Welcome to paradise

Papua New Guinea's Lihir Island may be one of the most beautiful and unique places I have been so far in my life. Flying in over the island (and the surrounding islands) gives the impression that you are landing in some other world, a bit like that scene in Jurassic Park when they first arrive at Isla Sorna. This is my second visit and I am still amazed when the plane banks suddenly and lands onto the runway that starts at the edge of a cliff!

The friendly locals wave as we drive from the airport in the bus and the sun is producing a spectacular sunset as it goes down over the island's landscape. If I let my imagination wander I can almost believe that I have arrived on a tropical island for a holiday.

Breaking me out of my dream is the Accommodation Camp looming in the distance and the thought of staying in an air-conditioned box and eating mess food for 3 days. Its then that I remember I am not on the Island for a holiday but to conduct training in our new intranet system. Damn it! My beacon of hope is the Lihir Island Sports and Social Club - the perveyor of good food and good beer.

This trip was more comfortable than the last, not withstanding the change in accommodation style, I felt more at home. People recognised me; I recognised other people, particular PNG nationals.

The training that we were conducting was very well received. It took me back to my days at Sydney Ports when I undertook weeks of training in SalesLogix and at Gove when I trained people in technical writing and Alcan Source.

I think there is a ‘teaching gene’ in me that is dying to get out. I believe comes from Mum’s side of the family, although there are a lot of teachers in the Johnson Clan. I was at home in a classroom showing our employees this new system. I felt comfortable demonstrating and showing other people how to operate things and was comfortable at the front of a classroom.

For some of you this is not a shocking concept and you’re probably thinking – well of course you’re comfortable being in front of people, you sing, you dance, you act, what’s the difference. There’s a big difference. In teaching, I am imparting knowledge. There is a connection between the teacher and the student that is not the same as the performer and their audience.

This part of my job may be my saving grace. Everything else at work is not going particularly well at the moment (If you want to know more I’ll tell you in another forum – don’t want to write it on the blog). But this may save me.

We’ll see…..

My magnificent man in his flying machine

Despite all the early morning and late nights, being head pilot for a charter company occasionally has its perks. This time the perk was flying OMM (the chieftain) down to Melbourne for maintenance. Captain Al and Co-pilot Holly departed Brisbane on Friday morning headed for the sunny skies of Canberra. Brisbane was pissy and raining so it was good to get out-of-there. Whilst I have flown innumerable times in cloud, I still find it terribly unsettling to sit up in the co-pilot's seat and not be able to see where we are going. I was relieved when we got to Bathurst and the cloud dissipated.

We landed in Canberra and headed off to say hi to Squeezy and Papa (if you're thinking - what the hell is with those names? - we'll have to save the explanation for another time). Before dinner we took them back to the airport to see the plane that Al was flying. Luckily we could drive right up to the fence so Papa didn't have to get out the car. Managed to catch up with Al's sister and her fiance, Michael, as well and hear all about how their wedding and honeymoon plans were going. Not long now!

Saturday morning saw us flying over the snowy mountains on our way to Melbourne (La Trobe regional airport to be exact - not like we were landing at Tullamarine!). Spectacular views as there was still some snow about. Mt Hotham also had some snow as we passed by.

Melbourne turned on the good weather for us as we caught up with Ben and Ben, otherwise known as 'my Ben' and 'Al's Ben'. Had dinner with my Ben and then strolled over the VCA to watch one of the 2nd Year drama performances that Ben had helped with. A typical Tennessee Williams play - southern women fainting and being abused by druken southern men. A good performance though. On Sunday we saw 'Al's Ben' and talked about flying - as you do with other pilots. Also talked about weddings and honeymoons with his impending wedding to his Canadian sweetheart.

Back in Brisbane on Sunday night it felt like we had been away for ages - so much had happened in the last 72 hours. Oh well, just another adventure in the lives of Captain Al and Co-pilot Holly.

It's official....Top Gear Australia is poo

Well, I can't believe that I tuned in again on Monday night despite the fact that it is crystal clear - Top Gear Australia is poo!

Seemingly the TGA team were out to agree with me as they attempted to decide the age old Holden v Ford rivalry by racing a 6.2L V8 Holden Clubsport against a 4L V6 Ford....is that really an accurate competition? I don't know much about cars but even I know that those are two very different specifications which doesn't make for an even race.

And as for the 'we can haul ore out of a pit more efficiently than a haul truck' segment who do they think they are kidding? Speaking as someone who works for a gold company, what a load of poo that was. I believe that gold companies have already worked out that it is more efficient to haul ore with a 200 tonne truck and NOT a Nissan Navara. If it were more efficient with the Ute we'd all the able to 'get a job in the mines' because they would need thousands of people to drive the bloody things. The TGA team were never going to be able to reach that goal, and more disappointing was the fact that it wasn't even fun watching them try!

I'll be waiting until 24 Nov when SBS returns to their senses and brings back my beloved Jeremy, Richard and James instead of these second-rate mimics.

Its a matter of choice

Its a windy day today and as I was walking down the street with my coffee I began to wonder - if the wind were to come along and blow my skirt up would I save my modesty or my coffee? Its a tough choice for a self-confessed coffee addict/connoisseur such as myself. In the end, thankfully, I did not have to make that choice, making it back to my office unscathed. However, it started me thinking (which is unusual for me to do before a coffee hit) about the choices that we all have to make in life.

Everyday we are faced with choices, some big, some small. Some are significant in the impact they will have on our lives and others would appear insignificant. Given my 'health kick' at the moment everyday I am faced with the choice to go to the gym or to eat that extra bit of chocolate. Whilst these may seem like insignificant decisions they will ultimately have an impact on my end goal - ie losing weight and getting fit.

So with that in mind, are there other seemingly insignificant choices in our day that ultimately have a much larger impact than first thought? I would say yes. Today I am choosing to: think positively about my job (even though I dislike it); not gossip with my colleagues; and make time to call my friend who is having a stressful time. These might seem like small things but the impact of these choices is great. By thinking positively about my job I am more motivated in my work and more productive. By not gossiping about my colleagues, I position myself in the office as someone who can be trusted and as someone with integrity. By calling my friend (just to say hi) I am showing support and compassion for them when they need it most.

Every so often there is also a significant choice that comes up in our lives. One that will impact our future and decide the path that our life will take. For me, there have been two major choices and a myriad of mid-range choices in this category. The most important choice I ever made in my life was to accept Jesus. This, above everything else, has had the most profound impact on my life. Without God, I know that I would not be where I am today. Which leads me to my second choice - to marry Captain Al. This was such an easy choice that it didn't feel like I was choosing anything at all, it felt like it was destined (which it was!). Together we have made many other decisions which have guided us to where we are today, literally. We made the choice to stay in Sydney after we were married, move to Gove, then move to Brisbane and soon we will probably have to make the choice to leave Brisbane.

Life is full of choices....

• Get wisdom—it's worth more than money; choose insight over income every time. (Proverbs 16:16)
• Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. (Proverbs 18:21)

....think about the choices you will make today and how they will affect you.