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Rawle Austin's Blog - Positive life commentary...

One of the things I've enjoyed reading over the years are Aesop's Fables.

These are a set of short stories with a moral at the end. I first encountered them in childhood and have recently re-discovered them in a quest for inspiring and motivating quotes.

Here's a list of them to enjoy and you may recognise a few of the stories...

If you're discovering them for the first time, you're in for a treat!

...or the Theory of GrowlerConomics!

How much time, energy and money do you devote to achieving your goals?

It's a useful exercise to examine how much time we spend on the everyday activities in our daily lives.

This helps to plan how things can be adapted to be more effective in getting more out of life.

So whether your goal is to go to the seaside or to become financially independent (free and rich) it all depends on how much time, energy and money you spend in trying to achieve it.

For example, if you don't have a budget for what you spend every month and year it's helpful to keep receipts for everything that you spend money on no matter how small.

Where you don't get receipts, just write it on a piece of paper or a post it note. Then, tally it up at the end of the month and year under different headings e.g. food, travel, etc.

Doing it daily and weekly will fine tune it and lead to greater control of your spending.

That will give you a greater perspective on where you are now, as the figures can't lie, and can show you where you want to go. It works for me!

Give it a try for a month, and be surprised!

And remember, make an effort, not an excuse.

Time, energy and money.

Use them wisely!

Football manager Paul Ince has achieved his goal to manage a Premier League club. Blackburn Rovers.

A successful former player for many Premiership sides and a former captain of England, he plyed his management trade in several lower league football clubs.

It's great to see hard work and perserverance come through to enable you to achieve your goals.

Of course, the hard work continues to help make Blackburn Rovers a successful club, with Paul Ince in charge they will have a great chance in doing just that.

Staying with the sporting theme, Wimbledon has begun and Great Britain's women's number one seed Anne Keothavong won her first round match and faces current Wimbledon holder Venus Williams in the next round.

Her achievements that have got her this far are amazing and is very inspiring to see.

Again, hard work and persistence are an integral part of her character and she has a great future ahead.

There's been a lot of talk of doom and gloom lately surrounding the current state of the economy.

During these times, it's very easy to bow to negativity, let your guard down and abandon your goals and dreams.

This is the time when you should re-focus and keep going regardless! Changes will have to be made and the belt will have to be tightened.

But the journey continues.

The goal remains the same. It's important to keep positive.

Read, watch and listen to positive material.

Spend more time with positive and successful people, people who are forging ahead despite the tough times.

Do all that, and you'll find things start to get a little brighter in your life.

And your inner strength and resolve will increase.

Developing and maintaining a lifestyle of hard work, perserverance, planning and self discipline will also help you on the road to success, to whatever you want to achieve in life.

Following the European Football tournament has produced some great matches.

I haven't watched all the games but the latest, seeing Turkey come back from being 2 - 0 down to beat the Czech Republic 3 - 2 was an amazing feat.

It spoke volumes about the need to dig deep, despite the odds, focus and win.

Sometimes we are all faced with difficult circumstances. They can make us give up or get us down. That's when you have to summon your inner strength and strive to succeed!

Back to the football and I've been impressed by Spain, Portugal, Holland and Turkey. So let's see who'll win.

On another note, the English Premier League fixtures have been announced. This details all the matches for the upcoming season. Here's hoping that Spurs can crack the top four this year!

I watched the televised coverage of the Trooping of the Colour for the first time in full which celebrates the Queens birthday and was very impressed with the whole event.

A real feast for the eyes.

The precision and the occasion have been carried out since 1805 and, along with the recent Order of the Garter ceremony is a great example of this stunning British tradition available to see here in the UK.

The Google Story by David A Vise.

The account of two young students who realised their dream of helping people by organising the world's information is an amazing tale.

Seeing it from the beginning and learning about their background just reinforces the fact that you can achieve whatever you aspire to. Just never give up.

Tennis player Rafael Nadal won the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in a comprehensive win over world number one Roger Federer.

This was the fourth time in a row that Nadal had claimed the title. Watching the match I was amazed by his confidence and supreme play.

Totally focused on winning.

That's the way to achieve your goals! Very inspiring.

Competition and competing against the best always brings out the best in people. This can apply in any field.

Learning from the best is one of the most primal ways to improve yourself and help you do what you want to do.

Success breeds success.

Now, we'll see who'll win Wimbledon, which Nadal has never won and Federer is the undisputed champ.

Will be an interesting tournament...

Over the past few months I've had to pleasure to be reacquainted with a few old friends. It's so great to catch up, reminsce and plan for the future.

Sometimes, busy lifestyles mean we sometimes lose touch for long periods of time. I've resolved to shorten this and stay in touch more often.

Helping each other, even if it's just listening, is a great thing. As is keeping positive and encouraging each other to pursue our dreams and goals.

Never give up on the things you most want to do!

The recent news that one of the Doctor Who writers, Steven Moffat, will become the head writer of the show is very welcome.

He wrote some of my favourite episodes of the series including 'Blink' from series 3 which is a masterpiece in dramatic storytelling.

The departure of Russell T Davies is a loss but his shoes are more than adequately filled by Moffatt.

Looking forward to his future episodes.

The annual Sunday Times Rich List recently came out which lists some of the most successful and positive people alive today, who also do great work helping others through various charities.

The achievements are very inspirational and the backstories which led to their inclusion on the list are fascinating.

The list is available to view online.

Living proof that you can achieve your dreams!

Barack Obama has won the Democratic nomination to be able to run for President of the United States of America.

A historic campaign was sealed when the 2118 delegate mark was passed. Obama polled 2154 to Hillary Clinton's 1919. Now he will go on to contest with Republican John McCain in the Presidential contest in November.

Whether or not he wins the eventual final contest, a remarkable achievement has taken place.

One man has achieved his dream despite great odds.

This is something we can all aspire to. To strive for your dreams and goals no matter what stands in your way.

Everyone of us should never give up on the things we want to achieve. Such an environment is one where I can see my future children aspiring to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom or any other lofty goal.

Anything is possible.

If you keep a positive mind and have persistence and perserverence as your allies.

The Tiger Festival, organised by Joey Leung and his team, kicks off on the evening of Thursday 29th May in London and Brighton, UK and runs till 24th June.

It consists of 13 handpicked films, 5 cool parties, 2 cities and 1 seminar.

Check out this cool trailer for the event!

If you love great movies then try to make it to some of the films (all genres are covered so there’s something for everyone!) or some of the parties and live music nights.

If you are free on Friday 30th at 3.30pm there will be an event called MEET THE DISTRIBUTORS.

This is where you can view upcoming trailers, catch up on news after the Cannes film festival, and your chance to give feedback to the distributors like Sony, Metrodome, Third Window Films, ICA and tell them what you think.

Raise topics such as 'What price should DVDs be?', 'Are you bothered about extra features?' and 'Why aren’t certain films at your local cinema?'.

I'll definitely be checking it out!

The Tiger Festival – try something different.

Update! Russia won the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest and congrats to them. My personal favourite for this year was Greece's entry.

The return of the Eurovision Song Contest (2008) will see a multitude of crazy costumes and dodgy tunes.

But the annual cheesefest is required viewing, because it's fun!

Check out the website to get up to speed with this year's entries.

Here's the UK entry!

And marvel at the video of the 2004 winner from Ukraine, my all time favourite, Ruslana, gratefully recieved from Jax.

Met with a couple of great friends to see a pre-arranged showing of the theatrical production of the Sound of Music showing at the London Palladium.

It was my first play since going to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast many moons ago. The Sound of music movie is a classic piece of film with songs that touch the heart and last the test of time.

With simple sing along tunes that the whole family can enjoy, my personal favourite from the film was Edelweiss (see below video).

The Palladium itself was ornately decorated and, as it was my first time there, I was blown away by the interior design. Photographs of past performers hung in the corridors giving it a sense of history.

The adaptation was wonderful and I was glad they changed it a little from the film. All the beautiful songs were present and were performed wonderfully by the cast. The sets were a testament to the quality production crew and the orchestra was a joy to hear.

All in all it was an enchanting afternoon's entertainment at the theatre and I recommend it to anyone.

I give it a quality 9 out of 10.

Learn more at the official website

Went to sign the Book of Condolence for the earthquake victims at the Chinese Embassy in London. A time for reflection.

Spoke to friends in China by phone who are volunteering by collecting donations to aid the survivors and relatives of the victims.

The global reaction of sympathy and offers of help in the wake of this tragedy has been great to see.

It's amazing how close the world has become with the use of media technology to provide information such as the internet.

Having just returned from China only three days ago (May 10th) the shock of hearing about the massive earthquake that occured on May 12 in Sichuan province is very real.

With damage of biblical proportions and over 50,000 dead, my thoughts go out to all those who have lost loved ones and to the survivors who have to begin to rebuild their lives.

A friend provided some pictures of the tragic human devastation.

The British Red Cross are helping and are accepting donations to assist those in need.

Oxfam is also providing assistance.

Please visit the sites to learn more.

Learn more about the Earthquake relief effort in China on Xinhua, CCTV and the BBC.

Below are some of my favourite films and TV series which have helped to fertilise my imagination over the years.

From left to right they are, I Robot, Doctor Who, The lion, the witch and the wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, House of Flying Daggers and Blade.

A unique mix of science fiction and fantasy action adventures.

Psychology for Dummies by Adam Cash.

This is a topic that has interested me vaguely of late and I'm now learning about the mind and why we behave as we do.

It's fascinating to know how much of our actions today have roots in our childhood. I've recognised certain personal behaviours of mine already and the book's use in helping people is invaluable.

I have a newfound respect for anyone who chooses this subject as a career choice.

The id, ego and superego concepts, from Sigmund Freud, explain a lot of our basic behaviour and is just amazing to know.

'Do whatever it takes if it provides an opportunity to get one step closer to achieving your goal. Leave yourself no possible way of retreat. You have to win or perish!'

Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich

These words have helped me to continue to pursue my goals. I'm inspired by people from all walks of life who achieve great results.

Great people doing great things.

Keep your dreams and goals alive!

My all time favourite Mandarin Chinese pop tune has to be Chong Dong de Cheng Fa by singer Dao Lang.

I heard this song while teaching English in China in 2004 and it became the anthem of the whole trip for me.

I learned to sing it for a karaoke stint and love the whole vibe. It's a haunting love song and was huge.

As I'm learning Mandarin Chinese, listening to songs help with that too.

Just sit back and enjoy it...

During my recent 2007 visit to China I heard many amazing songs as the pop music scene is huge over there.

One song that really stood out was Zhong Guo Hua by the girl group trio called S.H.E.

It's subtle mix of RnB, Hip Hop and Pop was quite refreshing and the lyrics told a story.

Basically, it talks about the rising popularity of people worldwide learning Chinese, of which I am one.

A nice little tune.

This is my favourite song and dance scene from the film Asoka starring Kareena Kapoor and Shahrukh Khan.

It's called 'O Re Kanchi' and it's a wonderful feel good tune.

Full of life and vibrancy, a great example of the quality of Bollywood. Check it out.

I want to start adding pictures and the odd short video to these Random Thoughts to break up the text a little.

Until then, remember;

Whatever the mind can concieve and believe, it can achieve.

Food for thought.

We've done it!!

Spurs have beaten Chelsea 2 - 1 in the Carling Cup football final.

Our first piece of silverware in 9 years!!

Manager Juande Ramos has worked wonders but it's important to realise that the growth started a long time ago with former managers Jacques Santini and Martin Jol.

Slowly pushing and improving the team.

The momentum has been slowly building until now. Breakthrough!

So bring on the UEFA Cup!!

And come on you Spurs!!!

Wow. I've just seen the film Jumper.

What a rush! What a great way to introduce the concept of superpowers living among us!

Ordinary people gaining amazing abilities and doing the things many people would do in that circumstance. People with the power to teleport wherever they want in the world in the blink of an eye.

The CGI special effects were astounding and the action and fight scenes were intense.

One favourite part that stood out for me was the reference to the classic comic book Marvel Team Up.

This was where Spider-Man would team up with a different Marvel superhero every month and fight a common foe.

This scenario was perfect for the two main lead characters, one experienced and the other just finding out more about the whole world of Jumpers and their mortal enemies, the Paladins.

The whole thing is just perfect for a trilogy and if they keep up this level of quality it will go down as a classic.

Superhero fiction has arrived.

Enjoy the experience!

A definite 8 out of 10 from me.

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