Andrew James Whalan

December 17, 2012

Of Happier Things

And now to speak of happier things as my Dad says. As you may have already read, my sister was married last week. How I did behave at her reception? Perfectly. Well almost. I spoke to anyone and everyone. I said this wedding shows the good you do returns to you. Let there be more…
December 16, 2012

Weapons of Mass Destruction : Sandy Hook Connecticut

What happened in Sandy Hook, Connecticut is proof that guns are just another weapon of mass destruction. What happened negates that tired old adage from the gun lobby “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Which means it’s easy to blame the shooter. Which is the standard operational response for tragedies like this. But these…
December 15, 2012

The Wedding Dress

My sister was married last weekend. The only inconvenience on the wedding day was this. Our hotel room was makeup and hair curling central. Which means that around 8 am we had to be out! In the end we returned three quarters of an hour before the ceremony. I softly knocked on the room…
December 12, 2012

I’m Better Than I Looked

Last weekend I travelled from Melbourne to Nowra for my sister’s wedding. As the designated passenger I received a phone call. The news was my dad had fallen and was now in hospital. As I result my brother and sister in law altered course to see him. When we arrived Dad (in his eighties) looked…
December 11, 2012

First Gig

It was a quick stop on the way from Melbourne to Sydney. We pulled off the highway near a small country pub. We parked and left the car then entered the pub. Of course, after the long trip most of the party had things to do. Except me. I was transfixed. At the back was…
December 4, 2012

Getting the Introduction Right (Networking)

Once I thought networking was all about introducing yourself. But after some contemplation, I realised it worked best for me when I introduced others. And got that right. And that took some doing. The first time I got it wrong was when I had just met a beautiful girl at a dance. I introduced her to…
November 27, 2012

Is This The Most Boring Opposition Ever?

Politically, I always thought it was the role of the Government to bore the electorate to death. And then be re-elected. But, and especially of late, that role has been taken on by the Opposition. As posted yesterday, it was the asylum seeker debate. Now it is the AWU scandal which dominated Parliament yesterday with allegations that…
November 26, 2012

Tony and Julia : Put Out The Welcome Mat We Need More People Like This!

As a political junkie, the most boring issue for me is how both sides of politics treat asylum seekers. Nothing ever changes except the number of boats and sadly the death toll. Both sides treat asylum seekers as a law and order issue. Abbott on a regular basis decries them as illegal which is incorrect.The…
November 18, 2012

Men Shopping with Women : The Unwritten Taboo

I wrote before about being a stylist in training for my partner. And I had my successes and mainly failures. But I learnt lots. Especially about shoes. I now know good quality from bad. I know what does and doesn’t work fashion wise. And still stumble and fall. But unwittingly I stumbled on a taboo…
November 18, 2012

Whatever You Do: Don’t Sit Down!

I don’t stand outside the dress or shoe shop when my partner enters. I follow her in. It is the option of least boredom. I feel quite silly hanging out like I’m loitering with intent or stalking or something. But it has some advantages. One or two occasions I chose a dress or coat which…
November 16, 2012

Overcoming Adversity (Story in Emoticons)

Now 😦 Soon 😐 Then 🙂 And then :-0
November 15, 2012

The Happiness Test

After a break up I was asked what happened! Here are the questions that match the answers: Do I make the other person happy? Does the other person make me happy? Do I want to make the other person happy? Does the other person want to make me happy?