Indian food and Indian cricket

Much to my embarrassment, I do not know much about India apart from Indian food and Indian cricket. Well, apart from the fact that all my interactions with the people I have met have been positive. 

With just over a billion inhabitants and a long history, India is the dominant culture in central Asia. I admit to not knowing much about Indian history, that is even post-British colonisation. Since Indian independence in 1948, I know more about this period of Indian history than the rest combined.

As a cricketing nation, Australia and India have a very fierce rivalry on the field. Hopefully the shared values that occurred through sport can transcend the sporting field to business and cultural interests. What I am going to do is a little research of Indian history, I do have an interest and would like to know more about pre-British colonisation.

Stress with interest

I am really enjoying watching the mayhem unfold, I am a firm believer in returning stress with interest and that is exactly what is occurring. They are not enjoying the attention or the stress that they are experiencing - well, that’s too bad.

Now we have a situation where the special interest group who have only their own interest in mind are failing us again. So where does this leave us? Well, for me it isn't so bad as I just don't care anymore.

Watching them squirm, well that is fun, the lax working conditions they have become accustomed to are now becoming so stressful, it just isn't worth it anymore. As the pressure increases, watching the effects is an interesting case study. 

Bypassing merit selection principles to achieve manufactured consent are their tools of trade, maybe they have a high tolerance to stress - let’s prove this theory. Apparently, promotion without process comes at a cost, now we will see the cost people are willing to pay. 

Back in Brussels

This was not the first time I had been to Brussels, I had spent a couple of days back in around 2004, not long before my brother married his now wife Marieke.

They are still happily married and living in Sydney, I remember this time well as I was happily hanging in Zurich and returned for their wedding - just dont ask me the date or the year. Owing to circumstances, I never returned to Zurich at that time and haven't been back since, it was, I guess, a pivotal point in my life.

As I recall, Brussels wasn't the cleanest city in Europe, in fact, I found it pretty run down. Yes, Brussels has plenty to off the weekender in terms of sightseeing, there was plenty to do.

Now, close to eighteen years later, I’m seeing more of the same. Yes, Manekin Piss is still a drawcard, Grand-Place de Bruxelles is magnificent as is wandering the streets looking at bars, restaurants, waffle sellers and chocolate shops.

I have to ask myself, do you revisit a city you have been to before or an entirely new city. For me, revisiting Brussels was great because we used this city as a central location for visiting other cities in Belgium.

We had our arrival day, that was a bus from Luxembourg City that took over three hours with a midday departure. After finding accommodation, that left the late afternoon and evening to look around the city. We then spent the next day walking around checking the sights of Brussels.

Then a day in Ghent, the next in Antwerp, the following day in Bruges and the final day in Liege. Belgium has a great train network with the major cities easily accessible from a base in Brussels.

Final day in Frankfurt

Well, we came full circle, we began this trip in Frankfurt and we ended in Frankfurt four weeks later. Plenty changed, we arrived at the start of September and the weather was still warm, our final day was warm in Stuttgart in the morning and cool to cold in Frankfurt.

I wanted to get back to the mall where the pop-up bars created such a great vibe on a warm Friday evening but to our disappointment, the bars were all packed up and gone except for one food vendor who was yet to pack up.

I think Frankfurt is a city I could live in, it is large enough without being too big. I liked the vibe of the city, this is interesting as I was never especially interested in visiting Frankfurt. I had been only the once before where I landed and immediately caught the train for Basel and onto Zurich.

I had also transited through the airport on a number of occasions without leaving the airport so I couldn't say I have ever visited this city. Now, I will fly into Frankfurt in the future and begin European trips from this important transport hub, already looking forward to my next visit.

A hydraulic trainer - swing and a miss

So a job came up as a Hydraulic Trainer in Kazakhstan, the remuneration wasn't as good as I expected but I decided to give it a go anyway. The problem is the job was advertised through a recruitment firm and they have been less than professional.

I had seen the position advertised about six months ago so I had some apprehension, why did the last person only last such a short amount of time? Was the incumbent not up to the job? Possibly, but as this was a worldwide search then one would expect a professional selection and recruitment process.

Kazakhstan is a miserably cold country, possibly the conditions were too harsh for the incumbent, there may have been management issues or even performance problems, the facilities were not up to scratch or no resources existed.

I firmly believe that from uncertainty comes opportunity so the more disorganised and under-performing the facility is, the greater chance to turn it around. There is also a worldwide search going on for a Training Manager, this may have something to do with retention. I would be looking forward to such an opportunity - always up to the challenge.

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five

The Oris site tells us that the Oris Divers Sixty-Five shares the retro looks of the 1960s original and enhanced with 21st century watchmaking techniques. 1960s inspired timepieces are currently very popular, especially rugged series divers watches, but I wonder is this is just a fad like over-sized watches.

Unfortunately for me, I incorrectly thought there are no Oris dealers in Perth so I had to check out their timepieces when I am overseas. This wasn't an issue for me as I'm able to check out their watches without the pressure to purchase.

For some unexplained reason, I fell less stress browsing overseas than I do in Australia despite receiving no sales staff pressure despite making the bulk of my purchases in Australia. I then found Hardy Brothers Jewellers in King Street and JR Duty Free at the international airport are dealers. 

The 01 733 7707 4064-07 4 20 18 reference is the 40 mm stainless steel case housing the 733 self-winding automatic movement with bi-directional red Oris rotor, a 36 mm case is available too for smaller wrists. The Oris Divers Sixty-Five is fitted with the Sellita SW200-1 base movement with 4 Hz frequency at 28,800 BPH.

This is a workhorse movement that is gaining a strong reputation although some watchmakers would argue the finish isn't as great as the ETA 2824-2, if you have a display case-back then the movement finish is usually pretty good.

The 26 jewel movement holds a 38 hour power reserve displaying three hands and the date window at the 6 o'clock position. Unlike the Aquis Date, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five isn't fitted with a display case-back to showcase the movement.

The band may be either a black rubber, three link stainless steel, leather or textile; I think my preference would be a NATO strap although I have seen a number of rubber bands on the Oris looking pretty special.

I cannot understand why anyone would want a leather strap on a dive watch, I am a diver and I take my watch diving with me not leaving it in the hotel room or in my dry bag on the boat running the risk of being stolen.

The Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a nice style watch drawing on the watchmaking history to offer a fairly versatile timepiece meeting their customer's needs. I am pretty sure this is their timepiece in most demand, this is based on online comments and conversations with retailers.

Penfolds - the taste of freedom

So with China devastating Australian exports with 200% tariffs, Penfolds needs to expand their export markets beyond China. Penfolds, along with other winemakers need to diversify markets out of China and into the glasses of reliable partners. 

The Chinese market accounts for 30% of earnings; however, Penfolds will be able to reallocate supply to emerging markets. Whilst the tariffs are set until March 2021, they may be extended to August depending on Chinese indecision and the willingness to punish Australian exporters. 

This really gives Penfolds the opportunity to explore new and unsatisfied markets, one has to ask, is China really a trusted partner? If Treasury Wines is able to divest out of the unreliable Chinese market, why would they return when they could suffer the same issues again?

This is a shame, we don’t have an issue with the Chinese consumer, it is the Chinese leadership, or lack of leadership that is the problem. When Penfolds develops new markets, they have the opportunity to step away from the Chinese market and just concentrate on these new consumers.

They have the ability to tell China, thanks but no thanks and supply diversified luxury markets with willing consumers. This is a polite fuck you to the CCP, why should a company like Penfolds deal with such an untrustworthy market? Sure, the Chinese market is lucrative, but Treasury Wines, the owner of the Penfolds brand requires honest conditions to operate. 

A 10 hour flight from Dubai to Perth

It's a long flight from Dubai to Perth, 10 hours flying time is not time well, spent, it is neither entertaining or exciting, it is a means to an end and that's it.

Actually, I prefer train journeys as I find the trip more exciting and even the high speed express train pulls into stations every now and again. Still, there is an entertainment system and I have my tablet to tap away on.

What I have learned about Emirates is their service has dropped, actually, dropped quite significantly. Still, if you had never flown with the airline before you would think everything was just fine. That was before coronavirus grounded aircraft around the world, I would like to see what their service level is now.

What amazed me was they finished the alcohol service early, you ask for a glass of wine and you are told no. Of course they will sell you alcohol on an international flight but I was going for that, we were not drinking excessively.

In fact, we didn't have any drinks after our dinner, it was pretty much a dry flight - I think I will be looking for new flight options in the future. Emirates keeps a prety tight leash on drinks these days, we are not talking about everyone rolling around the aisles drunk, just a drink wit h youf meal and one afterwards.

As strong and active alumni

I have found out that an MBA qualification delivered by a business school without a strong and active alumni really isn't worth the enrollment fees.

When you enrol in a second or third tier business school you really need to undertake a cost/value analysis. As strong alumni tends to be associated with the top business schools across the world.

Business schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia or Chicago Booth in the US or Insead, IE Business School, ISLE or Said in Europe all attract strong candidates and have strong and active alumni networks.

Recruitment from these schools is strong, recruiters will actually approach these business schools seeking talent. An active alumni is important, there is a sense of shared ownership and the connections to business is invaluable.

Finally, the business school I undertook my MBA got an online alumni up and running but it didn’t help me when I graduated as it wasn’t up and running then. This is unfortunate as Torrens University is a new university but since it is part of the Laureate Network, they should have already invested in such resources.

The two year degree in the US includes internships where candidates work on projects, I guess according to their majors. This employer network is certainly a recruiting tool for both candidates and firms seeking top talent, this is certainly a strong selling point to attract the best candidates.

Universities are really defacto recruitment firms in many respects, internal networking within the MBA group should lead to potential entrepreneurial ideas, potential recruitment and investment. The best business schools have the most strong and active alumni and the second and third tier business schools should emulate these networks.

An MBA is a degree in general management

Business education was once a vocational education domain, so what changed? An MBA was once an entrepreneurial degree for professionals, this changed from the initial syllabus. Whilst MBA curriculum from the leading business schools is still focused on entrepreneurial activity, the trend is moving towards a more general management degree.

An MBA is a degree in general management; sure, specialist degrees exist in areas such as finance, operations management, human resources management, marketing, international business, accounting, supply chain management, media and communications, information systems and strategy.

But the base MBA degree targets a more generalised educational outcome with the ability to undertake a major specialisation. Based on discussions, a number of business schools no longer offer specialisations as they were not popular courses.

The specialisation majors such as marketing, finance or supply chain management are aligned to specialist business schools. Speaking to recruiting officers, the trend has returned to a more generalist MBAs as graduates are seeking a well-rounded education.

Collaborating with Google Docs

I first learnt the value of collaborating with Google Docs during postgraduate study when undertaking group assignments. This was the program of choice, as well all had gmail accounts with the learning institute, it was simple enough to utilise these tools to advantage.

We were able to share and edit documents live, you could also see the edits and who entered what section of text. It was great to watch some working live on the collaborative document while you watched, you could actually see them writing the text.

We decided on an individual text colour so it was easy to identify each individual author although the program indicated each individual. There is plenty to like about using Google Docs as a learning tool, naturally, you have to be careful with anything deemed confidential on an online platform.

I prefer to work live using coloured text so that I know when each section is completed, when I have finished them I change to standard black text. Whilst I used this program for study, I am aware of the applications for virtual teams to work on documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

A program such as Google Docs has the ability to wrestle the monopoly away from Microsoft Office. Now we have greater choices and competitive forces will allow us to move away from Microsoft programs.

How we beat Covid-19 in Western Australia

In Western Australia we never had a first wave of Covid-19, thus far, there has been no second wave. This makes sense since we really can’t have a second wave if we never had a first wave.

The state government acted decisively based on medical advice, the first move was to close the border between the states. Then they created internal intra-state borders preventing movement of people around the state to limit transmission of the virus.

This wasn’t necessary as we really had no community transmission. Indigenous communities were off limits and locked down. This was really required as these indigenous communities are more susceptible to the virus according to expert medical opinion.

As with the rest of Australia, the state government set up quarantine for returning international travellers, this has pretty much stopped Covid-19 all together. We don’t wear masks, we haven’t been locked down like the other states or parts of the world - life goes on as normal.

Our life went on pretty much as before, initially businesses were shut down around the nation and the job-keeper program kept the money rolling in for those affected. For those of us who kept working, we had the option from working from home if we were employed in office roles.

Essential workers kept going to their workplaces, they followed social distancing and retail or customer service staff had perspex barriers erected. There was hand sanitiser everywhere and you were expected to use it.

That being said, our life in Western Australia went on pretty much as normal, there was no international travel but apart from that, Covid-19 pretty much never affected me. Even interstate travel was out for the majority of us - it was required.

Sure, we couldn’t head down the pub, sporting events or a concert for a while but that wasn’t a high price to pay considering what was at stake. People knew what had to be done and just got on with it and we lived in a little bubble free from Covid-19.

How to spot a Chinese troll

When a person reads news stories online, they will invariably come across Chinese trolls, if they comment on social media, especially on news stories related to Chinese indiscretions, then they will no doubt be targeted by state funded Chinese trolls.

Firstly, there is the Great Firewall of China, ordinary Chinese citizens are blocked from a variety of internet sites ranging from Google, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat and all the news media. So if they are commenting, this means they have been given access.

They may have been allowed to move outside of China and whilst Chinese dystopia is always a threatening influence, the sphere of influence is frighteningly hostile. The social credit monitoring allows these individuals to amass points.

Chinese citizen's online options are monitored, and censored by the CCP and whilst offered some Chinese sites such as Alibaba, Weibo and Baidu - their options are limited and highly censored. The xiǎo fěnhóng have been given access to international sites and are reportedly paid 50 cents per post.

The Great Firewall of China can keep its citizens under control, the wumao are enlisted to operate outside of this firewall. They are keen to get in an online stoush with you, they get paid for this. This is their modus operandi - so don't get caught up in this. 

You work them out pretty quick, they are abusive and they engage in racially aggressive slander. Never get caught up in this racial abuse, they are baiting you. These trolls are easy to spot, I do like exposing them online, they try to gang up on individuals, you stir them up, not the other way around.  

The more you argue with them, the more money they get and undoubtedly win more credence with their supervisors. Stir them up, get them to pile on and then sign out of the conversation, block any notifications and then laugh at them.

Chinese propaganda - typical disgraceful behaviour by a regime unable to engage in diplomacy

What the dumbarse politicians from the CCP just don’t get is the transparency that Australia has just displayed in bringing the war crimes to public attention. We all know the CCP is the Corrupt Corona Party who unleashed the virus upon the world through their inaction and incompetence lack any such transparency. 

Certain members of the SASR went rogue over in Afghanistan, they were reported by their peers and an enquiry was opened to investigate the matter - it hasn’t been covered up. Whilst this was a small element, the nation is working to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

We all know Lijian Zhao is a blowhard, he is trying hard to please his masters in Beijing. He is trying to garnish favours at the CCP - everyone can see that. Even for China, this is a new low in their lack of ability in international diplomacy.

Lijian should think himself lucky he even has a Twitter account. Apart from the xiǎo fěnhóng who are paid to regurgitate CCP propaganda on the internet. Average Chinese citizens have no access to Twitter, Facebook, Google or Youtube and are instead locked behind the Great Firewall of China.

What these deadshits in the CCP fail to appreciate is Australia as a sovereign nation won’t bow down to China. Their plan is they will use Australia’s liberal democracy to undermine the elected government.

The CCP are dirty Australia has successfully orchestrated an international investigation into the origins of the Coronavirus that we know China is working overtime to cover up. This has embarrassed the CCP internationally, they are currently profiteering from manufacturing safety equipment to fight their virus.

The CCP is anything but democratic, they are stuck with a shithead for life. Winnie the Pooh is leading China down a dangerous line and they can’t pull back without getting rid of this patsy faced despot. I just hope the Biden administration is up to dealing with China and hold them accountable for their indiscretions.

The Chinese system is different, the Chinese people are stuck for life with Xi Jinping, they don’t know what a democratic system is with Lijian trying hard to perform favours for him. The CCP needs to be cleaned out, they are a very dangerous regime.

The wumao are masquerading as xiǎo fěnhóng earn very little for their online trolling. Lijian is paid better than the xiǎo fěnhóng who is happy to sell all principles and scruples which were mostly lacking in the first place. He just kowtows to an internal audience intent of keeping Winnie in power and has no international influence whatsoever. 

We all see through Chinese fake images, they are as fake as the lousy products they produce from their stolen intellectual property. They are just a nation of thieves with no morals, ethics, values or integrity and we see this again and again.

Heading up to the waterfall

I had just returned from my offshore rotation, I had done ten weeks straight and had a couple of weeks back at home - I really needed it.

I really enjoyed this job, you need your breaks too, time to recharge before returning, it was a good break, a short trip to Singapore and a trip down the holiday house. I had some work commitments to perform, some short meetings and then prepare to return to site.

I returned to site and was straight back at work, I had meetings to attend as the area was not running well. There was the flight from Perth to Johannesburg, step off the flight, board the company charter jet and get in to work.

I was jet lagged, I did the Saturday shift, fixed my bike up and then headed off at 6 am Sunday morning. It was going to be a 96 km bike ride to the waterfall return trip, this was through tracks and some roads.

Needless to say, the trip to the waterfall is an uphill ride through some pretty unforgiving Congo jungle in the wet season. On a positive note, the return trip was going to be downhill and boy, were some of those slopes steep.

It was an excellent ride, sure, it was hard but you never remember the easy trips, there is no challenge in that. Ok, it is true I got a little banged up on the trip home, yes, it could have gone a little better, this was a life experience I won't forget and I wouldn't change anything.

Leadership studies

I became interested in leadership studies when a friend of mine was undertaking her MBA studies. We met as her son was learning to dive through our dive centre. She would drop him off before racing home to study and write up her assignments.

I was very interested in what she was doing and I was even more interested to learn she was working at the university as a marker. What a great way to gain exposure to both strong and weak academic papers. She has an opportunity to learn from the very students she marked.

So when she decided to head back to university to research and write her thesis on leadership, I was acutely interested in following her progress. Leadership is such an interesting and finicky issue, plenty of people write up leadership skills in their CVs yet I wonder how many actually demonstrate actual effective leadership qualities in the workplace?

I see motivational pictures mounted on the wall of an eagle soaring over the mountains looking down over the valley below. This isn't leadership; a manager, or indeed a director needs to inspire people through a shared vision that empowers team members to create value in the organisation.

When I see a leadership poster hanging on a wall all I see is an example of leadership lacking. I am yet to see the workers buying into a culture and vision, this is just token symbolism that fails to create the team-work that leads to outstanding performance.

Koblenz - where the Rhine meets the Mosel

Koblenz is a quaint little city located on the junction where the Rhine River meets the Mosel River. We were travelling up the Rhine by a combination of train and river boat, Koblenz is a logical short stop before heading down the Mosel river to Trier.

For me, just a day was needed to look around, there was the Festung Ehrenbreitstein Fortress to look around after taking the cable car across the Rhine, you can really see the different colours of the Rhine River and Mosel River - amazing.

I was reliably informed it is worth waiting around for cable car #17 as it has a glass floor. That is not entirely correct, it has a glass viewing box to look out the bottom, not bad and worth the wait although there is enough glass in the cable car to view the fantastic scenes.

After we got off the cable car we wandered around to the Memorial of German Unity where a band was set up, there were bars and food stalls with decent views of the fortress, Rhine River and the Mosel River. A number of river cruise boats were moored alongside the waterfront, it's a decent place to spend for an overnight trip.

Tradies - the new class of entrepreneur

Tradies are the new class of entrepreneurs in Australia and this is a positive step forward. For the uninitiated, what is a tradie? A trade is defined as a vocational occupation with skills and knowledge developed through a formal apprenticeship.

Trades can be divided into market sectors from the engineering sectors employing machinists, fitters, boilermakers and welders, technicians and plant mechanics. There is the building sector requiring bricklayers, tillers, plumbers, carpenters, cabinet makers, plasters and painters.

The automotive industry requires light vehicle (car) mechanics, heavy vehicle (truck and bus) mechanics, motorbike mechanics, spray painters, automotive electricians, panel beaters and auto body finishers.

Then there is the hospitality sector with chefs, baristas and wait staff all dedicated to the consumer experience. There is hairdressing and beauticians, sports and recreation, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, mining and retailing.

What we are seeing is entrepreneurial tradies opening plumbing businesses, carpentry shops, contract tilers offering their services business to business (B2B), electrical repairers advertising directly to the public and opening retail premises.

Why sit through years of university for a worthless degree with little to no job prospects when you could complete a trade in the same timeframe earning money as you progress and completing your qualification with no student debt.

With the exception of the STEM areas where there is a definite requirement and demand, many tertiary areas do not have sufficient vacancies. I feel that if an individual then wants to progress to university as a mature age entrant then all good - that's what I did.

Tradies are completing apprenticeships, gaining further experience and then engaging in entrepreneurship to ply their trade - fantastic. Their skills and knowledge are in demand and they are employing people adding value to the economy.

Missing a Hong Kong stopover

I have been to Hong Kong before but I still really like to walk around and see the city, the last time I was in Hong Kong was just as I was completing my university studies, I recall working on my final unit in the hotel room.

There are riots and civil unrest going on, I have been in riots before by accident, this is not something I wasn't to willingly engage in. For me, the most important issue was making my flight so I didn't want to get caught up in any disturbances.

Besides, the flight left at 3:05 pm so I needed to be back at 1 pm to be safe. With travel time to and from, it is a lot of effort for a couple of hours in the city. Not this time I guess, today just wasn't worth the effort or the risk.

The information age - full of misinformation

Apparently we are living in the Information Age, we are now exposed to an unlimited supply of data that even the most astute and educated individuals in the history of the world have never been exposed to before.

In not only previous generations but previous cultures, knowledge was power. Only the elite were educated, the masses were dominated by the ruling class left to fend for themselves. Hence, only royalty and nobility were educated; an argument may be put forward that this was to keep the elite in power - it's hard to deny.

Unfortunately this almost unlimited supply of information has somehow been corrupted with misinformation, conspiracy theories and interference by hostile governments and groups. The internet is the tool to spread misinformation, ironically, this should be the method to share true and correct information.

Yet, what I see on forums and online discussions is anything but informed and rational discussion. The lack of knowledge presented when an individual clearly has the ability to research topics and information from reputable sources is reasonably straightforward.

However, this is rarely the case as next to nobody owns encyclopedias anymore, people don’t have reference books or cite published and peer reviewed research, they prefer to reference Youtube, alternative news sites instead of mainstream news.

Now, whilst some better known sites have gone tabloid, the genuine news sites are definitely easy to spot. It isn’t difficult to work out what is a genuine news site, yet, many seem incapable to do so from the flat earth society, faked moon landings, the US government staging the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Area 51 other alien stories.

Crony selection

If you have been gifted a position in the government where you have not met merit selection based on addressing formal selection criteria, then you are in a crony position - it is really that easy.

Public sector selection principles require a merit selection process meeting employment standards as set out in public sector standards of human resource management. The merit selection process falls under four equity principles.

Merit selection requires a proper assessment of the KSAs, that’s knowledge, skills and abilities that is relevant to the position. The equity principle requires employment decisions to be free from bias, nepotism or patronage.

Patronage is the power to control appointments and deemed a privilege bestowed upon certain persons. Patronage is a form of favouritism that is deemed to be an abuse of power that rewards individuals or groups that is a corrupt process.

The interest principle is related to secondment where the employee’s interests are taken into account, in essence, this is to prevent bullying where an employee is not coerced into a position that is detrimental and consents. The transparency principle ensures employment decisions are capable of reviews.

So, where does that leave us? If government departments are promoting people without meeting selection requirements, the opportunities for corruption are increased. This can be the only reason they are bypassing required protocol. 

Notwithstanding, productivity is decreased because yes men and/or social climbers are the only ones parachuted into the best positions and team motivation decreases. They are the only ones in the organisation who benefit - not the people performing the work. 

You will see less collaboration, these are the ones taking claim for other’s accomplishments. This creates an atmosphere where team-work is lost as everyone wants to climb over productive people where back-stabbing and intolerable work practices occur. 

This is why crony selection is to be avoided at all costs where only the unethical individuals advance in the organisation. Productive people are demotivated and seek alternate employment opportunities, this is why talent leaves and non-performers remain. 

Resto Surfie Bar - Lapu Lapu

Mecky and I were out on a pretty dull Saturday night on Mactan Island when she spotted a bar from the back of the public utility vehicle we were travelling in.

We jumped out and decided to wander in for a look and it was surprising that for a well stocked bar, this place was empty. The bar staff were nice and friendly so I have to wonder, how a bar can be so empty on a Saturday night.

This is not a big place, the decor and facilities were more than adequate and I guess cost a fair whack to set up. This would be a challenge I would like to take on as a marketing project as a retiree.

Mactan is a holiday island so there are holidaymakers interested in an exciting night out. The question I would ask myself is, how could I fill this place? How would a marketer put this place on the map for a good night out?

I would target the young crowd, sure this bar is not in the centre of town but if it is seen as the place to be, people will come. Firstly, I would target the tourist markets of South Koreans and Chinese without neglecting the local Filipinos.

Their wine selection wasn't great, we purchased ourselves a bottle of Medoc, a 2017 vintage that wasn't great. For 1500 PHP ($29.41 USD) you should be expecting a little more but any frequent traveler to the Philippines would know French wine is a little hit and miss.

As a wine drinker, clearly I rate French wine and I especially like the Bordeaux region. I tend to think the French aren't exporting their premium wines to the Philippines. A couple of options Ina couple of price points would be interesting.

So wine options need to be improved, they had the option of an Argentine Malbec but this didn't interest me without a tasting. Without crowds and frequent turnover of wine by the glass, a tasting is out of the question.

A wine stock costs money, we all know that so turnover is important and that generally doesn't attract the young crowd but supplements existing customers. If you are a bar owner, you need to invest in your business and a well stocked bar is paramount.

This is the Philippines so labour is cheap, organizing a pick-up service for discerning clients is possible. This should initially target local customers and then expand to the hotels for foreign tourists. Certainly a business case needs to be explored to decide if such a strategy is viable, if not - drop it.

Mosswood Amy's 2014

Every trip down to Margaret River in the South West coast of Australia has seen me miss every opportunity to visit Moss Wood's Wilyabrup winery. Just three hours drive south of Perth, this winery remains elusive for me to visit.

I found the soft oak influences not overbearing, this Bordeaux style wine is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Merlot. I have drunk pure Petit Verdot and found it a little too strong in tannin although it has fantastic blackcherry and violet flavours.

Likewise, I have found Malbec to be too one dimensional as a stand alone wine but perfect for blending with generous blueberry flavours. The Mosswood Cabernet is a very expensive bottle of wine, what I like about the Amy's collection is I am able to drink Mosswood on a budget.  

A day in Ghent

I was looking forward to a day in Ghent, I know of this city from the wife of a good friend and really wanted to explore this interesting city in Belgium. Fantastically, Ghent is just a 40 minute train trip from Brussels, the ticket cost was a reasonable €11 - so here we come.

I hadn't done too much research into this city, this is a normal practice for me as I want to be surprised instead of expecting to see certain sights. I did know they had some wonderful canals throughout the city, that much I did know.

It is fair to say Ghent exceeded my expectations, the areas around the canals were very picturesque as expected. There were some interesting churches to explore and just walking the streets was worthwhile.

I especially enjoyed the views from the numerous bridges, I would certainly recommend a day in Ghent to any of my friends sightseeing in Europe. This was the best city in Belgium to visit in my opinion.

Where's Larry?

We all develop workplace sayings and comebacks, they change with workplaces and situations, but they can define what is accepted in the workplace. This creates the culture of the workplace, whilst the leadership defines the culture, what is accepted practice is what defines the working conditions.

My favourite comeback is "Where's Larry?" This is a very poignant comeback as Larry is no longer with us. No need to worry, Larry is still alive, he hasn't left this world, he is just no longer employed in our workplace.

So, what happened; well, Larry was moved on to a less significant role within the organisation. How did this come about? Well, ironically Larry didn't fare so well after the CCC investigation. So what is the CCC you ask?

The CCC is the Corruption and Crime Commission; apparently, public sector corruption is frowned upon and misappropriation of government funds is considered a bad thing. The CCC was established to investigate state government corruption.

So, when you are accused without evidence of reporting misappropriation of government funds to a regulatory body; apparently, you are the bad one. However, I am still there and Larry isn't. The cronies he embedded during the period of mismanagement are still there, just the leader is missing.

Still, they are no longer as brazen as they once were; they are very cautious, whilst they are not ashamed of their actions, they no longer enjoy the benefits they once did. The nervousness is laughable, they still think they control the place despite everyone there claiming higher salaries.

So they are now where I want them, they have easy jobs; sure, but no longer claim inappropriate benefits and they are paid significantly less than the rest of us. In this case, cronyism hasn’t resulted in more money for this crowd.

This is the appropriate remuneration that they should be paid, their corrupt payment cycle is being watched, they work for us now and they are paid less than us. Their little pathetic power comes at a significant financial cost - there is justice after all.

Red of Africa tea

It is no secret the TWG Tea is my favourite tea, I didn’t really seek out a tea that I liked. I just happened to wander in a TWG Tea outlet and they made a pretty decent recommendation - great recommendation actually.

Transiting through Changi allows me to top up my supplies as this tea is difficult to obtain in Perth. Sure, there is David Jones in the city but their range is limited and David Jones at Karrinyup shopping centre no longer retails any TWG products.

Likewise, when I am in Singapore I can head to Marina Bay Sands, Orchard Road or more of their numerous locations for silver service. So for Red of Africa tea, I am mostly limited to trips to South East Asia at the moment.

So what do I like about Red of Africa tea? The red robista tea is very much to my tastes, I learnt that after a recommendation in a TWG branch in the Shangrila outlet in the Philippines.

The red coloured tea is perfect when served cold in a highball glass. You can add sweetener to flavour if you wish, but my preference is unsweetened and that's the way I will continue to drink it.

Red Horse beer

I can't say I'm a fan of Philippines beer, the leading brewery in the country is San Miguel in terms of sales and brand awareness. An option worth exploring when in the Philippines is Red Horse Beer.

Not that I reckon it is great beer, it is in my opinion the best of a series of poor options. So what is better about Red Horse? Firstly, I will have to compare local beers as none of the Philippine beers stack up against imported beers.

So, apart from the obvious, why would you choose Red Horse over San Miguel? I believe Red Horse is a better beer because it has a stronger flavour first and foremost. My research indicated this is indeed a full strength beer with an alcohol content of 8%

What really threw me is learning this is brewed by San Miguel Corporation, the beer was developed as a direct competitor to higher alcohol imported Asian beers. Whilst an enormous business in the Philippines, the San Miguel Corporation produces plenty of dubious quality beer, at least Red Horse is a half decent product.

An awful downhill run

So I came off my bike at high speed on a downhill run. I was going flat out, I couldn't go any faster and it is fair to say, I snapped the bone my arm right at the joint.

My arm fractured right at the ball on my shoulder, very high on the bone and my arm and was just hanging off. I would like to tell you it didn't hurt, I shook it off and jumped back on my bike and started pedaling again but there was no chance of this.

This was a long trip, fortunately, we had a full support team following us and they helped me up as there were people all around. I would like to thank the people who helped me, to be honest, I cannot remember it all that well, I was pretty dazed.

Even the two-hour trip back at just over walking pace was pretty much a dream, the roads in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the rainy season have to be seen to be believed. The roads are filled with stacked logs to allow light vehicle access through, that made for an interesting return trip.

Needless to say, the bikes were making better progress than the light vehicles, we were faster than the motorised transport - hard to believe. So a two and a half hour trip at walking speed wasn't fun, then we were able to hit some decent roads and gather some speed, not exactly what I was hoping for but I have no complaints.

I was flown down to Johannesburg for surgery, this required a pin to be inserted in my arm and that immediately fixed the problem. After four days of a fractured arm, it was starting to wear thin, I was immediately wheeled into surgery after meeting with the surgeon, so I guess it was fairly well buggered.

I was still in his consultation room at the hospital waiting for the insurance claim to clear before the doctor returned in his scrubs and I was off to pre-op. It all happened pretty quick, I had not eaten since the evening before so I was ready to go, there would be no holding me back getting that arm repaired.

Grey skies and no sun

I thought the pre-Christmas is high season the Philippines, this is the first time I have been there at that time of year, so I am a little surprised.

Normally my first trip is around April/May right at the end of the high season. The sky is still sunny and I have missed the majority of the crowds, this is the last of the European holiday makers. I didn't really plan this trip as well as I should have and now I'm paying.

Still tropical downpours occurring but not quiet wet season conditions, I do come to the Philippines in September and that is typhoon season so diving is marginal. I had expected a sunny sky every day based on what I have been told - no complaints though, still good to be here.

One metre arsehole

In Western Australia we have the one metre rule, that is, motor vehicles must give cyclists a one metre clearance when overtaking. This is expanded to one and a half metres when the motor vehicle is overtaking the bike at a speed exceeding sixty kilometres per hour - fair enough. 

So, we also have a situation where cyclists are using dual use pathways, now they are the party that has the potential to cause harm to pedestrians. So I ask, should not the same rules apply? Cyclists can get pretty precious all dressed in lycra pedaling on their expensive bikes.

Despite the racing coloured lycra outfits, we are not dealing with professional cyclists here. There is no time trials, no prize money at stake or state and national titles to be awarded. These people go whizzing past pedestrians at breakneck speed to fulfill their own illusions.

This is not an individual pursuit being raced at a velodrome, the bicycles have gears and brakes fitted. This means they have the potential to slow down as you pass pedestrians. The gear-set on the drive allows the rider to accelerate as required, this is particularly useful after slowing down near pedestrians.

Bells should be fitted to all bicycles, as a cyclist passes a pedestrian, the general courtesy is to ring their bell to indicate their presence to pedestrians. Unfortunately, we know that cyclists generally are not courteous and if they are not causing troubles on the road, they are creating issues on dual use pathways.

Paid parking at shopping centres

Now that Carousel Shopping Centre has been renovated, the improved shopping and recreation amenities are expected to draw increasing crowds to the centre. The next shopping centre to undertake renovation is Innaloo Shopping Centre closely followed by Karrinyup Shopping Centre.

Now the issue of paid parking at the three shopping centres has been raised. Never before in Perth have we had paid for parking centres, the decision to charge for parking at hospitals has been met with opposition in the community. In relation to hospitals, you don't have much choice, nobody wants to go to hospitals, this is the one place we seek to avoid at all costs.

Not so with shopping, there are a multitude of choices from local shopping centres, the main shopping precincts of Perth and Fremantle are also entertainment centres with restaurants, bars and other facilities such as cinema, showrooms and service providers.

People now have the option to shop online avoiding bricks and mortar retailers who are already reeling from the take-up of online sales. Now Amazon has opened in Australia we can expect greater online competition. If retailers wish to attract people back to large shopping centres then they need to reduce and remove barriers for people to remain customers.

Now, I realise the first three hours are free at this stage; however, the ticketing system has been installed then the situation could rapidly change and shorter times introduced or no free parking at all. People will just not go, another reason to shop online. 

Just as bad, employees of retailers are not offered special conditions and pay for their vehicle to sit in car parks. Generally speaking, retail workers are on lower pay structures and conditions, this decision affects the more vulnerable workers.

One hopes shopping centre managers are listening as large grocery retailers such as Coles and Woolworths and large retailers such as David Jones, Myer, Big W, Kmart and Target are able to exert influence on Westfield management and cut a better deal for not only their employees but their customers too.

Tokyo subway - its something else

I have been lucky enough to travel on a few subways internationally; for me, it is the favoured mode of transport in a foreign city. Travelling on the Tokyo subway is something else, this city of 9 million people needs an efficient transportation system.

This complex network of lines takes a little navigating, mastering the subway map is the first step in navigating the network and these days of online devices certainly assists newcomers to the system.

There is English translations on the subway maps, this certainty aids navigation but what really impresses me is the sheer complexity of the system. The absolute volume of people utilising this rail system daily is astounding, yet it is relatively simple to navigate for a tourist.

The fare adjustment machines aid fast movement, when you have exceeded the fare on your paper based ticket if you are not using an electronic transit card. You can easily add the required funds to the ticket and pass through the turnstiles - it’s a pretty decent system.

Teamwork failures

Every management textbook I read explains the need and virtues of teamwork, in class we discuss virtual teams, cross functional teams, self-directed teams, leadership teams and quality teams and the benefits they bring to the organisation.

I'm a yachtie and sail on weekends, sailing on a yacht is all about teamwork with the skipper pointing the vessel in the right direction to move fast through the water. Controlling the mainsheet ensures we point high and are powered up, the jib trimmer ensures we have adequate power along with the tailer who ensures we tack quickly.

The forwardhand and masthand ensure downwind legs are efficient with raising and lowering of sails, they provide tactical information to the skipper and tacking. Yet, head across to my former workplace and teamwork is non-existent; people undermine your work, are horrible to get on with and actually slow the workplace down.

If they were sailing on a yacht they would be left on the shore as it is better to head with out one or two crew down. The damage inept crew can do far outweighs having them onboard, so just run short. Instead, not only do we pay them, we promote them and allow them to damage the workplace and the performing tam members.

My Acer Aspire E11

I purchased a new Hewlett-Packard notebook computer when I started my MBA, my older notebook was getting a little tired and slow and I needed it to work optimally as I was using plenty of online resources.

The HP turned out to be a pile of rubbish that had compatibility issues with all software uploaded. One such program was VitalSource Bookshop, all our text were online resources so I really needed this to work.

So I had to go out and purchase another notebook to run the VitalSource software and I chose a mini laptop for this task alone. At first I was very happy with my Acer E11, sure the Celeron processor was slow but I had time, or so I thought and the battery life was superb.

I did a fair amount of study whilst on holidays, the mini-laptop was invaluable on those trips. My backpack was loaded up with textbooks and required readings so the lightweight notebook was invaluable.

Programs took ages to load, the computer froze pretty much all the time and the cursor jammed up frequently. I did look up the Acer website and found the F7 button functionality, that improved it a little bit, I now no longer had to wait for my computer to unfreeze.

The WiFi connectivity is the main flaw, the connection drops out frequently, not intermittently and I can have my tablet sitting alongside my Acer notebook that hasn't dropped out once.

Am I complaining? I hope I don't come across that way. My Acer Aspire E11 served its purpose, it ran my VitalSource books during my course, something my specifically purchased HP couldn't do.

It is lightweight and highly portable and the battery life was astonishing, I could charge the battery in my hotel room and spend hours studying and writing up case studies and assignments in a cafe without searching for a power outlet to recharge the battery.

Now the battery life of this notebook is cooked, it first started shutting down at 15% remaining, jumping to around 20% before quickly jumping to 50% of remaining battery life. I had four years of use out of the laptop computer and whilst I can still use it connected to power.

It's portability due to its lightweight nature is still great, it's functionality and computing power remains annoyingly slow, its diminished battery life will see it replaced.

Pyjamas down the coffee shop

I was hanging out down the coffee shop in Lapu Lapu on Mactan Island and was astounded to see two relatively young women wander into Civet Coffee and order take away coffees.

Normally Philippine women are very particular about their appearance, so you could imagine my surprise when they entered the shop in their pyjamas. Maybe this is the new chic? This is maybe now the new standard in going out attire.

I am seeing this trend in western countries so I am guessing this is beginning to become the norm here. There isn't any shopping malls in this area, an unusual occur acne for the Philippines but this is the hotel district so I would expect designer shops attached to the apartments and hotels.

These two women were fairly young, attractive and I am guessing reasonably well off financially. I am guessing they have either picked up on this trend when travelling or at the very least by following the activities that the young set now are aligned. Either way, they pulled it off, they dressed down in public in their and turned heads.

A day in Cologne

It was a Saturday around 1 pm and we had just rolled into Cologne from Frankfurt after a two-hour train journey. As it was a day trip, a two-hour return trip awaited us, I was ok with that, I actually enjoy train trips.

Wandering out of the train station I was not expecting the sheer number of people hanging around the square on this fine Saturday afternoon. There was plenty to see and do, I never really saw Cologne as a tourist destination and I saw Cologne in a new light.

I had been to Cologne about 15 years earlier for a series of business meetings, I had viewed the city somewhat differently because of that primary reason why I was initially in this city. This trip, I saw Cologne from a totally different perspective and I’m glad I did, it was a beautiful day, that certainly helped.

I had expected to wander around Cologne for the day, it would be pretty quiet with not too many people, well, I got this one wrong. I really liked Cologne as a day trip, there was plenty to se and do, I could see myself going back any time.

A ticket - let's see about that

I have long complained about the public transport system in Perth; that is how the bus links to the train network. So when I received a fine for fare evasion, this was going to be challenged.

Let me begin, I purchased the wrong ticket and I was in the wrong. My Smartrider, not all that much of a smart system was running low in funds. Why didn't I just make a payment through my bank you ask?

Well, I normally would make a payment but it takes working 3 days for the payment to show on my account and I must log onto the system within 5 days and log onto the train/bus network for the balance to register.

Now, I had planned to be away from the network and was unable to log-on in that period, even if the money was transferred, the funds would not be credited to my account. I have learnt this lesson previously and I was in stunned silence when it was explained to me.

Now, as my funds were running low I decided to purchase a manual ticket and I purchased a 1 zone ticket for $3.30, when I was pulled up at the guard informed me I needed 2 zones for my ride. On the trip home, I jumped on the ticket machine and priced a 2 zone ticket for $4.90.

So, we are dealing with a $1.60 shortfall in funds based on my mistake. I purchased a manual ticket but clearly didn't understand the fee structure and made a mistake. A $100 fine is fair for a person who routinely evades fares, but not for a person who makes a mistake purchasing a ticket so I will challenge this fine.

But even better, I will use this moment to change the way the Public Transport Authority runs services. See, the bus I normally catch is frequently late to arrive at the stop, this means that the bus arrives late at the train station and as the bus is scheduled to link to the train - I miss the train.

Now, as the train runs every 30 minutes at this time of night, this means I miss the train by normally 1 minute to 4 minutes. So, now another 30 minutes to wait plus the half hour trip home, this night is going downhill quickly so now is the time to do something about it - maybe this ticket is a positive.

Rooibos tea

Rooibos is a red herbal tea sourced from the fermented leaves of the Aspalathus linearis shrub, a native South African plant.

Rooibos is a herbal tea but is not related to the black or green tea varieties; Rooibos tea is usually consumed the same as black tea although I was introduced to this variety as a cold tea. Naturally sweet in flavour, nutty overtones combined with low tannin ensures a bitter taste is not experienced.

Whilst rooibos tea isn't for everyone, I am happy to keep some pure origin at home as well some blended versions from TWG Tea and T2. I don't much like black tea or breakfast tea and I really can't drink green tea so rooibos is really my only choice.

Mastercard Black

Mastercard® like the other credit card issuers is offering a premium product for high-end clients, out of interest's sake I couldn't help but look into it. The Black card is an exclusive product with a higher perceived value over competing credit cards.

Needless to say, Mastercard® claims the card displays a certain degree of prestige through high credit limits, combined no doubt through the high fees and would be best suited to the business traveller.

Manufactured from stainless steel with a carbon back for greater durability and distinction, I would tend to like this card as I always tend to damage my plastic credit cards in my wallet.

With 46 worldwide patents, this card has a reasonable annual fees supported by a host of luxury benefits such as concierge, VIP lounge access and Priceless® invitation only entertainment.

The card offers a list of exclusive services including travel assistance, travel medical insurance, luggage protection, travel insurance, trip inconvenience insurance, airport lounge access irrespective of frequent flier programs and concierge services.

I have a standard Mastercard® and whilst always searching for improved products, I have to look at what I Mastercard®, Visa® and American Express® offer. I don't think I will be upgrading anytime soon - not for that price anyway.

Oktoberfest

So, whilst it was never high on my wish list, I have finally made it to my first Oktoberfest. Ironic really as I went there in late September and not October.

It wasn't as I expected, but I don't want to base my portrayal on the Chevy Chase National Lampoon's ‘European Vacation’ and I’m glad I didn't. I try not to over-research as that leads to disappointment. Instead, I wanted to just arrive and be part of the atmosphere and that's exactly what happened.

What I found is Oktoberfest is held at a large showground, we started off with a beer at one of the outside bars, it was very nice. We found a Paulander bar fabricated from pine and that was nice for a couple of casual drinks.

I wasn't interested in any of the rides, certainly not recommended after drinking beer by any means. There was food, boy was that expensive but we ended up getting a bite after all. We hadn't especially headed to Munich for Oktoberfest, we happened to be passing through the area so decided to stop off since we were there anyway.

We arrived at the showground late in the afternoon, we weren't staying in Munich per se, that was way too expensive at this time of year. So we took a train in from an outlying area after catching the train in from Augsburg.

So we wandered into a couple of beer halls, by this time of the day getting a seat was near impossible. The beer halls were full and festivities were well under way, there was music playing, people singing along with plenty of pushing and shoving.

All of the major breweries had their own pop-up beer hall, so you could choose the beer of your choice. I decided to take a couple of drinks outside at Lowenbrou, can't say it is my favourite beer but as it turned from day to night, better to be somewhere.

So around midnight it was time to head back to the Munich hauptbahnhoff and squeeze into a carriage for the 60 minute ride back to our accommodation. The train ride was fun to a degree, no seats but pressed into the aisles with a bunch of very merry people was a laugh.

To be honest, I didn't drink all that much over the course of the afternoon. Since I was down in southern Germany at the right time of year warranted popping in for a look. I was happy to soak up some of the atmosphere for an afternoon before heading onto the next place.

Vickery Riesling

I love a Riesling in the summer, to me this dry and acidic white wine can't be beaten on a warm summer afternoon drinking outside - for me, preferably in the garden.

According to Vickery winery the Watervale Riesling has volumes of lime fruit flavour and floral notes with bright, fresh citrus acidity. The Watervale Estate in South Australia's Claire Valley produces brilliant white wines according to my views, the reds in my opinion tend to be a little lacking. Looking at the reviews on their website, the wine is rated from 91 to 95 points with most reviewers accentuating the lemon/lime flavours.

Quantitative easing or just printing money?

So we have just been through a period of quantitative easing but what does it all mean? Quantitative easing is considered an unconventional monetary policy, or at least new, to lower interest rates and increase money supply.

So the central bank creates electronic money to purchase government bonds from the secondary market, as this creates buying demand the price of the bond should rise in accordance with the principles of supply and demand. Naturally, this distorts the natural equilibrium of the free market creating an oversupply of capital. 

So far we haven't seen the effects of inflation and we need to ask why? Have the central banks managed the process to such a fine degree that they avoided the old issue of inflation? The core issue during the global financial crisis was liquidity and business lending, as the banks held onto cash with business activity curtailed. 

QE provided the required liquidity and flooded the bond market with cash. The growth of money didn't appear to affect the  markets, well not yet anyway and may just push the problem out. This is what we are finding out now, I was told they will be no world growth for the foreseeable future, just the growth of money and that is what we are seeing.  

Classic Heuer chronographs

I love old Heuer timepieces, whilst I don't own any vintage Heuer, this is before TAG bought in and rescued the company in 1984, I will keep looking. I don't buy these goods online but keep my options open with dealers.

Heuer has a heritage dating back to 1860; for me, the golden period is the 1960s and 1970s when Jack Heuer was in charge of the company. Heuer stood for motorsport and their chronographs were spectacular, TAG Heuer has maintained their motorsport linkages.

They had the Carrera, to my way of thinking, this was the classic chronograph design. Whilst the Carrera has been re-released in multiple formats, even as a three hand watch, the chronograph is the ultimate expression of watchmaking style.

The Autavia has been recently re-released by TAG Heuer and people have been raving about the timepiece. Initially released in 1962, the Autavia was a dashboard instrument later becoming a wristwatch.

The Camaro was released in 1968 and powered by the hand-wound Valjoux 7733 movement and was never fitted with an automatic movement before being discontinued in 1972. The Valjoux 7733 movement was a no-date model, although some Valjoux 7734 date versions were sold with a Valjoux 7736 movement that included the 12-hour sub-dial. The two sub-dial format of the Valjoux 7733 movement offers a really clean and uncluttered dial.  

The square cased Monaco is an outstanding timepiece, made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1971 movie Le Mans. Available with a Calibre 11 with a left hand crown or a Calibre 12 and right hand crown, the Monaco was released in 1969 and running to 1975 as the first automatic movement in a square case. Looking back, it is hard to believe that the Monaco was a failure, now appreciated as a classic timepiece, the Monaco is an expression of the time.

The Monza was an economy version of the Carrera although its design was a re-edition of a 1930s inspired timepiece. The Monza used a brass version of a second generation carrera case with a chrome plate or PVD finish. The Monza was fitted with an in-house Calibe 15 movement, basically a low cost version of the Calibre 12 with a left side crown and right side pushers.

The Montreal, released in 1972 had a 42 mm brushed case with right hand fluted pushers and a left hand crown. The earlier series were white dials with an array of colours on the hands and sub-dials. The earlier models hand in-house movements with the later versions fitted with updated Valjoux 7750 movements.

Looking back now, it is hard to believe the Monaco was not a success when it was first released. The Silverstone, released in 1974 was the replacement for the Monaco. The square case with rounded corners came with three dial colours with sub-dials at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions.

Not only does Rolex have a Daytona chronograph, Heuer released their version in 1976. Rather short lived, the Daytona used Heuer’s in-house chronograph with the pushers on the right side of the case and the crown on the left. The 39 mm brushed case held an integrated three link bracelet that came with no leather strap options.

The Kentucky, with horseshoe shaped case is a chronograph but does not have the motorsport heritage of most Heuer chronographs. The Kentucky launched in 1977 targets the equestrian crowd with screws at the lower section of the case and the Heuer name plate attached.

The Cortina was released in 1977 and was fitted with the same dial, albeit with the name change and the sub-dial hands differed. The case was octagonal and an integrated single link bracelet was fitted. The Cortina had a choice of index markers or roman numerals on the dial with a left crown and right pusher format.

The Jarama appeared in 1977 and only lasted a couple of years, named after a racetrack near Madrid that hosted a number of Formula 1 events. This isn’t a great looking timepiece by any stretch of the imagination with the fluted bezel and isn’t hard to see why it was released in limited numbers.

The Verona was released in 1978 and returned to clean lines and style of 1960s design. The sub-dials were positioned at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions with the date at 6 o’clock. I find the internal angled tachymeter scale an interesting inclusion. The crown is positioned on the left-side of the case and chronograph pushers on the right-side case to wind, adjust and operate the Calibre 12 movement.

The Pasadena was released in 1979 and fitted with the Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement. The black 41 mm lugless case design appears to be an anodised steel or there were also stainless steel options available. The Pasadena transitioned back to the crown and pushers located on the right side of the case. 

TAG Heuer has re-released a number of their vintage timepieces with the Carrera, Monaco and Autavia all listed in the current collection. I would argue that some of the vintage Heuer are not to my tastes although the Verona, Silverstone and possibly the Camaro might work for me.