One of my favourite dives at Subic Bay, the former US Navy base in the Philippines is diving the LST, that is apparently US Navy language for a Tank Landing Ship (LST) or a Landing Ship (Tank). Depth is relative, the LST isn’t super deep, but it is deep enough. Generally speaking, on my dives here it is planned decompression with penetration into the hull. It doesn’t have to be that way though; descending backwards over the bow with the bow door hanging off is a great view on the wreck.

From the main deck in the forward area, I love swimming down the stairs and into the hull, you can head forward but that stops abruptly. It is much better to head down towards the cargo holds and view the internals of this ship. I really like travelling aft entering on the starboard side and swimming down the second level deck and the troop berthing space. Needless to say, at these depths nitrox is a must and there is going to be some deco hang time. Dropping down and onto the top deck without exploring the bow makes it hardly worth the dive, I immensely love penetrating wrecks but it doesn’t make sense to dive the LST if you don’t penetrate it.

Nomos Glashütte doesn’t have a long history, founded in only1990 by Roland Schwertner, Nomos Glashütte is an independently owned and operated watchmaker in the small watchmaking village of Glashütte. The initial designs were drawn up by graphic designer Susanne Günther with the Tangente, Orion, Ludwig and the Tetra all released in 1992. The reference 380 is the 38 mm diameter case fitted with a domed sapphire crystal and sapphire crystal display case back.

The bauhaus design of the Orion dial is excellent, the gold plated applied index markers on the galvanised white silver plated dial. The tempered blue baton hands are elegant, the petite second hand is also blue tempered just above the date window at the 6 o’clock position. I reckon 38 mm is the ideal size for a dress timepiece, whilst a larger size for a diver or a chronograph is an absolute must, this is the perfect size for a dress watch. The height of 8.9 mm is somewhat assisted by the inhouse hand-wound DUW4101 movement that doesn’t require a rotor.

The long angled lugs of the Orion are a major improvement on the thin squarish lugs of Tangente. The Tangente lugs just look flimsy, the Orion lugs are looking not only more secure but they are an improved style as well. This is a well crafted dress watch, the 38 mm diameter is well sized for most wrists and isn’t following the trend of the oversized watch. The clean dial and rounded case gives an understated style that suits minimalists tastes.

I have always wondered why James Reyne dislikes this song so much, after Reckless, I have always thought this was one of their best songs. Australian Crawl, better known as Aussie Crawl were one of the top Australian bands of the early 1980s. I walked past the Perth Entertainment Centre just as the people were piling out, I guess it was about 1985 and I still regret missing this concert as everyone was just going “wow” and instead we had just got off the train and were on our way to a nightclub.

Ironically, I did get to see James Reyne play solo at a Fremantle nightclub a number of years later, I can’t even remember if he played Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama that night. I recall he played Reckless to end the show, that blew us out. Did I hear James Reyne play Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama that night? I really can’t remember, what I do know is he really dislikes this song and when he does play it, he runs it down. He always states he can’t play the piano, I liked the piano in the song and I like the lyrics. James might hate the song but I certainly feel differently.

The Union Glashütte Viro range is an interesting timepiece for me. Whilst not being all that interested as my initial reaction, I am beginning to warm to their offerings. The simple dial of the Viro with baton index markers is a clean look, the three hand model is stylish.

Positioned well below A. Lange & Söhne, Original Glashütte and Moritz Grossmann, the philosophy of Union Glashütte was to offer a quality product at a reasonable price. Mühle-Glashütte and Nomos Glashütte fill out the top five premium Glashütte watchmakers. Now owned by the Swatch Group, Union Glashütte sits in the high-range products along with Longines and Rado although I would argue they are mid-range price levels. Whilst Union Glashütte no longer offer in-house movements, I like the finish on their base ETA movements.

The 41 mm 316L stainless steel case has a sapphire crystal caseback to showcase the ETA 2892-A2 automatic movement. The silver dial has rose gold baton indices matching the baton hands with LumiNova® treatment to aid reading the time in low light environments. I like the dial, the bauhaus style is very interesting for a dress watch and the Viro is an excellent option. The brown leather strap matches the dial and wouldn’t consider any other strap options even though a steel bracelet is available.

Goal Setting
I was very lucky to be involved with motivated people from a young age, as a seventeen year old I was taught the virtues of goal-setting. This involved visualisation, getting a picture of your goal and hanging it in a prominent place. The implementation planning involves developing an action plan, setting milestones and monitoring progress.

That’s all good, but without an implementation plan, milestones, timeframes and rewards for achieving sub-goals; the goals are generally not realised. It is easy to say we want to achieve a goal, but without an implementation plan, then the goal becomes unattainable.

Motivation
When I studied organisational behaviour, motivation was one of the topics in that unit. We all enjoy being around positive productive people, I have found this positivity affects others around you. Likewise, negativity has such a detrimental effect on individuals and organisations so avoiding negative individuals is paramount as is surrounding yourself with positive people.

Actions such as getting out of bed early, exercising, keeping your house clean and laying off the booze are all good starts. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t drink, it just means you moderate your alcohol intake to less frequent intervals and don’t hit it so hard. I have noticed a correlation between high performers and moderate alcohol consumption and the effects on motivation.

Attitude
A positive mental attitude, better known as a PMA is a must, a positive attitude is infectious and a magnificent motivating force. Motivation/attitude is an important element of leadership, from my observations the best leaders exhibit a positive attitude.

Attitude is intrinsically linked to motivation and forms a whole chapter in Organisational Behaviour textbooks. Models are explored in Organisational Behaviour at an individual and Organisational level and is a very interesting facet of management.

Self Development
The ability to engage in ongoing development was directly connected to reading. The old favourites such as Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason and The Magic of Thinking Big by David J Schwartz still sit on my bookshelf.

In these modern times, we can still develop ourselves through new media such as Youtube, TedX and other multimedia formats. Now I watch videos of Simon Semek, why waste time playing Candy Crush Saga on your portable device? Use the time positively to learn and grow as an individual to set yourself on a successful path.

I tend to enjoy dressing cheaply at certain times, especially on weekends. Even more, I love getting around unshaved and relatively unkempt when I am not working. The more I look like a bum, the happier I am, people just leave me alone, just how I want it. 

What I really like kicking around in a pretty decent watch like Longines, TAG Heuer or an Omega. For the majority of people, they don’t recognise a quality watch and since you never bring it to their attention, they never know. I very much dislike having a quality automobile, people want to steal, damage, or vandalise. The damage I see in carparks ensures I don’t want a vehicle that can be easily damaged by uncaring and jealous people.

A decent timepiece, people just don’t know what you have sitting on your wrist so I have no worries. The only people who come up to me are watch collectors and enthusiasts so they are not a threat to me, if need be we can chat about horology and various timepieces and their heritage. Sure, I don’t own a Blancpain or a Breguet, but I am still happy with what I have and I don’t set myself up as someone to rob, bash or threaten – as long as the clothes are clean then fine. 

I decided to purchase a green Oris Aquis with a grey dial when I was in the Philippines, I had seen something similar on the wrist of a local guy and thought it would work for me too.

He was a Filipino guy, so his wrists were relatively small and whilst the watch was a little large for his wrist, the dial and bracelet really looked chunky. I thought I could have a solid dive watch to wear when I wanted something a little less discrete. This will not fir under a shirt sleeve, this for me is a summer watch to be worn with short sleeves.

So after some looking around at Shangrila Plaza in Mandaluyong, we decided to head up to Quezon City for a deal. After some internet research and an email and phone call, it appeared they were willing to deal on price. I had the price reduced over the phone based on prices I received at Shangrila Plaza.

I was informed by the shop to register the watch online at MyOris, you open an account and the type in the serial number of the watch and the details of the watch are displayed. This is a pretty good service, they also have personal details that I have cropped from the graphic and serial numbers. The watch is registered with Oris, should it be stolen then one assumes it will flag on the computer when brought in for service at an authorised service centre. This is a pretty decent service if this actually works, well done to Oris.

It all unfolded slowly, South African Airways was once a decent airline by all accounts, that was some time ago though. Now, SAA is nothing more than a failing airline beset by problems. It was actually sad to watch, such a decline in a national airline that once had a pretty decent reputation.

Unfortunately I had no other choice, SAA is the only possible connection I have. Qantas no longer flies to Johannesburg and as I found out, Virgin codeshares with SAA so I am no better off switching to them. The flight departure was delayed, boarding was slow and this could not be blamed on the late arrival of the aircraft as this aircraft landed half an hour before midday, the scheduled departure was half an hour before midnight.

So into Johannesburg late, even though I had booked onto SAA Express, I knew I would receive no favours. That is exactly what happened, although I had arranged with SAA cabin crew, as I was to find out, they just tell you what you want to hear and do nothing. Stepping off the aircraft, I was able to speak to SAA staff on the ground, but as no messages had been passed on or relayed. They were unhelpful so I didn’t mess around long with them as I still needed to navigate through immigration, pick up my luggage and check-in.

So waiting at the luggage carousel, it was clear that nothing was happening – fantastic. I was waiting with a number of retirees, they had connecting flights with SAA and although they would miss them, they would get later flights. As for myself, I was on the company charter so there were no other flights. So SAA was loading the luggage on the wrong carousel, you could hear them out the back all laughing and joking, there wasn’t much work going on.

Naturally, the luggage came out slow and the way the bags were thrown on the conveyor that they took no pride in their work. My luggage was the last to arrive – of course, so when I finally picked it up I was off racing. I was weaving in and out of slow moving people as I ran between terminals. I needed to change levels and terminals as I navigated through the traffic. As I arrived at the check-in counter it was clear that it closed, I asked the staff at the next counter from a rival airline if they were able to phone the check-in staff. They informed me the counter had just been closed and the staff gone – less than 5 minutes before, I had just missed out.

I’m not a big Rado fan, somehow the brand styling is not to my tastes. I could never see myself saving up for a Rado timepiece – I’m just not seeing it.

They have done some decent research into ceramic case technology, they have also combined the technology into the bracelets. Rado is now able to manufacture scratch resistant cases and bracelets – impressive. As I understand it, the timepiece is lightweight but does not diminish durability, if only they could get the styling right. Ok, so the Golden Horse is a 1957 vintage inspired watch, the case diameter is 37 mm and the ETA movement has 80 hours of power reserve, a 50 metre water resistance but I’m not a real fan of the bezel. Not something that interests me it terms of style but I’m sure plenty are interests.

What makes me laugh is when politically active lefties in Australia publish memes on their social media accounts disparaging what they think are Liberal Party values.

They like to target liberals in their memes, they collect American content telling everyone how stupid liberals are by their posts on their social media accounts. What they don’t realise is American liberals are aligned to the Democratic Party, the Liberal National Coalition has different values altogether.

So, these memes attacking liberal values are the values of their own political persuasion that they publish online – hilarious. Not that I endorse the politics of the Republican party either, to be fair, they can be idiots too. But today is dedicated to the looney left who publish online social media content with the term liberal in it, they are attacking their own principles because they see the word liberal and think it is the Liberal Party. Idiots – the lot of them.