Stories yet to be written

What I love about blogging is I have the ability to develop short stories based on real life experiences and share these stories on an electronic platform that can be read in any country in the world. Naturally I view the world from an Australian perspective, you could also add white male nearly fifty years of age with political views slightly right of centre but more socialist ideals than your average wannabe capitalist.

I loved to read novels, yet since I began studying again, I have lost the time to read anything other than a technical report of reference book - I hope to rectify that in the future. I love literature, yet I had to give that up to read reference books and write essays for what felt like an eternity. That's all over now and I can go back to reading for fun – yay. But what I also like to do is write short stories, I would love to expand this in the future.

I have a number of friends and colleagues who have published novels through small independent publishers and I am interested to expand my writing. I can say I'm enjoying researching and writing a blog and really enjoy the research to expand my personal views and naturally to ensure everything is as accurate as possible. I carry my tablet around with me and write when I can; I jog around my local lake and think out a whole post then have to quickly write up the post before I forget it.

Likewise, when I am diving, I have a whole post written in my mind, I should really carry a slate and a pencil with me to jot down my ideas. I have a list of potential topics in my tablet and mobile phone, whenever I get an idea I quickly jot it down so it isn't forgotten. Then I just need the time to write a post, this is done on both my tablet and notebook computer and I love to write in coffee shops and public places.

I have one of the mini notebook computer that lacks computing power but makes up for in battery life. What gives me the most inspiration is that I know I have so many stories to write, now I just need the time because I am happy to make the effort.

A retirement failure

Once again, people who support themselves not only throughout their working life but into retirement are disadvantaged. The emphasis of the current federal government policy is to erode all the incentives to save for their own retirement instead providing disincentives to save - madness.

The people we elect to represent us in the federal parliament have no such issues, their generous parliamentary retirement plans are paid for by the poor saps who vote for them. Even with the new parliamentary standards for newly elected parliamentarians, their benefits are generous by general community standards.

Individuals who either establish a self managed super fund (SMSF), contribute to their industry or retail fund lose when they lose access the publicly funded pension because they hold assets. It's fine to sacrifice during your working life to lead a rewarding early retirement, you still pay tax on your income derived from self funded pension - albeit at a reduced rate.

Reducing your consumption during the accumulation phase is fine insofar as long as you are willing to sacrifice during your working life but individuals need to understand you are likely to disadvantage yourself during retirement, especially if you intend to delay retirement.

The federal government not only saves money every fortnight by paying a pension, healthcare discounts are not available to self-funded retirees with pensioners gaining discounts from government utilities to transport and pharmaceuticals. Many believe they should purchase larger houses, luxury cars, take overseas holidays, boats, jet ski, 4WDs, big TVs or motorbikes to live their lives when they are young and carefree.

The best strategy is to retire at age 60 immediately accessing your SMSF and enjoying life for the next 10 years whilst you are fit enough to travel, gain life experiences whilst possessing the mobility to do so. Currently the retirement age that allows an individual access the public pension is 67; however, by the time my age group is getting close to retirement age it is expected to be raised to age 70.

The average life expectancy in Australia is 82; so an average 70 year retiring has 12 years of retirement so their the average. The average superannuation balance at retirement is $322,000 for men and $180,000 for women; so one expects to pull down $26,830 per year for men and $15,000 for women or a combined $41,830 for a couple - that's actually fairly reasonable.     

Annoying Facebook waves

What is it with these stupid fucking waves on Facebook? As I drag my curser down on my laptop computer or run my finger down my phone, I have already sent a number of waves to friends and it must annoy the hell out of them, it certainly annoys me when I accidentally send a wave.

Firstly, who comes up with this rubbish? Then secondly, the question is, how do I turn it off? I have tried and so far failed, there must be a way. There are stories of these waves sent to ex-partners, managers and people not even known which may actually be better. Now that Mark Zuckerburg has fronted a Congressional hearing, I thought Facebook management would be less inclined to introduce such annoying features whilst trying to remain relevant.

Naturally, I respect Mark Zuckerburg and Priscilla Chan for their pledge to donate their fortune to charities but since Mark Zuckerburg stated he is very hands-on at the business, he is the face of the company so we hold him responsible.

The Dream of the Blue Turtles

When Sting released The Dream of the Blue Turtles back in 1985 I didn't race out and immediately purchase the album; well, I didn't need to as a number of singles got plenty of air time on the radio.

The album reached number one in Australia so we never really needed to race out and purchase the album, a friend had this in his collection so we listened to his. It wasn't until twelve years after the album's release that I really became interested in The Dream of the Blue Turtles. I was working in Turkey in a dive shop in the Mediterranean village of Kaş and we had a cassette in the vehicle.

At the end of each day we would collect all the used scuba cylinders and take them up to the compressor for filling. Needless to say, we listened to that cassette over and over on a daily basis - we never got sick of it. Even if we swapped cassettes during filling, The Dream of the Blue Turtles would end up in the player again. It wasn't until my return to Australia that I finally purchased my own CD of this album for my collection.

My favourite song on the album is Russians, the nuclear disarmament melody. I really identify with Children's Crusade and the young lives lost in World War I and We work the Black Seam, the plight of underground miners and the UK coal miner's strike in the UK. Even after all this time The Dream of the Blue Turtles is still one of my favourite albums.  

1. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free
2. Love Is The Seventh Wave 
3. Russians
4. Children's Crusade 
5. Shadows In The Rain 
6. We Work The Black Seam
7. Consider Me Gone
8. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
9. Moon Over Bourbon Street
10. Fortress Around Your Heart

The Omega James Bond Commander's limited edition

Looking over the Omega Diver 300 series, the Omega twenty-two year association with the James Bond franchise has brought about some limited release watches. Dedicated to the role of product placement, the Commander series is one such timepiece. But really, I'm not sold on a watch based on a fictional movie character; at least with the TAG Heuer Senna series, Arton Senna was a brand ambassador before his tragic death.

Omega had the chance to design something special, the white face is different to the existing series, the scalloped bezel is standard Diver 300 with ceramic insert. I have never been a big fan of the NATO strap but on this occasion I think it works, the colour scheme is related to the military insignia. What really irks me is the 007 counterweight on the second hand; to my thinking, this is really crass and this single feature prevents me from ever purchasing this timepiece.

Unfortunately, the 007 also spells LOO when the secondhand moves through a portion of the arc when the secondhand is inverted; an engineering oversight if ever I have seen one. The date has a red 7 numeral with the remainder of the date numerals coloured blue, this is somewhat pretentious in my view.

The display caseback allows the wearer to view the partial in-house 2500 co-axial movement; I say partial as the 2500 is designed on the base ETA 2824-2 movement within the Swatch Group. As such, the technical aspects of this timepiece is identical to any Diver 300. The standard Diver 300 is fitted with the solid laser etched case back.

Unlike a standard Diver 300, the Commander's watch is fitted with a display caseback. The caseback ring is etched with the limited edition Commander's markings and build number, this is fine as this is worn against the wrist only being identified when inspecting the watch.

There are 7007 watches to be produced within the series with a further 007 gold cases manufactured; that's just a plain 7 gold case timepieces to the rest of us. No doubt the Commander's series will be well subscribed on a worldwide scale - it just won't be me.

Singapore Airlines - Elite Silver

After years of flying with Singapore Airlines, I have finally cracked Elite Silver, yet apart from some baggage tags and a flashy new membership card, I really don't know what this status upgrade gets me.

So some research is in order, what exactly is Elite Silver? For starters, you get a 25% increase in Kris Flyer miles. As this status is time based, a further 25,000 Kris Flyer miles added to your account results in an automatic 12 month extension but I'm yet to find out if this gets me entrance to the SilverKris Lounge, priority boarding or priority check-in?

Checking the Singapore Airlines website, I couldn't really garner any further information. Regardless, I'm happy to get a 12 month access to to Elite Silver status so I guess I'll find out on my next flight because I forgot to try it out on my last flights.

The war on drugs or legal death squads?

Is there any justice in the world? Highly unlikely, you can't bring a person back to life but maybe those responsible for their death may face prosecution. Police officers Arnel Oares, Jerwin Cruz and Jeremmas Pereda are no doubt hoping the notoriously corrupt justice system in the Philippines will fail to adequately investigate the matter with the Duterte administration supporting the war on drugs.

The police officers are accused of murdering seventeen year old Kian Loyd Delos Santos after dragging the teenager into a dark alley and executing him. It was alleged by the police officers that Kian Loyd Delos Santos endangered police lives drawing a hand gun and firing at officers. President Duterte's war on drugs has claimed over 12,000 lives and tend to follow a pattern; the alleged drug courier engages in a shootout with police, the police officers are forced to defend themselves and the drug pusher is shot. For a police force with a famously poor aim and marksmanship, they appear to be able to suddenly hit plenty of targets.

The CCTV footage would suggest otherwise, two plainclothes police officers can be seen dragging Kian Loyd Delos Santos into the lane way where he was executed before drugs and a hand gun were alleged to have been planted. There is plenty of corruption in South East Asia, the Philippines is an economic under performer due to the institutionalised corruption. No doubt the officers were unaware of the CCTV cameras and the existence of the footage, their statements don't match the footage. This may be enough to convict the police officers and suspend Duterte's war on drugs but don't bet on it, this is a political program. 

Mother's day madness or the brave new world

I saw the headline flash across my newsfeed, Mother's Day cards will no longer use the word mum. So the headline took my interest and despite I clicked onto the article and found there was no official push to remove Mother's Day from our calendar. This is just a UK supermarket selling gender neutral cards titled Happy You Day where the word mother doesn't appear on the card - ironic.

Scrolling through the comments section, I saw the usual faux outrage, the personal attacks and taunts of snowflake and other barbs plus the usual trolls baiting the susceptible. I read the comments to attempt to gauge the public opinion but I find they are dominated by the same old hacks personally attacking any views different to their own. I  don't care if they are left wing, progressive, right wing or conservative - you can state your opinion without attacking others.

I had always thought Mother's Day, and Father's Day for that matter was some slick marketing campaign designed to get us to part with out cash. To be honest, I never held much credence in Mother's Day - why be nice to your mother just one day a year? So when I started searching and found that Mother's Day actually has origins in ancient Greece and Rome - I was surprised.

Whilst Anna Jarvis is credited with founding the modern Mother's Day in the United States in 1908, this was also an anti-war movement sediment that was promoted by her own mother who had died three years earlier. There were some great ideas with fundraising for charitable purposes such as mothers of poor families and mothers of World War I veterans.

Ironically, Jarvis then fought against the commercialisation of Mother's Day actually going broke in the process, even the charitable objectives. She dubbed the promoters Christian pirates and was against the notion of the poor mother as she believed charity made them the object of pity. I can't say I now have a new found respect for Mother's Day because the crass commercialisation has overtaken the day but at least I know it didn't start out that way.

Rolex and yacht racing

Rolex is a brand associated with a multitude of sports from the British Open, Formula One, golf, equestrian and sailing. The Rolex sponsorship of major sailing events supports the branding of their product aligned to sports that high net worth individuals support.

Rolex sponsors major and prestigious regattas and events from the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the Maxi Cup, the Swan Cup, the Fastnet Cup and the Farr® 40 world championship. Rolex is a luxury brand and yacht racing is seen as a rich man's sport along with golf, horses and tennis; motor racing attracts high net worth individuals. Forget what the Americans say, Formula One is the pinnacle of motor racing. It is not hard to see Rolex advertising is strongly aligned to the very sports its clients support.

Why is churning out lawyers bad?

When Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull commented on the over-supply of law graduates, he should know, he has first hand experience both as a lawyer and as a businessman. Universities are churning out law students in record numbers and the industry doesn't appear able to support the number of law graduates - Turnbull is right to be concerned.

Law is an important skill for political leaders, current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has a law degree, former Prime Ministers Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, John Howard and Bob Hawke were all law graduates along with hopeful Prime Ministerial candidate and Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten. Regardless of party affiliation, law is an an important CV filler for a politician. One could argue that that law is important for business, it is an important skill set that may assist board decisions. Senior managers could well comprehend the consequences of their proposed actions and possible/probable repercussions for stakeholders.

Three arguments about law courses and lawyers generally exist, there are:

1. A law course is relatively inexpensive to set up; all that is required is a library of law references with space for as many students that can be crammed into a lecture hall.
2. When a case does go to court, 50% of lawyers will be wrong; this is an appalling failure rate that would not be tolerated in other professions.
3. Regardless of an over-supply of lawyers, competitive forces do not result in the cost of their services reducing, not that I have seen anyway. So much for the marketplace determining their value.

All jokes aside, the question is, do we allocate scarce resources to law courses where graduates have little chance of success in an open market. Law is important, why not better incorporate law units into business and commerce courses; possibly even a major in corporate law, contract management, economics, finance or international business. I hate seeing young people get into to debt at tertiary educational institutes and then lack the employment opportunities to pay back their fees and progress their careers.

What is a Plant Mechanic?

In Australia, in many cases a trade is more valuable than most university degrees bar the top degrees of medicine, engineering, science and law. A technical trade is more valuable again providing wonderful opportunities for tradespeople around the country and the dominant feature of an apprenticeship is you get paid to learn.

An engineering trade encompasses the maintenance and repair of mobile plant machinery in engineering workshops and in the field. This is a broad trade involving engines, fuel systems, transmissions and drivetrains, steering, suspensions, hydraulics, low voltage electrics and electronics. People also have the opportunity for specialisation although I have always thought a generalised skill-set offers greater opportunity and earning potential over an extended period.

Plant Mechanics are employed in a variety of industries including open cut mining, underground mining, earthmoving, civil construction, diesel fuel injection, fork lift, elevated work platforms, ancillary equipment, marine, rail, exploration drilling, agricultural equipment, turbines, power generation, cranes and lifting equipment. My background began in civil construction before moving to open cut mining and then onto underground mining and that included short stints in marine, exploration drilling and power generation based in short-term contracts.

For myself, this has been a wonderful trade, I have gained personal freedom, the opportunity to travel, financial freedom and a large dose of self-esteem and self worth. The days of a grease monkey are history as modern machine systems require high level technical skills, diagnostic abilities, problem-solving skills, analytic skills whilst retaining a degree of manual dexterity and hand skills. Despite this, this trade offers wonderful opportunities for women as the trade is less about strength and more about knowledge application. 

Dior - Blooming Bouquet

Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet is a tender floral bouquet that is delicate and light. This perfume is described as a springtime bouquet with a hint of elegant and light woody notes with white musk notes delicately wrapped around this springtime fragrance.

That's a very complex description that far exceeds my ability to identify individual notes within the fragrance. I just hoped this is what she wanted, Christian Dior is supposed to be excellent quality - I hope I'm right. I purchased a bottle at great expense for my partner and whilst she liked the scent, she was left a little disappointed with perfume longevity.

According to the notes, the fruity top notes of essence of Sicilian orange combine with a tender floral heart dominated by Peony and Damask Rose. What I do know is that when women wear this Dior perfume, I'm told they are unable to identify this fragrance on themselves. I reckon this has to be a positive as men can't stand overbearing perfume.

However, the complaints I have heard is that this fragrance doesn't last. As an eau de toilet, this is about right as this lightly scented cologne has a reasonably high alcohol content and as such a weaker concentration than a eau de parfum. I wish I had known this before I purchased this as a gift as it would have saved some disappointment. 

Gun control in Australia

Former Prime Minister John Howard stated he admired many things about Americans, however their culture of gun ownership was not one of them. The 1996 Port Arthur massacre was very personal to me, I worked together with the first person to be killed during the mass shooting.

Katie was a young woman full of hope and substance, she had spoken of her excitement of her trip to Tasmania weeks before her trip. She had an outgoing and friendly personality - everyone liked her. Back then, I was a fly in/fly out mining worker getting ready to embark on my first backpacking trip to Europe, my life was full of hope and aspiration as well.

Nowhere written in the Australian constitution is the right to bear arms, if you run an incompetent government, the Governor General has the power to sack the Prime Minister, as Gough Whitlam found out, there is no need to overthrow the government in violent uprising - that's what the polling booth is for.

Likewise, John Howard was also reminded of the democratic process when his government was relieved of its duties following the 2007 federal election. Both times an uprising occurred, in Howard's case, as Prime Minister for nearly 12 years (the second longest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history) the people felt his highly competent government had been in power long enough and it was time for a change.

The people of Australia transitioned power in a democratic manner, there is no requirement to bear arms and overthrow the government. There is a role for guns in Australia from the military, police forces and even farmers who need guns for various roles - the average Australian however doesn't require a gun.