Avatar

I have been hearing great things about Avatar for about a few months now. I am not one to believe the hype, but sometimes, if the majority of people say that something is good, it is very likely that it IS good.

All I knew about Avatar was that it was a 3D movie, directed and produced by the same guy who directed Titanic. As the ticket was $20 (about $15 more than I was willing to pay) it took me a week or two to persuade myself to actually go and see the movie.

And was I glad that I saw the movie! It was absolutely amazing. Everything about it was great. The story was interesting, entertaining and with a message in it. There was enough romance, action, shooting, laughing and crying to satisfy every movie goer's taste.

The movie also excelled in using the 3D technology to enhance the viewer's experience I really did not expect 3D to make such a big difference in the quality of the experience but it did. You really feel like you are standing right beside the actors or scenery as you watch it all develop. I would say that the difference between watching a normal vs a 3D movie is bigger than the difference between watching a black and white vs colour movie. It really feels that much better!

I am glad I went to see Avatar in a movie theater, as I would not be able to replicate this experience at home.

Pension system in Australia

Australia handles pension/superannuation very differently from other countries. In 1988, Australia switched employees to superannuation funds (from hereon referred to as a super) from regular pensions.

A super is a fund where your employer pays in 9% of your salary. This 9% could be on top of the salary you agreed on, it all depends on what you've negotiated. If you negotiated your salary to be $50,000 + super, your employer would contribute $4,500 into your super fund throughout the year.

This super is then supposed to be used in your retirement as a source of income. I believe that withdrawls from the super when you are retired are taxed at a lower rate, but don't quote me on that.

If you change employers, it is really easy to move your super. Your new employer just starts contributing to your existing super, so pension is really portable. You can even choose which super fund you will be using and where the super is going to invest the money (stocks, bonds, balanced, etc.).

I just finished researching supers and have picked one out for me. It is amazing to see the wide variety of supers on offer. You can also get your life insurance and disability insurance paid from your super. Fees and benefits vary a lot so it pays to look around and do your research.

Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

WAGGA WAGGA

Book Report - All marketers are liars

The intriguing title got me to pick up the book. The content kept me reading to the end, and then wanting more!

Premise of the book is not that all marketers are liars. Title of the book is there to get you to buy the book. The main premise is that marketing is telling a story. "This deodorant will make you more appealing to the opposite sex" or "If you whiten your teeth, you will look more attractive." The messages that are brought forward by marketers are just stories. It is the consumer who chooses to believe them and buy the products. The marketers cannot make you believe the message, you are the one that is in control of believing.

I would sum up lessons from this book into two different sections. Lessons for marketers and lessons for consumers.

Lessons for marketers are that consumers don't buy because of need anymore. We can easily meet all our essential needs of food, shelter and clothing with very inexpensive items. The reason consumers buy is because of the way things make them feel. Therefore, as a marketer, sell a story, not a product. For example, you are not selling a deodorant (a thing that will mask your body odour) but you are selling a way to attract the opposite sex. (Guys will definitely pay more for the latter rather than former) Or, you are not selling shampoo that will clean your hair, but you are selling a shampoo that will make them feel and look like a model/movie star. (Women will definitely pay more for the latter rather than former) Sell a story, and then build everything in your product around the story. The packaging, the price and the sales channel need to support your story.

Lesson for consumers is that before you buy a product based on the story, make sure that this story is consistent. Just because an airline says in an advertisement that they treat you like a valued customer, what is the reality of this claim. Do they lose your luggage, squish you in tiny seats, or serve poor quality meals? The best example of consistent message that I have found is PC Financial. Their story is no fee banking. You open a bank account and a Mastercard and you can go on for years without paying a cent in bank fees. And I did!!!! On top of that, their call centre is open 24/7, call centre staff is amazingly helpful (I did not know that people on the other side of the phone can be so quick and helpful), their web site is super easy to use (and free), they give you higher interest in your savings account, and you can use their bank cards all over the place.

It IS ok to believe the advertisements, but only after you have tested the company in reality. The sad thing is that most companies don't live up to their promise. The good thing is that there ARE a few that do, and I keep searching for new ones.

Vacation time in Australia

Now that I am working, I thought that it would be interesting to share some work related rules/policies particular to Australia. It is always interesting to hear how other countries deal with the same work issues.

All employees get a minimum of four weeks vacation. That means that every 3 months, I could take a one-week vacation! I LIKE that!!!! You have to accumulate the time before you can use it, so I have to work a few more months before I can take a week off. I know, I know. What a hardship! :-)

I believe that sick leave is limited to 10 days a year. Other than that, Australia has fewer holidays than Canada, leaving me with only 9 statutory holidays a year. There are no statutory holidays in winter (May to Aug). I think we should start planning a vacation for that time period. It gets really harsh here around that time. 8 C! :-)

Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

BEELBANGERA

Tennis season in Australia

It seems that January is tennis season in Australia. First, they started off with a tournament in Perth, followed by one in Brisbane, and now in Sydney. A small tournament is also taking place in Melbourne as well. Next week, I believe, Australia Open starts in Melbourne.

Tennis players like coming to Australia because for them it feels like such an exotic location, compared to other Grand Slam tournaments (New York, London and Paris). Also, Australians are pretty hospitable to guests, particularly to famous ones, so they must feel really special here.

It would be really fun to go and see some of these matches. We will definitely have to plan something for next year, at least to see a game here in Sydney.

Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

ULLADULLA

New Year's Resolutions

There is a tradition of setting New Year's resolutions in North America. I don't think that it is very common in other areas of the world, so I would like to share my opinions about it.

The traditional concept of a New Year's resolution is that on Jan 1st every year, a person will think of things that they wish to change about themselves and their conditions in the coming year. The problem is that most of the time, that wish stays just a wish. In never comes through. The person making the wish does not do anything, or very little, about the wish. Then, at the end of the year they wonder why nothing has changed!

Carla and I do New Year's resolutions a bit differently. First, we don't call them New Year's resolutions. January 1st is just a convenient date to set goal. You could just as well pick March 13 or September 19, and it would make no difference. Second, we don't make a wish. Instead, we make a goal and a plan to make that goal come true. A wish is a desire for something to happen in the future, with no plan on how to get to the desired outcome. A goal is a well defined outcome with the details of the outcome descibed very clearly (having a lot of money is not a clearly defined goal). Then, there needs to be a plan of action and a timeline to realize this goal.

Every year (and throughout the year) we take a look at our list of goals, check against the plans and adjust our actions. This way of setting goals WORKS! It is kind of freaky to look at our list of past goals, because we have achieved them all! We usually set short term and long term goals. Some things take longer than a year to make happen, so don't be afraid to plan 5 or 10 years in advance. At the same time, you need short term goals to feel the satisfaction of accomplishing your goals throughout the year. If all your goals are 5 or 10 years away, it will be very easy to get tired, discouraged and stop working towards your goals. You could also split your long term goals into stages, to make the goal seem not so daunting.

It is ok to change your mind and change your goals. People change, situations change and priorities change. Set 6 month goal review sessions, and check against progress towards goals every month and see if that is frequent enough for you. Then, adjust as necessary.

Understand this. Life will happen. A year will pass, then 5 more, then 20 more. That is pretty much guaranteed. What happens in those years is up to you. You can be healthy, you can be slim, you can be strong, you can be wealthy, you can be powerful. Your story has not been written yet. Why not choose NOW what your story will be?

Funny Name of the Week

This week's pick for a funny town/city name is:

TUMBARUMBA