My Cigar of the Week

My choice for this week is the Montecristo Reserva Negra Belicoso.

Wrapper : San Andres Morron, Mexico

Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

This cigar is 'square pressed' , has an oil rich, chocolate wrapper with minimal veins.  This smoke varies from caramel and chocolate tones through to a pleasantly subtle defined liquorice flavour.  A smoke that is on the stronger medium bodied side and not suited to a novice smoker.

Unfortunately, I had only the one of these cigars.  I was a little dissapointed that the one I smoked did not have the ability to hold ash well, which was a little dissapointing for such a superb cigar.

Definetely worthy of a space in any humidor, a little high in price point but worth the expense.

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BomRot Cup, Denerau Island, Fiji

The inaugural 'BomRot' Tennis Tournament took place this year on the Grass Courts of the Denerau Golf and Racket Club during the period 14th -19th November 2009. The final took place late in the afternoon/early evening of the 19th and was eventually won by the Bombay representatives, leaving the Rotorua team and surrogates on this occasion empty handed.

Above: Simon Watson & Gayle Buchanan at this point representing Bombay, Robynne Watson and Richard Sewell (out of picture) representing Rotorua. Notice the abscence of court lines for the final - the DG&RC groundsmen mowed the courts earlier in the day and neglected to paint the lines back on again!

Our tournament was keenly fought each day commencing at 5.30pm with the first team to win nine games, and by a two clear game margin.

 Above: Robynne Watson with a dissaproving  look at having being selected to start alongside her brother Richard Sewell in the Rotorua Representative team.

Check out Richards court shoes!

In this, our inaguaral event much thought was given in regard to manipulation of the rules to suit the number of players available on the evening (always more than four), the condition of the players after the activities of the day (Mojito and Sun abuse) and finally the determination of team origin or surrogacy issues (residing in the area representing, birth place rights or just unlucky to have been selected)!

Above: Gayle Buchanan at the net with Simon Watson ready to receive service, whilst earlier representing Bombay.

At the presentation of the cup at the after match dinner it was unanimously determined by the founding members of The BomRot Tennis Tournament, that it shall be put up for contest at no greater than four monthly intervals, with the destinations for the tournament being pre determined as the home destinations of Rotorua and Bombay in NZ, and of course the neutral destination of Denerau , Fiji.

Above: The inaugural winning BomRot Cup team (pictured at Chefs Restaurant, Port Denerau, Denerau Island Fiji at the commencement of the final dinner before returning home the following day), representing Bombay was that of Ian Buchanan and Richard Sewell who were ultimately deserving of the BomRot Cup, despite the confusion of the evolving/revolving substition system and the numerous off the cuff rule determinations. Bring on more Mojito's . . . .

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the participants in our Tennis efforts of the week leading to the final of the BomRot Cup, without you, the sun, the food, and the pre match alchohol it just would not have been at all possible.

With gratitude,
Ian R Buchanan

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Cigar of the Week

My Cigar of the Week is a Don Bienve Limited Reserve en Tubo de Crystal.

I had purchased a small quantity of these local  cigars from the cigar area within the Doll  House in the Fortaleza area of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico early in October of this year.

The Limited Reserve I have discovered is distinguished by the aged filler from Puerto Ricos 1981 crop. This cigar also has a Puerto Rican binder and a Cameroon/Puerto Rican (Connecticut seed) wrapper.

This is a balanced cigar of medium strength, with a sweet scented aroma.

I really enjoyed this cigar, and would certainly be proud to keep a few more of them in my humidor.

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Successful Manifesting

A big day today for reading, digesting and ultimately action, I have read for the second time 'the principles of successful manifesting' and I now have more out of this ebook than I received the first time.

If you are also in the pursuit of manifesting your life dreams, then I can highly recomend that you take the opportunity to seek out this ebook into things spiritual, financial, health, ,relatonships and consciousness.

If it is meant to be, it is meant for thee!

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Integrity is Everything

I have just completed reading the book by John Lavenia entitled, Integrity is Everything.  It is a remarkable book. It has awakened the giant within me. I recommend this book as a must read if you want to take charge of your life and place it in the direction you want to take it.

This is a book I shall be reading again, and again.

Inspirational!

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Cigar of the Week

My cigar of the week is the Perdomo 'Patriach' - Robusto.

This is a premium cigar given its name to celebrate Nicholas Perdomo Snr, a bold businessman and a superior cigar maker. It was therefore only appropriate the Nicholas Perdomo Jnr. would have to produce a bold cigar of the highest quality.

The cigar is traditionally hand made in the favourite blends of Nicholas Perdomo Snr. with tobaccos taken from the Nicuraguan valleys of the Esteli, Condega and Jalapa and as a result is, dark and deep in flavour, spicey, with rich coffee undertones and at times renders a little hint of bittersweet chocolate.

A savoury flavoured cigar, not for the faint hearted.

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Bish on Fish in NZ Blog: Catch Magazine Out Now

Bish on Fish in NZ Blog: Catch Magazine Out Now

I have this morning for the very first time taken a look at this marvellous online magazine, the photography, the film and the written content are beyond compare. I have taken the opportunity to make use of the free lifetime subscription offered - I urge you to take a look and do the same, my day is so much the better for the images and emotions that are portrayed. Thank you Catch Magazine, and thank you Tony Bishop for having made me aware of it!

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The 40 Hour Week . . . . . .

Our Labour Day public holiday which we recently celebrated is in recognition of the 40 hour work week.  But it would appear for most NZ'ers that the 40 hour work week has long gone for them, 60, 70 and even 80 hour weeks are not unusual, especially if you are salaried.

I am of the view that 'I work to live and not live to work', that is why I choose to work for myself from my home.  My business ensures me time freedom to do the things that mean the most to me, like being around for my son before and after school, attending sporting and extramural events with him and being available to undertake my many favoured recreational pursuits that would have to be confined to the weekends, if I held that Monday to Friday 9 - 5 job.

My youngest son, Logan after having pitched our new tent in our backyard at home - I sat to one side and watched as he read the instructions and put the tent up in less than 5 minutes . . . . .

My business also affords me international travel, this year alone I have visited The Big Island Of Hawaii, the Gold Coast of Australia, and just a few weeks ago returned from Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, all this resulting from my 15 hour work week.

How can this be achieved in a 15 hour work week I can hear you ask?  Easily, 'by working smarter, not harder', my business can be operated on a part time or full time basis, I can operate my business anywhere in the world, I can operate my business from home, beside the pool, or even at a cafe. In fact the ony limitiation with my business are those I might foolishly place upon myself!

I am positive that you dont want to work 60 or 70 hours a week, probably you would prefer to spend more time with your family, or have more time in the outdoors undertaking your favourite pursuit. I am urging you to find time to reassess, re-evaluate and redefine your goals and to assist you with starting I strongly suggest you take a look at the information provided at this site http://www.knowforyourself.com (when you enter the site you can enter coupon # 143728 for a discount and free gift).

Whatever your decision, ensure it involves you taking positive action, aim to celebrate next years Labour Day as an active participant of the 40 hour work week or less!

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Cigar of the Week

My cigar of the week is the Romeo y Julieta 'Churchill'.

I had been given three of these by a generous fellow aficienado by the name of Don Silver with whom I dined with whilst in Los Angeles recently.  These cigars had been purchased by Don and his wife Karla whilst they had been residing earlier this year in the South of France, they are the true Havana deal (no fraudulent ring bands on these)!  Thank you Don for your kind generosity.

Winston Churchill had become a devotee of Romeo y Julieta during his visit to Havana in 1946, and his name has since been used to describe this, the brands most famous size of cigar. This cigar is not intended for the novice smoker, whom might not enjoy the strong but smooth taste,and further, it is recomended that the 'Churchill' be allowed to age for a minimum of at least three years before smoking.

It is an awesome gift to have received, I have only had the pleasure of smoking just one of the three cigars to date (I am going to be sharing the experience of the other two with a deserving friend of mine in January when I travel to Australia) it was rich, creamy and a little spicy, the ash held tight and burned a mid grey.  This cigar is a real Titan, a good smoke for a good hour!

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Happy Snaps, Old San Juan - Puerto Rico

I had taken some photographs in Old San Juan earlier this month.  It was on the same day as a peaceful protest was being carried out by protestors as a consequence of the Government of the day wanting to cut he jobs of  200 government employees, which I suppose is why the streets were a little empty as people were acting on a cause!

I am unaware of the particular street names/places, just wanted to give a very brief pictorial illustration of the area to show. The architecture and colours are just magnificent, you really have to be there to truly appreciate it.

Some of the streets were undergoing maintenance and repairs, a lot of them in this area are cobbled with a blue glazed type of stone, most are uneven and fun to navigate!

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Halloween Jack O' Lantern

Being of Celtic descent I can recall as a child for many years on all hallows' eve, a carved Turnip or Pumpkin head (Jack O' Lantern) created earlier that day by one of my parents sat on the front door step or porch with a burning candle placed inside to accentuate the face as the night drew darker around it.  I can still vividly recall the smell of these vegetables slowly cooking from the inside out in the cold night air.

I can't quite recall when the ritual stopped for me, but I would guess it would have been around my early teens, you know, when your too old for all that kids stuff!

When I became a father I reinstated this Celtic seasonal tradition, I have each year since my sons were born made Jack O' Lanterns or as we call them in our home "Pumpkin Heads" to pass on a little of my childhood family tradition to them.

Logan as our Jack O' Lantern or Pumpkin Head

Carving a Pumpkin head has always been fun to do, we have had a lot of entertainment with the results.  This year a decision was made not to carve a Pumpkin. The decision came around by a brief but meaningful discussion with my youngest son, Logan, he has several teeth missing at present, and those he does have come with gaps between, and so this year we thought we might just try something a little different!

Have a fun and safe 2009 All Hallows' Eve, whoever you are, wherever you might be, whatever you believe?

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What do I want?

Going through some old papers at our home office I came across a document from 23 January 1996 asking me that question; I recalled at that time I was approaching my mid thirties and embarking on a new direction, owning the business I had worked for since 1989.

I was married, with one son and another on the way.  I owed a substantial mortgage, was a $45K salaried employee, with three weeks annual leave, working an average sixty hours per week and commuting 100 kilometres each day in a small company car prior to my decision to become an entrepreneur, business owner and employer.

I knew of few successful people in business; and so made the decision to research books around business methods, the principles of success and self improvement, which is where I found the nine questions headed 'What do I want'. I wrote them down, and in context to my business (you could change the circumstance) complete with my answers on a lined piece of paper.

I am going to share each of those nine questions with you:

1. Money
2. Working Hours
3. Risks
4. Stress
5. Type of Work
6. Independance
7. Achievements
8. Power
9. Personal Relations

I am also going to share with you my answers:

Money: $120K salary before tax.  Working Hours: less than forty hours, give myself six weeks annual leave.  Risks: calculated.  Stress: learn and lower the effects.  Type of Work:  work I enjoy, delegate that which I did not.  Independance:  equal or better than achievements of my peers.  Achievements: successful business owner, setting new standards.  Power:  enhance my reputation; develop status amongst industry peers.  Personal Relations:  improve relations with troublesome personnel in my business.

I made reference to this document each day; it acted as a map to help keep me on course with the journey I had started.

Did I achieve all my 'wants' on that list? Yes.It's easy to get what you want; you just have to know what it is!

I focussed my attention on my wants each day.  I had included time frames, some specific, some less specific, some having to be revised.  I understood my wants were realistic; it might just be the time frame I had set was unrealistic.  I recall I was never discouraged; knowing that if one way did not lead me to success, then I was not to give up, simply find another way to find that success.

Now I am older and wiser (!) I have again asked of myself those same nine questions, my answers having changed as a consequence of time and circumstance, nevertheless; I am again looking forward to achieving what it is I want.

I have just one question for you, have you asked yourself and answered your 'What do I want'?

Here I am sitting at my desk at our home office along with that  1996 lined foolscap piece of paper with the nine questions and my answers all written in capitals, and pencil!

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My Cigar of the Week

My cigar of the week, has truly been my cigar for the 'fortnight'!  It is the 'Punch Champion' I purchased a couple or three upon my arrival at the Tinderbox in Santa Monica en route to a confrence in Puerto Rico a couple of weeks ago.

This swollen 'Perfecto' gained my attention amongst the others in view initially because of its unique shape (I have since heard this shape referred to by another as 'a python swallowing a pig', if you can imagine that!). The other attraction for me was the dark brown colour and the oily sheen of the wrapper, hopefully indicating a rich flavour and highly suspected quality.

The cigar is firm to the touch and I was a little concerned that it might prove to be a little tight to draw, but all fears of that soon dissapeared on my very first smoke. The tasty woody smoke delicately changed balance through out, but always left me feeling satisfied, the ash burned light in colour and stayed tight (well below the line where the cigar band had originally been toward the cap). The dense heavy smoke that filled my den with a nice tobacco aroma.

The 'Champion' is an authentic Honduran full bodied blend, using only the finest Honduran, Nicuraguan and Dominican fillers, incorporating Ecuadorian  grown Sumatran wrappers.

How, I hear you ask, could this be my cigar of the fortnight when I had only originally purchased three, well, I enjoyed the initial cigars so much that when I returned to Santa Monica after being in Puerto Rico, I bought a box of twenty five to enjoy upon my return home!

If you enjoy a rich flavoured medium to full bodied cigar, then I recomend the 'Champion' for your next 35 - 45 minute smoke. Go find one, light up, and enjoy.

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Manifesting

I do not usually make a habit of downloading free ebooks, although whilst I was trolling the internet over the past couple of days something about this particualr one caught my attention, and I just had to have it and now share this with you.  It is entitled 'the principles of successful manifesting'  the quantum method for manifesting your life dreams.  It covers spiritual, money, health, relationships and consciousness. I can't get enough of it!  It has brought me great satisfaction this morning whilst reading it for the first time, and I am sure it will continue to give each time I read it and undertake the excersises.

I am going to recomend that you obtain a copy of this practical ebook, and challenge you to put into practice the excersises that are contained, I am positive improvement in your life shall come your way as a direct result.

Contact , Thomas Herold tom@dreammanifesto.com to obtain your copy.

Enjoy.

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Montecristo Operation Hope

I had been in Puerto Rico on conference recently, and on my day off from the conference I took a day trip into the wonderful city of Old San Juan. It was there that I came across a cigar store (yeah, like I wasnt looking) that had a veritable treasure trove of smokes and paraphanalia!  It was whilst inside the humidor, I noticed amongst many treasures something that I had not been aware of before, it was a box set containing three excellent cigars, a Montecristo Classic, a Montecristo Reserva Negra and a limited edition Montecristo 75th Anniversario along with a quality Montecristo cutter with leather sleeve and Cigar Savour double torch lighter with punch cutter, all that for only US$39.95!

The cigar afficienado in the store I talked to about this box set informed me that this particular purchase would benefit The Montecristo Relief Organization, which is working to rebuild the hopes and dreams of victims of hurricanes and other natural and economic disasters in the Caribbean and the United States. After his explanation and another look at those excellent Montecristo cigars, I just had to make the purchase, after all, as I bask in the subtle and complex flavours of the 'Classic', the sophisticated and well rounded 'Reserva Negra' and the sensual and fuller bodied '75th Anniversario' I shall have added satisfaction by knowing my passion for cigars in each of those instances had benefited an organization that in turn will benefit the lives of many people in need. In fact the reminder shall be continued long after the cigars have gone, each and every occasion I use my my double torch lighter, and should I use the cutter (as you know if you follow my blog I am now a 'Trilogy' fanatic).

I urge you to find one of these Montecristo Operation Hope boxes, and make the purchase, even if you do not smoke cigars, I am absolutely certain you will feel good about the decision to do so as it shall be assisting others less fortunate. It is my only regret that in hindsight I did not have the foresight to have purchased another of these boxes to pass on to an equally appreciative friend!

Should you be interested in making a donation to Operation Hope, information can be obtained by taking a visit to http://www.montecristorelieforganization.com/

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Gratitude

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to a speaker whilst in Puerto Rico.  The speaker was a man by the name of Yossi Ghinsberg, an adventurer, who talked of a particular journey he had taken into the Amazon with three other men.
I am not going to relay his story here (you can find more about Yossi and his story by 'Googling' him on the net) I am just going to share with you a few notes I had resonated with, which I trust shall assist you as they have me:

Gratitude - Q. Where are we? A. Here! Q.What time is it? A. Now!
Dreamer Fool - A person who dreams and acts upon his dreams
Responsibility yields power, take responsibility

There was one last note that I had taken, - 'if somebody knows your dreams, you will follow them'. The context that this was delivered in was based upon an individual knowing your dream then presenting you with the opportunity to fulfil that dream by following them. 
After having reviewed my notes, I found I had departed from that initial context, and viewed the statement from another, that being, if you make bold enough to allow someone to see your dream, because you have openly declared your dream, you shall pursue your dream with vigour.

I live in the 'Here' and 'Now', dare to be a 'Dreamer Fool'  whilst 'Taking Responsibility' .  I am also very appreciative to have attracted and become surrounded by so many similar individuals who also choose to live with 'Gratitude' .

'Gratitude' is not exclusive, anyone can have it, share it, express it and live each and every moment with it, I do, how about you?

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The Trilogy - Product Review

Whilst in LA (Sant Monica) recently,  I made my pilgramage to the Tinderbox, located at 2729 Wilshire Boulevard to catch up with some of the guys who work there and take stroll around the humidor, gaze at the wonderful contents before making my selection for the duration of my stay, and select the cigars I would be taking back home with me.

Whilst in the store I made the purchase of a little product to aid my smoking pleasure called the 'Trilogy'.  It is a cigar piercer which allows the head of your cigar to remain closed and was designed by a gentleman named Ed Kolpin, Sr.  This little device is designed to enable the smoke comes out at an approximate angle of 45 degrees hitting your taste buds instead of the tip of your tongue as the head of the cigar is left closed.


Today I have tried this little device on a 'Punch Champion', 3 holes screwed into the head after lightly moistening (to avoid unravelling) and I can confirm that this little instrument and method has made my smoking experience that much more pleasurable.  The 'Punch Champion' is a personal favourite of mine and has never been a bad smoke with the end clipped or punched, although by adding this device and method has heightened my cigar smoking pleasure and delivered perfect draft control.

I shall from now on be using the 'Trilogy' when I partake of my cigar delictation, I am a convert and highly recommend the use of this little device to each and every one of you, so what are you waiting for? Go buy one and try for yourself now!

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NZ Whitebait

After speaking recently to some friends about my whitebait activities, I came to realise that I did not know a lot about these little fish; what species did they originate from, what might they grow into if they were not caught at this stage in the life cycle?

After a little research I have come up with following which I hope shall answer some questions for those of you also with an interest.

My results have found that there are six adult species of whitebait:
Inanga (Galaxias maculatus), Banded Kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus), Koaro (Galaxias brevipinnis), Giant Kokopu (Galaxias argenteus), Short Jawed Kokopu (Galaxias postvectis) and the Common Smelt (Retropinna retropinna).
The whitebait catch consists primarily of the following: Inanga, Koaro and the Banded Kokopu, although Inanga are the most commonly caught species.

Occasionally present are the young of other species of fish such as Eels, Bullies and Trout.

All whitebait species spend part of their life cycle in fresh water and part in the sea.  These tiny fish hatch in the late autumn are carried along rivers out to sea where they live and grow over winter.  In late winter early spring they migrate back up the rivers and streams to finally settle in bush covered streams and swamps.

The start of their migration is thought to be influenced by by river flows and phases of the moon.

Good luck and many fritters . . . . .

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Burley Recipe

I have found much success when salt water fishing with 'Burley' or 'Chum' and thought I would share my recipe for success.  I typically use my old bait that has been placed back in the freezer from previous trips or stuff I know is a little too old to be used on its own and goes a little like this:

10Kg of old bait (Pilchards, Mullet, Bonito)
2.5Kg of dry Burley (Pig Pellets, or Old Bread Crusts)
1litre of Fish Oil additive (Bonito)
200ml of Pheromone (Stimulate UltraBite)
Add enough water to suit desired consistency

Mince the Bait, add the dry burley, fish oil, pheromone and water, stir well in a large 20Litre bucket and then pour into 2Litre plastic milk containers (handles allow you to tie your warp around securely).  Place in the freezer to set. Thats it.

In advance to fishing (a day or two) take out of the freezer and place in a cool spot. The Bait, pellets, oil & pheromone will have soaked together like a good old fashioned stew!

Whilst out on the boat, after anchoring, I attach my Burley to a weighted line, pierce the milk bottle several times (allowing the mixture to disperse when submerged).  My Burley line is then attached to the stern of the boat and dropped to the sea bed, then raised about a metre and a half off the floor to help put the trail into the 'zone'.

The beauty of the milk containers is that you can carry as many as you like on a trip, store them conveniently, and of course you are recyling a bit of landfill one more time before discarding back in your rubbish bin @ home.

Good luck and tight lines . . . . . .

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The Law of Attraction

Recently I attended a presentation by Chris Prime in Hamilton entiteled 'Attract More Success, Money and Abundance With Law of Attraction'. It was enlightening for me, and this was not Chris' one day workshop, this was his free evening presentation!

Essentially Chris over a 3 hour period (a short and enjoyable 3 hour period) outlines 4 steps after first defining 'LOA'.

I am not going to give away what the definition or steps are, because if you you really want to know you can make contact with Chris and arrange to attend a free presentation to find out for yourself, plus be the beneficiary of his 13 page worksheet, and seminar resource CD also for free!

I am going to advise you that the aim (which Chris rightly and unashamedly promotes) is for you to attend his 'Empowerment Workshops', which is exactly what I shall be doing at the earliest opportunity, because if I can gain similar amounts of knowledge and self empowerment from attending as I have from his free presentation I would consider it priceless in both personal and monetary terms.

What Chris does is provides you with a gift, all you need to do is be ready to receive.  My gift to you is his web address: http://www.thelawofattractioncentre.co.nz/, are you ready to receive?

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Beautiful Destinations

It dawned upon me this morning that I am only 5 days away from another journey across our globe, and this shall be my fourth of five trips overseas in the span of twelve months.  Never before have I travelled so frequently and so far!

Our destination this time is Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, via a short stop to meet with friends and relatives in LA on both the way in and out.  It was only at the end of August we had been in Brisbane, Australia and in mid July we were on the Big Island of Hawaii.  Prior to Hawaii, we had been in Denarau, Fiji late in November last year, and yes we shall be spending time in Denarau, Fiji mid November this year.

These opportunities to travel has been helped along by other events, both our Fiji trips are as a consequence of a friendship, one that had stemmed from our youngest sons school.  The Fiji trip was the top prize at the school Gala Dinner and Auction, which I had the winning bid and gifted to my wife for her tireless efforts on behalf of the school PTA. The owners of the property are good friends of ours and they were pleased we had won the auction and glad we would be able to share in a place they both enjoy.  We have this time been invited to share the property with them whilst they shall be in residence, and we are looking forward to spending time away with our good friends.

The Big Island of Hawaii, Brisbane and Puerto Rico  have come about as a consequence of a home business opportunity that my wife and I have become involved in, conferences in beautiful locations, with talented associates, international speakers and motivators, and most important a much needed product to help develop the individual reach their true potential.

Travel recently for me, has strengthened my friendships, created many new friendships and once again broadened my horizons, I am now looking further afar than I have done for many years, I can again see opportunities and I am focussed on living to help myself and help others who might want my help.

Puerto Rico here I come!

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Opening Day - Waitawheta

Opening day 2009 has come and gone.  It was a first for me, as normally I would be working during the week and not have taken out valuable vacation time on this opportunity.

Despite the best efforts of the weather, I decided I would still be going to my favourite river, so packed the car and headed off after first walking my dog.

I would reach my destination in around an hour, and along the way made note that there was no one else fishing the Ohinemuri, water level was high and running fast, so expectation of dirty deep water was going through my mind when I got to my destination, meaning fishing was going to be tough!

Without going into too much detail, I had a great day on the river, I found a couple of great spots I had not explored before, I got a couple of touches, and yes, I also ended up 'skunked'.  Regardless, I was out there on opening day 2009, I have fished the first day of the season - there will be many more days to fish in the season ahead.

Heres looking forward to many more opening days in my future.

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Opening Day October 01, 2009

This is the date eagerly awaited by many anglers, who can now fish a variety of waters that have been previously closed to them during the preceding spawning season, and yes I am one of those anglers.

In preparation of this day, via the internet, I have obtained my 'Whole Season Licence'.  I have also researched areas of new water to fish within an hour to an hour and a half drive away from my home, and have prepared all of my equipment, rods, reels, line, leaders, flies, waders, boots, vest, jacket , polaroids and hat ready enabling me to simply pick up, place in the boot of the car and dash from home early on Thursday morning to be at my predetermined spot - yes, I am more than a little excited . . . . . . .

You see, apart from the eager anticipation of what the days fishing events might bring, I am assured of a few things: a degree of solitude only to be interrupted by brief encounters from like minded individuals, a good quality cigar (Cohiba Ciglo III), good single malt whisky (Glenmorangie) and the knowledge that the time I spend along the river is not coveted in guilt.  I have earned this opportunity through my endeavours in a succesful business life, and this is just one of my many intangible rewards I shall continue to enjoy as a result.

Whatever your outcome might be this opening day, remember a successful man never feels guilty when he spends his time fishing on a river!

Tight lines.

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Vegetables

Not since I was a child have I grown vegetables for the table, and now as a result of working from home, doing something I like, for no more than 15 hours a week I have now found myself with the time and opportunity.
Back in mid July, I prepared 2 raised planter beds and planted a small crop of Potatoes.  2 weeks ago I purchased and sowed the seeds for Radish, Carrots and Leeks in seed trays, and 1 week ago, I planted 3 different varietals of lettuce.
Today, I have planted the first crop of seedlings, Radish and I admit to having been excited and have developed a great sense of achievement, already.  Next week, I shall plant the remaining propogated seeds for the carrots and leeks.
I am looking forward with eager anticipation to cultivating and eating my produce, and giving my family and friends something to supplement their table with.
Here's looking forward to my green fingered progress over the next  6 to 14 weeks!

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http://www.livingtodaybychoice.com/

Walking Kbernie

Each and every morning after rising from my bed, I greet my dog, a golden retriever, who is now 6 years old (Kbernie).

Kbernie is immediately excited as he has conditioned himself so by my early morning presence, he understands that this means he gets to walk with me, talk with me (I do most of the talking) and then upon our arrival home have his food placed in front of him.

Whilst I am walking Kbernie, I am conscious of his presence and actions towards other dogs, people, vehicles and the such like, talking all the while quietly to reafirm to him he is a good dog and doing the right things in his chosen actions. Unconditionally, Kbernie acknowledges my praise and continues happily exhibiting his canine abilities.

When we reach our local reserve, I allow Kbernie to come off the lead.  It is after I have done this, I use the time to accomplish some personal tasks ahead of my day. These are to reinforce my daily affirmations, confirm my beliefs and apply my acknowledgements. Once those actions are complete, I find a spot to sit and then practise visualisation and make a promise to myself to keep for the day.

Typically, Kbernie by the time I have completed my actions will have chased around the scent of a rabbit, tried to catch a bird or two and had his obligatory bodily waste functions addressed and is well and truly physically excersised.

It is a daily routine we have come to love and share together.  You see it is our 'journey' together to and from our destination were we connect as man and his dog.  It is the 'destination' where we behave as man and a dog, equally present to one another but none the less undertaking our own individual actions.

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http://www.livingtodaybychoice.com/
http://www.knowforyourself.com/ (Coupon 14728 for a discount and free gift)

Thursday Afternoon Tennis

This afternoon whilst collecting my youngest son, Logan from school, he informed me that there was no homework alotted him for any of the subjects he had taken during the day, and that he was up to date on all his project based topics.  He then he asks 'dad, how about we go and play some tennis?'.  Without a moments hesitation I reply 'sure thing son'.

We arrived back at home, covered a few basic household chores and then changed ready to visit our local club which we are members of only minutes down the road.

We arrived prior to 4.00pm to find all the courts empty. We played a number of games over the period of an hour and a half, uninterupted and all by ourselves over that period of time - what a great way to hang loose and spend time with my son!

The upshot is that at almost 13 years of age he beat me, it was close, but he still beat me, and for all that I am so happy, because as a direct result of my retiring the business suit and having the pleasure of working from home I received this opportunity to spend time with my youngest son, someone I love, and someone who loves me, today, for just being there to meet his simple request, I am eternally grateful.

http://www.15hrworkweek.com/
http://www.livingtodaybychoice.com/
http://www.knowforyourself.com/ (coupon 143728 for a discount and free gift)

Weight Loss

After I retired the business suit I had noticed within weeks something had began to change about me, all of my pants now required a belt of all things to keep them up, was I seeing the evidence of weight loss although this was not an intended goal of mine?

While I had previously been commuting and running my business in the CBD, I was a constant 98Kgs (even though that was at times a battle to maintain)! It was after 4 weeks of starting my home business I noted that I had lost an amazing 13 Kgs of weight, I was doing no additional exercise, and the only change to my diet was that I had started eating breakfast after walking my dog (something I never had time for in the past, eating the breakfast that is), surely a breakfast that consisted of bird food (Muesli) and yogurt was not going to have the effect on my body of weight reduction?

I can only now speculate, that as a result of working from home in an environment that I am comfortable with, that allows me the flexibility and time to arrange my thoughts and actions was indeed assisting with my unintended weight loss. I attribute this to a number of things, I was no longer having to run from one coffee meeting to another, then a luncheon appointment only to be followed by another coffee meeting, possibly followed later in the afternoon with another meeting that would involve imbibing alcohol and possibly bar snacks.
Working from home had eliminated all those unnecessary actions and their inevitable consequence - an artificial body weight and capital expenditure!

I have remained at 85Kgs now since the end of May without any further exercise or dietary regime being implemented over that which I have always maintained.

Thank goodness I work from home!

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http://www.livingtodaybychoice.com/
http://www.knowforyourself.com/ (coupon 143728 for a discount and free gift)

My Cigar of the Week

My Cigar of the Week is the Macanudo Vintage 1997 it is reserved for aficionados who enjoy the smooth and mellow taste of Macanudo, but demand only the best when it comes to selecting their cigars.

A Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection cigar has the ultimate in mellowness and smoothness in two distinct ways. First, the wrapper is the rarest of all Connecticut Shade tobacco leaves aged for up to four years. Second, all of the tobaccos used in crafting these extraordinary cigars are aged more gradually than any others.

To set these cigars apart, the cigar displays two bands. One is to identify the cigar as Macanudo and the other to designate the year of the Vintage quality harvest.

As you would expect these cigars age and become scarcer and as a result they grow in value. I picked mine up on the recent Summit Conference on the Big Island of Hawaii, and at US$19.95 a piece they are not cheap.

A Macanudo Vintage Cabinet Selection cigar delivers the ultimate Macanudo experience because it is that much mellower and that much smoother than even a Macanudo Café cigar can be. I really enjoyed this mild cigar it is perfect for my daytime smoking. I only wished I had laid my hands on more than just the 3 whilst I was recently in Hawaii – so if you get a chance to grab one of these I highly recommend it!

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Visualization - it really does work!

Since having retired the business suit, I have had a few small issues remaining to deal with that were connected to my previous traditional business.

The first issue was the successful conclusion of small projects that were underway or I had committed to get underway for my corporate clients. The second was simply not to take on any further new projects. The third and a little more onerous was how to efficiently deal with the residual lease term and financial exposure of my office premises within the CBD.

The first and second issues I dealt with promptly and easily, no need for any explanations there. The issue of the office premises was to be a different matter. Did I have any options, and if so what choice might I make? Without becoming involved in too much detail, it became apparent I had the following choices, and I list them in order of maximum $ exposure:

1. Continue to pay the monthly rental amount until the expiry of the lease period (30.10.11)
2. Surrender the lease with landlords agreement and a lump sum payment equivalent to half of the remaining term
3. Sub lease at a presumed discounted rate for the balance of the term and make up the shortfall amount
4. Find a suitable party to assign my lease to on the same terms and conditions, possibly with a small incentive attached

Option 1. was clearly going to be the way forward initially, or at least until I could come to terms with option 2. or even better still find someone who might fit my third or fourth options. I engaged a number of local commercial real estate agents to go about finding suitable parties for the premises, whom all advised given the 'global economic environment' it could take some time and I would have to be very flexible with any deal that might be presented.

Over the past 4 months, I had sporadic interest expressed in the premises but nothing that would lead to an offer, or what I considered constitued an offer!

Was I ever going to succeed in my quest to limit my liability in these premises and if so, what could I do about it? After having discussed the situation with my wife Gayle, she reminded me that I would always advise her that when work was scarce or the bank account was getting thinner that there would always be work out there for us, and we would not run out of finances, which we never did. This manifested because of my belief and ability to visualize our future success, why not try it for this situation she asked?

I keep a daily journal, nothing too deep, I find it helps keep me focussed and I realized that I had not included any mention of my desire to lease my office, and so it was 16 days ago I committed at the bottom of each page, each day, to sketch a little image (the front door) of the premises, add the address over the door and write beneath the door 'leased 30/09/09' and pause for 60 seconds at the sketch and visualize locking the door for the last time.

It was 4 days ago, I was approached directly by a party (tenants on another floor in the same building) with a view to them taking the space. Finally, 2 days ago, we reached agreement for an assignment in full with the inclusion of a small cash incentive, and they shall be taking possesion before the end of September '09.

My simple sketch, the visualization in my mind coupled with my firm belief that I could achieve this result in a short and predetermined time has inspired me to always continue with this practice and apply it to other areas of my life.

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http://www.livingtodaybychoice.com/
http://www.knowforyourself.com/ (coupon 143728 for a discount and free gift)

Retired the Business Suit

October of last year the business my wife and I owned reached its 21st year anniversary. It was a terrific milestone to have achieved, especially for me personally, as over that time, I had been involved with the company for all but the first 2 years of its existence.

Over the past 12 months we had been recognised entrants into the Deloitte Fast 50, and also successful finalists into the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards. A lot of hard work had gone into entering these recognition awards, although our entitlement to be there was as a direct consequence of the robust systems and reporting procedures we had placed on all aspects of our business.

After 13 years of ownership and 20 years of association with the business I had only now thought to ask the question 'where to from here'? At the time a simple question to ask, but proved for me, not so simple to answer.

As a direct result, I decided to take extended leave from our business to ponder the question whilst my wife continued to commute daily and attend our obligations located in the CBD. During this time I became aware that for many years I had been missed out on spending quality time with my family, my friends and my passions outside of our business, 'what could I do to remedy that'? I now had two simple questions to find answers for.


I struggled to reach an answer that truly satisfied me on either question I had posed myself and began to feel as though I had no control over my personal direction, although I did know that the route I had been walking for the past 20 years was not the route I wanted to walk for the next 20 years. As is usual in my relationship, it was my wife who had been searching in the background looking for an opportunity that would provide us with the solution.


Four months ago, I retired the business suit. I am no longer taking new business in our old business, and I am adjusting well to working from home with our new business.

I made a big decision, it was time for me to move on to another stage in my life, I am really enjoying my own personal development, striving for my new goals and helping others with theirs, making new friends, walking my dog, travelling overseas, hunting and fishing, learning new tricks and especially spending more time with my wonderful family.


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http://www.livingtodaybychoice.com/
http://knowforyourself.com/ (coupon 143728 for a discount and free gift)