This morning when I got out of the subway, I walked out of the very exit that I remember using on my way to this interview, smack into the line of sight of the Empire State Building, and felt that wall of excitement that built a fortress of big city dreams over a year ago rising up again.
I was on my way to my second day in my second week at a new job. I got the position of Account Supervisor at, frankly, a damn wonderful advertising agency in midtown Manhattan.
Ad agency in NYC? Tick. Poached? Pretty much! Creative, interesting, high quality work? You betchya. Accounts with personality and inherent value. Yep. Dream come true? Sounds like it!
My day to day will be account management without the limitations of account management, with the breathing room to think strategically and creatively. Not just blind, furious execution. What a relief.
More than latent happiness in my career, I'm very, very hopeful and quietly confident that this is going to be the kind of inherently satisfying, rewarding work that I'll be doing over the long term, in the company of a team who practically regard each other as family.
A side note on getting to this point: it is pretty exhausting and emotionally draining to rearrange your life, to put 10,000 miles between yourself and home, and realize that you still have so far to go. What about having a great, challenging, comfortable job that still isn't quite 'the one', and deciding to leave a group of truly amazing coworkers behind?
By accepting my ambition, understanding my desire to persevere and honestly, just hoping to be a better person. And with acceptance of the qualities that are inherently a part of who I am, it's pretty easy to accept that it's okay to move forward.
"Your playing small doesn't serve the world."
This morning on the train, I also ran into a friend of a friend who had helped me out with my initial job search last year. It was unexpected, enthusiastic, and a great reminder of how people bent over backwards to help realize my shot in the dark dreams. These encounters, these conversations, they inspire me to keep working and writing. It's okay to go for it, and not a bad idea to hold those helping hands along the way.
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
August 31, 2011
August 12, 2011
Writing about writing - the story continues.
Well hello there. What's new with you? Thanks for opening up the book in the middle of the story. I hope it won't take long to fill you in. After a long absence from blogging, bordering less on hiatus and more on apparent quitting, I'm back. I don't know what form this will eventually take or who I am on a blog whose tagline reads 'moving' when she's already arrived. But still in motion, still discovering, I pick up again, and hopefully, take you along the rocky path with me.
While there's no evidence of it here, I have been writing, in the most glorious of settings too. And while the end pieces are a tad too personal for this forum (if you can believe that on an already self-consumed platform!), I'd be happy to share with you on a per request basis - write me a comment with your email address below and I'll send you something juicy!
And these glorious settings? I was invited to join a newly forming writers group. A bunch of 20-somethings converge from all over the city towards a designated apartment each Thursday night, disappearing into a haze of smoke and whiskey and reemerging several hours later, enlightened and uplifted, creative sparks practically shooting out at passer-byes. It. is. magical.
http://ariaintrepid.com
While there's no evidence of it here, I have been writing, in the most glorious of settings too. And while the end pieces are a tad too personal for this forum (if you can believe that on an already self-consumed platform!), I'd be happy to share with you on a per request basis - write me a comment with your email address below and I'll send you something juicy!
And these glorious settings? I was invited to join a newly forming writers group. A bunch of 20-somethings converge from all over the city towards a designated apartment each Thursday night, disappearing into a haze of smoke and whiskey and reemerging several hours later, enlightened and uplifted, creative sparks practically shooting out at passer-byes. It. is. magical.
Responding in one or two pages to a topic or prompt chosen by the group, we come together to read our stories out loud, and give feedback, mostly praise, to one another.
There are a few things I love about this process.
One is the sense of purpose and achievement gained from choosing to create something of your own, neither for work or school, but for yourself. To declare it yours by sharing it out loud with others, who for three minutes are listening only to you, is immensely gratifying. No matter the format, I have found the stories to be bold and honest and deeply personal. The moments before you begin speaking are the deep breath before the plunge, nerves and some apprehension; the moments after you finish are filled with the reverberations of your words and thoughts and some unidentified collective feeling. Again, it's magic.
Secondly, and also selfishly, is the strong sense of identity that belonging to this group has afforded me. From wondering if I could keep a six-week commitment to a new project, to now never wanting it to end, I quickly came to realize that the act of preparing for the meeting - the writing, the reading, the sharing - has made me want to claim these acts as a fundamental part of who I am: a writer.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, is how special the group is, and how wonderful it is to watch us evolve into a creative collective much more powerful than the sum of its parts. I believe they call it synergy. It's an absolute privilege and joy to be in their company - to hear their stories, to learn from them, to soak up their immense vocabulary and be inspired by some serious personal flavour.
Watching others shine makes you want to do the same.
And so I return to this public digital trail of my small adventures and discoveries. Change is in the air, and one day, it's gonna make a helluva story.
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.com
March 27, 2011
Landed
Well, hello there. I know there are a few of you who have been waiting for an update and to see me write something cheerful again. I've been stalling, because the truth is, I haven't been feeling very intrepid at all over the past month.
Compounding my bleak winter blues, has been a persistent nagging feeling as I learn to settle down into this new life that I've built. While I'm not exactly slowing down, I've been adjusting to what feels like quite a radical shift down in gears, and it hasn't been easy to internalize the fact that I'm no longer plotting and planning the next big adventure.
Case in point: for years I've had this reoccurring, highly realistic nightmare where my dream shifts into this sudden realisation that I have about an hour and a half to be at the Brisbane airport. I've only just remembered that my plane to America, usually to San Francisco is leaving today! In three hours! And I go through this desperate panic while I try to get whoever's in the dream with me, usually a parent or close friend, to help me madly throw my life into a suitcase and arrange some bizarre method of getting to the airport. Sometimes I make my flight, once I ended up on the totally wrong flight, and other times I never find out, usually waking up to a cold sweat and an odd feeling of relief tinged with agitation.
In Australia, it was easy to write it off as a travel dream or a funny way of expressing an apparent total lack of organisation. But now that I'm living in America, it's getting kind of odd to be panicking about getting here!
Whatever the meaning, I've been accepting that my nomad ways are on hold, my gypsy blood lying dormant in the knowledge that my adventures are going to be of a very different kind for a time. The difference between complacency and contentment being, of course, that I chose this path, and I intend to stay steady as she goes.
A few people have told me that coming to New York (sans job offer or knowing anyone in the city) was a brave thing to do. A life coach, Tim Brownson, talking about his career shift, really summed it up for me in this:
"To my mind, the people that really take risks [in life] are those people that stay in jobs they hate and relationships that suck the life out of them."
And I couldn't agree more. This move has has been tough and challenging in all sorts of ways. But the real risk for me would have been to stay put, stay complacent, and sit around hoping that things would get interesting. I know it's risky too, because I did stay in a relationship that sucked the life out of me and that, my friends, is not cool. Not my finest moment [read: two years] at all.
But I digress! The point is, the dream isn't a fear of flying. It's a fear of never taking off.
Of course given my last year, it's fair to say that I have well and truly flapped my wings. It's a much more accurate (albeit less glamorous) assessment to mostly label this whole dreamer nonsense as a good case of post-travel/adventure come down. It's the reality of working an awesome full-time job with a heavy workload for the first time in several months, finding myself desperately wishing there were more hours in the day to maintain some semblance of exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep, writing, etc etc... You know, all the heavy responsibilities of a young, single person with little to no responsibility! At least I know I'm not alone.
Right, so this perhaps isn't the most cheerful post, but it is an honest one.
And here's a happy thought. Outside my window, there are thin green stalks bravely shooting out of the ground. Little buds on twigs on trees have emerged, still clenched tight in the chill, while daffodils and other succulent bulbs are tentatively waving their heads in the air and violets are clinging to their small urban plots in the West Village. Spring is here!
More tellingly, doors are flinging wide open and New Yorkers are flocking to the streets to take their lunch in the parks. On the warm days, people are crowding the sidewalks, stopping for conversations, and pulling chairs out to sit back and take it all in. Jackets are opening or coming off all together, and bare skin and real smiles are on display for the world to see.
Without even fully realising it, I've been planting my own roots into the streets of New York, each day's walk out my front door, another day imprinting my presence here. In a neighbourhood and a city I love so much, I can only think how much I might bloom. And how many adventures I might have. Just add water and sunshine.
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
Compounding my bleak winter blues, has been a persistent nagging feeling as I learn to settle down into this new life that I've built. While I'm not exactly slowing down, I've been adjusting to what feels like quite a radical shift down in gears, and it hasn't been easy to internalize the fact that I'm no longer plotting and planning the next big adventure.
Case in point: for years I've had this reoccurring, highly realistic nightmare where my dream shifts into this sudden realisation that I have about an hour and a half to be at the Brisbane airport. I've only just remembered that my plane to America, usually to San Francisco is leaving today! In three hours! And I go through this desperate panic while I try to get whoever's in the dream with me, usually a parent or close friend, to help me madly throw my life into a suitcase and arrange some bizarre method of getting to the airport. Sometimes I make my flight, once I ended up on the totally wrong flight, and other times I never find out, usually waking up to a cold sweat and an odd feeling of relief tinged with agitation.
In Australia, it was easy to write it off as a travel dream or a funny way of expressing an apparent total lack of organisation. But now that I'm living in America, it's getting kind of odd to be panicking about getting here!
Whatever the meaning, I've been accepting that my nomad ways are on hold, my gypsy blood lying dormant in the knowledge that my adventures are going to be of a very different kind for a time. The difference between complacency and contentment being, of course, that I chose this path, and I intend to stay steady as she goes.
A few people have told me that coming to New York (sans job offer or knowing anyone in the city) was a brave thing to do. A life coach, Tim Brownson, talking about his career shift, really summed it up for me in this:
"To my mind, the people that really take risks [in life] are those people that stay in jobs they hate and relationships that suck the life out of them."
And I couldn't agree more. This move has has been tough and challenging in all sorts of ways. But the real risk for me would have been to stay put, stay complacent, and sit around hoping that things would get interesting. I know it's risky too, because I did stay in a relationship that sucked the life out of me and that, my friends, is not cool. Not my finest moment [read: two years] at all.
But I digress! The point is, the dream isn't a fear of flying. It's a fear of never taking off.
Of course given my last year, it's fair to say that I have well and truly flapped my wings. It's a much more accurate (albeit less glamorous) assessment to mostly label this whole dreamer nonsense as a good case of post-travel/adventure come down. It's the reality of working an awesome full-time job with a heavy workload for the first time in several months, finding myself desperately wishing there were more hours in the day to maintain some semblance of exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep, writing, etc etc... You know, all the heavy responsibilities of a young, single person with little to no responsibility! At least I know I'm not alone.
Right, so this perhaps isn't the most cheerful post, but it is an honest one.
And here's a happy thought. Outside my window, there are thin green stalks bravely shooting out of the ground. Little buds on twigs on trees have emerged, still clenched tight in the chill, while daffodils and other succulent bulbs are tentatively waving their heads in the air and violets are clinging to their small urban plots in the West Village. Spring is here!
More tellingly, doors are flinging wide open and New Yorkers are flocking to the streets to take their lunch in the parks. On the warm days, people are crowding the sidewalks, stopping for conversations, and pulling chairs out to sit back and take it all in. Jackets are opening or coming off all together, and bare skin and real smiles are on display for the world to see.
Without even fully realising it, I've been planting my own roots into the streets of New York, each day's walk out my front door, another day imprinting my presence here. In a neighbourhood and a city I love so much, I can only think how much I might bloom. And how many adventures I might have. Just add water and sunshine.
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
February 20, 2011
Winter Blues
I've been delaying writing this in the hopes that I wouldn't need to publish it at all! That it would all be over in a week's time, and blur into a distant memory and a previous season. Alas, Winter draws on...
I've got the blues. A case of the SADs. And no amount of premature spring cleaning, desperate armchair travel, or lame attempts to inject colour into my monochrome winter wardrobe are enough to shake me out of it. Even Weezer's 'Island in the Sun' on repeat isn't doing the trick (although the film clip is phenomenal... wait 'til you get to 2mins 34...!).
I've got the blues. A case of the SADs. And no amount of premature spring cleaning, desperate armchair travel, or lame attempts to inject colour into my monochrome winter wardrobe are enough to shake me out of it. Even Weezer's 'Island in the Sun' on repeat isn't doing the trick (although the film clip is phenomenal... wait 'til you get to 2mins 34...!).
Before I had even left home, I predicted that January would be my month of homesickness. A tough 'darkest hour' amid a long journey, eight months away from home, and six months living in New York. I figured that the doom and gloom of winter that everyone had predicted for me here, contrasted with the joys of a hot and sweaty Australian summer back home, would be a tough thing to shake.
As it turns out, January came and went, and I got through it with almost all of my usual pizazz and verve. The fun of my dear friend, Helen, in New York, including a brilliant trip to the lovely Philadelphia, the prospect of further weekend trips interstate in the coming months, the excitement and new routine of a great new job, and the novelty of city snow storms and -18 C / 2 F temperatures kept me occupied, or perhaps distracted, from what I now feel to be the cruel lashings of mother nature.
We're now into late February and I fear my spirits are waning. The possibility that winter might also stretch into March is abominable. As in, I am sick to death of looking like the abominable snow man, or perhaps a just a plump chicken in a down jacket, leaving trails of fluffy down around New York city, like an urban Hansel and Gretel, only I'm sure they weren't so damn cold.
It's really not even the low readings on the mercury, so much as it is a fierce case of cabin fever. I miss being outside for anything other than a hurried 10 minute walk to my next destination. I'm frustrated that it takes an eternity just to "rug up" before being able to leave the building. I'm over not being able to soak in the sights of my beloved city because my peripheral vision is cut off by walls of woollen hats and puffy hoods.
Mostly I'm just agitated that such a seemingly small thing as the weather is affecting me so much. This season really is my kryptonite. The cold is skewing my perspective on my city, my working life, and my new-found permanency here.
Mother nature's hammering of my home state, Queensland, has also totally changed the way I think about home. Watching the floods and cyclone unfold from afar was tough and unexpected in a myriad of ways. When you go away, you expect your home, your base, your rock to remain solid. Not washed away by water. It has made me miss Queenslanders and Australians as people, as a whole, not just the handful of dear individuals I hold in my heart.
Hopefully Puxytawney Phil, of Groundhog Day fame, was right - that Spring is on its way early. I'll be blossoming back to life in this big, cold city in no time.
"We'll run away together. We'll spend some time forever. We'll never feel bad anymore. hip hip"
We're now into late February and I fear my spirits are waning. The possibility that winter might also stretch into March is abominable. As in, I am sick to death of looking like the abominable snow man, or perhaps a just a plump chicken in a down jacket, leaving trails of fluffy down around New York city, like an urban Hansel and Gretel, only I'm sure they weren't so damn cold.
It's really not even the low readings on the mercury, so much as it is a fierce case of cabin fever. I miss being outside for anything other than a hurried 10 minute walk to my next destination. I'm frustrated that it takes an eternity just to "rug up" before being able to leave the building. I'm over not being able to soak in the sights of my beloved city because my peripheral vision is cut off by walls of woollen hats and puffy hoods.
Mostly I'm just agitated that such a seemingly small thing as the weather is affecting me so much. This season really is my kryptonite. The cold is skewing my perspective on my city, my working life, and my new-found permanency here.
Mother nature's hammering of my home state, Queensland, has also totally changed the way I think about home. Watching the floods and cyclone unfold from afar was tough and unexpected in a myriad of ways. When you go away, you expect your home, your base, your rock to remain solid. Not washed away by water. It has made me miss Queenslanders and Australians as people, as a whole, not just the handful of dear individuals I hold in my heart.
Hopefully Puxytawney Phil, of Groundhog Day fame, was right - that Spring is on its way early. I'll be blossoming back to life in this big, cold city in no time.
"We'll run away together. We'll spend some time forever. We'll never feel bad anymore. hip hip"
February 11, 2011
Guest Post: Why I Chose Communications
A brief note for posterity's sake. I've already shared my latest guest blog post on Facebook (and let's face it, that's pretty much my whole universe), but for the record, I'm very excited and proud to have this post published on Tracy Brisson's site, "The Opportunities Project".
Thanks for all your encouragement,
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
As a former client of hers in 2010, Tracy saw me through the ups and downs of a tough job hunt, and in addition to her fab career coaching, gave me the opportunity and inspiration to write about why we do what we do. Taking the time to question why we pursue certain careers, what drew us to the industry we're in, and where we sit our sorry selves for over 40 hours a week, is a very worthwhile pursuit!
Without further ado, I'd be delighted if you popped over to read my post here. I'd also love to hear your feedback. Any blood sucking lawyers, money-bags accountants, or pursuers of other white collar professions sick of the bad rap? Would you like to make a more tangible difference in the world, without halving your pay check, or forgoing the beautifully-organised career progression that inevitably accompanies the corporate world?
I think there's a world of potential for creative, ethical, profitable business solutions to make work, business, and corporations synonymous with 'making a difference'. What say ye?
Thanks for all your encouragement,
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
January 25, 2011
With Passion ~ The Missing Ingredient
I've had a series of recent encounters and the privilege of getting to know a few new people who I immediately admired for their obvious accomplishments. Whether it be in great career strides, making a 'difference' in this world by being involved with a fantastic organization, or by an enviable long list of destinations they'd seen in the world, these are people that have obviously done and seen a lot in their short lifetimes.
What struck me though, was not the accomplishment, but the attitude. The mundane, blasé, ordinary, ho-hum attitude. Which I find a little shocking! If you can rattle off your achievements and promotions with a shrug, talk about a new purchase as only one in a long list yet to buy, and yawn about your "okay" trip to Paris, maybe it's time to take a step back.
For the record, I feel that there's a huge distinction here between being humble, modest or even shy about your situation. I'm talking about taking pride in what you've done, and feeling appreciation for what you've seen.
And then there's the issue of the dreaded tall-poppy syndrome, where somewhere along the track we, as Australians and Americans, decided it was okay to quell our ambition and downplay our success to please the mainstream... to make others feel more 'comfortable'! Call me crazy, but I want to see my people fierce, passionate, grateful, aware and awestruck of their lives.
And then there's the issue of the dreaded tall-poppy syndrome, where somewhere along the track we, as Australians and Americans, decided it was okay to quell our ambition and downplay our success to please the mainstream... to make others feel more 'comfortable'! Call me crazy, but I want to see my people fierce, passionate, grateful, aware and awestruck of their lives.
If money just buys more desire, and privilege just feeds boredom, then I don't want a bar of it. I'd rather work and sweat and try and cry for my jewels, than have them placed atop my head and not even realize the shining splendor sitting above me.
I'm not expecting anyone to shout about every mundane second of every day, but surely, you have felt those moments of wonder and awe in your life that others just have to know about. No matter where you are in the world or what you are doing, go on and own it. Make it yours!
You're studying for your Undergrad degree? Awesome! You're taking your car on a 36 hour road trip across the country? Inspired! You just made the most amazing batch of choc-chip cookies? Hollaaaa! Seriously, this is not so much about what you're doing (or have done), as how you feel about it. And if there's nothing to get excited about, nothing to share in a meaningful way, then maybe it's time to look at that as well.
"Above all, be true to yourself, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it."
Does easily-gained opportunity decrease passion? Or does it just change the way we communicate our experiences. Maybe this is some consolation to those struggling to make ends meet or who feel envious of the people that seem to just 'have it all'. After all, if we don't have to do anything, where does the motivation come from to start something new?
With thought, and as always (a little too much?) passion,
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
January 17, 2011
With Great Effort Comes Great Delayed Gratification
"Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit." Napoleon Hill.
I came across this quote in one of my travel e-newsletters this week, and it really stuck with me. If I learned anything last year that was it. Well really it was the moral of the story. Because it wasn't until the very, very end of the year when I was back in New York that I really started to feel like I'd 'made it'.
Somewhere between Toronto, the couch that hosted my self-enforced house arrest this Christmas, and and New York City, I decided to reconcile with all of the big decisions that I had made last year. With a helpful prod from my cousin and encouragement from friends, I reached up and let myself off the hook where I was hanging all my guilt trips, the internal abusive chat, and the self-induced pressure to try harder and be a more effective person.
I also gave myself a badge of recognition that said "Congratulations, you found an apartment and made a home, met people and made friends, got a job and restarted your career. Also, you're still alive. Well done". (I'm wordy - it's a big badge.)
It's not that I wasn't happy before hand (au contraire, extremely so) - it's just that it wasn't really until I 'lost' the first 'job', kept at it, and then got the real thing, that the floodgates finally opened up and let through that extreme sense of achievement and peace of mind, and washing over all of that, relief. New York City did not eat me alive! I didn't give up, and that is paying off, big time.
Onwards and upwards,
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
I came across this quote in one of my travel e-newsletters this week, and it really stuck with me. If I learned anything last year that was it. Well really it was the moral of the story. Because it wasn't until the very, very end of the year when I was back in New York that I really started to feel like I'd 'made it'.
Somewhere between Toronto, the couch that hosted my self-enforced house arrest this Christmas, and and New York City, I decided to reconcile with all of the big decisions that I had made last year. With a helpful prod from my cousin and encouragement from friends, I reached up and let myself off the hook where I was hanging all my guilt trips, the internal abusive chat, and the self-induced pressure to try harder and be a more effective person.
I also gave myself a badge of recognition that said "Congratulations, you found an apartment and made a home, met people and made friends, got a job and restarted your career. Also, you're still alive. Well done". (I'm wordy - it's a big badge.)
It's not that I wasn't happy before hand (au contraire, extremely so) - it's just that it wasn't really until I 'lost' the first 'job', kept at it, and then got the real thing, that the floodgates finally opened up and let through that extreme sense of achievement and peace of mind, and washing over all of that, relief. New York City did not eat me alive! I didn't give up, and that is paying off, big time.
Onwards and upwards,
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
January 11, 2011
Raining Relative
The first day of the rest of your life. Or something. I'd intended that this week be a celebration of the first day of my hard-earned new marketing job, a gig that really is the complete package - challenging role, great team, nice office, real pay and awesome benefits.
Instead, it's the week that every major Queensland city and town I've ever lived in, and everybody I known in them, has come under serious threat from the floods. Nothing else even blips on the radar - even the snow falling outside my window right now.
After nearly 5 months of rain, and 3 weeks of floods in Queensland, the flooding is finally taking over Brisbane. I spent all of last night with my heart in my throat, sick with worry, watching the video footage of the devastation in Toowoomba, the town I lived in for six years before and during high school, and the rising waters everywhere else.
Receiving a first hand email account from Kate in Toowoomba, one of my longest-standing friends, hasn't really helped matters; the picture she painted was, and remains, grim. It did stand to remind me (again and again) that at the end of the day, all that really matters are the unshakeable people in your life. As long as we have each other (and we all still do - everyone is fine and accounted for, thank god) things will be okay.
I'm so proud of everyone and the resilient spirit that everyone is showing - even, or maybe especially in the face of disaster, people are still able to crack a wry joke, help each other out, offer up rooms, and ensure that everyone stays high and dry.
Sending my prayers and thoughts and as much sunshine as I can muster for us Queenslanders.
For more, and to donate to the relief effort see http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
Instead, it's the week that every major Queensland city and town I've ever lived in, and everybody I known in them, has come under serious threat from the floods. Nothing else even blips on the radar - even the snow falling outside my window right now.
After nearly 5 months of rain, and 3 weeks of floods in Queensland, the flooding is finally taking over Brisbane. I spent all of last night with my heart in my throat, sick with worry, watching the video footage of the devastation in Toowoomba, the town I lived in for six years before and during high school, and the rising waters everywhere else.
Receiving a first hand email account from Kate in Toowoomba, one of my longest-standing friends, hasn't really helped matters; the picture she painted was, and remains, grim. It did stand to remind me (again and again) that at the end of the day, all that really matters are the unshakeable people in your life. As long as we have each other (and we all still do - everyone is fine and accounted for, thank god) things will be okay.
I'm so proud of everyone and the resilient spirit that everyone is showing - even, or maybe especially in the face of disaster, people are still able to crack a wry joke, help each other out, offer up rooms, and ensure that everyone stays high and dry.
Sending my prayers and thoughts and as much sunshine as I can muster for us Queenslanders.
For more, and to donate to the relief effort see http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
January 6, 2011
My New York [Why New York, Part II]
It was six months ago to the day that I arrived in New York City for the first time.
Sometimes I still can't believe I live here. It's just too great to fully comprehend.
Six months in, and plenty of setbacks aside, I'm as happy as a pig in mud. I have an amazing apartment in Brooklyn, brilliant friends, local spots to hang, a gazillion new places to discover, some of the world's most iconic sights a glance away during my daily commute, and in current news, a very promising new job that starts this Monday!
I've been slowly but surely building my life here with brilliant (in my humble opinion) results. With that process, I guess I sort of naively assumed that the extensive questioning I got before I left home would fade away once I was here, and especially once I started to really establish myself. No such luck! Six months in I'm still being asked, "so why New York?" by everyone I meet. Being asked that question whilst being in New York really, really stumps me. I just want to jump up and down and shout, "LOOK AROUND!". That's why!
I don't mind the questions, of course. Having never even visited New York before deciding to move to here, I could never have known what I know now about the city, or guessed exactly what it would be to pull me in and make me fall in love with this insatiable spot in the world. My mind was papered with a fantastic collage of movies and TV shows and world-famous icons. I was relying on rumour and reputation; a vague, whispered hope of what it would feel like to live here - energised and alive.
I couldn't have told you about the precise shade of deep, clear blue the starless sky turns just after sunset in Brooklyn. Or about the quiet thrill of walking down tree-lined streets of old Brownstone apartments and creeping vines.
I didn't expect to get a daily laugh from the veritable dog parade that is New York - always a funny-looking dog walking in front of you somewhere.
I didn't know that my favourite way of stretching the horizon is to look as far down one one of the Avenues as you can see when crossing the road, where Manhattan's perfect grid of streets allows you to see 40 blocks away or more stretching and twinkling in the distance.
I didn't know that even a few days absence would make me start to miss the city's sounds - the muffled rumble of the subway underneath our apartment, the incessant car horns and alarms, the raving chatter of people on the street always coming and going, even the quiet hiss of the steam heater in my bedroom.
I couldn't have known that the simple act of emerging from the subway platforms and stepping onto the streets of Manhattan would be enough to recharge my batteries and lift my spirits.
I never dared to hope that 8.4 million brilliant, passionate, purposeful people could also be welcoming, generous and friendly.
All of these are just a handful of the New York moments that define this city for me. New York, the city that heralds in all four seasons with definitive style. The city that assaults all five of your senses, whilst clutching your heart and your dreams in her diamond fist.
Happy six months to me, and happy new year to you! I hope you find what you are looking for this year.
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
Sometimes I still can't believe I live here. It's just too great to fully comprehend.
Six months in, and plenty of setbacks aside, I'm as happy as a pig in mud. I have an amazing apartment in Brooklyn, brilliant friends, local spots to hang, a gazillion new places to discover, some of the world's most iconic sights a glance away during my daily commute, and in current news, a very promising new job that starts this Monday!
I've been slowly but surely building my life here with brilliant (in my humble opinion) results. With that process, I guess I sort of naively assumed that the extensive questioning I got before I left home would fade away once I was here, and especially once I started to really establish myself. No such luck! Six months in I'm still being asked, "so why New York?" by everyone I meet. Being asked that question whilst being in New York really, really stumps me. I just want to jump up and down and shout, "LOOK AROUND!". That's why!
I don't mind the questions, of course. Having never even visited New York before deciding to move to here, I could never have known what I know now about the city, or guessed exactly what it would be to pull me in and make me fall in love with this insatiable spot in the world. My mind was papered with a fantastic collage of movies and TV shows and world-famous icons. I was relying on rumour and reputation; a vague, whispered hope of what it would feel like to live here - energised and alive.
I couldn't have told you about the precise shade of deep, clear blue the starless sky turns just after sunset in Brooklyn. Or about the quiet thrill of walking down tree-lined streets of old Brownstone apartments and creeping vines.
I didn't expect to get a daily laugh from the veritable dog parade that is New York - always a funny-looking dog walking in front of you somewhere.
I didn't know that my favourite way of stretching the horizon is to look as far down one one of the Avenues as you can see when crossing the road, where Manhattan's perfect grid of streets allows you to see 40 blocks away or more stretching and twinkling in the distance.
I didn't know that even a few days absence would make me start to miss the city's sounds - the muffled rumble of the subway underneath our apartment, the incessant car horns and alarms, the raving chatter of people on the street always coming and going, even the quiet hiss of the steam heater in my bedroom.
I couldn't have known that the simple act of emerging from the subway platforms and stepping onto the streets of Manhattan would be enough to recharge my batteries and lift my spirits.
I never dared to hope that 8.4 million brilliant, passionate, purposeful people could also be welcoming, generous and friendly.
All of these are just a handful of the New York moments that define this city for me. New York, the city that heralds in all four seasons with definitive style. The city that assaults all five of your senses, whilst clutching your heart and your dreams in her diamond fist.
Happy six months to me, and happy new year to you! I hope you find what you are looking for this year.
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
December 26, 2010
10 Lessons Learned in 2010
One a scale of 1 to Life-Changing, 2010 has definitely been... well... life-changing! As this magnificent year draws to a close, I thought I'd share the top ten lessons learned (or re-learned) that made this year so defining for me...
1. Travel is transformative.
The experience of seeing new people, places and culture is incomparable to anything else in this world. Because of travel and the new friends I've made on the road, I gained the confidence to make the changes in my life I needed to be truly satisfied (and stick to them).
2. We are strong because of the adversity we overcome.
Living through doubt, fear, failure or loss means that you go forward with the confidence that you got through, and the knowledge of what you are capable of handling in the future. And, without the dark, shadowy stuff, the light wouldn't look so good and sparkly!
3. Trust your gut instinct.
Seriously. That gnawing, awful, nagging feeling means something. Listen to it. Trust it. Go with it.
4. Be kind to yourself.
Especially when you are learning something new. I had this epiphany very late in the year, but I wish I had taken it on first. Ambition and drive are good things. Constant reprimands and belittling self-talk because you had a disorganised day or didn't hit all of the over-inflated heights you had set for yourself is not good! Nor does it help you get any closer to where you are going.
6. Be positive.
My entire game plan for New York was this: have positive attitude, project confidence outwards, smile at everyone. It worked, it was a pleasure to do (if not a little exhausting at times!) and I'm sticking to it. People respond to the positivity and enthusiasm that they may not be able to project in their own lives. They're also more likely to help happy, driven, optimistic individuals - not negative, dragging, depressed ones.
7. Be free to make decisions without articulating it all to others.
Mothers excluded, I'm getting better at this. Explaining takes time and energy, and sometimes you need to give yourself the credit that you know what you're doing and just 'do'.
9. Follow your dreams.
It's the most deeply rewarding thing you can do. If you give yourself the chance to be challenged, grow, and realise your potential, you put your happiness in your own hands, not to any one place, job or other person. I consider it my responsibility, my priviledge and my great joy to find happiness in my day to day, in hurdles that are unexpectedly presented to us, and especially in the ones that we make for ourselves.
10. Know the kindness of those you already have.
None of this [read: life] would be possible without the people who I am utterly blessed to have in my life. On the days when I wasn't certain or positive or strong at all, you were for me, sending an entire ocean of love and encouragement my way. I'm overwhelmed and grateful and the luckiest girl in the world because of you.
And there you have it. Much of it is a little grand and dramatic, but... so am I!
On a side note, I've been painfully aware to the point of feeling guilty of how self-centred this year was for me, in relation to my friends and family at home. But it's something that I needed to do, I know I wouldn't have been much fun if I'd stayed put, and I hope to be a much better person to others because of the things I've learnt this year.
All in all, twenty-ten has been spectacular. It's one for the Aria history books. I think I'm going to write a re-cap of the year in more tangible events as well, so stay tuned. Happy holidays, kids, and much love!
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
1. Travel is transformative.
The experience of seeing new people, places and culture is incomparable to anything else in this world. Because of travel and the new friends I've made on the road, I gained the confidence to make the changes in my life I needed to be truly satisfied (and stick to them).
2. We are strong because of the adversity we overcome.
Living through doubt, fear, failure or loss means that you go forward with the confidence that you got through, and the knowledge of what you are capable of handling in the future. And, without the dark, shadowy stuff, the light wouldn't look so good and sparkly!
3. Trust your gut instinct.
Seriously. That gnawing, awful, nagging feeling means something. Listen to it. Trust it. Go with it.
4. Be kind to yourself.
Especially when you are learning something new. I had this epiphany very late in the year, but I wish I had taken it on first. Ambition and drive are good things. Constant reprimands and belittling self-talk because you had a disorganised day or didn't hit all of the over-inflated heights you had set for yourself is not good! Nor does it help you get any closer to where you are going.
5. The little things can be as tricky as the big ones.
Similarly, there's nothing grand about navigating subway systems, deciding whether to push or pull the door or constantly remembering to convert odd phrases and words from one language to another, but those little, unsuspecting tasks do need you to allow some extra time and thought sometimes. And that's okay.
6. Be positive.
My entire game plan for New York was this: have positive attitude, project confidence outwards, smile at everyone. It worked, it was a pleasure to do (if not a little exhausting at times!) and I'm sticking to it. People respond to the positivity and enthusiasm that they may not be able to project in their own lives. They're also more likely to help happy, driven, optimistic individuals - not negative, dragging, depressed ones.
7. Be free to make decisions without articulating it all to others.
Mothers excluded, I'm getting better at this. Explaining takes time and energy, and sometimes you need to give yourself the credit that you know what you're doing and just 'do'.
8. Know the kindness of strangers.
From Australia, in Europe, to America - I have been absolutely floored by the kindness, generosity and offered confidence of everyone I have met this year. And I've met a lot of you! I will always look back on this year with gratitude and a renewed faith in humanity.
9. Follow your dreams.
It's the most deeply rewarding thing you can do. If you give yourself the chance to be challenged, grow, and realise your potential, you put your happiness in your own hands, not to any one place, job or other person. I consider it my responsibility, my priviledge and my great joy to find happiness in my day to day, in hurdles that are unexpectedly presented to us, and especially in the ones that we make for ourselves.
10. Know the kindness of those you already have.
None of this [read: life] would be possible without the people who I am utterly blessed to have in my life. On the days when I wasn't certain or positive or strong at all, you were for me, sending an entire ocean of love and encouragement my way. I'm overwhelmed and grateful and the luckiest girl in the world because of you.
And there you have it. Much of it is a little grand and dramatic, but... so am I!
On a side note, I've been painfully aware to the point of feeling guilty of how self-centred this year was for me, in relation to my friends and family at home. But it's something that I needed to do, I know I wouldn't have been much fun if I'd stayed put, and I hope to be a much better person to others because of the things I've learnt this year.
All in all, twenty-ten has been spectacular. It's one for the Aria history books. I think I'm going to write a re-cap of the year in more tangible events as well, so stay tuned. Happy holidays, kids, and much love!
Aria
http://ariaintrepid.blogspot.com
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