Category: Uncategorized

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Sharing UPPERCASE

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

Hi, I came across a magazine UPPERCASE while browsing through the stack in our communal office kitchen.

UPPERCASE the publishing house is self-described as “publishing books and magazines for the creative and curious: products that spark the imagination and inspire creativity. Our eponymous magazine, now in its fourth year, is loved by readers around the world and has been recognized for its design excellence. Our books profile up-and-coming artists or explore emerging trends in design and creativity”

Who could resist a design magazine for the ‘creative and curious’. I found it has a personality all its own and while I’ve only read one issue, I’m a big fan. The blog associated with the magazine is informative and engaging and very quirky. Interestingly, the editors encourage interactivity with readers and subscribers in a way that is often now only seen online.

I encourage you to view UPPERCASE, read it, engage with it and probably subscribe to it.

Isn’t it nice when you find something that instantly makes you happy, even in a small way? When I do find something I like, I like to share it. Love to hear your comments.

Australia, life balance, Uncategorized

Sunday mornings can be murder

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

I switched on my television around 10am this Sunday morning to watch something inconsequential while I ate my porridge. What I saw made me reach for my remote control and stop eating my porridge and wondered, not for the first time, what a strange community we have become.

I saw: a man, being viciously, slowly strangled by another man, while a baptist preacher looked on. They were all standing in a river. A communal baptism had been underway and this happy event had been interrupted by the murder. All of the participants of the baptism looked on in shock and horror and had grimaces on their faces that pretty much matched the one on my own at that moment.

The images continued for another 10 or so seconds before I managed to find the remote and switch it off . The final scene was of the murderer showing his police badge to the immobile onlookers. A policeman had committed this murder on a Sunday morning.

It was drama. It wasn’t real. But everyone involved showed the shock of the moment when a man apparently died in front of our eyes. And I don’t mean they gave the impression that a murder had taken place a la Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie. It was fully detailed with every eye bulge on full display. Is this acceptable? Yes I can switch it off, no it’s ‘not real’. But is it acceptable? Or reasonable to switch on to something like that with no warning, no disclaimer … danger, danger… you are about to see something horrible the memory of which will stay with you most of the day.

It seems immoral or perhaps just incredibly sad to be able to watch these terrible incidents early on a Sunday morning or perhaps any morning. If one was to actually commit this type of offence, you’d get 25 years to life if you’re caught. But you can watch someone simulate it. At 10am in the morning and with regular repeats.

I can choose what I watch and don’t watch but that doesn’t stop it being shown for anyone else to watch, and absorb or get upset about or perhaps even worse, to accept it as … normal which it seems it is swiftly becoming.

Perhaps in future, I’ll eat my breakfast outside in the garden with my cats for conversation – they are generally much more entertaining and understand what is required to make your morning turn into the right sort of day.

Australia, Mars, NASA, Uncategorized

Mars…just the beginning

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO
Image from nasa.gov
Love this photo of Pres Barak Obama calling Mars from Airforce 1. Copyright nasa.gov

So far, the reality of the achievement of our Mars landing by ‘Curiosity’ has yet to sink in. The photos are a little fuzzy and there’s just a little human curiosity about what will be found apart from a few uber-geeks (I may or may not relate to that)
But wait. It’s not so much about the destination but the journey. What have we learned to do on the journey to be able to make this landing possible?
Curiosity was designed and tested using Siemens software as an example – one can only imagine what they’ve learned from the experience and what the next generation of Siemens products will look like based on this amazing achievement.

And then there’s the possibility that they will find something alive out there. Yes okay it might be a microbe (and not an entire generation of 2 metre tall, green Martians ready to take over the world a la War of the Worlds), it will still be very, very exciting. It will mean, even if its just a microbe, that we are not alone. There is something else out there that didn’t come from our planet and was created in a way we know nothing about.
And what will that do to us to learn that.
I like this type of space exploration as it makes me think that we are investing in our universal knowledge. I am less happy about the space exploration that involves mining asteroids – why do we want to blow stuff up all the time?! You cant learn much from stuff you keep exploding!
Anyway, I digress. I’m ready to buy my ticket on the first inter-planetary (Virgin Galactic?) passenger craft. Let’s keep peacefully exploring and learning and finding ways to make our life on this planet a bit better by the discoveries we make along the way. I love it that Pres. Barak Obama made a call to Mars. It’s all so Star Trek New Generation! Go NASA. Go Curiosity. You little beauty.

Australia, life balance, Uncategorized

Live life then blog

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

It’s commendable that you’re reading this however, is there any risk that you (and I) are letting reality enhancing technology replace reality?
There are some suggestions that members of the Australian Olympics team spent too much of their time pre-competition blogging, skyping and social networking about what they were going to do before they’d done it when perhaps they should have been training or resting.
Are we spending too much time living our lives on-line to the real detriment of our actual lives? If blogs and commentary become all about what we might do or just reflect on what someone else is saying on another on-line space, do we risk thinking that on line is actually better than life?
On an old UK science-fiction/comedy tv show, Red Dwarf, one episode had the characters playing a virtual reality game called just that : Better than life. While they played, they failed to eat, drink or sleep. They logged on to BTL and logged out of reality. Their bodies almost died while they played a better life in their heads. A computer-intervention (ironic!) showed them the exit back to a more mundane but nonetheless real existence and thereby saved their lives.
Are we at risk of this fate? If so, our computers are unlikely the benign type that will ‘wake us up’.
I leave you to ponder the results of our swimmers and other athletes and decide for yourself. I have to go and have lunch with my husband. In the real world.
Uncategorized

Women’s agenda or cashing in?

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

Smart Magazine, an business ezine  has started a sister ezine rather pointedly named ‘Women’s Agenda’. Initially, I thought, good idea. An ezine targeting women in business. Then I wondered if it would be more likely targeted at that oft-cited group the yummy mummies, more concerned with where to buy the best light-weight pram so you can push it with one hand while texting on your iphone with the other than how to take over the corporate world. It remains to be seen which one this will turn out to be. Certainly an ezine for smart women should cover lots of territory. An ezine for smart business women is needed and welcomed. IF the zine itself is also smart and not just cashing in on ‘women’s business’, that would be very good indeed. Anyway, if you sign up to their mailing list you go in to the running for an ipad. See for yourself. http://comingsoon.womensagenda.com.au/win-an-ipad/

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Intelligent Thinking? Just do it.

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

Intelligent Thinking
While travelling back from an overseas holiday, on the plane I saw a movie ‘Limitless’ where a down at heel, blocked writer is given a drug that boosts his intelligence by allowing him to access more of his brain. He becomes quicker, more aware, smarter. He finishes his novel in a week and makes a couple of million on the stock market just as fast.

It made me think about whether it was intelligence he gained or rather a more heightened state of motivation and a loss of fear. He essentially took a series of actions and didn’t worry too much about the risk involved (sometimes stupidly but hey, that’s drugs for you!).
That sense of ‘cant fail’ is a powerful one and can get you doing things you have the capability to do but were too afraid to try. So i thought about the results he achieved and some of the actions he took and considered whether, by following those actions, anyone could get the benefits without the chemicals.
So. Here’s what he did:
1. Clean your house: he was living in squalor. No wonder he couldn’t write. Many people will tell you your external environment can reflect your internal state of being. If you’re living in a pigsty of confusion and mess, what is your brain doing? So consider cleaning up your apartment, house, office or desk before you set to work on your next big project. If nothing else, you’ll feel better when you continue to procrastinate. And hey, maybe you really will get inspired to work.
2. Focus on one thing: having multiple projects on the go is certainly how I go about things but if you really want to get something done, focus and concentrate on one thing at a time before moving on to the next thing. It’s the jumping from one thing to the next that prevents one from getting things done. I’ve found (and so did our hero) that it works to focus on achieving a goal. E.G. 1 page of your novel a day; one garden bed weeded; a first draft of that report. Focus and don’t stop til you achieve your goal no matter how small.
3. Look for opportunities where others see only the negatives: Our hero in Limitless looked for stock opportunities in a falling financial market. Ok he could watch three computer screens of data at once and absorb columns of numbers in a single glance but even without these powers, we could all do some work on identifying the gap in the market and the market in the gap. Read up, watch the papers, raise your awareness of what’s happening in your world.
4. Know thine enemy: Again, our hero knew what his competitors were doing and could respond before they acted. If you have a business or you work in a job you enjoy, spend some time investigating your competitors, researching the market (yes, Google is research) learn what the others are doing and see if you can use that information to help you grow your business or market or niche.
5. Get a haircut and a good suit: If you dress like a bag lady (and our hero did initially look like he last washed his hair in 1978), it is unlikely you will feel motivated to take any other action if you cant even be bothered to wear clean, well fitting clothes or have a decent hair cut. This is not about being salon perfect but about a sense of self respect. So get a haircut and a decent set of threads and look the part, whatever that part is for you. When you look in the mirror and see a set of clean white teeth and a well trimmed beard or clean, flowing locks, you’ll feel better, believe me.
6. Make friends and go out: When I’m feeling a bit depressed and unmotivated, I want to stay home, drink tea and watch old black and white movies. While this is okay for a bit, ultimately what cheers me up is to get out and see some friends or make some new ones by joining in – go to a festival, a book reading, hear a band. Get out and meet some people.
I reckon any of us can do a few of these things – who needs pharmaceuticals! Enjoy :)
PS: And I recommend seeing Limitless …that leading man is cute!

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New Year…280 days to go…

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

Have you ever entered a new year when you know what you are going to be doing every month, almost every day? I don’t mean that you’ll know which office you’ll be going to or you know the projects you’ll be working on. I’ve been in this situation before just before the 2008 Commonwealth Games when we brought a dozen children over from Africa to Melbourne to experience their Games. A full year!
And in 2012, this is another full year when I can see all of the key dates already fixed into the calendar… a fundraising golf tournament, a corporate sponsorship launch, a gala ball, a public sculptural art exhibition….and all before October 6th. So no I haven’t miscounted….Melbourne Zoo will be 150 years old on October 6th this year and already i can see a 280 days packed with celebratory stuff!

Last year I was months into planning my own celebratory year… just 100 years less! It was a party to remember with my very best friends and family, a 50’s theme, lots of wasp waists, eyeliner and pencil skirts! Everyone looked fabulous. We had the perfect night with 28 degrees at 6pm, champagne on the trimmed lawn, a jazz band followed by dinner and more music. Perfecto!

This year to celebrate one of Melbourne’s most loved cultural icons, there will be just as much music, even more food, champagne on occasion, and lots and lots of fundraising events! January is planning month and a little breathing time before the fun and madness takes off. Then… it all begins.

So 280 days to go… here’s to a fabulous 2012 to you all (whoever you are). And if I see you at a celebratory event… say ‘hello’.

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Old New Year Resolutions…

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

November 27th 2011

It’s nearly Christmas…
How is that possible? Only 4 weeks or so til another year comes to a close and we think about new year resolutions made and long forgotten and set about making new ones.
I look back at my resolutions… one of which was to keep my blog up to date…hmmm didnt do too well on that. But instead of chastising myself on my failings, I will indulge myself a little by looking to my successes.
I have tried to help motivate my sister just a little bit with her fabulous business http://www.madamefrufru.com.au (very little really, she did 99.9% very much on her own); I helped my husband find the courage to look for a new job which he did successfully, gaining along the way the recognition he deserved for his talents; I worked hard to motivate and lead my team to a fabulous year of fundraising and constituency engagement and built their own talents at the same time. I got out there and gave two ‘Create the working life you love’ workshops… it was supposed to be more like 6 or 7 but hey, 2 was a good start 🙂 I spent a lovely two weeks with my mother on holiday in France (which she had only ever visited for 1 day and she lives just across the channel in England!) spending gentle quiet time together, sitting by a softly gurgling river, joined by butterflies and kingfishers.
Yes, i gained more pounds than i intended, only on my waist rather than my bank account, of course! And as for finishing my book… well that will have to wait another year I fear.
All in all, not a bad year… and they were just a few of the milestones. It’s good to look up from thinking about the future or the past and realise, right here in the present, you are happy with where you are.

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Not a mother…

Pamela Sutton-Legaud Writer, Strategist, CEO

It’s mothers’ day in the antipodes. I’m happy to celebrate and recognise all those mothers out there, including my own who at this moment is arriving back in the old country of England after a three-month sojourn here in Melbourne. It was lovely to see her and sadly I just missed spending Australian Mothers’ Day with her as she flew off last Friday. I say ‘Australian’ because Mothers’ Day in England is on a different day. It’s in March – she was here for that so we had a kindof celebration that day.

In fact, I try to make every day Mothers’ day for her as we only see each other every couple of years. I live in Melbourne, she in England so when we’re together, we avoid controversial issues that might cause us to quarrel and stick with playing cards, playing scrabble, visit neighbouring towns to wonder at the cost of the coffee or the badly made tea and the strange obsession with selling all things cheap and Chinese in every shop we go into. What has happened to local artisans? (that’s a whole other post!)
It does mean that we don’t always talk about what’s on our minds or what’s making us sad or even what’s really joyful. It’s a careful kind of company that we keep. It’s keeping the peace.
So today I would have liked to tell her that though she’s in a later stage of life, she should still get out there and enjoy as much of it as possible and not worry what anyone thinks, or says, or doesn’t say. I think of her easy access to the wonders of Europe and the beauty of England on early summer days and hope and wish she gets out into the countryside and enjoys a walk at Stonehenge, or on the Downs in Dunstable, or through the craziness of Oxford St in London where a 25 degree day equates to a heat wave and you can’t buy an ice-cold drink for love nor money.
She could walk through Hyde Park and wonder at the amazing cheekiness of the squirrels who virtually mug you for edible tidbits. Or she could just sit at a cafe overlooking the pebbly beach at Brighton, with a cup of tea in hand and wonder at the way things change but still stay the same.
She could visit my aunt and uncle (her brother and sister-in-law) in Dublin where she’s from and have a laugh and a joke over an always filled up cup of strong as tar Irish tea. She could take a walk on the Ha’penny bridge in Dublin that crosses the Liffey and think about where’s she’s from and how far she’s come and how well she’s done to bring up three crazy but happy daughters who are living equally amazing and happy lives, for all their complaining.

As a non-mother on Mothers’ Day I sit a little wistfully and wonder at what all those women would have done with their lives if they hadn’t had children. I likewise wonder what else they could be doing with their lives now they HAVE had children. My mother gave us a great start to life and continues to help us grow and prosper. I wish i could encourage her that her life still goes on and that having children was just one of the amazing things she was and is able to do. Thanks Mum for all you’ve done for me and my sisters. Now. Go out and get something else for yourself. So many beautiful places and adventures are still waiting for you. Happy Mothers’ Day.