Master of the House

So I'm done my degree. Turned in my final assignment this week. Kind of a weird feeling if you ask me. I will be amazed when I have a Masters Degree - it was never anything I expected. And to get it while living abroad for a year is a phenomenal time. I have had so many great experiences here - both in furthering my career, and with great people, learning about the world, and traveling to so many cool places. To put the icing on the cake, my travel plans with Sarah are beginning to finalize. They are as follows: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the UAE, England, France, Switzerland (perhaps Italy), Ireland, then finally home in the USA August 14. I can't believe that my time here is almost up. It will have been a year since I arrived on July 15. Five days later I'm traveling to Melbourne to see that part of Australia. I fly straight there to Singapore. But I'll outline those plans later.

Since finishing school, I've just been full-on working at Thomson. I will also start applying for jobs back in the USA, possibly at ThomsonReuters as well. I'm torn about what I want to do next. Where will I be? What will I do? Will I be able to get a job? So many questions, for so soon. I'm not going to stress about it too much. But if you're reading this and want to give me a job, it would be appreciated.

PS - I would like to be referred to as "Master Clark" from now on. I've earned it.

Watching Euro 2008 in Australia is difficult

The first week of class-free living is nearly completed. Unfortunately, that doesn't include assignment free. I've been finishing up my magazine projects, a couple papers here and there. But the end is in sight. Tomorrow I'll be going up to FourFourTwo for my second to last day of my internship. That's been good, but hard. Not the work, just going in somewhere so infrequently. A lot gets done when I'm not there. However, I've gotten experience at a magazine, and a global media corporation at that. Not to mention that it's a soccer magazine, a sport I happen to be partial to. There isn't a whole lot to say. Yesterday marked my 11 month anniversary with Sarah (so awesome). I'm in the process of planning our trip home via a bunch of different countries (also awesome). Along with that, blogging over at Arsenal, MLS, and KC Wizards Offside websites. Go check it out if you can.

Oh, and not to mention the last thing I've been up to. Watching Euro 2008 at 2 AM and 4:45 AM when I can. Have managed to watch the France-Romania snoozer, the opening match between Czech Republic and the Swiss, and Spain's 4-1 triumph over the Russians. The time difference has made it a difficult and brutal experience, but worth it nonetheless.

Done

And that's the end of that. I have now successfully attended all of my classes for the second semester of graduate school. What a crazy thought. It literally seems like I arrived in Australia only a few months ago - when in reality it has been nearly 11 months.

Life is winding down here. I'm skipping a day at 442 to try and get a full head of steam into my work, and possibly skipping dinner at a colleague's house because of finishing assignments. I really need to buckle down, so this is no time for procrastination.

Sports in Australia

Hello all. I haven't been on for awhile. For this I apologize. This week marks the last week of coursework during my time at Sydney University. I have just four assignments left, and then I'll wrap everything up on June 13th. After that, a month and change of working before heading home via eight or nine separate countries. Aside from keeping up with Uni and working, I've been enveloped by the hysteria of Australian sport.

As many of you know, I like sports. Simple enough right? The past weekend (not the current one), I went to two sporting events in two nights. First up was the Australian football team taking on Ghana in an international friendly. This game was a bit dull, as the tactics employed by Pim Verbeek were hardly aimed for entertainment. But the result was there, so that was key. The embarrassing moment for Australia happened before the match when the officials in charge failed to procure the anthem of Ghana. That's poor form. Then the game itself happened. It wasn't all that exciting, although there were one or two moments, near the end of the game where Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer was called up to maintain his clean sheet. The Socceroos (as they are dubbed) won by a meager 1-0 scoreline.

The next match was a Super 14 semifinal. The NSW Waratahs were taking on the Sharks, a provincial team from South Africa. Winner would face the Crusaders (a team from New Zealand) the following weekend for the title.

Upon sitting down at my seat, which was second row from the field, the size of the players immediately struck you. These guys were massive. We're talking the size of an NFL lineman in height, but way less body fat. And that was just the pack. The backs for the Sharks were all at least 6 feet tall and built like small trees. There isn't a sane person in the world who would want to tackle them. That was just the Sharks. The Waratahs had some formidable sized players, Lote Tuquiri, Rocky Elsom, and Phil Waugh (who is built like a trash compacter).

These impressions all sank in before the game began. And when it did, the speed and agility of the players for their size was remarkable. If you know anything about rugby union, the ball is always live unless a penalty, infringement is whistled, or the ball is knocked out of play. The kind of collisions I heard was unlike anything I had ever seen at a sporting event before. It was perplexing to think people enjoyed playing a sport like this; especially since I had gone to a few practices myself.

The actual game was a lot of fun; the stadium was full and the crowd was into the match, making for lots of noise and excitement. Add to that the four tries the Waratahs scored, and the night was full of joy, as NSW won. A good game of rugby is definitely something worth taking in live.