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Aussie bobsled hopefuls Astride and Cecelia face sleepless night!

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by Marilyn Anderson, Duet-Media.tel

Figure this: you dream and you train and you prepare and you compete….it takes over your thoughts, your life and every waking impulse. Your family supports you, your friends cheer you on, your country applauds you, and when that magic time comes…..well, sorry girls….you may have ‘qualified’, but you still can’t compete.

What the heck? That is the somewhat sticky situation facing two of Australia’s dedicated and talented female bobsledders, who today placed their final appeal in Vancouver. We saw them being photgraphed on their way out that door.

They have travelled part way around the world, hopes in hearts, to spend this one last night almost literally outside the gates, as they are not allowed inside the Olympic Village, because they are not ‘eligible’ to compete.

Read the details here, http://ow.ly/15iCg , coutesy of the New York Times, and sing a chorus of Waltzing Matilda to send them sweet dreams.

Good on ya, Ladies! We wish you the best!

Marilyn Anderson, Duet-Media, Vancouver

Vancouver’s streets are filling………….with cameras and things

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I spent some time on Granville Street this morning, admiring the new (and unusual) art installations on the Pedestrian Mall.  There was plenty of room to walk and to observe, and several people were taking advantage of the chance to take photos….before the street was filled with Olympic guests.  I saw a volunteer in her Smurf-blue jacket, having her picture taken with a friend, and talked with a lady with a lovely European accent and a very impressive camera.  Turns out she lives here, just wanted to take her shots while it was still easy to do.

The only sad note was the fellow traveller whose wallet had “gone missing” from his pocket somewhere.  Stay Alert – we knew this could happen.

On the Canada Line, I saw several luggage-laden folks headed to the Airport – avoiding the rush, I suppose.  Photographer Scott is headed to Viet Nam for a month, blogging about his trip along the way; Nikki shares that she is staying here, and sometimes puts her photos on a blog.  Both of them had their cameras out and focused, as did a local News Celeb (could that be Ian Hanomansing – setting up a piece with a CBC cameraman in attendance?).  It was interesting to see them at work.  Note to self: watch tonight’s  CBC evening News!

Our streets are filling…..with cameras and things.  Stay alert, so those things don’t belong to you.

Major Olympic sponsor Coca-Cola brings staff from all over the world

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What a great ride!  I just shared the front car of the Canada Line with six of Coke’s representatives.  Splendid in their Santa-red jackets – that wonderful clear red that just happens to be my favourite colour – they were wonderful spokespeople for their company and its culture.  Indeed, it made me reflect that their company’s global employee roster probably outnumbers the population of several nations.

Together, they were a mini-United Nations, gathered from around the globe – two from Eastern Canada, one from Houston, Texas, two from Europe and another from Australia. They were marketing managers, product development supervisors, a truck driver, a product design specialist – an engaging assortment of interesting people, looking forward to their responsibilities over the next three weeks.

It was my pleasure to be the ambassador here, the one on her ‘home turf’ who could say “Welcome” and “Enjoy your stay”.  We are so lucky, I think, to have so many chances to make new acquaintances and share smiles along the way.  In the lottery of life, being born a Canadian has to rank high on the ‘winning ticket’ list.  In this case, it came with a fun experience……and my very first Olympic pin!   The “Red Birds” have landed; who knew that would happen today?

Train YOUR Perspective

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These days, with all the changes in street traffic and lane allocations for our upcoming Olympic guests, I have been enjoying the variety of people-watching opportunities on the Canada Line.

Sunday, on a train headed south to Richmond, I was in the front car.  The very front seats (with a great big window) were occupied by a family of four: two engaging young children and their parents.

The little boy was very observant, sharing his impressions of what he saw, first in the tunnel and then out in the clear as we bridged the river and had a view.

As the train ran south along Number 3 Road, his father added the observation that – having driven this route many times- it was odd to see it from this higher level,  from which many of his landmarks did not appear, or were not visible in their usual way. His perspective had shifted and with it, his sense of where he was, too.

Isn’t it interesting how often in life we change our positions, usually without realizing how that has changed our view?

How have you trained your perspective?  How has it trained you to respond?  What does it take for each of us to really change our view?  Have you trained your perspective, or has it just trained you?