Cyrus Bharda

Well what an exciting last day! I rushed around, raffling off a small hamper put together by the wonderful Win Wagner. The results are in, and here are my totals as at 6pm AEST (GMT+10) Online Donations: $2,497.00 Trivia Night Proceeds: $690.00 Cash Donations: $203.00 Misc Spare Change Donations: $149.45 Total: $3,539.45 People who have donated, you have humbled me. I have no words than can express my utter gratitude! Thank you just seems such an understatement! I was hoping for $2,500 this year and with ALL your help we have SMASHED that! WOW! Did you know in 2008 Movember achieved a new benchmark of $20 million raised, an increase of 25% over the previous year. Of the funds raised, Movember has donated $16.3 million (80% of funds raised) to the two men's health partners - the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue. 10% of the funds raised were used for Movember's primary objective of raising awareness about men's health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression. 8% was used to cover campaign costs. This level of administration and fundraising costs is best practice when compared with other Australian charities, as evidenced by Givewell's reported fundraising ratio average of 19% surveyed across 162 Australian charities. A small surplus of 2% was retained and is being invested in the 2009 campaign. This all means that your wonderful generosity is going to be very wisely invested, and you should all be PROUD to know that you HAVE made a difference in someones life, although you may never see the effect your dollar has had on one life, that effect will be worth a lot more than you can possibly imagine! There are still several hours left for Movember, so if you wish to still donate more, please feel free via this link: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 About the pink hair, well at first I was considering doing it during my Christmas break, but have asked my supervisor if it would be acceptable for me to do as I have promised and dye my head pink, and you will have to stay tuned to see what the outcome of that conversation was! Cheers, Cy

Added : 30 November 2009 | 10 Week Ago

Wow, I have had such a busy weekend of sleeping that I actually went to sleep tonight before I remembered I did my update, lucky I had a puppy to lick me awake and for me to remember! Well this is the second last day, and what can I say, if you are reading this and still have not donated, than you still have time to go here and donate today! http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 For those who have donated, I want to thank you. Thank you for supporting me for this whole month. I know a lot of you have parted with hundreds of your hard earned dollars, and although thank you seems a bit lost and insignificant, you not only have my thanks, but my respect. I am hoping to tally up all the cash donations, along with the finaly tally for the trivia night effort and see if that all together pushes this years totally above $3,000. Even if it doesn’t, those who have donated should be proud. You have all together put enough together to beat last years total, which is just awesome, here’s looking forward to next year! Cheers, Cy

Added : 29 November 2009 | 10 Week Ago

Well I have had a quiet day, and since I dont actually have the proceeds from the trivia night I am unable to count it all up. What a nice colour gree that is in the picture, hmmm might go green Mo next year! NEVER FEAR, I actually have until June 30th to get my cash donations in, so IF I do go over $3,000 with the added Trivia Night proceeds, than during the week that CQUni closes down for Christmas, I'll dye my head pink then! So the closest estimation to the Trivia Night proceeds were just over $650, and my total online donations to date are $2,270 so that is VERY close to $3,000. So if you want to see me with a pink head this christmas holidays, I believe we are EXTREMELY close, even if it is only $1, it could be that dollar that pushes my total over $3,000! Donate today online here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Stay tuned for further pinky updates! Cheers, Cy

Added : 28 November 2009 | 10 Week Ago

Well I have just gotten home and WOW, what a fun night. It looks like we have raised over $650 which is AWESOME! I hope everyone had as an enjoyable night as I did, there was some controversy with some of my answered deemed more than a bit dubious, but then again the people who came were more than willing to compromise on most of the disputes. That will put me perilously close to $3,000 and I have agreed that if I hit $3,000 then my whole head will go pink, well for a couple of days until I will have to shave it all off at the end of Movember. So if you wish to help me get past the $3,000 mark, go here and donate today! http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Until tomorrow, I bid you adieu! Cheers, Cy

Added : 28 November 2009 | 10 Week Ago

Wow, time does fly when you are finishing off the questions for the trivia night! Looks like it will be a great one, we have 5 teams prebooked, and I have just finalized the visual and audio question rounds, What does that mean, well come to the trivia night and find out! I redid the pink today so hopefully it'll be nice and bright for my fellow workmates, if you see me wandering the halls of FSD or ITD with a bucket, feel free to empty out all that loose change you might have that is weighing you down, it'll be one of the best investments you can make! I apologise if I am not able to visit you personally, but dont fear, you can donate as low as $0.05, I am currently ranked #206 in Australia and dropping fast, are you able to help, donate online here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 27 November 2009 | 10 Week Ago

Another day in teenager paradise! Going to bed in the early morning and waking up around lunchtime, it is playing havok with my internal clock. Seems it has not affected the growing rate of my mo though. It is still growing slowly, although the pink is starting to wane, with the white starting to come through, I was hoping not to have to bleach it again until Thursday night, ready for a nice pink day at work for Friday and the trivia night in the evening! We have had 5 teams register so there is still some room if you want to have a great, fun night with mates, get your $20 deposit to Lisa Green in B19 1.50 or Rhonda Finely at B19 Level 1 Reception. So far the donations past $2,000 have been slow, and I know there are some people reading this out there that could give a couple of dollars. I just did the sums and if all the people that I distribute this message to, not including those who have already given, if those people gave $2 each, it would totaly about $800, which would get me very close to $3,000. If you are one of those people reading this who have not already given and could afford a measly $2, please visit my Mo site and donate today! http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 25 November 2009 | 10 Week Ago

So as slowly as my facial hair grows, it is actually helping bring out the pink, which probably will only last another day or two, lucky I have plenty of bleach and pink to give it another blast before the trivia night this Friday! I am currently ranked 160th in the amount of funds raised. Thank you very much for helping me get there! Without your continued support and help, both in monetary and non-monetary help, I certainly would not have been able to achieve this feat on my lonesome, so thank you. The end is looming, only 6 days to go, so if you still think you are able to scrape together another dollar or two, please visit my Movember site here and donate today! http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 24 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

Well this week I am volunteering with Red Frogs, they go out and help schoolies through schoolies week. What has this got to do with Movember? Well Thanks to my pink Mo, it is really handy as an icebreaker with the schoolies, they come over and ask about it and we have a chat. Not only that, but I even had one schoolie as if he could donate to Movember! Now we have passed through the $2,000 mark, thanks to 2 very big and generous donations, is anyone willing to find out the certain dollar amount in one single donation that will make me turn my whole head pink? Have a go and donate here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 23 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

So, as many of you know, the majority of my donations come directly from people I play an online game with, GEWar. Yesterday one of those people, Paul, shared his story with me, and it makes it quite clear why Movember is so important, this is his story: One of my best and closest friends was diagnosed as being clinically depressed 7 years ago - to be honest, I don't scare easily but some of his stories about the times before he was diagnosed with the condition and prescribed proper medication are truly harrowing! He almost succeeded in committing suicide one night and it was only by pure chance/fate that me and another friend found him in time. The mental picture of the condition and state I found my friend in will never leave me, if I'm honest then it still haunts me to this very day and always will I think. This "incident" happened during the significantly long period when he was undergoing tests for depression, and therefore any research that leads to faster diagnosis of this condition is very much needed! Also, an ex-girlfriend's father killed himself while I was in a relationship with her. This showed the other side of depression. I did not know her father well, nor would I do the clichéd routine of trying to make out I did. However, I saw the effect this had on his family and my girlfriend at the time. Depression doesn't only affect the individual, it affects everyone around them, as this situation made very clear and it absolutely devastated everyone close to him. Finally my uncle, who emigrated to Aus in 1991, died of prostate cancer in 2004. Once again, this was one of those conditions that like depression, didn't only affect the individual but also the entire circle of friends and family around him. As corny as this may sound, the causes supported by Cy/Ska and Movember don't only help the individuals affected by these conditions. They also help the countless friends and family members around affected individuals and any research advances made in these areas actually helps hundreds/thousands of people all in all, not just the people suffering from these conditions. Anyway, sorry about my blathering on for ages, I just wanted to explain the personal effect these conditions that Movember supports can have on people in general, rather than just the individual condition sufferers themselves. Supporting causes like Movember doesn't only help tens of individuals, it actually helps thousands of people in turn who often don't get recognition for what they go through due to these conditions affecting people close to them. I am sure there are far reaching effects your donation has, much more than you can possible imagine. You can donate here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 22 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

So it is a beautiful Saturday, you are strolling around the shopping centre with the family, enjoying the day out, when all of a sudden…… BAM! You remember that you promised everyone that if someone made a donation of over a certain amount in one go, then you would colour your Mo pink! OH Yeah and the previous night I DID receive one single donation of $261, from a wonderful person! So I went out and bought the peroxide, the bleach powder, and most importantly, “Pretty Flamingo” hair colour. So, off I went and prepped the bleach, spread it on thick as my pain nerves would allow and waited the recommended 45mins, and hey presto, not quite white, but good enough. Yes I did miss some, but they were the ones close to my nostril and edge of my mouth, so you can understand why I missed them. So once 10mins of searing pain was over, the rest of the bleaching time went pretty uneventful. In I hopped for now my 2nd shower of the day to was it off and check out my skin and prep the area for the “Pretty Flamingo”. On slopped the “Pretty Flamingo”, and at first I thought that I had erred by buying the slightly darker pink rather than the lighter pink, but I hoped that when I washed it out, it would lighten up. I have bleached my hair on my head several times back to white, and then red, green, blue and purple, so knew from them that the colour did lighten, but I hadn’t really coloured my hair like this in well over 5yrs. Then, after following the instructions and washing it out, I think it came up a treat! SO Now, if you want to see my whole HEAD go pink, there is another dollar amount, so if someone donates that amount, I will bleach my head back to white and pink it until the end of Movember! It will be higher than $250 though, but oh SO worth it! If you want to donate, even if it is not a huge amount, here is my Mo-site to donate online: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 21 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

Tomorrow I go shopping for bleach, peroxide and pink hair die. I have taken most of next week off work to do some other volunteer work, so having a pink Mo wont really bother anyone much. This last third of Movember is one of the most important legs of the race. It's the stretch where you decide whether you run a good race, or a great one. It's the stage where weariness wants the better of me and at times I’m tempted to hand it over. Right now is the moment when I decide what the outcome will be. It's time for me to lift. It's time to encourage others and support mates, mine and yours. It's time to be inspired and inspiring, to lead and be led. Mo Bros and Sistas, this is your moment to shine. Dig deep. You're almost there. http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 20 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

Well the itchiness has returned with a vengeance, but each time I think about chopping it off, I only have to think of the sacrifices you all have made to make donations to my fund raising efforts. The money you could’ve spent else where. Money that you could’ve gone out and bought booze, or smokes or hookers…… well maybe not the hookers part J Anyway, it would be utterly disrespectful of me to just throw that sacrifice that you have made away for nothing. Today the total is still ticking along nicely, added to the fact that I have now 5 teams of 5 pre-booked for my trivia fund raising night, we are really shaping up to go past last years mark, which is really exciting for me! If you have not yet donated, I urge you to donate what you can online using my Mo-site here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 It doesn’t matter if it is one cent, one dollar or hundreds of dollars, each one is important and could be the dollar that was used in some brilliant breakthrough! At the moment I am actually ranked 196 in Australia. Who would’ve thought it, some nobody from Central Queensland would have so much support, stretching far and wide, all around the world! But to put things firmly in perspective, in Rockhampton there are 326 people doing Movember and together we have all raised $15,123.04 One of the problems with this classic diagnosis of depression is that researchers are beginning to recognize that men often don’t acknowledge feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or guilt. Researchers – and clinicians specializing in helping men – are also beginning to recognize symptoms of depression that seem to be unique to men. The important thing to know about these symptoms, and about men’s depression, is that they’re treatable. If you feel depressed you don’t have to continue suffering. And although it’s a very serious, (and sometimes life-threatening condition), you can recover from depression. You wouldn’t continue to walk on a broken ankle forever. Don’t continue to suffer from depression any longer. Get help now. See you all tomorrow! Cheers, Cy

Added : 19 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

WHOOP WHOOP!! WE HAVE A CODE PINK PEOPLE! What is a code pink? Well a mate of mine set a target dollar amount, that if I had one person donate that amount or higher I would die my Mo pink at the end of the month. That amount was $250 and there was a $261 single donation made overnight, DING DING DING! So keep a look out for lovely pics of me sporting my new and improved Pink Mo, coming to an Internet near YOU! Onward and Upward, I am slowly creeping up to last year’s AU$2,000 mark, again this achievement has been all you. You have decided to give your hard earned cash to Movember. You have helped make a difference in the world. You have made all this possible, for without you donating, and the MASSIVE amount of support I have received, you would not be reading this and I probably wouldn’t be doing this every year, so thank you for spurring me on, and to everyone who has said a kind word or helped me out along the way, I cannot thank you enough! If you think you can help us beat the $2,000 mark of last year, simply go to my Movember Site here and click on the “Donate to Me” link: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 The total currently stands at: $1,637.49 Cheers, Cy

Added : 18 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

Well here I am, hard at work……. *cough* I mean totally exhausted from a ultra hard days work that I was so tired I had to go to sleep. How else was I going to get in my 18hour beauty sleep I need a day, and by the looks of this mugshot, I NEED AS MUCH AS I CAN GET! More preparations for the trivia night were made today, I would also like to thank: Birch, Carrol & Coyle Cnemas JB Distributers They have donated items I can use in the main prize for the trivia night, which is wonderful!! Man the heat from down in the south of Australia has finally made its way north to Central Queensland hasn’t it…. Not as disturbing as these statistics: One out of every six Australian men suffers from depression at any given time. Teenagers and the elderly are particularly at risk. Male depression is associated with an increased risk of health disorders, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Life issues - such as the death of a spouse, separation, divorce and unemployment - trigger serious depression in men more often than in women. Men are likely to resort to destructive behaviours in an attempt to deal with depression. Depressed men are twice as likely as depressed women to abuse alcohol and drugs. The suicide rate for males aged between 15 and 24 years has tripled in the past three decades. Movember supports beyondblue.org.au to try and tackle some of these issues and meet the needs of the Men who are in crisis. To donate, please go to my secure Movember site here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 17 November 2009 | 11 Week Ago

If you went into Rocky today, you might have spotted a frsh young chap, with a strapping moustache, sporting a clipboard, a handfull of Movember cards, and a mind full of dreams and aspirations. And then I woke up, got dressed and actually went into town, asking local businesses if any could give items to put towards a hamper for first prize at the upcoming Movember Trivia Night being held at CQuniversity, 27th of November, 2009. And was I surprised. I got shunned and booed out of nearly all of anything that was a franchise, their automated responce, "Well we'd love to help you out, but our corporate headquarters does all that kind of stuff so you will have to get the paper work off them and fill it all out, and blahdy blahdy blah blah....." But you know I was actually treated like a human being by a lot of the no-name, local businesses. I was blessed by a huge amount of items, most well under $10, some under $5, which is exactly what I was looking for. My lesson for today kiddies, support your local no-name shop. The big corporations and franchises might pour a lot of time and effort and funds into the local community, but all I was asking for was a small token, and was treated downright horribly by some, which shall remain nameless! Just incase you have gone blind and have not read one of the many posts or emails or any other of the types of spam I send this out to, my donation Movember website is here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 SO if you are in rocky I implore you to consider spending some of your hard earned cash at one of the following retailers: L&H Electrical Wholesaler The Optical Superstore Bangalore on East Street Stewarts Department Store Capricorn Model House Mark Bunt Menswear Australian Country Living Sun Palms Hotel Motel 1st Choice Liquor Superstore Angus & Robertson Cheers, Cy

Added : 16 November 2009 | 12 Week Ago

What a great Day! I went to church and then was invited around a mates house, who has just bought a pool. Sitting around after we had a small chat about Movember and how my Mo was going, it was really nice to talk about how it was going. What I didnt do was ask them about when the last time they were checked for prostate cancer or had a talk to someone if they were feeling a bit depressed. I think Aussie guys have a real stigma about talking about such things. Men dont get sick, or depressed so she'll be right mate, it wont happen to me. Think again! There were 56,158 new cases of cancer diagnosed in males in 2005. By far the most common was prostate cancer (16,349 cases), which made up over 29% of all diagnoses and had well over double the number of cases of the second most common cancer, colorectal cancer (7,181 cases). (http://www.aihw.gov.au/cancer/index.cfm) So I am throwing out the gauntlet, how many mates can I talk to about this serious matter, how many can you? The online donations are still trickling in, THANK YOU! I am not really fund raising the total amount donated to me, you are just able to make a positive difference to the world through me. Feel free to keep donating, even if it is only $1, it all counts! http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Looks like still have not yet fixed up the issues they were having with paypal, but as soon as it is back available I'll do my best to let you all know! Cheers, Cy

Added : 15 November 2009 | 12 Week Ago

I was just about asleep when I remembered Mr James Dean, which shocked me into getting up and giving you all todays update, without him, I might have missed a day! Who is Mr James Dean you ask? In recognition of the outstanding efforts of Mo Bro James Dean in 2008, The Movember Foundation has created the ‘Mo Mo – James Dean Memorial Award’. Going forward, this will be awarded each year to the individual who raises the most amount of money during the Movember campaign in Australia. James was a man who was faced with one of life’s toughest challenges, cancer, yet he chose to put a cause above his personal battle. The cause - men’s health. James raised an astonishing $39,000 for Movember in 2008 by growing an unforgettable moustache. In doing so, he set a record for the highest amount raised by an individual since Movember’s inception. A record that is even more incredible considering he did this predominantly from his hospital bed. James passed away in January 2009, aged 29, after fighting cancer for 18 months. His efforts inspired, and continue to inspire, many people across the globe including the team at Movember. We felt that acknowledging James in this way could be our way of remembering a man who touched us all. Movember is forever indebted to the support and contribution from James and his family. James’ legacy will never be forgotten in Movember history. If you wish to donate, please visit my Mo-Site: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Cheers, Cy

Added : 14 November 2009 | 12 Week Ago

Ooga Booga Booga, it is Friday the 13th, ooOOooOOooOooo Yeah it didn’t scare my kids either, meh I’m over it :D Well Movember is nearly half way through, wow time has flown, the total online donations has hit the wall I think. I really do appreciate everyone’s efforts in donating what they can afford, but there is only so much you can squeeze out of stone. Still if you think you can spare a couple of dollars, please visit my mo-site: http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316/ The bookings for the trivia night are starting to come in thick and fast, so to secure your team of 5, please drop in $20 to me ASAP! Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Check out further details at: http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs Cheers, Cy

Added : 13 November 2009 | 12 Week Ago

Remembrance Day. What a day. Dedicated to remembering those who have fought, and died and are still fighting in wars around the world today. I am in a battle myself, it is between the itchy feeling on my face and the urge to scratch it with my hand, so far the hand has won out more times than the itch. For those who are not aware of the Trivia night details, here they are: It is to be held on the 27th of November, 2009 in building 32 LG15 to start at 6pm. Cost will be $10 per person in teams of 5. Seats are limited! To secure your team please prebook your team in with a $20 deposit. Upon talking to mates tonight, I realised just how slow my mo actually grows, but I guess it grows just as fast as it needs to. Not as fast as the donations! We have passed the $1,200 mark, meaning only $800 more and we match what was raised last year! To help get there and hopefully further, please feel free to pop over to my movember page here and donate today! http://au.movember.com/mospace/4316 Overwhelmingly depression has been seen as a woman's problem, and the rate of depression among women is usually estimated as twice that of men. However recent research has shown that men are actually just as likely to be depressed, if not more so. The difference is that depression symptoms in men and women differ and male depression tends occur at a different stage of life. If you think that you or a mate could be suffering, go to beyondblue.org.au and access the vast amount of information and please seek professional advice, today! Cheers, Cy

Added : 13 November 2009 | 12 Week Ago

We have officially gone Platinum! You have help me raise $1,000 for the Movember 2009 campaign which is an incredible result and means that I can now claim official membership to the Movember Platinum Club. This would not have been possible from the last donation from Huxy from GEWar. Who or What is GEWar I hear you ask? Well the best way to describe GEWar is it is much like the board game, Risk™. Except one of the interfaces for the game is in Google Earth™. 80% of the $1,000 I have raised so far have been from members of that game, is is free to play so feel free to pop over to www.gewar.net and register! Well today's picture is fairly bland, and you can probably expect tomorrows to be much the same as I am going to try to trim it up on Monday morning, ready for work. Movember and its men’s health partners would like to thank you for your support in 2009. The money you have raised will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others, through the projects implemented by the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Cheers, Cy

Added : 13 November 2009 | 12 Week Ago