Gary's Nine A Day: August 2015

Monday, 31 August 2015

TUESDAY 1st SEPTEMBER 2015 07:17 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (1st September 1945)
Netherlands...
The Dutch government asks Mountbatten's SEAC HQ to order Japanese troops in Netherlands East Indies to suppress Indonesian independence government

Japan...
Carrier-based aircraft from USN Task Force 38 conduct patrols and recon flights

Kuril Islands...
Soviet troops begin occupying Kunashiri Island, Shikotan Island, and Taraku Island

China...
53rd Army of Soviet Trans-Baikal Front occupies Kailu, Chaoyang, Fuhsin, and Gushanbeitseifu

Indochina...
An OSS team arrives in Viet Minh-controlled Saigon

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Organize Missus going-out anniversary card
Housework
Client session
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 2,000 (up 3)
Non-followed eliminated = 0
-
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
-
New Followers followed back = 3
@poetry_here, @ElsieMaxwell91, @Nora8z1
Spammers not followed back = 0
-

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

Something like normality returns today with Missus finally going back to work. Son has another 2.5 weeks but has plenty of stuff to keep him occupied - like figuring out how he's going to marry his Belarus true-love and get to be with her - this will be taking up the majority of his time! This will also give the pair of them a strong incentive to work hard at their respective colleges and succeed in building careers for themselves.

This character is still recovering from an act of self-neglect - not wearing padding when breaking in new shoes! This has made something of a mess of my ankles, the raw wounds the size of 50p coins and as of this morning still weeping. I grounded myself at home Sunday and Monday to allow recovery, but it has not proceeded as fast as I would like. Though still reasonably robust, my body is not as resistant to damage or as quick to recover as it was in my prime.

A further act of self-neglect has been inadequate sleep and meditation for absolutely no good reason - I have been indulging unimportant interests online after discovering new sources. Son informs me that this is clearly noticeable in my dark puffy eyes! Holidays and breaks are great but with their ending comes an opportunity to restore balance! And of course, getting adequate brain maintenance will speed up healing of my ankles - certain mechanisms in the body cannot work whilst the brain is in conscious mode!

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are there things you need to do to restore balance to your life?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry and cloudy in the morning with some sunny periods
Showers arrive by mid-afternoon
Showers will clear around dusk and it will be dry thereafter
A cool light to moderate northwesterly will blow throughout
Max Temp = 15 degC at 2pm
Min Temp = 11 degC at midnight
Sunrise at 06:15
Sunset at 19:58
Moon:

Weathertrack: A depression centred over Denmark will drive cool wet weather from the far north across Britain today

Air Pressure: 1017 millibars and static

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

I've never come across a problem I couldn't avoid :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Rowan Atkinson on The Gospel Of John

8. TRIVIA

Studies show that social isolation and stress can increase the speed at which breast cancer tumors grow

9. ZEN WISDOM

The deepest happiness requires a strong spirit that does not depend on sunny days to thrive

Sunday, 30 August 2015

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY 31st AUGUST 2015 06:30 BST

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

This character likes to pride itself on the fact that it's open and honest about mistakes, and there are two I'm currently suffering the consequences of. The first was not wearing plasters when breaking in new footwear - I now have blisters so severe that I can't wear footwear so I've been quietly at home barefoot to allow healing to begin. The second was thinking I could do without the de-humidifier for Summer!

I had supposed that I would be having the windows open for Summer, allowing air to circulate freely, but I reckoned without El-Nino. El-Nino is a roughly ten-yearly phenomenon centred in the Southern Pacific where due to a build-up of heat in that part of the ocean, the currents all start flowing the wrong way. This affects the jet-stream, driving it much further south of Europe than normal for Summer. The result? It's around ten degrees colder than average!

Consequently I've had the windows shut and the humidity has built up to the point where I can feel the damp! Defeated, I have restored the de-humidifier to its usual home, and hopefully within a week, house humidity will be back down to acceptable levels.

Of course, in the overall scheme of things, these errors have resulted only in temporary discomforts. On the Grand Scale, with some gifts and blessings from the wider universe, this character enjoys a life of bliss. Of this I'm always aware and profoundly grateful. If anything, the flaws in this character, and the journey of discovery to address them, have led to getting life priorities right and the happiness I enjoy today.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
What steps are you taking to manage the flaws in your own character?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Damp drizzly start
Dry, cool and cloudy thereafter with a moderate northerly wind
Max Temp = 13 degC at noon
Min Temp = 12 degC at midnight
Sunrise at 06:13
Sunset at 20:01
Moon:

Weathertrack: Britain is in a run of cool, damp northerly air between an anticyclone in the Atlantic and a depression over western Europe

Air Pressure: 1015 millibars and static

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

Want to surprise your girlfriend? Introduce her to your wife :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY

Bill Burr on his marriage

8. TRIVIA

Tanks were initially called “landships.” However, in an attempt to disguise them as water storage tanks rather than as weapons, the British decided to code name them “tanks.”

9. ZEN WISDOM

People who are rooted in the here and now, who are not defeated by their limitations, who don’t compare themselves to others, who confidently advance along their chosen path—such people are happy, such people are truly great.

SUNDAY 30th AUGUST 2015 08:07 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (30th August 1945)
Japan...
Carrier-based aircraft from USN Task Force 38 conduct patrols and recon flights
Elements of US 6th Marine Division begin arriving Yokosuka naval base
Generals MacArthur and Eichelberger and elements of US 11th Airborne Division begin arriving at Atsugi airfield
USN Task Force 92 arrives at Ominato on the northern tip of Honshu and Japanese bases there surrender

Hong Kong...
A RN Task Force arrives and British forces begin moving into Hong Kong.
Dissident Japanese explosive motorboats attempt to attack RN warships, but they are destroyed by carrier-based aircraft

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
The Milk Run
Me Time
Lunch
Meditation
Missus Time

Twitter Followers = 1,996 (up 4)
Non-followed eliminated = 0
-
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
-
New Followers followed back = 4
@LessyDyana +3 untraced
Spammers not followed back = 0
-

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

I have a flaw in my character that you might call "time greed" - I'm never satisfied with the time I have available and get a little upset when what time I thought I had gets taken from me. Of course, now I've identified it as an issue, I have a responsibility to address it. The "bottom-line" is of course attachment. I agree with the Buddhist philosophy that attachment is the root cause of suffering - identifying wellbeing with something transient.

Attachments can be less than obvious - you can have them without realizing. But look deeper into the root cause of any distress, and you can find it. The treatment of course is to relax, and let the attachment go. Like an illness you've had before, you can react much quicker to an attachment you already recognize and perform a ritual of release before suffering arises.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Is there anything you haven't got you need to let go of?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry mild and cloudy with negligible wind throughout
Max Temp = 16 degC at 3pm
Min Temp = 12 degC at 8am
Sunrise at 06:11
Sunset at 20:03
Moon:

Weathertrack: Britain is in a col between weather systems - weather fronts will affect the far north and south of Britain

Air Pressure: 1019 millibars and static

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

For the sake of fairness, we ignore your complaints in the order they're received :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Bill Burr on gay divorce

8. TRIVIA

More than 20% of Bangkok’s police have some form of lung disease due mainly to traffic air pollution

9. ZEN WISDOM

When we draw strength from within, our outlook undergoes a dramatic transformation; everything around us looks completely different. Courage and inner determination are the keys to happiness

Saturday, 29 August 2015

SATURDAY 29th AUGUST 2015 08:05 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (29th August 1945)
Germany...
Goering, Ribbentrop, and other German leaders are indicted as war criminals

USA...
The final report of the official inquiry into the attack on Pearl Harbor is released
Still recovering from medical treatment, Chinese first lady Madam Chiang meets with Truman before flying back to China at the beginning of September

East Indies...
Central National Committee of Indonesia declares Sukarno president

Japan...
Carrier-based aircraft from USN Task Force 38 conduct patrols and recon flights
USN battleships Missouri and South Dakota, RN battleship Duke of York, two cruisers, and accompanying destroyers enter Tokyo Bay and Admiral Nimitz arrives by seaplane
USN Task Group 30.6 arrives to begin evacuation of Allied POWs, including USMC Major Gregory Boyington
IJN aircraft-carrying submarine I-401 surrenders to USN submarine Segundo off Tokyo Bay

China...
General Wainwright, freed from a Japanese POW camp, arrives at Chungking

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Shift 2 of the Weekend Job
TV Footie

Twitter Followers = 1,992 (no change)
Non-followed eliminated = 0
-
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
-
New Followers followed back = 0
-
Spammers not followed back = 0
-

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

On one hand, I would much prefer to have a mind that's easier to control than this one, but the paradox is that it's the very nature of it that has driven me to the Higher Consciousness I've subsequently experienced, enabling me to fulfil my primary purpose of passing on what I've learned and making a difference.

Unlike most folks with a spiritual dimension, I do not believe that love is the underpinning power behind the universe, but rather consciousness manifesting as a wave, with a positive peak and a negative trough. Consciousness is both creation and destruction in balance. For this reason I have no belief in some ultimate victory of love, but rather in an eternal dynamic of positive and negative.

I do not find this bleak at all - whilst light and dark remain in balance, the universe gets to know itself better, and so knows a peace that is beyond the light/dark dynamic - a peace that has no opposite, that comes from understanding.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Have you chosen a purpose for yourself?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry, mild and cloudy throughout
A moderate south-westerly wind will peter out overnight
Max Temp = 17 degC at 2pm
Min Temp = 12 degC at 7am
Sunrise at 06:09
Sunset at 20:05
Moon:

Weathertrack: A depression south of Iceland will drive weather troughs across northern Scotland but the rest of Britain will keep mainly dry

Air Pressure: 1017 millibars and static

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

If I make you breakfast in bed. A simple 'Thank you.' is all I need! Not all this 'How did you get in my house?' business! :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Monty Python - International Chinese Communist Conspiracy

8. TRIVIA

In 1969, St.Valentine’s Day was removed from the Roman Calendar of Saints by Pope Paul VI, though its religious observance is still allowed.

9. ZEN WISDOM

Human revolution cannot be pinned down to one specific thing. It is any action that leads to positive change or improvement in the inner realm of a person’s life. It is an ongoing process. The important question to ask yourself is whether you are on a path of continuous personal growth.

Thursday, 27 August 2015

FRIDAY 28th AUGUST 2015 07:13 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (28th August 1945)
Japan...
Carrier-based aircraft from USN Task Force 38 conduct patrols and recon flights
An advanced detachment of USAAF technicians, the first Allied forces on the ground in Japan since surrender, arrive at Atsugi airfield
USN forces begin minesweeping operations to open sea lanes for occupation forces

China...
Escorted by US ambassador Hurley, Mao Tse-tung arrives at Chungking to begin six weeks of talks with Chiang Kai-shek

Malaya...
An RN task group arrives off Penang - Japanese envoys discuss surrender arrangements aboard RN cruiser London

Burma...
Representatives from Field Marshal Terauchi's Southern Army headquarters agree to surrender instructions

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Shift 1 of the Weekend Job
TV Comedy night

Twitter Followers = 1,992 (down 3)
Non-followed eliminated = 2
@ChesterHypno, @jyhuqypefeja,
Unfollowers eliminated = 2
@meltednjh689005, @brokelwt1231739
New Followers followed back = 1
untraced
Spammers not followed back = 0
-

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

It was the perfect day yesterday! All day hypnotizing people then "quality marital time" to round it off, and even some "me time" on the laptop just before bed! I shall long savour the memory with gratitude and appreciation!

On the back of success, I go into the weekend with very clear objectives - mindfulness to empty my mind of unhelpful thought and to practise my body-language skills -I will enjoy the challenge of relaxing people to the deepest level possible in many short encounters, without them knowing that's what I'm doing!

With focus on the moment, unthreatening circumstances and a single goal, life becomes simple and fulfilling! I will however go into the weekend with a healthy dose of humility, fully aware of this character's weaknesses and vulnerabilities and acknowledging the support I get from others to make my fulfilling life experience possible.

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Is your attention being distracted by what you've lost or haven't got?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry, cool and sunny start
Showers arrive late morning and will continue until evening
Dry thereafter with sunny periods before dusk
A cool south-westerly will blow throughout
Max Temp = 16 degC at 5pm
Min Temp = 11 degC at 7am
Sunrise at 06:08
Sunset at 20:08
Moon:

Weathertrack: Weather troughs generated by a large depression centred south of Iceland will cross Britain today, bringing showers

Air Pressure: 1017 millibars and static

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

The best mornings start in the afternoon :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Monty Python: The Argument Clinic

8. TRIVIA

When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts. The cat was embalmed with a sculpted wooden mask and the tiny mummy was placed in the family tomb or in a pet cemetery with tiny mummies of mice.

9. ZEN WISDOM

Change begins from the moment you muster the courage to act. When you change, the environment will change. The power to change the world is found nowhere but within your own life.

Wednesday, 26 August 2015

THURSDAY 27th AUGUST 2015 07:19 BST

Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK

WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

1. THIS DAY IN WORLD WAR 2 (27th August 1945)
Off Japan...
Soviet air and naval forces are ordered to avoid approaching Hokkaido

East Indies...
Japanese troops on Morotai Island and Halmahera Island surrender to US 93rd Infantry Division

Philippines...
Operation Ethelred: RN task force departs to occupy Hong Kong

Japan...
Carrier-based aircraft from USN Task Force 38 conduct patrols and recon flights
USN PB4Y aircraft makes an emergency landing at Atsugi airfield near Tokyo and safely departs
US 3rd Fleet enters Sagami Wan outside Tokyo Bay
IJN destroyer Hatsuzakura transports Japanese representatives to USN battleship Missouri to receive instructions for the surrender ceremony
IJN submarines I-14 and I-400 surrender to USN destroyers Murray and Dashiell off Honshu

China...
In the first of hundreds of missions throughout China, Korea, and Japan, US 20th Air Force B-29 bombers conduct supply drops to POW and internee camps holding thousands of Allied troops and civilians
A Chinese delegation arrives at Nanking for a formal Japanese surrender ceremony

2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Client prep, sessions and follow up all day

Twitter Followers = 1,995 (up 1)
Non-followed eliminated = 0
-
Unfollowers eliminated = 0
@ArtJonak
New Followers followed back = 0
@meltednjh689005, @brokelwt1231739
Spammers not followed back = 0
-

3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATION

The number of clients I see in a day varies enormously but today is particularly busy and I'm looking forward to it, doing what I do best. The work is always so interesting because every client I see is completely unique, so every one requires a different approach. A busy day such as this focuses the mind wonderfully!

With things at home in a settled phase, it's a golden opportunity to push-on spiritually. There is still much progress to make regarding attachment and mindfulness - it requires very high levels of concentration. I can now silence my mind at will for a few minutes but I'm some way from my goal of total internal silence and being intuitively driven.

Nevertheless progress is progress, and letting go, when I'm focused enough to do it, is highly pleasant! The real test is how I respond to situations, particularly to those unwanted. I am a significant number of failures away from continual success, but this does not concern me - I have a very healthy attitude towards failure, seeing it as an essential learning tool.

If my own behaviour disappoints me, I use the Reiki teaching of going inside myself to determine the cause, and at the root of it is always some form of attachment to something that isn't there. Once I've identified it, there's a need for acceptance and letting go. In the coming week I will observe my own progress with interest!

4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
How are you currently developing yourself?

5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
Dry and mild throughout with frequent sunny periods
Skies will clear completely from early evening
A moderate southwesterly will blow throughout
Max Temp = 16 degC at 4pm
Min Temp = 12 degC at 7am
Sunrise at 06:06
Sunset at 20:10
Moon:

Weathertrack: Most of Britain is in the clear sector of a large depression centred south of Iceland, though weather fronts and troughs will cross northern Scotland

Weathertrack: 1002 millibars and rising

6. TODAY'S ONELINER

I talk the talk but can't walk the walk and drink the drink at the same time :D

7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!

Sarah Millican on handy stuff

8. TRIVIA

So many Harry Potter fans visit King’s Cross station to take pictures of platforms 9 and 10 that the station management erected a sign that says “Platform 9 ¾” - this is unauthentic because in the book, the muggles can't actually see the sign as its on the other side of the wizard's portal in a column on platform 9

9. ZEN WISDOM

Without dialogue, humans are fated to walk in the darkness of their own dogmatic self-righteousness. Dialogue is the lamp by which we dispel that darkness, lighting and making visible for each other our steps and the path ahead