This page exists to point to useful sites and resources that I may recommend to people from time to time. Some of these sites are small pet projects of mine, or businesses run by friends of mine. Please note that no diving-related resources are listed here, please see the diving link for these. If you have any suggestions for anything which you think should be added to this page please let me know.
If you re looking for diving resources, please check the dedicated page to diving resources.
Are you living in Switzerland or interested to talk to expatriates who live here? Are you looking for information about your local area, or perhaps for a few tips to help negotiate some of the more difficult aspects of life in Switzerland? Perhaps you need some help with German or French, or you'd like to decipher something you recently heard in Swiss-German? Maybe you even want to share a restaurant tip about some great place you just discovered in Zurich. You'll find people of all ages and all walks of life at englishforum.ch. Feel free to drop by, registration is quick and easy and you could be joining in some interesting conversations within minutes.
This was a project I started after many years of procrastination and constantly saying "What someone should really do is..." Finally I got to work and put it online. Spread the word.
Pilates training on the ReformerHave you been looking for a properly qualified Pilates instructor in Zurich or surrounding areas? Pilates is still a very new concept in Switzerland, but awareness among the expatriate community is high. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said regarding the quality of Pilates trainers currently working in Switzerland. Many are fitness instructors or dancers who have completed minimal training (often on weekends) and their knowledge of Pilates principles is poor at best. When you meet your Pilates instructor be careful to ask about their training and experience - which equipment are they qualified to teach? How long did their education take to complete? Do they really understand the principles of Pilates? Have any of their clients experienced a profound change in their bodies, or are they still wondering when the benefits will arrive?
Lynn Watkins runs a large studio called Symetris Pilates right in Zurich Seefeld. She is competent, has a medical background and has extensive training and experience in all aspects of Pilates. She is also one of the few instructors who is properly qualified to use all the various pieces of equipment. Her studio is well kited-out and all her customers extremely happy. If you are experienced with Pilates, or even if you've never tried it before - I can highly recommend paying her a visit. She works with clients from all walks of life - old or young, fit athletes or people recovering from injuries. Maybe you have a lot of back or joint pain and have tried everything? You would be surprised what she will be able to do for you in just a few sessions. I've written a little bit more about this here in English and auf Deutsch. Lynn also offers various forms of massage.
Sydney biodiesel supply tankerIf you are in Sydney and want to run your vehicle on biodiesel, or are just curious about all the biofuels talk that is happening at the moment, then you should visit the Sydney Biodiesel Users Group. This web site was created by my brother after he became frustrated by other sites falsely offering the Australian biodiesel community help and support for a fee. sydneybiodiesel.com was made to help connect and inform Sydney's residents about biodiesel in a free and open manner. Although its prime aim is to support the Sydney biodiesel scene, its application also extends to the rest of Australia as well. There has also been a Sydney Biodiesel Purchasing Group formed to provide access to commercially produced biodiesel to enthusiasts in Sydney. More details on this can be found in forums connected to his site.
You may also like to visit biofuelsforum.com which provides a place for users to discuss and share information on biodiesel and straight vegetable oil (SVO), or waste cooking oil (WCO) vehicle conversions. This is the place where Australian users can talk about alternative fuels for their vehicles, taxation issues, purchasing biodiesel or making biodiesel. Any discussion on biofuels is welcome here, including ethanol - though biodiesel, or SVO / WCO is the prime focus.
You can also read some information at his personal site where he writes about why he set up these web sites.
He's also created a site for Australian Biodiesel issues (not just Sydney) at biofuel.org.au
View of Mount FujiAre you located in Cape Town, South Africa and would like to learn Japanese? I lived for a short time in Cape Town and absolutely struggled to find a Japanese teacher. Apparently there are only 130 Japanese people living in the entire Western Cape region! After quite a lot of searching I finally found Keigo Aoki, an extremely competent Japanese teacher with the added bonus of also having excellent English. Keigo has qualifications for teaching Japanese as a foreign language and has the added cultural advantage of having lived in many different countries. I've been a faithful student of his since October 2004.
How could Keigo's services be of interest to you? If you live in Cape Town and are interested in learning Japanese he is an obvious choice. Maybe you live somewhere else in the world? I continue to do lessons with Keigo over the Internet using Skype. It's not quite like being there, but it works very well, and due to the excellent exchange rate with the rand, you will find his prices extremely competitive. The same can also be said about the translation services he provides between Japanese and English - by having the work done at South African prices you will probably save a fortune compared to other countries.
You can visit Keigo's web site at www.japanese.co.za for more information.
