We are just about ready to leave for the Toastmasters International Convention in Calgary, Canada.

Lois and myself will both be flag-bearers at the opening ceremony. As District Governor, Lois will be carrying the South African flag, and I will be carrying the Zimbabwe flag. I am doing this in support and recognition of the Zimbabwean Toastmasters that have had such difficulty over the last few years. I have become friends with many Toastmasters from Zim, and it constantly amazes me how much spirit and determination they seem to have, despite the situation they are stuck in.

It looks like there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, but Zimbabwe has a long way to go before it turns around.

Many of you know Lois and her guide dog Eccles. You have seen how amazing a guide dog is, and what a different they make to people’s lives. So why don’t you help to make a difference?

Yesterday we walked past a First National Bank ATM, and there was a sign up advertising that you can make a donation to SA Guide Dogs via SMS. All you need to do is to send an SMS to 38051 with the word “see” in the body of the message, and you will donate R10 to SA guide dogs – simple!

The cost of training a guide dog is over R10000 per dog, so every cent counts. SA Guide Dogs receive no funding from government, so they need all the heop that you can give (apparantly they are an animal charity – even though the dogs actually help people)

Go on, make a difference!

Here are two experiments with perspective – what do you think?

Foreground

Background

In case you are wondering, Muizenberg Main Road is in the process of being upgraded – the pipes are going to replace the old water pipes under the road.

Here are some pictures that I took of Zandvlei on a warm winter’s morning. It makes a lovely break from all the rain that we have been recently having. It is wonderfully warm, with not a breath of wind outside. Perhaps I should make a braai later. All of the pictures were taken from the top of Old Boyes Drive – where it meets Boyes drive itself.

Looking towards Muizenberg

Sports fields, with Marina da Gama in the background

The vlei

I had the opportunity of seeing Ben Zander speaking last year, and it was a remarkable experience. He is a world-renowned conductor and an inspirational  speaker on Leadership and the ‘Art of Possibility’ (he co-authored the book ‘Art of Possibility’ with his partner Rozamund Zander).

Ben is speaking in Cape Town on 21 and 22nd August. The kind folks at Symphonia have offered a 25% discount to tickets for the Cape Town presentations, provided your tickets are purchased before 31 July - just mention my name for the discount. Both Lois and I have secured tickets, so we would love to see you there. I promise you, it will be worth every cent!

Ben has appeared five times as a keynote speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

You can watch the video of Ben’s presentation at the TED conference earlier this year. This is a short 20 minute exposure to Ben’s presentation style. The 1,600 people in attendance responded with a standing ovation and called this presentation the most inspirational talk of the conference http://blog.ted.com/2008/06/benjamin_zander.php

You can download the full details of all the presentations as well as the 4 concerts in Cape Town from Symphonia’s website http://www.symphonia.net/thought_leaders.html

“Zander is a fairly frequent visitor to South Africa. Apart from an obvious affinity for the Rainbow Nation, he has also been “discovered” by corporates who bring him over to help articulate visions and share ideas on the New Age manager. Occasionally outsiders are invited. Should you happen upon the opportunity, grab it. After putting his ideas to the test, who knows how many shining eyes might soon greet you at the office?”

Alec Hogg, Moneyweb website

Ben has the ability to ignite and inspire large groups of people in a 3 hour session – he uses the power of music to galvanise people to action and a sense of possibility.

For more information about Benjamin Zander:

www.benjaminzander.com

COSTS PER PERSON (before 25% discount)

For bookings received after 1st June: R1,350 + VAT

A 10% discount applies to group bookings for more than 10 people
 
PLEASE CONTACT

Johleen van Dyk
for a registration form
(johleen@symphonia.net)

Louise van Rhyn
to enquire about special pricing for large group bookings
(louise@symphonia.net)

About two weeks ago, I bought a USB memory stick from Chaos Computers in Kenilworth. The stick cost about R250. Well, get this – they gave me a courtesy phone call yesterday afternoon to check that all was fine and could they do anything to assist further.

No sales pitch, no special offers. Just a friendly call to check that all was ok. Well done, that is great customer service (their prices are also pretty good).

Two orchids to Chaos.

On Saturday evening, Lois and I went to Johannesburg to attend the Toastmasters Induction dinner. Now, we don’t normally go all that way just for a dinner, but this was a special dinner. Lois was inducted as District Governor for the next 12 months, which essentially means that she will be in charge of Toastmasters Southern Africa for the next year, and I was inducted as Lt.Gov Education and Training, which is one step behind District Governor.

Karin Cremer (outgoing District Governor, me and Lois)

It was a fantastic dinner, Lois’ Inaugural Speech was the best speech she has ever given – it really was great. So, now Lois and I are officially the “top two” in Toastmasters Souther Africa, which is quite a weighty responsibility, but it will be a wonderful opportunity for us both – especially to develop ourselves and to meet like-minded people.

Me and Lois

Of course, it does mean that we are off to Calgary next month to attend the Toastmasters International Convention – Canada here we come!

(thanks to Craig Perry for the pics)

I filled my car this evening – R1054.05 for 90l of Diesel – that is about R1.30 per km just in fuel. Ouch!

The train is looking a more and more attractive option…