On my last trip – I was with some friends, who were also Bali “Newbies” – I was sitting next to friend Roz, and we happened to be wearing the same dress – I said to Roz – “How much did you pay for your dress?”   Her reply, was $18.00.   I had a giggle.  “How much was your dress?” she asked me.

$2.50 was my response.  Roz and the rest of the Newbies that I was with, also had a giggle.  I then told them about my friend Jeny’s shop – which is fixed price, and cheaper then any price you will spend half an hour haggling down to at the tradional markets.

So I called my good friend “Caramello” and organised for him to pick us up the next morning to take us all over to Jeny’s shop at Sanur.

“Jeny’s” shop 29 is at Sindhu beach market in Sanur. She has everything you want under one roof. Fixed price all reasonable and great if you have to do that unenviable task of buying the “family gifts” that we all swear we wont do on the plane trip over but have done by the trip back. Shoes, t-shirts, womens dresses, mens dress shirts cushion covers, table runners, bed quilts, silver, wood carvings (done by her husband), hats and sunglasses etc. All fantastic staff you  just sit there and have a chat while you give them the list and its all done for you, everything itemised and added up in front of you with a receipt given before you leave so honest and hassle-free.

Since I first found Jeny’s shop, many years ago (well actually my daughter, Tegan – who was 9 at the time wandered into the shop randomly) – I have taken many newbies there – and no one has ever been disappointed.

I dont actually buy alot of things in Bali anymore (there are only so many bali souviners you can have in your house) – I just go over with no luggage, and head straight to Jeny’s shop on my first day, to buy all the clothes that I will need for my trip.  I also find that it gives me a very good gauge, of how much things are worth in Bali – and if I do decide to bata for something back in the hustle and bustle of Kuta, I know what price there are worth – and generally I can bata and gets things very cheap.

Sanur is also a beautiful place, its much quiter then busy Kuta – and after our shopping trip, I always take everyone to have an amazing lunch at Beny’s on the beach – which is just down the way from Jeny’s shop.  The food there is amazing, and you sit at tables and chairs on the beach – so the breeze is lovely and cool – and you have the amazing backdrop of the ocean to look at while you dine.

Welcome back to my BLOG.  I have been absent for awhile, as I finally got my fiance to make the trip to BALI to see if he thought it was as good as I have always told him it is.

His reaction?????  From the time we stepped off the plane, onto the tarmac to catch the hot overcrowded bus to the terminal – he LOVED it.  As we walked from outside the terminal to where our transport was waiting, whilst the music of the wonderful BALI anthem, was playing loudly – “Welcome to my Paradise” – the first thing he made comment on, was the amount of motor bikes at the airport – and from there, on our short 5km trip to our amazing hotel, I could see him looking in every different direction, trying to take it all in.

As this wasnt the first time I have travelled to my island paradise, with a BALI “Newbie” – there was alot to teach him, but rather then teach him, I just let him dive into it – and watched as he made friends with all the beautiful locals, and as he paid far too much money for the usual tourist things, watches, sunglasses etc.  But he was having fun, caught up in the moment – so who cares if he was paying too much – watching him was all part of my enjoyment – seeing yet another person become addicted to the BALI culture, like so many other Australians.

As I have been to BALI several times, I thought I would make a blog about places that I know and can recommend.  This isnt going to be bali tips – such as dont drink the water, dont shop on your first few days, dont let the porters at the airport grab your bags – but rather a blog on a few of the places that I have eaten, shopped etc – so that you too can share in the experience, should you decide to make the cheap trip to Paradise.

Stay tuned for BALI tip number 1…….

I have never been unfortunate to lose a child, and I pray that my children will one day bury me (not in the too distant future I hope) – not the other way around.

So it saddens me deeply and I imagine, it must sadden the parents that have lost children to tragic accidents and disease – to hear of teenagers being killed or seriously injured in such stupid games of “Train Surfing” and “Skitching” .

The reason I have just felt compelled to write this blog is that I just heard on the news that a teenager in Sydney is in a serious condition, after a “Skitching” accident.  I also read in Sundays paper about a teeneager in Melbourne who lost his life after “Train Surfing”.

For those of you who dont know what those two termanologies mean :

“TRAIN SURFING“  is riding or climbing (“surfing“) on the outside of a moving train.

“SKITCHING” (i.e. “skate-hitching”) is the act of hitching a ride by holding on to a motor vehicle while riding on a skateboard…

Sure, we all did some silly things when we were teenagers, but what person in their right mind, would partake in either of the above two activities and think that there is no danger????   Or perhaps, these teenagers, just think that they are indestructable???

Crazy really isnt it, to think young people can take such a risk with their lives, not to mention the lives of all the others involved.  I would imagine if you were driving a car, that was towing a skateboarder, and a life was lost – that persons life too, would be totally destroyed – as would that of all the parents and families involved.

So come on teenagers, how about you stick to the Skateboard park, and the ocean for surfing???   I wont say that I can “Surf”, but I have been fortunate enough to have been able to get up on a surfboard and ride a wave – and I have to tell you, that is the most amazing feeling, riding that wave.  I can not skate down a bowl however, but I am sure that is a similiar awesome feeling, for those of us who can.

Have fun, live your life, enjoy your life and PLEASE STAY SAFE – if not only for your benefit, but for your parents and your loved ones also.

The Beer Gauge is getting lots of press around the web.  Check out what some other people are saying about us.

http://www.sludgefactory.com.au/new-aussie-stubby-holder-invention

http://www.facebook.com/StubbyHolders?ref=ts

Watch and Share

If the world knows who Joseph Kony is, it will unite to stop him. It starts here.
KONY 2012 is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.

OK – So it’s time I started blogging again (because that is what the social media gurus tell me you have to do).

Problem – always has been – what to blog about????

So I thought I would give you a tiny bit of insight into the social media marketing world (which is massive).

So many people say , “Wow, you have a heaps cool product – we love it”.  Which is heaps nice to hear.  I have heard that so much that from the start of my marketing campaign, I thought, WOW  I can not lose – as everyone probably thinks when they have a cool idea.

So as I have been doing social media marketing courses and learning more, I just thought that I would let “Joe Public” know just how it all really works (in a nutshell of course).

Lets start with your facebook page  – Facebook is very selective as to what stories it sends out in its newfeeds – so while you may be a fan of the beer gauge – you probably will more then often not see its posts in your news feeds.  All the training tells me you have to keep people engaged with your page – which means constant posting of status’s and better still photos or videos, which will get people commenting and sharing your photos.  The more people do this, the more your EDGERANK score goes up and the more that FACEBOOK will put you in the news feeds of your fans.  Once you get abit lazy for a week or so, as I have been cause I have I been busy in my paying job – you slip out of the newsfeed of your fans – and once you slip out, it is very hard to get back into.  Facebook gives your page insights and statistics as to all you are posting – and you can see it is very quick to dwindle, once you cant stay conntected for a few days.

So that brings me to the next best aveune, the website – where you think the more number of hits you get, the more your website is viewed – but again, there is alot more work involved then that.  It did used to be the amount of hits your website got, was how you were ranked in a google search.  Not so much now, but the more content you post, the more GOOGLE pushes you up in the rankings.  And again, the best way to do that, is to BLOG.  The new modern day diary, I guess.

So, I dont have a problem blogging, when I get on a roll, I actually enjoy doing it – but as I have one product, which it is kinda hard to blog about regularly, this is a challenge to me.

So pretty much, I am not sure there is much more I can do to get my “COOL” product out there – but know that there are so many of you out there, who “LOVE” the product, and some of you have been lucky enough to get “FREE” product – so I guess all i can ask now , is if you do like the product – that you “SHARE” the love around.

I would like to thank you all that have supported me so far – and CHEERS to you.

Those of you who know me, will know that I wear a few hats – “THE BEER GAUGE” is my, lets use the word ‘hobby’ for want of a better word.  My full time job is a Licensed Real Estate Agent and Acreedited Auctioneer. My role in the office is somewhat of an Office Manager, Administration, Sales and Marketing Co-Ordinator, and abit of Property Management in my spare time.

My Passion however is and always has been Swimming.  I love to swim – and have been doing so since the age of 5.  So when I am not working at all the above jobs – I teach children to swim on the weekend.

Why Is It Important to Be Safe in the Water?

Fish are able to live and breathe in water, but people need air to breathe. People drown when too much water gets into their lungs. When that happens, the lungs can’t carry enough oxygen to the brain and the rest of the body.

Drowning is the second most common cause of death from injuries among kids under the age of 14. Drowning can happen so fast — sometimes in less than 2 minutes after a person’s head goes under the water. That leaves very little time for someone to help.

Many drownings and near-drownings occur when a kid accidentally falls into a swimming pool. But accidents can happen anywhere — at someone’s home or even at your own house, and that’s why you need to know how to be safe around water.

Why It’s Important to Learn to Swim!!!

The first and foremost reason is safety. The dangers that any open body of water  presents particularly to the young is the most paramount reason. Children are  still dying in Australia due to backyard tragedies. If a child can at least  acquire the skills needed to get to the edge of the pool then they have a  greater chance of survival.

SO PLEASE, HAVE YOUR CHILDREN TAUGHT TO SWIM – by  swim, I mean, they need to be able, if they fall in, the turn around, paddle back to the edge and pull themselves out – and we teach children at VICKIS SWIM CENTRE – PORT MACQUARIE    www.vickiswimcentre.com.au  to be able to do that from the age of 2 – 3 years old.

NOW TO KEEP WITHIN MY ‘NICHE’

THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL AND SWIMMING

Alcohol is an enormous health hazard and is frequently a factor in road and boating accidents, aquatic resuces and drowning.  A raised alcohol level affects judgement and makes an individual more likely to take greater risks, while at the same time impairs your ability to respond to a potentially dangerous situation.

A swimmer who has been drinking alcohol tires more easily and is less capable of swimming.  Swimmers who have been drinking alcohol and who get into difficulty are also more likely to vomit and may inhale stomach contents into their lungs.

THAT’S ALL FROM ME FOR TODAY – IT IS NEARING 5PM – AND ALMOST “BEER O’CLOCK” (i wont be swimming of course_ – HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND AND STAY SAFE!!!!

I recently found this group on facebook and think it is a great idea – fellow BEER lovers working together to help raise money for those in need.