channel 7.

To me, it’s not even just about the perks of the job – being paid to swim and snorkel and live in the gorgeous Hamilton Islands in Queensland for 6 months. Yes, the work of Island Caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef sounds as close to a Fab Job as possible. Seriously.

I mean – what can you say about living in a 3-bedroom house, getting free airfare from the home city, reporting for various media outlets in Australia… and getting paid $150,000 AUD for this 6-month contract? It’s like getting a fantastic holiday – with pay and benefits!

What excites me though are the fact that:

A) Tourism Queensland is the one advertising for this position. (Yay! Massive webby points for you!)

and

B) They specifically ask for someone who can BLOG – write blog entries and do video blogs.

Wow-sers! It’s probably THE biggest blogging-related position that was ever offered here in Australia in a mainstream manner. At least, one that I’m aware of.

How can I not be excited?

It seems to be taking Australia a very long time to “get” web and social media. Sure, we have a lot of fabulous and talented bloggers here. And, it’s so much easier to mention the word “blog” nowadays in the mainstream – and not appear like an alien from planet XYZ. But, there’s definitely still a lot of room for things to grow around here.

So yeah, it’s exciting.

Will I be applying for it? Well, I’m ~~gainfully employed in blogging already~~* (and living near the beautiful beaches here in South Australia too!). With a young family. So, no. I think I’m happy to give other folks a chance to get in to it.

I’m just looking forward to what else is in store for Australia and the world of web and social media in the coming months.

* It’s funny how it works out sometimes.

Brockspur Eco Farm {A Review}

Shai Coggins — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:50:38 +0000

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, one of the trip’s highlights was this short stay at the Brockspur Eco Farm (Steels Creek, Victoria). Our friends made the arrangement for this, so I can’t take any credit for finding this beautiful spot in the Yarra Valley.

In any case, here are some positives about the place:

Proximity to Melbourne Airport. It’s just less than an hour’s drive from the airport to the farm. It’s a pretty drive too, with some nice little towns to visit on the way.
Spacious and surrounded by beautiful views. There’s plenty of space to run around – and you can see views of the mountains from the farm.
Beautiful accommodation. There’s actually two types of accommodation available – a loft stay (up to 11 people) and a cottage stay (up to 5 people). We rented the loft.
The loft is very spacious – it had one main bedroom with an en suite bathroom, another double bed room, plus a group room with 6 single beds. It also has a spacious dining area, kitchen, porch, a bathroom, and a toilet. You can see the loft in the photo here.
Fun family activities. There’s feeding goats, chickens, lambs, horses, and cows. Or, milking the goats. Picking fresh eggs from free range chickens. Walking through vegetable, herb, and fruit gardens. There’s also an area where kids can access a small playground (cubby house, slide, toys, etc) + lots of space to play cricket and soccer, etc.
Great facilities – BBQs, porch swing, heated outdoor spa/pool, fully equipped kitchen, TV, DVD/VHS player with a good selection of videos to choose from, radio, bathroom, etc.
And the food!! Yes, we got plenty of yummy homemade food – bread, biscuits, goat’s cheese, jam… And – a basket of fresh fruits and vegies with herbs + a basket of fresh free range eggs.

And did I say that it was such a gorgeous location? And, it’s also close to a few attractions and towns. The nearest one is Yarra Glen, where there’s a park/playground, a supermarket, some restaurants, etc.

It’s also wonderful that the hosts – Amanda and Ed (the couple who owns the place) – are really friendly, warm people. They didn’t just open their home and their beloved farm that they cultivated for 30 years. They also shared their amazing stories. In fact, I just found out that Amanda has also just recently started sharing some her stories from the farm via the Brockspur Blog.

Over all, I definitely would say that it’s worth recommending for a lovely farm stay. Two thumbs up.

Back from the Break {Victoria Trip Round-Up}

Shai Coggins — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:23:57 +0000

My week-long break officially ended today. And, as you can see from the photos here, I’ve had quite a trip. My family and I went to meet another family who came from Singapore to spend their holiday in Australia. We’ve been good friends with their family for years, so it was great to catch up again. Actually, we first knew each other as young, newly married couples. Now, both couples have two kids – and they’ve also become great friends over the years. It’s wonderful.

Anyway, we first went to Brockspur Eco Farm at Steels Creek for the start of our trip. We stayed there for about 2 days and 2 nights. It’s a great place that deserves a full review, so I hope to do just that in one of my review posts soon. Needless to say, we loved it!

During the farm stay, we also visited nearby areas to take in all the beauty that that area of country Victoria has to offer – like the Murrindi Reserve and a quick trip to Healesville to go to the Hedgend Maze.

After the farm stay, we headed back to Healesville to stay there overnight. Another great find was this small place called Barb’s B&B. It’s really more like a self-contained apartment that offers plenty of goodies cook-it-yourself breakfast + snacks. We also met the owner of the place – Barb, a lovely lady, who’s apparently from South Australia.

Whilst at Healesville, the highlight of our stay was a short – but eventful – trip to the Healesville Sanctuary. Something that included a kangaroo attack. Yes, for some reason, our friends’ youngest child was unfortunately attacked by one of the kangaroos. Something that doesn’t usually happen. Thank goodness the wounds were mostly superficial and nothing else went wrong. But yeah, it gave us all quite a fright.

Anyway, since it was our last evening with our friends, we decided to hold a small Christmas dinner back at our B&B apartment. Now that was fun. And yummy.

The next day, we headed to the Dandenong Ranges, where we took the popular Puffing Billy Steam Train from Belgrave to Lakeside – and then back again after a picnic by the Emerald Lake. For my husband and myself, it was our second ride on the Puffing Billy. But, it was the first time for our kids – and they really enjoyed it. Back at Belgrave, we said our goodbyes to our friends with the hopes that we’ll see them again in the next year or so. Then, we drove to Melbourne. Since it was late, we just opted to stay in our self-contained apartment (Punt Hill).

On our last day in Melbourne, we took the tram to the CBD and ended up walking along Bourke Street. The great Christmas displays and decorations were really incredible to see. And, we enjoyed our quick trip and lunch at China Town. Although I’ve been to Melbourne before, this was the first time I tried visiting these areas of the CBD.

After lunch, we went to Melbourne 360 – Rialto, which was something I did last time I visited the city. However, since it was the kids’ first visit – it became a different kind of experience for me too.

Since we still had a few more hours to go before our evening flight, we decided to drive to St. Kilda. It was the first time I saw this part of Melbourne, so it was great to see the beach side of the place. Unfortunately, Luna Park was shut, so we didn’t get to see it. But, we managed a quick snack by a beachside cafe and a drive around the area before heading back to Melbourne Airport and flying back to Adelaide.

All in all, a wonderful family holiday

For more details of the photos above, check out the links to the Flickr pictures below -

Studio Notes by Shai Coggins» Australia Buzz

Notes and Thoughts from City To Bay in Adelaide 2010

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On Live AFL, Sporty Boys, and Minda, Inc.

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Amazing Australians Online: On the Victorian Bushfire Disaster and the Web

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