Our job as a parent...

I was listening to FM radio station yesterday morning as I was doing the school run and I heard a comment about a man who'd purchased an apartment as an investment property that will eventually be owned by his son who is currently 5 years old.  The radio station were inviting people to call in and voice their reaction to this little bit of "news".

I was staggered by the comments against what this father was doing!  It was terrible to listen to, to be honest.  

This man's "story" even made the nightly news and some of the printed and online news:

http://brisbanetimes.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/lawyer-buys-710000-city-unit-to-set-up-son-5-on-ground-floor-of-property-market-20131028-2wc2p.html

http://news.domain.com.au/domain/real-estate-news/the-best-reason-for-not-buying-your-child-a-property-20131029-2wdod.html

http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/lawyer-buys-710000-city-unit-to-set-up-son-5-on-ground-floor-of-property-market-20131028-2wc2p.html


That the man even wanted to share what he was doing with the media is a little curious, but that's not the point right now.

People....we are parents.  It is incumbent upon us to provide our children with the best possible start in life that we're able to provide for them.  It really is that simple to understand.  And it's almost like an unwritten contract that we entered into the moment that the child is born.

It's our responsibility to do this, so good on this man for doing what he's done.  

There's no question that prices right now are ridiculous, and history tells us that it's just going to get worse in the future.  I always ask myself how on earth my kids are going to be able to afford to buy something when they're adults if I'm not able to help them out.  I wish I was in a position right now to do the same thing for my kids as this man has done for his son.


Till next time...

Another babe-elicious something...

There is a pub on the highway on my route home from school pick up.

It must have recently changed hands as there's new signage and there's been a bit of action there lately.  The signage says "Cold Beer, Hot Girls, Now Open".

The other day as I was driving home there was a really drop dead gorgeous woman with a smoking hot body (except for the gynormous plastic rack that looked as though she was going to float away into the sunset at any moment) standing in front of the pub.  She was wearing black, tight, tiny up-her-crack shorts and a bikini top that barely covered her nipples.  This girl was hot, and she was stopping traffic!

Anyway, she manages to catch the eye of my son (who is 9) and she gives him a little twinkle wave.  You know, the kind of wave that's a bit cheeky, using only a few fingers.

My son got so excited about it!  "Mum", he said, "she waved at me like this" and proceeded to demonstrate the little twinkle wave.  The smile on his face said it all!  It made his day.

Meanwhile I'm thinking to myself 'he's only 9, how can that excite him?'  Which led me to start thinking about DNA and the pre-configuration of the sexes, but that's the subject of a different post.

Anyway, the incident was quickly forgotten...

The next day, or possibly the day after, I picked my son up from school.  There was no 'hello mum'.

The first thing he said was "mum, are we driving past that pub again?".

He's 9, and all I can think is my goodness....typical male already!


Till next time...

Out of the mouths of babes...

I was at a school function one night this week.  It was a compulsory event that all children in the junior school had to attend and at some point perform in.  My daughter is 5 and in Kindy.

We'd arrived a little early and were waiting to go in to the Town Hall when one of my daughter's teachers arrived.  We were chatting and the teacher started talking to my daughter.  

The teacher asked my daughter "what do I teach at school?" 

My daughter's response: "I don't know....all the boring stuff."

LOL. 


Till next time...

A laugh a day keeps the Dr away...

Thank you Michael Smith - This post gave me a good laugh!


Till next time...



source: http://www.michaelsmithnews.com/2013/10/other-passengers-slowly-became-aware-she-was-watching-the-craig-thomson-parliamentary-statement-.html

And the rest of the day?...

Well, if I were a betting woman I think I would have won.

He did get up for about an hour at around 4.30pm to go outside and do some more tackling practice with son.  

When they finished he also got the shower ready for said son (set the water temperature), then he proceeded to sit on his fat arse on his red chair looking at the computer till he went to bed, which was about 11.45pm.

By contrast my afternoon consisted of everything I mentioned in my post yesterday, except I was too tired to even contemplate entering our business accounts in to MYOB.  Instead I collapsed on the couch and watched Limitless with Bradley Cooper....geez, I love Bradley Cooper!!

Again, someone shoot me!


Till next time...

Almost a day in my life...

It's Sunday, about 1.00pm and I look around my house and start to withdraw into my own thoughts.

Here's what I was thinking about:

7.15am - get out of bed, wash my face, brush my teeth, greet my children and ask what they want for breakfast

7.20am - start brewing an espresso for myself and hub

7.25am - start cooking a ham and egg breakfast for son and start preparing cereal for daughter.  Sip on espresso whilst cooking.  Start to hear signs that hub is up

7.35am - start cooking egg and mushroom omlette for my breakfast

7.40am - sit down and eat my breakfast.  Hub walks in and greets family.

7.50am - hang out washing that I'd programmed to start in the machine at 5.30am

8.00am - unpack dishwasher, get clothes for kids, get dressed myself

8.15am - start packing dishwasher and clean the kitchen

8.35am - put another load of washing in the machine

8.40am - can't remember what I was doing at this time, but various short conversations with children and hub take place whilst in the middle of doing odds and ends

9.00am - hub takes son outside to do some tackling practice.  I go and watch for a few minutes

9.10am - I announce that I'm heading out to do a small grocery shop and leave

9.25am - I arrive at shopping centre and shop

10.45am - I arrive home and commence bringing in grocery bags from car.  Find hub and children inside, children playing around and hub sitting on his red chair on computer watching youtube videos.  TV on in the background.  Hub offers to help with bags which I accept

10.50am - I commence unpacking grocery bags and putting away groceries.  Hub resumes sitting on his red chair watching the computer

11.05am - I've finished unpacking groceries and notice alot of natural yoghurt in the fridge so resolve to make frozen yoghurt for desert for the kids

11.10am - bring in first load of washing that's now dry and commence hanging out second load of washing that completed its cycle whilst I was shopping

11.30am - unpack dishwasher for 2nd time

11.35am - commence making frozen yoghurt mixture

11.45am - put frozen yoghurt mixture into churning machine

11.50am - re-pack dishwasher for 3rd time today

11.55am - try on pair of shorts that I bought this morning

12.00noon - general tyding up of the house

12.20pm - frozen yoghurt ready so scoop it into a tub for freezing but dish kids and hub up a small bowl each as a treat

12.30pm - empty contents of freezer and start defrosting it (old fridge/freezer and hub left the door to the freezer open overnight last week and it created crystals everywhere....really gave me the shits because I'd only defrosted it a week beforehand)


So, that's what I was thinking about....everything I had done, finished, accomplished since I'd woken up.  From then till now went something like this:

1.15pm - freezer re-packed and start washing all the dishes that don't get washed in the dishwasher.  Look at hub and make mental note he has not moved since he helped me with groceries....start wondering how soon after I left to go shopping he actually plonked his fat arse on that stinking red chair.  Start mentally reviewing my day and this timeline.  Notice my tomato seeds have started to sprout (little experiment to see if I can grow tomatoes....I can't grow herbs, but maybe tomatoes are different?)

1.15pm - get something to eat for the kids and start weighing and cooking my lunch

1.40pm - I finally sit down (first time since I sat and ate breakfast) and eat some lunch

2.00pm - start constructing this blog post

2.20pm - (right now!!) about to wind up this blog post.  Note hub still sitting on his fat arse on the computer.  I mentally review what else I need to do today:

• Wash daughter's hair
• Get school bags ready
• Iron school uniforms
• Cook dinner (home made hamburgers)
• Have a shower and wash my hair
• Make sure all school notes have been read and responded to where required
• Prepare school lunches for tomorrow
• Get kids off to bed
• Take computer into lounge room so I have some company whilst I enter our business accounts into MYOB

What will he be doing tonight?

Well, I'll take a bet he'll be sitting on his fat arse on his red chair watching the computer or the TV.

Someone shoot me!


Till next time...

Who REALLY needs protection?...

Consumers are not dumb.  That's right - consumers are not dumb.

Even more importantly - they do not need to be saved from themselves!

People ask me why I hate (yes, hate is a strong word, but I doubt I can use any lesser word) the construction industry so much and all I can say is that it's not a fair industry.

What other industry do you know of where external consultants, an engineer for example, is employed and instructed by the clients, designs his work and then the builder has to build it in accordance with those designs and then it's the builder who has to provide the warranty. 

We're not engineers.  How do we know if the design that the engineer has drawn is adequate?  Why should I have to provide warranty for that?  And....the warranty lasts 6 or 7 years!!

Where's the fairness in that?

What other industry do you know of where the clients fuck-arse around making decisions (selecting a tile, for example), doesn't make their decision in a timely manner thus severely affecting the critical path and blows out the construction program, then refuses to pay the delay costs associated with the delay THEY created?

Where's the fairness in that?

In this state we have Department of Fair Trading and the Consumer Tenancies and Traders Tribunal.  They are consumer protection devices because apparently consumers need protecting.

Well, I ask, WHERE IS MY PROTECTION???

I have a client who has delayed my progress on HIS house by 94 days.  That delay costs somewhere around $1,200 PER DAY, and that's not even counting the cost of missed opportunity because I'm stuck on his shitty house. 

That client now owes me $140k (in very loose round numbers).  Where is my protection against that? 

The client refuses to pay. 

I still have to hand him a completed house whilst he owes me all this money? 

I ask again, Where is my protection against that?

Now, I have to go and spend the equivalent in legal fees to recoup the delays costs I'm entitled to recoup.

How is that fair, I ask???

I have another client who's house was completed and handed to them over 12 months ago now.  Twelve months after they've been living in and enjoying their new home they decide to launch proceedings in a jurisdiction against us for....wait for it....our delay is delivering them a completed house.  They've also claimed for variations they agreed to (in writing might I add), and defects.  Their claim amounted to $150k or thereabouts.

Where is the fairness in them being able to do this 12 MONTHS AFTER THEY MOVED IN??

What's more, the variations they're trying to claw back WERE AUTHORISED IN WRITING BY THEM.

What's more even still, they never even notified us of any defects so how were we supposed to deal with them?

Where, again I ask, is the fairness in that.

So, what do I need to do?  What anyone who's the defendant in a $150k suit does.  Defend themselves!

So, I'm forced to go and spend almost the equivalent defending myself.

The clients forget all the work we did that we didn't get paid for.  The clients forget all the margins we forewent just so we can get the job done quicker and help their budgets.  The clients forget about all the information they never provided to us in the hope they could trick us and force us to provide things that we never knew about in the beginning.  The clients forget about all the changes they made during construction, and all the times they took forever and a day to make decisions, that all cause a knock on effect in the delivery program for the house.

Again, I ask....where is the fairness?

Where is MY protection against the consumer's stupidity??? 

The consumer does not need to be saved from me - rather, it is I who needs to be saved from the blasted consumer.


Till next time...

Time Flies (supposedly when you're having fun)...

Well, I haven't been having that much fun, but the time has certainly flown past.  I think most people I've spoken to have said the same thing about how quickly the year is passing us by.

I didn't launch the JGF Project that I mentioned in previous posts - the economic environment wasn't conducive to a new niche business (in my lay person's opinion).  I've got everything ready to launch it; marketing material, domain names, smart-phone phone numbers, yada, yada...but I'm not in a hurry to get on with it.  The work and the resulting $$ would be most welcome, of course, but I'm just not convinced I'd be doing the right thing by jumping in to it right now. 

So, the search for my groove continues.

I have a few ideas.  There's one idea that I particularly like (we'll call it the DSW Project), but it involves my total reliance, well in the beginning at least, upon my husband's qualifications, and I'm not quite sure I want that.  I think I want to get out of the construction industry.  I've grown to really hate it (the residential side of it, anyway).  And this little idea would only entrench me in the industry further.  On the plus side, however, there's the possibility that should demand be strong enough (and on my limited market testing thus far, it appears there may be), a good, systemised, structured business could be formed.  A business that could eventually be run by others with me taking a strategic role rather than a hands-on-in-the-trenches role.  The other downside to this idea, though, is that it would almost be considered to be discretionary spending, meaning that it would be hugely effected by economic factors and market confidence.

I did do some limited testing of the demand and the number of calls I received was surprising.

So, that's one thing I'm pondering.

I've explored going back in to the workforce as an employee, but I don't know how I'd cope with that.  Afterall, I've been self employed since I was 22 years old (I'm a few months from 40 right now), so that's a long time!  And, how would I manage the school drop off/pick up thing?  I struggle to comprehend how others manage it.  I find myself spending up to 4 hours (2 hours in morning, 2 in afternoon) doing the whole drop off/pick up thing, and I'm not even spending any time at the schools socialising with other parents.  That time is literally spent on the roads on Sydney.  Granted, that's in part a consequence of where I'm living in relation to the schools, however, it's still a huge chunk of time.   

I did go for an interview or two, but I shouldn't have.  They were both in the real estate industry, which is where I started my working life back when I was 17, and there's just no way I'll ever get paid a) what I need; and b) what I'm worth in the real estate game unless I'm the employer and not the employee.  And even then that's questionable.

So, this is an option that's also not really an option.

I find it really curious though, that whenever I think about going back into the employee arena I always go back to the real estate game.  I wonder why that is?

I've also started thinking about re-establishing my business that I'd sold off back in 2000 (or whenever it was).  Again, back in the real estate game (I'll call it TRS).  Last week I recalled out of the blue an article I'd read about a particular part of the industry still being a cottage industry.  I was also reminded of the dreams and ambitions I had when I initially established TRS.  Then I stumbled across another article about the largest player in this sector selling to another party enabling this purchaser to become the biggest service provider of its kind in the country.  I can't help but think either one of those 2 companies is sitting in my chair.  A few sessions of number crunching and a few (daydreaming?) thoughts about how I could run it better now that I'm older, wiser, more experienced and thoughts about re-establishing it started taking hold.  Afterall, it's definitely a business that can be run (profitably) with or with out me once it's properly systemised and procedurised.

I cast my mind back and couldn't even recall why I'd sold TRS in the first place.  I asked my mum.  She said it was because I wanted the $$ to join up with hub in the property development arena.  I distinctly remember that that's what happened.  I decided to double check with my husband and a girlfriend about what they remember of my reasons for selling.  Both of them said that I just got sick of dealing with whinging people! 

Well, that hasn't changed much in the years since I have to admit. 

Naturally, this has stopped my thoughts in their tracks.  How can I possibly get back in to TRS if I can't stand dealing with whinging people?  Would it be the same though?  Back then, I was at the coalface.  I was servicing clients on both sides of the service coin, both of whom had conflicting interests and motivations and I was a lot of the time the meat in the sandwich.  But my recollections are that I actually enjoyed it and obtained a great sense of satisfaction in closing a deal with a new client and actually delivering what I'd told them they could expect to receive.  I got a kick out of growing the business from nothing to something that I sold at a multiple that was, back then, a record; and a multiple that many struggle to achieve today.

So, that's tossing around in my head, too.

Or, I can find something totally, completely, utterly different to do....but I don't know what.

In the meantime, I'm doing what I'm doing with hub.  We're still working that juicy little commercial job that we got just before last Christmas.  We'll be winding that up soon, and again, we have nothing to move to afterwards.  So, expect the stress levels to be ramped up a few notches.

I almost feel like it's too late for me.  I'm pushing 40.  No, 40's not old, but I can't help but think that if I want to get into a new business and grow it into something substantial that I've missed the age boat.  Don't these things normally get started when people are in the mid to late 20's to early 30's?  I feel like I don't have time on my side any more.  And that's frightening.  Almost as frightening as being almost 40 and not knowing what I want to do with my life.


Till next time...