Maybe it is just me, because I do not see the attraction of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I understand they are very popular. On my travels to the Philippines, I saw a number of outlets, especially at the airport. The Manila residents heading out to the provinces would carry on as hand luggage boxes of this stuff – I thought they were mad.

You could imagine my surprise when the first store opened in Perth and people lined up outside for hours – you have to be kidding. I have had Krispy Kreme doughnuts before and I don’t think they are particularly good, their toppings are too sugary and they are over-priced. Yet, you have to respect their marketing abilities, they have taken a mediocre product at best and made it a sought after product.

Hailing from Perth where hot and dry summers are the norm, a refreshing gin and tonic on a hot day is wonderful. Likewise, when I am on holidays in South East Asia, a G & T is my choice of alcoholic drink. A slice of lime to compliment and finish the drink is excellent, this is a great complimentary taste for a summer drink.

A gin based martini is to be stirred and not shaken, I always thought a gin based martini beats the vodka based martini; better known as a vodkatini that is shaken and not stirred. A Gordon’s based martini based on a 5:1 ratio with dry vermouth is my choice of high powered drink; it is a pure alcohol based cocktail with no mixer – so buyer beware.

I was hanging with one of my mates in Florida, we come from the same trade background and have worked together in the past, he has a pretty formidable resume. Yet he was lamenting the current declining job opportunities due to his lack of tertiary qualifications – that’s what companies want now. I decided to apply for an MBA to also prevent this happening to me, not long after my return to Australia, he sends me a message informing me he has been accepted in an executive MBA program and his company is willing to pay for it – well played on his part.

The Master of Business Administration has been around a long time, there are a number of reincarnations of the MBA course; the executive MBA has been developed specifically targeting corporate executives and managers allowing participants to earn an MBA degree within two years whilst maintaining working full-time employment.

Participants are recruited into EMBA programs from a variety of organisations including profit, non-profit, military and government – naturally representing a multitude of industries. As a result of their current employment backgrounds; EMBA participants typically have a higher level of work experience than standard MBA students, usually 10+ years as opposed to 3 -5 years work experience of standard MBA programs.

EMBA programs are a mix of classroom teaching, generally conducted on evenings and over weekends including online tutorials and some full-day sessions. In response to an increasing number of EMBA programs on offer; the Executive MBA Council was formed to advance executive education to ensure senior managers and executives have the best options available.

Naturally, career advancement and increased prospects are primary motivators for managers and executives to embark on the EMBA program. As EMBA participants work full-time during the duration of the program; they are able to apply the management techniques and best practices learned in the classroom to real-life situations as opposed to traditional MBAs who are full-time students.

My team limped into a Friday night AFL preliminary final, I contacted my father to make sure a good red wine befitting a preliminary final was available. My old man made an excellent selection with a 1995 Leeuwin Estate Art series cabernet sauvignon that didn’t disappoint.

According to the notes, the 95 Art series cabernet sauvignon holds chalky, mineral edge to the expressive nose – this has somewhat softened on this excellent aged wine. The 95 Art series held a perfect balance of lush berry fruit and chunky savouriness. The tannic structure has softened along with some minerality that has resided; the fruit is beginning to fade just a tad and is still drinking well in 2015. The 95 Art series described as somewhat more complex than the 1996 and a little more restrained – this was an excellent drop. Unfortunately, the game didn’t pan out how I had hoped but it didn’t stop both of us from enjoying this excellent example of Leeuwin Estate cabernet sauvignon.

Taking on a new aftershave, I decided on Polo Red by Ralph Lauren as the spicy overtones really had a bit of bite – this turned out to be a great daily aftershave. This cologne has some bite – I like it.

Checking the notes, I began to find out where the bite comes from, this was a far more complex fragrance than I expected. This eau de toilette from perfumer Olivier Gillotin opens with red grapefruit with notes of cranberry and Italian lemon. Red sage, red saffron and lavender form the base tapering off with red wood, hot amber and coffee beans – I’m happy I decided to pick up the new fragrance, it really is red hot.

The outrigger style banca boat is common throughout the Philippines; I love diving from these boats with their outriggers lashed together with fishing line keeping the narrow hull stable. Landing on Apo Island after the first dive, we took our lunch on the banca before heading over to wander the beach and look around the village.

Diving in Anilao, the surface interval saw us come ashore after landing on the back beach to walk around to the main beach on the island, the scenic locations surrounding the dive sites make for a great day out.

Cruising around Pandan Island, the beautiful clear waters of this remote island provide great sloping dive environments. The banca would drop us off at the site and we would swim back to the shore following the bottom topography.

A larger style banca at Sogod Bay, Leyte carries us across the bay to the walls, this larger style banca is pretty stable and very powerful. The locals take an old diesel engine from a truck that has been scraped and bolt it in the hull transmission and all, they connect the drive to the propeller shaft and they have propulsion.

This small banca doesn’t offer a whole lot of shade protecting us from the beautiful Filipino summer days, we were crammed under the shade before getting back in the water.

Bancas are built for their environment; the small propeller and shaft is mounted almost perpendicular to the keel, the small rudder makes steering difficult, these boats can navigate extremely shallow water, an essential trait in these high tidal areas.

A winter’s evening and Friday night, a good enough reason to stop off on the way from work, this was the first time at this bottle shop to purchase a bottle of wine; I immediately regretted turning off the road and walking into this place – this wasn’t a great establishment to be purchasing top level wines. Still, for the wrong price and poor service, I walked out the door with a 2010 Leeuwin Estate Shiraz.

The art series shiraz displays notes of cherry with mulberry layers on the foretaste with smooth oak notes holding the central palete together and dark chocolate providing complexity in the aftertaste. The tasting notes state violets, toasted brûlée with hints of mocha add elegance and sophistication – all in all, I thought this was a pretty good wine and I will purchasing more in the future.

What was Tony Abbott thinking? Abbott never consulted cabinet, yet he reintroduced monarchical titles that had been retracted since the Whitlam era. Had Abbott consulted cabinet, the answer would have been a resounding – NO.

Yet Abbott decided to push forward with knights and dames anyway. Now that Tony Abbott has been deposed as the third Prime Minister in five years through an internal vote. Will republican Malcolm Turnbull immediately repeal knighthoods? I can’t see such a title remaining long in Turnbull’s Prime Ministership. There is no need for such titles in the modern Australian society – what Gough Whitlam did was brush aside outdated ideals.

Liberal Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser and John Howard refused to reintroduce knighthoods; not only that, Tony Abbott not only reintroduces such an award, he then goes and knights Price Phillip for services to Australia – you have to be joking. When Joe Hockey informed us the age of entitlement was over, who would have guessed it would be replaced by the age of titlement.

Who in their right mind goes to Paris to break up? I do apparently. This was the sad end to the defining relationship in my life, how did it come to this? Well, I don’t know exactly, I can only reflect on the events leading up to Paris.

Back track three months to Morcone Beach, Elba, Italy. We had been apart, I felt like I was now in exile, I had been bundled off from Zurich, never to return. My departure from Zurich bahnoff had been one of resignation, it looked like the end for us. Yet after a month or so into my exile, a change of heart; she jumped in her dark green Mitsubishi Colt and driven south from Zurich to Elba. The reunion though wasn’t as I had expected, I was understandably defensive and somewhat aloof.

So here we were, sitting on the rockface surrounding Morcone Beach, tears streaming down her swollen eyes shaded by sun glasses; her words rang out “I can’t marry you.” While I pointed out that before she can reject a marriage proposal, it is universally accepted that first, I actually have to propose. While that principle was largely ignored by her, I fully understood the ramifications.

So we entered into this pact, I would return to Zurich with her and we would not discuss this moment ever again, we would go about our relationship as if each day was the last. We would enjoy each moment for what it was; the Swiss are wonderfully pragmatic and less wonderfully so, dogmatic.

That was however if she didn’t have a change of heart, our relationship officially had an end date, if she wanted, she could just say so and our relationship could move to the next level. I had a ticket departing from Charles de Gaul and when I left, that would be it. I kept my end of the bargain, there was no relationship hassles, no awkward questions, no stress. I went about our business as if nothing had happened, I was sad but I wasn’t going to express that emotion in front of her.

So here we were at Paris Orly, her departure was a day before mine, we had silently caught a bus together to the airport. I walked her to the departure gate and that is when the verbal assault erupted, “How could I be so unfeeling as to show no emotion?” and “Why didn’t I discuss this relationship with her?” I was in disbelief, I did what she asked, her anger had now boiled over and then more disbelief, she was waiting for me to discuss with her our relationship, she didn’t want this relationship to end after all.

I should have picked up before that, she pointed out that when we first arrived in Paris and stood on a bridge viewing the Eiffel Tower, she started to cry. Well yeah, I noticed her crying but I quickly dismissed it out of hand, she is difficult to understand, we were already in Paris by this stage and she had given no indication before that.

So in scenes reminiscent in my mind of the ending of Casablanca, she headed towards the boarding lounge and I was left to round up the usual suspects. We had however put on quite a show, this wasn’t our first airport scene and I had the feeling this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

So ok, there was no fog, no guns drawn and I didn’t view the whole scene in black & white – I still think this scene was noteworthy. We were back on, that’s all that mattered. The day after, I headed off to Charles de Gaulle airport, I had to be back in Perth for the wedding of my brother and his soon to be wonderful wife on the banks of the Swan River at midday, there was plenty happening for me to take my mind off this unusual encounter.