When I wrote 'a few Drops short of a Pint', I expected to have a certain Irish employer sue me for defamation. Possibly I will put on a return flight home if I land at Dublin airport again. And I've certainly earned the eternal emnity of Dublin Bus drivers by posting my opinions of their driving on www.busrage.com
I didn't expect this one - check it out at
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2009-05/06/content_7747788.htm. It's pretty funny.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Sunday, 4 October 2009
1989 to 2009 - Chris' 20 year high school reunion
I attended my 20 year High School reunion last night. I approached the door of the Shark’s Football Club at Victoria Point with both excitement and trepidation. What would all of us be like after 20 years?
When I started high school in 1985, there’d been a fight between students almost every lunch-hour. The school had been stretched to the seams with around 2000 kids, and the fights seemed to be a reality we had to deal with, and in my case, avoid. The fights in school kept going for a couple of years and then died out. I found out that there had been a senior Year 11 student making younger kids fight by threatening them; and then placing bets on them to make a buck. (My father was a teacher at the school, so he knew the story.)
A variety of tough-case principals were posted to our school to sort us out with discipline. These men and women cracked down on behavior, uniforms, and students who liked a cigarette or two, in the days before smoke-free workplaces were thought of.
Dress standard and uniforms became the issue of the day; both for the teaching staff and the students. The command from the principal’s administration was that boys’ shirts needed to be tucked in, girls’ skirts needed to be knee height; and the formal uniform must be worn on every day except sports day, when the sports uniform had to be worn. Spot checks were carried out by teachers and non-conformists could be sent along to detention. Students caught loitering and making a nuisance of themselves around town in uniform were made example of, and would be sent to multiple detentions. I vaguely remember some were even expelled from the school.
Cleveland High School was (and is) a public funded school. From the students’ point of view, the school was required to educate students whether they wore the uniform or not. Some students rebelled against the rules, with girls wearing hiked up skirts to upper thigh level (which I appreciated greatly) and boys wearing their shirts hanging out. Socks were pushed down around the ankles. The school’s administration responded and cranked up the discipline further until the students staged a walkout and gathered on the oval; shaking the boundary fence and talking to the press about the unfairness of the uniform policy. I think some sort of truce was made by letting students have a free dress day every few weeks – but we had to pay money for it. I’m not sure what the money was used for, but I paid 20 cents or so to wear light blue trousers and an orange shirt. I’m not sure what I was thinking or how I survived those days - today, I’d pay $20 so I didn’t have to wear light blue trousers or an orange shirt.
Fights, smoking bans and uniforms seem a bit hilarious in comparison to the drug risks, cyber-bullying and physical threatening that are present in some schools today, but these were the issues we grappled with. While we struggled through English, Maths, Physical Education and a foreign language or performing arts, Madonna became a sensation with “Papa don’t Preach” and “Like a Prayer”. Michael Fox rose to stardom as Alex in “Family Ties” and Marty in “Back to the Future”. An Australian Band known as 1927 played “That’s when I think of You” and “Compulsory Hero”. John Farnham made it with “Whispering Jack” and “Age of Reason”. Remember Rick Astley? – better not to perhaps. INXS was top of the charts with “Kick”. Of course, there was Kylie in her Stock Aitken Waterman years. In 1989 (my final year at school), the Beach Boys' “Kokomo” was huge, but has seemed a bit daggy since; while the B52s “Love Shack” still calls lots of people to the dance floor.
With all this in the background, I walked into the reunion last night. And I had the best time. I met business owners, managers, a radiologist, a Colonel in the Army, a soldier who’d fought in East Timor, a solicitor, Mums and Dads, an architect, computer programmers and information technologists, a horse breeder, an editor, a golf coach, an accountant and a naval lawyer. I couldn’t recognise everyone, and nor could everyone recognise me. But I couldn’t help noticing how generous everyone was. Their welcomes and congratulations were so refreshing. My classmates have done all right with their lives and I'm glad.
Thanks to everyone who came along, and to the organisers for such a great night. I will always remember us leaping around to the Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”; and gathering into a circle for “That’s what friends are for”. Keep being awesome and see you for the next one.
When I started high school in 1985, there’d been a fight between students almost every lunch-hour. The school had been stretched to the seams with around 2000 kids, and the fights seemed to be a reality we had to deal with, and in my case, avoid. The fights in school kept going for a couple of years and then died out. I found out that there had been a senior Year 11 student making younger kids fight by threatening them; and then placing bets on them to make a buck. (My father was a teacher at the school, so he knew the story.)
A variety of tough-case principals were posted to our school to sort us out with discipline. These men and women cracked down on behavior, uniforms, and students who liked a cigarette or two, in the days before smoke-free workplaces were thought of.
Dress standard and uniforms became the issue of the day; both for the teaching staff and the students. The command from the principal’s administration was that boys’ shirts needed to be tucked in, girls’ skirts needed to be knee height; and the formal uniform must be worn on every day except sports day, when the sports uniform had to be worn. Spot checks were carried out by teachers and non-conformists could be sent along to detention. Students caught loitering and making a nuisance of themselves around town in uniform were made example of, and would be sent to multiple detentions. I vaguely remember some were even expelled from the school.
Cleveland High School was (and is) a public funded school. From the students’ point of view, the school was required to educate students whether they wore the uniform or not. Some students rebelled against the rules, with girls wearing hiked up skirts to upper thigh level (which I appreciated greatly) and boys wearing their shirts hanging out. Socks were pushed down around the ankles. The school’s administration responded and cranked up the discipline further until the students staged a walkout and gathered on the oval; shaking the boundary fence and talking to the press about the unfairness of the uniform policy. I think some sort of truce was made by letting students have a free dress day every few weeks – but we had to pay money for it. I’m not sure what the money was used for, but I paid 20 cents or so to wear light blue trousers and an orange shirt. I’m not sure what I was thinking or how I survived those days - today, I’d pay $20 so I didn’t have to wear light blue trousers or an orange shirt.
Fights, smoking bans and uniforms seem a bit hilarious in comparison to the drug risks, cyber-bullying and physical threatening that are present in some schools today, but these were the issues we grappled with. While we struggled through English, Maths, Physical Education and a foreign language or performing arts, Madonna became a sensation with “Papa don’t Preach” and “Like a Prayer”. Michael Fox rose to stardom as Alex in “Family Ties” and Marty in “Back to the Future”. An Australian Band known as 1927 played “That’s when I think of You” and “Compulsory Hero”. John Farnham made it with “Whispering Jack” and “Age of Reason”. Remember Rick Astley? – better not to perhaps. INXS was top of the charts with “Kick”. Of course, there was Kylie in her Stock Aitken Waterman years. In 1989 (my final year at school), the Beach Boys' “Kokomo” was huge, but has seemed a bit daggy since; while the B52s “Love Shack” still calls lots of people to the dance floor.
With all this in the background, I walked into the reunion last night. And I had the best time. I met business owners, managers, a radiologist, a Colonel in the Army, a soldier who’d fought in East Timor, a solicitor, Mums and Dads, an architect, computer programmers and information technologists, a horse breeder, an editor, a golf coach, an accountant and a naval lawyer. I couldn’t recognise everyone, and nor could everyone recognise me. But I couldn’t help noticing how generous everyone was. Their welcomes and congratulations were so refreshing. My classmates have done all right with their lives and I'm glad.
Thanks to everyone who came along, and to the organisers for such a great night. I will always remember us leaping around to the Black Eyed Peas – “I Gotta Feeling”; and gathering into a circle for “That’s what friends are for”. Keep being awesome and see you for the next one.
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Handwashing and holidays (Part 1)
Every time I use a public bathroom, I wash my hands afterwards and then put them under the electric dryer. I try waving my hands sideways underneath it; up and down; and from left to right. I turn the unit off and back on again at the wall. I sometimes perform a little dance in front of it to surprise it. Nothing happens. As an option, some places also have paper towels, which I prefer. But I don’t enjoy stuffing these in amongst other wet used paper, in a waste bin that is usually overflowing onto the floor. Other bathrooms have those towels on a roller which you’re supposed to pull down to get a dry section. But what happens when the roller runs out of towel? I usually come along, that’s what happens.
It went much the same way when I used the bathroom at Brisbane Airport. The dryer refused to start, even though I waved my arms around like one of those giant air-inflated figures used outside car-parts stores to attract customers. There was no alternative, so I wiped my hands furtively on my jeans and headed for the door. As usual, the dryer roared into life as the person behind me walked within a couple of metres of the thing.
I was at the airport because I was off to Darwin in the Northern Territory for a holiday. It was hard to know what to expect. Darwin is the most northern city in Australia. From the heavily populated east coast cities, it is around two thousand kilometres across mostly empty desert, bush and savannah country. I had visions of a tough frontier town. Perhaps the pubs would be fitted with wild-west louvre doors that swung open violently as people were forcibly ejected. Maybe I’d be beaten to a pulp if I accidentally crossed someone’s path, or looked at their drink the wrong way. I wouldn’t have felt any better if I’d known Territorians’ idea of a seven course dinner – a pie and a six-pack.
‘People can be a bit irreverent in Darwin,’ a girl who’d moved there from Melbourne would later tell me. ‘They don’t necessarily like to follow rules and they certainly won’t do something just because the rest of the country thinks they should.’
On the other hand, two of my work colleagues had been there recently, and both said it was very enjoyable. ‘It’s got a lot of history. Everyone knows Darwin was bombed during World War 2, but did you know it was bombed 64 times? In the first attack, Japan used 188 planes. We only had a few Wirraways, which were crap, and the US had ten Kittyhawks there. The Australian Government has never wanted people to know how badly Darwin was damaged, nor how badly some of the leaders based there reacted. Hundreds of people were killed and the place was nearly flattened.’
I climbed onto the plane. It was about nine pm. Many of the flights to Darwin are scheduled to fly at night for some reason.
When I arrived, after four hours flight, Darwin’s airport was packed with people waiting to catch planes in the middle of the night. It seems that the airport runs twenty four hours a day. So does the supermarket in the city.
I walked outside, expecting to be narrowly missed by mud-encrusted utes sporting large spot lights and “I shoot and I vote” stickers.
Instead, a line of hybrid Toyota Prius taxis waited in the comfortably warm air. Being June, it was Darwin’s winter, so the heavy humidity and vicious temperatures of summer were absent, happily for me. In fact, it felt a lot like springtime would in Brisbane. I climbed into a taxi. The driver had dance music blaring and he looked like he’d be happier enjoying a good coffee than going pig shooting for the weekend. The taxi slipped almost noiselessly from the kerb, running on its electric motor. ‘So where to, mate?’
... more to follow in the next post
Monday, 13 April 2009
On to Chapter six
Hi everyone and Happy Easter
It's been another long while since my last post. I have been busy with my business, Tod Consulting Engineers. I wanted to prove to the older directors that I could do it, that I could run a business without cracking up. I've realised something big: I have not allowed contribution from other people. At work, I've found myself thinking "Am I the only one who can do all the IT redesign, the marketing designs, the engineering work, the human resources work, etc, etc. Why don't they help?" I gave the impression that I had it all under control (actually, I haven't trusted anyone else to assist me or take on the work for me). Why would anyone help me when I looked like I had it all handled? (I didn't). No wonder I've been overloaded - I caused it myself.
It took one of the engineers to demand that he help me, before I realised what a mess I was in. And within days of me realising that I hadn't allowed contribution and then choosing to be open and vunerable; a new engineer showed up looking for work who looked like he could be an excellent team member. I don't know how we're going to create enough work in the middle of a global financial crisis, but I know in my gut that he is the right man for our team. I know with his assistance we can create the space for me to do the things I need to do in the business. And I will also create the space I need for my writing outside of working hours.
So with Easter nearly over, I have completed Chapter five of my second book (working title: a wheel short of a tea trolley) and am now onto Chapter six. I have procrastinated, worried over poorly constructed sentences, played computer games to avoid doing work on it and agonised over the messages and themes. I know more than I did with my first book, but as a wise person said, "knowing doesn't make the difference". A strong committment, combined with consistent, steady action makes the difference. So my committment is to have a completed manuscript (first draft) by the end of this year (2009); and my action is to keep writing until I get there. If you're willing, you could hold me to account by asking me how I'm going with the book each time that you speak to me.
Hope you've all had a lovely Easter and have a great week
Chris
It's been another long while since my last post. I have been busy with my business, Tod Consulting Engineers. I wanted to prove to the older directors that I could do it, that I could run a business without cracking up. I've realised something big: I have not allowed contribution from other people. At work, I've found myself thinking "Am I the only one who can do all the IT redesign, the marketing designs, the engineering work, the human resources work, etc, etc. Why don't they help?" I gave the impression that I had it all under control (actually, I haven't trusted anyone else to assist me or take on the work for me). Why would anyone help me when I looked like I had it all handled? (I didn't). No wonder I've been overloaded - I caused it myself.
It took one of the engineers to demand that he help me, before I realised what a mess I was in. And within days of me realising that I hadn't allowed contribution and then choosing to be open and vunerable; a new engineer showed up looking for work who looked like he could be an excellent team member. I don't know how we're going to create enough work in the middle of a global financial crisis, but I know in my gut that he is the right man for our team. I know with his assistance we can create the space for me to do the things I need to do in the business. And I will also create the space I need for my writing outside of working hours.
So with Easter nearly over, I have completed Chapter five of my second book (working title: a wheel short of a tea trolley) and am now onto Chapter six. I have procrastinated, worried over poorly constructed sentences, played computer games to avoid doing work on it and agonised over the messages and themes. I know more than I did with my first book, but as a wise person said, "knowing doesn't make the difference". A strong committment, combined with consistent, steady action makes the difference. So my committment is to have a completed manuscript (first draft) by the end of this year (2009); and my action is to keep writing until I get there. If you're willing, you could hold me to account by asking me how I'm going with the book each time that you speak to me.
Hope you've all had a lovely Easter and have a great week
Chris
Sunday, 22 February 2009
New year with new challenges
Sorry it's been a while since my last post. The New Year has brought a lot of new challenges with the world financial crisis, the Victorian bushfires and the North Queensland floods. Israel and Palestine have been fighting again. People have lost homes, property, livelihoods and some have even lost their lives. I extend my condolences to all the families affected by all these events.
I must admit I have felt fearful with all this going on. Was the world going to fall apart completely? I didn't know if I'd have enough work to pay the bills. I didn't know if I'd be able to keep all the staff on at work. I didn't know if I'll be able to pay my mortgage. I didn't know if we'd be able to afford it when Kerryn gets pregnant and we have a baby. I didn't know if I'll be able to sell my second book when I finish it. What was the point in even trying?
And then I remembered - I'm still breathing, I've got my health and I've got the support of my partner in life and love. There are many aspects of life that I don't have control over, but why let that stop me? I'm not going to get out of this life alive , so let's give it my best shot.
Since thinking that, I stopped focusing on my problems and thought about what I could do for others. My colleagues and I have found enough work to pay our bills and our staff. Our company has donated money to the bushfire and flood relief charities. We've also introduced a new sustainability policies at work to use electricity from 100% renewable sources, recycle paper, and reduce petrol/diesel consumption (I believe strongly that we shouldn't waste our natural resources). I've also managed to write almost five chapters of my new book.
I guess the lesson I learnt over the last two months is this: life is always going to throw events at me that I will find fearful or upsetting. I can either get depressed and sit tight waiting for someone else to sort out the world; or I can accept the problems and do my best to help my own little corner of the world, and keep chasing my dreams.
I suppose none of us can control all the circumstances of life, but we all get to choose how we react. There is a old proverb that says risk and opportunity are the opposite sides of the same coin. If the coin represents life's events, it must take a lot of practice to see both sides at the same time, but I thinks it will be worth it.
Have a thoughtful week
Chris
And then I remembered - I'm still breathing, I've got my health and I've got the support of my partner in life and love. There are many aspects of life that I don't have control over, but why let that stop me? I'm not going to get out of this life alive , so let's give it my best shot.
Since thinking that, I stopped focusing on my problems and thought about what I could do for others. My colleagues and I have found enough work to pay our bills and our staff. Our company has donated money to the bushfire and flood relief charities. We've also introduced a new sustainability policies at work to use electricity from 100% renewable sources, recycle paper, and reduce petrol/diesel consumption (I believe strongly that we shouldn't waste our natural resources). I've also managed to write almost five chapters of my new book.
I guess the lesson I learnt over the last two months is this: life is always going to throw events at me that I will find fearful or upsetting. I can either get depressed and sit tight waiting for someone else to sort out the world; or I can accept the problems and do my best to help my own little corner of the world, and keep chasing my dreams.
I suppose none of us can control all the circumstances of life, but we all get to choose how we react. There is a old proverb that says risk and opportunity are the opposite sides of the same coin. If the coin represents life's events, it must take a lot of practice to see both sides at the same time, but I thinks it will be worth it.
Have a thoughtful week
Chris
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Turn wine into water this Christmas
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With Christmas just a few days away, it’s not long until many of us will be tucking into a large midday or evening meal, with a wine or two to set off the palette.
- http://www.unilever.ie/ourbrands/aroundthehouse/morearticles/stain_removal.asp
- http://wine.about.com/od/redwines/a/redwinestains.htm
- http://www.essortment.com/home/redwinestains_scla.htm
Saturday, 13 December 2008
Irish epiphany
Engineer-turned-author Chris Dowding reveals why a trip to the Emerald Isle changed him forever
By Gregory Stanton, weekender magazine
Chris Dowding appears uncomfortable as we sit down for a Guinness. My pint disappears quickly while he clutches his, taking small sips. Perched precariously on a bar stool, this Marcoola resident puts his unease down to his persona and his profession.
“I was good at maths and not good at dealing with people,” revealing why he chose engineering as a career. “You sit in a cubicle pumping out designs and calculations. Not surprisingly, you don’t go anywhere with that attitude.”
In short, it was not the most exciting or glamorous life. After marrying in 2001 though, wife Kerryn, who had a more adventurous spirit, was able to conquer his resistance and persuade Chris to move to Dublin for work. “I was disappointed with where I was going,” he says with a grimace. “I didn’t seem to be on much of a career path. I always seemed to get frustrated and come up against this brick wall. What attracted me to Ireland was the sense of fun. I’m a serious person and I thought that would be a great experience. It was chaotic at first.”
However, the spontaneity and vitality of the Irish changed him forever. “I started to realise it was about me and my attitude,” he explains. “I was dealing with the same s…, different country. I had a epiphany. A lots of guys there [Ireland] live for the moment and I wasn’t.”
Born in Nambour in 1972, Chris grew up on a farm in Redland Bay, south of Brisbane. Rounded out by brothers Lachlan and Andrew, the trio had to make their own fun – clay bomb wars around the dam, making corrugated canoes and creating BMX jumps. Yet introversion was never far away. As a boy, Chris found solace in reading adventures such as the Famous Five.
Not surprisingly, he has turned his own adventure into a travel memoir. The 36-year-old’s Irish experiences are the subject of his first book, a Few Drops short of a Pint.
Trying to do as the Irish do, and labelling his one attempt to play Gaelic football as disastrous, Chris has pierced together history, research, anecdotes and his personal journey into a narrative about the Irish people and his new-found awakening.
“I think there had always been a need to get a story out in some way,” says Chris, who is working on his second book, about Britain. “I wrote emails home and wanted to give them [his friends and family] a sense of what it was like – rather than the usual ‘We went here’ and ‘We did this’. And I tried to make it funny.”
While living in the land of blarney, Chris’ usual serious, introverted nature gave way to a newly-discovered sense of expression, which included a drunken rendition of Waltzing Matilda in the middle of a pub. Yet he counts his visit to Belfast and feeling the “tense anger” as the most revealing experience. And he sees the quiet resentment of Belfast reflected in current social trends in the long dark shadow of the events of 9/11. “I see today we’re fortressing ourselves and we’re headed for trouble,” he laments.
However, while not avoiding the dark side of the Irish character, Chris also explores the humour. An elderly woman going the wrong way around a roundabout, happily waving to other commuters, and the traffic jam causes by a man stopped in the middle of the road to talk to a passing friend are among his [Chris’] anecdotes. “ I plain refused to drive through Dublin in my uptight state,” he says. Chris also points to the ominous national figures that indicate 58 per cent of motor accidents occur during the day, in high visibility conditions, with dry weather.
His travel experiences have taught Chris much about himself and he now revels in the chance to create and construct – with his outlook more hopeful – as director and engineer at Tod Consulting in Noosa. “As an engineer, you’re not supposed to write anything interesting,” he jokes. “But life is about now, so I have a balance in my viewpoint.” To this end, accepting risk and making the most of opportunities is a large part of Chris’ life. It’s the reason for his book, which had the dubious working title of Dreaming of Sunshine.
“The book is a willingness to look at the good and the bad,” he explains. “It looks at the dark side of the Irish character and looks at my own character. It’s got a journey that is a message of hope for anyone feeling down about their life.”
And yes, he plans another Irish trip: “I feel comfortable there. It’s like another home.”
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Local author celebrates with a ‘Few Drops’
By Helen Barber, hinterliving magazine
Just three months after getting married, Chris Dowding and his new wife, Kerryn started afresh by moving from the Sunshine Coast to Ireland.
Both Kerryn and Ireland had a sense of spontaneity that Chris, a shy and retiring structural engineer, had previously avoided in his life. His ‘culture shock’ experience in Ireland was so unusual for him that he began writing emails home about his experiences. The result is Chris’ first travel book, ‘a few Drops short of a Pint’.
It won 2007 IP Picks Best Creative Non-Fiction Award – not bad for a structural engineer turned first time author, eh?
Chris shares with readers amusing and challenging anecdotes about his time in Ireland. ‘A few Drops short of a Pint’ is as much a journey of self discovery as it is a travel journal.
Fittingly on St Patricks’s day, Chris launched his book with a shindig at the Noosa Regional Library in conjunction with the lovely folks from the Written Dimension Bookshop.
It was a great night with Irish fiddlers, home brewed Guinness and lots of yummy Irish nibblies, to be sure.
Chris is currently writing his second book to convince the tax office about the validity of his holiday expenses.
Just three months after getting married, Chris Dowding and his new wife, Kerryn started afresh by moving from the Sunshine Coast to Ireland.
Both Kerryn and Ireland had a sense of spontaneity that Chris, a shy and retiring structural engineer, had previously avoided in his life. His ‘culture shock’ experience in Ireland was so unusual for him that he began writing emails home about his experiences. The result is Chris’ first travel book, ‘a few Drops short of a Pint’.
It won 2007 IP Picks Best Creative Non-Fiction Award – not bad for a structural engineer turned first time author, eh?
Chris shares with readers amusing and challenging anecdotes about his time in Ireland. ‘A few Drops short of a Pint’ is as much a journey of self discovery as it is a travel journal.
Fittingly on St Patricks’s day, Chris launched his book with a shindig at the Noosa Regional Library in conjunction with the lovely folks from the Written Dimension Bookshop.
It was a great night with Irish fiddlers, home brewed Guinness and lots of yummy Irish nibblies, to be sure.
Chris is currently writing his second book to convince the tax office about the validity of his holiday expenses.
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Chris embraces ‘chaos’
Young Aussie traveller brings home a new attitude – by Jennifer Scott, Sunshine Coast Daily - Sunday issue
Travellers pick up many things on their journeys – souvenirs, stories and often altered perspectives. Marcoola’s Chris Dowding came back from his working holiday with a newfound ability to relax and live for today.
Pushed along by his “chaotic” new wife Kerryn, in 2001 the uptight engineer had packed his bags, given the credit card a workout and headed for the Emerald Isle. As Kerryn had decided they were going overseas, Chris got to decide where they would live. One of the things that attracted him to Ireland was its laid-back lifestyle.
“I think I really wanted to learn how to have fun,” Chris said. “I was a pretty uptight sort of person. I was always worrying about the future and trying to thing about what I’m going to do tomorrow – how I’m going to get where I’m going, get promoted and all that sort of stuff. What I could see in Ireland was they lived more for today. Some of them would just spend all their money going out, having fun. I really found that confronting.”
Chris, who was 28 when he arrived in Ireland, recounts his journey to become a more relaxed and accepting human being with great humour in his first book, A few Drops short of a Pint. It’s a full-bodied travel memoir that gives the reader a taste of Irish life and history, covering the author’s day-to-day life in Dublin, as well as his travels in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
The first thing that struck Chris when he arrived in Dublin, the city he would call home for the next seven months, was the sense of disorder. “In traffic, waiting for the bus, whatever, you don’t queue you just push in,” he said. “And just walking on the street you sort of have to dodge and weave your way along – no-one stayed on the left or the right, everyone was just doing their own thing.
Chaos also reigned on the roads, where the rules were “loosely” obeyed. “I remember one day a little old lady going the wrong way around a roundabout, and she just waved at everyone as she went round and off she went,” Chris said.
“Hazard lights are a law to do anything.”
While Kerryn picked up reception work, Chris, who now part owner of Tod Consulting in Noosaville, found a job with a small engineering company. Many of the anecdotes in his book revolve around his boss, a somewhat contradictory character. “One day he’d be saying something had to be really, really, really safe – and the next day ‘oh no, that’s way, way too expensive, the client will never go for that’. So it was constantly swinging back and forth between what he wanted and what I did.”
Immersed in a foreign culture, Chris had to open himself up to a whole new social circle, and new experiences. While he was “always uncomfortable” playing sport in Australia, in Ireland he found himself playing soccer and Gaelic football. “There’s a really big thing in Australia about playing sport,” Chris said. “You’re propped up as a bit of a hero if you’re good at it. And I played it there [Ireland] and I was still crap. But they just accepted it like that, there was no real angst about it, no real pressure about it, and I got better.”
As he says in the book: “Accept your neighbour, no matter how crazy he seems” was an attitude he came across again and again in Ireland. And it’s one that helped him learn to accept the Irish, and himself. “I’m pretty sure now my friends did (accept me), but I was so closed in about myself I just didn’t hear anyone else saying anything good about me. I was really angry at myself all the time… (thinking I’m) not doing good enough, (I’ve) got to do better.”
Chris, who actually met his wife at an Irish pub in Brisbane, decided he wasn’t going to send the usual post-card emails back home, saying ‘I went here, I saw this’, but wanted to give his friends and family a sense of what the place felt like. His darkly comical emails were a hit, and had his friends asking for more.
“Towards the end of the time there [Ireland] I thought, well, actually I’ve always wanted to write something,” he said. “I think I always had a story I wanted to tell in there somewhere, and this seemed to be it. And really I think Ireland creates a lot of stories – you just need to have your pen ready to write them down.”
A few Drops short of a Pint was written over five years, from 2002-2007. “The Irish can tell a joke in 10 seconds and I took five years to get mine right,” Chris laughs. But get it right he did, with the story taking out the IP 2007 writer’s award for Best Creative Non-Friction.
Travellers pick up many things on their journeys – souvenirs, stories and often altered perspectives. Marcoola’s Chris Dowding came back from his working holiday with a newfound ability to relax and live for today.
Pushed along by his “chaotic” new wife Kerryn, in 2001 the uptight engineer had packed his bags, given the credit card a workout and headed for the Emerald Isle. As Kerryn had decided they were going overseas, Chris got to decide where they would live. One of the things that attracted him to Ireland was its laid-back lifestyle.
“I think I really wanted to learn how to have fun,” Chris said. “I was a pretty uptight sort of person. I was always worrying about the future and trying to thing about what I’m going to do tomorrow – how I’m going to get where I’m going, get promoted and all that sort of stuff. What I could see in Ireland was they lived more for today. Some of them would just spend all their money going out, having fun. I really found that confronting.”
Chris, who was 28 when he arrived in Ireland, recounts his journey to become a more relaxed and accepting human being with great humour in his first book, A few Drops short of a Pint. It’s a full-bodied travel memoir that gives the reader a taste of Irish life and history, covering the author’s day-to-day life in Dublin, as well as his travels in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
The first thing that struck Chris when he arrived in Dublin, the city he would call home for the next seven months, was the sense of disorder. “In traffic, waiting for the bus, whatever, you don’t queue you just push in,” he said. “And just walking on the street you sort of have to dodge and weave your way along – no-one stayed on the left or the right, everyone was just doing their own thing.
Chaos also reigned on the roads, where the rules were “loosely” obeyed. “I remember one day a little old lady going the wrong way around a roundabout, and she just waved at everyone as she went round and off she went,” Chris said.
“Hazard lights are a law to do anything.”
While Kerryn picked up reception work, Chris, who now part owner of Tod Consulting in Noosaville, found a job with a small engineering company. Many of the anecdotes in his book revolve around his boss, a somewhat contradictory character. “One day he’d be saying something had to be really, really, really safe – and the next day ‘oh no, that’s way, way too expensive, the client will never go for that’. So it was constantly swinging back and forth between what he wanted and what I did.”
Immersed in a foreign culture, Chris had to open himself up to a whole new social circle, and new experiences. While he was “always uncomfortable” playing sport in Australia, in Ireland he found himself playing soccer and Gaelic football. “There’s a really big thing in Australia about playing sport,” Chris said. “You’re propped up as a bit of a hero if you’re good at it. And I played it there [Ireland] and I was still crap. But they just accepted it like that, there was no real angst about it, no real pressure about it, and I got better.”
As he says in the book: “Accept your neighbour, no matter how crazy he seems” was an attitude he came across again and again in Ireland. And it’s one that helped him learn to accept the Irish, and himself. “I’m pretty sure now my friends did (accept me), but I was so closed in about myself I just didn’t hear anyone else saying anything good about me. I was really angry at myself all the time… (thinking I’m) not doing good enough, (I’ve) got to do better.”
Chris, who actually met his wife at an Irish pub in Brisbane, decided he wasn’t going to send the usual post-card emails back home, saying ‘I went here, I saw this’, but wanted to give his friends and family a sense of what the place felt like. His darkly comical emails were a hit, and had his friends asking for more.
“Towards the end of the time there [Ireland] I thought, well, actually I’ve always wanted to write something,” he said. “I think I always had a story I wanted to tell in there somewhere, and this seemed to be it. And really I think Ireland creates a lot of stories – you just need to have your pen ready to write them down.”
A few Drops short of a Pint was written over five years, from 2002-2007. “The Irish can tell a joke in 10 seconds and I took five years to get mine right,” Chris laughs. But get it right he did, with the story taking out the IP 2007 writer’s award for Best Creative Non-Friction.
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Congratulations Barack Obama - the dawn of a new day
He's done it - or rather, America has. Today will go down as a historic moment for America and the world, one that the rest of the world was watching intently. And if the rest of the world could have voted, they would be happy. A recent international poll by the BBC World Service found that the 22 countries surveyed preferred to see Obama win the election.
For me, it means hope. The U.S looked stuck in old approaches to ongoing problems. Problems in Iraq - throw more troops at it. Banks losing hand over fist - throw more money into them. Doing more of the same thing seems to guarantee getting more of the same results. Fear, misunderstanding and mistrust were the order of the day. But now I see a man who wants to embrace everyone. A man who wants to understand. A man who wants to build trust. The mettle of any organisation, including a country, is set by its leader. I can't wait to see what can be achieved with this man as an example to the people of the U.S. and the world.
Let us look to Obama, not to solve all our problems, but as a source of inspiration for our lives. We can't all be President or Prime Minister (there aren't enough countries!), but we can all achieve more than we ever expected. Dream big dreams. I believe that Obama wants to see us at our best, just as we want him to be at his best.
A few words from Obama's campaign
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Travel emails evolve into book
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By Linda Muller - Redlands Times
It's the sort of book you can read over a few beers.
A few Drops short of a Pint sprang from a series of emails author Chris Dowding sent to friends and family while living temporarily in Ireland in 2001.
'I used to send emails home and a few friends said I should turn them into a book. This is the result,' he said.
His efforts won for Chris the 2007 IP Picks Best Creative Non-Fiction Award and has also prompted Chris to continue to write. He has already started another book.
Educated at Redland Bay Primary and Cleveland High Schools but now living at Marcoola on the Sunshine Coast, Chris said his school English teachers 'never liked' his writing, something this honest account of Ireland now makes a mockery.
'My wife and I went to Ireland like most people go to England. We wanted to live in another part of the world but not where there were lots of Australians. It was challenging,' he said.
Chris writes about the little things, like having no car and using public transport, setting up a bank account, gaining a job and the 'social environment'.
'It's very social. In Ireland, work is there to pay for lifestyle. The pub is the centre of the social village and the meeting place. I have so many memories of what happened but it is easy to forget all the details. Now they're always there,' he said.
The book took Chris about four years off and on to write and included some courses in memoir and travel writing.
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