Wednesday 25 May 2011

Monday 23 May 2011

Joshie's first strawberry

Picking the strawberry...



Joshie eats it...



It's in there...



... Still going...


... "I like it!"



... "well done Joshie!"


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Camden Park,Royal Tunbridge Wells,United Kingdom

Friday 13 May 2011

"You live to work but you commit to purpose"

He was a larger than life person. A titan really. His buckled shoes, tall stature and a voice that could command a legion. The title "CEO" etched in his weapon of networking: his business card.

He uttered these words. I don't know why, but they keep travelling almost traversing my mind. I'm sitting on a plane en route home and what is there as I look out the window is the thought of commitment. What is it that I am committed to? Am I committed enough... What will commitment look like. All these have been through my mind frequently this past few months... And as for the reason... Well this Titan told me it square: it's purpose.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Service Rd,Crawley,United Kingdom

Wednesday 11 May 2011

"He kept me for 5 minutes..."

I was waiting for my meeting. It was a 9am meeting. I like to be early. I don't like to be late for my meetings. I was having breakfast with a friend and he said to wait a little while. Against my conventions I did.

What happened next was the the whole building moved and there was an explosive sound. We were all shocked. My immediate thoughts were: bomb attack. Noises were being heard and instantly all I could think of was getting out. There was panic. Lots of noise and shouting. Confusion came upon us all. I'd been in two earthquakes before and that feeling came back.

Somehow I decided to go back for my passport. My things. They were in my bedroom. As I walked over I looked out l. At first all I could see was falling papers. Papers everywhere. Just raining down with all these A4 sheets. Then it caught my eye. It was the reflection in the other building. As I looked out I just saw a huge black hole in the building. The south tower reflection just mirrored this larger than the imagination "hole" of a picture.

The lifts weren't working. We were evacuated through another means. It turns out the fuel had leaked down and wiped out the elevator shafts first three floors.

I was hanging on every detail.

Then someone comes along and joins out conversation and he changes tack. He feels perhaps uncomfortable and looks to the new matter in hand. She says oh and congratulations on being elected the chairman of the working group. He politely smiled and humbly acknowledged the privilege. I enquired further about this accolade and it turns out that he just got voted to be the lead on this group about reducing the risk of disasters. He walks off. Ushered into his next meeting. His schedule: fierce.

His words were etched by now and all i had asked was why... Why are you here and why are preventing disasters important to you...

I'm at a conference on disaster risk reduction. The event described was my interpretation of just one of the conversations that I have had.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Chemin des Grands Prés,Sergy,France

Tuesday 10 May 2011

Amidst the nations





I am back in Geneva at a fascinating conference on Disaster Risk Reduction.

A gentleman just said "it's time for radical radical change" in a plenary about local action.

More to come...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Rue de Varembé,Geneva,Switzerland