It's good to see things from a different perspective!

Sometimes it's good to see things from a different perspective. Like snowboarding upside down in a glare of sugar white, a rush of blood to the head, beads of perspiration bubbling on the skin as you subconsciously navigate through challenging situations.

Every day we face all sorts of challenges both personal and in work. As creatures of habit we like to do repetitive tasks that we're comfortable with. By introducing freshness and new stimulus into our lives gives us the opportunity to explore new ways of self development.

I love to learn by being put in challenging situations, to see things from a different perspective, to stimulate new ways of thinking and doing.

The visit to the Kemper Museum of Modern Art the other day drew my attention to a stunning painting by Jamie Wyeth known as the Black Spruce. I'm sure we all look at art from a different perspective, a reflection of what we can translate into our norms of understanding and what we really like.


My translation of the Black Spruce as seen in www.kemperart.org is of a harsh landscape in the mid-west, filled will real people and interspersed with motivational colour. A slice of life captured in a very natural way.

An open mind is the beginning of self discovery and growth. We can't learn anything new until we can admit that we don't already know everything.

Have a top day.

Look within, you will see the imperfect in all of us

It doesn't take long to realise when you look deep within yourself you will see the imperfect in all of us. This can be looked upon not as a negative but as an opportunity to improve aspects of our lives that we want to change.

Without change there is no innovation, creativity or on incentive for improvement. I look on a regular basis what I can do differently and can realistically change about myself. Some of it I pull off, some of it I don't by a long shot. This doesn't deflect from my resolve to improve who I am or what I what to change.

In a visit today to a town called Lawrence in Kansas I came across an innocent looking wall, but when you look closer you will see some clues as to what it's built of. Lusco-VVV bricks are in the fabric of the wall... "1907 saw the birth of one of Wichita's oldest and most reputable brick & stone companies". Yes there it was in a brick, a clue as to the history in making of this town.



If you look closely you will also see clues in people in how they need to change. In many aspects their history or path in life has shaped who they are today.

My past came back to remind me today in a very simple way.....

Banana loaf, yes this was one of the 1st things I cooked almost 30 years ago. Today I had it in Milton's, Lawrence, Kansas. It made me realise the passing of time. When your travelling and working abroad it's the simplest things that make all the difference...Banana loaf did it for me today.



Lawrence is a University town, you can see & feel it, young dudes all over the place, and in a hippy kind of way. Art also has a presence, 2 examples to show you in photo's below, 1 piece of wall graffiti and the other an Andy Warhol in the Spencer Art Museum of Elizabeth Taylor.




If only Einstein could see how his name is being used today who'd have thought it would in the name of the honorary bagel. Well in Lawrence I came across a bagel shop bearing his name...E=MC2 has now been replaced by B=KI$$2....Bagel=Keep It $imple $tupid2....



Young dude students bring music to life in all genres, the photo below is an example of a music shop in Lawrence,some vinyl and all sorts media, The Love Garden. Without music there is no progression in a world of chaos, it's a real comfort to me on the road.



Look within, our history, hidden clues, the need to change, reinvention, the aesthetic of art, the calling of music all in some connected way can help shape who we are or want to be.

Have a top day.

Apple Splatz, Tasty, Munch, Lunch, Suckerpunch.....

Today started well, played some early tennis and went to Weston, Missouri in the afternoon. A bit of a weird coincidence, when I was living in Australia, where did I spend most of my time, yes Weston, but in New South Wales.

Weston Missouri felt like it controlled it's own time, pace of life and how it would adapt to any creeping change from the city.

Had a top lunch at a local cafe, home made fries and a barbecue roast beef sandwich, honest sooo good wholesome food...and wait for it! Apple Splatz, home made pie that looked like it had dropped on the plate from Outerspace, Tasty, Munch, Lunch, Suckerpunch.

Used my new Panasonic camera today, the photo's are so much better, a cleaner edge on image quality. At the top of my blog is a photo leading your eyes up the stairs of a house in Weston, early dark forcing lights to illuminate the staircase. A million thoughts to who might be living there.

In one of the antique shops I same across a model car just like my Mini Clubman, if only I could transport as much on the roof of my car! Who knows a Mini 4x4 in 2010?


Light was fading fast and I came across a house that had some lights on the outside on the window ledge, I caught this photo as an opposite to the illuminated staircase. Light seeping from the outside trying to get in, filling the dark with a soft sparkly glow.



For Weston's mid-west charm my time spent there was short, although I was drawn to a sign for Old Geezers. I think I'm getting to become a bit of a Mantique myself, who knows what awaits me, only time will tell.

Of all the photo's I took, there lurking in an old camera shop was a chair...see it for yourself....


It's a bit of symbol for the mid-west in particular Kansas & Missouri, if you look you will find all sorts of positive motivation, more so the people and their willingness to help you.

And as for the Apple Splatz, Tasty, Munch, Lunch, Suckerpunch it might not have been Michelin on a plate but it was real good.

Have a top day.

Fishin for a Bite......

Glorious day today, 70degF, check out the photo above taken at the Kemper Museum of Comtemporary Art & Design in downtown Kansas. Note the big spider below crawling up the wall, they're a bit large down here......

Being new to blogging, it's like fishin with words and photos to catch the skinniest bit of interest. A fleeting glance, a minor review or a glimpse of who's passing is enough to bolster the resolve to keep the blog rockin.

It's like a 1st night..... every night, the audience is looking for something interesting, new, informative or just plain funny.

Here I am, the day almost gone but with so much to say. Went to Dean & Deluca's for lunch, soup, fruit salad, a cappucino and a brownie. Eating like the world is runing out of food. Took an interesting photo in the restaurant shop, it shows a palette of colour shinning through.

Later in the day I went to see "New Moon", well the 1st movie, "Twilight" was top. "New Moon" was for me the worst movie I've seen this year. The movie critics must be tuned to the moon, the movie was so loose with the script I wanted to laugh...

Did some shopping today and bought a camera for my blog, the mobile camera I've been using to date is a bit noddy, Will see how the Panasonic holds up.

Another photo from the Kemper, strong grasp of purple & blue by James Wyeth. If you have a chance to track down a watercolour "Black Spruce", another by James it's so startling, bold and magnetic drawing you into the harsh landscape of mid-west America.

To finish off the day is a photo with a myriad of colour, a simple geometric array bursting with light. It's late and the day is now gone, my blog has taken me into another day. Sleep beacons, another day another $.

Here's hoping I have more of a ScoobyDo of what's in store with a brand new dawn.

Have a top day.

My Little Corner of the Web

Good morning, my time in Kansas has given me the opportunity to try blogging, some fresh stimulus. My little corner on the Web, it's like a microcosym in space that a traveller might bump into. If you've bumped into my blogg, or burst the bubble of my own content, welcome, hang loose, have a read.

You should try blogging. it might the simple ramblings of someone looking for an audience, a voice in a babble of content that might never get heard. Who knows it might be the spark of your own creative content...."creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun".

Today is Thanksgiving in the US, I'm going to a friends house for lunch to sample the hospitality and atmosphere of the day. Looking forward to it, especially the people, the food and to understand why this is such an important day in American culture.

If there's one thing I've learned about my time in the mid-west, there's a feeling of community, the genuine sense of people wanting to help, have a nice day is not a glib statement, but a real meaning of intent.

The best way to understand a culture is to embed yourself in it, be there, mix in and sample the way of life. To look from afar is to form a blinkered view and to assume that's the way it is for your own personal appetite.

Missing my family back in the UK, and the run up to Christmas. Got an email from Lana today with some of her own creative photo content. The 1st photo is of Lana, my 13 year old, whoa this is so fantastic, beauty and creativity beyond words.

The 2nd photo is of Lana in her shoes, filling the empty space, white shoes taking control, who knows where they are, or going to.

We all have some sort of goal or target in life, what's yours, where do you want to go with your own creativity, shoot the hoop. It may look difficult at 1st, but given time it will be like riding a bike.

Have a top day.

Thanksgiving is on its Way

The holiday period has almost started in the run up to Christmas. Overland Park seems so much busier with the kids returning from college.

I never really knew what Thanksgiving was all about, it's a gr8 experience to be here , a fresh stimulus to my understanding of the American way of life.

Last night meet a few friends in a bar, had some Terayki in a Sushi restaurant called Kyoto, went home early and fell asleep real quick.

Got woken up by a friend calling from Australia who's coming to Kansas, December 8th, he's planning to stay in the Aloft.

Yesterday was filled with meetings and little time to call home. Will have more time later today as people will be heading home early in preparation for Thanksgiving.

My leaving date is December 17th and the days are moving fast. Sooo glad we're making progress on our Program, it's been a challenge but I feel the rubber is beginning to hit the road, touch wood the momentum will keep on movin, movin.....and movin.

Today we have a team lunch before the break up for Thanksgiving.

Have a top day.

Dean & Deluca

Every evening I have the privilege of having to choose where I'm going to eat. In Overland Park there's a host of places to fill your face with top food. Tonight it was the choice of Dean & Deluca's Italian delicatessen. I had top soup, some fruit, a skinny decap and a loaded chocolate brownie, yum, yum.

Getting to grips with my blog has drawn me into the world of photography & images, and I like colour, have a look at my beach house in the next photo, see if you can see it nestled in the bay........if only. 1 day I will have a beach house that looks out to sea with oddles of space & light. I can hear the cascade of surf rushing in my ears and feel the tapping of the wind in my face.

I said I like colour, but I also like irregular patterns that weave and mix light and shapes. One of my favourite's is below....

I'm working on a top project at the moment trying to shape the structure and content of the key deliverables. The team are striving for success, looking to make a difference and show we can overcome our challenges. A top image for me is the sight of the bees in the honey, working as a team on a vision and the association of making something Real.

When you can convey your project in visual mode, translating it into something Real that people can associate with you know you can make a difference, try it, see what you can acheive. For me we've only just started and the passion to succeed is as strong as when I came to Kansas in May 2009.

Have a top day.

American Football, it's More Than Just a Game

Went to see the Kansas City Chiefs play against the Pitsburgh Steelers today, KC won 27-24 after extra time. Game was on from 12.00 to 16.00.

People arrived early in their 1000's to have lunch, known as tail gating off the back of their trucks or buses. It was a mass party before and after the game.

American Football is more than just a game it's a way of life for these people, passion and connection to their team was evident all around. There was no real aggro like what we have in Soccer, people on both sides really love the sport on and off the pitch.

There was a real sense of community, people really enjoying not just the game but being present, being there during the day and soaking up the fantastic atmosphere.

Have a look at the vast array of people, cars & trucks in the distant view just before the game started!
During the game in extra time, you can see from the score board it was 24-24...and everyone was going banana's.

One of my favourite photo's is the one below next to the pitch line, check out the 2 guys with the space age dome's, must have been listening into team tactics on the other sides......!

It was a fanstastic day and one I won't forget, thanks to a colleague of mine for taking me there.

When I got back, young kids were playing ice hockey next to the hotel and the Christmas lights were on. Didn't see any helmets on...whereas @ KC Chiefs people in the crowd even had them on......

My next car you never know might be a truck.....but the CO2 police might be out to get me in the UK....

Have a top day.

Shhh! Tulips are sleeping!

Went to the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, the 1st photo to show you is one of Shhh! Tulips are sleeping! Found it nestling in the gardens among the flower beds.

Interesting museum, the next pictures show a quiet place, combining light, space & inanimate objects that directs the eye to the elevated corridor or corner of the room.

The next photo is art that I can relate to, it's vibrant colours and shapes showing a sense of creativity.

Today was my 1st team tennis match for Midtown Tennis Club, playing with Jerry we won 6-2 & 6-1. Gr8 to get my 1st win for the club.

Good to speak and catch up with Clare & Ella earlier today.

Went to see a band called "no cash value", very good, 2nd time I've seen them.

Have a top day.

Night Blending into Day, Good Morning USA

4th day and I'm settling in again blending into the USA way of working. Still waking early but it's now Friday, a busy day ahead, looking 4ward to the weekend to recover and recharge. Lots to do today, yesterday was a long working day again, nearly 12 hours. Only had a short call with the family, gr8 to hear Clare, Ella & Lana. Ella has lost one of her front teeth and Lana has just sat her Chemistry & Physics GCSE's. Clare's company starts it's 1st job today http://www.butterfly-blue.com/ well done and good luck!

Took a few photo's yesterday with my Sony Ericsson mobile, ok quality you will start to see some of the pictures in my blog starting today.

Went to North last night, Italian food, had Seabass, a bit overcooked but it was good to have some healthy food at the end of the day.

Tried to write my blog last night but feel asleep! Aim to go to the gym @ 6.00 am USA time today and start work @ 8.00 am. Looking out of the hotel room window just now, it's wintery cold, night now blending into day, white lights mingling with the dusk, maybe some warm rays of Sun later to feed the soul.

Good morning USA, looking forward to another challenging day.

34degF is this Scotland?

2nd day in Kansas, settling in but waking up @ 4.00 am. Will get over it, work swamping in all around and keeping me more than occupied. A real challenge working in the US although the people are superb, agile, creative in their own way, sometimes not realising it.

Last night ate at The Bristol, superb fish restuarant, crab cakes & halibut for dinner. Tonight it was Chinese, simple, easy tasty food.

Yes winter is on the way, fresh scented spell of cold air settling all around with the rain and sleet sticking to the landscape.

It's easy to associate the wet and cold with Scotland, until the sun in Kansas surprises you, it's ray's warming the soul.

Tomorrow is more than another day, opportunity, choices and a fresh reflection on how I can learn more, add value to my own self development and the people all around me.

Little time to call home today, need to have this high on my agenda and will try harder to make it a high priority. If your reading this Clare, Ella & Lana take it easy.

Above all whatever you do....Live Life, Love Living and continue to do things in new ways.