Interview with the Blogger - Part 3

16. What does success mean to you and how do you measure it?

I live this life to enjoy, explore, discover and learn new things. I also live to enjoy interaction with other human beings and to share what I experience with them. If I achieve this then I consider that a success. If I can make a difference to a lot of people then that's an even bigger success!

17. Who is the most influential person in your life to date?

I don’t think I have an answer to that one. Many people have influenced me, ranging from my parents, brother and sisters, my ex, my son, my wife, and a number of friends past and present. I dare not single out one person as the most influential…

18. How are you perceived by others?

Well I know people don’t join a queue to become my friend! And I know people have said to me that I’m not easily approachable… I have my personality and whatever it is to others I do sincerely wish it to be warm, good humoured and welcoming. Of the few who know me more closely I am liked and even loved…

19. What’s your outlook on the world?

I keep my outlook as bright as possible. There’s always hope. And if I can continually impart hope on others, then I’ll have reason to keep on smiling right on to the end.

20. What are your deepest desires?

Am I supposed to have deep desires? If I do then I don’t know them well… Perhaps, if I desire anything at all, it is simply to be happy in all that I do because I think if one is not happy then it’s difficult to function well as a human being. If I’m happy I can then help others to be happy.

21. How can I get to know you better and be your friend?
Just come to me, if you find I have a guard in place, get a sledgehammer and smash it! I promise you won't regret it. Then spend some time to talk with me, to laugh and have fun, and just to be around…

Comment from Yahoo 360

(5 total)

• Cocidus

Great blog - I hope I have the courage to share things bout me like this.

Thursday 7 September 2006 - 08:25PM (PDT)

• Smile…

Success means a variety of things to me. Havin' Crohns Disease since my early 20's this pain in the ass of a disease (literally hehe)has put a giant damper on my life...as to travel and even doing the simplest of errands... just going to a store without wondering first (do they have a bathroom there?) has basically made my home the safest place to be, tending to my beautiful backyard and working on one too many arts and crafts projects. Here... I am queen of my castle and with plenty of toilet paper to boot..hehe !Some people never run outta prewrapped sporks from fast food joints...I never run outta TP. LOL Though with the help of a great Gastro doc. (and countless worthless ones) I was able to have monthly infusions and get back among the living...and now able to stand on my own and have lived to tell the tale..(gee...yer the first person I've told on this site)...guess you're easy to talk to...cool!Thanks Phil! Other successes..a cartoonist in my spare time drawing and recreated many famous cartoonists work (Disney, Pooh, Tigger and friends, etc) then finally taking the time to come up with my own..called
Cat's Cartoon Land staring me Cat. It's easy copying someones elses thoughts and artistry..the hard part is creation in ones own mind. I'll share Cat and some of my previous work sometime in a new photo album of my work. Well..I see that there are many questions in just one blog. I will give them to you in segments...will work on question number 2. the next time!
SmileyCat : )

Friday 8 September 2006 - 07:18AM (PDT)

• Smile…

Geez...just noticed this blog was "Part 3"...answering question 16. Ugh....I have a lot of typing to do. Thank God I love to type.!!
The Jabberwalkie...SmileyCat over and out!

Friday 8 September 2006 - 07:21AM (PDT)

• Phil-…

I'm flattered Smileycat! That was really nice.

Thursday 14 September 2006 - 12:49AM (GMT)

• Sai

#18... i am the same wai... however, my really bad trait is that I am SUPER DISTRUSTING of everyone. I belive Guilty until proven innocent, yes even N the world of reality....

Tuesday 5 December 2006 - 04:59PM (CST)

An interview with the Blogger - Part 2

10. Do you carry a sense of hope?

Oh absolutely! Hope is a vital driving force of humanity in my opinion. When I abandoned my Christian faith (something that kind of happened slowly) I certainly didn’t abandon any sense of hope. It’s hope that provides my life with a sense of purpose. I have this idea that for whatever mysterious reason we are not meant to really know about what lies beyond this life if anything does. I live with the hope that life is eternal for all of us, that we were created to learn and experience the myriad of things ‘existing’ brings to us, that mankind grows and matures to its destiny, and that our children carry on the things we started in our time.

11. How open minded are you?

I try to be as openly minded as possible. It’s inevitable though that if I have certain principles and moral codes I choose to live by then some of these codes will conflict with another person’s set of principles or moral codes and that may cause me to have less of an open-mind. My open-mindedness has contributed to the dismantling of my Christian faith but in so allowing myself to be open-minded I hope I have gained a more balanced view of the world and am better able to consider viewpoints of arguments from the other side.

12. Are you a sensual man and do you have erotic tendencies?

I think you’d better ask my wife that question! I’m not sure I know what you mean by erotic tendencies. I’d say I like to explore different aspects of sexual experiences provided they can bring something positive to the relationship.

13. What are your deepest regrets in life?
I don’t really carry regrets in my life but that’s not to say I’m not sorry for my mistakes or that I wish I could have done something much better than I actually did. I’m 40 years old and I don’t own a home. For all kinds of reasons I made poor choices that have led me to this current situation – but I don’t see the poor choices in terms of regret. I see them in terms of my humanity and fallibility. Even if I’m slow to learn from some of my errors I don’t mind so long as I’m learning and progressing. Staying happy and always being positive in everything I do is one of my personal mottos.

14. Do you believe in premarital or casual sex?

With a good sex education I think premarital sex can be a sensible course in a serious relationship. I don’t like the word casual sex. My opinion is that sex is not a casual matter because it seems to evoke strong emotional attachments especially for woman. However, there are certain kinds of people who are prepared to engage in sexual relations with more than just one partner and I believe this is ok if all involved are aware of their responsibilities and know how to handle their emotions. This is not a road I’ve been down so I’m not really in a position to judge it.

15. Now that you are married what do you hope to bring to it?

A happy family, lots of fun, adventure, discovery, inspiration and new opportunities.

Final Part to follow...

Can you think of a caption for the Goldfish cartoon?

• No
• Yes - see my comment.

See Results

No

0

Yes - see my comment.

1

Place my vote

Comments from Yahoo 360

(3 total)

• Sai

This room bodders my Aspergers!

Sunday 29 October 2006 - 06:55PM (CST)

• Phil-…

Thanks Sai! I've been waiting nearly 2 months for someone to provide a caption on the Goldfish cartoon! That entitles you to a prize... two years free subscription to my blog! Congratulations and well done!

Monday 30 October 2006 - 01:05AM (GMT)

• Sai

did u know that i didn't read all of this the first time... and still haven't done that todai... I am hunting for the #18 you spoke of... i'll Be back...

and not 2 challenge the moon or make her angry... i think U copped out on the #12....

Tuesday 5 December 2006 - 04:57PM (CST)

An interview with the Blogger - Part 1

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE BLOGGER!

1. What is your name?

Philip. It’s from the Greek meaning lover (phil…) of horses (ip…) so you can just call me Phil if you like? .

2. How do you find being married again?

It’s great! It’s pretty much as I expected really – there are many gates to walk through and some walls to climb over along the way but we are managing very well… Marriage is not fun or interesting unless there are hurdles and challenges to face.

3. What is your idea of a successful marriage?

People have this terrible habit of measuring the success of a marriage by the number of years it lasts. Of course it can be a good indicator of a successful marriage - silver, gold and diamond wedding anniversaries etc are very worthy celebrations. For me a successful marriage is one where the man and wife learn to bring the best out of each other and create between them a satisfying and contented union. Allow me to be controversial… I consider my first marriage of 13 years to be a successful marriage, my ex-wife and I remain friends, we brought into this world a wonderful son, as a family we had some very good times together, and we’ve grown up through many experiences in that marriage to make us both the characters that we are today. My ex-wife and I are contented people. Parental and financial responsibilities remain high priorities. I’m not promoting divorce by any means but when difficult situations arise there are means and ways of overcoming them and turning them around so that ultimately the new situation created is a success on all sides… I know it doesn’t always work out that way but I challenge people who are facing marriage difficulties or divorce to work hard at looking at the brighter side and to believe in themselves that they can make good things come out of the bad.

4. What is your idea of a perfect soul mate?

I’m not sure if I really believe in the concept of a perfect soul mate. My first serious girlfriend, in my university days believed the man she should marry should be her soul mate. She was all into ‘God’ and somehow came to the conclusion I wasn’t the man for her because we didn’t “connect”. Some singles seem to stay forever single all because they are somehow waiting for their ‘soul-mate’ to come along into their life. Whilst it helps to look for someone who has compatible personality traits I think people would do well to realise that some soul-mate qualities only arise after many years of committed close companionship. If you want a perfect soul-mate for a partner, I say, go to your partner or someone who is nearest to being your partner and work patiently at making that person your life’s soul-mate. Believe in that idea and you will certainly bear the fruits of that belief.

5. What makes you the person that you are now?

All the good and bad experiences I’ve been through have helped to make me the person I am today… and generally, I’m glad for them. I like the person I am today even if sometimes I have found myself wishing I had a personality that more naturally attracted others to me. Some of my own personal limitations have inhibited my self-confidence and self-belief but I have a positive and determined attitude and I do my utmost to have an open mind on all my life’s experiences.

6. Where do you see yourself in the next five years with regard to having a family?

My wife, Moon, and I hope to have two lovely children by then. I won’t deny that I hope that at least one of the two will be a girl but I’ll be quite honestly delighted whatever the sex. My parenting skills are in need of improving and adding more children will certainly present some more tough challenges. I like that and I look forward to the joy that having a family also brings. I hope my son Will can be involved in any new family additions too.

7. If you could change 5 things about you what would they be and why?

1. Well first of all I’d like to change my short temper because I can be such a bad-tempered git.

2. Apparently I’m a bit arrogant. Trouble is it’s difficult to see my own arrogance so I don’t know when I’m upsetting people.

3. I can be really insensitive too! I’ve called myself an English Gentleman before and it’s time I learned to live up to that name then I wouldn’t hurt people’s feelings so much.

4. If I could read quicker and remember more details then that’d be useful because I’d know a lot more than I do now (and I can be even more arrogant!).

5. If I wasn’t such a lazy sod and I didn’t procrastinate so often that’d help a lot too! I like being lazy but if I want to achieve more things then I have to change… maybe tomorrow, I’ll do something about it?

8. Do you love unconditionally?

No I don’t think I do. I’m not a saint you know! I do however try as far as is humanly possible to love unconditionally.

9. How important is God in your life?

In spite of my ‘born-again Christian’ past, today, I have no certainty of God’s existence so how can God be important in my life? I’m glad I am where I am today. Christianity taught me that you must believe in (or know) Jesus to have eternal life and that there’s only one chance to do this but I consider this to be the biggest lie of religion. I’m prepared to admit I might be completely wrong in my present conviction that you don’t need ‘faith’ to enter into heaven. Today, I live not really knowing if God exists or even if there is life beyond the one I have now, and I dare to be completely honest with myself in declaring that. I look upon life and the universe with great fascination and I have a great hunger for knowledge and understanding. I take every experience I have with value and I seek to learn from those experiences. This life is there for the taking… let’s make the most of it. That’s my basic philosophy.

- Today's picture: Me in Sapa, Vietnam.