What do you do for a living?

[Barance]

Something different to read


What do you do when not riding the best bike on earth or reading this forum?

I'm in IT services, sales, been doing it for 7 years but changing in a couple of weeks to become an IT recruiter...(anyone keen to immigrate to NZ certainly see me

[Herleman]

Duck hunter.

[Barance]

Originally posted by Herleman

Duck hunter.

And there I was thinking we could avoid ducks being mentioned in at least one thread..

[Herleman]

Ok, I'm sorry. I'll be serious -- it is a good and interesting thread as Mr. the1sen observed in his now deleted posting (please put it back, your profession as a photographer is very interesting)

I'm retired, but I work part-time in a nearby cancer hospital and I volunteer a lot of time for my church.

(and I never hunted anything -- couldn't shoot anything if I had to)

[brian]

I'm a freelance Broadcast Television Post Producer/Coordinator/Video Editor. I've been in this field for 10 years. The last 3 years have been freelance and trying to find work is extremely difficult. I work for 3 to 5 months then am unemployed, then work a few days here and there, then unemployed. I'm constantly saving for a rainy day and constantly looking for work. I'm barely getting by these days. This F800ST purchase was not a wise monetary purchase but I needed it to make me happy so it's in my life and I'm enjoying it as much as I can. On a positive note: I'm on the brink of 'possibly' landing a 6 month freelance job back down in Philly... I'm on pins and needles till I hear in a few days.

With that said, I'm always looking for a new and exciting career. I've thought about switching to be a helicopter pilot or deep sea diver or mechanical engineer or ... All these require me to go back to school. Just can't decide. For now, I'm sticking with Video Production till I'm broke and need to seriously switch careers.

Great thread. It's interesting to see what others do out in the real world.

I look forward to learning about all the interesting jobs people have!

[Barance]

Cheers Herleman, it was actually seeing Joes website on his profile that gave me the idea for the thread.

Off topic, went hunting rabbits once but then realised I dont like the sight of blood so gave that up!

[touhy]

i get paid to pass gas and get on people's nerves.....seriously.

[MD1]

Hi my name is Mark and I confess that I am......a banker.
It's a tough job but someone has to be in the most unliked professions and keep the used car salesman & insurance salesman & politicians company. The wife balances it out by being a nurse - voted most respected career (by an annual NZ poll)
Actually my role is sweet compared to most bank jobs. I deal with our importers and exporters but I'm not responsible for the lending side of things, which is where the headaches are. I'm not office bound or have to punch in a time clock each day and I get out and about all the time. You know, full on hard labour like; golf with these clients; lunch with those clients ; take those ones to the rugby .
Banks pay OK I guess but no matter what money I earned (wishful thinking ) I would always be broke??? Then again it is a secure job. You don't have to freeze you butt off in winter outside. Having to wear a suit'n tie though cramps my desire to ride the 800 to work and beat the rush hour traffic jams. Fridays are becoming dress down days so I try and not schedule any customer meetings, so I can ride to work. You can guarantee if I have a clear Friday to ride that it will be raining - remember, my bike is not allowed to get wet or dirty.
And the best perk. What is the best car ever made? Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lambo, Bugatti. Nope, - - - -answer: the company car.
It fills itself, registers itself, insures itself, replaces tyres and services itself at no cost.

Good to see comments about members buying the bike simply because they owe it to themselves to be happy. So many people go through life wishing for a special toy that they know will fulfill their lives and bring pleasure, often when they aren't too happy with life in general and don't realise how important it is to be happy NOW, rather than suffer an empty life waiting. Often it's a case of, when I can afford this or that treat I will do it, but the reward is always just out of reach until they are too old to enjoy it. Then they suffer regrets for the rest of their lives. Live life now, for tomorrow may never come. Or when it does it's too late to enjoy what you lusted after.
I love this saying which perfectly sums up what I'm trying to say and I sometimes need to remind myself of it when things don't go to plan, or you are just in a bad mood.
Happiness is a means of travel; not a destination.

Edit- forgot to mention. Familiar story, balancing life between work, my lovely wife and two young daughters and the dog (Sheltie) and most importantly...riding!

[Mystic]

Well this is an interesting question.... how do I define work. I enjoy everything I do, so if it's not enjoyable it gets sidelined.

- Primary income source = Property Investor (and where I spend least time) I'm currently reducing my time on this even further.

- Secondary Income source = B2B supplier of business envelopes (employing more staff and my time commitment is dwindling - I hope to have a hands off management role here in the next 6 months)

- Third Income Source (and a poor source at present) - Teacher and trainer working in the area of communication skills with kids and parents. The objective is to help families resolve their own conflicts. I've never met a troubled teenager, just people who couldn't communicate. I expect this business to provide a regular ongoing income within 12 months. This business is about helping people find a way to improve their lives and grew out of work with my kids.

- Fourth Income Source (if I can call it that now) - I work with people in changing things in their lives that are not working for them. Things like breaking down the barriers to reading, dealing with fears and limiting beliefs, remove internally generated medical problems, dealing with past negative life changing experiences etc. This is a hobby for me and will become a business around late September early October this year. I'm looking for a premises at present.

Ultimately I see me creating business that have a positive impact on peoples lives.

If people get the chance to enjoy life more at a core level by using my products and services, then I would have achieved my primary goal.

My life is balanced between my kids, my partner, my work to produce an income and assets (the small amount of work), creating the new businesses, working with people individually and myself (bikes, cars, nature etc). People wonder how come our kids don't seem to be such a problem. (My oldest is what many parents would call a challenge and the catalyst for me teaching communication skills. I needed to learn how to communicate with her and the skills I needed to learn to work with her are primarily what I now teach.) She's an absolute joy to be around. 5 years ago she took 85% of my "kids time" with us having three kids. She had the ability to be a seriously troubled teenager primarily because I didn't know how to talk with her.

You know how sometimes you see a couple and you know they're deeply in love and it just permeates everything around them. Well that's what my partner and I are like. Often people comment on how in love we seem. Actually we are. I expect us to feel and look this way when we're well past 60. We're mid to late 40's now and apparently we act like love struck 18 year olds. We both feel like a pair of love struck 18 year olds. My partner is overseas and arriving back in two days. We've both been given clear and specific instructions by our daughter not to make a scene at the airport. If you've ever had a dog and seen how it responds when you return from being away for a patch. Well, that's us. So I'll be giving a passionate embrace and receiving one. Does that constitute a scene? Of course there will be the passionate kiss as well and ... I guess if she wraps her legs around me and we end up in that pose for a while that might constitute a scene. What my daughter forgot is a scene for one person may not be a scene for another.

I think my partner and I are the perfect fit. It's unbelievable how well we fit together. Sorry, I'm a little lost in the thought of her.

Lastly to the electronics person above, I'm an electronics engineer by trade.

I'm am so in love.

Mark, bankers are my friends. Yes, I'm free for lunch, golf etc. No, I don't import and export but shall we just assume I want to. Which I do. Really.

[Herleman]

Hey Mystic. Its good to have someone to share your life with, believe me. My wife of 38 years, and best friend of many more passed away about 18 months ago. It leaves a void that can never be filled. Hold on to her, even when you don't know why you are doing it.

(BTW, that's why I am working at a cancer hospital -- its a promise that I made, to keep trying to help in whatever way I can find)

[MD1]

Originally posted by Mystic


1. Ultimately I see me creating business that have a positive impact on peoples lives.

2. If people get the chance to enjoy life more at a core level by using my products and services, then I would have achieved my primary goal.

3. Mark, bankers are my friends. Yes, I'm free for lunch, golf etc. No, I don't import and export but shall we just assume I want to. Which I do. Really.

Points 1 & 2 - clearly banking is not for you Mystic! Bankers Handbook pages 1 to the last page read "ka ching, Show me the money $$$" It's an easy book to read though.
Point 3 - sorry, see my response to points 1 & 2 (where's the money?)

[warby]

Originally posted by Herleman

Hey Mystic. Its good to have someone to share your life with, believe me. My wife of 38 years, and best friend of many more passed away about 18 months ago. It leaves a void that can never be filled. Hold on to her, even when you don't know why you are doing it.

(BTW, that's why I am working at a cancer hospital -- its a promise that I made, to keep trying to help in whatever way I can find)

What an interesting thread, very moving too.

I'm a physics professor (experimental high-energy subatomic physics), trying to figure out how this place (i.e., our universe) works and helping to educate tomorrow's physicists. I love my work, and am constantly seeking the healthy balance of passions: wife and family, work, and Motorcyling!

Ride safely, but ride hard!
Andreas

[keithr]

I am an Elekterikal Enjienear

I own two business (main one is called - Jointmaster www.jointmaster.co.za) that specialises in the supply and distribution of High Voltage Cable Joints (splices) and terminations up to 245KV

[777drvr]

I fly airplanes I'm presently in Seattle training on the Boeing 777 and missing my bike dearly

[Kempy]

I'm a Search and Rescue winchman in the Royal Air Force. I get winched from a helicopter to rescue people from any environment, be it the water, mountains, boat or an urban area. I am medically trained to treat casualties until getting them into a hospital. Its a fantastic fun job with loads of job satisfaction.

Kempy

[Rider]

I am retired and have been for almost 2 years. I carried mail for over 34 years and retired as soon as I could (age 55). The nice weather was fun to carry in but the Winters were tough. Some of the supervisors made the job unpleasant at times. My wife still works which helps and we live where living is a lot cheaper than some places. It doesn't take a lot to keep me busy so I am having a lot of fun. It is interesting to read what some people do.

[de100kb]

Great tread Barance, and indeed some very moving stories. Thanks all for sharing.

I've never been this involved in a online community before and a big part of the reason I spend so much time here is the knowledge I can gather here on how other people with the same kind of interests and love (the F800 that is, not the spouses ) live their lives.

I myself started in IT working as a contractor although I was supposed to take over the family business which I refused. The IT did not fulfill my needs because I really had an ambition to help people so I went to school again (social studies) and during that study I worked as an advisor for the unemployed.

After finishing this study I switched to the Human Relations side. Have been an Personnel worker (HR manager) for 10 years and ended up managing an outplacement center for my downsizing employer and outplacing myself as the last step .

Decided to combine all of my experience and went back to the IT world implementing SAP HR for a 35.000 employees big government agency. Got a chance to change to a new field 3 years ago, so now I'm an ICT manager for a document processing service (ICR/OCR and work flow management). It's the best job I ever had so I'll probably stay there for a longer period unless something better comes along .

[Doodads]

I am a mechanical engineer. For 30 years I designed and built power plants (both nuclear and fossil) here in the US, in Europe, and in Central America. I now work for the US government, regulating nuclear power plants. I took the job with the government mainly for the retirement benefits!

Bob

[busybeemer]

I am an architect. I run my own firm http://www.allen-bell.com I am currently involved in conservation of historic buildings in the UK and have recently restored an 18C John Nash Terrace in Regent's Park for the Crown Estate.
I was also resposible for the first wave of Borders bookstores in the UK back about ten years ago until we got tired of each other!
Its fun most of the time.

[lochridge]

i work for a guy who builds custom homes. i sit behind the computer and draw what he sees, and what his clients want. i also do the estimating. hope to someday break out on my own. www.derricocustomhomes.com

[Pat H]

What a great thread:

I'm Director of a TV post production company in London UK.
We make TV programmes.
I do the IT development and support, Encoding of media files, DVD authoring and teaching.
I trained as a broadcast engineer and many years ago used to be a motor mechanic.
So Lot's of practical experience.

In my spare time I'm a Scout Leader. Used to be 2 X School Governor.
I'm a keen photographer and am involved in various community projects.

Married 20 odd years (some very odd!) 3 kids who are growing very fast!

[Goolam]

I work as an IT Manager in the Programme Management Division of a Bank. My team writes and supports a bespoke Project and Programme Management System for the organisation that interfaces with other bespoke and off the shelf project management and other financial systems.

I trained in Psychology and enjoy working at the interface between business and IT - my first foray into the world of project management was when I was lured away from a teaching position at the University of Cape Town to work on the 2004 Olympic Bid.

Married for 13 stunning years - known my wife for 16 - we started out friends and continue to be friends - that's our strength I believe - we have two beautiful children (4 year old boy and 7 year old girl).

I used to be a Lifeline and AIDS Counselor and then just sort of ran out of time...

I really enjoy the world of IT - it's my job and my hobby...

Getting back on a bike is the first step back to balancing my life i.e. not just concentrating on work....

[Hammam]

After a stint as a journalist and a cameraman and assistant-director for TV and feature (film) I went in the theatre business, and stayed there for more than 40 years, as a stage manager first, then as a director, then as an artistic director for a big repertory and classical subsidized theatre company. I directed plays, operas, musicals... I also translated many plays from English and Italian to French. Except for my 10 years as artistic director, I've been a free-lancer all my life, and never lacked work. Lucky me.

I am still very active, but I work mostly in feature film dubbing in French these days, doing the translation of dialogues, casting the actors and directing them in the studio. I am single now, but I have two grown-up children, plus a grand-son. I've worked very hard, and still do, but I'm very fortunate in that I always loved what I did, and had a lot of fun along the way.

I've always had passions in my life. I went from flying airplanes (private license) to golf (!) to motorcycles to sailboats (I had a 30 footer and a 35 footer) to golf again to photography (I am still an avid photographer), and finally back to motorcycling. You could say I am a sort of «compulsive-obsessive hobbyist».

[ShinyBlueST]

I work for the local Caterpillar dealer here in Wisconsin. I am a Rental Specialist for The Cat Rental Store Division. I have been with this company for 6 years. There has been allot of large power plant and federal highway work here as of late and fortunately I have been blessed with a very large portion of the work. Wisconsin currently has one of the largest construction projects in north America in the Oak Creek Power Plant http://www.powerthefuture.net/projec...ructphotos.htm
Doodads I would assume you either worked for Bechtel or Washington Group as an engineer?
I also have a lovely wife of 6 years, a 3 year old daughter and a boy due in September. My spare time is consumed with excercise, Bible study and family time.

Nice to get to know all of you on a more personal level.

[pixguy]

Interesting Thread.

I had a commercial photography/digital imaging business for over 13 years doing lots of work for companies like Heineken, Miller Beer, Pfizer, Pepsi, ATT, etc. Even did work for BMW creating all their images for their national (USA) advertising when they were sponsoring the Olympics. I now work with my wife running a fragrance filling business in NY. We're looking for a new business venture.

[the1sen]

Originally posted by pixguy
I had a commercial photography/digital imaging business for over 13 years

wish i had some of your contacts!

i did some work for AMEX, but the person i was dealing with internally was so flaky, i never got paid. lost quite a bit of money and time to them.

[Kaj]

I'm "Sales and Business Manager/ Northern & Eastern Europe". I work for a Scottish company.

I guess every one knows which products from Scotland are world famous?

"If you drink, don't drive".

[Barance]

Originally posted by Kaj


I guess every one knows which products from Scotland are world famous?

Haggis!

I am impressed so far though what a broad spread of the community F800 riders are! keep them coming guys

[Rob]

Wow! This thread is turning out to be quite fascinating! Great job Barance! I guess I'll kick in here:

My name is Rob. I run a forum online which generates tons of money.


More realistically, I am employed by a US Fortune 20 company in the roll of a Project Manager. We install big drug picking, barcode scanning robots (amongst other things) in hospital pharmacies. Very, very busy work. Pretty rewarding as well...

[f800gecko]

Great thread! Am I the first/only civil (most days) servant in the crowd? I work in government here in Canada doing IT project work. This brings me into contact with a lot of interesting public and private sector folks in the IT business, which keeps life interesting. I have a great partner who showed her stuff when she said this spring in response to my renewed passion for motorcycling and my stated desire to fork over wads of cash to the friendly man at BMW for an F800: "If you're happy with the bike, I'll be happy with the bike." Who could ask for more? She's a trooper. We have a dog & a cat. The cat runs the place, dog included. We love travel. Recent trips have included sea kayaking/camping in Desolation Sound on the British Columbia coast last summer (spectacular - see below) and a visit to Poland this past spring. I love photography as much as biking and I'm currently starting to plan a ride from Ontario to BC for next summer, crossing over the great lakes and aiming for Tofino via Vancouver and Victoria.

I get myself into Algonquin Park here in Ontario whenver I can to recharge & relax. Kayaking in the rain gives me equal pleasure to a ride through the country twists on a cool Sunday morning.

Everyone on this forum is amazing - the contributions & advice are the best! I became convinced the F800 was the bike for me after hanging around here a while & reading up. I have not been disappointed.



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[Barance]

Excellent kayaking pic Blue Gecko! One of my dreams to get over your side of the world and paddle around abit. Heard of a place over that way somehwere, Johnstones strait? where you can paddle with orcas, sounds scary but what a rush it would be.

I also kayak a fair bit there are some awesome spots here in NZ, Able Tasman Maritime Park, Wanganui river, Lake Waikeremoana,Doubtful sound done them all and highly recommend them if you ever over this side of the world. Must post some pics!

As everyone else had added more info than I did when I started the thread I should give some more details i suppose

As mentioned, IT sales for 7 years but going to recruitment for change of scene. Been married and divorced a couple of times but settled down with my partner of 5 years who at 42 has just got her learner license and a GN125 to learn on. No kids (we nearly had a son but he was stillborn) but we have 3 cats a very very bouncy boxer as pictured in 'my garage'.

Other loves are Mountain biking, Road Cycling, Kayaking,Golf,Observed Trials, fishing (surf casting and fly)and of course motorcyling. Been riding since I was 15 which seems like to many years ago now and have to say the F800 is the best bike I have owned, and most expensive!

There I feel better now I have added abit more detail

[Flopp]

Wow Gecko - we are almost twins.

My wife says the same thing about my bike. It also made it easy for her to choose birthday and Father's Days gifts.

I am an uncivil servant tho. I work for the Feds and you really don't want to get a letter or phone call from me, it rarely works out to be in your favour.

Now that half the members of the forum have crossed me off their reply-to list, let's see what others do to funnel cash to their local BMW dealer.

[Pete99]

I am a Research Fellow at Nottingham University specialising in metal forming for the automotive and aerospace fields.
Started work as a coalman, then presshand in a factory, apprenticeship, drawing office in commercial vehicle firm, special purpose machine design for 12 years, 7 years in Industrial Robotics and the last 16 years back at Nottingham.

[f800gecko]

Work for the taxman, do you Flopp? Maybe I can stop in on the way west next year. Just don't look up my file ahead of time

[badcat]

I'm a senior tech and part time IT guy at an optical engineering firm. Hobbies include bikes, computers and music. I've been riding on and off since 1972 and have always had a bike for the past 15 yrs. Had a 1993 K75, 2000 Triumph Sprint ST and now the F800 ST.

[Pancho]

Hi all, I've studied electronics engineer, but quited before getting the title. I own a small transportation company (those huge buckets used in constructions sites where you dump all garbage generated by construction), have been working on that for seven years now. Recently father of my first daughter (She's 3 months old) so my life has changed a little, less time to do long travels on my bike. I live in a 30000 people town, so here is quiet as I like it!. I'm an amateur motorcycle mechanic (fix bikes of all my friends), now studying a little of mechanics to improve knowledge. I'm really fond of photography (took a basic course), specially like to photograph birds and friends on their bikes (now also millions of pics of my daughter). I do like hunting and shooting (no ducks!!!!!, only deer and wild board), though lately not doing that. I also play tennis (not really well)

Some sample pics now:

My house and one of my containers
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A Red-backed hawk (Buteo polysoma)



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One of my friends and his Africa Twin
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PS: What is IT services???

[the1sen]

i have to say that some of these photos are real nice you guys. i like the Kayak and hawk shots. i'll post up some of my garbage when next i get a chance to shoot if you'd be interested

PANCHO - "IT" = information technology, ie. computers

there are so many facets to IT, fixing computers, networking, sales, etc. and it seems to be the most popular profession here. jinkies.

well, we're down to the wire. only 10 hours and 9 minutes left until the Springs and fork oil are installed... i have been wanting to tell someone, so i thought i would make a small post here about it...

[Barance]

Brilliant hawk pic Pancho, very impressed!

[MD1]

Originally posted by Barance

Brilliant hawk pic Pancho, very impressed!

I second that! Beautiful shot of the hawk, thanks Pancho. Hope he keeps away from traffic. You get a litle snow over your way I see! I hope you aren't a rugby fan because we will win the World Cup..finally. THose pesty Swiss took the Americas cup off us by 1 second. Sorry, off topic

[marhx]

I'm an architect employed by a company that mainly design maintenance buildings for the local transport(buses, subways, commuter trains)companies.
It may sound a bit odd for an architect, away from all the fancy things. But it gets really interesting, solving the problems in large workshops, huge train garages etc. It involves all kinds of problems, ergonomic, logistics, environmental etc.
I like it!

The pic shows a train workshop we work with right now, in the process of being renovated.


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[Brian K.]

I'm a treasury manager in an export driven corporate company, handling financial exposures, fx- and bond transactions, financial administration and corporate insurance.
(Maybe someone here are ready to offer some golf hours or free lunches?)

Used to be a banker. After finishing my bank education I quickly moved on to international trade: the "Arbitrage" - FX trading. Then for many years employed in the odd business of foreign exchange. Worked in the noisy (but always dynamic and energetic) environment of a major bank's dealing room at the large corporate desk - dealing all sorts of foreign currencies against each other for/with large ex- and import companies.
Some 10 years ago (how time flies!) I sort of moved to the other end of the phone cable, becoming a corporate customer in the banks. (Yes, there are lunches, but as wisdom tells: "there is no such thing as a free lunch!".

[Walrus1]

I'm the technical manager in a recording studio. Although I'm actually the only one doing the looking after of the equipment, so I'm basically managing myself!
Previously worked for Sony Music studios (originally it was CBS studios until Sony bought CBS Records worldwide). And before that worked for Shure Electronics repairing mics and Hi Fi catridges. So, only 3 jobs in about 30 odd years.

[ShinyBlueST]

Originally posted by bluegecko

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That is a fantastic picture. Definately God's country up there. I have been fishing up there for years and every year it gets better. You canucks sure are blessed with the landscape you have.

[ray_rev]

I'm a 'senior practitioner' on a community mental health team. My base qualification is social work but I have post-grad training in cognitive therapy (psychological treatment) and take a lead in that, mainly for people suffering from psychotic disorders.

I got into biking (perhaps like many) following a traumatic divorce. My 8 year old son now lives with his mother in France, about 1000 miles away and over the Channel, so one of my biking dreams is touring with him as pillion. He's well aware of this ambition!!

Ray

[Eddy G]

With that said, I'm always looking for a new and exciting career. I've thought about switching to be a helicopter pilot or deep sea diver or mechanical engineer or ... All these require me to go back to school.

Not sure about the exciting part, but I'm a mechanical engineer and also do some diving for work. I'll settle for fun, but diving the day that the below photo was taken sure wasn't fun.



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And one more to add to the people who work for the government.

i get paid to pass gas and get on people's nerves.....seriously.

and from another part of my life I want to deduce that you're talking about 135s. Yes?

[Mystic]

Originally posted by MD1

Originally posted by Mystic


1. Ultimately I see me creating business that have a positive impact on peoples lives.

2. If people get the chance to enjoy life more at a core level by using my products and services, then I would have achieved my primary goal.

3. Mark, bankers are my friends. Yes, I'm free for lunch, golf etc. No, I don't import and export but shall we just assume I want to. Which I do. Really.

Points 1 & 2 - clearly banking is not for you Mystic! Bankers Handbook pages 1 to the last page read "ka ching, Show me the money $$$" It's an easy book to read though.
Point 3 - sorry, see my response to points 1 & 2 (where's the money?)

Mark, I have no problem making money, that's easy. I expect that all of these business will generate income and good income. I actually have no specific idea how at present (actually that's not true when i think about it). But for the first phase it's primarily my time, the second phase multiplies that.

It seems to me what ever business you run it makes money. So why not do what you're passionate about.

[Mystic]

Originally posted by Herleman

Hey Mystic. Its good to have someone to share your life with, believe me. My wife of 38 years, and best friend of many more passed away about 18 months ago. It leaves a void that can never be filled. Hold on to her, even when you don't know why you are doing it.

(BTW, that's why I am working at a cancer hospital -- its a promise that I made, to keep trying to help in whatever way I can find)

Hi Herleman. I can understand the void losing someone close leaves. I guess she's left you with so many great memories. I haven't lost a partner but I have lost people that were influential in my life and I'm reminded of how much I appreciated the time I did have with them. I see relationships that aren't working well and I think to myself " Wow, I was so lucky to have had that great relationship". Hopefully I can have the same impact in other peoples lives. It seems to me with the work you're doing that you are having a positive impact in peoples lives. I like to think of that as a fulfilling circle.

[Mystic]

Barance, what a great thread. Looking back over the posts I'd like to sit and talk with everyone. Life and people are interesting aren't they.

I look back and I've done so many different things from fixing cars in my school holidays at a Ford dealership, through working on electronic and electrical systems on ships to working with people and understanding how people work.

Outside of what I mentioned earlier I also do Chi Kung (Qi Gong) which is kind of like Tai Chi.

Warby when you talk about the universe I've come to understanding the universe through Chi Kung. When I started I thought it was an exercise programme. Over time I discovered that it took me to a blissful place that transcended anything I could comprehend experiencing. I was able to create tremendous amount of heat in my body by pulling in the energy in the universe. With time I came to understand things like how the Chinese discovered acupuncture.

Throughout history it seems wise men from all cultures talk about us being energy and everything being one. I've come to understand and see that.

With the Chi Kung I ended up learning that there is a wealth of knowledge buried within us. The problem for me came when I no longer could control the energy or contain it. So there I was mid winter with all the windows open sitting in shorts trying to cool down. Not a pretty sight.

So I stopped Chi Kung and for about a year and have only recently started up again. I finally found a person that can help me control the energy. Without that I wouldn't go back. A Chinese Acupuncturist from China who has a degree in medicine is helping me. I've come to learn that in his world foods are broken down in to hot and cold. Some foods heat the body up and others cool it. I need to mainly eat and drink cold foods and drinks.

The reason I couldn't contain the energy was that in his terms I need to keep balance between the hot and cold (yin and yang). So I can take in this energy and balance it within.

I told this guy what happened to me and he was blown away. He'd heard many stories of what I was experiencing and was able to confirm and explain what he knew. For him this had all been theory and for me it came from within. I told him something I hadn't told many people and that was when I was at my strongest I could see the acupuncture points in the body and they appeared as blue dots. He then explained to me that the traditional acupuncturists didn't go by a chart and theory to work but could see the energy flow through the body and even now in China there are many practitioner's like this who look at you, see the energy flows, see where the blockage is and then put a needle in to fix it.

Other side effects of Chi Kung were that I only needed to sleep about 4 hours a night, I didn't need to eat much. These two are as a result of the energy from the universe providing the body with energy. I have heard stories of people who don't eat at all and I thought that couldn't be true. I now think its possible.

With all of this comes the understanding that I extend to the end of the universe in all directions. What I'm curious about now is the monks in the east who meditate daily for their entire lives. What do they see and know.

Now this all seems like a huge amount to blurt out. I guess this is now part of my world and part of my knowledge. Before I stopped I could see when someone wasn't well and what part of the body was effected. It appears as a dark area. I also know what I need to do to that area to make it better.

Going forward I expect this is an area that will strengthen. At present my goal is to work on the communication skills and working with people in terms of how their brain functions. I'd like to continue to work more from a science stand point where I can explain the neurological processing and how I change it.

When I started Chi Kung I had no idea I would discover what I've written above. 3 years ago I would have not believed that it was possible. My reality has changed dramatically. I look back and three years ago I could say it was like I was a child covering my eyes and saying to an adult "you can't see me" and believing that this was true. Now I know can see that when I cover my eyes adults can see me.

What I'm curious about is what I will know in a year or two years or ten years from now if I can manage to continue doing Chi Kung and control the energy.

Looking back I was so stunned that I could create so much heat in my body that I played with it and focused on it, when I should have accepted it and moved on.

Right now I don't know what is possible or impossible anymore. I just keep an open mid to all realities.

I accept there is no undoing of understanding. I cannot as an adult suddenly believe that if i cover my eyes that no one around me will see me.

I prefer to now think there are many truths and many realities. I accept that everything I believe now can be untrue as my understanding grows. In years to come as I continue Chi Kung I will probably find new truths and realise that even now I am a child with my hands over my eyes thinking I can't be seen.

People and life are interesting.

I wonder if I should have posted this.

[brian]

Originally posted by Eddy G

With that said, I'm always looking for a new and exciting career. I've thought about switching to be a helicopter pilot or deep sea diver or mechanical engineer or ... All these require me to go back to school.

Not sure about the exciting part, but I'm a mechanical engineer and also do some diving for work. I'll settle for fun, but diving the day that the below photo was taken sure wasn't fun.

Attached Image:

58.7*KB

Eddy G - Now that looks like a blast! and I'm a cold weather kind of guy. There's a Commercial Diving school down near Philly. I may give them a call soon to see about getting a tour next week. I've put it off long enough. Thanks for the pic! PM me more photo's, advice, stories, thoughts on CD School anytime. It looks like an exciting career to me. If only I could combine my video career and CD'ing then I'd be set.

Mystic - Glad you posted. It's tough to keep an open mind in this world but after reading your post it reminds me that sometimes anything really is possible. Oh and your screen name really suits you. To think all this time I thought you were from my favorite state of Connecticut.

[ShinyBlueST]

Originally posted by Mystic





Warby when you talk about the universe I've come to understanding the universe through Chi Kung. When I started I thought it was an exercise programme. Over time I discovered that it took me to a blissful place that transcended anything I could comprehend experiencing. I was able to create tremendous amount of heat in my body by pulling in the energy in the universe. With time I came to understand things like how the Chinese discovered acupuncture.

Throughout history it seems wise men from all cultures talk about us being energy and everything being one. I've come to understand and see that.

With the Chi Kung I ended up learning that there is a wealth of knowledge buried within us. The problem for me came when I no longer could control the energy or contain it. So there I was mid winter with all the windows open sitting in shorts trying to cool down. Not a pretty sight.

So I stopped Chi Kung and for about a year and have only recently started up again. I finally found a person that can help me control the energy. Without that I wouldn't go back. A Chinese Acupuncturist from China who has a degree in medicine is helping me. I've come to learn that in his world foods are broken down in to hot and cold. Some foods heat the body up and others cool it. I need to mainly eat and drink cold foods and drinks.

The reason I couldn't contain the energy was that in his terms I need to keep balance between the hot and cold (yin and yang). So I can take in this energy and balance it within.

I told this guy what happened to me and he was blown away. He'd heard many stories of what I was experiencing and was able to confirm and explain what he knew. For him this had all been theory and for me it came from within. I told him something I hadn't told many people and that was when I was at my strongest I could see the acupuncture points in the body and they appeared as blue dots. He then explained to me that the traditional acupuncturists didn't go by a chart and theory to work but could see the energy flow through the body and even now in China there are many practitioner's like this who look at you, see the energy flows, see where the blockage is and then put a needle in to fix it.

Other side effects of Chi Kung were that I only needed to sleep about 4 hours a night, I didn't need to eat much. These two are as a result of the energy from the universe providing the body with energy. I have heard stories of people who don't eat at all and I thought that couldn't be true. I now think its possible.

With all of this comes the understanding that I extend to the end of the universe in all directions. What I'm curious about now is the monks in the east who meditate daily for their entire lives. What do they see and know.

Now this all seems like a huge amount to blurt out. I guess this is now part of my world and part of my knowledge. Before I stopped I could see when someone wasn't well and what part of the body was effected. It appears as a dark area. I also know what I need to do to that area to make it better.

Going forward I expect this is an area that will strengthen. At present my goal is to work on the communication skills and working with people in terms of how their brain functions. I'd like to continue to work more from a science stand point where I can explain the neurological processing and how I change it.

When I started Chi Kung I had no idea I would discover what I've written above. 3 years ago I would have not believed that it was possible. My reality has changed dramatically. I look back and three years ago I could say it was like I was a child covering my eyes and saying to an adult "you can't see me" and believing that this was true. Now I know can see that when I cover my eyes adults can see me.

What I'm curious about is what I will know in a year or two years or ten years from now if I can manage to continue doing Chi Kung and control the energy.

Looking back I was so stunned that I could create so much heat in my body that I played with it and focused on it, when I should have accepted it and moved on.

Right now I don't know what is possible or impossible anymore. I just keep an open mid to all realities.

I accept there is no undoing of understanding. I cannot as an adult suddenly believe that if i cover my eyes that no one around me will see me.

I prefer to now think there are many truths and many realities. I accept that everything I believe now can be untrue as my understanding grows. In years to come as I continue Chi Kung I will probably find new truths and realise that even now I am a child with my hands over my eyes thinking I can't be seen.

mmm kay? lol