I was walking my dog today, as I do every morning, and walked past a woman whom I've said hello to virtually every morning for a year. As I got close I looked at her and smiled as I said hello, but she kept walking as if I didn't exist. As usual, I wondered, has something happened to make her so distant or is she just practicing a learned but rude habit? You need to understand we live in a semi rural area and almost everyone says hello. Today I remembered "That Woman at Grand Central Station" About two years ago, while visiting New York, I was sitting having lunch at one of the two-person tables To View More >>

I love my wife: she is brilliant, a beautiful and most incredible person ... She is however a moving freak ... Where some guys might drink beer, watch sports or play video games for fun she likes to rearrange the house. That isn't me in the photo but it's how I feel when any sentence starts with "This weekend I want to ..." because I know the next word will be "rearrange". If she really wants to do something, and I am resisting, that just adds to the challenge, and she recruits her partners in crime, Brenda and the kids. It got so bad that one day when she went away I rearranged the house just To View More >>

Mates and family, they are definitely awesome! The best thing that has come from joining the Fire Service is the friendships that have developed. Last week we had a serious storm that blew a big tree across the road, destroying a power pole and tearing the lines from our rental property. Today two of my favorite people came over and helped restore things. That's Bain up in the basket and Vern down below. We had to spend the day trimming trees to re-thread the line, but it was very cool, we laughed, and I was very grateful. Days like today are also when family rallies around. While we did that To View More >>

Well it's been a good week. The guys got a new version of the software out, I got lots of work done and the dollar has dropped below 70 cents for the first time in almost a year. I'm about to have a beer with the crew, but will finish off the work week with a feel good video about old friends. I have a few people I need to reconnect with and this made me think of them. Have a good weekend everyone. To View More >>

SPEAKING OF LOVE: We were out to dinner the other evening and the conversation turned to relationships, and more specifically how many people don't know how their partner 'needs' love expressed to them. It seems a lot of people our age are having relationship issues, breaking up etcetera, and a debate developed as to whether people 'weren't loving the other person' , or maybe, 'weren't loving their partner the way that person needed to be loved.' Is there a difference, and should it matter? I'm pretty clear on this, but that's another story. Anyway, knock me over with a feather, my wife Sonya says To View More >>

It's Sunday so I am having a day off with the family. By the time you read this we are probably enjoying Brunch with Mum, Dad and my sister Adrienne. So please enjoy these images and the video below. Click on the images to go to there original websites. To View More >>

Following on the theme of film making, here is a short film released at the Cannes 2008 Film Festival. A beautiful story of a blind man and his sign. Sometimes, someone just has to help us to see ... Hat tip to The Pirate's Dilemma To View More >>

With great sadness we have said goodbye to two family members over the past few weeks. The first farewell was to to my Auntie Rita, who passed away after a long but brave battle with cancer. She is actually my Mum's Auntie, but always felt like a Grandmother to me. A beautiful woman that everyone loved from the moment they met her. My first memory of Rita is when, as kids, we visited her family in Wellington. She made us "Spiders", a messy mix of Coke and Vanilla ice cream ... and instantly became my hero. My last memory of Rita is of a woman, her body failing her, surrounded by a family loving To View More >>

Your brand, either commercially is the some of all your parts. The way you look, the way you sound, what you do and how people perceive you. The fact that Brand is not just about a "logo" is hard for many people to understand, here I attempt to use the fire service as an example of how brands develop and live or die beyond just there name. It's hard to describe the Fire Service brand ... it's not constrained to one country, one organization or even one uniform. Each fire service feeds off the stories and identity of the next, but each retains its own approach to the emergency events they service. To View More >>

Ok what else can I say except, if you want to blow your mind go to www.ted.com. Ted is an annual conference of world class speakers sharing innovative ideas, telling stories and inspiring change. I mean everything is covered and many of the speakers from conferences over the last few years have put online for your enjoyment. Over the last few months I have listened and watched fascinated to speakers from Bill Clinton to Bono. I've been inspired by new ideas of social change in Africa, Seen Statistics brought to life in a fascinating graphical display. And learnt how my children will more than likely To View More >>