Record of Residences

Bio

A widely-traveled Information Technology and Telecommunications Professional born many years ago in Johannesburg South Africa, with a BSc in Management Information Systems, Magna cum Laude from Harrington University, London, England.

Michael's corporate experience is the implementation of complex billing systems for usage-based billing.  These computer systems are typically used in the Telecommunications and Utility industries.

However, as a result of a series of profound personal epiphanies while traveling in Thailand & Malaysia in mid 2004, Michael's life changed dramatically after a decision to leave full time employment.  He radically changed his lifestyle, choosing a simpler way of living - a return to basics.  He refers to the period between July 2004 and December 2006 as his Sabbatical.

In May 2006, Michael's father was involved in a high-speed car accident in Thailand.  Michael spent 5 months in Thailand, taking his father in and out of 4 hospitals for a series of neuro-surgeries.  The significant medical and legal bills drained the family's finances, resulting in Michael's decision to return to the corporate world in 2007. 

Michael is now Managing Director, Europe for a global software and solutions company who focus on reducing the Carbon Footprint of large companies in the Banking and Finance, Telecommunications and Utilities sectors.

International Exposure

As well as extensive travels throughout Europe, Africa, Australia, North and South America and Asia, Michael has lived in (spent more than 6 months in any one place, living as a local, as opposed to traveling through):

South Africa: Johannesburg, Pretoria,  Cape Town

Australia: Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne

United States:  Washington DC, Phoenix AZ

United Kingdom:  Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cambridge, London

Spain:  Madrid, with extensive travel throughout the country and two road trips through France and Spain

Taiwan: Taipei, with extensive travel throughout SE Asia

Thailand: Islands and Bangkok

Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur and islands

Interests

Interests are Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization,  global political observation and international travel. Michael also maintains a library of useful ebooks which reflect his varied interests.

Information Publishing

In early 2003 Michael started learning about Internet Marketing, with the launch of his first website - a conspiracy related site.  The theme was chosen because of an increasing public interest reflected in the number of Google searches being conducted, coupled with a lack of sites covering the particular niche.  At it's peak, the site received more than 1,000 unique visitors per day.  

Michael's political beliefs changed significantly during 2006, leading to the eventual successful auction of the site in December 2006.

During Michael's Sabbatical, he authored and self-published a book, as part of his commitment to lifelong learning.  The exercise was a conscious decision to learn the process of authoring, publishing and marketing a book, and many (sometimes painful) lessons were learnt.  The writing process commenced in July 2005 as a Free Email Seminar.  This methodology committed Michael to completing a chapter each week (to overcome writer's block), and provided immediate feedback from interested subscribers.

Using a pen-name, the book version of the Seminar, Fresh Wisdom, appeared on Amazon.com on December 1st, 2005 and Amazon.co.uk on January 20th, 2006.  While sales never reached the levels Michael had dreamed of, the lessons learnt about self-publishing and marketing will be used for a future title.

Next: Michael's History