ABOUT ME

Hello there! I’m R Bismarck Aspinall – creator, owner, occasional dreamer and the one behind this site. Life? It’s a pattern. Mine’s got its fair share of rough edges and bright corners. Oh, and before I forget, I’m a husband, a dad, a granddad, and a little brother (yes, the youngest in a lively squad of eight).

I was born on the breathtaking island of Samoa, a paradise wrapped in Pacific blues. English wasn’t my thing back then. I moved to Auckland, New Zealand, in 1986 when I was 15. Bright-eyed and clueless, really. I had no idea what anyone was saying most of the time. My accent? Still got it. It sneaks out sometimes and makes me chuckle – coconut vibes (smiles), as they say!

Life growing up? Let’s just say it wasn’t all sunshine and frangipanis. Eight of us under one roof. And every imaginable clash of personalities. Chaos? Sure. Love? Plenty. At 22, I had to live solo. Sink or swim, you know? And, well, I swam though there were some heavy tides (dealing with life).

Now, this might sound fancy, but I call myself a Researchpreneur. What’s that, you ask? Bit of a mash-up – researcher meets entrepreneur. It’s like being a prospector, but for ideas and knowledge when I dig up something brilliant, bam! It’s like striking gold. Pure, unfiltered, dazzling information. There’s nothing quite like it.

I’m an odd mix, really – part idealist, part realist, part “don’t-even-ask-me-what-I’m-thinking.” A free-thinker, they’d say, with a knack for questioning everything and sometimes overthinking it too. I’m resilient. Optimistic. Also, I am a bit of an introvert (unite separately, in your own corners). When the world feels too much, I retreat, recharge, and come back sharper. Creating, dreaming, tinkering – it’s what I do best.

I’m big on mental health, been through enough of my own to know it matters. And I firmly believe in living a happy, healthy, wise (and hey, wealthy wouldn’t hurt) life.

Family is my anchor. My joy. Whether it’s cheering on my kids or sneaking off for a movie night with the grandkids, I’m there. Every moment feels like a gift, but true. And let me not forget Gus (or Gussi), my 9-month-old shorthaired black cat, my therapist in disguise. He listens better than most humans (with a look that says he’s judging me anyway cause he knows who I’m talking about).

After nine years in Melbourne, we packed up and returned to New Zealand in November 2020. It felt like hitting reset. Melbourne, Australia gave us memories, but New Zealand? It’s home. Life now? Simple, steady, and (mostly) content. I don’t chase shiny things (worldly materials). Just trying to savour the now, the quiet hum of life in its rawest form.

Oh, yeah, before you flip the next page, I have a few personal achievements listed in there, but let’s keep it real. My point isn’t to boast. It’s to show you that if someone like me, a kid from Samoa who barely spoke English at 15 can do all this, then so can you. Life’s about moving past the walls others build or the ones you unknowingly build for yourself.

So, that’s me, well, it’s me anyway. Take what resonates, leave the rest and enjoy the ride.

Cheers!