Nov 26, 2006

The Weather in Sydney: Sydney 2000



It's a windy, greyish day in Sydney, Australia, and there’s nothing even Juan Antonio Samaranch, Nike*TM, McDonald's*TM or Bill Gates could do to make it a sunnier day here, not even take out a contract with someone who can, even though they’re the ones inevitably pulling the strings around here.

This weather may be foreshadowing the events that will take place in the next two weeks, the 2000 Olympic Games. Will the world emerge a better place after these "green" games? Are people beginning to understand what's important here? Judging from the pale, bloated, smug faces I see, sporting their badges of authority, I think not. But it's hard not to be a cynic after coming into this world from the other planet I've been on for the past three months.

Don't get me wrong. Sydney is going off, and I love it. There are tons of things to do, both expensive and for free too. (My email comes to you courtesy of IBM's Surf Shack in Darling Harbour.)

Last night was like New Years', beautiful and exhilarating. Fireworks danced from Sydney's AMP tower across the shining evening sky (courtesy of the full moon) and there were enough lasers to make Hans Solo feel emasculated. Every cool Aussie band, besides "too-good for us" Kylie, was playing in the park. And all you had to do was subject yourself to the efforts of a million sweating copywriters and hungry CEO's shoving their latest buzzwords and advertorials in your face. Nike*TM has covered entire skyscrapers in their effort to get us to notice them. Why not just ditch the sweatshops? I retract that. (Can I be sued for libel?)

I found refuge at the gym. Nice to see the suits detoxing themselves from a day's work. As if there weren't enough buff bods in Sydney already, now there are the athletes and wanna-be athletes, juicin’ up on Gatorade*TM and strutting their stuff.

But, that's what I love about Sydney, she's never been self-conscious. Though, it did seem that way when I arrived a couple days ago. I felt sorry for her. She was like a star that had made up her Cover-Girl*TM face and put her best Nine West*TM foot forward, yet, there was no crowd to appreciate her talent. Well, the crowd was just a little late. They're here now, and she's dancing and spinning at a dizzying pace. I just hope she doesn't fall flat on her face. We've seen it all before, and it's just a sad (albeit funny) thing to see, and where does it get us in the end? What did Atlanta in ’96 do to make the world a better place? Do we remember the shining stars or were their faces hidden in Coca Cola's*TM red glare?

Like all the athletes, I'm here following a dream too. This morning I came to the harbor. Past all the massive cruise ships, housing their network stars and casting their shadow over the struggling Rainbow Warrior, I walked, to the Sydney Media Center (SMC) in the hopes of displaying my talent. I didn't do any pirouettes, I just told them, flat out, what I wanted and now I'm hoping for my chance to shine. The SMC is set up as a collaborative effort to disseminate information to all journalists, accredited and non-accredited, and it’s free. At the end of the day I think that's what it's all about: freedom, freedom of information and freedom of choice.
Mind you, it's about respect and responsibility too.

So if Australia's Green and Gold can get both things right, I know the clouds will disappear, so both you, and I, will be filled with some more positive energy, courtesy of The Sun (no registered Trade-Mark).

;) Sus*TM