Ten things I've done you probably haven't

So let’s get the conversation going.

I’ve been so busy recently with moving offices that I haven’t had the opportunity to reply to many of the comments readers have left here or get involved in conversations through this blog. I thought I’d try to spark things by listing a few things I’ve done that you probably haven’t.

While you may find one or two things on the list that you’ve done I sincerely doubt that you’ve done all ten. 🙂

I’m hoping that you’ll come up with a few of your own in the comments section of this post or that you’ll write a similar post on your own blog and link back here. If you’ve done any of the things on my list let me know.

I’ll just list the ten things and leave it to you. If you have questions about any of the items in the list, feel free to ask.

Ten things I’ve done you probably haven’t

1.  Cycled across Australia five times.

2.  Escaped a country when rioting and looting in the capital became widespread. (Haiti)

3.  Hand fed a rhinocerous.

4.  Stood on stage with Mikhail Gorbachev.

5.  Cycled from Agra (home of the Taj Mahal) to Delhi in India.

6.  Met General ‘Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf.

7.  Interviewed at least seven Australian Idol finalists and winners.

8.  Preached at a cathedral in India.

9.  Been mentioned at least twice in Australia’s Federal Parliament.

10. Cycled up and down an aisle at K-Mart in Miami, Florida.

So there you are. Now it’s over to you.



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Finding a New Way

cadent_1_small.jpgI guess I have to come to terms with the fact that I may never see ‘dog guy’ again.

With our change in studio location this week I now have a very different ride to and from work each day. 98.5 Sonshine FM has relocated to a brand new building in Como, a suburb of Perth. My daily cycling distance has gone from just under 13 kilometres to around 42 kilometres.

I’m loving the extra time on the bike, especially with the perfect weather we’ve been having, but I guess I’ll have to get used to seeing a whole new group of people as I ride. When you go the same way at the same time each day you get to see many of the same faces like the guy who exercises his dog in the park every morning before he drives off in his truck for the day. I’ve never met him, which is why I refer to him simply as ‘dog guy’, but we give – or should I say gave – each other a hearty way and hello each day.

The new ride takes me along a number of really good bike paths so I can forget about traffic and just ride. Brilliant.

Part of my commute takes me along the Swan River. It’s wonderful to see so many people enjoying our magnificent waters. There are cyclists, walkers, joggers and sightseers using the pathways beside the river, overlooking the bird life and boat life on the water.

When I get beyond all the busyness of the move I’ll take some photos along the daily ride so you can see just how good it really is.



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Riding out an attack

magpie.jpgMost of the time I like them but I think that they need to gain a better understanding of personal boundaries.

It’s that time of the year when enemy number one for every cyclist is the humble magpie. There are a couple of spots on our regular Saturday ride where local maggies decide that they should swoop our group. In both instances the offending bird tends to attack the riders at the front of the group. It must figure that that’s the head of the huge monster it considers to be a threat.

If you’re new to the idea of swooping magpies, it’s what these birds do to supposedly protect their nests during the breeding season. They will sit high in their tree until they see you and then they’ll fly towards you at a rapid pace. They use their sharp beaks to do whatever damage they can as they swoop at you as many times as they can until you leave the area.

A six year old girl south of Perth recently lost sight in one of her eyes after a magpie attacked her.

Swooping magpies are yet another good case for head protection while riding. I’d rather not have a sharp magpie beak gouging out pieces of scalp so I’m glad I wear a helmet and sunglasses while riding..

On the positive side, magpies can be a great incentive for improved sprinting. It’s amazing how quickly you can ride when a maggie is heading your way.

I know that birds need to protect their nests and their young. I’m very protective of my family too. I just wish the magpies would understand that cycling past at 35 kilometres an hour does not mean that I’m about to stop, get of my bike, climb their tree and harm their family.



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Vanessa Amorosi

Vanessa_Amorosi.jpgBack in 2000, at the age of 18, Vanessa Amorosi became the first Australian female to reach the number 1 spot on the National ARIA chart with a debut album. Back then, absolutely everybody was listening to The Power.

With such an amazing start to her recording career you’d think that we would have seen several follow up albums over the past few years but it wasn’t until May of this year that Vanessa, now 27, released her second album, Somewhere in the Real World.

It certainly hasn’t disappointed. The music showcases her incredible talents and has given us such great songs as Perfect and The Simple Things.

On her website she wrote about the delay between albums.

Through the quiet time – when people must have thought I’d run away and joined the circus – I was doing a lot of production. I love walking into studios. I’ve always been fascinated by the sound and the feel that comes from different technologies. I was fixated on creating the feel records used to have, creating an energy in recording with modern technology, as well as being a singer and songwriter. I was so into it I actually went around every studio in Melbourne and said “Can I just sit here and watch you do your job?”

I spent a good four years doing that and then I started writing for other people. I’m constantly writing songs. I have a catalogue of thousands of songs sitting on my hard-drive. People were asking if I would like to write for other artists, so I started doing writing sessions.

I got to a point, after all that, after doing all that work and doing a lot of studio stuff, where I realised I really missed singing on a stage.

I was singing for hours in the studio, but that’s nothing compared to singing live in front of people. That thirst, that hunger for wanting a crowd and winning them over started to come back. I decided I wasn’t ready yet to put the microphone down.

I started seeking out people who could inspire me, people who could push me to a level that I hadn’t previously been pushed, to give me something to fight for. That’s when I met my manager Ralph Carr, who’s just as feisty and passionate about it as I am. I don’t want a manager who agrees with me. I want someone who challenges me and has different opinions. I said to him,I want to write this new album and I want to be frightened about doing it.

We’ve got great songwriters in Australia and great studios and people I love working with but I’d been working in those studios for the last four years so we decided to work on the new album in America.

I wanted to work with people who didn’t know me, who had no previous expectations, who wouldn’t look at me twice. I was more interested in them, to work with them, to make them want me, and I would do the rest.

I spoke to Vanessa during my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM today. You can hear what she had to say by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.



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Life is a risk

somersault.jpgAs a parent you like to know that your children are doing their best at school.

What you don’t want to hear is that your child has done something that may get them suspended. So imagine how a Townsville mum felt recently when she found that her daughter was in danger of suspension … for doing a cartwheel in the playground during recess.

According to this story from News.com.au, Belgian Gardens State School in Queensland, Australia, has banned all forms of gymnastics during breaks, including handstands and somersaults.

Kylie Buschgens was surprised to find that her 10 year old daughter, Cali, had been busted and punished for doing something that most of us would consider healthy.

Apparently two teachers took Cali upstairs and forced her to sit down for the rest of the day and not do anything. Principal Glenn Dickson said gymnastics activities were a “medium risk level 2” that posed a danger to children.

Glenn, let me enlighten you. Crossing the road is a risky activity but we can’t stay on one side of the road for the rest of our lives. Life is all about weighing up the risks and benefits of various activities. Yes, there is a risk that children will hurt themselves during physical activity but there’s an even greater risk that these children you’re trying to protect will die of heart disease in later life if you manage to teach them, through your policies, that physical activity is not worth the risk.

I suppose the question is who is being protected here. Is the school trying to protect the children from harm or are they more interested in saving themselves from any possible damages claim?

And we wonder why Australia has a problem with childhood obesity.

Of course it’s not just an Australian problem.

There was a similar case in the USA in 2004 when an 11 year old girl received a one week suspension for repeatedly refusing to stop cartwheeling on her playground at San Jose-Edison Academy.

Do you think we avoid too much risk? Are we playing it too safe with our children? Have you seen a change in the behaviours that parents or schools allow for their children? Are we creating more problems than we are solving?



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