Restoring Friendships

How many people have had a falling out with a best friend that they have know for more than 5 years, that they have found it so hard to go back and face them to say “I’m Sorry!” There is nothing more that you want than to have your best friend back by your side talking and listening to you again. What is holding you back though from making this move forward? The chances are that your friend is probably doing the same thing as you, stalling for the other to make the first move. Now I do understand that in some cases pride is an issue, but geez, get over it. If you really want your friend back them you are going to have to harden up and face up to them. Life has proven to be too short to play waiting games. Holding grudges against someone only holds you back and creates a burden on your shoulders. Forgiving and apologizing is far easier than holding grudges. So can you actually imagine how the rest of your life would be like if your best friend wasn’t there with you? I know I couldn’t. If you don’t like the look of what you see then maybe it’s time you stopped what you are doing and made a phone call...

NZ Winters = Snowboarding

For someone who doesn’t particularly like the cold weather I have decided to make the most of a New Zealand Winter this year. I usually try and spend time overseas around this time, either in Australia or Fiji where the climate is a lot pleasantly warmer. This year I am at Uni in Auckland and have gone to the extreme to travel to the South Island every 2nd/3rd weekend to go Snowboarding at Mt Hutt Ski Field. Mt Hutt would be amongst one of the top NZ Ski fields to go to. With the high rate of clear days, great packed snow, freshly groomed trails and terrains daily and the views from the top are just breath taking. Snowboarding has been a great investment of my time and money, I can now safely say that I have found a hobby that will keep me busy for at least 6 months of the year in NZ anyway, the other 6 – maybe head overseas... we’ll see!

Living the Care-Free way of Life :-)

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you didn’t have any stress present? How would that affect your feelings and emotions towards something? I have a really good mate who has recently just informed me of the way he is living his life now. He takes each day as it comes, not rushing through to get things done, living carefree on the edge but in a way that he doesn’t let people get to him and the little things that usually bug most people, don’t affect him one bit. He has no regrets so nothing is holding him back from reaching his full potential. His life now consists of travelling around the world working in exotic countries in great jobs while getting the chance to meet new people, make friends and see some amazing sights in each country. He is happy and content with the way he is living now. This friendship has inspired me to live more carefree on the edge and to start to not let the little niggles in life get to me. Hopefully this will limit the amount of stress which occurs each day and also aid in being at peace with decisions that you make.

PRESSURE...

Aahh!!! How many people have high standards which they have to live up to and maintain in order to please everyone around them? Pressures from family, friends, partners, work and in some cases from what you bring on yourself? Pressure to achieve good grades, the best of the best and no less, and that failing isn’t acceptable. Some would say that this is a cause of ‘Perfectionism’ and in a way I agree with this. I also agree that extreme pressure is also a cause of teenage suicide and can cause personal issues in people such as, disappointment, low self-esteem and poor/loss of social interaction. I don’t really have any answers as to why some people let pressure run their lives. But not all pressures are bad. Some are actually need to help us through our daily lives. We need pressure behind us to aid us to complete tasks by deadlines in a timely manner, to assist us with timekeeping and to give us that little bit of an extra kick when we need to get something started. We need to recognise the good pressures from the bad pressures in our lives and start to take control of these.

Bridge Simulator Practical’s

After 6 months of theory exams and assessments we have now finally moved onto some real interesting stuff at Uni. The next 12 weeks will be jam-packed full of practical assessments on ship handling, navigation, emergency control and communication with other people in a simulated bridge environment. We will all be examined on our ability to take charge when in command, to listen and speak up if needed, to navigate in dense traffic situations where emergency situations will occur, to berth and undock a ship in various types of ships, to moor and bring the vessel to anchor and our ability to be a part of an effective bridge management team. The next 12 weeks will be challenging, that I do know for sure. This will be a time where personalities will start to come out and will clash with others in the classroom. Conflict will occur and disagreements will be present for sure. Like the tutor says; “It’s better to have a dispute on the bridge in the simulator which results in the ship running aground than for it to happen in real life on a ship”