Thinkin'Space

Updates

2006-02-01T08:14:00.000+02:00

For anyone who
For anyone who reads this - I know that my usual ramblings have been few and far between - I can say however that I have been regularly posting to my other blog - vaughan-album so go and have a look at the pics (mostly of joshua!)

A Change

2006-01-10T12:12:00.000+02:00

Well just as I get going with photos - something changes - and that is the blog where these will be posted in future.

I have decided to separate my musings from my photo's
check them out here...

http://vaughan-album.blogspot.com

Back to the begining

2006-01-05T07:27:00.000+02:00

Ok, so now that I have finally got going on this I want to take you back to the start. I expect that you may get bored if I post thousands of pics - so I will post selectively.

Understanding the change that happens in your life when you have a child, is something, I think that takes some time to set in. While not all of the changes are aligned to your personal preferences, the enjoyment that you gain from them being in your life is enormous!

This first one is of Joshua still inside Cath's tummy. This was a self portrait, using the mirror in the bedroom to see the LCD on the back of the camera!

Here is baby and Mum - just 2 hours after being born.

Here is the little man only 16 hrs old.

2006-01-04T08:01:00.000+02:00

As you will see below I have finally worked out how to post pictures onto my blog. I have only posted a few of the many hundreds of johsua. I will post more soon.

2006-01-04T07:50:00.000+02:00

This was taken at emmarentia dam / jhb botanical gardens. (Joshua is about 6 mnths old here)

This one was taken at home (About 8 mnths old)

2006-01-04T07:37:00.000+02:00

New Year

2005-12-30T09:48:00.000+02:00

New year is always the time when people go off making the most ridiculous "New Years Resolutions" - and then do nothing about them. I have been there and done, well, nothing - like everyone else. I have also not made any resolutions, and, well, still done nothing. So?

Goals are what we should be making - and then reviewing them. I did that this year - and while I didn't necessarily achieve all the goals that I set - I did get closer on a lot of them than I was when I wrote them!

So what is the plan for next year - to be honest - I dont know yet. But what I do know is that God is Faithful, Merciful and GOOD! We have many things to be thankful for, and many wonderful things to look forward to.

I trust that you have a blessed new year!

CV

Alpha and Omega - the begining and the end

2005-12-28T12:10:00.000+02:00

Thats just another of the wonderful names of God - and what this post is to this blog - well at least the end.

It is one of those moments - when you suddenly realise that the username and password that you have entered is wrong - that's when you know that it has been way too long since you logged in.

So why am I doing this now - because usually around this time of year there is less to do in the office and I suddenly remember that I still have a blog.

Well what a year - the birth of my son has changed many things, the least of which is my social life!

The one great thing it has done is to make me value the moments in between. I am one of those typical A type personalities - always rushing to the next thing. Definately prone to stressful situations - and while those do still exist, it is with gladness that I can say that the moments in between are great!

There are many changes planned for this next year - one of which is to get set up at home with a PC and a connection - SO - hopefully there will be more posts, pics etc of the life and times of the Vaughan clan.

If there is anyone out there that knows me that reads this please let me know!

CV

Time to start again

2005-02-28T13:16:00.000+02:00

Seeing that there might be people out there who actually read this I thought I'd start again - probably cause the imminent birth of my son is something I's like to broadcast

Am in the process of setting up to load pics... so watch this space.

Christmas

2004-12-24T13:04:00.000+02:00

Is a wonderful time - Christ came to give us the greatest gift of all - eternal life - and to be restored to himself! I apologise for being so scarce in the blogging recently - I have been very busy at work - and don't have access at home yet.

I pray Christ blesses you richly over this time...

IT doesn't happen often...

2004-10-07T15:42:00.000+02:00

me posting to this blog, that is. While my intentions are always good - I just seem to forget for a long time - and then suddenly - it's been weeks since my last post! Well my excuse is that I have been busy at work - today is a little quieter, which is where I do my stuff on the internet - since I don't have a dial-up at home (yet). It's just one of those things that I'd like but would rather use the money somewhere else. I keep wondering how people live such extravagant lives - they must be making loads of dosh... as for me I'm really blessed by all the "stuff" that we have...

It can happen at any time...

2004-09-15T14:51:00.000+02:00

There is absolutely no way humanly possible to predict the future, well at least not with the accuracy that I'd like! This morning it seemed like today was going to be just like any other (well except that I wasn't feeling 100%, but you know what I mean). My project manager is 7 months pregnant - she was late this morning cause she wasn't feeling well - it turns out that she was in premature labour. Due to all the wonderful regulations that the government has instituted - occupational health and safely - I am the qualified First Aider (Level 1). Now I have also read some of the more advanced material (Level 3), but am not qualified yet, which is where delivering a baby is covered... So I'm joking with everyone in the office that it had better not be premature labour cause I'm not qualified to handle it... mean time it really is happening! She is now in the hospital and they are trying to stop the labour, but if they can't they will do a C-section because the baby is in breach.

While discussing this with one of my other colleagues, she preceded to tell me about her mother's miscarriage at 43, and her sisters death a short while after that. A very sad situation. Which makes me think and consider how fragile life really is, and how we don't know when the time will come for us to leave this earth. It impresses on me the need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt what will happen when I die - that I am in right relationship with God through my relationship with Jesus. Of this I am sure : that without that knowledge the whole situation looks even worse. Have you thought about this?

Not so philosophical

2004-09-10T12:45:00.000+02:00

Well as I said I would write a longer more interesting blog. The fact is though, that I have had the time over the last two days to do that – but I just haven’t. Now I’ve tried to come up with some sort of excuse for this – but I can’t. Fact is I was much happier just reading other peoples blogs. I sort of think that it has something to do with the fact that so many other people have really bad experiences – so that makes mine look better.

Long time

2004-08-31T13:51:00.000+02:00

Ok, I know - I just realised that the last time that I made a post was the 11th of August. So that means one of a few things - either I haven't been thinkin' or I have been really busy, or both!

Well to be honest I have been pretty busy in the last few weeks - I told the boss that I was not busy enough - so he made sure I am! At least I am enjoying it.

AM looking forward to a really LONG update here in the future, but for now I am tied up in meetings... which is probably a good topic for my next blog.

another day another....

2004-08-11T11:33:00.000+02:00

... er, Dollar?

Well it's another day and another blog for you - I don't know if there is anyone out there who is reading this. Well maybe that's because I haven't really told anyone :)

I have just bee thinkin' IM (Instant Messanger) is a really kewl thing - if there are people to talk to, that is. I have been logged on all morning and not a single hello! I am starting to wonder if my wife is right - that technology increases the distance between people instead of decreasing it ? This is something else that I'd like to explore a little more some time... but till then... keep thinkin'

My Challenge

2004-08-10T20:47:00.000+02:00

While I may not be focusing on "self improvement" (I hate that term), there are always changes in our lives! So there really is something here for me. I like it where he says "Personal improvement starts when you change something you do daily"

Someone recently said to me that changing city will not change your lifestyle - and here it is again - its the thing that is done in your daily (I read, ordinary goings on, mundane, normal, everyday) life, especially something that works on the internal, that will affect the rest of your life! I have recently experienced this in going back to gym. On a daily basis it took a commitment and sacrifice, and it doesn't even feel like I am feeling/seeing the benefits yet, but it is becoming a habit... which will become a change in lifestyle!

So the question then is, "what am I going to change?" - well for me I am feeling like I need to work on my effectiveness, that there needs to be a focus and intent, in my life, so I am going to focus that in on my time with God.

What are you going to change?

Change

2004-08-10T11:43:00.000+02:00

Here is an extract from something that someone sent to me (based on Self Improvement Topic by John C Maxwell)

In my life, I choose daily to improve in several key areas: intellectually, physically, relationally, and spiritually. These daily improvements aren't necessarily huge; in fact, taken individually, they may seem rather minor. But, as I once heard a teacher explain, "Daily goals are reached by doing things which may be uncomfortable at first, but eventually will become habits. And habits are powerful things. Habits turn actions into attitudes, and attitudes into lifestyles."

You may classify areas of potential improvement differently than I do. But the categories you choose to work on aren't nearly as important as your overall commitment to improve. Are you improving every day? Have you developed the daily discipline to say, "I'm working in these specific areas"? Do you have a clearly defined target—a way to know when you've achieved your desired result?

Whether you want to hone your public speaking skills, become a better listener, lose weight, get more organized, or advance in some other way, here are some insights about improvement that will help to guide you as you grow.

1. Don't be afraid to admit you were wrong.
Acknowledging your mistakes proves you're wiser today than you were yesterday. If you never admit you're wrong, you're saying, "I'm not growing; I'm not wiser."

2. You will never change your life, until you change something that you do daily.
This is a huge concept to grasp. People always tell me, "I'm going to make some major changes.' My response to that is simple: Certain aspects of your life might need a significant overhaul, but I don't need to know about those big changes. I'm more interested in the minor change you plan to make today. Personal improvement starts when you change something you do daily—a routine, a habit, a way of working, or interacting with other people.

Any other day?

2004-07-28T13:16:00.000+02:00

I've been thinkin' about that saying "any other day" and I've tried to remember if I've ever had a day that was just like a day that I had previously had... besides the fact that I seem to have a bad memory, I can't. So the philosophical conclusion that I have come to is that every day must be unique. Which in itself is a pretty cool idea - especially if yesterday was a bad day (which it wasn't in case you were wondering). But then the same things seem to happen - well at least there seems to be a pattern.... so the same things seem to be happening at work today as happened yesterday? Maybe I am stuck in an infinte loop? Nah, but there might be a good analogy in that - situations in our lives are like computer code - usually a do... while, or if... then statement... but no time to flesh this out now... maybe another day :)

Welcome!!!

2004-07-27T09:52:00.000+02:00

Ok, well this seems like a good idea - at least today that is :) My thinkin' is that this should be a place where I can just ramble on... and you might even read it! Anyway - I really should be doing some work - so thats all from me for now :)