I took a break from updating this site this year, not because of laziness, but mostly because my consulting job took off and I found myself pretty busy working on design and development projects. It was bittersweet, because the one thing that I always  want to do with this blog is turn it into something with a primary focus on the USA/NYC experience.

A few months ago, realized there was no really good news source online specifically targeted towards Australians in the USA. The more people I spoke to, the more encouragement I found to do something like this. So, I partnered up with a small communications agency to work on design and development.

With that in mind, I bring you:

A website containing News, information, lifestyle and culture for Australians living, working or travelling in the USA. We’ll be launching in January 2012, but until then, feel free to sign up to receive updates via the website or on twitter, facebook, tumblr or google+

Check out UStralian.com →

From The Onion: Violent Death of Human Being Terrific News for Once

Last night’s big media event – the death of Osama Bin Laden – held significance for  many reasons.  For me, it was an ex-pat/resident of the USA (living in NYC) who tries to navigate the political topography as respectfully as possible. I cannot vote, nor was I here for that horrific event that spurred the death of one man, consequently sending people chanting into the streets.

The truth? There’s nothing like being on the streets here in NYC when something of this magnitude occurs. The last time something like this happened was the election of President Barack Obama, a night which I remember ended with people congratulating each other as they passed by on the streets. Everyone was truly happy. The other event of less political significance was the Yankees winning the 2009 world series.

I was tired last night, so I watched Brian Williams stretch the news commentary about the situation until they crossed live to the president’s address. My partner, a native New Yorker, was happy – until he realized this death might spur repercussions that have already seen us have our bags checked before subway rides, near-misses with police blockades over gas canisters outside music venues and more.

Was hunting and discriminately shooting this country’s #1 wanted man the best thing that could have happened in this situation?

My short answer: I’m really glad he’s dead. I hope it offers some solace to the families of those who died in terrorist attacks caused by his organization and those who have given their lives to fight terrorism. But doesn’t his death really just signify another martyr for an imbalanced cause that has already resulted in so much fighting and death?

They hung Saddam. They shot Bin Laden. I can’t help  but wonder how evolved we really are when it comes to war, fighting and terrorism, and whether future generations will squirm when they try to understand our generation’s concept of targeted assassination.

Since my move to the USA almost 3.5 years ago, there have been so many things that required major life adjustment. For instance, the AMAZINGNESS of cereal isles in this country!

But one thing that immediately made me turn my head was the presence of advertising for prescription medication on TV. You guessed right – there’s no prescription drug advertisements on TV. They are outlawed. I do recall some drug companies getting around this by offering advertising where no brand is names – rather prompting users to talk to their doctors about the possible drugs (and most likely the ad they’d just seen).

Of course one of the results of having prescription drug ads on television here is that the companies must list all side effects of the drug during the ad. I laugh time and time again as the poor voiceover artist basically has to tell users that a certain drug might possibly cause death or cancer or aids or any possible horrible disease that’s not even closely linked to the depression or asthma that the viewer is presumably trying to cure.

But my first – and still the funniest – experience with side effects advertising was for a drug for Restless Legs Syndrome. While I don’t wish to belittle those that obviously suffer from it, I believe I audibly howled when I heard the voiceover say that it may cause “gambling, sexual or other intense urges”. Gambling. As far as prescription medication goes, I feel like I’d generally prefer not to know that I might die if I take antibiotics for a virus that’s plaguing me. But if a doctor told me that the medication he’s about to give me may give me the urge to hit up Atlantic City with a wad of $100 bills, my reaction would probably turn from incredulity to curiousness. Because I’ve never been to AC. And in the same breath my next question would be about the side effects of alcohol consumption.

Mirapex RLS Ad:

MAD TV Restless Leg Syndrom Sketch

Crowded House with PS22 - courtesy of ps22chorus.blogspot.com

First, there was Kirk Douglas berating Hugh Jackman for laughing.

“I don’t know why everybody in Australia thinks I’m funny. Colin Firth is not laughing”.

The collective breaths held by Australians both in the US and abroad could be heard while we all prepared to shout at Douglas for mistaking another Englishman (or vice versa) for an Australian.

“He’s English”, he continued. (collective exhale).

This became the beginning of what seemed like an endless slew of references and nods to that place we all Aussies still call home. “The Lost Thing”, an Australian animated short, won a surprise best oscar. “The King’s Speech”, a British film with many Australian connections, enjoyed its multiple oscar wins and best supporting role for Australian Geoffrey Rush. Jacki Weaver, well known to Australian audiences but relatively unknown in the USA (until now), enjoyed a well-deserved Oscar nomination for the recent Australian movie “Animal Kingdom”.

But there was more. Anne Hathaway took a moment away from her multiple costume changes and awkward jokes to sing a tuxedo’d version of “on my own” as a nod to Hugh Jackman’s role hosting the oscars in 2009. The beginning verse seemed not only to lambast Jackman for leaving her to sing the song on her own, but also at times calling him out for being Australian.

My own oscars experience was also spent on my own – electing to spend the evening in my own apartment surrounded by half-packed boxes for my apartment move this week and work deadlines. This – ahem – flexibility allowed me to do some research during the final act of the evening, a chorus of young children from Staten Island, New York who sang sweetly as the oscar winners gathered behind them.

Therein I found what could possibly the most unlikely connection between The Oscars and Australia.

In 2008, the PS22 chorus actually accompanied Neil Finn (lead singer songwriter of “Crowded House”) in a rendition of the Australian classic, “Throw your Arms around me” by Hunters and Collectors. The followed this by joining Finn and Mark Seymore (of Hunters and Collectors) to sing the popular Crowded House song “Private Universe”.

See them perform two of my favourite Australian/New Zealand classics below:

I always knew how vast America was. It’s large, densely populated (of course relative to Australia, everything is). But a daytime flight to Hawaii certainly made me more aware of that fact.

The flight path for NY > HI takes its course coast to coast, and the older, veteran NY’er with whom I struck up a conversation on the plane was nice enough to point out various landmarks. From the tappan zee to the beginning of the rockies, flying over the USA to the pacific really solidified the USA’s true beauty. Its contradictions and its unity.

Hawaii itself was, of course, beautiful. It was the tropical vacation that someone booking a last-minute trip could only dream of. I was lucky enough to stay in a luxury 5-star hotel situated right on Waikiki beach ( a lucky symptom of becoming the last-minute addition to my mother and older sister’s already-planned, few-expenses-spared vacation). Days were spent breakfasting on our balcony overlooking Waikiki beach and Diamond Head volcano. Some moments, particularly my first, stormy day, was spent tagging along on a few of my mother and sister’s shopping trips (their Hawaii vacation is their chance to enjoy all the consumer delights America has to offer). Other than that, my mid-winter vacation was spent on beautiful Waikiki beach, working on that olive skin nature supposedly gave me, and vacationing out to generic chick lit.

When it comes to its position in the USA, however, Hawaii stood out to me as a significant anomaly. Of course it maintains the essence of true ‘America’ when it comes to shopping, economy and currency. When it comes to lifestyle and general outlook, however, there’s definitely what’s referred to as an ‘aloha’ way of life — a laid back, easy feel that lets one live and let live. Behind that exterior, however, lies a painful background marred with a violent royal overthrow and the subsequent annexation of the state by the USA. 17 January, the Saturday of my Hawaiian trip, marked the anniversary of the day Hawaii became a republic, and a large protest march/rally took place down the main street along Waikiki beach — obviously designed to publicise the plight to the state’s visitors.

The rally was cohesive and current, and was taking place adjacent to a popular flea market. I couldn’t help trying to hear as I was looking through stalls of hand-crafted souvenirs, and the distaste with Hawaiian Governor Janet Lingle’s decision to appeal to the supreme court against the decision to grant traditional lands to their original owners was obvious. Hawaiian families, children, parents and single parents were cohesive  – wearing their red shirts proudly in the streets.

It made me wonder about the future of Hawaii. It’s common knowledge that a state as far away (halfway to Oz, for goodness’ sake) and diverse as Hawaii doesn’t technically fit in with the rest of the USA. Furthermore, its proximity to Japan is certainly apparent – at least in Waikiki – by the number of Japanese holidayers and the Japanese influence. While I didn’t visit Pearl Harbour, it’s amazing to think that Hawaii has existed as part of the USA for as long as it did – even through World War II when so many national borders were redrawn, and through the 20th century when so many of them were redrawn again.

It will be interesting to see what the 21st century holds for the wonderful little archipelago – the site of fun, sun, surf and laughter to Americans, Australians and Japanese and those in the Pacific alike.

See my photos on flickr here