Looking at this video makes me wonder how technology is advancing even more.
Looking at our old school ties and school halls involved in a YouTube hit gives me goose bumps.
This is great to see everyone get involved, teachers, principals and students alike.
Well done Bell Baxter for helping to produce such great relationships between my friends and I as well as all of the friendships I can see have developed in this year.
From fish n chips to caviar, a kiwi chef is running the highest restaurant in the world.
burj khalifa, dubai
In superlative-laden Dubai, At.Mosphere is now the highest restaurant in the world at 422 dizzying metres above the earth on the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world.
Executive chef, Dwayne Cheer, started his illustrious career in a fish and chip shop in Waitarere beach, south of Foxton, before heading to the big smoke of Wellington. He’s worked with Peter Thornley and Rex Morgan on his 15-year culinary journey to Dubai via Sydney and London.
But as of last weekend this kiwi bloke is whipping up delicacies for the world’s rich and famous, rulers and kings who are about to frequent this the newest, tallest, and quite possibly most expensive, restaurant in the world.
At.Mosphere, is located halfway up the nearly one kilometre high skyscraper (828m to be precise) and boasts 360-degree views and cuisine to dent your wallet. Expect Wagyu beef and caviar, Maine lobster and more caviar, hopefully some New Zealand lamb (and Hokey Pokey ice cream), and expect a coffee to cost $12.50.
Yes it's guaranteed to be a bit spendy, but you are promised to feel special, and that’s all that matters isn’t it?
This is a great story. I love the fact he started in a fish shop;)
Why run a marathon, half marathon or anything more than to catch a bus? To be honest, I don't have an answer to that but what I saw today while running the Waitakere 11km fun run started my mind on a search for the answer.
Alarm went off at 5.20am this morning. After hitting th snooze button the usual 3 times I was late for my big day of running. I decided, because my wife needed the car to get to work that morning, I would jog the 5km down to the stadium. (that jog turned into a full-on sweaty run because I was late). I was meant to be there at 6.30am to help set up tents and tables but when I arrived (25 minutes late) none of the equipment had arrived yet so I decided to help with putting barriers out. 1 hour later, tent had arrived and set up, baggage store area and spot prizes were ready to go and it was time for the first coffee of the day. (I love having coffee before a race because there are no cues, I can be as fussy as I want and the Barista won't even care because he hasn't realized what kind of day he has in store yet.) Set up done, coffee done and then people start to arrive... by the hundred!!!
It was amazing to see so many people gathered there, shorts on, muscles stretched, deep heat massaged and rearing to face their challenge for the day. First challenge for everyone was to get through the aerobics session organized by club physical. This was even more awesome to watch. (video in album) As the crowd were arriving there were 3 aerobic instructors at the front directing the crowd through an aerobics warm up to "we built this city on rock and roll". I had never seen so many people doing aerobics together and most of them really enjoying it. (what is up with that).8am and the hooter sounds for the start. The gunners run off in the distance with hopeful chasers close behind, followed closely by those that are running beyond their capabilities and will be suffering quarter way through the race. Then in the crowd are the older wiser runners who have done this a thousand times before, know the pace they need to stick too and will run their own race until they reach the finish line. The next group are normally the people who are running the race for the first time and have no idea whether they are going to finish but inevetably they will because they take care through the race. (my advice for first timers is to stick near the back because you will keep passing peoples all the way to the end and, even if you are not competitive, you will get a boost evry time you pass someone.) Bringing up the rear are the walkers who are there for the fitness aspect, some for charity or to promote a good cause. (this is probably the most fun group because there is no major goal other to finish and have a good time while doing it)
Starting from the back meant I had to weave through the walkers, the first timers and up to old an wise to be in the position I wanted to take in the field. (today was not about racing for me, it was about the people and the experience) The first km I managed to hook up with John Wadsworth, head of Waitakere Enterprise, who was running his first 11km fun run. Unsure whether he would finish, he decided to take his time from the beginning and wade his way through the crowd as he felt fit. Why did John run today? His inspiration came from a man who ran his first marathon at the age of 50. "If he can do that, I can definately do an eleven Kilometre fun run" Also the fact he had been entered into another race by his team meant he had to build his fitness.
First photo op of the day came at 1.5km. There are a few shots from the top of a retaining wall. Great to watch some of the joggers going through, in one of the shots you will see a man pushing a pram. (I hope he is only doing the 11km). Next was the Skate park on Lincoln road, at 2.5km, a beautiful little spot with the path meandering through the adjacent park followed shortly by the first water station at Bar 159. Poor girls on this station were in a spot of bother. Struggling to keep up with the amount of runners moving through the station there cups strewn over the car park and beyond onto Lincoln road itself. I couldn't leave them in all that trouble and the fact that Watiakere City is known as the Ecocity meant that all that rubbish was not a good look for the out-of-towners to see. I flipped my shirt inside out and started to pick up the cups. 10 minutes later, carpark a little bit cleaner and I was on my way.
I was just getting back into a rythem when I came across my next picture opportunity. A young girl on the side of the road holding a big sign cheering Waitakere nurses while her Dad sat in the car behiind her. She had the cutest little grin and when I asked her to pose for a picture she was only too happy.
Moving along, the next stop for me was at The Falls restaurant for a quick check on the team, more photos and funny looks from all the people waiting for their family members to pass by. "What are you doing, aren't you meant to be running?" Team all good, time to move on, but not untill after a few photos of runners running through the archway at The Falls park.
As we keep running we start to hit the most scenic part of the route. Running along the twin streams path to Flanshaw road. Intermittant views of the stream peppered with road side running and tree lined properties makes for a wonderful jogging experience. Along this path I met up with Bernie Allen, a director at Davenports West, a law firm in Henderson. He isn't a runner any more but he was power walking. Now, I am pretty fit and I am 30 years his junior, but I was still struggling to keep up with him at walking speed AND he was doing the half marathon and I was only doing the 11km fun run.
The rest of the journey was spent chatting and taking photos at, pretty much, walking speed until the front runners in the half marathon came past on their second lap. What an amazing speed they were doing. I would only get up to that speed at my fittest and if I was only doing a 10km run. I managed to watch the three top runners run 1 km and in that 1km there were 3 lead changes. I wish I had run with them for the last 2km as it would have been an amazing finish to the race, but I had more important things to do like taking photos of the rest of the race.
The last and most major hill on the route is Flanshaw road which doesn't look like a major hill until you start running it. You take the first slope at a nice steady speed, because you know whats coming, then the second slope which is a little steaper seems to be a little harder. Then you hit the third incline which seems to be the steapest and it just keeps going until you think your lungs are about to blow up until you hit Vodanovich Drive and from there on its all downhill. (Ah sweet relief for all the muscles which have started to scream)
After heading down Vodanovich you head up Central Park Drive and back into the stadium to a final half a lap of the stadium and wave to the crowd before crossing the finish line to a cold bottle of water handed out by the most friendly and enthusiastic volunteers.
Overall, a great race that is thoroughly enjoyable and a challenge to anyone who wants to push themselves.
I look forward to seeing you all there in 2011.
This just makes me want to learn to surfJ
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Thanks Suzaine for some more words of wisdom.
WISDOM FROM TRAINING MANUALS
'If the enemy is in range, so are you.'
- Infantry Journal-
'It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.'
- US.Air Force Manual -
'Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never encountered automatic weapons.'
- General MacArthur -
'Tracers work both ways.'
- Army Ordnance Manual-
'Five second fuses last about three seconds.'
- Infantry Journal -
'Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.'
- Naval Ops Manual -
'Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.'
- Unknown Infantry Recruit-
'If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up to him.'
- Infantry Journal-
'Yea, Though I Fly Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I Shall Fear No Evil. For I am at 50,000 Feet and Climbing.'
- Sign over SR71 Wing Ops-
'You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3.'
- Paul F. Crickmore (SR71 test pilot)-
'The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.'
-Unknown Author-
'If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage it has to be a helicopter -- and therefore, unsafe.'
- Fixed Wing Pilot-
'When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash.'
-Multi-Engine Training Manual-
'Without ammunition, the Air Force is just an expensive flying club.'
-Unknown Author-
'If you hear me yell;"Eject, Eject, Eject!", the last two will be echos.'
If you stop to ask "Why?", you'll be talking to yourself, because by then you'll be the pilot.'
-Pre-flight Briefing from a Canadian F104 Pilot-
'What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?
If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; but If ATC screws up, .... the pilot dies.'
-Sign over Control Tower Door-
'Never trade luck for skill.'
-Author Unknown-
The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in military aviation are:'Did you feel that?' 'What's that noise?' and'Oh S...!'
-Authors Unknown-
'Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight.'
-Basic Flight Training Manual-
'Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it..'
- Emergency Checklist-
'The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you.'
- Attributed to Max Stanley ( Northrop test pilot) -
'There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime.'
-Sign over Squadron Ops Desk at Davis-Montham AFB , AZ-
'You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal.' - Lead-in Fighter Training Manual -
As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives. The rescuer sees the bloodied pilot and asks,'What happened?'
The pilot's reply: 'I don't know, I just got here myself!'
Dogs have owners;
Cats have staff !!Question: What is a bastard exactly? Quite often we ask ourselves hard to answer questions, like, "What is a bastard?"
In the photo attached, the guy on the right is a member of a bomb squad in the middle of a deactivation.
The guy behind him, well, he's a bastard.
Thank you Suzaine for sending this. Made me Lol!!
