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Saturday, 14 November 2009
Thursday, 16 July 2009
For the love of the world
Picture this;
Somewhere in the middle of Africa, amongst the mukuyu bushes, surrounded by the crispy brown wild grass; a rock with a smooth top surface, and I am lying on top of it, basking in the golden, mid-morning sunshine. Not a care in the world, I am not wearing jeans, no shirt and no tie and you no what? No shoes either, just a simple square shaped piece of cow hide covers my essentials, suspended on a thin string tied at the back; and yes if I stood up, you would see bare buttocks with the rock’s pattern imprinted on them. As I enjoy the sunshine, I have no worries, the only thing on my mind is weather I feel like hunting later on....
..Mankind has throughout history, done the unimaginable. From Great scientists and philosophers to great explorers and artists who decoded the world around us to what we know, and believe this very day. Over the last 100 yrs, mankind learnt to fly, people went to the moon, and in fact there are people living on the international space station. Our ability to work together for a common purpose is unquestionable, but can we unite and rise face climate change to the biggest challenge of our time?
I read an interesting journal, in it the author discussed various means by which, humans are cementing their own downfall through technology.
The article explained how weapons have become more powerful and lethal, with most systems capable of being operated remotely. The argument was that it is much easier to do war these days.
On energy, it described how some forecasters believe that oil shortage will become chronic in as soon as 30yrs. Even though coal and nuclear power appear to be means by which countries can keep generating electricity both are non-renewable resources which are estimated to dwindle within a 100yrs.
The article explained how climate change driven by global warming is becoming more apparent. The more carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere the greater the warming effect. Responsible for this effect is our thirst for carbon fossil fuels alongside other activities which include deforestation which is surprisingly still rampant in rainforests around the world.
Since the middle of the 20th century, humankind has consumed more natural resources than in all previous human history.As I read the article, I was a bit alarmed; it reminded me of some famous words by Woody Allen,
“More than at any other time in our history, mankind faces a crossroads; one leading toward great despair and utter hopelessness and the other towards extinction. Let us hope we have the wisdom to choose correctly.”
A bit cynical, but from what I was reading it struck me how there appeared to be no way out of this situation. It was at this point that I acquired in my head, the image I asked you to visualise at the start. A peaceful life without the modern day worries of work, fashion or climate change, not driven by the need of any technology.
Before the dawn of technology, people all over the world lived sustainable lives. There were no cars, no planes or tomatoes from Spain. People lived their lives in one location, all friends and family were usually close by, a small price to pay for a guaranteed future. They did cut down trees and clear land for farming but it was on such a small scale that nature always had time to repair itself.
Last year after getting a pedometer from a cereal box, my friend clipped on for a whole day as he went to work and back. At the end of the day, it had a total count of 36, we decided that either the gadget didn’t work or he needed to put a bit more hip movement into his step. Upon reflection, we realised that 36 steps was actually quite plausible.
His car was parked right outside the house that morning 4 steps maximum, he drove to work and went straight to his desk, he did not get up for lunch, then had one or two trips to the loo before taking his longest walk of the day back to his car, longer only because he saw a wasp on his way into the car park, i think. And finally another 3 steps back into the house.
I too have been guilty of driving to my local supermarket when it was possibly even faster to just walk. 50% of UK journeys are less than 2 miles and cars account for 20% of world wide man made CO2 emissions. We travel further and faster than ever before, at the same time we cycle and walk less. Not only is our health suffering as a result of such choices but the environment as well.
Technology has helped us understand the world around us, but at what price? Has the time come for us to balance the benefits of our technology with needs of our environment, our need for survival? Let us take a leaf from our past and learn how to be sustainable. It would be nice to see you all wearing nothing but patch of cow-hide, but we don’t need to go that far.
We need to realise that it is not only Governments which can take action to reduce the threat of climate change. Our actions as individuals are required; the cumulative effect of saving energy and reducing waste will reduce the need for energy and resource consumption. In the spirit of environmental sustainability, my challenge is for all of us to find at least one area of our lives in which we can eliminate unnecessary consumption of energy.
To quote from philosopher Marshall McLuhan,
"There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew."
Somewhere in the middle of Africa, amongst the mukuyu bushes, surrounded by the crispy brown wild grass; a rock with a smooth top surface, and I am lying on top of it, basking in the golden, mid-morning sunshine. Not a care in the world, I am not wearing jeans, no shirt and no tie and you no what? No shoes either, just a simple square shaped piece of cow hide covers my essentials, suspended on a thin string tied at the back; and yes if I stood up, you would see bare buttocks with the rock’s pattern imprinted on them. As I enjoy the sunshine, I have no worries, the only thing on my mind is weather I feel like hunting later on....
..Mankind has throughout history, done the unimaginable. From Great scientists and philosophers to great explorers and artists who decoded the world around us to what we know, and believe this very day. Over the last 100 yrs, mankind learnt to fly, people went to the moon, and in fact there are people living on the international space station. Our ability to work together for a common purpose is unquestionable, but can we unite and rise face climate change to the biggest challenge of our time?
I read an interesting journal, in it the author discussed various means by which, humans are cementing their own downfall through technology.
The article explained how weapons have become more powerful and lethal, with most systems capable of being operated remotely. The argument was that it is much easier to do war these days.
On energy, it described how some forecasters believe that oil shortage will become chronic in as soon as 30yrs. Even though coal and nuclear power appear to be means by which countries can keep generating electricity both are non-renewable resources which are estimated to dwindle within a 100yrs.
The article explained how climate change driven by global warming is becoming more apparent. The more carbon dioxide we release into the atmosphere the greater the warming effect. Responsible for this effect is our thirst for carbon fossil fuels alongside other activities which include deforestation which is surprisingly still rampant in rainforests around the world.
Since the middle of the 20th century, humankind has consumed more natural resources than in all previous human history.As I read the article, I was a bit alarmed; it reminded me of some famous words by Woody Allen,
“More than at any other time in our history, mankind faces a crossroads; one leading toward great despair and utter hopelessness and the other towards extinction. Let us hope we have the wisdom to choose correctly.”
A bit cynical, but from what I was reading it struck me how there appeared to be no way out of this situation. It was at this point that I acquired in my head, the image I asked you to visualise at the start. A peaceful life without the modern day worries of work, fashion or climate change, not driven by the need of any technology.
Before the dawn of technology, people all over the world lived sustainable lives. There were no cars, no planes or tomatoes from Spain. People lived their lives in one location, all friends and family were usually close by, a small price to pay for a guaranteed future. They did cut down trees and clear land for farming but it was on such a small scale that nature always had time to repair itself.
Last year after getting a pedometer from a cereal box, my friend clipped on for a whole day as he went to work and back. At the end of the day, it had a total count of 36, we decided that either the gadget didn’t work or he needed to put a bit more hip movement into his step. Upon reflection, we realised that 36 steps was actually quite plausible.
His car was parked right outside the house that morning 4 steps maximum, he drove to work and went straight to his desk, he did not get up for lunch, then had one or two trips to the loo before taking his longest walk of the day back to his car, longer only because he saw a wasp on his way into the car park, i think. And finally another 3 steps back into the house.
I too have been guilty of driving to my local supermarket when it was possibly even faster to just walk. 50% of UK journeys are less than 2 miles and cars account for 20% of world wide man made CO2 emissions. We travel further and faster than ever before, at the same time we cycle and walk less. Not only is our health suffering as a result of such choices but the environment as well.
Technology has helped us understand the world around us, but at what price? Has the time come for us to balance the benefits of our technology with needs of our environment, our need for survival? Let us take a leaf from our past and learn how to be sustainable. It would be nice to see you all wearing nothing but patch of cow-hide, but we don’t need to go that far.
We need to realise that it is not only Governments which can take action to reduce the threat of climate change. Our actions as individuals are required; the cumulative effect of saving energy and reducing waste will reduce the need for energy and resource consumption. In the spirit of environmental sustainability, my challenge is for all of us to find at least one area of our lives in which we can eliminate unnecessary consumption of energy.
To quote from philosopher Marshall McLuhan,
"There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew."
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Joy of Snow
[writtenFeb 09]
I went to the mound at Newbold Common on Thursday night after it had snowed. The joy on their faces as they built the snow man was unquestionable, there were sledges everywhere, parents with kids of all ages and sizes, from this high to this tall they were all enjoying themselves. It reminded me of the first time I ever saw snow.
The first time I ever saw snow was on new year’s day in 2001, just after the millennium dome had been closed. My sister and I were the most excited people on the planet morning. We were writing in it, throwing snow balls, sculpting and everything you can imagine doing with snow. I remember catching a bus to meet a friend later that day, it was very slippery as I got off the bus walking next to this woman, I didn’t know her but I excitedly told her with a large grin that I had never seen snow before. She gave me look, shook her head and said, “I don’t know who you are but I’m going to slap you.” ;-)
It really struck me this past week how circumstances beyond our control can trigger positivity in some and negativity at the same time. I would just like to share with you some of my thoughts on the weather related events over the last week. Hopefully show that even in the worst of weather, it is worth looking at the bright side and doing our best to create a positive experience out of it.
It seemed to me that most in the media were quick to criticize the government and our councils for failing to prepare for the heavy snow. The snow brought London to a grinding halt I recall a friend saying to me, what I don't understand is why the London Underground had to be closed. I guess such was the colossal level of snow!
Most schools in the country were closed, most business were also forced to close as staff could not make it in to their premises. Economic analysts estimated that, the stagnation brought about by the heavy snow probably cost the UK economy about £1.2 billion.
Gritting salt reserves were under such high demand and production facilities were working around the clock. Someone else informed me that only after they had finished removing the snow from around the clock could they begin gritting the streets. ;-)
I realize that opinions differed because of differing circumstances and experiences; I know parents were unhappy to be forced into taking annual leave because schools were closed. Some were left stranded, injured and even killed because of these conditions. There was however a story that made me think, we all could and can adopt a more positive attitude even during the most trying times.
I received a call from a friend at the weekend. Her work place in a hospital is usual wrought with disagreement, grudges and generally low levels of satisfaction, people can’t wait to leave the place.
She informed me that she had been at work continuously for just over 3 days. I was shocked and thought I was in for a good moan. She had left for her night duty shift at the hospital on Wednesday night, but no one was able to come to relieve her and the other staff on Thursday morning due to the snow, with some not coming in because schools had been closed so they had stayed home with the kids. So they carried on through the day although short staffed because there is more to do during day. They tried to make the most of the people they had even the receptionist gave a lending hand although due to limited medical knowledge she could only help with tiding the nurse’s equipment!
Despite the amount of work, and tiring long days they got through it by swapping stories with the patients of previous experiences of being snowed in. She told me there was something like buzz about the place by the time they finally managed to get relieved on Saturday morning.
There was something about being together and sharing that experience that had helped the nurses and patients to continue without stresses and strains usually present in such circumstances. It made me think, that for the parent who had to take a day off to look after the kids, instead of anger they could have looked forward to spending time with their children who were probably over the moon for not having to be in school. Sharing, even in the most depressing of experiences can create the bonds and memories we tend seek daily in our lives.
It is a choice, when something irritates or annoys us, we can let it get us down and ruin the day or we can instead shrug it off and move on.
Children can teach us a great lesson in this; their feelings are often based on events as they happen. They are mostly joyful. At times, they may feel negative and this usually happens in a squabble over games. However, as soon as they get distracted with something new, they no longer hold on to their negative emotions. Instead, they are happy once again.
Children are always happy because they find joy in little things. They get excited when they see a butterfly, jump over a puddle. They do not over analyze situations and do not assume the worst in people or situations. They keep things simple.
My message today is;
It can be the cloudiest of days, with rain, sleet or snow but we can still choose to re-connect with our inner 8 year olds. The happier we are the easier it is to cope with challenges the world throws at us every now and again.
I went to the mound at Newbold Common on Thursday night after it had snowed. The joy on their faces as they built the snow man was unquestionable, there were sledges everywhere, parents with kids of all ages and sizes, from this high to this tall they were all enjoying themselves. It reminded me of the first time I ever saw snow.
The first time I ever saw snow was on new year’s day in 2001, just after the millennium dome had been closed. My sister and I were the most excited people on the planet morning. We were writing in it, throwing snow balls, sculpting and everything you can imagine doing with snow. I remember catching a bus to meet a friend later that day, it was very slippery as I got off the bus walking next to this woman, I didn’t know her but I excitedly told her with a large grin that I had never seen snow before. She gave me look, shook her head and said, “I don’t know who you are but I’m going to slap you.” ;-)
It really struck me this past week how circumstances beyond our control can trigger positivity in some and negativity at the same time. I would just like to share with you some of my thoughts on the weather related events over the last week. Hopefully show that even in the worst of weather, it is worth looking at the bright side and doing our best to create a positive experience out of it.
It seemed to me that most in the media were quick to criticize the government and our councils for failing to prepare for the heavy snow. The snow brought London to a grinding halt I recall a friend saying to me, what I don't understand is why the London Underground had to be closed. I guess such was the colossal level of snow!
Most schools in the country were closed, most business were also forced to close as staff could not make it in to their premises. Economic analysts estimated that, the stagnation brought about by the heavy snow probably cost the UK economy about £1.2 billion.
Gritting salt reserves were under such high demand and production facilities were working around the clock. Someone else informed me that only after they had finished removing the snow from around the clock could they begin gritting the streets. ;-)
I realize that opinions differed because of differing circumstances and experiences; I know parents were unhappy to be forced into taking annual leave because schools were closed. Some were left stranded, injured and even killed because of these conditions. There was however a story that made me think, we all could and can adopt a more positive attitude even during the most trying times.
I received a call from a friend at the weekend. Her work place in a hospital is usual wrought with disagreement, grudges and generally low levels of satisfaction, people can’t wait to leave the place.
She informed me that she had been at work continuously for just over 3 days. I was shocked and thought I was in for a good moan. She had left for her night duty shift at the hospital on Wednesday night, but no one was able to come to relieve her and the other staff on Thursday morning due to the snow, with some not coming in because schools had been closed so they had stayed home with the kids. So they carried on through the day although short staffed because there is more to do during day. They tried to make the most of the people they had even the receptionist gave a lending hand although due to limited medical knowledge she could only help with tiding the nurse’s equipment!
Despite the amount of work, and tiring long days they got through it by swapping stories with the patients of previous experiences of being snowed in. She told me there was something like buzz about the place by the time they finally managed to get relieved on Saturday morning.
There was something about being together and sharing that experience that had helped the nurses and patients to continue without stresses and strains usually present in such circumstances. It made me think, that for the parent who had to take a day off to look after the kids, instead of anger they could have looked forward to spending time with their children who were probably over the moon for not having to be in school. Sharing, even in the most depressing of experiences can create the bonds and memories we tend seek daily in our lives.
It is a choice, when something irritates or annoys us, we can let it get us down and ruin the day or we can instead shrug it off and move on.
Children can teach us a great lesson in this; their feelings are often based on events as they happen. They are mostly joyful. At times, they may feel negative and this usually happens in a squabble over games. However, as soon as they get distracted with something new, they no longer hold on to their negative emotions. Instead, they are happy once again.
Children are always happy because they find joy in little things. They get excited when they see a butterfly, jump over a puddle. They do not over analyze situations and do not assume the worst in people or situations. They keep things simple.
My message today is;
It can be the cloudiest of days, with rain, sleet or snow but we can still choose to re-connect with our inner 8 year olds. The happier we are the easier it is to cope with challenges the world throws at us every now and again.
My cakes!
I have a very light topic to share with you today, my recently acquired passion for cake making. My hope is to have inspired you by the end to give it try if you’re not already.
The feeling of satisfaction after you have crafted something with your own bare hands is unbeatable. Be it building computers, pottery or flower gardening. When you see those beautiful flowers, or that attractive vase the excitement it whirls up in you tells you it was worth it and it also tells that you should do it again.
When baking a cake, the experience starts with the trip to the local supermarket or grocery, you walk past bakery isle and ignore the carrot cakes and you walk past the shelf with the cake mix boxes because you know that you shall be baking Your Own Cake, with your own ingredients. If you want it ultra-healthy and organic, you decide, if you want it extra sweet with hint of tomato, you decide. As much of your favourite ingredient as you want, You stick to your own rules!
If like me you’re a beginner, it can be very daunting and off-putting when you search for recipes and can only find recipes telling you that the best cake can only be achieved by you sieving the flour under-UV light in the presence of oxygen. Some recipes do turn it into a prescriptive science whereas its not, it is art-form that you can experiment with because it can conform to whatever your standards desire. Do not be too alarmed though because I have discovered that there are also millions recipes available on the internet and some good books as well that cater for the beginner. In fact I have a gem of a book, called ”first time cook” by Sophie Grigson, in this book for each recipe it offers you the choice of different levels of detail and difficulty. A complicated recipe on one side and below something as simple as the All in One Method where you don’t even have to crack eggs. You can make it as simple or as complicated as like.
As you take the cake out of the oven, that excitement I mentioned earlier kicks in, you find yourself swallowing more frequently. The master –piece is done,... but not if you want to decorate it. Icing, with different colours, drawing, writing, sculpting can now all be performed on your cake. Personalize it if you want give to someone as a gift to show you’re thinking of them.
Do you know where baking your own home-made cake beats everything else...? You get to eat it, this adds a whole new dimension to the experience. As that tantalising, taste trickles its way down the back your throat, you will find yourself nodding, ah yes.
However, it does not end there because it is not only nice to see and eat the cake but making it can be very enjoyable too. A few times I have been at home with my girlfriend struggling to think of an activity, and baking turned out to be a saviour. We enjoy trying different recipes meaning that baking cakes has never turned out to be a boring repetitive activity...Not to mention its a free ticket to avoid going shopping(ahhh...)
In fact I had my young niece and nephew over one weekend when made cheese cakes and sponge cakes. I can recommend it to you strongly if you have young kids, as an activity for the day because they enjoyed it and I had a good time. I know the cleaning up can be daunting prospect but it can be made part of the baking process, clean as you go and no one complains.
So you can see the versatility of home baking, I have found a good way to spend time with family and friends, talking, getting to know each other better and having fun at the same time.
In summary,
I think if you’re not already, you should go and try some baking, do it this weekend. Remember that cakes are for every occasion, introducing yourself to the neighbour, a take with you present to a party or just a spoil yourself indulgence at home.
Remember:
Stick to your own rules – peanuts, sugar or cream – your own ingredients
It is not arduous at all – you make it as simple or as complicated as you like.
And picture in your mind the satisfaction of seeing the physical manifest of your imagination and actually tasting it.
The feeling of satisfaction after you have crafted something with your own bare hands is unbeatable. Be it building computers, pottery or flower gardening. When you see those beautiful flowers, or that attractive vase the excitement it whirls up in you tells you it was worth it and it also tells that you should do it again.
When baking a cake, the experience starts with the trip to the local supermarket or grocery, you walk past bakery isle and ignore the carrot cakes and you walk past the shelf with the cake mix boxes because you know that you shall be baking Your Own Cake, with your own ingredients. If you want it ultra-healthy and organic, you decide, if you want it extra sweet with hint of tomato, you decide. As much of your favourite ingredient as you want, You stick to your own rules!
If like me you’re a beginner, it can be very daunting and off-putting when you search for recipes and can only find recipes telling you that the best cake can only be achieved by you sieving the flour under-UV light in the presence of oxygen. Some recipes do turn it into a prescriptive science whereas its not, it is art-form that you can experiment with because it can conform to whatever your standards desire. Do not be too alarmed though because I have discovered that there are also millions recipes available on the internet and some good books as well that cater for the beginner. In fact I have a gem of a book, called ”first time cook” by Sophie Grigson, in this book for each recipe it offers you the choice of different levels of detail and difficulty. A complicated recipe on one side and below something as simple as the All in One Method where you don’t even have to crack eggs. You can make it as simple or as complicated as like.
As you take the cake out of the oven, that excitement I mentioned earlier kicks in, you find yourself swallowing more frequently. The master –piece is done,... but not if you want to decorate it. Icing, with different colours, drawing, writing, sculpting can now all be performed on your cake. Personalize it if you want give to someone as a gift to show you’re thinking of them.
Do you know where baking your own home-made cake beats everything else...? You get to eat it, this adds a whole new dimension to the experience. As that tantalising, taste trickles its way down the back your throat, you will find yourself nodding, ah yes.
However, it does not end there because it is not only nice to see and eat the cake but making it can be very enjoyable too. A few times I have been at home with my girlfriend struggling to think of an activity, and baking turned out to be a saviour. We enjoy trying different recipes meaning that baking cakes has never turned out to be a boring repetitive activity...Not to mention its a free ticket to avoid going shopping(ahhh...)
In fact I had my young niece and nephew over one weekend when made cheese cakes and sponge cakes. I can recommend it to you strongly if you have young kids, as an activity for the day because they enjoyed it and I had a good time. I know the cleaning up can be daunting prospect but it can be made part of the baking process, clean as you go and no one complains.
So you can see the versatility of home baking, I have found a good way to spend time with family and friends, talking, getting to know each other better and having fun at the same time.
In summary,
I think if you’re not already, you should go and try some baking, do it this weekend. Remember that cakes are for every occasion, introducing yourself to the neighbour, a take with you present to a party or just a spoil yourself indulgence at home.
Remember:
Stick to your own rules – peanuts, sugar or cream – your own ingredients
It is not arduous at all – you make it as simple or as complicated as you like.
And picture in your mind the satisfaction of seeing the physical manifest of your imagination and actually tasting it.
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
To go or not to go
To go or not to go, that indeed was the question that had occupied David's mind for two solid weeks. He had been unable to concentrate at work, enjoy himself with friends or even have a full night’s worth of sleep. The thought of going to tell someone was just impossibility to him, they would all jump to the wrong conclusions and he could not let that happen. How can you leave everyone thinking you are a villain? You would never be able to come back. On the other hand this was his dream job, Decorp was an international marketing consultancy and they wanted him in as a division manager..., in New York City, the big apple! Surely there had to be a way.
Why is it that the bad things always happen just in time to ruin the day you were looking forward to?
About three months earlier David had stupidly allowed himself to get carried away flirting with a girl he met at his gym. It really was just a bit of mischief to him and never intended to act on it; in fact he had explained it to Jamie one evening when she had tried to kiss him. He told her about Gemma the girl he truly loved, Jamie did not take it badly at all, she said that was okay but the flirtatiousness continued. She would send him the odd e-mail telling him what he could have if he relented and David would reply in the spirit of the banter, with something along the lines of, she was okay but he was too much for her to handle. There was nothing unusual about that was there?
Of course there was, because when Gemma found out she was not forgiving. He had come back home to what he thought was a burglary because it seemed like all their clothes had been left strewn all over the front of the garden. It was when she confronted him inside the house that he realised all the clothes were his. Earlier he had asked her to check if some theatre tickets had been received on his e-mail account and he had hadn’t thought about there being something she would not want to see.
After a few months of trying to explain to all the family and friends who had been both told of his misdemeanour and also forwarded the e-mails, David thought he could see the a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Just before the saga had unfolded he and Gemma had been thinking about getting married, and had been making plans to raise money for it. Now, everyone was still suspicious, they thought he had been clever at covering his tracks because there were no texts on his mobile or unexplained absences from the house just the five e-mails Gemma had found.
He kept telling her that she was worth too much for him to lose and that he saw a future with only her. Some things had already been changed in their relationship that could only be fixed in years to come if at all. He promised her that he would never cheat on her, he had been stupid. To try and ease her fears and assure her that he had lost all contact with that woman, he explained how Jamie had only been in London on a temporary basis but had gone back to her native America six weeks earlier.
Just when things appeared to be showing signs of a possible return to normal, the job offer from New York shows up. It had been his idea that they look for ways of raising money to get married; it had been his idea to open up the search to any part of the world and to be prepared to be apart for sometime if it meant they could earn and save extra money for a life together. If he told Gemma about this job it would seem like it had all been a set-up all along, to be with Jamie in America, but he was telling the truth. If he took the job he could earn more than double his £32,000 a year salary and he could probably arrange for a transfer to one of Decorp’ branches in London. This was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity, it takes 20 or even 30 years to get to that kind of level such big organisations these days.
It would look like he was going after Jamie, why did she have to be from New York? David thought it would just look too much as if he and Jamie had been planning this and did not want to reignite flames that had ravaged his life for the past couple of months.
As he pressed the send button on his reply e-mail confirming his decision to not take up the job offer, David prayed that, although she would never know what he had just done, Gemma would know just how much he loved her. This was one apple, he couldn’t bite.
©reserved
Why is it that the bad things always happen just in time to ruin the day you were looking forward to?
About three months earlier David had stupidly allowed himself to get carried away flirting with a girl he met at his gym. It really was just a bit of mischief to him and never intended to act on it; in fact he had explained it to Jamie one evening when she had tried to kiss him. He told her about Gemma the girl he truly loved, Jamie did not take it badly at all, she said that was okay but the flirtatiousness continued. She would send him the odd e-mail telling him what he could have if he relented and David would reply in the spirit of the banter, with something along the lines of, she was okay but he was too much for her to handle. There was nothing unusual about that was there?
Of course there was, because when Gemma found out she was not forgiving. He had come back home to what he thought was a burglary because it seemed like all their clothes had been left strewn all over the front of the garden. It was when she confronted him inside the house that he realised all the clothes were his. Earlier he had asked her to check if some theatre tickets had been received on his e-mail account and he had hadn’t thought about there being something she would not want to see.
After a few months of trying to explain to all the family and friends who had been both told of his misdemeanour and also forwarded the e-mails, David thought he could see the a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Just before the saga had unfolded he and Gemma had been thinking about getting married, and had been making plans to raise money for it. Now, everyone was still suspicious, they thought he had been clever at covering his tracks because there were no texts on his mobile or unexplained absences from the house just the five e-mails Gemma had found.
He kept telling her that she was worth too much for him to lose and that he saw a future with only her. Some things had already been changed in their relationship that could only be fixed in years to come if at all. He promised her that he would never cheat on her, he had been stupid. To try and ease her fears and assure her that he had lost all contact with that woman, he explained how Jamie had only been in London on a temporary basis but had gone back to her native America six weeks earlier.
Just when things appeared to be showing signs of a possible return to normal, the job offer from New York shows up. It had been his idea that they look for ways of raising money to get married; it had been his idea to open up the search to any part of the world and to be prepared to be apart for sometime if it meant they could earn and save extra money for a life together. If he told Gemma about this job it would seem like it had all been a set-up all along, to be with Jamie in America, but he was telling the truth. If he took the job he could earn more than double his £32,000 a year salary and he could probably arrange for a transfer to one of Decorp’ branches in London. This was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity, it takes 20 or even 30 years to get to that kind of level such big organisations these days.
It would look like he was going after Jamie, why did she have to be from New York? David thought it would just look too much as if he and Jamie had been planning this and did not want to reignite flames that had ravaged his life for the past couple of months.
As he pressed the send button on his reply e-mail confirming his decision to not take up the job offer, David prayed that, although she would never know what he had just done, Gemma would know just how much he loved her. This was one apple, he couldn’t bite.
©reserved
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
In the beginning!
Hello world,
Welcome to my blog, I think you ought to be very impressed with yourself because the Christopher Columbus inside you has just navigated you, to these uncharted pages of the ever expanding world that is the Internet. Maybe you were bored or maybe I asked you to come look when I saw you earlier today in which case "Hi again, thanks for coming to have a look, you are a real friend most wouldn't have even bothered, sincerely thank you." If you were bored and just looking for something to catch your eye I think you've just hit the jackpot, read on.
Now that I've got you where I want, feeling keen and ready to find out what this is all about I shall jump straight to it.
Who am I?
I am 25 and am in the process of discovering what it is that I really enjoy doing. (Leisure/hobby-wise whatever you call it)
Have you ever played basketball? Excellent game but not enough courts around to have a real game.
Squash? - Again excellent but at £5 for a visit to the gym it is an expense past time. Also needs any equally committed partner
Jogging?- I find it boring, to me it is just listening to myself getting tired.
Playing guitar - It is good but being a new beginner (did not do music at school) the skill takes while to pickup (to put it lightly).
Programming - need time, skill and loads (to emphasise it there) of practice!
Believe me the list goes on, in fact, one of the things I haven't tried is ventriloquy??? I have tried a few things, if you get my drift?
I would be interested if you've ever embarked on such a journey? This is because I find a myself fascinated by lot and attempting my fair share of hobbies/projects but getting deflated when I can't take it any further due to lack of skill/funds etc, does that mean I am not good enough or just not trying hard enough? A question for Aristotle there. (before you call me rubbish, I'll have you know that I do consider myself better than the average!)
The vision
These pages are to be the buoys of my personal development. My ambition is to jot down my thoughts, ideas and opinions in hope that at some later date, they shall be beacons that I can look back upon to help me try to quantify what I've learnt. (It sounds like I am about start an online degree, maybe I am!)
The mission
I would like to develop skills in writing, reading and speaking by practice and this is to be one of the platforms I shall do that on. The others I shall think of...soon.. I think...to be honest I hope. At the moment I think it is these three areas that I seem to enjoy exploring and hence my decision to exploit this interest and see how far I can take it.
In summary,
I think that even if it is not possible to go all the way to a Wimbledon title with my hobby, even though I quit on the way, I will have gained some useful insight and appreciation of what the pros have had to fight through.
Hope to see you at the next one. And hopefully you see the potential in this endeavor!
Regards.
Welcome to my blog, I think you ought to be very impressed with yourself because the Christopher Columbus inside you has just navigated you, to these uncharted pages of the ever expanding world that is the Internet. Maybe you were bored or maybe I asked you to come look when I saw you earlier today in which case "Hi again, thanks for coming to have a look, you are a real friend most wouldn't have even bothered, sincerely thank you." If you were bored and just looking for something to catch your eye I think you've just hit the jackpot, read on.
Now that I've got you where I want, feeling keen and ready to find out what this is all about I shall jump straight to it.
Who am I?
I am 25 and am in the process of discovering what it is that I really enjoy doing. (Leisure/hobby-wise whatever you call it)
Have you ever played basketball? Excellent game but not enough courts around to have a real game.
Squash? - Again excellent but at £5 for a visit to the gym it is an expense past time. Also needs any equally committed partner
Jogging?- I find it boring, to me it is just listening to myself getting tired.
Playing guitar - It is good but being a new beginner (did not do music at school) the skill takes while to pickup (to put it lightly).
Programming - need time, skill and loads (to emphasise it there) of practice!
Believe me the list goes on, in fact, one of the things I haven't tried is ventriloquy??? I have tried a few things, if you get my drift?
I would be interested if you've ever embarked on such a journey? This is because I find a myself fascinated by lot and attempting my fair share of hobbies/projects but getting deflated when I can't take it any further due to lack of skill/funds etc, does that mean I am not good enough or just not trying hard enough? A question for Aristotle there. (before you call me rubbish, I'll have you know that I do consider myself better than the average!)
The vision
These pages are to be the buoys of my personal development. My ambition is to jot down my thoughts, ideas and opinions in hope that at some later date, they shall be beacons that I can look back upon to help me try to quantify what I've learnt. (It sounds like I am about start an online degree, maybe I am!)
The mission
I would like to develop skills in writing, reading and speaking by practice and this is to be one of the platforms I shall do that on. The others I shall think of...soon.. I think...to be honest I hope. At the moment I think it is these three areas that I seem to enjoy exploring and hence my decision to exploit this interest and see how far I can take it.
In summary,
I think that even if it is not possible to go all the way to a Wimbledon title with my hobby, even though I quit on the way, I will have gained some useful insight and appreciation of what the pros have had to fight through.
Hope to see you at the next one. And hopefully you see the potential in this endeavor!
Regards.
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