Friday 1 December is World AIDS Day.  Founded in 1988, the day is ' an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness .' says the National AIDS Trust .  In the UK it is estimated that over 100,000 people are living with HIV.  In New Zealand that estimate is around 3500.  This is a stark contrast to Sub-Saharan Africa where more than 70 percent of the 37 million people worldwide living with HIV reside.  Since the disease was first identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS. According to the Gates Foundation , 'the global incidence of HIV has declined by nearly 40 percent since 2001, and 17 million people worldwide are receiving antiretroviral treatment.'  But so much more can be done to raise awareness and prevent new infections.  In Zimbabwe, for example, there were 40,000 new H...

School's out, sun's shining!  We all look forward to the summer holidays.   It's a time for sun, sea and sand!   In New Zealand, summer falls between December and February with daytime temperatures between 20-25'C.  Schools close just before Christmas and only reopen in early February.  There's a general feeling of laid back happiness throughout the period. But if we don't think about what we want to do in the summer and plan in advance, it can just pass by and leave a feeling of unfulfilment in the autumn. In the Happier podcast by Gretchen Rubin, she invites us to 'Design Your Summer'.  The idea is that by being intentional with our time we can choose how to spend our summer.  Planning activities and thinking of goals can take a bit of effort but the reward is a heightened sense of anticipation and excitement.   Let's face it, even relaxing can require some forethought. Here's what I have on my list so far! - a trip to th...

Thursday 23rd November 2017 marks Thanksgiving in the United States.  The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by colonists and Native Americans in 1921, sharing an autumn harvest feast.  Nowadays Thanksgiving involves a turkey dinner, giving thanks, parades and American Football, and of course, the Black Friday sales the day after. Research has shown that gratitude should not be limited to Thanksgiving.  Professor Robert Emmons has researched gratitude and conducted studies involving keeping 'gratitude' journals.  He's found the benefits to be overwhelming with improvements in physical, psychological and social wellbeing.  His book Thanks!: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier  documents these benefits and gives tips on how to make gratitude an everyday practice.  You can watch Professor Emmons here . "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." - Opr...

Coming from a STEM background I've never studied Politics or paid close attention to it.  Last week there was a 'coup that isn't a coup' in the country of my birth, Zimbabwe.  My family left 15 years ago to join the community of diaspora living all over the world.  And we've all watched the events unfold over the last week with baited breath. But I have been thinking lately of elections and their outcomes and wondering if it's time for 'political disruption'. Disruption in the business sense is a term coined by Clayton Christensen in his 1997 book, The Innovator's Dilemma .  Christensen gives two ways in which a disruptive business starts, by either satisfying less-demanding customers or creating a market where none existed before.  An example is Netflix vs Blockbuster.  When Netflix first launched is wasn't as appealing as Blockbuster because movies were sent out by post.  However as new technologies allowed video streaming, more customers start...

Last year I called my boss' phone and he answered by saying "G'Day".  I was so thrown that for a few seconds there was radio silence until he broke it by saying "You probably weren't expecting that?"  And I hadn't but recently I catch myself saying it too! This was among an abundance of things that sparkled me in the early months of living in Auckland.  Here are some of my 'Kiwi' favourites and a few which I'm not so sure about. The Beer Fridge I'm teetotal but was amused when I found out that the reason one of the three fridges in our work kitchen beeped on opening was because it is stacked to the brim full of beers.  In my previous jobs alcohol wasn't even allowed on the premises!  Kiwis have a great tradition of hitting the beer fridge on a Friday afternoon and socialising with colleagues before heading out for the weekend. Morning Tea When I first heard this expression I pictured jam and cream scones with a selection o...