Author: Ben Clapton

I'm a violinist, teacher, composer and arranger from Ellenbrook, Western Australia. I love my family, coffee, AFL and running.

What makes me smile

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life
"Sharing smile!"
Image by abhiomkar via Flickr

I had a little trouble coming up with something for todays topic. It’s not that nothing makes me smile, but I wanted to pick something specific. See, a lot of things make me smile. Getting a solution for a problem at work so that something finally works the way it was intended – that makes me smile. Seeing weight loss each day as I weigh in on the wii, that makes me smile. Seeing my wife, my family, my friends happy, that makes me smile. I’m heading to my brother-in-law’s wedding today, and I’m sure that will make me smile. Seeing young people stepping out in their faith – that makes me smile.

I’m thankful for so much at the moment, and they all make me smile.

What makes you smile?

Postaday2011 links

Most important thing I did in 2010

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

I did a lot of important things this year. From becoming a Senior Soldier in the Salvation Army, and starting the application process towards becoming a Salvation Army Officer, getting a job and starting working essentially full time (across three jobs), moving out of home, and probably most importantly of all – getting married.

It was a wonderful day in September, but I would rather talk about my super crazy week at the end of June, where everything fell into place.

The story to this week actually starts back in January 2010, when a week before the school term started, I got an email from one of the schools that I taught at saying that they didn’t have any students for me and my services were no longer required. That made things very difficult – the mental jump from three days to five days work was no where near as hard as the jump from tow days to five days. I started applying for jobs everywhere. I would apply for on average 15 to 20 jobs a week, but wouldn’t get even an interview. I asked my contacts, and got an interview for a job with the Salvation Army, but didn’t end up getting the job. I went for a job at the Uniting Church that I thought was perfect, but didn’t get that one either.

Through all of this, Liesl and I had started looking at houses, as our wedding was fast approaching and we needed to find a place to live. I went to look at this one place that was in a great location, with cheap rent. It wasn’t anything great, but I really liked it, and when I showed photos to Liesl, she liked it too. We did our sums and figured that we would probably be able to afford it, just. So we applied. We handed our application in on Wednesday morning, and Wednesday afternoon I got a call saying we’ve got the place. It happened so quick, and they hadn’t even called any of our contacts.

Then on Thursday, the next day, I got a call from the Uniting Church asking me to come in as the selected applicant for the job I’d applied for had fallen through. So Friday, in the morning we signed for the loan on the Bond, then we signed the lease and got the keys to our house, then in the afternoon I went to a short interview and signed my job contract. Within three days, I went from no house and little hope, to a house and a job. I moved in on Saturday (Liesl wouldn’t move in until after we were married), and then started my job on the Monday. It was really quite incredible.

And apart from getting married, that was the most important thing that happened to me. While it wouldn’t have been an issue, there was a big sense of pride in me in being able to provide for my wife – and working two days a week didn’t do that. So having that job now allowed me to be the provider for my wife, and be comfortable in our new house.

Postaday2011 links

Who deserves more credit?

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life
91.365 "Tell them to remember hope. We ha...
Image by ashley rose, via Flickr

When thinking of people who give so much to society, but don’t receive enough credit, I couldn’t single out a single person. I could only think of an entire industry – the Not-for-profit industry.

Why not-for-profits are necessary

The not-for-profit sector is sometimes referred to as the third sector, with the Government and Business being the other two. They fill the area of projects that are necessary to society, but the Government doesn’t want to (or can’t afford) to pay for them, and it isn’t going to produce a profit so business isn’t interested in it. They’re projects such as domestic violence refuges, rehab centres, refugee support services, and more.

Why they don’t get the credit they deserve

Essentially, its due to the type of work that they do. More often than not, it’s work that society is slightly ashamed of. We don’t like admitting that there are people whose lives get utterly destroyed through domestic violence. We don’t like admitting that there are people who get addicted to dangerous substances. So while many of us, when questioned, would say that having the not-for-profits is vital, they probably wouldn’t say they need recognition, or money.

So what can be done?

Well first of all, we can donate to these not-for-profits. Money isn’t everything,  but every cent helps. Find a not-for-profit that you like what they do, and donate to them. And not just a one-off donation, but regular donations. Secondly, the business and government sectors should host a yearly awards night, where they recognise the efforts of the not-for-profit sector. Industry hosted awards are important, but for the Government and business to recognise the work of these programs, that would show significant credit and recognition to these people who so often receive none.

Postaday2011 links

The Daily Post #1: Countries

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life
Proms in the Park
Proms in the park (Image via Wikipedia)

I’ve decided that I want to blog more often, so I’ve signed up to The Daily Post, to use their daily inspiration for some posts. Today’s inspiration is a question: What are the three countries you’d like to visit and why?

England

England is my first choice of where I’d like to go. First of all to see my heritage – my mum was born in Liverpool. But there’s plenty more in England that I’d love to see. I’d love to attend a Manchester United football match at Old Trafford. I’d love to see a county cricket match. I’d love to attend an Ashes test at Lords (even though Australia isn’t going all that well at the moment).

But the thing I’d love to do the most (and did seriously consider at one stage) would be to take two months off, and visit England during the Proms. Just stay in a backpackers for the two months, and head off to a prom each night for two months (and hopefully get in for the last night of the proms). It would be such an incredible experience.

United States of America

There’s lots of stuff that I don’t like about the USA, but there’s still lots of things that I’d love to see. The sports, for one thing, is incredible. I’d love to see a Los Angeles Lakers match, an NFL match (Chargers are my team, but I don’t follow closely) and I’d like to see a baseball match live.

Music in the US is also incredible. One thing that I would like to do is to go to a College Football match to view the marching bands. This morning I watched the Edinburgh Tatoo, and now I’m watching the Rose Parade. The thing that I think makes the US marching bands incredible is their percussion section, the drum line. But the music doesn’t just stop there – many of the greatest orchestras are in the US. I’d love to see the New York Philharmonic and Boston Philharmonic, amongst others.

There’s also a number of people who I’ve met online through Violinist.com that I’d love to meet in person.

Europe

I know I’m kinda cheating here, in that Europe is more than one country, but this is the third trip I’d love to do. I’d like to visit Germany, Austria, Italy and France to visit all the places where my favourite composers lived. And again, hearing the other great orchestras of Europe – such as Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. And if I got to go skiing in the Alps, well that would just be a bonus.

So that’s it, that’s my first Daily Post, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else gets suggested. Hope you enjoyed.

Other Postaday2011 posts:

Golf week 3

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life
Golf_Course

Well I’m writing this again sitting at Wembley Golf course. I’ve done an hour’s practice already, on the putting green and chipping. I’m waiting for the driving range to open at 9am. Silly me for not checking that the opening hours aren’t the same on a Friday as opposed to a Saturday (last time I was here). Guess it just felt like a Saturday to me.

Last week I shot a 66 on the course at Marangaroo. I’ve decided that from that round, I want to set myself a goal of saving 20 shots over the round. That would give me a round of +10 over 9 holes, or an average of just over a bogey each hole. If I can get down to that I’ll be quite happy. In order to achieve that, I need to be more consistent in my hitting. My putting last round was excellent – averaging under 2 putts per hole, and only 3 putting once. However, I didn’t hit one fairway off the tee. If I’m to get to my goal, I need to be hitting the fairways.

So that’s why I’ve decided to stick around, take this break and wait for the driving range to open. I need to work on my swing so that I’m consistent, and can hit the fairways.

I’m also going to play a round every fortnight, at different courses around Perth. While the driving range is great, there’s not the limiting factor of where the fairway is, and the rough around it. Plus, by playing a round regularly, I’ll be testing all parts of my game, and getting some good exercise at the same time. Next weekend I’m playing a round at Hammersley, and I’m also looking forward to playing at Embleton, Burswood and here at Wembley (two courses here for me to play on too).

So another 20 mins until the range opens. I’ll have a bit of a browse on the internet on my phone, and maybe have a browse in the pro shop. I don’t need anything, but it’s always nice to look.

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Golf Week 2

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

The strangest thing happened this week. My wife told me to go play golf on Friday. Her friend’s boyfriend was looking to play a round at Marangaroo, and I was only looking to do some practice so I hadn’t responded, but my dearest wife managed to convince me otherwise.

I popped out to the driving range at Marangaroo before my round, and started my practice just as last week. Having to put a tee down each time quickly got annoying (compared with the automatic range at Wembley) but I survived. Was hitting a number fairly straight, but there were still a large number of hits going all over the place.

My round was a lot better than a fortnight ago. First of all, I shot 66 compared with 71, saving 5 shots over the round. The big improvement was in my putting – I managed to two putt or less on all bar one hole, so that my average number of putts was less than two. That goes a big way to saving shots over the course.

However, my shots were still all over the place – not once did I hit the fairway from the tee. So that’s something that I’ll need to work on. But overall I’m very happy with how I played, but I just need to keep going on the improvement areas.

I think I’ll start trying to get out on the course every fortnight, so that I can see how my practice is actually going.

Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a wonderful New Year,

Golf Practice day 1

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

 

A Photo of the driving range at Wembley Golf Complex
The Driving range at Wembley Golf Complex

I’m writing this from the Wembley Golf Complex. This is my first time here, and it looks incredible, especially for a public golf course. It boasts a modern 30 bay automated driving range, large spacious pro shop, tavern and two courses.

 

I’m here because I’ve decided that I want to get better at golf. I played a round last week with my dad and a friend, and I wasn’t great. I highlighted two things that I need to improve in. Continue reading “Golf Practice day 1” →

God Forgets

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, faith

I’ve been reading my bible again, and going through the book of Job. I’d gone into this book with the assumption of knowing what happens. Job, an upstanding and outstanding man of God, is tested by God and Satan, when Satan causes a whole heap of bad stuff to happen to him. Job goes on a kind of “Woe is me, woe is this, woe is that” spiel for a while, and eventually God appears and explains what happened. Probably not quite right, but that was my understanding of it, not having read the book before. Continue reading “God Forgets” →

Count Your Blessings

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life

At the end of a Songsters rehearsal last night, I was asked from a musical perspective what I think of the Songsters. The Songsters is the Salvation Army choir, and it’s very different to any choir I’ve sung in before. However, there is a wealth of music there that fulfills me Musically, Lyrically and Spiritually. Continue reading “Count Your Blessings” →

Sherlock

by Ben Clapton, posted in Archive, Life
Sherlock Holmes (r) and Dr. John B. Watson. Fr...
Image via Wikipedia

I’ve just finished watching an episode of Sherlock – the new series where the characters and world of Sherlock Holmes is thrust into the 21st century. I thought it was very good, a worthy adaptation, that will hopefully bring the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to a new audience.

I’m not particularly familiar with his stories, knowing only a few salient details that was picked up in this new series.

Firstly, the casting in this new series is excellent. Holmes is borderline genius/neurotic, which differs to the original where Holmes was slightly more gentlemanly. Secondly, in the episode I watched, “The Great Game” his violin playing which makes a brief appearance is shockingly bad. In the original stories, Holmes was a fine amateur player, who enjoyed attending concerts of Sarasate when available.
The character Watson has also undertaken an update, becoming Holmes’ blogger, a nice touch. He gets frustrated with Holmes’ lack of knowledge about basic things such as the solar system, yet is astounded about how he can connect the minutest of details.

The episode finished with a confrontation with Professor Moriarty, who had a strangely Irish lilt to his accent, and I couldn’t help thinking he was a crazed yet calm Irish bomber – though that could have something to do with the episode featuring a lot of bombs. The episode finished on the mother of all cliff-hangers – guns focussed on Holmes and Watson, Holmes’ gun focussed on an explosive vest at the feet of Moriarty. And some how, I don’t think I’m ever going to find out how they all got out of there alive.

I’ve got to wait until next year for the next episode, but the DVD is available next week, if it has more episodes, I might just buy it.

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