Month completed: October 2009

In an earlier post I mentioned that the new flat that Nat and I moved in to in June has no TV.

Now, in early November, it still doesn’t.

The only TV we now watch is Home and Away (how embarrassing, I know) and the occasional documentary, via the Internet on-demand channels.

I remember back in Melbourne, the latest episode of Survivor, or Australian Idol, or whatever the latest hit show is, was the number one topic of discussion every day in the office.

So missing out on the main TV shows there meant not being part of the discussion.

But one thing I have noticed is that TV is rarely discussed around the office water cooler in London. Activities that people are up to seem to take precedent, which is a welcome change.

After five months now with no TV, I am starting to miss it though. It is nice to plonk in front of the couch at the end of a hard day, and escape with some mindless program.

Maybe I will make it a joint Christmas present for the house

Month completed: September 2009

When I was growing up, we had the 1983 book of Guinness World Records.

In that book was a record for a lady who ate the most baked beans in one minute.

The conditions were that she had to eat them one at a time, and pick them up off the plate with a toothpick.

Being a baked bean fan, I thought this record seemed easy to break. I never broke it though.

But this book, which I loved reading cover to cover, spurned my interest in one day being part of a world record.

And finally, on the same day that I complete my half-marathon, I was also part of a world record.

That record was for the most people in one place dressed up as fruit. Bananas specifically.

There were over 200 of us there, and the world record was secured after we had huddled together for 15 minutes.

Strangely, that 15 minutes was spent doing stretches being run by two of the Gladiators from the UK TV Gladiators series. One of them was Doom (see below), who looked like he was quite keen to be surrounded by a bunch of bananas (yes, nice play on words, I know).

Next plan is a world record that I achieve on my own, but for now, I am proud to say that I am a world record holding banana.

Month completed: September 2009

This goal has been one of the toughest so far.

But one of the most rewarding.

After two months of training, I ran, and completed, the Run to the Beat half-marathon in south London last Sunday, in a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes.

Which is a great time, I think.

Considering I ran the race dressed as a banana!

Yes, a banana.

As part of running for Leukaemia Research, they gave me, and 200 other people, a banana suit to run in.

Being a hot day, and running in a banana suit, is not a good combination, but I was determined not to walk the race, and was very pleased that I got through the race without walking at all.

I felt terrible afterwards, and my legs have only just recovered, but it was definitely worth it.

I raised £450 for Leukaemia Research in the process (you can still donate here) which was a nice addition to this goal.

Would I run another one? Yes. But not for a year or two. And definitely NOT in a banana suit!

Month completed: September 2009

Introducing yourself to others is never an easy thing to do.

Although people almost always say hello back, exchange your handshake or smile back, starting a conversation with a complete stranger is never easy.

So to achieve this goal, I wanted to go somewhere that I would have to introduce myself.

That place, I decided, would be a networking event. One in which I went on my own, and knew not a sole who was there.

And what better networkers are there than entrepreneurs? Not many.

So on Tuesday I went to an entrepreneurs event in west London, on the Thames, which someone handed me a pamphlet for.

Aimed with business cards and a big smile I entered.

Immediately I looked for someone on their own, to start a conversation with.

He was almost relieved when I started speaking with him, which reminded me that starting conversations with strangers is an almost universal fear.

Once we started talking we then became a magnet for others to join our conversation, and by the end of the night, I had spoken to and exchanged business cards with well over the 10 people I was after for this goal.

The event finished at 9pm, but I had such a great time meeting new people that I was one of the last to leave, at 11pm.

I am now looking to feed my entrepreneurial desire, so will definitely be trying to go to more networking events and continuing to say hi to strangers (within reason!).

p.s Apologies for the lack of recent posts – a lot of my time is taken training for the half-marathon at the moment.

[Image via here]

Month completed: July 2009

The three foods I hate, and chose to give a second chance to, were:

• Olives
• Blue Vein Cheese
• Vegemite on toast

Here’s how I went (there are several near-spews along the way):

Month completed: July 2009

Like any good Londoner, I now have a bike.

Like any very good Londoner, I now have a folding bike.

He is orange, and I have named him Banksy, after the iconic London artist/vandal, whose work I dig.

You like?

Here is what Banksy looks like, all folded up at home.

I love riding so much. It cuts down my travel time to work by more than half, and I can stop using public transport. Nat has a bike too, so we are going to start doing lots of weekend rides together – can’t wait!

Month completed: July 2009

This is the space in our new house that a TV should be.

However, since Nat and I moved into our new house a month ago, we have not gotten round to purchasing a TV (the old house had one already, but this one didn’t).

And after a month without TV, I must say I am out of the habit of watching it. With books to read (I am currently on the fourth Harry Potter), a wedding to plan (more on that later), and late nights of work, TV has not been a necessity.

And right now, we are in no rush to change that.

The only thing I do miss is the Ashes, which just started, and would have been good to flick on this weekend.

Month completed: May 2009

As mentioned in a previous post, I went to Bali recently for a bit of rest and relaxation, but also to catch up my family, who I hadn’t seen for nine months, what with me being in the UK, and they in Australia.

One of the activities I did while there was scuba diving (that’s me below), and my experience was a lot different to what I was expecting.

Here’s what I found:

• It is hard to force yourself to be calm, when your only air supply is coming through a mouthpiece that could fall out of your mouth at any moment
• Then there is the stress of making sure you pop your ears every metre, and not coming up too quickly, or you could die
• A thumbs up hand signal does not mean ‘things are all good’. It means ‘I want to go back up to the surface’
• A five minute training session is just about enough (people have been surprised when I told them that was all we had before we went down, but for me, it was enough)
• Being a good swimmer counts for nothing, as it is all about using the flippers properly
• It takes about twenty minutes to stop stressing about losing your mouthpiece, and start actually enjoying the views
• The views of the colourful fish, coral and sea anenome are really amazing
• Being among all the fish and coral is like being on an entirely new planet
• Going down 10 metres doesn’t sound like much, but it actually was

Would I go again? Absolutely. Next time, at the Great Barrier Reef.

Here’s a couple of shots of the event. The first is during the training. I got caught looking very confused. The second is just seconds before going under. The heart was beating fast at that point.

Month completed: June 2009

To achieve this goal, I decided to bring in an expert. Shaun Church approached me after I put the call out on Twitter for someone with the skills to build what I was looking for.

This was back in December, and after six months of blood, sweat and tears, we have created what people may well call…THE GREATEST WEBSITE EVER MADE

Then again, they may not.

But why don’t you head there now, and make up your own mind.

p.s. there is a puzzle hidden within the pages of the website. See if you can solve it!

Month completed: May 2009

A trip this month to Japan to visit great mate Andy allowed me to complete this goal.

While there, we took a trip to Koyasan, a mountain region a few hours from Osaka, and the birthplace and spirital home of Shingon Buddhism, a Japanese form of buddhism formed by Kobo Daishi in the 9th century.

In Koyasan there are lots of different Buddhist temples to stay in, giving visitors the full experience of what Buddhist life is like.

Andy and I spent a night in a temple called Sekishouin, and had a great time.

We wore the Buddhist robes, ate Shojin (an array of different vegetarian food, including seaweed, tofu and bean curd), slept on the floor, drank Japanese tea, and got up at 6.30am for morning prayers. One interesting thing was that the temple had a 9pm curfew, which we only just got back in time for (we went for a quick wander to an ancient graveyard next door).

One thing I didn’t get a chance to do there (but did a few days later) was to wash in an onsen. There were no showers or baths at the temple, so the onsen was the only way to keep clean, and involved washing naked in the presence of other men, in a big communal bath. Andy did it though, and said it wasn’t too pleasant*.

The monks seemed very content with their lives, but for me, one night was enough, and I appreciated the meat dish I had for dinner the following night!

*My experience of an onsen later in the trip was pleasant though, after the initial bizarreness of sharing a bath with naked Japanese men. If you ever go to Japan, I would recommend doing one, because it is a very popular Japanese pastime.