"Through old age comes wisdom. Apparently." I guess I will have to take you're word on it as I clearly don't have the age or wisdom. I do get asked on a regular basis about my maturity levels; When are you going to grow up? When are you going to sort your life out? Kids?... Well the answer is when I have to. I mean why does one actually need to act mature outside of the professional setting? Having kids does not seem a valid enough argument to being mature either, I mean you can be immature with your kids. Anyways I digress... this blog is supposed to be about old age and wisdom.

Whether you're young or middle aged or in retirement age you always seem to learn something new. It could be a new way to solve a math problem, or a new route you can take to work, or a new word you didn't know existed because you're doing a crossword puzzle and the person sitting next to you on the train tells you the answer. For me, I have recently found out I cannot handle extreme amounts of cheese. I'm not lactose intolerant but my stomach simply cannot handle the rich sophisticated cheese some people eat, maybe I'll just stick to the broke commoner american sliced cheese or red leicester.

Dr Seuss was rather educational

Maybe you actively want to learn something new. This in fact is a brilliant thing to do, keep the mind active and learn a new skill. How about skiing or snowboarding, that is rather cool. You could be zinging down the side of a mountain taking amazing holiday pictures. Or you can learn how to give first aid; possibly save someones life one day. Point being there is always something new to learn; one should always true and better him/herself.

Believe in yourself and perfect your craft, it could be as simple as learning everything to do with your job. You might discover a way to be more productive but yet do less work; then in theory you could relax and "pretend" to look busy for most of the day.

What do I want to learn? Anyway to make more money, with as minimum risk as possible. An example of this would be trading but I'm sure no one wants to read my babbling; if you do send me a message. On that note; Bitcoin achieved $7400 today... did anyone buy in from the end of my last post? Next target $5200.

If you're rich send me some bitcoins please: 35vQaw5Cr2D7r3dt16CVdum2i5KJJzsgmd

Some many years ago, I believe it was the year 2009, a friend a mine said "There's a hot new thing which could blow up... Bitcoin...". At the time, it was approximately worth $10 per coin, I didn't think too much of it. What a regret that is...

Post credit crunch / recession Bitcoin (BTC) came out of no where, some had the courage and the money to invest in it; I call them the real winners of today. Writing this blog 1 Bitcoin is worth $6200, that is a whopping 62000% rise in just over 8 years. Did I buy any? I certainly did not. I believe my money went into the next McDonald's or KFC meal at the time, being the broke student I was and oddly still feel like.

Many stories have emerged online, such as a guy who paid 10000 BTC for 2 whole pizzas or the high school dropout who is a millionaire at 18 years old. There are definitely more stories out there, both success and failure however those are the main two that stick out.. No point dwelling about the past I guess. -cries inside-

So the question is: Should I still buy bitcoin now, is it worth investing in still?

Yes is the simple answer. Some analysts have projected various figures for what it could be worth in the near term. One that stands out would be $27000 by February 2018; insane don't you think? As long as there is hype and demand for crypto-currencies it should be possible.

How is the price for cryptos such as bitcoin valued? In all honestly, it is price manipulation... It is a decentralised currency but at the same time it is largely manipulated via the whales of the trading world. When the Morgan Stanley boss came out to say bitcoin was fraud, its price plummeted significantly from the $5500 to the $2800 areas. The whale will say one thing but look to buy just as price hits a low to capitalise on its investment. Price manipulation 101; trick the market to sell and buy up all the cheaper goods. Goldman Sachs did the exact same thing.

It is not just bitcoin; there are plenty of other altcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, the list goes on. All of which are worth quite the sum of money. Over the weekend I watched Bitcoin Cash pump from roughly $320 to $470; if you held 10 of those that would have been an easy $1500 in profit. Do you HODL (hold on for dear life) or do you try to capitalise on highs and lows? What type of trader are you? Either way I'd reckon you would profit by simply holding some Bitcoin in a secure wallet. Buy it, store it, forget about it, and look at it in 3 years time. Take the leap of faith (if you have the money to).


If you're rich send me some bitcoins please: 35vQaw5Cr2D7r3dt16CVdum2i5KJJzsgmd

Where have the Leaders gone?

Politics seems to have dominated the news lately. We have had the Elections, Brexit, Grenfell Tower... I'm sure there is more. But who is to gain from all of this?

Clearly not the general public that's for sure.

So far we (United Kingdom) have had a failed snap election which should have been an easy win for the Conservatives to gain more bargaining power for the looming Brexit talks. Well... this didn't happen; the opposing Labour party decided to sell dreams to the youth of the nation with the cutting of all the tuition fees. Dreams being sold of billions of pounds to be given to the NHS to fix the sinking ship. The increase in welfare funded by the taxing of the high earners who have worked hard for their income. Not to mention Theresa May didn't know how to run an campaign at all, shooting herself and her party in the foot.

Has anyone gained from this massive feat. Most definitely not; although you could arguably claim that Jeremy Corbyn has now gotten the full support of this party along with the youth of our society. It's quite easy for one to put out things in his manifesto which may or may not be possible achieve when the chances of winning the election is slim. Despite everything Corbyn has said... Labour did not win the elections; only one party did... it clearly wasn't the Tories either.

The term 'King Makers' has been used quite a bit in the media lately, as we have a hung parliament with no majority the closest to the 'throne' are the Tories running a minority government. Why not a coalition? After the last coalition I believe no party wants to take that risk anymore, the Liberal Democrats basically got burnt and their party will never be the same again; Nick Clegg even lost his seat as MP to a recent graduate (how embarrassing). So who are the 'King Makers' this time? Running up to election day Theresa did warn that the government could end up being run by terrorist sympathisers. She at the time was probably pointing the figure at the Labour government and their past dealings. She did warn us that if the Tories did not get a majority this was a possibility.

So the DUP or in full: Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland are our country's 'King Makers'. Until recently nobody had the faintest clue who they were but now they seem to be all sorts of relevant. There are even rumours of a £2bn deal with the Tories, this better not be the case. Rumour also has it that the party members all descend from the IRA but who am I to speculate.

Minority government paired with terrorist sympathisers with opposing parties of crazy suggestions. All I know is the Pound Sterling is ruined; as I post this the GBPUSD trades at 1.26637.

Everyone usually goes on a diet before a beach or tropical holiday but once you land the words "Diet who?!" comes to mind.

As you can imagine, depending on how good your geography is, Miami (Florida) is rather close to Cuba. As such there is a large influx of Cuban people bringing in their Cuban cuisine. On top of that it is America with its diners and super size meals. So without further ado...

Just a few places I tried in Miami:

McDonalds
You must be thinking: 'Why would you go on holiday and have Mcdonalds?!' I tell you what, you
truly are missing out. I've made it a must to try it in every country. So how was Miami's take? The burgers genuinely are better, more flavour like you could almost taste real meat. Best thing of all is they do all day breakfast! Didn't have to get up super early just catch that Double Sausage Egg McMuffin.

Pollo Tropical
Your alternative to Nando's and McDonalds. This food chain served fast Cuban food, they literally have a production rail to grill chicken. Things I loved this were the ribs, the waffle fries and best of all the Plantain, that and their rum pineapple sauce. It's also dirt cheap!

Havana 1957

1957 Specialty

As this is a chain it is literally in quite a few spots. The food is amazing, however you might get a shock at the end of your meal when the bill comes to greet. This place has a Nandos-y feel to it, quite literally. I know above I may have mentioned good plantain, but this place is like plantain heaven. Never have I tasted better plantain in my life.

Finnegan's Way
I did enjoy the the breakfast here very much. Since I can get English Breakfast any time of the day in London this is clearly not the option I went for. I did however get a Huevos Rancheros; Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo over warm Corn Tortillas, topped with Ranchero Sauce & Cheese. The Chorizo was to die for.

Huevos Rancheros

iHop
Okay if you go to the states and don't try iHop... you missed out. I got myself french toast and hash browns with a side of orange juice. Its like feed me sugar and don't stop. The place obviously has its prestige pancake options with the special syrups and omelettes. So worth it, make your way here at least once!

Bodega
So this place was a restaurant by day, club at night. Nice little spot indeed. Everyone I met said try the burrito, try the burrito! I didn't try the burrito... but I did have the tacos. Maybe I didn't try enough of them but they weren't really special. It is a nice little snack after partying though.

Foooddddd....

Everyone has that crazy impression that Miami has one if not the best scenes for night life. Guess what it is almost true.

From South Beach to Downtown Miami it is all bustling, there is never a dry night so to say. So here's my quick fire review of places to hit up.

Club Set
If you have money to blow and the chance to bump into some celebrities then this is the place. Drinks may cost you a small fortune but with the right DJ you'll be turning up all night long to some good hip-hop. Sound system and bass is solid enough to pump your heart out of your chest. Make sure you grab a promoter to get you in or else you might be standing around for a while.

Mangos
Located on Ocean Drive. Never short of Latinos and Spanish music, apparently good for everyday of the week although I cannot confirm this. Guaranteed that you will dance the night away and cheap by definition. The crowd can be rather mixed in age but that never spoils the fun.

Bodega
You can find this place hidden behind a taco/burrito store. By day a taco stand, by night a hidden away gem of a bar. It's rather small once you get in with sofas littered about and the random pool table, however given the right time of night and music you will turn up the beat. Best of all, once you are done dancing you can grab a taco to go.

Purdy Lounge
This is one I never quite showed up to on the right day. Apparently only good on Mondays but you will really turn up here. As their saying goes: No Attitude... No Cover... No Bullshit. Its true.

Blackbird Ordinary
Now this is a must go. You walk in and the staff literally shake your hand and greet you. You see an awesome bar room where you can sit down and eat or stand up and dance away. If you head out back they have a massive space where you have the DJ and a few outside bars. Music is awesome playing a mixture of hip hop and pop. Drinks are a bit pricey however affordable. Try not to open a bar tab because you will get carried away.

Wood Tavern
If you want hip hop and cheap. Located in Wynwood this is your place to go. I mean a shot of JD and a Stella is $6, if that is expensive then I don't know what to say. Similar to Blackbird it has an inside bar space but a massive outdoor dance area with a bigger bar. The security here is friendly along with everyone inside.

Sidebar
Personally I enjoyed this place. The DJ played consistent hip hop track after track on point. Drinks here were cheap too. The queue to get in is rather long however if you have some lady friends with you just hop over security and they will late you in. The place is a little hood but you do feel safe. Just get ready to turn up and rave hard. And once you're done you can pop across the road for some McDonald's.

A sad regret was I didn't get the chance at a pool party. Rumour has it these are just crazy and you'll have a blast of a time.

'Turn it up'

Considering I blog/ rant quite a bit about work I thought I should open Pandora's Box and enlighten you on what is actually going on at Finsbury Park Station.

Finsbury Park Station is the fourth busiest station outside of zone one. It is one of the stations that is on Jeremy Corbyn's radar as he uses it a lot apparently (haven't seen him yet). It has an interchange of Network Rail lines and also the Piccadilly and Victoria lines as well. So being the station that it is you would think its modern and looks like Kings Cross. WRONG.

Finsbury Park Station currently looks like trash. There is water ingress, leaking water pipes, extreme dust, disused abandoned passages, no step free access and until just recently it did not even have ticket barriers. It was basically like a free for all.

So what is the new vision?

Wells Terrace Entrance will be closed forever but in its place a new entrance will be opened directly linking the station to the new City North development of shops and apartments. Four new lifts will be put into place two of which will be ready for use by mid-2018 and another two later on in that year. Finsbury Park station will then truly become step free access both up to Network rail lines and also Tube lines underneath. Rather exciting I know.

From now until then, the station will have reduced stair access due to construction works. The station staff will be more stressed than usual but it is all for the longevity of North London. Coming from myself, the project team, it looks to be a successful project however that does not remove the current logistics and construction issues we face everyday. Pressures from above, below and beyond so to say.

It shall be delivered.

Let's start with a general knowledge question: Which two London tube stations contains all the vowels of the English Alphabet?

Now I'm sure that pretty much no one, unless you are a tube guru, will know the answer of that question of the top of your head. Goes to show that we only know what is familiar to us. Nothing wrong with that I must say, no need to panic. Growing up we're told to go explore, figure out what we want to do with our futures or rather venture outside of your comfort zone. I cannot say I do that a lot and most people would have the same opinion about themselves.

It is however good to venture, to explore and see new things. So what does this have to do with the title of the blog? Absolutely nothing.

When at work you want to know as much information or as many different ways of achieving result. Varies different factors may contribute to varies different outcomes, it is impossible to know everything however we should make our best efforts to learn more each day.

Finsbury Park Station is actually quite the maze. Those familiar would know of it as the station which didn't have ticket barriers or the one with no lifts. Wait until the end of 2018, I promise the lifts will be in and working in top condition. Many will not however know of the abandoned passageways and tunnels hidden inside the station from the public. Not particularly nice or clean areas as you can imagine all the dirt and mice scurrying about. Lots of damp and lots of muck. Check out the two pictures in this post.

Soon the mail train line will be open to the public to see, I don't know about you but I'm rather intrigued.

Creepy isn't it?

I have come to a conclusion that everyone needs a good laugh every now and then. Whether it is some good banter with some mates, or a stand up comedy or if you just saw someone trip over on the streets. Have a laugh! ~ (Okay, I don't should encourage that last one. Make sure you help them back up.)

What am I getting at you ask? Well... Kevin Hart's What Now Tour was amazing!!! It has been quite a while since tears have come out due to laughter. My throat is sore from all the laughing as well. Some of the jokes were really ridiculous. There were moments where you would think, how the heck did he come up with that. "Bang Bang". Just how?!

Why should you laugh more? Apparently it relieves stress and if you type stress into Google I am sure you will find multiple websites telling you that stress is a 'slow killer'. Everyone stresses and it is important to get rid or relieve yourself off it. I guess there are other ways to getting letting it out, such as: Sex, Shouting, Dancing, Masturbating, Eating, Crying..... but amongst them lies laughing.

'Laughter is nature's counter to bad stress'

Laughter is the #1 natural enemy of bad stress because they are physiological opposites. The predominance of one tends to prevent the other. A clue to this may be found in the body’s typical actions after extreme stress of the fight or flight kind: deep panting (all relaxation response are exhalation based) and using laughter to make light of events that provoked fear. The predominance of one (deeper breathing and laughter) tends to prevent the other (fear).

Laughter helps improve the cardiac vagal tone, which reflects how much your heart rate is influenced by your breathing. It’s an indication of your body’s capacity to regain calm after you've been in a stressful situation. Low vagal tone has been linked to chronic inflammation throughout the body, which is a known risk factor for heart failure, stroke and diabetes.

'I got in the car and started laughing'

'Early Bird Catches the Worm'; a phrase everyone is familiar with without a doubt but how many of us actually live by it? Debatable.

So with the new year most of us come up with new year resolutions; lose weight, work harder, make more money, go travelling etc. Not many are kept by the end of the year, I shall point the finger at myself.

This year I have decided to take a new approach. Rather than making new resolutions I am going to continue working on the ones setup last time. Why did I start of with that phrase you ask? Well the reasoning behind not achieving all my goals is plain and simple: I have too much of a lazy nature. I would blame things on not having enough time to complete or do them. "I need more hours in the day..." definitely said that line a few to many times in 2015.

Solution: Create more time in the day. Basically I know I sleep too much, although not necessarily a bad thing as we all need sleep, I reckon I overdose in the luxury of sleep itself. Why didn't I go gym yesterday? "I need sleep I'm tired afterwork..." I call bullsh*t. Sleep earlier and thus wake up earlier. Its funny how much more time suddenly becomes available when used effectively.

So what are my resolutions? {------ Insert copy and paste below -------}

• Gym Training - attempt to train more than I did last year, and more GAINS; smash up my PRs.
• To stop being late for work or anything for that matter.
• Better money management.
• Swimming (at least twice a month).
• Badminton weekly.
• Write more blog posts.
• Read more books.

'Walk with me thru the pathway of more success. Stay Focused!' - DJ Khaled 2015

Looks like 2015 was full of eating and travels. The learning experience never ends and one cannot ask for more.

Thank you 2015, you have been a pleasure!

A year on from my frantic panic applying for graduate jobs, I think I have done quite well. As a Civil Engineering Graduate who was applying to finance, I managed to land myself into the world of project planning. It makes more sense due to the study background than crunching numbers as an accountant or something of the sorts.

Cheeky

Having read Civil Engineering at university I had an immediate advantage over my fellow graduate colleagues. The advantage wasn't massive however as I still had to learn how to use complexed software programs. With no corporate experienced I was launched into the world of learning on the job and delivering / planning high profile projects. With the help of many experienced and bright minds, I found myself getting on with it; learning new things through experience. Being amongst day-to-day operations on-site and in the office has given me a deeper insight into the construction industry and what my job role is.

Planning can be difficult especially when you are thrown into the deep end and asked to build a contract programme from tender. "Pour on some elbow grease and get on with it", that is my understanding of the corporate world. The urge to deliver on time and on budget is a major thing and its not usually achieved, as such I have made it my aim to always meet deadlines and force the team to do so as well. Contingency is key.

Make contacts! It is a must, I've always been told its all about who you know and that's how successful you'll be. First and foremost enjoy your job, from personal experience over this past year if you don't enjoy the job you won't be motivated to perform to the best of your abilities.

Now let me go and deliver Finsbury Park Station upgrade on time.

Cheers.~

I’m willing to bet everyone complained about the morning TV when they were young. I used to wake up before school and blitz down the stairs to catch the morning cartoons as a kid. It would be on and stuck on the news channel, queue the sulking. “I want to watch… dad.” Never did I want to watch the news or have the slightest interest in politics or the economy.

Something has changed since. At some magical moment in time, the brain decides you need to grow up and realise the world is not within your house. Sooner or later you realise the first web page you load up is BBC News or CNN. You’d start to take more interest into economic matters such as Greece and the Eurozone or China’s collapsing markets. Maybe you have an interest in politics… Either way I suppose growing up does this.

I guess it trumps us all, growing up that is. Donald Trump seems to have the ‘right’ idea; he’s going to win America but in the process whining a lot. Quote: ‘I do whine because I want to win and I'm not happy about not winning and I am a whiner and I keep whining and whining until I win’.

Some may call this comedy or entertainment, Hilary Clinton, but the game plan seems to be solid. Get the public opinion, voice your opinion, show that you don’t give up and then boom. It is the same as every other job role or life situation, don’t give up and boom…

On the topic of news, Tube Drivers are striking again, just wonderful. Driver-less tubes to come into action soon I hope.

Whine away.

I guess this one is going to be a rant.

Yet again London's finest transport system has decided to strike and screw up the already tough rush hour commutes. Why are they striking? Simply because they want to be paid more when the 24 hour weekend tube starts running. Fair enough, I can agree with that. I mean who doesn't want to get paid more and more. However there is a fine line between fair and outrageous, and it is simply outrageous now.

As the talks were going on, tube drivers and staff were offered a 2% pay-rise and also for those who work the nightshifts £2000 additions. Amazing isn't it? They can strike once a year and get a 2% pay-rise. I don't know many that even get 2% a year. Guess what... they rejected this. Why? They want more.

Think about this; if they do this for 20 years in a row, getting 2% pay-rise every time... hold up I'll do the maths for you. Its a 49% pay rise in 20 years for driving a tube, sitting down and pressing a few buttons. Not to mention the extra additions they get here and there... Okay, maybe percentages don't make things clear enough. The average tube driver starting wage is £49,000; in a years time he will earn £50,000, even before the pay-rise they earn more than any university graduate. In 20 years time the tube driver will be earning £72,811... add the extras and its probably £85,000+.

I'm clearly not happy about their attitude. I say give them nothing, let the unions pay their wage and close LU for the amount of time needed for the the unions to go dry. The bin-men tried it and eventually started working again. I'm sure London and stand strong with the bus system for a while.

#FoodForThought

You can never satisfy everyone. It's just a way of life; some get what they want, most don't but is this always bad?

In light of the recent UK elections, it seems some do not what the Tories in power. I'm going to write this in as much of a neutral spotlight possible. When you go to an interview you may get asked the question "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" It is clear the answer for some is not enjoying Tories govern; but also the majority saying yes to the Tories.

The last 5 years has proven great for our economy. There's 2 million more people in work, the deficit halved as a percentage of GDP, the economy growing, and real term wage increased. Yes, your take-home salary actually increased, from the value from £9k to £10.5k tax free allowance. There are however cuts to the benefit system and to the NHS coming our way; this however isn't necessarily a bad thing. This forces efficiency and hard work, similar to what privatisation aims to achieve.

On the other hand of the scale, Labour has 'promised' many things such as the increase of the minimum wage to student fee freezes and more funding for the welfare system. By all means this does help those 'in need', I guess the term is they care about the little guy. There's cuts in tax also. Just from hearing this many will jump and decide "that's what we need."

Lets think about it all a completely different way. Who seems to be complaining more about tax and cuts? Funny enough as it always is are the lower bracket of society. But have you ever thought about it this way? The tax free allowance has increase and the increase in tax only really affects the high earners; are retail employees suddenly earning £150k to pay the upper 50% tax bracket... I highly doubt it. You want the increase in funding to the welfare system, fine... but what funds it... once again tax. Creating money isn't as easy as turning up to the Bank of England and placing an ordering of £500 billion to be printed. If this was done we would end up like Greece and we all know how well that is working out. Ultimately we want a stronger economy, a boost, and by achieving this we all benefit.

It is a long game. But the real winners are the SNP.

Prediction complete.

It seems as humans one of the hardest things to achieve is cooperation. WHY?!

Definition: "an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action."

So while working with two of my main clients and stakeholders, it has become inherently clear that they simply do not want to work together. I could describe it almost like a couple who are fighting over possession of the custody of their children while getting a divorce. The only difference is both clients want the same goal. Another example of this would be two selfish strikers who don't want to assist each other for the glory and success of the team.

It is funny when you think about it and release; most of us (humans) tend to be stubborn and want to do things our own way. Fair enough, I can understand this but why would you a common goal at risk to be the person with the bigger balls?

Maybe human nature just won't permit it. Cooperation that is.

Lets try this one day.

So this is a story all about how my life got flipped turned upside down... Okay I kid. Its just a story on how I became the bridge guy.

I remember in my early years just when I was applying to university I had this deep fascination for bridges. "One day I will design and build my own bridge." There was this section about the Golden Gate bridge and its magnificent stance in the world in my personal statement for the dreadful UCAS application. There's a vague memory of it being 3 paragraphs but coming from me that's quite enthusiastic.

As architecture wasn't a very viable option I decided upon the route of Civil Engineering. I must admit I lost interest in that route as well but I ploughed through and got my masters. Funny enough my master's final project involved either designing a tunnel system or a bridge system to run across the London Gateway, DP World shipping port. It seems subconsciously I chose to do a flyover or maybe I knew a tunnel would be much more complicated.

Finally reaching the working life, I was chucked upon planning for Hammersmith Flyover. Yes guys, I'm the one who has been causing those delays and closures. Now a bit further down the line, I have become the Project Planner for two more bridge upgrade works. Arsenal fans you can hate me later but expect problems in the Highbury and Holloway area for the next 2 years.

So its been bridge after bridge, I haven't exactly built one however taking control over one or two is close enough. Maybe I should slap my name on those bridges somewhere.

Eventually everyone wants to be earning the big bux, bringing home the six figures and showing wealth. It's a good aim. I guess the real question is how do we (especially us graduates) achieve this?

I suppose there's a few ways; mine is in the form of Management Consulting.

What is Management Consulting?
Here's what Google says it is: Management consultants help organisations to solve issues, create value, maximise growth and improve business performance. They use their business skills to provide objective advice and expertise and help an organisation to develop any specialist skills that it may be lacking. Bla bla bla...

So what is it really. I would describe it as building and delivering business models in terms of planning, controls and management that the client would like to hear, from this obtaining a hell of a load of billable after-work. What is the short answer you say? Okay, it's basically sugar coating some data and plans, then telling the client they will make crazy money as long as they follow this plan.

So life as a consultant. Most people envisage lots of travelling and talking to clients, delivering pitches and so on... True however not as glamorous as you imagine. Long hours are involved, you have to make sure you deliver to deadline no matter what. Sometimes the client may abuse you, but what can you do? Unless you're a top dog at your firm you just have to suck it up and plough on.

Eventually when you've built up a massive network of contacts and experience; you move up the food chain. You can become a Principal Consultant bringing in the dollar dollars for your firm; a valuable asset that they will not let go off. At this stage the long hours don't cease, they might actually get longer. No rest for the wicked they say, but the perks do get better. A massive increase in pay, top dollar so to say, you will probably be able to expensive everything you spend... more holiday, more power. You know that general type of category.

In the wise words of Marty Kaan: "Real fortune has nothing to do with chance or luck. "Fortuna" is bullshit. Real fortune is calculated. It's relentless, fucking criminal even. You have to make fortune happen."

Are you going to be a cut from finer cloth?

4th March 2015 - 

The trip begins. Five of us jammed into a taxi bound for Gatwick North at 05:15 hours. Looking around everyone struggling to stay awake as taxi whizzed off.

Gatwick reached; it was time to check in the baggage. Sometimes you seriously forget how many people take easyJet flights, seriously the queue for check in was immense! By 08:00 hours everyone from Logikal Projects had found each other on the plane. Still shattered, a few selfies were taken and another 30 minutes into the flight most were out cold gagging for some sleep.

The flight felt like a few minutes, maybe because I was asleep or maybe France is just not that far away. The coach transfer was the next stage in the plan. Planned it was... the Jagermeister came out and half cups distributed amongst the 24 members. As the journey continued all you could see outside the windows were the stunning views of mountain peaks and beautiful lakes. Eventually the coach would start to climb, finally arriving in the midst of our amazing chalet.

Chalet Saskia it was called, and Logikal Projects on holiday we were to be staying for the next few days. Frantically running to all the rooms, like a little kid waking up at christmas eagerly diving for presents we all were. The bedrooms, the living room, the kitchen, the basement games room and the outside view including a jacuzzi. What more could you want for the next few days? It was insane.

15:00 hours we hit the slopes, with about 2 hours remaining before the ski lifts close. As a boarder who has not been in a very long time I needed to find my feet; what a struggle this was. My board had run away from me at some point that afternoon as well. After a solid hour or two of being raped by the snow I headed back to some amazing views and some amazing food. Markus had prepared us a feast of chicken, salmon, veg, potatoes... it was basically roast with more!

5th March 2015 - 

08:00 hours... well it was around half past actually. I trot down to breakfast and it is an expected sight when you find your friends and colleagues looking rough from the wine and alcohol.

Sadly there were high winds of around 100km/h;~ snowboarding was out of the question today. So instead we all went out for lunch. There's a nice little place that serves 70 different types of Belgian beer. Like OMG. Played a little pool with the lads (won both games but also lost a bet.) Lets just say a kiss was lost or gained or whatever?

The hot tub became apparent on the agenda for the afternoon. A few landscape selfies and relaxing. It was well worth it. In the games room table tennis, music, beer, and some foosball kicked off. The Italians formed an unbeaten team which I believe still has not been lost.

Dinner time and damn... Markus is a top chef. I don't explain it just look at the pictures!...


6th/7th March 2015 -
Back to the mountain for some snowboarding. Funny enough I managed to break my thumb snowboarding on a red slope. Like a soldier I still continued and thank god I did... La Folie Douche
up in the alps was so so worth it.

It was like a club up there, expensive alcohol, performances, dancing on tables... raving hard. A little problem arose: I had a broken thumb, I was drunk and the ski lifts had closed. Only way back was to board down a bunch of blue and red routes; I can now confirm that when you are drunk anything is possible! ANYTHING! As a group we jet down the mountains all the way back to OZ where it was a taxi way back. Which then basically leads us to more dinner from Markus.

The last few nights were absolute madnesses. People dancing on fireplaces, tables, broken glass, extreme amounts of drinking, my room getting trashed? I still don't quite understand why a curtain pole was ripped off my wall... oops.

8th March 2015 - 
Home time. Woke up hanging, drunk still, injured... Had some amazing Carbonara.

All in all; everything was worth it. Love work, rave harder, eat sleep rave repeat...!
Gotta love Logikal Projects and all its members! Love <3

If you're like me who just graduated university and is now working 5 days a week; 40 hours or more so to say, you will probably feel like 'free time' is vaporised.

As time runs on, you slowly get used to the routine and the shifts of the working life which then becomes had to turn off. What do I mean by that? Well, do you ever wake up at 7am or your usual wake up time on the weekends. Don't shy away put your hand up. Work takes up the majority of life and over the years it will slowly but surely start to take a toil on the body. We give and give and give so much of ourselves - our time, talents, energy. Some people sacrifice families and health and for what - your company's bottom line? A prestigious award? A promotion?

While we all need to work to provide and survive. We must timely remind ourselves that work is NOT our lives. It is simply a means. Why not take some time out, relax with the friends, hit the pub after work? Or maybe book a spa day and just massage up. Everybody needs a reset sooner or later, and if you are anything like me then you will need a reset at least once a week.

The point is: sometimes you need to take a timeout. Force yourself to take one. You've got personal days for a reason! Turn off the phone, put down the planner.Catch your breath. Go somewhere new and exciting. Try a new restaurant. Take a spa day. Watch some old movies. Relax...

'You set the standard for how people will treat and regard you by how you treat and regard yourself'. -Bryant McGill

Candles :)

In this day and age everyone wants to be at the top of the food chain; at the top of the pyramid. How does one do this? Well considering that I am only starting to venture out on my career, I won't waste your time in giving you my advice. Rather, I have put together a few tips and experiences from those who are at the summit.

Lets consider Marissa Mayer. 16 years ago she started her career at Google as a Software Engineer. Its a typical starting role dependent on your field. In the next 10 years, she climbed her way up the ladder at Google reaching 'Vice President of Local, Maps & Location Services'. Today she is the CEO and President of Yahoo! having earned approximately $500 million collectively in her career. Amazing right? Well what were the things she did:

• Never think of your ideas and opinions to be a hassle. Okay, yes they can be but if you do not put them forward and push for it, you will never heard. There is a common phrase which is heard quite a lot: 'You only get one chance, second chances don't exist'. It is true, there might be an exception here and there but don't chance it. Your luck tank will empty out instantly.
• Take control. The world is a viscous place, if there is an opportunity available assume there are about another 10 sharks ready to battle you for it. In these situations, it's not about winning the war in the long term. Why? Simply because there will be no war if you lose that particular battle. Aim to come on top in all situations. Consider this example: there is only ONE CEO role for any company, are you going to waffle around waiting for the second day of posting or are you going to swoop in and ''take the opportunity by the balls'? Sometimes you just have to strong-arm the situation.
• Know the limit. When Marissa made it to Vice President she realised she was within the summit, but was this all she wanted? Clearly not. She knew that if she wanted to become CEO she had to leave. She reviewed her circumstances and opportunities for taking. Realising that Google had run out of capacity for her she had no choice. Yahoo! was for the taking and there she landed.

Jeff Miller is another good example. 12 years ago he took up an assignment in a foreign land away from home. A few years after he joined Halliburton, an opening turned up for a country vice president position in Angola. It was a challenging assignment, and there wasn't a long line of people who wanted to take on the work.

Clearly a good chance to come up the ladder a few steps. Considering it was in Angola, not many were interested... the pecking list was short. He met various new challenges where he was exposed to all aspects of the business. From this experience, he was led to new opportunities in Indonesia and later the Gulf of Mexico. Eventually he became Halliburton's COO and in 2014 the President of the company. In 12 years he had leap up the food chain, devouring lions and tigers by becoming the 'dragon'.

What can we learn from this? Take the jobs others don't want. You will be exposed to more areas of business but more importantly challenged and tested by management. Assuming you coming out on top you can only win from there onwards.

I'm sure there are many more examples out there; the key point is to always push through and think about the next 5 steps down the line. Checkmate before your opponents can even see it.

Checkmate