Back to the future

Can you remember what you were doing ten years ago?

Did you think you’d be where you are now back then? Could you have imagined all the things that have happened for you during the last decade?

If someone had told me back in 1997 that in the coming years I would have gone cycling in India twice I would have laughed. India would have been one of the last places I wanted to spend time. Now I can’t wait to get back there.

Ten years ago we had a beautiful baby daughter. Emily was only around 7 months old and James wouldn’t even be born for almost two years.

What about ten years from now? What do you think might happen in the coming years?

Jonathan from Life and Times has just written a letter for himself, to be read in January 2016. Why not read through it and see if it prompts any thoughts of where you’d like to see yourself in a few years?

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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Time for a clean out

My wallet got a lot lighter this morning.

I didn’t spend a lot of money or anything like that. (I’d have to have a lot of money in the first place to do that.) I simply cleared my wallet of excess paper.

I found a receipt from the parking area at Perth International Airport dated late last month, a couple of automatic teller machine receipts (very helpful if I want to know what was in our account at the start of December last year), a card telling me that I had an appointment 11 days ago (it’s alright, I had remembered and I did make it), assorted supermarket receipts and a few other bits and pieces.

I do clean out my wallet every now and then. By the date on the receipts, the last time I cleaned it out was early last month. How often do you clean out your wallet or purse. Are there lots of receipts and other bits and pieces that could do with throwing out? If you checked right now, what’s the oldest receipt you’d find in there?

After the big clean out I’m just left with the essentials. There’s a bunch of cards that range from credit cards to frequent shopper type cards for shops that I shop at very infrequently. There’s my frequent flyer card, which comes in handy every three years or so when I fly. I’ve also got a Medicare Card, a health insurance card as well as blood and organ donor cards. There’s even a very small amount of cash.

Then if I look really hard, there’s a small, tattered note that my daughter, Emily, wrote me some time back telling me that she loves me. At least there’s one thing of true value in there.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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Give blood – give life

It’s been around 3 months since I last gave an armful of blood so I’m now eligible to donate again.

I’ll be heading off early this afternoon to get hooked up and relieved of around 470 millilitres of the red stuff.

I’m not keen on needles but considering that I was once very close to someone who required donated blood on a regular basis, I reckon a couple of seconds of discomfort every few months is worth the effort. If you’ve never given blood before due to a fear of needles can I recommend that you go ahead and try it anyway? Your fear really can’t compare to the kind of anguish people face when donated blood isn’t available to save their lives.

I’m not posting this to say how great I am for donating but to remind you that it’s something worthwhile that you can do to help others. The Australian Red Cross Blood say that every donation of blood can save three lives.

Do you donate blood? I know that there are reasons preventing some from giving blood but can I encourage you to consider donating if you don’t already? It feels good to know that someone may be able to live a fuller life, recover from illness or even have their life saved because you’ve taken the time to do the right thing.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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Australia Day 2007

Are you ready for Australia Day? Have you got plans to celebrate what it is to be Australian?

I wonder if you know why we celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January? Is it the day that Australia was discovered? Is it the day that the states joined together to become a nation? Is it just a good opportunity for a public holiday? What are we celebrating?

Did you know that we celebrate on the 26th of January because it was that day in 1788 that Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and became its first Governor? The first official celebrations were held in 1818 to mark the 30th anniversary of white settlement.

If you want to find out more about Australia Day you can go to the official website here.

I hope you find some way of celebrating. If you’re in the Perth area it’d be great to catch up with you at Ashfield Reserve for the Town of Bassendean Australia Day Celebrations. It’s a great event that culminates in a massive fireworks display away from the big and sometimes rowdy crowds of the city fireworks. 98.5 Sonshine FM is proud to be providing the soundtrack and we’ll be broadcasting live from the venue, Ashfield Reserve, from four o’clock on Friday afternoon.

I’ll be joined on stage by my friend and colleague, Arthur Muhl, to MC the live entertainment which starts from 6:00 p.m. and features acts such as James T Webb, Iambic, Nathan Gaunt & the Black-Eyed Dogs and The Zydecats featuring Grammy Award winning Lucky Oceans. There’ll also be a citizenship ceremony. The fireworks will begin lighting up the skies at 9:00 p.m.

If you want to enjoy some great entertainment in a more relaxed family atmosphere, without having to wait hours in traffic on the way home, come on down.

Either way, make sure that you’ve got some plans in place to celebrate.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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iPhone

I didn’t realise just how advanced the iPhone actually is. I’ve got to get me one.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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