Scare yourself and shake the cage

Don't let fear stop you from doing anything

It didn't occur to me until today, how much of a baby I am starting to become. Is it old age? I went mountain biking today and at the start, I didn't want to hurt myself, and I seemed to be letting fear stop me from experiencing the true rush and gratification of the moment

So I'm telling myself this - Do at least one thing every couple of months which will take myself out of my fear comfort zone. Be the George Gordon Byron mad bad and dangerous.

Woodhill in New Zealand is pretty amazing. Mountain bike trails in a beautiful pine forest. In fact, they were filming Yogi Bear the movie today. The tracks were pretty tricky - jumps, tree roots, drops, sand, sharp turns, fierce downhills. At the start of the day, I kept pressing the brakes, afraid to fall off, afraid to go hard, afraid to hurt myself. What a baby!

It wasn't until I had to slap myself, learn the stable lean back position, fall off a couple of times and ignore my fear that I really started to enjoy the experience. It was a fantastic rush.

It was apparent that its so easy for me to just want to keep into this little world of mine, and not push the boundaries. I can imagine the people that get held back by fear, and it stops them from achieving great things. In fact, we were talking about it today, it seems the best in the world in mountain biking, skate boarding, surfing, gymnastics, whatever, are the ones who are able to master themselves and can overcome their fears.

D was flying down the mountains and popping jumps - it looked sweet! He was recollecting it, saying he was going too fast but told himself "don't panic, don't panic", he hit the jump with too much weight back, "don't panic, don't panic", and pop - huge air time and he sticked the landing. DON'T PANIC. He also did a tricky course which involved riding over two overlapping seesaws - while he was able to explain the theory of not slowing down, getting in the right gear - he just couldn't do it. He just didn't have the boldness to manage the fear and trust it will work out. Instead of continuing to peddle, he stalled and after 2 attempts, he also ended up smashing his derailleur. Good effort though

After the session, I felt different. It was similar feeling to a saturday morning on my road bike - I was a little weary but feeling pumped from a solid ride, with a full weekend of relaxation ahead of me. This time round, there was another level - I was buzzing. It was the adrenaline which road riding doesn't give to the same extent. Awesome!

So lessons
- overcome your fear and be bold to experience the best of the situation
- throw out the preconceived ideas and just do it - don't be afraid to eat some dirt

Sunday night thoughts

Veni Vidi Vici - I came, I saw, I conquered

I shall passed this way but once; any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.

Essential items for camping - outcomes
- Getting things done / sorting through mess / unpacking - Basic essentials - A method, buckets for common items, an eye for patterns, motivation to start, drive to push forward, attention for optimising your method/other peoples methods.
- constant repetitions

Great Vic wrap up
Wake up around 6am. Alarm clock is just the shuffling movements of 5000 people camping next to me beginning to wake up and get moving on the road.

Pack up. Big wins first. Deflate and roll my air mattress.
Roll up my sleeping bag. Into my suitcase.
Pull out 1 plastic bowl, spoon and knife for breakfast. Put it in the corner.
Pull out my day's cycling gear. Change. Put helmet, spare tubes, shoes in the corner ready to go.
Pack up remaining clothes and odds and ends.
Bags out of tent.
Pull all pegs out of tent.
Take tent fly off. Fold into approximate tent bag width
Pull down remainder of tent and roll tarp with fly into bag. Into suitcase.
Sunscreen on.
All cycle gear on. Pump up tyres.
Bag onto truck.
Breakfast. Porridge base, muesli and nutrigrain on top with fresh fruit and milk. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Danish if lucky.
Fill up bottles.
On the road.

Passing. Passing on the right. Beep the horn.
Slowing.
Car up. Car back.
Follow the wheel. Stick to the wheel.
Take my turn up front.
Crank the gears on the hills.

Lunch spot by 9:30 to 11am.
Eat. Stretch. Ice. Toilet.
On the road.

Stick to the wheel.
Legs burning.
To the top of the hill.
Coast.
Do we need to stop at the next rest stop?
Power on
Arrive at camp
Camp closed

Waiting on the side of the road
Honking horns
Coffee
Sprint to campsite
Mark territory with the bike and gear
Deflate tyres
Unload truck 2 with human conveyor belt
Where the f*** is my bag.
"anyone seen a black bag!?"
- "yeah it was on the road ripped to pieces"
- "yeah, truck 7"
"do you want me to carry all your bags for you?"
- "woah, thats a bit rich! Someone take a pole out of his arse"

Top off
Pitch the tent - tarp, poles, clips, flys, pegs.
Set up clothes line and hang up wet clothes
Finally get out of cycle gear! Wave of relief from below.
"cycling hurts your balls"
- "tell them sit on your hand for an hour and see if it goes numb"

chill out. Ice. Snooze.
More sunscreen on. Beach.
Recovery. 15 minutes walking in cold water.
Swim if the waves are pumping
Go into town for food.
Optimum shower window at around 5:30pm - everyone is heading to dinner and showers are empty. Snigger at those who queue for 20 minutes in line for a shower at 2pm
Moisturize sunburn. Groom.
1 plate. Knife, fork, spoon.
Look out for people in front of me to see which people are being served big portions of food, or for the younger, more generous food volunteers. Tuck into that line.
Banter over dinner
Drink at spokes bar.
Drink at the pub
Late night till pub closes
Bed at 1:30am

Nine days.
550k. 0 punches. 0 stacks. The worlds best vanilla slice. Banana-gasm.

Day 1 - Portland, 53k (Portland-Cape Bridgewater-Portland). Raining. Lunch has dill in it. Quietly impressed by food. Marshall said turn right for rest stop and left for campsite. Turn left. Draft with guy from Qld. Get to camp first out of my team. Yellow jersey. Find out later the course incorporates going to the rest stop and back tracking. Missed the cape bridgewater blow hole. Still claim I have a yellow and even green jersey. Tired from 2 hours sleep, and 4am departure from RNF's house. Bus from Geelong racecourse. My group is last to arrive and everyone on the bus is waiting for us. Have a bit of a private laugh with group.
Always bring a book when camping!

Day 2 - Macarthur, 66k.

Day 3 - Port Fairy, 48k.
Everyone at camp is pumped for an easy day. Route profile shows it is all down hill and a short ride. Ride on. It is pretty much all uphill. Call the guys for a recovery trip down to beach. It works wonders. Legs feel sore but recovery makes me feel refreshed.
Worlds best vanilla slice. Tastiest fish and chips. Buy hayfever medication and knocks me out while I'm at the pub.

Day 4 - Port Campbell, 100k. Tough.
First real stretch of downhill. No speedo but I must have been doing at least 70km/hr. Shitting my pants. Other team riders must have been doing closer to 80km/hr as they pass me.
Almost drop off but manage to hold on. Full team sticks together and forms a massive pack into town. Good work. Slap in the face with a final turn into the camp site. It is a big hill. Struggle. Mel gives me a power bar and a couple of gels. Good for recovery. Straight to cove for cold water beach recovery. Legs feel weary but fresh again. Rain. Bottle of wine at spokes bar. Quiet one in preparation for another big day.

Day 5 - Apollo Bay, 97km. 2 massive climbs. The famous notorious Lavers hill. Then sneaky heart attack hill. Painful. Little champ tells me to grab handle bars and pull it forward a little. Good tip.

Day 6 - Apollo Bay. Rest day

Day 7 - Anglesea. 78km
Altered traffic conditions on Great ocean road to allow full use for cyclists. Drafted with AT. Beautiful stretch of coast. Highlight of trip so far. Wish I had my camera
Second last night out. Big night.

Day 8 - Queenscliff, 64km
Straight into water with cycling gear.
Last night out. Big night. Pizza.

Day 9 - Geelong. 41km
Hammer it into the finish line. Flat ride but into a head wind. Nice weather.

The slogan of the great vic is a week in another world. It truely is.
Great fun, great group, great laughs, great rides, great packs.

I'm home. Tired. A little sore.
Finally a proper shower and brushing my teeth.
No need to set up the tent. My own bed.
Comfort
Recovery

Plug into the world again. Phone on. Connect to internet.
Work tomorrow.
Back to reality
NZ on Tuesday
Good ride

Weekend funnies

Incredibly busy weekend. Skipped work today because I was pretty exhausted, and my knee was not playing nice. Started at 6:30am in Carlton, froze as I rode through the shadows of the cbd buildings with a mate. Rode 100k around the bay, felt a bit sore after about 20k on the flats, but it was great fun chasing the packs. Finished the day off with a chocolate brioche and a coffee at seven seeds in carlton.

Had a dinner party on saturday night, then again on sunday night, both involved about 4 hours worth of prep, including shopping at the prahran market. Had two great nights with pretty much the same people haha. Sunday night involved also drinking some Moet Chandon Grand Vintage 2000. These people are great company, achievers in their own right and a good laugh.

Some stories which came out were
- R's family used a bag of peas for every sort of injury that required an icepack. They used this sacred bag of peas for years, so much that the outside packaging turned white. One day, they couldn't find the icepack. After some investigation, it turned out that grandma who was visiting for the weekend cooked the aged many-time-defrosted peas for the family.
- R's mum was staying over at her parents, and cooked a mince for them. Grandma and grandpa ate the mince while mum went out for a dinner with friends. Unbeknowst to mum, grandparent's dog ate pet-food mince, which happened to be stored in the freezer. So mum accidently fed grandparents dog food
- M has a work colleague who is really crazy when he visits uncle charlie. He came into work with a sore shoulder one day, and he volunteered this information, that he was in the shower enjoying himself, but being so coked up, he didn't receive responses and violently had his way with his shoulder.
- M's colleague also broke his ankle as a result of falling off a balcony. Turns out he was angry with the noise of scattering feet on his roof for months, and as revenge tried to piss on a possum while having a few too many beers.

Wish weekends were longer

Hitting the corner

Spent 7 hours on the bike last weekend. Was the most pain I've ever felt on a bike. The Tawonga gap hill, with elevation up to 10-15% over several kilometres, told me to stop multiple times. I almost did. Multiple times. The lactic acid was heavy in my already 100km weary legs, I was cramping, and I was fresh from spending the last 2 months overseas working in kitchens and eating. I suffered. But I didn't stop.

When I look back, the things that kept me going were
(a) try to get into a rhythm. 8-10 pedals standing, then pedaling 10-20 strokes seated (till my legs were too tired). 8-10 standing, 10-20 seated. Repeatedly
(b) Literally grunting out the pain like a weightlifter pushing out every single ounce of strength to lift the bar over their head. Except my grunts were painful, shorter and more frequent.
(c) Telling myself to pedal just to the next corner, and there is surely a downhill. Was probably the one thing that got me by.

I made it to the top, and collapsed. My mates told me they heard me coming from a mile away.
"Pain is short-lived, but victory is forever"
Its been on my mind now for the last week. Hitting the shortterm goals for the longer term gain. If I thought about the distance left on the hill, I would have just jumped off and wouldn't bother. But I kept trying to hit the corner. Corner after corner, pounding and cranking the pedals without looking up beyond an occasional safety peek.

With Christmas coming around the corner, I'm gearing up to achieve the last few things I can before it comes. Don't give up!

Dali

Went to visit Dali. Very inspirational.

The life of an artist intrigued me. After every milestone, good or bad, a painting is usually produced. So when you look back at the last five years, you can literally travel back and see your progression, in a series of still frame visual representation, captured, full of passion and emotion. How beautiful!

Highlights / Things that stuck in my head / My thoughts
- Lobster phone - Dali was intrigued that behind such a hard casing of a lobster shell was soft delicate flesh. Dali represented this as a lobster phone - a hard telephonic ear/mouth piece, capturing people's soft and delicate words.
- Galatea of the Spheres - beautiful painting of his wife, inspired by the nuclear physics of world world II
- The famous Persistence of time and The Disintegration of Persistence of Memory
- Dali compared Jackson Pollock's (million dollar) work to indigestion
- Dali sort to be one of the greats to move art into the next century. He even moved to Paris and befriended Picasso.
- Dali designed the original Chupa Chups logo in 1969
- Dali didn't care about what other people thought. In fact, you have to step out of the real-world or conscious realm to truely admire his work
- Para-phrased Voltaire quote - "To care what people think is to give them your power"
- Dali crafted his moustache based on the integral (calculus) symbol

Finding things

Last Friday I finally found him. The guy who I heard about, and subsequently looked for but could not find. I found him last Friday.

Mr Mushroom. One of the best mushroom retailers in Victoria. I felt like a kid in a candy store, and I don't even like mushrooms that much! It was a small little shop, but I was caught up in the magical land of mushrooms, fascinated at the different kinds. I ended up with 3 giant horse mushrooms, which I cooked up by saute-ing with oil, finishing off with butter, then adding to the oven with a splash of soy and parmesan shavings. I was in mushroom heaven. And again, I don't even like mushrooms that much! I was inspired by one of the best mushrooms I've ever tasted, when I ate at the Argo a couple of months ago. My brother is coming down next month, so I will be sure to add this to the menu!

On Saturday I explored the South Melbourne Market and was quietly impressed. Not quite as big as Queen Vic, but plently of produce and niche products that make me buzz with excitement.
Finally tasted the famous South Melbourne Dim Sims, which have been in existence since 1949, and is regarded as some of the world's best. Apparently Dim Sims were first made in Melbourne (not to be mistaken for the similar Dim Sum).

I bought 1 steamed and 1 fried. The fried one started fantastically, with a crunchy top that I still vividly remember right now as I type. The steamed Dimmy finished very well with a hint of pepper. For a Dim Sim, they were very good, with quality "stuffing" (whatever mystery ingredients are in there). They definately don't have that cheap taste which budget mass produced Dim Sims have. On a side note: Chef's Hat across the road is a kitchenware playground, and I'll be spending a lot more time there in future I'm sure!

All done - Hello again

Project has been closed out! Goodbye long hours, hello life. Its been the toughest 6 months of my career, and I'm glad its over. Looking forward to a holiday next month, and time to just relax after the gruelling battle I've had to fight.

My 60+ hour weeks has given me an appreciation of coffee. I've had up to 4 coffees (plus additional energy drinks) a day, and my list of favourite coffees around the office, in no particular order are:
- Grinders Coffee - myGoodness cafe on St Kilda road (comes with a free muffin)
- Capri Cafe on Wellington St, St Kilda
- Jasper's coffee in Prahran Market (also in Smith St, Fitzroy)
- Italcaffe coffee - Barista off chapel st (Carlton St)

Additionally, in the city, my 2 favourite places are:
- Cloud 19 (using Grinders coffee)
- Expresso Bagels (using Mokador coffee - currently only 1 in Melbourne)

Commuting vs Happiness

In a 2004 study of German commuters, psychologists found that the longer people spent getting to work, the lower their general life satisfaction tended to be. The malaise brought on by commuting was not being balanced by work satisfaction or higher income.

If commuting makes us so unhappy, why do North Americans keep buying houses in distant suburbs? Harvard University psychologist Daniel Gilbert suggests that it is because humans are just not very good at predicting what will make us happy.

“When we make predictions about happiness, we typically fail to consider adaptation – the process by which the brain gets used to things,” explains Prof. Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness. “It is much easier to adapt to things that stay constant than to things that change.

“So we adapt quickly to the joy of a larger house in the suburbs because the house is exactly the same size every time we come in the front door. But we find it difficult to adapt to commuting by car because every day is a slightly new form of misery, with different people honking at us, different intersections jammed with accidents, different problems with weather, and so on.”

So the misery of the long commute will almost always trump the happiness of that spacious den, Prof. Gilbert says

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article766908.ece

Quote of the week

Was on the fitness first message board and is now my phone wallpaper
"That burning sensation in your legs is called mediocrity"

food

I've noticed my credit card has taken the blow for my current frustrations with work and being trained in the school of hard knocks.

I've tried to keep it productive though. I have signed up to a bike race which I am so excited about! Plus I've got myself a new bike seat (I found out my old seat was making me ride like a turtle because it was too wide and padded), and some arm and leg warmers to fight the winter chill.
I've also had the fortune to tick a couple of places off my list of tastebud pleasers
1. Basque - chapel st - recommended by a mexican colleague - it has great tapas - it lives up to the hype. Had the cheesy puffs (good), patatas bravas (much better than expected) and the pork (fatty but yummy). Paella was ok, but I wouldn't order it again. To me, Paella is about the crispy crust at the bottom, and this place doesn't even cook it in the paella pan - they only transfer it into a paella pan for display purposes.
Beverage - The Quilmes here was great - one of the beers I order whenever I see it on the menu - it is becoming more and more prominent - yay!
2. The Argo - Prahran. The place was empty, it was fairly expensive, but is a place I would probably visit again. It doesn't say much, but the most memorable thing I had was part of the duck with parmesan risotto main - the dish had a big flat mushroom on the side. And it happened to be the tastiest mushroom I have ever tasted in my life. And mushrooms aren't even my favourite vegetable. The chocolate fondant wasn't spectacular, but the churros were pretty darn good - even when drenched with the bitter sweet warm chocolate, the slightly crispy yet doughy freshness still shone through - mmmmmmmm. Much better than the "authentic" spanish Churros I ate at Kanela a couple of weeks ago (they were still pretty good). Ranked slighty below the Churros that made me crave and fall in love with Churros - magical filled churros at the Johnston st Spanish festival last year.
Beverage - Chimay to start was spectacular (expected nothing less), and the mornington pinot added a nice touch to the duck
3. The Point - Albert Park. Thanks to Eric Ripert, I have an obsession with tasting how restaurants cook Barramundi. I forwent the eye fillet (I don't even believe I did this), for the Barra. It was a great choice. The crayfish curry like sauce, with the tomato crumbed crust went well with the fish. Didn't blow me off the planet, but was good enough for me to backward rationalise without having to convince myself that I should have gone the steak because "yesterday I had kangaroo for breakfast and for dinner". Dessert was great with a simple brownie with mousse. It was however, the quintessential brownie - crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with the right balance of texture from the nuts. mmmm.
Beverage - Not a big fan of whites, but I was drinking the de bortoli Willowglen Semillon Sauvignon Blanc like it was free. Beautiful fruity tingle on the tongue.

Relapse

Ever since I've grown another year older, it seems I've relapsed into old habits. Being bent over and lubed up for the man. Back are the days of 9 till 9, returning home hungry, square eyes flickering and with no energy. How sad.

I don't know if its because of work, or because its coming into the worst times of the year (winter), I've eaten very very badly over the last 2-3 weeks. For the 2nd time this year, I ate KFC, and for the first time, I've eaten Maccas (visiting uni memory lane with the orea special choc mcflurry and frozen fanta) and Lord of the Fries. Food really is my weakness, and they tasted great (at the time), including the popcorn chicken wrap and the vegetarian nuggets at LOTF that actually taste and tear like chicken!! Disgusting after though, when the sickly oily feeling kicks in... yuck!! never again i say. Life is so much better with the milky fragrant smell of fresh butter, the sizzle of balsamic and scrambled eggs in creme fraiche, and moist crispy flavourful chicken that melts in your mouth. mmmmmm........

One thing I've learnt in my "relapse" is despite having a weakness of food and the desperate need to please the tastebuds, food doesn't fill the void, and it doesn't take away the obilerating harshness of the day. Not my favourite chocolate in the world right now (warm butterscotch G&B), not frozen pods, cookies and cream icecream, Wabi Sabi japanese, expensive coffee, reggiano or even glenfiddich. Only 2 things seem to work for me so far. I personally think you can't go past a shower and company to get you through the demands of life.

1. a shower - i heard on ABC radio something along the lines of a study where employees that had a 10 minute shower break during the day, increased productivity by 50% and creativity by a 1/3. The last part of the story though said the research was done by a shower manufacturer. Either way, a nice hot shower, especially in winter, washes the worries away.

2. chatting to anybody - venting, trading stories, talking rubbish. whatever. Although it doesn't beat cooking for the mates and having a scotch and a laugh over the kitchen table.

what a stupid post.....

Quote of the week

Almost half the year has gone. I feel I achieved nothing as I've been married to my job.
I've realised if I want to have achievements and things ticked off the list, I'm going to have to somehow shift things around and make it work

"You live your life as you live your day"

Happy work memory

Woke up with a massive hangover this morning. Been a while since I've hit it hard on a weeknight.

Work had it's inaugural anniversary function, despite being a company that has being trading for almost 200 years. The hoopla in the workplace was building up as the date crept up, but I didn't expect it to be such a great celebration.

The Thursday started with 450 people walking around Albert park as a team for charity, then taking a choreographed aerial group shot of a much used company image.

After a morning tea of Krispy Cremes, I had to rush to the bus for rehersals in the mystery location, which was a tightly kept secret. As we drove towards city and parked at Crown, I was singing with glee. The event was staged at the paladium at Crown, and the company had set us up with rooms in the Crown Promenade. I had a king sized bed to myself in a SWEET room!

The event kicked off with a great number by a breakdance/acrobatic crew (which I happened to train with at one stage). The flips, dance moves and handstand moves created a huge energy in the room. It was the perfect start to the function with the crowd warmed up.

Next on stage was a comedy/light entertainment piece which ended up with a show of refined skill. It turned out to be the famous hand shadow man Raymond Crowe, doing his thing to Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World. Amazing stuff live.

The formalities then proceed over the next 4 hours, with the directors and leadership team preaching the word to the masses. I was impressed by the delivery and speaking ability of them all. In between the air was well looked after by the professional MC's Zara and Troy. Being a one-time MC for my sister's wedding, really gave me a true appreciation of what these guys do. As I was going to be on stage for this event, I was lucky enough to sit in on the rehearsals and observe how these pros conduct a run through. I wish I knew this before the wedding!! At my beautiful sister's wedding, my brother and I had to, half an hour before kickoff, scrap a lot of our two man bounce-it-off-each-other material into a mostly-one-man-intro, as the set up meant one person had to be in the back cuing the music. Also, we had very little rehersal on site, literally running through the material for about 5 minutes when the guests were arriving.

When I had a chat with the hired function MCs and organisers during the day and later that night, it was apparent they have a really rewarding job. But it is also stressful and you don't get much sleep! They had 1.5 hours sleep the night before - very similar to what my brother and I had pre-sister's wedding.

Back in the Paladium, I was starting to get tired and restless in my chair as the event ticked over 3.5 hours without a break. I was scheduled in as the second last act of the day so it seemed like the day was dragging out much longer. I was initially quite nervous about getting up in front of 450 people, I had constantly being thinking of what I should say, but the time lag literally bored the anxiety out of me!

It was exciting to get up - the stage was quite long, so I was introduced and had to pretty much do a cat walk to get to the centre of the stage (one of my mates "the Instigator", took his suit jacket off, draped it over his shoulder and did a suave catwalk - looked awesome!). The MC asked me a couple of questions and I got the crowd laughing a few times which was good. One of the questions was asking me about my role, and I answered the question, finishing it off with "I'm living the dream" which people were quoting me the whole night. It was good fun.

The show then wrapped up with a musical piece. I walked off stage and passed a couple of guitarists. As I was walking back to my seat, I was thinking "who are they?... are they the guys who supported The Who.... Dalllas Crane???? Or are they Eskimo Joe. Maroon 5?". The musicans come on stage, and I still have no clue who it is. On comes the music. Still don't recognise who it is. Then out comes Shannon Noll! haha. Nice!

The crowd was pretty timid for the first song, but then one girl really got into it, stood up, started dancing and clapped which made Shannon laugh. The HR director also got out of her seat and started dancing and clapping, which made the other directors try and get everyone into it. Soon enough the room was relaxing and getting into it, with a small crowd gathering at the front of stage.

The Science and Tech director tried to get me get me out of my seat, and I agreed if he did too. I ended up pulling my whole row to join me, and when I was in front of the stage I looked back, seeing the S&T director back in his seat. haha.

We were having a great time dancing and letting loose in front of everyone. Because it was so intimate and close up, a mate "the Instigator", dared me to touch Shannon's arse, which I flatly rejected to keep it professional. Being the instigator, he then upped the stakes and offered me $50. No way! But he wouldn't give up. Soon enough he convinced 2 other people to put in, and the kitty was sitting at $150. Not being able to resist a challenge or dare, I reluctantly agreed. I felt the buzz as I headed toward Shannon. My mind was ticking along on how to touch his arse without blantantly shaping my hand into a claw and groping him mid-song.

I took my phone camera out and got up close. I signalled to get him in range, and Shannon came close where I could put my hand around his shoulder and take a 2 man self-directed photo. As he shifted into position while singing, I positioned the camera to take the shot while simultaneously tapping his arse. Shannon started laughing mid song but kept going. I heard my group bursting into laughter. "The Instigator" said he never laughed so hard this year and he pretty much paid up straight away.

But that wasn't the end of it. Both of us ended up getting up on stage with others in a back-up semi-circle and sang the Moving Pictures cover "What about me" with Shannon. With the group swaying and harmonizing with Shannon, and the stage lights beaming, we were having a ball! He even put the mic in front of me a couple of times, and let the crowd have the final "what about meeeeeeee". It was his last song, and as he left the stage I gave him a double handed high 5. Go Shannon!

After settling from the high that was Shannon Noll in a guy from finance room's mini-bar, we got dressed for the dinner and drinks, which turned out to be downstairs of the Regency theatre on Collins st. Very nice venue. The food was gourmet but average tasting, but the drinks were free flowing and people were having a good time. Spoke to a lot of people that night, and it felt like the night ended waaaaaaaay too early. Only got to dance for a little while.

The unofficial after party formed in the casino bar. Scotches were surprisingly cheap. It would have been a solid 3 hour drinking session, but before I knew it, there was only my group and a few others people left. I looked at my watch and it was 4am. Time literally flew. I stumbled to my amazing room and tucked into the minibar on my king sized bed. I went to bed a very happy camper. With all the lows of the work week, this has got to be one of my favourite work memories to date. What aaa boutt meeeee eee

Melbourne's food this week

A few social occasions this week has put Melbourne's food on offer
Tokyo Teppanyaki (Chapel)- not bad, a little pricey, but really the show takes it home. The guy was chucking thick pieces of egg into the birthday girl's cleavage. haha. The group of people was a ex-work mate's cousins - they really do have a great group. You feel the love. They are lots of fun.

Cafe Greco (Chapel) - great desserts!! Same as one in Crown

Dainty Sichuan (Corrs Lane, CBD) - I have not seen a Sichuanese restaurant that has been able to replicate the true authentic burn-every-tastebud-and-nasalbud-into-oblivion-but-give-you-the-most-amazing flavours that I experienced in China, but Dainty definately comes close. Below is a picture I took in China - painfully delicious!!
Emerald Peacock - sister of the Hummingbird. Great venue. Will become a permanent venue to put on the fixture (along with other favourites like TSs, Match, and SBs)

Yamato (Japanese) - great tiny place serving authentic Japanese. Similar to Samurai in Hawthorn

Time to get the Entertainment book!

Say Yes

Paintball - lets do it. Register interest.
I am dead keen.

Paintball - Friday 2 weeks.
I am keen

Paintball - next Friday. Pay up
I want to do it, but getting shot at after a hard week at work doesn't sound so appealing. Because I've committed, I just go with it and pay up.

Paintball - Today!
I am not so keen. Why do I want welts all over me, and why do I want to play in that tiny pig pen in Port Melbourne. I've done it before, and I have neither the inclination nor the incentive to do it again.

Paintball - Yesterday.
That was a lot of fun!! Did not expect to enjoy myself that much. I got the flag and touched the tyres, but I also got a mouthful of paint and battle scars. I also ended up getting retribution on the big T-train who doubled crossed me last time we played, shooting me after a gentlemans agreement of "dont shoot each other". This time, I had about 10 paintballs left and planned to save them all for him. I finally got my chance to unleash my revenge with the perfect window to bring him down, so I pulled my trigger in excitement and anticipation. The trigger was stuck because the safety catch was still on. That effort made me want to shoot myself!!
As luck would have it, I stalked him into the crevices, and managed to take him out with my last 2 bullets. What a great finish!

The drinks afterwards was also a good catchup with everyone. Pretty chilled out but fun night.
Funny times, including
#1 Me and the good mate grad A - he accidently hit my arm when I happened to be motioning up and it spilt beer on me. Instantly in an automatic reaction, I didn't think and in a quick flick of my wrist, half my pint went into his hair. haha
#2 Me and the good mate grad A - later i was talking to some people and he happened to be behind me as I motioned. I'm into this story and feel tapping on my shoulder. Turns out I accidently elbowed him in the mouth and he punched me as hard as he could in the arm without me realising. hahaha
#3 found out a girl at work is 75% deaf in one ear because when she was 10, she stuck a q-tip in her ear "really hard".

moral of the story - sometimes you don't want to go out because you know its going to be sh1t. It usually is. But its those times which you are wrong, which make you realise you could have almost missed out on a good night out

Almost missed the best show

Melbourne Comedy Festival wrap up

The last weekend of the comedy festival, and I was itching to go see one last show. Digging through the pages of shows on off, I settled with the Pajama Men. They were like a mystical creature - something everyone spoke about with high praise, but seen only with the off sighting. Or a shell of a cicada, a stamp of a big foot, the crumbs on the bottom of a baking dish. I could not find any videos or demo clips on them, so I went in pretty fresh, not knowing what to expect, relying purely on the word on the street.

I meet some mates at the box office about an hour and a half before showtime. I'm the first to view the board and notice it has a big red "SOLD OUT" sticker on the show. What twists the knife even more is that people are raving about how good they are at the box office. A group debate while we are in line leads to Eddie Ifft, an American comedian that is also quite well reknown.

By the time we get to the front of the line, we have already heard there is 1 ticket left. The girl at the ticket stand confirms on her computer. I don't know what made my brain flick on but it felt like it did for some reason. Instead of curling into a ball and excusing myself out of line to make another decision, I asked "can I have tickets to the Pajama Men?"

"I think they are sold out." She said
"Can you check?" I say in the same breath.
"Um..... oh....yes (as she clicks away on her keyboard). I can do it. How many tickets do you need"

It felt like I had won something. It was a small victory, but I was going to see the Pajama Men.

They didn't disappoint. Completely random, funny, fast paced and well put together. Think of skilled actors doing character switches to a storyline with improv on the fly. The two guys really get into character and suck you into the show, then make you laugh and keep you intrigued.

The next day I found they had won the Barry award at this years comedy festival (best show in 2009). Keep an eye out for them!

What to buy a pregnant woman part 2

Just as babies have certain time till they are born, the time which I had to buy a present for pregnant friend was coming up.

I must honestly admit (in the most manly way I can), it was interesting to do the hunting for a present for a soon-to-be mother. It really challenged my testosterone loaded brain to think into the small oestregon regions of my frontal lobes.

In the end, I really ran out of time, and had to make a quick decision - which ended up being a bottle of gold label champagne. Not the best choice I know, but my reasons were:
1. it was just for her, not the baby
2. she hadn't had a drink in 9 months.
3. champagne is perfect for celebrations

If I had more time, I would have done more with it. You'll understand what I mean when I share some of the insights from my gift hunting.

Ideas/suggestions of maternity gifts
1 - previous post of maternity massage or baby creams (which I saw people actually gave her)

2 - Strangely to me, it was a common theme of DO NOT get flowers, as these come from people who are acquaintances, don't really care, or are going to a funeral.

3 - fruit baskets win out. I tested this by asking different moms these questions.
a. flowers or fruit basket
b. champagne or fruit basket
c. baby creams or fruit basket
Fruit baskets won hands down. Common reason
- you can eat fruits any time (you can't eat flowers, and you can only drink champagne at certain times e.g after dinner)

4. Nappies are as good as fruit baskets. This seemed to be the most quickly answered question (e.g "yes, nappies." All in one breath, rather than stopping and thinking). I don't have a child, but apparently you can never get enough nappies.

5. Other great ideas included
- bath salts/relaxants (for her)
- something for her feet (massage/pedicure/etc), as she hasn't seen her feet in 9 months, and when she has, they are puffy. I can definately say puffy feet are true - this lady had balloons on her feet!!!!!!!!!
- baby bath with assorted baby products (e.g nappies, bath salts, creams, etc)
- visit to the hair dressers. Because her hair has probably taken a back seat to bub. For some reason, I liked this one - would have got her this if I was thought of this before I bought the champagne.
- An interesting one was "belly art", which surprisingly beat "nappies" and "fruit basket". The reason seemed to be because of the sentimental value of the memory. A group of friends is required to chip in because its not cheap!

Good luck JS!

Mental as anything

Quick update to make sure I don't totally neglect this blog.

Current things on my mind
1. when is the new internet month going to start? I've hit my download limit and have been capped at modem speed for over a week now. Which means no internet for me. Which means no blogging for me either.
2. Had a really good gym session tonight. 7k on the treadmill, and a revised shoulder and back workout till close. First good run I've knocked out in a few weeks. Later as I was cooling down and stretching, I really thought about how much of a mental thing running it is. You just have to keep running. Would love to do a marathon. This year maybe?
3. What do I get a pregnant lady? One of my colleagues at work is going on maternity leave on friday. She is a no fuss sort of girl, but she has a giantor heart. When I'm stressed (which is very very often nowadays), she pulls me downstairs, and buys me a coffee. Thinking of what I can get her. So far, I think because she is a no fuss girl, I want to get her something that is just for her. I'm thinking a nice wine, as she hasn't been able to drink for the last 32 weeks, or maybe the suggestions I got.
Not-so-pregnant lady at work said - pregnant massage near Yarra Valley. She said 2 things about it of note
a. Its specifically for pregnant ladies - the massage table has a breathing space opening for the head, and also a padded space for the bun in the oven. She said being able to lie down on your stomach alone is worth it.
b. She said that certain pressure points can induce labour. hahaha. So don't go to a regular masseuse.
Another lady friend said she got her sister baby products cream from the body shop. Haha. Didn't know babies cared about moisturizing.
4. holiday plans starting to take shape

Worth it

The weekend in review.
Good Friday - ate Rockling to ensure I ate fish on good Friday. Also ate almost 1kg chocolate. no joke. the roadie came out for a 20k ride as a result. The quietest I've ever seen Chapel St - but found a 24h restaurant - Chappellis!
Saturday - the first real gym session I've had. Awesome! Birthday celebrations for 2 very important people.
Sunday - Hiking at Mount Worth State Park. 125 km SE of Melbourne (1040 hectares of natural forest in the western Strzelecki Ranges)
8.5k hike, but some mountainous terrain. Great hill sprints with some of the boys.
Monday - day with family friends. Irritated I didn't get a gym session before it closed. Soothed my inner frustration with port and a homemade penang thai curry. First time I've made it since my cooking excursion, and it turned out great!

Back to back Byrne

Last year I splashed out and laughed all the way to 5 shows at the Melbourne Comedy festival. Hughesy, Will Anderson, Chopper, Arj, and Jason Byrne.

Among the greats, Jason took it hands down. I never heard of Jason before, but decided to listen to my mate wax lyrical about this guy. It was one of those decisions I look back and think "I am so glad I made that decision".

So on a sunday afternoon, my mate and I planed to meet at the town hall. We both happened to have big nights beforehand. I ended up being about 10 minutes late, and my mate missed the train and was about 15 late.

We snuck in but the door was very close to the stage. I was 5 steps in, walking towards a back seat, when a voice booms "oh no you don't!! There are 2 seats for you HERE!!"

I turn around and see the lights focused on Jason on the stage. My focus then extends to his pointing finger, which coincidently is pointing to exactly 2 seats for my mate and I, front and centre of the first row.

Thinking we were forgiven with our "priority"seats, I began to relax and enjoy the show. But Jason had other ideas. He had only forgiven us for 2 minutes, before asking us questions. The next thing I know, my mate was on the stage. Being a great mate, I did my duty and took a photo with my phone. I dont know whether it was the sound or the flash, but it caught Jason's attention and his focus shifted from my mate to me.

The next thing I know, I am co-hosting this comedy gig with Jason. I am smack bang on stage, sitting down on the middle table, with 2 seats to my left, and 2 to my right. My mate is the assigned scorekeeper.

What you have to realise is that I had absolutely no idea what this show was or who this Jason Byrne person was. I walked into the room not knowing what to expect. And here I am, sitting in front of everyone, on stage, with a world reknowned comedian.

Once I started to grow accustom to the stage, the next round surprises came in. I soon came to realise the ticket I had bought, was entrance to a "comedy game show", similar to spicks and specks. Speaking of Spicks and Specks, out walked out the first team, which consisted of Adam Hills and Colin Lane (of Lano and Woodley). I shifted nervously in my wooden chair while trying to maintain a cool composure for the crowd. The opposition then proceeded to sit down next to my right. It was Greg Fleet and Tom Gleeson. After the first few jokes, I couldn't help but relax and soak in the comedic energy, even getting the crowd laughing a few times.

It was the best show I've ever been to, even beating the memorable Dave Callan's "Beautiful World" in 2006. Dave's show was amazing, and I remember walking out with a huge spring in my step and giant smile of satisfaction and laughter. Unfortunately, seeing him back to back in 2007 proved anti-climatic.

But Jason Byrne proved back to back shows could work. I saw him last night at the Capitol. Not one joke was recycled, and you could tell he was born for stage comedy. He is so random!! I thought he started a bit slow and my comedy critic came out to play for the first 10 minutes or so (granted I had finished work at 8:30pm and had to speed and run to the theater). But he pulled it off. He finished off strongly and had me laughing, with too many jokes to remember and use. Highly recommended!!

Off to the Circa

My menu
main - Saddle of rabbit, braised leg raviolo, mushroom, artichoke, peas, sage and anchovy fritter.
side - roasted kipfler potatoes, paprika and parsley butter, and the organic rocket leaves with fresh figs and pomegranate dressing
dessert - soft chocolate croquante, orange and mint

Finally the Circa is off my list of restaurants to savor and critique.
Simple summary - The dessert was memorable. The panna cotta dessert amuse busch was a nice touch as a lead in to the smoothness of the croquante. Reminded me of a fusion chocolate martini mousse I had in Brisbane, and in my books, sits as highly regarded as Ezard's renowned honeycrunch icecream with toasted gingerbread and sugar swirl dessert. The main meal was satisfying, but left me wondering if I should have ordered the wagyu.

Now to the next chef hat.

Life's too short to be fearful

Two years have come and gone. How much has really changed?

Dear A,
I haven't thought of you in a while. But my view of you remains exactly the same as when I last pictured you. In the highest possible regard. I miss you. My heart still longs for you. I truly wish you were here.
I can't help but think you were too far advanced for your time. Too elite to be held back by the routine of life. You inspire me to reach not for the stars, but to the furthest extent of the universe.
I just want one more of your all encompassing bear hugs that block the world out. I want to feel your energy and dare to break the rules and be spontaneous.

No matter how far away you were from your destination, distance never stopped you from living your dream. Those endless kilometres, week after week didn't even dim your burning fire. The joke is on all of us. Who aren't fearless. Who give in. Who don't put in the effort.

I strive to be immortal like you. Whatup girl

myself at Christmas

My motivation comes in ebbs and flows.

Super healthy one day. Binge junk food bulldozer another.

My motivation has now evolved to thinking about myself. At Christmas.

When it is December 25 2009, who do I see, how do I look, what skills do I have, what is my lifestyle like, how is my account balance.

I can see this person. Blurry at the moment. But now every decision I make I think of this person.

I find its making me do 2 things
1. make me stop doing the bad habits
e.g Every time I want to skip a gym session or eat a block of chocolate, or when I want to pull out the credit card, I stop and think about that ideal person, then think about a mediocre version of that person. Then I make an educated decision

2. makes me start to do the good things
e.g eat properly, take the stairs, try and get out of work by 6, etc

Wonder how close I'm going to get to that person......

quite grand

Sunday was a day which started out with my phone waking me up at 5am. I set it to 6am so i could go on a pack ride with some mates to Mordialloc. So I slapped myself for forgetting daylight savings and went back to sleep. I get a call an hour later, and the pack is about to leave. I'm late. And still in bed. 50 minutes away from the meeting point.

I did end up with some extra sleep, but I did want to go for a ride. Oh well. To other news.

Despite being a born and bred Melburnian, last weekend, I finally popped my grand prix cherry. And it was better than i imagined.

Quietly impressed as a matter of fact.

I was stunned by the sheer speed of those sexy refined hunks of metal, and the noise was absolutely ear shattering, despite ear plugs! Yet I still saw almost half of the crowd not wearing earplugs. Not bursting my eardrums thankyou very much.
The poll position for bursting the eardrums though was the F18 fighter jet that glided through the sky like it was the biggest fish in the pond. Very impressive though. I can say that most people had sore necks from looking at that beast, but it was definately worth it.
I got a pretty sweet spot track side which I effortlessly filled up my camera with shots of the F1s. Had to get the token ferrari shot, along side the Red Bull car which looked great. I personally was most interested in the McLaren - that would definately be the design I would choose to cruise down chapel. Was very tired by the end of the day, I must have walked for over 4 hours, probably did 40,000+ steps.

Other highlights of the day included
- the skill and effortlessness of the roulettes
- the festival atmosphere of the crowds, and the buzz of crowds packed onto the hills
- barging and stampeding the security guards to break onto the grand prix track
- watching Dallas Crane and The Who blast Albert Park with their best 0fs

Photos to come.

Early April fools?

I hardly get any sleep during the week, so over the weekend, I religiously pray to the sleep Gods until around noon when I wake up on Saturday and Sunday.
Yet my alarm was set to 6am Sunday morning.
I actually went to bed early on Saturday night excited. I was going on a pack ride to Mordialloc with some mates, who had elite racing mates coming along too. It was going to be a serious 50k ride, but my first true test on my roadie with elite riders.

I wake and up see my alarm ring at 5am. I am so angry with myself, and set it 1 hour later. About 1 hour later my alarm rings, and about 1 minute later my phone rings. It is my mate, and they are about to start. I am picturing a peleton of elite riders, but feeling the warmth of my covers as my mate says "maybe you can meet us for breakfast".

Funny he said that about a week before hand, when we had our annual long weekend mud bash. I stayed up till 2:30am in the morning to get my 1990 mountain bike ready for action. It was a cold night which didn't help changing the tyres, which had fused to the wheel after a year of neglect. I ended up cracking the sh*ts with my mountain bike and pushed it down like a pile of junk steel.

I missed the 7am start for the mud bash, but woke up to a buzzing phone, with messages such as
"you better have a nice pink apron at breakfast", and "you need to eat a tablespoon of cement to harden up".

Turns out my phone was smart enough to be pre-programmed for daylight savings, but wasn't intelligent enough to know to it was delayed a week this year. Will feeding it that tablespoon of cement help?

Apply yourself

Two words that rang true. That stuck with me all day.

In the morning I listen to the radio announcers work their talents over the airwaves on the drive in to work. I listen to my colleagues when they converse with me in the hallway (when I all I want to do is get to my desk and put my bags down so it doesn't look like I've just arrived at 9 am). I listen and listen and listen. In one ear, out the other.

Not a lot sticks. I have days where people's lips move and I nod, but don't really pay attention until importance strikes a chord and I have to plug in and politely ask for a rephrase of the question. But today I was talking to one of my work cycle buddies about triathlons. Lets call him Lance.

Lance did the last Gatorade triathlon of the season 750m/20k ride/5k run yesterday. What was impressive was that it was his first triathlon, and he hadn't swum for 6 months. What trumped that effort tho, was the story of Lance's mate who almost drowned (figuratively) in a mini-triathlon, then 1 year later went on to do an Ironman in Busselton 3.8k swim/180k ride/42.2k run. So thats all it took. 1 year. Ironman.

What got the cogs in my head ticking was when Lance asked if I wanted to do it. Instantly I was thinking YES!! Thats when the cogs went into overdrive, and the over-analysis part of my frontal lobes took over.
"Wait..... I was thinking of doing the Melbourne marathon, and that in itself means pounding endless miles of concrete to build the training base."
Lance nods like he has an answer but doesn't want to tell me yet.
I keep going. "A marathon is just one third of the ironman. You also have to swim and ride. That means you would have to train three times as much"
Lance does another half nod in agreeance, "Every day".
And then the magic sticky words gracefully resonated out into the world.
"All you have to do is to really apply yourself."

I would not imagine these to be climatic words. But those words rung through my head like the piercing pitch of a freshly hit giant triangle in the school choir big band.

"Just apply yourself". "Everyday".

Homebound and driving later in the evening, I was running through ideas on how to apply things. Like cooking or fishing. I can read all the recipes I can handle, that will keep my cooking ability ticking along, but the only thing that can help me become a better cook, is by actually cooking.

Application. Everyday.

The cycle then is kept interesting when I then get to play the detective game to solve the inevitable roadblock which allows me to add another feather to my cap (and eventually reach top chef status, or "liberation").

Not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination. Best summed up by the following quote, which I will end with and use as the quote of the day.

"Do not mistake understanding for realization, and do not mistake realization for liberation"
(old Tibetan saying)

(personal translation: You can understand every aspect of cooking by reading recipes and watching Ramsay or Blumental. But it's not until you've put things into practice that you realize what works for you and what does not.

And it is not until you've been through all the infinte motions and lessons, that you will uncover whatever it is you are truely looking for. And it is then, you will have achieved your liberation.

Apply yourself! Everyday.

First things first

It happened again, bringing my earthquake count to 2. This time I was upstairs doing some work on the lappy and I heard same noise as I heard last time. The sound similar to when a strong wind is trying its hardest to blow down the locked front door. The tremors came longer and stronger than previously. The best thing I can relate the feeling to is being in a dodgy elevator. The whole house shook, while vibrating violently! Books started falling off the shelf, but it left as quickly as it came.

Had another first today. My first ever blood test. I felt like an elite athlete, getting tested for various banned substances. I shivered at the thought of the needle, but I couldn't help watch them extract my precious red oxygen carriers. They filled up 2 viles then loaded on a giant one. The mantra of the nurse's running list of bad things that would happen to me if I moved suddenly paralyzed me when this giant empty glass vase was being filled. All respect to the people who donate blood, because I aint giving no more of my precious red even if you paid me!

Quote of the day:
To a carpenter, every problem looks like a nail

One door closes, another should stay shut

Its coming. The dreaded cold. The needed-but-annoying-nonetheless rain. The sogginess of my socks and the layering of clothes. Winter is approaching.

I have to admit, the onset of the cooling weather and the disappearance of the sun is putting me in a mindset of a migrating bird from Siberia.

Went to the Connex Sizzle on Saturday as part of the Melbourne food and wine festival and was like a kid in a candy store, marvelling at the calibre of the restaurants and food on offer. The grilled eggplant from Melbourne Wine Room and Berbere marinated chicken from Circa made my tastebuds sing in a majesty of song.

I waited around for Dallas Cuddy from Verge and Teage Ezard from Ezards/Gingerboy to inspire me with a live showdown of their infamous skills, but the darkest clouds I've ever seen moved in and unleashed the fattest drops of rain at the very start of the demonstration. Everyone ran for cover. It epitomized the definition of anti-climax. And that was the end of that.

Not looking forward to the next few months.

Random thoughts

- I love eggs
Maybe its a passing fad, but one of my little pleasures during the week includes the simple moment of frying up an egg, putting it on top of my food (usually kangaroo), then intently appreciating the money shot of the humble egg. That is, when I puncture the yolk, and watch the slow motion of free range yellowness escape, painting itself a better life in the inside crevices of my food.
I have pinpointed this current obsession with eggs stemming from living out of hotels for the month of January, and ordering countless servings of eggs hollandaise.

- Chocolate is for losers.
I always think that when I bask in the sickly feeling of eating a sh_tload of chocolate.
I have found a good way to eat chocolate. You have to soften the texture. Like cheese when you leave it out to heat up to room temperature. A good coffee and dark chocolate make a great couple as the heat of the coffee on the roof of your mouth melts the chocolate, releasing the flavours in one big hit!
In moderation its great, but lately I've been eating too much (stress!), trying to re-live that split second when my senses are overpowered by flavour, and it is giving me a huge hug inside. Have to learn to de-stress in other ways.
The moral - chocolate wont fill that void, but a good chocolate eaten the right way is great!

- Giving up chocolate.
Was having a conversation about this to one of my cycle buddies. He has a 2 minute handicap on me, and he is still pushing himself to go faster. I recollect about a month ago, introducing him to a 1kg bag of choc chips I had recently acquired from my friends in Sensory, and came back the next day to find about 10 choc chips left in the bag. Of late, he has experienced a sudden loss of craving for the cocoa sugar. His discovery was he didn't have a reason to give up chocolate. So he now has a reason, and the desire to achieve it overpowers the temporary need for a sugar fix. His "reason" to quit is to be able to climb the "1 in 20" in sub-19 minutes. I currently do it in 21m 40s. The 1 in 20 is a ride which sits at the bottom of The Basin, and every 20 metres you ride, you elevate 1. A good rider will do this in sub 20.
Moral - I need a reason.

- Yes Man
Was browsing at the book store the other day, and a mate showed me a book called "Yes Man". I haven't read it, but it was explained to me to be a book about a dull boring guy, who turned his life around after 1 conversation with a stranger on a bus. The stranger had a simple message - everything you experience, say YES, because it opens many doors.
For some reason, I was inspired. I wanted to say YES more, because I do think I say NO a lot.
I am half way through watching the movie, and the book is definately going on my list of things to read.
Ironic to Yes Man, I think way too much. Yes Man has a message that saying yes allows you to break from your regular routine and encourages you to be put in situations you normally wouldn't be in because your logic has prevented you from being put in that situation.
I was thinking of "Yes" is actually an easy thing to say, "No" is harder.
Can I borrow some money? Can you do this....? There is pressure to make you lean towards saying Yes, but an assertive person will say no. It is a skill to be assertive.
Moral - I need to just learn to let my mind relax and just listen to the moral rather than overthinking it through.

- Site of the day
lifehacker - news on things to help you make life more efficient
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/

Fun run

39:44

Time it takes to run 2 laps of the tan (8k) without training. Also includes a 1-2minute pit stop to "water the flowers". A mate signed me up a couple of months ago to run for his team in a YMCA team event. The lack of work-life balance has restricted my training to almost nothing. Was actually quite surprised I managed to do a sub-40 race.

Despite pulling up sore today, I had a really good night last night. Got to catch up with a few people last night, and I even ran into some old high school mates. Ran along side one during the latter half of the race (which helped when you've almost run 8k), and then we sat ourselves down near the finish line post race, trading war stories as trials of steam radiated from our body heat in the stop start rain.

$10 steak night at the George on Cecil st was a great cap to the night. Don't know if it was because of the long hours I've been pulling over the past few months, but it was great to just chill out over a steak and have a good laugh with mates, just like in the carefree uni days.

I found it interesting when the topic of "what your power song is". Runners are a funny bunch. One girl has a colleague who is deaf and sometimes to disconnect from the world, he puts on a hoodie, turns off his hearing aids, and just runs. Thats cool.

Now that I have a 8k training base, the Melbourne marathon looks plausible..... to be continued

The little things

Last night I was in the kitchen opening a can of salmon and all of a sudden it felt like the wind blew the whole house 2 centimetres. The whole house shook like a pulse ran through it. Like an ant scattering around at the first drop of rain, I looked around to see what happened. My first thought was "did the ground just sink?". Nothing suspicious outside, on the roof, in the backyard. I did find water dripping from the tv room ceiling.

It was an earth tremor. I read the tremor measured 4.7 on the Richter scale and was Victoria's strongest earthquake since 2001. My first earthquake!

Anyway, this post isn't about the earth tremor. Its about the little things. This morning I got up early to go to the gym. I ate a nice breakfast, digested a little then got ready to pump some iron. When I get outside, I am picturing the scotch fillet I am going to buy after my workout. My day dream bubble is burst when I find have no form of transport as there are no cars.

So the morning workout has turned into a morning surf on the internet to see which food and wine event I am going to see, what comedy festival tickets I am going to buy, what I am going to cook this weekend, and ofcourse, where I am going to move.

This post is titled "the little things" because
1. This simple little event this morning has set the ship to sail. I have been thinking about it for a while, and I need to do it. My weekends usually gravitate towards the city, so why not move there.
2. To get anything done, especially on my lazy days, I need to push past the "little things", or excuses not to do something. E.g no car. Although I am pressed for time, I could squeeze in a 20minute workout if I really wanted to. At work, I have learnt that completing projects on schedule is all about pushing on despite setbacks, and making alternative solutions.

I see a car return to base, so while I might miss a workout, my eyes are still on that steak!

p.s note to self - must hit the gym at least once this year!!

Plans Of the day

It really inspires me when people tell me their plans and make it happen. Yesterday a friend, who is an expat from the US, told me how he is going for interviews for 3 of the top 10 business schools in the US - Stanford, Penn and Columbia for their MBA. He is pretty much the same age as me, and he has already taken the step of being an expat, now he is taking another giant-balls step of going back to study.

Got me thinking about my plans:
- take a holiday
- get my diploma in PM
- move into the city
- buy an IP
- work overseas

time to action..... if only i wasn't working 60-70hour weeks. I have told myself, I refuse to work after 6pm from today. Lets see if I can keep it

I've been meaning to put an "of the day" into my post e.g picture/quote/site of the day. Been a little slack. Today is the article of the day:
------------------------------------------
Working long hours may damage your brain
The Daily Telegraph
February 26, 2009

WORKING back late could be bad for your long-term sanity, according to new research.
Workers who did more than 55 hours a week displayed cognitive impairment, a risk factor associated with dementia later in life.

Those who worked longer hours had poorer short-term memory skills and less ability to recall words.

The effect of the added stress and exhaustion could be as bad for the brain as smoking, the Finnish researchers found.

Dr Marianna Virtanen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health tracked more than 2000 UK civil servants from the 1980s.

In their early 50s, they were put through some brain function tests.

Those doing the most overtime recorded lower scores in two of the five key brain function tests - reasoning and vocabulary.

"This study shows long working hours may have a negative effect on cognitive performance in middle age,'' the researchers said.

"The link between cognitive impairment and dementia is clearly established. The difference between employees working long hours and those on normal hours is similar in magnitude to smoking, a risk factor for dementia.''

recycling

Thought popped in the back of my mind that I havent posted in a while. Why did I act upon it instead of dismissing it like most thoughts that are forgotten within 10 seconds of conception?
Maybe I can answer that.

Came up with an idea. Don't know if it was because of my day yesterday. I had worked the longest I have done in a day. It was almost as if it was the "work summer solstice", where it is the one day of the year with the greatest amount of sunlight. Except it wasn't sunlight. It was compounded stress and rays of request from takers who pull you in all different directions.

Anyway. My idea. I am thinking efficiency and recycling. On Sunday, I raced in my first triathlon of the year, and on Monday, everyone was asking how I went. My response was as follows:

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Sent: Monday, 2 March 2009 1:54 PM

Subject: FW: BRW results updates ??

Worst tri performance I have run

2 swim and 1 run training session (plus a few rides and a severe bout of blueballs on fri) some how left me in an overly confident mindset

First mistake was underestimating the distance from the transition area to the water which I bolted, leaving me with lactic heavy legs.

I then proceeded to 8 beat kick the lactic out to replicate the swimming confidence I had on the Thursday night swim (which was flat as a pool), but this time it was in choppy conditions.

At the first turn can, mr right calf got pms and decided he had enough, so he cramped, which left me with no kick

Turned on my back to do backstroke, which turned into survival stroke which turned into a 2 pint chug of salt water and a wave to the guys in the yellow

More to the story but the short version is the right calf kept cramping throughout the race, and I felt like I needed a wheelchair.

Ride on the way out was probably my best, but on the turn, I rose from the saddle and the right calf completely cramped up (it felt like it froze) that I physically couldn’t even peddle. Add to that I ended up walking for the 1^st 5 minutes of the run

So all in all, not a day that goes down in the good memory book

Last years performance was a 51/52 min split, but this year went over the hr mark, which was very disappointing

Vowed to myself I would never do a triathlon without training. Got home and collapsed on the bed for 4 hours before having a shower, cooking and then hibernating again

Swim	Cycle	Run	Total
16m	25m	19m	1hr

-rounded my times -----------

There was a humourous response which I enjoyed:

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Subject: RE: BRW results updates ??
Sent: Monday, 2 March 2009 2:02 PM

Wow, that is quite a funny/empathetic/emotional/detailed/journey-like description.

I felt like i just did the tri!!!

You are soft, that is the worst lot of excuses I have heard. I bet you had this email drafted on Friday. Weak as p#$@. This message is written and authorised by Steve, note my official time was 52 mins.

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So there you have it. I have subtly executed my idea. I am thinking of the title as "confessions of the email outbox"

hmmm...... maybe not as good as I thought. FYI, my work hours yesterday were 9am to 2:30am, 17.5 hrs. so much for work life balance

times up.

b

Things you can do when stressed

Its another day. Like routine, I battle in the Colosseum in my chariot on the road to work, furiously trying to save as many seconds as I can, like I've have dropped my marbles in primary school and every kid is trying to steal one of my speckled eggs or tombowlers. As soon as I step through the sliding doors that greet me, I can feel the burden of the day begin to intensify.

Had the important steering committee meeting today. Big bosses sticking their chests out, all in the one room, and then me, the junior minnow, trapped in the burning spotlight. My 2 expresso shots and a smart energy drink helped me to drop into the pleasant daydreaming refuge on only a handful of occasions, but really it was the desperate need to use the bathroom that kept me going. The hardest thing in that meeting wasn't trading verbal punches or going against the grain, it was by far the effort required to be upstanding at the close of the meeting with a rapidly maturing 9 month old water foetus.

Some people find strength in role models, others find it in failure or experiences. Today I got mine out of circumstance. Understand that I have not put in a solid workout at the gym since the end of last year. Run out of time to explain - so will let the picture paint the words. Over and out

Time starts now

So it begins. Already I am thinking how long am I going to keep this blogging up for. Pre-emptively I am positioning myself up to succeed by instantly making a rule - spend no more than 10 minutes on this a day. Which by default, makes it easier for you. Ie if your reading speed is twice as fast as my typing speed, you will only have to spend no more than 5 minutes catching me in the act of mental masturb@tion. Right now you are on the doorstep, so welcome to my world.

The first answer to my first question. Why did I sign up?
Because 2 other people did, which is where the uninspiring "interlinked" name was born.

There goes my 10 minutes...... today isn't very efficient. And the first post is usually the boring one. So I will cheat today by posting my "sample" blog over email exchanges yesterday:

Monday 23^rd feb blog entry day 1

Today my efficiency has slumped. I am constantly on the emails and distracted. But it has been fun. Haven’t had a fun day in a while here. Need a holiday. My mates have organized some mountain biking on the upcoming long weekend, which is a bonus because I didn’t even know it was a holiday.

Coffee is nice. I have tried to ween myself off the new spring valley energy drink “smart energy” which I have been chugging down like a loyal consumer, and I have been successful as I have found the centerpiece of the floor – the saeco coffee machine. Nothing beats the freshly ground beans. I can feel the beautiful coffee aroma sting my nostrils as I harmonize with the clicks of the keyboard. Next step is to ween off the coffee!

Didn’t really get much sleep last night. Was one of those nights that I just was lost in the internet, but a night which relit the fire of inspiration. I need to get my work life balance right, and it starts this week. The fire is burning.