Top Menu

  • Featured
  • Year In Review
  • My Reviews

Main Menu

  • Home
  • About
  • Travel Inspo
    • Africa
    • Bali
    • Fiji
    • French Polynesia
    • Philippines
    • Queensland
    • Scotland
    • Tasmania
    • Thailand
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Victoria
  • Tech
    • Excel
    • Functions
    • MySQL
    • Programming
    • Reporting
    • SQL Server
    • Web
  • More Reading
    • Friends & Family
      • Birthday
      • Family
      • Friends
      • Music
      • Theatre & Shows
      • Year In Review
    • Doing Things
      • Adventure
      • Camping
      • Food
      • Getaway
      • GoPro
      • Holidays
    • Sport & Games
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Gaming
      • Rugby League
      • Sport
    • Miscellaneous
      • Funny
      • Miscellaneous
      • Site
      • Star Struck
      • Weird
      • Work
  • Archives
  • Featured
  • Year In Review
  • My Reviews
logo

Mike250 – Travel, Family, Tech & Sport Blog

  • Home
  • About
    • Doig Family - My children and daughter in law

      About Me

      January 1, 2015
      0
    • Direct hit runout

      Random Facts

      January 1, 2015
      0
    • Arrow of Time

      Arrow of Time

      January 1, 2015
      0
    • Michael Doig in Scotland

      Photo Gallery

      January 1, 2015
      0
  • Travel Inspo
    • Melbourne & Phillip Island: Food, Family and Maze Adventures

      April 7, 2025
      0
    • Gold Coast Fun: VR Battles & Movie World Magic

      January 7, 2025
      0
    • A Dog Friendly Gold Coast Getaway at Broadbeach

      January 5, 2025
      0
    • Townsville & Cairns: Family, Heatwaves, and Holiday Chaos

      January 15, 2024
      0
    • Intimate and secluded retreat in Nusa Dua, Bali

      December 14, 2023
      0
    • Jatiluwih Rice Terraces and Tales from Ubud’s Surroundings

      December 11, 2023
      0
    • Ubud - Incredible Stay in Bali’s Cultural Heart

      December 9, 2023
      0
    • Saying Goodbye Louie and Catching Up with Friends in Manila

      April 12, 2023
      0
    • An Unbelievable Family Photo Session in Fiji

      September 16, 2022
      0
    • Africa
    • Bali
    • Fiji
    • French Polynesia
    • Philippines
    • Queensland
    • Scotland
    • Tasmania
    • Thailand
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    • Victoria
  • Tech
    • SQL Server with Mike250

      MYSQL - Find Starting With Lowercase Letter

      May 22, 2020
      0
    • SQL Server with Mike250

      Distinct Combination Selection in SQL

      June 17, 2015
      0
    • Data and Analytics with Mike250

      Clear SSRS Report Cache

      April 28, 2015
      0
    • Visual Studio - Life Runs on Code

      Subtract days, weeks etc in SSRS

      April 22, 2015
      2
    • Visual Studio - Life Runs on Code

      Create a Custom Sort Order in SSRS and Paginated Reports

      January 21, 2015
      0
    • Visual Studio - Life Runs on Code

      SSRS and Project Subfolders

      December 30, 2014
      2
    • Data and Analytics with Mike250

      Multiple labels on bar chart

      October 28, 2014
      0
    • SQL Server with Mike250

      Download all Report Server RDL's

      September 18, 2014
      0
    • Data and Analytics with Mike250

      An error occurred within the report server database

      September 10, 2014
      5
    • Excel
    • Functions
    • MySQL
    • Programming
    • Reporting
    • SQL Server
    • Web
  • More Reading
    • Friends & Family
      • Birthday
      • Family
      • Friends
      • Music
      • Theatre & Shows
      • Year In Review
    • Doing Things
      • Adventure
      • Camping
      • Food
      • Getaway
      • GoPro
      • Holidays
    • Sport & Games
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Gaming
      • Rugby League
      • Sport
    • Miscellaneous
      • Funny
      • Miscellaneous
      • Site
      • Star Struck
      • Weird
      • Work
  • Archives
Home›Author: Mike250 (Page 15)

Author: Mike250

Mike250

I'm an Australian Chief Analytics Officer passionate about data science, visual insights, and all things sport—particularly cricket. An adventurer at heart, I’ve gone from abseiling cliffs to snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, sleeping in the wilds of Africa, and exploring destinations worldwide, with my latest trip taking me to Bali. When I'm not diving into data or analytics, I'm spending time with my three sons and two daughters, attempting to hit sixes for my local cricket club, reviewing chicken schnitzels or honing my craft around a coffee machine.

  • SQL Server with Mike250

    Get First Day of the Quarter

    Programming, SQL Server
    July 15, 2012
    by Mike250
    I’m building a Stored Procedure and Report that needs to limit to data created in the previous quarter, only. The assumption is the report will be run on the first ...
    Read More
  • Data and Analytics with Mike250

    SSRS – Mixed formatting breaks hyperlink action

    Reporting Services
    July 13, 2012
    by Mike250
    I have a textbox that hyperlinks to another report via textbox action. However, in SSRS 2008 you can now now have multiple text elements within one textbox – so you ...
    Read More
  • Data and Analytics with Mike250

    SSRS – Capitalize the first letter

    Functions, Reporting Services
    July 11, 2012
    by Mike250
    Need the ability to Capitalize the first letter of a string within SSRS? I found a gem of an SSRS function by Paul Turley of SolidQ. From SSRS Report Properties ...
    Read More
  • SQL Server with Mike250

    Get first & last day of the month

    Programming, Reporting Services, SQL Server
    July 2, 2012
    by Mike250
    I'm building a Stored Procedure and Report that sets the default start date as the first day of the month one (1) month ago. Can easily be adapted to this ...
    Read More
  • Data and Analytics with Mike250

    Repeat header columns on each page not working

    Reporting Services
    June 21, 2012
    by Mike250
    Reference: Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 You’ve created a table in Reporting Services, added data, added column headers and you’re now trying to set the column headers to ...
    Read More
  • Apache Helicopter

    Go Daddy Apache Upgrade

    Programming, Web
    September 8, 2011
    by Mike250
    Go Daddy just upgraded Apache on one of the webservers I use; an important one. I found out the hard way when I discovered my league website was entirely broken ...
    Read More
  • How I Ended Up Behind the Wheel of a VW Golf GTI

    Family
    July 1, 2011
    by Mike250
    In what has turned into a bit of a "your-turn, my-turn" arrangement, it was finally my turn for a car upgrade - thanks to my trusty little Daewoo commuter developing ...
    Read More
  • iTunes Playcount

    Set Play Count in iTunes

    Miscellaneous, Music
    February 3, 2011
    by Mike250
    I had some old mp3’s lying around that were semi-okay quality wise, recently I decided to buy the AAC audio files from iTunes. I quickly faced a dilemma; I’m pretty ...
    Read More
  • T20 Big Bash

    Twenty20 Big Bash

    Cricket, Family
    January 19, 2011
    by Mike250
    So soon after attending our first Ashes Test experience I was encouraged by the response of the boys when we joined the junior club and ventured to ANZ Stadium in ...
    Read More
  • Ashes 2010/11 Sydney Test

    Ashes 2010/11 - Sydney Test

    Cricket, Family
    January 6, 2011
    by Mike250
    I realized somewhat of a childhood dream when (and I can barely believe I am admitting this) I attended my first Ashes Test in Sydney this year. Ever since I ...
    Read More
← 1 … 13 14 15 16 17 … 34 →

Latest Posts

  • David Berry, Michael Doig, Gill Bockman & Sam Heughan at Supanova Comic Con, Sydney Australia 2025

    A Dream Weekend with the Outlander Cast at Supanova Sydney

    Family, Featured, Weekend
    June 22, 2025
  • Melbourne & Phillip Island: Food, Family and Maze Adventures

    Family, Food, Getaway, Travel, Victoria
    April 7, 2025
  • Gold Coast BBQ with Old Mates, Banter & Ocean Views

    Friends
    January 9, 2025
  • Gold Coast Fun: VR Battles & Movie World Magic

    Adventure, Holidays, Queensland, Travel
    January 7, 2025
  • A Dog Friendly Gold Coast Getaway at Broadbeach

    Family, Holidays, Queensland, Travel
    January 5, 2025

Instagram

An Outlandish weekend in every sense! We had the An Outlandish weekend in every sense!

We had the absolute pleasure of meeting Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and Lord John Grey (David Berry) at Supanova Comic Con in Sydney, Australia.

As VIP guests, we attended both of their Q&A panels - each packed with charm, humour, and heartfelt insight into Outlander’s beloved characters. A pleasant addition was Charles Vandervaart (William) who made a late appearance, joining David Berry on stage and adding to the magic.

I was lucky enough to be selected to ask David a question during the panel. I said (paraphrased): 

"When we first met your character, we wanted to hate him. But over time, we grew to like him—and eventually love him. Lord John Grey is so complex, so emotional… I’m getting emotional just saying this. We were really barracking for him. What did Lord John teach you, either as an actor or as a person?"

David’s response was incredible. He shared how, as an actor, he often felt frustration reading what John was about to face - wanting to get angry for him; but the character was written to consistently respond with kindness and love. That lesson, he said, stayed with him well beyond the show.

Photos, conversations, and a signature (or two!) rounded out what was truly a dream weekend for these two Outlander fans.

#Outlander #SamHeughan #DavidBerry #CharlesVandervaart #JamieFraser #LordJohnGrey #WilliamRansom #Supanova #SupanovaComicCon #OutlanderFans #OutlanderCast #OutlanderAustralia #ComicConSydney #OutlanderQandA #TimeTravelWeekend #FraserClan #Sydney #Australia
Melbourne and Phillip Island ❤️ #melbourne # Melbourne and Phillip Island ❤️

#melbourne 
#melbournecafe 
#melbournefoodie 
#visitmelbourne 
#igersmelbourne 
#phillipisland 
#visitphillipisland 
#travelgram 
#wanderlust
#australia
A tiny house stay in Willow Tree, NSW. Glorious A tiny house stay in Willow Tree, NSW. 

Glorious sunsets (and sunrises) with wine, cheese and a BBQ on the deck, all whilst watching kangaroos 🦘 go about their business. 

If you haven't tried a tiny house stay, I highly recommend it! 

#tinyhouse #airbnb #willowtree #nsw #australia #visitnsw #instagram #photooftheday #travel #instapic #exploreaustralia #familytravel
Kicked off Australia Day fun on Gweagal land in Bo Kicked off Australia Day fun on Gweagal land in Bonnet Bay, joining the housewarming BBQ of our buddies, Brett and Abigail. Stacks of beef & lamb, drinks flowing, pool splashes, stories flying, and laughter echoing – what a ripper of a day! To top it off, Happy Birthday to their little man, Max!

#AustraliaDay #Gweagal #BonnetBay #Sydney #BBQ #InstaDaily #PhotoOfTheDay #EverydayMoments #MemoriesMade #VisitNSW
Basking in the breathtaking beauty of Ubud's rice Basking in the breathtaking beauty of Ubud's rice terraces! 🌾 

Don't be deceived, it feels like a thousand degrees. 😅 

Did you know these terraces use the traditional 'subak' irrigation system, showcasing Bali's ancient farming wisdom? Developed in the 9th century and ecologically sustainable. Incredible.

#UbudRiceTerraces #SizzlingViews #BaliMagic #GreenParadise #NatureWonder #ExploreUbud #RiceFields #TravelLaughs #TropicalEscape #BucketListAdventures #UbudVibes #IslandLife #Wanderlust
✨ Our mornings were a dream with a floating brea ✨ Our mornings were a dream with a floating breakfast nestled deep in the Ubud jungle. Caught my daughter swiping eggs from my plate – moments like these make travel unforgettable!

#UbudAdventures #JungleRetreat #FloatingBreakfast #FamilyTravel #Wanderlust #TravelGoals #ExploreBali #BucketList #NatureEscape #TravelWithKids #BalineseParadise #PhotoOfTheDay #Bali
🎉 What an EPIC day at Illawarra's Camp Quality 🎉 What an EPIC day at Illawarra's Camp Quality Convoy! 🚚✨

The food trucks were diverse, offering plenty of options. The kids enjoyed the unlimited rides, and even got to experience a helicopter ride, which was a unique highlight. Thirsty Merc performed on the main stage, adding a grand touch to a day filled with talented musicians. 

Behind the festivities, there's a heartwarming purpose to Camp Quality - bringing joy and creating memorable experiences for kids facing Cancer. Let's keep supporting this incredible cause and spreading smiles! 

Finally, home to watch the Cricket World Cup Final until bedtime, which was 8:30pm for some and 3:30am for dad 🤣

#campquality #convoy #i98 #fuckcancer #helicopter #fly #flyillawarra #festival #thirstymerc #nsw #visitnsw #australia #fatherdaughter #instadaily #instagood
After 10 short years, we've returned to Hammondvil After 10 short years, we've returned to Hammondville Halloween! What a great night filled with friends, food and great costumes. Thanks as always for hosting, @theromulans & @abner_lucille!

#hammondville #halloween #toystory #woody #squidgame #mandalorian #cleopatra #crow #family #halloweencostume
Team Bonding @ @racvcapeschanckresort #bechalleng Team Bonding @ @racvcapeschanckresort

#bechallenged #racvsnaps #team #teamwork #capeschanck #victoria #amused #teambuilding
I am blown away by the modern and tech-driven infr I am blown away by the modern and tech-driven infrastructure improvements in the area! Not to mention the Amazon.com building which looks absolutely stunning. 

The architecture is sleek and modern, truly a testament to the city's commitment to progress. Pasay is definitely a must-visit Philippines destination for anyone looking to experience the country's leading edge urban development.

And let's not forget the amazing food scene, vibrant nightlife, and friendly locals that make Pasay a great experience.

#PasayManila #ModernInfrastructure #TechDrivenCity #Amazon #UrbanDevelopment #FoodieParadise #Pasay #NightlifeFun #FriendlyLocals #PhilippinesTravel #Philippines #MOA
Just landed in Manila feeling refreshed and ready Just landed in Manila feeling refreshed and ready to explore thanks to my amazing flight experience with @flypal in their business class! From the comfy seats to the delicious food, I couldn't have asked for a better journey. Can't wait for my return to this this beautiful country, no thanks to Covid ✈️🇵🇭 #FlyPAL #PhilippineAirlines #BusinessClass #LuxuryTravel #SydneyToManila #TravelGoals #Wanderlust #ExploreTheWorld #Philippines #Manila
Happy New Year from our family to yours! May you Happy New Year from our family to yours! 

May your 2023 be full of sun, sand and memorable holidays! 

And to those who suffered loss this past year, may this year somehow find something to cause you to smile. 

With love ❤️🌴🍍

#2022 #2023 #happynewyear #newyear #family #holiday #sand #fiji #photooftheday #happy
Young love at the School Colour Run #colourrun # Young love at the School Colour Run 

#colourrun #colorrun
Tropical holidays with the one you love 😍 With Tropical holidays with the one you love 😍

With thanks to @anaisphotographyfj 📷

#summer #fiji #fijitime #fijiwater #bula #vacation #holiday #plantationisland #summervibes #malolo #photooftheday #instagood #instadaily #daughter #son #familylife #toddler #family #toddlersofinstagram #photographer #anaisphotography
I ❤️ Fiji Scribbling a message for those ove I ❤️ Fiji 

Scribbling a message for those overhead. 

Afternoons in the Fiji sun are something else. 

With thanks to @anaisphotographyfj 📷

#summer #fiji #fijitime #fijiwater #bula #vacation #holiday #plantationisland #summervibes #malolo #photooftheday #instagood #instadaily #daughter #son #familylife #toddler #family #toddlersofinstagram #photographer #anaisphotography

Latest Tweets

Michael Follow

🇦🇺 Sydney 🏏 Cricket 🏉 #NRL #PARRAdise ⚽ #HTAFC 🍀 #Celtic 📊 Chief Analytics Officer 👨🏻‍💼👨🏻‍💼🧑🏻‍💼👩🏻‍💼👩🏼‍💼 Kids 🇮🇩 Last Trip Bali

MarksmanWaugh
marksmanwaugh Michael @marksmanwaugh ·
6 Oct

As much as I wanted to see the back of "it's all about me" Klein, the Atkins experiment didn't see game flow improvement. 20 (yes 20) penalties and 6-agains in a GF is not what you want to see. Inconsistency in the use of the Sin Bin and we have another ref impacted final #NRL

Reply on Twitter 1975000660296048702 Retweet on Twitter 1975000660296048702 Like on Twitter 1975000660296048702
marksmanwaugh Michael @marksmanwaugh ·
2 Oct

Has anyone else had issues with Pearler not filling full orders on highly liquid ETFs (like VHY)? Put in a small market order and only 1 unit executed. Surprised given the liquidity.

#ETF #ASX #Pearler

Reply on Twitter 1973895872472875185 Retweet on Twitter 1973895872472875185 Like on Twitter 1973895872472875185
  • About
  • Travel Inspo
  • Tech
  • More Reading
  • Archives
© Copyright Michael Doig. 1998 - 2025. All rights reserved.