Camping trip - Hillsborough River State Park

Sleepless Night In South Beach

An absolute blast!

University of Miami Homecoming Weekend

We were walking home from dinner when all heck broke loose! Saw this 20 minute awesome fireworks display at the University of Miami campus.

A Thought on Success

The fifth One-Day match between India and Australia in Hyderabad today was an absolute humdinger. With Sachin Tendulkar passing the 150-run mark, with 6 wickets standing and India cruising towards 351, Oz looked out of it. But they won, with 2 balls to spare, bowling India for 347 all out. The commentators put it down to "Australianism", coined by Jon Arlott 60 yrs ago on a Oz tour of England.

"Australianism means single-minded determination to win - to win within the laws but, if necessary, to the last limit within them. It means where the 'impossible' is within the realm of what the human body can do, there are Australians who believe that they can do it - and who have succeeded often enough to make us wonder if anything is impossible to them. It means they have never lost a match - particularly a Test match - until the last run is scored or their last wicket down."
"South Africanism" there must be too - we've shown the same grit often enough.

But a great quote all the same, and very applicable to business, entrepreneurship, success and determination in any event.

The New Cape Town Stadium - Gearing up for the '10 World Cup

Washington Politicians

I voted for the Democrats because I didn't like the way the Republicans were running the country. Which is turning out to be like shooting yourself in the head to stop your headache.

- Jack Mayberry

Las Olas Art Festival

We drove up to Fort Lauderdale and the Las Olas Art Festival on Sunday and visited with the up-and-coming pop artist Ed King, who had some amazing pieces on display. There were hundreds of stalls. Here Sarah is becoming acquainted with some outdoor farm animal art.

Sunset Kayaking

Pic: The Brickell skyline from Key Biscayne.

We had a brilliant sunset kayak trip along the Miami skyline tonight.
A dolphin followed us for a while and a fish jumped right on Sarah's
lap!

Talks on Future Asian Union

In a very interesting recent development, China and Japan began talks in early October on building an Alliance. In the meantime, Russia, India, Australia, and other countries have been included in early talks on a future East Asian Community, similar to the European Union.

The global power balance is certainly shifting and it is fascinating to be able to watch history unfold in such a way.

Identifying Generation Y

Who is Generation Y?

I've since forgotten the finer details of my MBA lectures regarding the Silent Generation (those born before 1946), the famous Baby Boomers (our parents - born before 1959), and then us - Generation X (born between 1960-1979).

Generation Y or the Millennial Generation (born from 1980 onwards) are a truly different speciment, much more so then the differences noticeable between the preceeding three Generations. Their first mayor memory will probably be of the death of Princess Diana, the fall of the Berlin Wall, or maybe even the 1986 challenger explosion. According to the January 2006 newsletter of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, statistically speaking, “antidepressants, prescription medication and other behavior-altering drugs, such as RItalin, [making] Gen Yers the most medicated generation in history.” See, they also grow up in increasing socio-economic instability and tragedies, and their parents solve their trauma by sending them to psychologists and putting them on drugs prescribed by society.

This crowd grew up with technology, with rapid change, and in culturally, socio-economically, and politically diverse environments. They are young, affluent, educated, brass, very independant due to their parents generation's high divorce rate, and empowered. They are excellent networkers and travelling is not a big deal to them as it was to their parents' parents. They have a wide perspective of the world and are knowleagable of other cultures.

Gen Y grew up with the Internet, immersed in the digital world. What Gen X experiences as an information overload is no problem to them. They are used to intense multi-tasking: Texting while in a conversation, while listening to music on their iPod, while surfing the Internet. Texting, gaming, social networking, the use of hand-held devices, and the dissemination of personal information is part of their daily life.

They are less racially intolerant and more accepting of alternative lifestyles. They have much shorter concentration spans - one reason why the printed newspaper is dying. However, things have come easy for them and they get easily aggitated if things doesn't go their way. Ever seen a kid impatient with a slow Internet connection?! Or angry that a call dropped that was made halfway around the world?! The mere existance of the technology still amazes me!

Very importantly, being the first generation to grow up with the Internet, they have blogging, micro-blogging, texting, YouTube, Facebook etc - this Generation has an opinion about issues, brands, and corporate malpractices. They have a voice. Mainstream pop-culture has made them very aware of brands and issues, especially non-profit topics and grassroots development issues.

According to recent studies, approximately 95% of Gen Y in the US are registered on one or more social networking sites. They are financially savvy, more so then their parents. It is folly for marketers and communicators to ignore them. The landscape has changed.

South Beach Business Chapter - Social Night!

Our business chapter had our monthly social night at an office this time - and we played Twister! I'm way less flexible than I thought and had to bail early. Fun night.

Sarah's Birthday Night Out

After a week of research and a plethora of well-intended options -
advice from colleagues and friends, I had chosen a South Beach French
restaurant for our Thursday night special dinner. The occassion:
Sarah's 30th birthday.

It was supposed to be an evening of dazzle, special smiles, and
stylish dining. Like those college-era, romantic dating days when I
would turn on the charm at will. It was not to be.

As I parallel-parked the car in a side street close to the restaurant
I threw my back out so badly, I could hardly walk. I still find it ridiculous, even writing about it! This was minutes after jokingly telling Sarah that her youth was over!

This was only the start. As the we - Sarah the birthday girl and the
Hunchback of Notre Dame - stumbled into the French restaurant, Sarah
informed me that she does not eat French food. Did I not know this?
Did I not do a bit of planning first? After all, this is her 30th birthday. It's supposed to be special!

Things are a little hazy due to the excruciating pain in my back, but I think I
convinced her that there are a Plan B - another restaurant I chose,
just in case. Close by. We parked in Beach Rd, South Beach, and proceeded to
Fox Cafe. She daintily in her pretty outfit, me shuffling along like a crab,
hunched over from the pinched nerve.

Then it started pouring without any prior warning - Miami-style - and we darted as wet as drowning rats, through the nearest door. It turned out to be a gay male bar where we
waited out the tropical thunder storm -not the intimate, romantic atmosphere I envisioned for Sarah's 30th, but what the heck - she liked the music.

We finally had our dinner at (See pic) Fox Cafe (The worst food I've ever tasted, and the patio roof leaked in the driving rain.) and Sarah were able to show great character and laugh about the experience. What a gal!

Happy birthday Princess!

Lazy Weekend in Stuart, Florida

We spend a lazy, fun-filled weekend at the South African Termies in Stuart. We watched
some big screen Currie Cup rugby, ate way too much, and most
importantly, spent time out of Miami in order to restore my sanity.
Here we are in Hobe Sound hiding from the sweltering 90+ degree sun. Floated down the river, swam in the nearby ocean and had a jolly good time with our adopted family.

Thanks Art & Adele!

(South) Africa Enters the Space Race

The BBC reports that South Africa has entered the "space race" with a billion Rand satellite launched from Kazachstan recently. One can surely be elated over the many advantages of the program, but with a staggering unemployment rate of 22% in SA, it all becomes a wee bit dumb. Could these resources not be better spent on bio-technology and other sciences directlybeneficial to a needy population that has to be fed.

Canandaigua Lake, Napels, NY

Watkins Glen, NY

Family Reunion in New York

Footbal Star Gets Two Years for Shooting Himself in the Leg.

More and more often these days I come across news that just makes me go "Uh!?"

Former Giants Super Bowl star Plaxico Buress was sentenced to two years in prison for shooting himself in the leg! Well, not exactly, but that's what it comes down to.

In an incident that happened in a New York nightclub last Fall, Burress accidentally shot himself in the thigh with his own gun. The gun was not licensed in New York, thus violating the City's stringent gun laws. His Florida gun carrying license expired in 2008.

Burress, a former Giants wide receiver, is best remembered for his last minute winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, giving the NY team an unexpected 17 - 14 win over the New England Patriots.

Read the complete article on ESPN.

A Quick Recap of the Past 7 Months

"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana." - Groucho Marx

Dear friends and family,
Apart from regular one-line Twitter updates it's been a while since I/we have updated the blog. We are humbled by your visits to our blog where you can get glimpses into our life here in Florida. Hence I sincerely apologize for our long silence since January.
During our 2-week Xmas holiday with friends up in the Smokey Mountains, I often tried to "see" the year ahead, to plan, to mentally prepare for '09. There had been signs of things to come, but it has been more than I expected. It's been a testing year for both Sarah and I.

Sarah's studies is going very well. She is doing a Masters in International Studies and Conflict Resolution at Nova Southeastern University here in South-Florida. In fact, it is going extremely well. But is has kept her very busy and we see little of each other during weeknights due to her class schedule and the taxing amount of work. She just came back from a 2 month internship in Cusco, in the Andean mountains in Peru - more about that later.
I think her motivation is high, since she is determined to leave her current profession as a Elementary School teacher ASAP. We both agreed that this (Aug '09 - June '10) should be her last year of teaching.

In December '08 I partnered with an amazing lady, Julien Sharp - a 15 yr veteran in the field - and we formed Stylo Creative Communications. Stylo is a marketing & communications company with a strong focus on New Media, social media marketing, content, and communication technology. She has an established office in New York, with me tasked with building a solid client base here in Miami.
I've been building and networking for 8 months and we are only now starting to see the fruits of our labor. Our client list, although not where we want it, is getting there, our strategic alliances and partnerships have given us strength, and we have exponentially increased our service offerings and ability. Soon we will be launching our new website. It is very exciting.

I am still the Alumni & Development Officer at CAU, the small Puerto Rican-based University. Balancing two jobs is tough, and I'm still learning time management skills, among many other essentials. The job is extremely frustrating, since the management is argaic, and very happy with keeping the status quo of an institution that is on par with similar institutions in Puerto Rico, but already lagging very far behind other Florida institutions competing for the same student pools. Studying my MBA, I had a foretaste of good management and this is a fantastic example of how NOT to run a business - a great case study.
I feel that I have been professionally stagnating since '08. There are other opportunities out there, but since Sarah is studying here and I am building Stylo, I have hold out in pursuing them. I truly hope that in hindsight I will not have been wrong in this decision.
I had the privilege of attending the Annual National Conference of Higher Education Development, Alumni, and Marketing Professionals, held at Kansas State University. Attended by University reps from accross the country, I had a foretste of how thngs should be doen. As well as meeting some fantastic people, as an American for the first time! (I was the only attendee with an accent, and had to say I'm from South Africa about every 5 minutes.)

I visited Sarah in Peru and we had a wonderful week visiting the Inca's Sacred Valley, Macchu Pichu and some other treasures of the land. Then I spend a terrible 2 weeks in Lima withut a passport, but I will bore you with the details at another stage.

You can view Sarah's Peru blog and the many great pictures at:
http://web.me.com/texangal21

What?! It's Friday already?