I read that economy passengers who walk through business class to reach their seats are angry with travelling in cattle class. I am more than happy to travel in the rear of the plane, envy is not an emotion I suffer from, I prefer cheap airfares. If my company is willing to pay for business class then great, I am more than happy for them to increase their travel bill, but I don’t want to empty out my bank account just to pay for premium seats.

Would entering the plane through the front door be better? Well yeah, they are clearly the better seats, they serve better food, provide more attentive service and the list goes on. Naturally, premium service comes at increased cost  – a bill I’m not willing to pay the extra charges. For the airlines, business class provides increased revenue with higher margins and if you are willing to pay the extra costs then so be it, but don’t get all envious and angry if you see what the extra charges get you. There are choices and we have the ability to select business class at time of booking – pull your head in.

Prestige watch owners are a funny bunch, I read online forums on occasions when I am doing research and they seem more intent on arguing with each other over small and petty issues than enjoying robust discussion in an area where we have a mutual interest. Needless to say, I have never joined in such discussions. However, I am interested in quality timepieces after graduating from my first TAG Heuer after more than twenty years of constant service.

I like Panerai but own none, I like IWC but own none, I like Omega and own three, I like Bruguet but own none and I like TAG Heuer and own three. I can’t say I’m a big fan of Rolex and don’t own any, if fact, I own a Longines Conquest but I’m not that interested in the Explorer. Paradoxically, I prefer the Conquest over the Explorer and I certainly wouldn’t purchase an Explorer II.

Before all the weird Rolex owners shake their heads, I am well aware the Explorer is fitted with the 3132 in-house movement whilst the Conquest is fitted with the base ETA 2824-2 automatic movement. I am comparing aesthetics and not engines in a way that an automobile is more than just a powerplant.

If I wanted an Explorer, I would own an Explorer, but I would take Panerai or a Bruguet over a Rolex without even a second thought. I generally limit myself to sub $5000 timepieces so all three of these are certainly out of my price range but I can still admire these fine examples of haute horlogerie excellence.

At the age of 49, I am increasingly thinking about retirement. Whilst the official retirement age in Australia was raised from 65 to 67 a couple of years back, I expect the official retirement age to reach 70 by the time I get closer to retirement age – that particular government policy has already been discussed. That gives me 11 years to add to my retirement balance despite my modest employment income to improve my quality of life after 60.

I do use the term official retirement age somewhat loosely, that is when I will qualify for a government pension. That is closer to 22 years based on the official retirement date. But like everything, this is means tested; this is a government analysis of your assets and I expect to have generated enough personal wealth to not qualify for a full government pension and I don’t look like qualifying for a part pension either. I am what they term a net tax payer, whilst a large number of working Australians pay income tax, after such deductions such as family benefits A & B, child payments, any pensions or welfare payments, only 40% of the working population actually pay more tax than their deductions.

However, I have sacrificed my personal finances and standard of living to put aside a substantial sum every pay period to finance my retirement. I will qualify to gain access to my personal retirement fund once I turn 60 and I am going to do just that. I would be mad to keep contributing to a scheme that has a cap on the total balance. I would be smarter to start drawing it down in a manner that enhances my quality of life instead of remaining in the workforce for another 7 years, aging further and diminishing my chances of international travel and adventure while I am still in reasonable health.

We have a crazy system that the hardest and most productive workers pay the most whilst the section of the population who contributes the least receives the greatest benefit. Americans would be appalled at such a system and while my politics are somewhat right of centre, I am somewhat of a closet socialist. I believe we should have a safety net as a compassionate society to assist those down on their luck through no fault of their own.

We shouldn’t promote a welfare dependent society who only takes and doesn’t give, if you can’t work because of a disability or injury – then that is what welfare payments are for. If you are too lazy to work then you should receive nothing after a certain period of looking for work, that includes not only attending interviews but receiving feedback from prospective employers about reluctance to work.

I have spent a whole working life never drawing any benefits from the government, even in retirement I will not be costing the taxpayer any money to support me and I will still be paying tax on the funds I pull out of my retirement account. But I will not be employed full time either, I will be getting up when I feel like it, doing some exercise before my morning coffee and then working out how my day will pan out. My plan is to do in a country where my retirement dollar goes further and the quality of life is good. I want to live overseas during the Australian winter and return home in the summer – I am looking forward to my modest retirement.

I like gin, I have been a gin drinker for a long time, but to be honest, I don’t drink a lot of gin. Yet I am still going to reach for a gin based drink given the opportunity. Is gin making a comeback? I certainly hope so.

What I am noticing in Perth at least is gin bars are popular again. One of the more famous movie lines was Humphrey Bogart playing Rick Blaine was “of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world and she walks into mine” in the Warner Bros classic Casablanca. Despite the excellent gin options available, I’m not much into cocktails and prefer just a gin and tonic, a fairly ordinary choice really. With winter coming to an end, the days are getting sunny again so it is time to head out for a little sunshine – roll on summer.

With now just a little over ten years left until I can officially retire on my self managed superannuation fund, I know living in Australia full time is going to be way too expensive. I have friends living overseas throughout South East Asia and although I don’t want to limit myself to Asia, I view their circumstances with interest.

I enjoy summer in Perth so I fully intend to spend the summer months in Australia, that does increase my costs as I have to maintain a residence in Australia for a whole year whilst also paying for accommodation overseas. That being said, I am looking to travel whilst still active, as I age my mobility is expected to decline somewhat so I need to retire earlier rather than later.

So at age 60, I should still be fit enough to travel on a budget as there is still so much I want to see and do and require a relatively active body to enjoy such a retirement lifestyle. I am really looking forward to retiring and starting the next phase of my life. I like scuba diving, mountain biking, sailing, hiking and kayaking so I need to maintain my fitness for these activities. These are not cheap past times either, so I need to have suitable finances to support my forms of entertainment.

What’s the point of working right up until you are too old to enjoy it. I understand the need for belonging and working purely for the enjoyment of achievement. However, I am more than willing to forgo future some income for lifestyle, you have to enjoy life now and not look too far into the future but still follow a solid plan.

Did a newly minted Rolex Explorer prototype make it to the summit of Mt Everest in 1953 on the wrist of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? The general conscious is it did, but has the advertising of Rolex actually acknowledged this historical fact? We conclusively know that Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster Professional made it to the lunar surface in 1969; Neil Armstrong’s Speedmaster Professional was never actually worn on the lunar surface and was instead intentionally left in the lunar module due to the failure of the Bulova mission timer.

The Explorer was released back in 1953 and Rolex has heavily promoted the rugged appeal of the timepiece with plenty of alpine and mountaineering photo shoots in printed advertising material. What we do know is that Rolex sponsored the 1952 Lambert expedition whilst Hillary’s expedition was led by John Hunt. Chief sherpa Tenzing Norgay was part of both expeditions, that is an historical fact that isn’t in dispute with the Lambert expedition in 1952 getting to within 200 metres of the summit before they were forced to turn back.

As the mountain was conquered and opened up to subsequent expeditions; plenty of Rolex Explorers have now perched over the highest point on Earth on the wrist of well funded mountaineers. No doubt, so have many other timepieces. But the question remains, was the Explorer prototype there first? There may be evidence to conclude Hillary wore an Oyster Perpetual with a leather strap on at least part of the expedition.

There is some discussion as the Explorer was released in the year of Hillary’s feat; this might not be an issue as Hillary could well have worn either a prototype or first release. The concept and prototype models would have been well advanced by this stage at any rate regardless of actual release date. However, Rolex implies in it’s advertising that the timepiece went to Mt Everest but doesn’t actually mention the actual feat in their advertising.

There is some discussion that Sir Edmund Hillary may have actually wore a timepiece manufactured by English watchmaker Smiths. If this is true, why has the marketing of Rolex promoted not only mountaineering but implied Hillary and Norgay wore an Oyster Perpetual on their wrist on the summit and possibly perpetuate a myth. The truth is, I don’t know but I do find it interesting to speculate on why they don’t seem to directly mention that a Rolex was on the wrist of Hillary and Norgay on the summit of Mt Everest in 1953.

Those bastard birds are at it again, it’s spring and magpie swooping season is in full swing again and no one is immune. We are all a legitimate target in the eyes of magpies – stay away from our nests. We won’t be climbing any trees to get anywhere near their nests – but there is no negotiating with an angry magpie.

You are walking down the street or riding a bike and hear the woosh of wings behind you, it’s spring and the magpies are protecting their nests from any and all possible intruders. Whatever you do, don’t look around, children have lost sight in one eye, those beaks are sharp and the impact is brutal. I keep in pretty good with magpies out of swooping season, they know who you are so they leave me alone for the best part, the problem for me is when I am out in an area where the magpies don’t know who I am.

With GoPro cameras, we are seeing some pretty decent pics and video footage of attacking magpies. As kids going to school walking across the park, we would carry sticks to wave over our heads to keep the magpies at bay. These days, magpies are photographed and videographed in attack mode and we don’t try to whack them with sticks anymore – they are still annoying though.

The jeepney is a third world mode of transport reminiscent of a bygone era. Whilst I hate them, I am also cheap so this is my selected mode of transport in the Philippines, especially in provincial areas.

One of my most common jeepney rides is when I head down to Anilao from Manila, this saves paying for a private car ride. Catching a coach style bus from Buendia station to Batangas Grand Terminal sets you back about 150 peso and takes approximately two hours. On one trip, there was a video on board with a Manny Pacquiao v Miguel Cotto fight replay. The guy is, of course, a national hero so his triumphs are routinely telecast. Heading into the twelfth and final round, the program was changed to some American NBA rubbish depriving me of witnessing the third and final knockdown of the fight – I would have to say, that was my most frustrating ride.

Arriving in Grand Terminal, then it is time to board the jeepney, they jam every one on board and won’t leave until they fill it. This could take over an hour jammed inside waiting with bags and dive equipment, a total waste of everyone’s time, yet no one complains and they just accept it. A crampy and bumpy ride ensures sucking in exhaust fumes as the outlet pipe isn’t routed properly, this could take an hour leaving the passenger feeling sick – what a ride. However, what I like about the jeepney is their cheapness and being able to ride in a vehicle with common people, yeah, they don’t complain and just get on with it – that’s what I like about riding in a jeepney. 

Getting involved in small business, you get involved in marketing, you get involved in accounting, you get involved in strategy and you get involved in sales, it goes without saying that you get involved in public relations.

We all know you don’t need to have an MBA to start a business, there are no legal requirements and plenty of people are engaged in small business enterprises without university qualifications. So should a person take on the effort and expense of this post-graduate qualification? Firstly we need to look at age, current earning potential, time lost from work, opportunity cost and tuition fees. Then we need to take a good hard look at the school offering the MBA qualification, its reputation, quality of instruction offered and entrepreneurial programs the institution offers.

The younger you are, the more opportunity you have to earn the costs back but this is counteracted by the less management experience encountered. The reputation of the institution is important insofar as venture capitalists are attracted, industry experts brought in and the mentoring potential in terms of quality of industry experts.

In an entrepreneurial business venture, the development of ideas that are peer reviewed in venture labs by students, industry experts and faculty staff. One imagines a through analysis allows review of the idea will result in reworking the plan to get exciting ideas off the ground. The Stanford Venture Studio and their Startup Garage, INSEAD’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and the IE Business School Area 31 are programs Stanford’s venture lab holds weekly meetings with business founders, venture capitalists, industry experts and faculty staff to develop new ideas.

Business plans are developed from prototypes, value creation is analysed and the idea tested and peer reviewed with input from faculty members and industry experts. The current crop of start-up businesses revolve around e-commerce and developing online platforms. This is an interesting time, there are so many ecommerce stores being created with new business and payment models.

A number of leading universities are strongly promoting entrepreneurship as coursework opening labs where ideas are floated and refined. If you have a good idea and you peer review the business plan with input from industry experts, you could easily seek a return on the investment far exceeding the opportunity cost of staying employed.

Staying home on a Saturday night, I decided to crack the top on a 2015 Upper Reach Tempranillo and I was pretty happy I did. These days you can’t pop a cork, but you can certainly crack a screw top.

I am a pretty big fan of Upper Reach so I’m pretty confident bringing a bottle home from their Swan Valley winery. Not that it is an issue as cellar door sales includes tasting so you already know what you are getting. Checking the Upper Reach tasting notes, they tell us this has perfumed notes of cherry, berry and a hint of tomato leaf.

To be honest, I have no idea what this means as I can’t say I have ever eaten tomato leaf, but what I do know that this turned out to be a reasonable drop. Tempranillo is a Spanish style well suited to Western Australian, namely Swan Valley conditions as a lighter to medium bodied style wine – I like it. I am looking for new styles to drink along with the basic shiraz or cabernet sauvignon styles we usually are offered, this is a little lighter without having to resort to merlot.