1. July 4th Paddle
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

On Saturday July 4th we were in Birch Bay, and decided to go for a paddle in the afternoon. We had to wait until the tide was in, since the bay is a shallow bay. When the tide is out, it goes a long

2. Cycling Barnston Island
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

This Saturday we went to Barnston Island for a bike ride. The island is located in the Fraser river, just north of Surrey and south of the Pitt Meadows airport. You have to take your bikes over a

3. Coffee For Link
(Articles/Business Topics)

...e same time. Also note that once roasted, the coffee starts to lose its flavor within 5 days, so the packet you buy in a store could be weeks old. There is no comparison to coffee you j...

4. Frequent Buyer Program
(Articles/Business Topics)

... you care, and offer something special for your "select customers". Customized Program These days, with computers it is easier to tailor each point of contact to match the interests and past...

5. Letting Money Get In Your Way
(Articles/Personal Development)

...hen I am left with no job and no business. There is little security in working for a company these days. This may sound hugely negative, but you have no control over your future as an employee. ...

6. Kayaking Alouette Lake 2008
(Column/Editor's Column)

...am.   Satuday was a hot day, and it took some effort to get the loaded kayaks down to the water to launch. ...

7. Super Villans
(Articles/Personal Development)

...Minute Mobster", or perhaps "Steal And Grow Rich". It was scary stuff. Within a few days the car was recovered, and all the books were still in the trunk, and apparently unread by t...

8. Kayaking Safety
(Column/Editor's Column)

...st weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving. As planned, we went out for a paddle, although we went on the Monday rather than Saturday because the weather was bad on Saturday. We wore our new wetsuits and pa...

9. Editor's Column
(Column/Editor's Column)

... US dollar for the first time in about 30 years it was time to go shopping! We traveled down on Friday night, expecting a long line up at the border. The radio had said there would be long line up...

10. Hybrid Car
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

...hybrid cars. While all this was happening, I was sitting on the fence and thinking to myself that one day I will get a hybrid car. I was waiting for the technology to mature, and work out the kinks ...

11. Weight Loss
(Articles/Personal Development)

It is mid-July, and it has been raining now for 7 days in a row (which I learned was a new record for this area). I have written before on my efforts to lose some weight. At one point, it was coming

12. Every Day
(Articles/Business Topics)

I notice from the logs that a lot of people get here by searching for "customer appreciation day ideas". I imagine all these business owners around the world, deciding to hold a customer a

13. Kayaking To The Twin Islands
(Column/Editor's Column)

...the first club events I decided we would go from Rocky Point to the Twin Islands in Indian Arm for a 2 day paddle. It was our first overnight paddle/camping, so within the few weeks prior to the event...

14. Be Happy
(Articles/Personal Development)

... regardless of the circumstances? Or am I a slave to however the wind blows and what it may bring each day? I'd like to think I have some say in the matter. Between the event and the time where yo...

15. The Modern Manager?
(Articles/Business Topics)

...omething best to avoid in official minutes" This highlights a problem we have in todays modern world, the need to give good and concise communication is sometimes thwarted by som...

16. Appreciation Speech Generator
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

...ood morning", "thank you for attending this afternoon", "I am glad you were able to attend today", "it is nice to see you all here", "I was surprised you made it on time", "it...

17. Burst Pipes And Lights
(Articles/Personal Development)

...educe the chance of burst pipes in the future. Preparation Meets Opportunity Friday night we arrived around 9pm, and of course it did not take me long to realize that I had some...

18. Love Your Job
(Articles/Personal Development)

This was one of those days where things just clicked togther for me, and I had to share it with you. I was just reading a book called Alpha Project Managers, by Andy Crowe. The first thing the autho

19. Flying Bed
(Articles/Personal Development)

...you a tale of adventure, and woe and eventual success, and the lessons learned. Friday night we went to Birch Bay, and this time we brought with us a new bunk bed frame. We already...

20. New Year 2007
(Articles/Personal Development)

...nd seek professional help. Next comes getting out of debt. Lots of people overspend during the holiday season and look at the mess they are in and decide it is time to fix their problem. Again pro...

21. Burst Pipes
(Articles/Personal Development)

...or flushing, and second we had a new home improvement project. Fixing Leaks Saturday morning we started early. Each time we found and fixed a leak, we discovered to our dismay, a...

22. Editor's Column
(Column/Editor's Column)

...more thing to be done before year end, just like you try to make one more sales call at the end of the day before you go home. As they say in Latin, [[Carpe Diem]]! If you are in sales,...

23. Return To Sasamat Lake
(Column/Editor's Column)

... is of the fishermen on the floating bridge, witht the mist illuminated by the sun from behind. As the day continued, the weather continued to improve. I later learned that the club had sent emai...

24. How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days
(Articles/Movie Reviews)

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25. Kayaking Sasamat Lake
(Column/Editor's Column)

This Saturday we went kayaking on Sasamat Lake, here in British Columbia. Sasamat Lake is a very small lake nestled in the mountains between Port Moody and Belcarra. We went there  for an event

26. Kayaking Alouette Lake
(Column/Editor's Column)

... just amazes me just how beautiful British Columbia is. Last week we bought some new kayaks, and on Sunday we went kayaking on Alouette Lake, here in British Columbia. We arrived at the boat launch ar...

27. Kayaking Buntzen Lake
(Column/Editor's Column)

This Saturday we went kayaking on Buntzen Lake , here in British Columbia. We arrived early at the boat launch around 8 am, since I read that the park has limited parking and they close the ent

28. Business Game - Retail Outlet
(Articles/Game)

...st location to get the most visitors to your store? If you were to get just a few extra visitors each day, that could result in thousands of extra income in a year. You'll have to reaseach wha...

29. Business Game - What to do first?
(Articles/Game)

... commit any large amount of money. If possible, you want to start small, maybe part-time. Keep your day job. Perhaps the easiest option is to start a small home-based business or a network market...

30. Business Game - Low Startup Cost
(Articles/Game)

Low Startup Cost See if you can start your business on the side and keep your day job. You might be able to use a line of credit, or get some family or friends to help you get started.

31. Business Game - Meditate
(Articles/Game)

...n some monastery some years ago. Perhaps the universe is not on your side today. You gain no wonderful insights into how to move forwards with starting your own business. ...

32. Business Game - Quit Job
(Articles/Game)

Keep Your Day job! You are about to see your boss and realize that it is too soon to give up your source of income, you still have car payments and a mortage to pay. your business is

33. Cascading Opportunities
(Articles/Personal Development)

...ll materialize next? I cannot even consider what opportunities will happen as a result of what I do today. I do know my actions will cause something to happen, and I am excited about that. Dunc...

34. Business Spotlights
(Articles/Business Topics)

... try to keep everything to yourself in the expectation that someone has to pay to get even the time of day from you. It is amazing too how people hold on to useful handouts. I have seen some that I ga...

35. Toast Speech
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

...line. You start from a central point and branch outwards, using both pictures and text. In the earlier days I would have a flip chart pad attached to a wall, and draw mind maps by hand. These days I u...

36. We Have Moved
(Column/Editor's Column)

As of today we are now on a separate domain www.bigdreams.ca. Big Dreams has been around for over 12 years now. It started as a print version, published monthly, and soon moved to the web around 1

37. Customer Appreciation
(Articles/Business Topics)

...l, I could suggest a better way to show it. My local grocery store is offering a customer appreciation day, where you get a 10% discount if you spend more than a certain amount. Does that mean if I sp...

38. Finding Your Dream
(Articles/Personal Development)

...mpanies have mission statements and so can you. So when I talk about having a dream, it does not imply daydreaming or sleeping types of dreams. Stephen Covey...

39. Customer Service
(Articles/Business Topics)

...he Half-Life of a Complaint I got these statistics a long time ago, I think they are still valid today: 4% of unhappy customers complain, 96% simply go away angry For every customer comp...

40. Worrying
(Articles/Personal Development)

...he time delay will often neutralize the feelings associated with a problem. If you look at something a day or two later, it does not seem as bad as it did then. You can then be more objective in comin...

41. Dare To Dream
(Articles/Personal Development)

...ack of his mind, he felt that something was not right. The company was not making as much money these days, due to such things as increased global competition and sudden changes in the marketplace. ...

42. Referrals
(Articles/Business Topics)

... Business by Referral Endless Referrals Take that a step further. Look through your day planner and see how y ou spend your time on prospecting for new business versus investing ...

43. Cute Puppy Pictures
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

A couple of years ago, I worked on a web site for a company near here. They sell all sorts of cool equipment, unrelated to puppies of course. At one point, I made up some silly pictures with puppie

44. How To Write An Appreciation Speech
(Articles/Business Topics)

... Academy Awards night, who have to thank all the little people that helped get you to where you are today. Well you have come to the right place. I assume you have been scouring all over the I...

45. The Ultimate Self-Help Course
(Articles/Personal Development)

...asis on healthy lifestyle, such as exercise and nutrition, and a good mental health. A big issue these days is stress, so you would learn how to relax and how to handle stress. I believe stress is a n...

46. Visa Cheques
(Column/Editor's Column)

... themselves at risk. I still get promotional cheques arriving in my mailbox. I go to my mailbox every day, to reduce the chance they can be stolen, and I tear them up. I have given up complaining to ...

47. More on Appreciation Speech
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

... of the Great Speech Writing Great Speeches I used to wear a bright colored shirt on days I needed cheering up. When others saw it, the shirt would brighten their day, and they would...

48. Mentoring: Building the Stars
(Articles/Business Topics)

...plenty of projects with paying customers, and they always want things done yesterday. The challenge is to ramp up a project team with enough talented people...

49. Managing Customer Expectations
(Articles/Business Topics)

...he customer informed. You can’t get it in blue, but you can get red or green. It won’t be ready on Friday, but it will be on Monday. See what alternatives you can offer. Show that you understand wha...

50. Photo Exhibition
(Articles/Miscelaneous Articles)

...nth of March 2006 I have an exhibit of photographs at the Terry Fox library in [[Port Coquitlam]]. Any day during the month of March, you are welcome to visit the library during their open hours (see ...