About Jacob

Web Developer. Husband. Father of two (soon to be three!).

Launceston’s UGLIEST building – Heritage Listed?

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Jacob

Every time I drive past this building, I shudder and cringe, wondering what on earth the town planners were thinking when they approved it.

It was recently reported that this building has now been given heritage listing, even though it’s only 29 years old, and in my humble opinion, the ugliest building in Launceston, by far.

To be fair, I didn’t even know there was a term coined for this type of architecture, but most fittingly, it is called ‘brutalism‘.

The wide expanses of concrete and angular lines are reflective of this architectural style which, to put it in layman’s terms, still means it’s dead ugly and has no place in a historical town such as Launceston.

Anyway, it’s nice to be able to put my real feelings about this monstrosity out into the world If you’ve got any examples of worse architecture, please post a comment below!

Pork Spare Ribs with Smashed Potatoes

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Jacob

As promised, here is the recipe

INGREDIENTS

Meat
8 to 12	Pork Spare Ribs
1/2	cup plain flour
	Pinch salt
	Pinch pepper
For Potatoes
4 to 6	large potatoes
1	tsp minced garlic
	Parsley flakes or Mixed Herbs
	Oil
For Sauce
6	tbsp honey
6	tbsp tomato sauce
6	tbsp soy sauce
9	tbsp white vinegar
1	tsp minced garlic
	Juice of two oranges
	Pinch salt
	Pinch pepper
	Splash of Tabasco

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Preheat oven to 200°c.
2.	Season the flour with salt and pepper, and dredge the pork spare ribs in the flour.
3.	Drizzle oil in a baking dish, lay ribs in dish and place in oven.
4.	Prepare sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a large jar (with lid) or milkshake shaker, and shake until blended.
5.	Wash potatoes and cut into quarters. Place in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Continue boiling potatoes until just cooked.
6.	Drain potatoes, leave for a few minutes, then toss with minced garlic and mixed herbs. Place in separate baking dish, squash them a bit with the back of a tablespoon, and put in oven.
7.	Take ribs out of oven, turn them all over, and pour sauce over them. Place back in oven.
8.	Cook both ribs and potatoes for 1 to 1.5 hours, turning occasionally, until sauce is nice and thick, and potatoes crunchy.

The long and winding road…

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jacob

So, I missed putting last week’s weigh-in figure online, so here it is:

Previous: 80.7
New: 80.3

A loss of 400g.

Not too much, but at least in the right direction!

However, today’s is a bit better:

Previous: 80.3
New: 79.4

A loss of 900g.

It’s good to be back in the 70′s! I do want to add, though, that I’m feeling pretty good each time after going to gym (I usually go later at night, say around 9:30pm). I’m able to jog continuously for longer periods now – I did 7km one night last week!

As usual, most of the battle is actually getting out the door – once I’m there, I enjoy it and feel great.

Stay tuned!

From ‘Amateur’ to ‘Pro’

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jacob

This week, I’ve listened to a podcast put out by Copyblogger, interviewing Steven Pressfield (http://www.stevenpressfield.com). The main point I’ve taken away from the podcast is the discussion about going from ‘amateur’ to ‘pro’.

It’s a state of mind. It means going the extra step, because you love your craft.

I mentioned it in my BNI sales minute this week, as I’ve seen plenty of businesses that still have the ‘amateur’ mindset when it comes to their website. They’ve got great looking marketing material, or a great TV ad, but then it all falls in a heap, due to a homemade Frontpage website.

It’s also something I’m trying to keep top of mind for my own businesses. They need to be taken seriously, and professionally. Not just by my clients, but by me as well.

After all, it’s what’s supporting my (growing!) family.

That’s my thought for the week!

My Bucket List

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Jacob

I saw a clip of a TV show where there were talking about their Bucket Lists.

I thought it might be a good idea to put my Bucket List out there:

Fly First Class on a long distance flight
Skydive as a single (not Tandem)
Go for a long drive in a Ferrari or Aston Martin
Own a Ferrari or Aston Martin
Go on a cruise on the Queen Mary II (or equivalent luxury liner) in a First Class cabin
Do the Amazing Race
Play a round of golf on each of the world’s Top Ten courses
Have dinner with Robert Kiyosaki
See the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona
Go to Carnivale in Rio
Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Go to Times Square for New Years Eve (and stay at the Waldorf Astoria)
Experience a white Christmas with my family
Own a Segway
Go to an Olympics (full program)
Stay in the Penthouse at the Bellagio in Las Vegas
Take surfing classes (preferably in Hawaii!)

Have you put a Bucket List together and written it down?

Let me know in the comments below!

The Secret to Weight Loss

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Jacob

Yep, it’s time for the weekly update on my progress.

I seem to have stumbled on a hidden secret of weight loss.

That’s right – dress up as a rock star, drink copious amounts of beer, don’t eat much at all and spend nearly all of the next day feeling worse for wear.

So, the results? Last week – 81.9. This week – 80.7.

A loss of 1.2kg.

There might be something to this. It might have been the fake tattoos…

Not quite the ‘flying start’ I was hoping for!

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Jacob

As promised last week, I will be posting regularly about my progress with my various New Year resolutions. I realise that I have yet to put more on, but I’d really like to sit down and consider them carefully, to make sure I’m moving in the right direction, and doing things for the right reasons.

Obviously, one of my primary goals is to get back down to 70 kg. Yep, I’ve been there in the past, and I remember feeling great for it, so I want to get back there!

So, how did I go over the past week? Well, in a nutshell, I went from 81.7 kg to 81.9 kg.

A gain of 200g.

I was pretty frustrated with that result, as I’ve been very good about going to gym (every day except Sunday), and doing at least 5km on the treadmill, plus some upper and lower body exercises.

At least I got my Mayorship of Zap Fitness back on FourSquare (https://foursquare.com/user/2994812), so there was one positive

In all seriousness, I am feeling better for making the effort, even though it hasn’t translated to the scales yet. I will continue to persist, as I know the end result will be worthwhile, but a good start would have been nice.

Perhaps it was the Pork Spare Ribs on Saturday night, and the homemade scones yesterday?

Felt my first kick!

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jacob

Claudine has been feeling the baby moving and kicking for quite a few weeks now, but up until now, I hadn’t had the pleasure.

Well, I’ve had my first kick from ‘Jub Jub’ (that’s the girl’s nickname for the bub!).

I’m looking forward to seeing and feeling more over the coming weeks – it’s always a very cool part of the pregnancy!

New Year’s Resolutions!

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Jacob

So, it’s that time of year again Yep, it’s time to take stock of where we are, and where we’d like to be by the end of the year. I think our resolutions usually fall into the following categories – health/fitness, finances, personal development and family – at least, mine usually seem to!

This is the first time that I’ve really sat down and put my goals ‘out there’. I think it’s going to give me some motivation and accountability, to have them set down in writing.

I aim to use this site as a personal one, kept separate from my businesses. It’s going to be a journal, I suppose – since my memory isn’t what it used to be, I’d like to jot down special times and memories with my girls, to be able to go back and look at them in years to come.

Whilst Facebook and other social media sites are good for getting short bursts of information out to friends and family, I think things tend to get lost over time. I realise that Facebook’s Timeline update hopes to change all that, but at least the info here is mine, and I can take it with me

Anyway, back to goals! My first goal is, like many other people, related to my fitness. I have (shock horror) let myself go a bit over the past 6 months, to the point where I really feel that I have to do something!

So, here it is:

Current Weight: 81.7kg
Proposed Weight: 70kg
Goal Date: 2nd April 2012 (which is 12 weeks from today).

I have some clothes (my St John duty pants, for one) that are getting a wee bit tight, so when they fit properly again, I’ll be pretty happy

I will be posting on a Monday with my progress in this area, so any encouragement / gentle nudging is most appreciated!

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