Happy Friday!
http://terence-indelibleadventures.blogspot.ca/2014/10/burning-off.html
Hope you enjoy this weeks blog
Enjoy!
TW
Friday 17 October 2014
Friday 10 October 2014
What I learned this week...
For those keen followers of my blog Disheveled Musings - I appreciate your patronage over the past ten months and hope that you join me as we move back to the Indelible Adventures blog to continue our weekly tradition.
Given that I've just launched my new Indelible Adventures Inc. business it's important that I center all of my efforts under one brand.
Here is the link back to the latest blog:
http://terence-indelibleadventures.blogspot.ca/2014/10/what-i-learned-this-week.html
Enjoy!
TW
Given that I've just launched my new Indelible Adventures Inc. business it's important that I center all of my efforts under one brand.
Here is the link back to the latest blog:
http://terence-indelibleadventures.blogspot.ca/2014/10/what-i-learned-this-week.html
Enjoy!
TW
Friday 3 October 2014
Officially kicked off!
It’s been an interesting few months as I've formalized my new business – Indelible Adventures Inc. After noodling over the initial business
concepts on the plane journey to Hong Kong earlier this summer its finally come
to fruition with my incorporation of the business, the hiring of an accountant
to help me with the financial aspect, then earlier this past week I had to
accept the fact that there were not enough hours in the day given the volume of
work that I was dealing with to actually get my website up and running.
Yes, the sheer volume of things on my to-do
list was a little overwhelming to be honest so I outsourced this to a company
in India who will have it finished early next week.
I think the other item that I've been
struggling with, if you can call it a struggle is my emotional energy. It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster
ride, but that is to be expected as some things pan out and others less so.
However, given how far I've come in getting the business off the ground in such
a short amount of time I’m proud of my accomplishments.
Last night I had the book and new business
launch at Crush Wine Bar + Kitchen in downtown Toronto. A fun night and great to see so many people
come out to support me.
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| Ready for signing |
Both Zach and Sami were at the launch party,
as well, Sami had two of her friends join her (Daniela and Landon) and so I
must say a big thank you to the four of them for helping me set up and take
down at the event last night, although I think the three 14 year old girls just
enjoyed getting dressed up and hanging out at a cocktail party in the
Entertainment District downtown. What’s
not to like…right? J
The other cool thing about last night was
catching up with a number of the guys who I used to play football with some 20
years ago – Coop, Wazza, Craiger and Jimmy.
All of them going on to become very successful in their chosen
professions, but it was both gratifying but concerning all at the same
time… Why so you ask?
Yes, it’s amazing, how over wine and cheese
so many stories (mostly embarrassing) of those halcyon days there actually
were. Of course, Zach and Sami listened with open ears and laughed aloud at
some of the stories. They definitely now have a new perspective on their dad…yeah
thanks guys! J During one conversation with Wazza he said
he still uses some of my coaching techniques on his kids when they're playing
sports…yikes, did I really used to tell the team those things? Wow, I think if I were coaching today I'd likely
be fired, but hey it was the 1990’s, what can I say.
 |
| Warren (Wazza), TW and Craig (Craiger) - reunited 20 years on from our football days |
After a great night we finally made it home at around 10:30 pm
after dropping off the girl’s; with all three of us being a tad tired this
morning.
Roughly speaking today's been a bit of a catch up
day as I now move into top gear to fill my upcoming tour to Montalcino in Tuscany, which is slated for the week of
October 20 – 27. I need a minimum of six
and a maximum of eight people to join me for this exclusive trip. The price
includes all accommodation (5 star hotels and resorts only), all meals, wines,
transportation, and gratuities.
 |
| Castello di Velona at dusk from the pool |
 |
| A view of the pools overlooking Val d’ Orcia |
Our home base for this exquisite trip is the Castello di Velona, situated on a hill overlooking Val d’ Orcia; this restored 10th-century castle will be your home as you immerse yourself in the region’s culture and traditions. Spend an idyllic week indulging your senses with spectacular landscapes, mouthwatering dishes, and incredible wine.
Here’s a little run down of what your
itinerary might look like:
Day
1:
Arrive at Florence (FLR) airport where you'll be picked up and driven through the Tuscan countryside to our
destination, the Castello di Velona.
Here you'll unwind with a relaxing afternoon sauna and swim. Then, join us for welcome drinks in the
Cloisters before a sumptuous meal at the restaurant overlooking Val d’ Orcia.
Day
2:
Tuscany has unforgettable light and so
join us each morning for an impromptu photo shoot before breakfast. Afterwards we’ll head to Montalcino to
explore the many curiosities of this traditional Tuscan hill town.
Day
3:
This region of Tuscany is home to one of
the world’s most prodigious wine producing areas and especially the famous and
much sought after Brunello wines.
Discover some small and off the beaten track wineries and experience
true Tuscan hospitality as we sample the fruits of the land.
Day
4:
Experience Market Day in Renaissance
Pienza and enjoy its local specialties as you stroll this fascinating
village. Explore the unique boutiques
and stores as you meander through the winding streets and truly discover this
gem of a town. Why not pamper yourself at the spa to end this idyllic day.
Day
5:
There is an art to the simplicity of
cooking traditional Tuscan food. Join this
well-known local cook as you buy, prepare, and indulge in the local delicacies
that you’ve prepared.
Day
6:
Visit an organic farm that produces
Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino, IGT Toscana,
Grappa and Olive Oil, join the producer
in a wine tasting to learn the secrets of his wines.
Day
7:
After a wonderful breakfast drive to
Florence airport for your departure.
Referrals are the best way for me to grow
my business, so if you (irrespective of whatever country you're from) or you know someone who's looking for a very unique travel experience either
now or in the future to some amazing “off the beaten track” locations I'd definitely appreciate it if you passed on my contact information and/or email address: terence@indelible-adventures.comterence@indelible-adventures.com
My website will be up and running this
coming week www.indelible-adventures.comand will have a full run down of all my upcoming trips that people can sign up
for in 2015.
Sounds like fun with a capital F!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A couple of photos from the book launch last night...actually only have a handful cos' my three trusty camera-women apparently decided that they, in fact were far more interesting than the people attending the launch party. Although I had a short photo shoot last weekend which I've added some photos from.
Enjoy!
 |
| Sunset sky - end of summer |
 |
| The building across the alley from my place on the Danforth - just love the different colored leaves |
 |
| Changing seasons in Toronto...bugger! |
 |
| Toronto skyline toward sunset from the Richmond Street overpass |
 |
| Monochrome sunset |
 |
| Now for the color shot |
 |
| Disused railway bridge over the Don River in B+W |
 |
| Interesting shaped buildings on the Toronto skyline |
 |
| Loved the color of the sky as it closed toward sunset - just brilliant! |
 |
| Using my wide angle lens looking along the Richmond Street overpass toward downtown |
 |
| Richmond Street Exit from the DVP over the Don River |
Thursday 2 October 2014
Anguish
This week’s blog is dedicated to a good mate from Australia, who told me this week that his mum wasn’t well and that he was heading back home to be with her. I can only hope that he’s made it home safely and that she’s feeling better.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At some point we all get the call…especially as we get older. It’s that inevitable call to say that a parent is sick, fortunately for many of us they are close at hand and we can quickly be by their side but for those of us living overseas it’s a traumatic and hellish moment.
I still remember getting the call from my sister Glenda to say that Dad had collapsed and that he’d been rushed to hospital…there was silence at the end of the phone before she finally said “it doesn’t look good, its going to be touch and go whether he makes it through the day”.
Knowing that you are half way around the world, everything speeds up considerably from that moment on, but at the same time it also slows down. It hard to describe the sense of urgency and panic you have to get home as fast as possible but at the same time you’re stuck in no-mans land of waiting for the plane with no ability to make it happen any faster than it going to was a complete bastard of a situation! No good words to describe it.
There were so many emotions coursing through my body and mind in those moments following the call, my concentration now shot I wasn’t able to go back to the webcast that I was hosting and had to have one of my senior team take over for me.
Fortunately for me I was working in Vancouver at the time, and I knew that there were flights to Australia later that night so I was able to hold it together until I’d booked my flight and double checked to make sure I had both passports. Thank goodness I always carry both my Australian and Canadian with me when I travel, and although it sounds trivial now, not having to apply for a visa was a bonus as I'm not sure I could have concentrated enough to fill in the online application.
After booking the flight, I headed downtown to my hotel and packed my bag. Fortunately after staying at the Marriott Pinnacle for three years to that point they were very accommodating and released my bookings for the remainder of the week and the next at short notice. I haven't forgotten this small but generous gesture and one that makes me a loyal guest to this day.
When I got to my room I sat on the bed, tears streaming down my face as I strained to remember what I’d said to my dad the last time we spoke, even trying to remember when I spoke to him last…was it two weeks or three weeks ago…it could have been longer…so many questions coursing through my head. This was about the time the guilt started to build. I realize now in retrospect that I was searching for answers, for which there were none. Partly blaming myself for not being able to detect his illness, for living too far away, for not calling often enough and thus clearly I was an errant son…well, you get the drift and overall pretty negative with myself. Again, easy to spot in hindsight - right?
The plane ride to Australia was beyond comprehension, with all the feelings of guilt, shame, and anguish swirling around to create a pure numbness that is hard to describe - I felt nothing.
In our conversation Glenda had said that things looked bad and that perhaps I’d better prepare myself for the worst when I arrived.
My brother Laurie picked me up late on Friday night from Tullarmarine airport in Melbourne, the obvious question I had for him was “is dad still alive?”. He nodded, a little overcome with the emotions of the past 24 hours we drove to Royal Melbourne Hospital without talking much as I think we were both a little over wrought. When I arrived they had just wheeled him back into the neurological intensive care ward after his brain surgery.
Glenda and James were already in his room waiting for us when we arrived at almost midnight, I had been flying for the past 24 hours without sleep yet I was wide awake and fully functioning. There were many tears and hushed conversations as we held vigil by dad's bed that night, his head encased in thick bandages, him propped up on pillows and hooked up to a myriad of machines monitoring his vitals.
Somehow he had survived multiple trips in the ambulance over the past day or so, the last being a 1.5 hour dash to Royal Melbourne from the Ballarat Base Hospital down the Western Highway with the siren turned on full and the paramedic crew trying to keep him alive. The air ambulance that had been requested was diverted at the last minute for a serious road accident and strangely this worked in dad’s favour as it gave his surgeons time to review the CAT scans, and prepare the plan for his immediate surgery once he arrived.
They wheeled him straight out of the ambulance and into the operating theatre and so began a 5-hour odyssey to remove a tumor from above his left ear.
I guess it was dad’s sheer bloody mindedness that got him through the night, and mid morning the next day he woke from his coma, albeit groggy he could talk just fine. Obviously a little confused as to what was going on. His first question to me was “what are you doing here?”
I smiled my best smile, and fighting back tears told him that he’d been sick and that he’d just had an operation and thought I should come to see him to make sure he was okay. It’s strange, even as I write this story tonight my eyes are welling with tears as I remember him looking up at me from his bed and the puzzled look in his eyes.
After three days dad was well enough to be transported back to the regional hospital in Ballarat and clearly we were fortunate in many ways with Dad as his health stabilized to some degree and with chemotherapy and radiation he was able to go back home during his six month illness, with a reasonable quality of life for much of his remaining time.
One memory I shall never forget is the young woman in the bed next to dads in the intensive care ward at Royal Melbourne. She was in early 30’s and had brain surgery the same day as him. It was heartbreaking to see her husband and toddler come every day and sit by her bed, her daughter playing on the floor at the foot of the bed and not really understanding what was going on and why her mummy was sleeping so much. She was bored and restless, and we all helped out as best we could playing and reading to her.
By the time dad was ready to be moved the young woman in the next bed had still not regained consciousness and her husband had been asked whether he would consider taking her off life support. He and his daughter had been the only visitors during the time we'd been there, and so he had to make this heartbreaking decision alone while his young daughter played at his feet.
With all that had transpired over those few day I felt completely drained but I can’t even imagine the level of pain and agony he must have been going through and ultimately the decision that he had to make...
I think its a good time for an extra hug when you see your loved ones next!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At some point we all get the call…especially as we get older. It’s that inevitable call to say that a parent is sick, fortunately for many of us they are close at hand and we can quickly be by their side but for those of us living overseas it’s a traumatic and hellish moment.
I still remember getting the call from my sister Glenda to say that Dad had collapsed and that he’d been rushed to hospital…there was silence at the end of the phone before she finally said “it doesn’t look good, its going to be touch and go whether he makes it through the day”.
Knowing that you are half way around the world, everything speeds up considerably from that moment on, but at the same time it also slows down. It hard to describe the sense of urgency and panic you have to get home as fast as possible but at the same time you’re stuck in no-mans land of waiting for the plane with no ability to make it happen any faster than it going to was a complete bastard of a situation! No good words to describe it.
There were so many emotions coursing through my body and mind in those moments following the call, my concentration now shot I wasn’t able to go back to the webcast that I was hosting and had to have one of my senior team take over for me.
Fortunately for me I was working in Vancouver at the time, and I knew that there were flights to Australia later that night so I was able to hold it together until I’d booked my flight and double checked to make sure I had both passports. Thank goodness I always carry both my Australian and Canadian with me when I travel, and although it sounds trivial now, not having to apply for a visa was a bonus as I'm not sure I could have concentrated enough to fill in the online application.
After booking the flight, I headed downtown to my hotel and packed my bag. Fortunately after staying at the Marriott Pinnacle for three years to that point they were very accommodating and released my bookings for the remainder of the week and the next at short notice. I haven't forgotten this small but generous gesture and one that makes me a loyal guest to this day.
When I got to my room I sat on the bed, tears streaming down my face as I strained to remember what I’d said to my dad the last time we spoke, even trying to remember when I spoke to him last…was it two weeks or three weeks ago…it could have been longer…so many questions coursing through my head. This was about the time the guilt started to build. I realize now in retrospect that I was searching for answers, for which there were none. Partly blaming myself for not being able to detect his illness, for living too far away, for not calling often enough and thus clearly I was an errant son…well, you get the drift and overall pretty negative with myself. Again, easy to spot in hindsight - right?
The plane ride to Australia was beyond comprehension, with all the feelings of guilt, shame, and anguish swirling around to create a pure numbness that is hard to describe - I felt nothing.
In our conversation Glenda had said that things looked bad and that perhaps I’d better prepare myself for the worst when I arrived.
My brother Laurie picked me up late on Friday night from Tullarmarine airport in Melbourne, the obvious question I had for him was “is dad still alive?”. He nodded, a little overcome with the emotions of the past 24 hours we drove to Royal Melbourne Hospital without talking much as I think we were both a little over wrought. When I arrived they had just wheeled him back into the neurological intensive care ward after his brain surgery.
Glenda and James were already in his room waiting for us when we arrived at almost midnight, I had been flying for the past 24 hours without sleep yet I was wide awake and fully functioning. There were many tears and hushed conversations as we held vigil by dad's bed that night, his head encased in thick bandages, him propped up on pillows and hooked up to a myriad of machines monitoring his vitals.
Somehow he had survived multiple trips in the ambulance over the past day or so, the last being a 1.5 hour dash to Royal Melbourne from the Ballarat Base Hospital down the Western Highway with the siren turned on full and the paramedic crew trying to keep him alive. The air ambulance that had been requested was diverted at the last minute for a serious road accident and strangely this worked in dad’s favour as it gave his surgeons time to review the CAT scans, and prepare the plan for his immediate surgery once he arrived.
They wheeled him straight out of the ambulance and into the operating theatre and so began a 5-hour odyssey to remove a tumor from above his left ear.
I guess it was dad’s sheer bloody mindedness that got him through the night, and mid morning the next day he woke from his coma, albeit groggy he could talk just fine. Obviously a little confused as to what was going on. His first question to me was “what are you doing here?”
I smiled my best smile, and fighting back tears told him that he’d been sick and that he’d just had an operation and thought I should come to see him to make sure he was okay. It’s strange, even as I write this story tonight my eyes are welling with tears as I remember him looking up at me from his bed and the puzzled look in his eyes.
After three days dad was well enough to be transported back to the regional hospital in Ballarat and clearly we were fortunate in many ways with Dad as his health stabilized to some degree and with chemotherapy and radiation he was able to go back home during his six month illness, with a reasonable quality of life for much of his remaining time.
One memory I shall never forget is the young woman in the bed next to dads in the intensive care ward at Royal Melbourne. She was in early 30’s and had brain surgery the same day as him. It was heartbreaking to see her husband and toddler come every day and sit by her bed, her daughter playing on the floor at the foot of the bed and not really understanding what was going on and why her mummy was sleeping so much. She was bored and restless, and we all helped out as best we could playing and reading to her.
By the time dad was ready to be moved the young woman in the next bed had still not regained consciousness and her husband had been asked whether he would consider taking her off life support. He and his daughter had been the only visitors during the time we'd been there, and so he had to make this heartbreaking decision alone while his young daughter played at his feet.
With all that had transpired over those few day I felt completely drained but I can’t even imagine the level of pain and agony he must have been going through and ultimately the decision that he had to make...
I think its a good time for an extra hug when you see your loved ones next!
Wednesday 1 October 2014
Book & New Business Launch reminder!
Thursday October 2nd (tomorrow night)
Crush Wine Bar + Kitchen
455 King Street West, Toronto
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Friday 19 September 2014
The "to-do" list
Thank goodness I am a “to-do” list kinda
guy. No, seriously if I wasn't then I'd be completely underwater right now.
After arriving back from my week in Italy on Monday after exploring and
evaluating five towns in six days I was a little tired. Fortunately during my trip I was super diligent
about my photo curation each day otherwise I would have had around 2000 photos
to sort through this week as well.
Clearly this is much to do in terms of
getting the new Indelible Adventures Inc. business off the ground so keeping
both a master and daily to do list is the way to go. My counselor Lisa makes fun of me for being
so anal and keeping lists, but in this particular case it’s helped me
enormously. J
The last couple of days I've been working
on my website. My objective was to get a
working prototype up and running for early next week, so that I could get
feedback from a few trusted advisors before launching it fully toward the end
of next week. The major benefit of
developing the website yourself is that you not only have to plan it out meticulously
you also need to understand the business model and the messaging around every
aspect of it.
 |
| Welcome page prototype - what do you think? |
I am a strong believer in clean, crisp and
uncluttered, I’d like to call it “chic and minimalistic”, but hey that’s just
me!
Next on my list is to create a short teaser
video that outlines my motivational speaking capabilities and topic areas, so
this weekend I'll be scripting it and then working with Second City to borrow a
small stage for a few hours next week so I can record it. Surprisingly all of my Improv training is
paying off in one way or another, not around the content per see, but certainly
with access to the facilities and my confidence on stage. Although for those that know me well, also
know that I've never had a problem with being on stage and during my career at
Accenture often presented to very large audiences, in fact upwards of 500
people at a time.
Meanwhile all of this will need to be
completed by the time of the book and new business launch party on October 2nd.
If you haven't received your invitation yet
and wish to attend please feel free to join us at Crush Wine Bar + Kitchen (455 King Street W) from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
Follow the signs for the “Indelible Adventures – book and new business
launch”. Please RSVP me at terence@indelible-adventures.com
 |
| Definitely looking forward to the book & new business launch! |
It’s amazing what a little passion and a
solid dose of adrenaline does to get you out of bed each morning pretty excited
about your future. Some might say I'm verging on insomnia but I must
admit I've been waking up at some rather ungodly hours with ideas, thoughts,
concepts, follow up items and a few more things to add to my "to-do"
list. Its become a rather consistent pattern that most mornings I'll
wake at around 3:30 am, and on good days actually fall back to sleep...
Yeah, not always!
There is certainly no shortage of thing to do or variety
in what have going on, especially to ensure I cover off all four segments of my
business. There is such breadth, from
writing my blog, or micro-stories, to having a photo shoot, or curating
the post shoot photos, perhaps rehearsing or fine tuning my motivational speaking
topics or creating itineraries and booking for upcoming trips there is always
something to do. My time management skills are being put to the
test big time!
The other big emotion I'm experiencing is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear that it won't be successful, fear that financially I won't be able to make ends meet and pay the bills…blah, blah, blah (I wish that guy in my head would shut the hell up!). I also realize that the sum of these fears are irrational and that I’ve fallen on my feet many times over the course of my life, but I must say that I will definitely breath a big sigh of relief when I cash that first cheque to my business account.
Still you wouldn't want it any other way,
especially given the freedom that comes with having your own business.
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This weeks photo selection comes from a trip earlier this year to the Dominican Republic.
Enjoy!
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| Coconut thatch on the hut roof |
 |
| Footprints on the beach after the the grounds people had raked it |
 |
| The most spectacular sunrise |
 |
| Cabana curtains blowing in the morning breeze |
 |
| Tide is coming in at first light |
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| Dawn on the beach - great light! |
 |
| Shell curtains |
 |
| Ripples in the pool |
 |
| Flotsam washed up on the beach |
 |
| Growing on the sand near the water line |
 |
| Panoramic photo of the beach - gorgeous! |
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