Hamo - if you read this today...
Drove by the beach - The Surf looked great - But had to work.
But my crap day soon turned into a BRILLIANT day too.
Guess its not how it starts - but how it progresses and ends that really counts...
Got a couple of boys and have been thinking about my own Dad. I remember when I was about five or so. I used to look up at him and think he knew everything, that he was the tallest and the hairest man alive.
The years have passed. Dad's now in his 60's, he's still taller -but I'm a lot hairier than him. At times I have been his biggest critic at times I've wanted nothing more than to impress him.
Dad has only now exploring issues of faith, but there are three qualities that he has intstilled in me that I really value:
1 A solid work ethic and the need to obtain vocational qualifications/skills that add value.
2 He still demonstrates love,respect and affection for my mother.
3 A love of life and the fine things in life.
"Someday in the years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under great sorrow in your life.
But the real struggle is here and now...
Now it is being decided whether in the day of supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or you shall gloriously conquer.
Character cannot be made except by a steady, long and continued process"
-Phillip Brooks
“Member”/“Membership”: One that belongs to a group or an organization: a club member; a bank that is a member of the FDIC.
At the request of my beautiful wife, after a week of infant induced sleep deprived nights we minimized the commitments to kid’s sports and had a “family day” today.
Went to visit our regular old haunt – AQWA with whom we up until recently we were Members for the last 3 years. We would go there at least once a month as my son would love it – I am trying to get him interested in the marine environment from a young age (You cant have enough good dive buddies!). Today my 8 week old just held eyes open in wonder at the kaleidoscope of color and life presented in front of him.
Unfortunately, late last year AQWA in their wisdom decided last year that they no longer wanted ‘Members’. This is unfortunate from our perspective as there is a huge difference in sentiment between being a customer and a Member.
I think it was CS Lewis who stated that the word Membership began with the Church – or “belonging to a community”. Now we don’t belong – we just casually purchase entry. As Members, sure we got free entry after paying a $100 per year fee. But also we would act as advocates for the place, bring friends, and recommend it to interstate visitors, purchase coffee or something from the gift shop. Additionally, when we have traveled in the past we have checked out the Aquariums in other cities - Melbourne, Florida and London.
I can’t comprehend the long-term business benefits of this decision. The Family Membership product was introduced to attract back the locals during the Asian Economic meltdown. A better solution would be to redesign the product – perhaps a simple price increase, a compulsory annual $spend at the bar etc. so that the mutual benefits associated with ‘Membership’ are not eroded.
Who knows when they will once again be looking for Local loyalty for support?
I found this scripture so enlightening and freeing a few years ago when dealing with bitterness towards others had not lived up to my own expectations.
"And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen (ie. why are you depressed)? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is (a demon) crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it." -GEN 4:4-7.
"Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and be and he will become as he can and he should be".
-Goethe
Recently, I was on walking on auto-pilot mode and followed the crowd through the lights across Wellington St in front of the train station. I was thinking of other things. Halfway across the road, I suddenly realized for myself that the pedestrian light was actually Red. Most of the crowd just kept walking and seemed totally ignorant to the fact that all of us had just broken the law.
Makes me think that:
•We can all too easily let the crowd make our decisions for us.
•Things don’t feel so wrong if ‘everyone else is doing it too’―even if they are wrong.
•We have a responsibility as individuals to be alert, do our own thinking and make our own decisions.
One day...some time...in the future....I would love to take up underwater photography and take my love of Diving to new levels.
Julian Calverly is a professional photographer whose underwater photography (i think) is second to none.
If I had the funds I would love to purchase some of his Limited Edition prints.
“I got a very early look at how attractive or how big a jackass someone can be by watching their behaviour on a golf course”.
-Jack Welch, Former CEO General Electric.
"It is said to begin with the Father"
-Maxine Kumin (Father)
Some days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess, and sending for Paul he let him let him talk to him about Faith in Christ Jesus. But when the discourse turned to questions of morals, self-control and the coming judgment, Felix became alarmed (afraid) and exclaimed; “That will do for the present; when I find it convenient I will send for you again”. Acts 24:25
If I had a dollar for everytime I've heard women complain that "This (garment) cost $X in the men's department, but exactly the same (garment) was $2X in the women's department - that is so unfair"...I'd almost be able to afford to buy Mrs Lionfish a dress from 'Cue'.
Based on 7 years of marriage and observing women's shopping behaviour I think I've might have finally worked it all out...
Women go shopping, buy things "that will look really good on them", come home try it on...and then take it back the next day because "it doesn't look good on me".
I reckon this happens about 50% of the time that Mrs L. goes shopping for clothes - and she tells me that she is better than most. Hmmm...
Now if you couple the additional processing costs of returning and exchanging the unsuitable stock with the fact that it takes them about four times as long to choose clothes whilst in store (hence more service assistant wages) I think that women are getting fair value for money...
...Unless of course you then count and allow for that fact that about a quarter of the clothes bought and actually kept by women are technically second hand and consequently should be discounted.
This one from a colleague...
Paddy and Mick worked together in the factory and were both laid off.
At the unemployment office, Paddy was asked his occupation...'panty stitcher....I stitch the elastic in ladies panties" he replied.
Being unskilled labour, Paddy was given 100 euros a week.
Mick replied 'diesel fitter', and since this is skilled work he was given 200 euros a week.
When Paddy found out Mick was getting 100 euros a week more than him he was furious. He stormed back into the unemployment office and demanded to know why his mate was getting more wonga. The clerk explained that panty stitching is unskilled work, whereas diesel fitting was skilled work.
'What skill???' yelled Paddy....'I sew the elastic on the panties. Mick puts them over his head and says 'yep, diesel fitter'
Never underestimate the value of an external perspective.
The first car I bought - a ’76 Gemini, leaked so much that there would be puddles on the floor. An RAC vehicle inspection would have saved the heart-ache.
Live and Learn. Older and Wiser. A bit, but not much...
We’ve just built a house through a large reputable builder that we thought we could trust to do the right thing.
We thought we could get by ourselves...But Big Mistake.
Eight weeks after handover, we have had three extensive floods and its still not rectified. Last weekend, our son’s bedroom was covered in an inch of water and this is only part of the problem.
We’ve now paid the price and brought in an independent building inspector. He has reported a large number of defects throughout the house not only with roofing and plumbing (even after repairs) but also things we would have never thought of ―such as failing to paint the tops and bottoms of doors to wet areas!.
It will get fixed but it would have been a lot easier if we paid the money sooner instead of relying on our own savoir-faire.
Lesson Learned: If making a big decision such as spending more than a week’s wages on anything ―always get independent advice.…
‘Without counsel our plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established’
-Proverbs 15:22
Did you know that ostriches have eyes bigger than their brain?
-Hans Jakobi
About this time two years ago when working on one of the toughest projects so far in my career a respected Project Sponsor advised:
"If you want to play the game -
You've got to be prepared to take the tackles".
I don't konow its an original but its so true. In any area - Life isn't without risk, hurt and opposition. But you've always got to get back up and just keep playing to win.
Thought For The Day:
"You're gonna have to stand for something -
Or you will fall for everything"
Author Unknown
As kids we loved the 'Black Knight' scene from Monty Python's 'Holy Grail' where the Knight kept guard and bellowed the words "None Shall Pass!".
I let one pass last week - thank God it was not a CLM [Career Limiting Move] but 'Only a flesh wound'.
In meetings I am learning from mistakes that it is often better to say "No!" when put into a position to make a hasty decision and concede some later - than to first give permission and have to rescind later.
From experience - 95% of critical decisions that will impact or 'Change' the scope of a project will have adequate time to analyse, investigate, think through the alternatives, consider other views, garner support and develop a preferred approach.
So next-time I'm faced with a similar situation as one I faced last week when someone with more technical experience asks the question "So what are you going to do?" - I'll choose to say "I'll think about it first and get back to you" or else "No!" [None Shall Pass].
If that fails then I'll do what Rob Thomsett advises and say - "I need to go to the men's room" and I'll think about it there for a while.
"You can manage houses...
But you can't control stocks."
Finally got a leave pass this afternoon...
"Few things taste as good as saltwater."
My take-out from yesterday’s sermon was that “People are not lazy; they’re just uninspired”. This has really clicked with a point that my boss keeps advising me as one who is terribly ‘task-oriented’: “That it’s not what you say – it’s the way that you say it”. [Similarly, Dale Carnegie wrote “that you need to create a desire in a person if you want to prompt them to action"].
But I’m finally learning to think before I speak.
I know it sounds corny but today I had the opportunity to put it to practice. My six year old jumped into my lap and asked me to read him a book. Thinking that this would be a good time for him to demonstrate his reading ability to me, I said “No – I think that you should read the book to me”. He replied that he didn’t want to. Thinking that he was being lazy and also about yesterday’s message, I then consciously rephrased my words to say “if you read these words yourself - then they will stick in your brain and you will get smarter”. Amazingly, he immediately started sounding out and reading words like ‘plastic’, ‘dresses’ and ‘chicken’ – words that I hadn’t seen him master before.
Such is the power of words.
I like to collect good DVD movies that have good values and a "whole lotta action"...its for my boys to watch when they are older!. So far the best are 'Master & Commander' and 'Men of Honour'.
Lately, Ive found that a smarter way to get new release DVD's s to go to Blockbuster and put your "name on the list". They buy 'stacks' of new releases and then sell most of them 3 weeks later for about $10 or so less than retail price. Picked up "The Last Samurai" and "LOR III" recently for $19-95.
Each DVD has 30 day guarantee, and all are put through the 'grinder' to ensure that any scratches are removed. Additionally, you can take scratched CD's in for repair for about $5-
One Car left a little too long in a City of Perth Car Park - $35
Dry Cleaning a suit with baby spew on the shoulder - $20
An unexpected make-up hug from your wife after an infant induced sleep deprived argument - "Priceless"...
Not a great TV watcher - particularly of soaps and drama's but one line of one episode from "Judging Amy" has impressed upon me.
One of the regulars Kyle McCarty (I think) was deliberating whether to his leave his low paying job as a social worker to take up an attractive job offer as a sales representative.
From memory the counsel he received from Amy's mother Tyne Daly (Maxine Gray) was along the lines of -
"Life isn't about (corporate) credit cards, company cars or other benefits - it's about what you do with your time while you are on the planet".
Having just built a house and needing some brick paving done I now have an offer on the table from a competent tradesman.
The total cost is $1,500 or $1,350 if I pay by cash.
Obviously I will save the GST, and he will avoid paying tax altogether.
I'm no model of integrity, but something tells me this is not the right thing to do - although I have agreed to pay in cash for jobs of this nature before.
There is absolutely nothing illegal from my side of the transaction and we could do with that extra $dosh...Maybe I'm just being anal - but can't stop thinking that there is more than the $150 hard cash at stake here.
This from Outside magazine perfectly captures my respect for these guys:
However you spin it, the (Billabong) Odyssey surfers are gutsy. Greg Noll, the fearless bull who helped pioneer big-wave surfing in Hawaii in the fifties and sixties, says that taking on waves this big, whoever you are, requires remarkable physical courage. "Anytime somebody has the balls to step up to the edge of the horizon and take a peek over the side where nobody's looked before, they deserve all the respect that they can get,"
As a very average Surfer, for me to see the Pro's such as Laird Hamilton, Ken Bradshaw, Layne Beachley, Cheyne Horan, et al, whose life and passion it is to take surfing to the extreme is purely inspirational.
Extreme Surfing usually involves using Jet ski's to "Tow-in" surfers into monstrous waves and is not with out its critics especialliy those who see it as being 'commercial' and 'not pure' as surfers are not paddling into the waves.
Towsurfer outlines just how intentional and professional extreme surfing has become. The Billabong Odyssey, is a multiyear project to find and ride the world's biggest waves.
This year's winner is 42-year-old Pete Cabrinha (picture below) of Maui who rode this 70ft wave at Jaws in the North Shore of Maui to win prize money of $USD70,000.
By the way $USD250K is up for grabs for the first extreme surfer to ride the 100ft wave.
I've heard many people ask a valid question – “Where in the Bible does it say 'not to swear?”. Often this question is coupled with whether swearing is a minor 'sin' when compared with failing to help the poor and needy.
As a person who loathes swearing (but falls in this area myself) - I thought that I would see whether there was anything in the Bible that answers this question:
Hos 4:1-4 “There is no truth or mercy, Or knowledge of God in the Land. By swearing and lying, by killing and stealing and committing adultery, they break all restraint.” Interesting that swearing is, coupled with both lack of mercy and lack of truth – and well as with ‘breaking restraint’.
I guess we should aim for the whole deal – the social concern as well as discipline over our tongues.
"I hate asking for change. They always make a face. It's like asking them to donate a kidney".
- George Costanza
We had the opportunity to see the incredibly talented Sarah McLachlan on Monday night at the Perth Concert Hall.
This woman is one of the most talented female artists that I have ever heard and her two previous albums "Afterglow" and "Surfacing" are absolutely amazing.
Her songs are wrought with emotion - and it takes a couple of days just to get over the fact that the concert has ended.
"Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not;
-Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius is not;
-Unrewarded Genius is almost a Proverb.
Education will not;
-The world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent".
Calvin Coolidge
Life Thoughts From Underneath A Jetty
