New Website

I have upgraded and moved my website.

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That is all.

Processing my processing

It’s been a little while since I posted on this blog. That was a deliberate thing, as I’ve had much to process over the last month or so. I kept January clean (on this blog, at least) so I could come back fresh, uncluttered and inspired.

Well, that was the plan. I have to say, I’m not quite there yet. But it’s February, the year’s one-twelfth over, and it’s time for me to get back on the horse.

So. What’s up?

My professional journey has taken an upswing during January, with a deeper relationship having been developed with an important client. MIMICO has been good to me over the last six or eight months and I’ve now taken on a more intimate role with them. The culture at the company is one of action, loyalty and ‘we’re all in this together’. The staff get on, the atmosphere is vibrant and hectic, and there’s a positive sense that good stuff is happening every day. My plan is to bring some more structure and organisation to their marketing efforts and help them refine and get a better return on their spend. I think we’re going to have some good fun this year.

I’ve also just agreed to help another company launch a new product. This project includes a range of marketing mini-projects and will span several months. I’m particularly looking forward to helping develop a mobile app that will be an important part of the launch. It’s the first time I’ve been involved in such a project.

During the last couple of weeks I’ve also completed the final percent or two of a couple of projects that seemed to go on forever. My structurally natured self is extremely pleased. So is my financial side as I can finally get the invoices out. That is especially pleasing.

So it’s all good on the work front.

It’s in the personal arena where I’ve struggled (and no, I don’t mean with the family. My wife and kids are the best. Without question. Even when they’re screaming). I’ve battled, personally, with my inner self as I’ve had to find a way to work through and deal with the actions of a person I’d worked with for nearly a decade and who I thought was particulary close to me. It turns, that person wasn’t. And I got slapped by a good old-fashioned blind-side. I took it harder than I should have. That’ll learn me.

I’m not going to go any deeper into the detail here. That’s for another day. For my book, maybe, if I finally get around to writing it.

I will get my learnings out in the open, however, as they maybe useful.

Firstly, it was reinforced to me that you sure can’t control the actions of others. You can only control the way you react. At times, my reaction was particularly dark, unreasoned and unfair on myself. I still tend to take things incredibly personally and this incident was no exception. That’s not actually very healthy. The way out was to keep coming back to logic and processing things as rationally as it is possible for a human to process things.

Secondly, I was able to reassure myself that the personal values I identify with still hold strong. Among these values are honesty and loyalty. I experienced someone who wasn’t loyal to me because he wasn’t honest with me. Again. I hated that. In future, I need to be vigilant about surrounding myself with more people who share similar values to me. Again, this is common sense, but is easy to lose sight of when you’re in the middle of a busy life.

Thirdly, I’ve come to the personal realisation that not many things are forever and sometimes you just have to let go to free yourself and move forward. Even if it means letting go to something you’ve worked on for years, poured everything into and are incredibly proud of. I’m at that point now and I have a couple of big decisions to make over the coming weeks. I do already know what I’m going to do, but taking that final step – making it real – will be hard. And in doing so I may let a number of close friends down. At this stage, though, I have to do what works for me and my family.

Spending the Christmas/New Year period with extended family on Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, was a good opportunity to recharge, reboot and remove some of the personal objections I’ve told myself I have to doing what needs to be done. The Central Coast is a very nice area (I’ll post more about this soon), and one I plan on getting back to. Soon…

I’ve had plenty of mostly sleepless nights over the last month. When it’s dark and quiet my nervous mind kicks into top gear, becoming a whirling, buzzing, froth of hysterical electrical pulses. It’s an exhausting place to be sometimes. Hopefully I’m just about through all that.

Or maybe I’m in the middle of my mid-life crisis. Perhaps I should just buy a motor bike.

To Blog or Not To Blog…

It’s been over a month since I wrote about anything in this little blog of mine. Not good form, I know, from a potential long-term blogger. It is what it is, however. I do intend to persevere.

It’s not as if I’ve been short of things to write about. The US election, and the campaign preceeding it, was a fascinating watch. The best campaigner, Obama, won in the end, but unfortunately, he’s the weakest leader of the two candidates and, with the record he ran up over the last four years, doesn’t appear to be the man to fix some pretty big problems (many of his own making) in the States at the moment. I hope, for the sake of my American friends, I’m wrong about that, though.

It’s a shame Romney wasn’t more of an inspiring option because had a record that meant he should have been a shoo-in. In the end, he made some pretty dumb moves (47% anyone? And why would you back off over Benghazi-gate?) and deserved to lose. He played it too safe, to the point where he didn’t come off as being genuine, even though he’s clearly a decent guy.

It would appear the Republicans have some decent leaders and smart ones too, if you think about it. The really good ones are either too young or, more likely, backed off because they knew defeating Obama, despite his short comings, would be next to impossible in the current environment. So they ultimately sent Romney out as the sacrificial lamb. And he had his throat cut on the altar of celebrity.

Romney wasn’t helped by the fact that Obama has a pretty compliant media, by and large, in the US. The press conference a couple of days ago just reinforced that. As a media professional, it’s both bizarre and exhilarating to see. Hardened journos in awe of President Kardashian do themselves and their profession a huge disservice.

Obama is a master of his art, and he has a pretty impressive team around him. The thing is, his art is winning elections not leading countries. The next four years is going to be captivating.

For the record, my politics probably don’t fit into either of the rather narrowly defined boxes allowing entry to either the Democratic or Republican zealotry clubs. I’m all for small government, self-responsibility and low taxes, but I’m not religious, I’m pro-choice and I hate country music. So if I was an American I guess I’m a fiscally conservative independant with one foot in either camp. The kind of person who, ultimately, decided the election.

So that’s my little bit on one of the biggest pieces of current affairs of the year. It’s no masterpiece but it’s what I think. And that counts for something I hope.

Soundtrack of my life: 2012 – Survival (Muse)

Is this not the best made-for-a-sporting-event song ever, er, made?

I think so.

The Olympics in London this year was a cool event and proved, to me at least, why England should be hosting the 2018 World Cup. That aside, the Olympics came at the end of one hell of a run of events. Euro 2012 led into the Tour de France which bleed seamlessly into the Olympics. This was preceeded by the end of a great English Premier League season. Which was preceeded by me being made redundant from a job I’d held for a very long time.

So, 2012 has been a big year. For me, my musical highlight was watching this song performed live at the Olympic closing ceremony (which closes the circle quite nicely).

My other highlights are far too many to list here, but include finishing this little project. Forty-one songs that combine to make up the Soundtrack Of My Life. Now I need to find someting else to write about. See you soon.

Here’s the Wikipedia link.

Soundtrack of my life: 2011 – Levels (Avicii)

We’ve made it all the way to 2011 and guess what? Complete underwhelm-ment. There were a few catchy songs released last year, but as catchy as they were, equally unmemorable they are. No classics.

So, what am I to do? I can’t get this far and choke. I have to choose something. Right?

I’ll go with Levels by Avicii. There’s not much to it, apart from a catchy beat so, there we go. Fit for purpose.

The word for 2011? Catchy…

Here’s the Wikipedia link.

Soundtrack of my life: 2010 – Wavin’ Flag (K’Naan)

This song was everywhere during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Why? The ‘Celebration Mix’ version was grabbed by Coke to be their anthem for the tournament. That meant it was in the stadiums, on the telly, on tournament cash-in music mixes, everywhere.

So, being on the ground in South Africa to be part of that excellent football banquet, I can’t not have anything but positive memories of Wavin’ Flag. That, along with Sho Sho Loza, over and above the ‘official’ songs, became my touchstone for that magical month.

Here’s the Wikipedia link.

Soundtrack of my life: 2009 – All On Our Own (Midnight Youth)

There aren’t too many Kiwi bands on my list so it’s somewhat appropriate that, as the last decade ended we can get something local in there.

My second son was born in 2009, but I’d be pushing it to say this piece of music dove-tailed with his emergence. Again, it’s a good song that, I think, should have made it a little bigger globally than it actually did. But, we’re a small little country that hardly anyone cares about, so most of our little gems tend to go unseen.

I saw Midnight Youth perform All On Our Own live at a business event in late 2011. If I’m being completely honest, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time because, as good as their performance was, they were playing to a room of dead fish. It was funny to watch, though, and almost as puzzling as watching Kevin Roberts lose it on stage.

Here’s the Wikipedia link.

Soundtrack of my life: 2008 – Human (The Killers)

I like The Killers. Not for their name (no, I’m not a psychopath…) but for the decent music they produce. And this is pretty much my favourite song of theirs.

Again, a simple explanation. Not because I may be running out of steam with this project, but because the old adage that says when you don’t have anything more to say you should shut up holds true.

I’d downloaded and listened to it heaps of times before I saw this (which sealed things for me, really).

Here’s the Wikipedia link.

Soundtrack of my life: 2007 – Shadow Of The Day (Linkin Park)

My first son was born in 2007. Having kids is the most mind-altering experience you will ever have. Bar none. When Nathan came along the sun definitely set on my previous life, while opening up a whole new, far more fascinating, unknown path ahead.

Stated rather crudely, a new-born is a complete blank canvas. The responsibility of helping that helpless little creature paint out their future, one brush stroke at a time, is overwhelming. But then you do it, because you’re a parent and that’s what you do.

And that’s why I get very, very angry when I see people who have kids as part of their lifestyle choice. W*ankers. We have a massive problem with that in NZ and I’m sick of funding it. But what can I do? The best answer is to ensure my own kids grow up in a loving environment, with the correct set of values, are taught to think for themselves, question everything and learn to take responsibility for their own actions.

I never really liked or took much notice of Linkin Park before Shadow of the Day came out. While not a life changing piece of music it appeared at the right time. Actually, the 2007 album Minutes to Midnight has another decent song on it as well. And no, I don’t only like this one because of the Megan Fox-fuelled Tansformers movie (although that helped)… Well done Linkin Park.

Here’s the Wikipedia link.

Soundtrack of my life: 2006 – Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

This is another tough one. In the year I attended my first World Cup, you’d have thought a song from that period would have stood out. But no, not really. Hips Don’t Lie just doesn’t really cut it…

Crazy does stand out as something I listened to and liked from 2006 so it’s another “it’ll do” song for the list. Not spectacular, but then not everything in life (or, indeed, has to be).

Here’s the Wikipedia link.