Portrait Photo – Canon EOS 350D
A recent pic taken of me with my friend’s DSLR camera (Canon EOS 350D). The picture quality is so much better than my Canon Powershot A95. I think it might be time to upgrade! The one below came out well so thought I’d post it up. On a side note; I look very different compared to this time last year. Nice to capture a moment in time.
My Perfect Average Day
This is an exercise I recently carried out as part of a business coaching programme. Basically, you’re asked to describe your perfect average day. The idea is to start with the end in mind. What am I doing and why am I doing it? I really enjoyed thinking about this. It has given me clarity and focus and from now on, everything I do should move me closer to the life described below.
I wake up at my usual time of around 7:30am. I put on my comfy socks and dressing gown and head downstairs in time to hear my coffee machine beep, letting me know the pot has just finished brewing. The smell of freshly ground coffee fills my large, open plan kitchen which is basked in the morning sun. As I look out, there’s blue sky for as far as the eye can see. In the distance, the sea is calm with waves lapping against the white sandy beach.
I pour my coffee, pick up my new laptop complete with external mouse and wireless broadband and head out onto the veranda. It feels about 60 degrees with the fresh sea breeze but it’s probably nearer 70. I log on and access my company reports (I manage a portfolio of websites in different niches). Some of the sites have been built by my dev team, others we’ve purchased and tweaked. The report shows me all kinds of user activity data such as signups, drop-off rates, user trends and revenue.
At 8am I finish my review and head back inside to make breakfast. I like to vary my morning meal but today it’s my favourite; a small bowl of crunchy cereal with semi-skimmed milk, 2 large fresh eggs on toast and a warm croissant. I wash it down with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and head upstairs to get changed.
My wife Emma and I sleep in a large bedroom with a walk in wardrobe. There’s an en-suite bathroom with an open shower and waterproofed floor. Six jets are built into the walls and it can comfortably accommodate two people. I put on a pair of beach shorts and a tee-shirt and head out for my half hour stroll. The birds are singing. As I walk along, I spot my near neighbour Jim, heading towards the beach and give him a wave. My mind wonders between ways to improve our current sites and I touch on an idea for a new site that gets me excited. I capture it on my ever present, pocket voice recorder.
I’m back at my house for 9am and head up stairs to take a brief shower and get dressed ready for my trip to the office. I put on my jeans and a smart, short sleeved shirt and go back down to the lounge area. I log back on and check through my emails and news feeds. There’s only one thing that needs dealing with quickly and I can see two members of my team are already onto it. I respond to the emails that require a reply and flag a couple of interesting feeds for a more thorough read later this evening. By 9:30 I’ve said bye to Emma and I’m in my latest car, a Porsche 911 GT3 heading for work. I sometimes opt for the Bentley instead but it’s not as much fun as the scenic route with the 911. I pull into my parking space at 9:55, 10 minutes ahead of most drivers.
My PA Sophie, reminds me of things that need my attention and she’s made a coffee for the two of us. This is much appreciated as it’s not part of the job description. At 10:30 I have a meeting with John, who pretty much looks after all the day to day operations. He’s a great guy and I trust him implicitly. We’re joined by Andrew who heads up development, Alex who’s head of finance and Nikki who looks after our marketing activities. We go through each site briefly and then onto reviewing recent marketing campaigns, development progress and design changes. This is always an exciting meeting because whilst sometimes hard questions need to be asked, we generally come out with innovative solutions to problems and a list of actions with completion dates. It’s not as much fun as the weekly “sites of the future” session but that’s a half hour slot once a week with all members of the team and unfortunately, it’s not till Thursday.
Next on my to-do list is calling James. He owns a really cool website with happy users and a great method of obtaining new ones. We’re currently in early talks about a joint venture. We have a site that would fit in perfectly with his users and together we’re looking at ways to cross promote or maybe even merge the two. The call goes well and we agree to meet up later in the week.
The clock hits mid day as I sit at my desk checking my email. I spot that the issue from this morning is now resolved and head over to the main room (or “web lab” as I prefer to call it) to catch up with the team. It’s a great space with plants, natural light and a high ceiling. My company employs 13 people full time (we enlist the help of trusted partners for big-build projects) and everyone operates from this room. The dev guys are busy making final tweaks to our latest site due to go live next month. The beta version has been running for a while now and we’ve received very positive feedback from our test group. We have a very large audience these days and we’re expecting several thousand people to sign up within the first 24 hours of going live. The launch will be promoted via our existing portfolio of sites and through our network of affiliates. Nikki and her team have started to build anticipation within the market and I’m confident that come launch day, everything will be perfectly executed as usual. I thank the two guys who resolved the earlier problem and after saying high to everyone else, I head off for some lunch.
I jump in the car and head for my favourite local restaurant. It’s a small, informal place that doesn’t look too fancy from the outside but the owners Rob and Susan serve the best food in town. I promise myself I’m going to help them with their branding before the year is out. For lunch I’ve arranged to meet a lifelong friend and business partner. There’s nothing specific on the agenda but if past history is anything to go by, we’ll have several exciting ideas by the end of the meal. I order a medium-rare fillet steak with tomato salad for me, a king prawn salad for Simon and head out into the garden area with an ice cold bottle of light beer. The sun is still shinning, another glorious day. Simon and I have been doing business together for as long as I can remember. Our resources complement each other well and we’ve racked up a number of successful projects together over the years. Whilst enjoying our tasty food, we get chatting about a project he’s working on and sure enough, the ideas start flowing, specifically regarding the potential of building a mobile phone app. We finish around 2pm and I invite him and his wife Hannah over for dinner next weekend, giving us chance to discuss things further.
I’m back at the office for 2:30pm and record my notes from lunch. At 3:15 two visitors arrive; Darren and Ben from a start-up company in the online gaming sector. Several times a month, we have a technology based company come in and pitch their business to us with a view to receiving investment. Our knowledge, expertise and network of partners have the proven capability of transforming the fortunes of companies we’ve invested in. I get a real buzz from this area of the business. It’s always fun hearing great ideas from passionate people and when you back the right horse, the financial reward can be huge. Our investment portfolio typically accounts for 30% of our revenue.
After an enjoyable meeting, I leave the office around 4pm and head off to pick up Emma from town. She’s been out shopping with friends for the afternoon and we’ve planned to sit visit a lovely little beach for a couple of hours. There is a good one right on our doorstep but today we fancied visiting a more secluded location. Our feet are touching sand by 4:30 and we find a nice spot to set up camp. The view of white sand and bright blue water makes for an idyllic setting and I’ve had some of my best ideas here. Emma’s changed into her new bikini, a two piece skimpy little number. We always have a good time together, she’s funny and beautiful. I’m a lucky guy. We might have kids in a few years but right now we enjoy our freedom too much. It’s getting hot so we decide to go for a quick swim. The sea is warm and calm, the waves lap against my feet. Due to watching Jaws at a young age, I have an irrational fear of sharks but there’s no record of an attack here and I don’t swim too far from the shore.
A short time later, we sit back down on the beach towels and I boot up the laptop. I open the onto the company reports again for a quick look at what’s been happening today. It’s live data so I can review things in real-time. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of seeing money come in whilst sitting on a beach! It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get to this point but it was most certainly worth it. There’s one of our websites I’m keeping a close eye on at the moment. The signup rate has been decreasing steadily for the last couple of months. I know why. Two new competitors have appeared. Both of them have a really good service and a large marketing budget. We’ll have to make a decision soon. Sell the site and reinvest the funds in another of our more lucrative projects or take them on by increasing our development and marketing spend. At the moment I’m leaning on the side of a sale. We have deep pockets and I’m confident we could defend our market share but it might not be the smart move. To win the war, you must choose the right battles.
It’s gone 6pm by the time we pack up and leave. The house is only a 20 minute drive away so we’re soon back, showered and getting ready for my brother and his wife who are coming round for an evening of food and entertainment. Stu and Jenifer arrive just after 7pm. Before the drink starts flowing, Stu and I decide to go for a quick spin in the Porsche. We say goodbye to the girls for a short while, promising to come back in one piece. Stu’s a petrol head like me; we both love our fast cars. I fire up the six cylinder, 3.8 litre engine and we head out of town. With 435 horse power available, it’s laugh out loud fast. I can scare Emma half to death which is quite amusing but Stu trusts me. We often go to track days together and if anything, he’s crazier than me! I drive to my favourite scenic roads where there’s no traffic and open her up. The acceleration pins us too our seats and the speed we’re able to carry through corners defies belief. The tactile feedback through the steering inspires great confidence. We pass several other motorists in a blur. I imagine they’re left wondering what just happened. Now you see us, now you don’t! In truth, cars like the GT3 are far too capable to approach the limit on a public road whilst remaining safe but that doesn’t stop us having a lot of fun. We head home after half an hour, laughing and joking about our mini adventure.
We get back to find preparations for the meal underway. Emma and Jenifer have already polished off a bottle of white wine between them so it’s time to catch up with some beers. We all head out to the seating around the pool and I fire up the grill. Tonight’s menu is salad with fresh tuna steaks and various white fish picked up from the local market. For now, there’s an assortment of nibbles with various spicy and creamy dips to keep us going. By 10pm we’ve recovered from the delicious main meal and get stuck into a large platter of cheese with bread and biscuits. I’ve lost count of how many bottles we’ve gone through but I’m guessing we’re well into double figures including the beers.
It’s almost midnight by the time we wind down. It’s been a great evening, Stu and I always make each other laugh and we’re both experts at teasing our other halves. Stu and Jenifer head off to the main guest room and say goodnight. I have a quick wash and brush my teeth before climbing into bed. Emma and I are both a little drunk but not enough to prevent us from enjoying one more activity. That’s another story though.
The End.
VW Golf R32 (MkV) – Entry 027
Hopefully I haven’t forgotten how to write entries given how long it’s been… My blue beast is now showing 30k miles on the clock. Gosh time flies when you’re having fun! It might be over two years since purchasing the best thing I’ve ever owned but the novelty hasn’t diminished. Just the other day I had an entire beer garden craning their necks to see what was coming round the corner. It might have had something to do with me nailing it in second gear between two sandstone walls though. The recent bout of sunshine has resulted in a lot of window down, music off action. Love it!
Quote: Approach to work
April 14th 2010. David Andrew Conway – Born 1980.
If you believe working smart is an excuse for not working hard; consider the story of two lumberjacks in a tree-cutting contest… Both were strong and determined, hoping to win the prize. But one was hardworking and ambitious, chopping down every tree in his path at the fastest pace possible, while the other appeared to be a little more laid back, methodically felling trees and pacing himself. The go-getter worked all day, skipping his lunch break, expecting that his superior effort would be rewarded. His opponent, however, took an hour-long lunch, then resumed his steady pace. In the end, the eager beaver was dismayed to lose to his “lazier” competition. Thinking he deserved to win after his hard work, he finally approached his opponent and said, “I just don’t understand. I worked longer and harder than you, and went hungry to get ahead. You took a break, and yet you still won. It just doesn’t seem fair. Where did I go wrong?” The winner responded, “While I was taking my lunch break, I was sharpening my axe.”
Quote: Why are we here?
December 13th 2009. David Andrew Conway – Born 1980.
R32 – Short Drive in the Countryside
I haven’t been out for a “spirited drive” in a while, so went for a good blast this morning. Here’s a couple of pictures and a very short video below…
VW Golf R32 (MkV) – Entry 026
A few weeks ago, the thought of my car riding on coilovers was a fleeting idea, pending further consideration next year. As of last Thursday, it’s a reality! The ball first started rolling when the option to buy a second hand set of KW V1 coilovers presented itself. The price was good but V1’s come with fixed damping (bump and rebound rates) which is fine, providing they suit the drivers preference and I had no easy way to find out. Although given little consideration, my front runner for coilovers was HPA’s SHS (Sport Handling System) coilover kit which is a modified version of KW V1. By all accounts, SHS strikes the right balance between comfort, performance and price. Given this, I contacted HPA to find out if I could buy the V1’s and convert them to SHS. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible because the strut housings / dampers are longer with a different valve code.
R32 Exterior Styling Options
Been looking at possible cosmetic directions for 2010. I quite fancy a big change but can’t decide which of these two I prefer or if I should stop being silly and keep it how it is.
R32OC Tax Disc Holder
I got up really early (5am!) and went for a morning drive with a friend after looking on Google Maps for some interesting roads. I managed to pick up a big silver screw on the way home and the tyre can’t be repaired. Should be sorted tomorrow.
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