Some in the crowd mentioned they had seen Il Divo on Monday which was also a great event, though on a different scale to the Ten Tenors' first Brisbane performance in 2 years.

Tuesday 6 Feb 2007  

Home again. I really don't like jet lag. I think all of us who travelled are feeling the effects with early nights and early mornings.

Overall the trip has been good. There was a lot of work to do this trip but I still managed to have fun as well which was good. Though I have never been so cold in my life - regularly below 0oC + windchill. You'll see plenty of jackets, scarves, earmuffs, gloves etc in all the photos.

Sunday 4 Feb 2007  

Today is the last day. Our flight is at 6.40pm and whilst it has been good, all of us are eager to get home. I was actually ready for home a few days ago. So after a late checkout and a late lunch, we finally bundled ourselves into the ubiquitous yellow cab and off to the airport.  

I love Frequent Flyers! I’ve just been upgraded to Silver class and the flight attendant checking in my bags comp’d me into the Transit Lounge (where I’m now enjoying complimentary snacks and drinks prior to boarding) and has done all he can to secure an emergency aisle seat for me. Love it! But I’m not looking forward to this long flight home though I am looking forward to coming home.  

Saturday 3 Feb 2007  

I feel better today though I still have the remnants of a cold. A few others are going sightseeing so I decide to join them. Today we travelled on the free ferry to Staten Island and had a quick look around. The highlight of Staten Island was the very comfy bar/restaurant where we had lunch and the gorgeous old theatre that was recently revived and renovated. (photos attached)  

After the return trip on the ferry, which has a fantastic view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan Island, and freezing ourselves to the bone on the deck of the ferry, we decided to trip to the Uptown Manhattan where the museum Mile is located and have a look through a museum. The museum of choice was the Met museum (a favourite) and whilst I love that museum, it was tiring spending more time walking around.  

We managed to find a great little chicken grill place for dinner before jumping back on the Subway and heading back to the hotel.  

There was a dance party happening tonight but with my cold, sore feet and sore body, I just don’t think I’ll enjoy it. Plus, I still have to pack and I want to get a good night’s sleep.  

Friday 2 Feb 2007  

I woke this morning and felt atrocious. This was not going to be a good day. As it was, I woke late and my colleagues across the hall also slept late. I bid them good luck as I disappeared back into my room to recover and knock a coming cold on its head. I spent most of the day dozing until I finally got up and made it to the nearest Duane and Reade for some pharmaceutical help and then to the local café for food.  

And then back to bed.  

Thursday 1 Feb 2007  

Today was a day for sleeping in…and in…until 10 when we had a meeting which then went on for a while, but it was good to review all our leads, strategies etc. We didn’t do much else in the afternoon. I did manage to get some shopping done which was good. I still reckon my best purchase was a pair of earmuffs for 4USD from a sidewalk vendor. Those things were lifesavers.

Wed 31 January 07

The Trade Show is over! After 3 exhausting days, talking with hundreds of Americans and working the laptop, TIME OUT! I’ve, again, had to be very careful not to pick up any American lingo like “Neat” or “Super” and to say “Pro-cessing” not “Prah-cessing”. I’ve finally got a night to just crash so I’m doing that. We have a team meeting tomorrow morning and then the rest of the time is our own so I think I’ll be going to the theatre tomorrow night with a few others.

It has been bitterly cold every day in New York so I’ve been layering up to protect against the cold, but the wind is the killer – it just whips around any exposed skin (usually the face) and chills to the bone. It is regularly below 0oC during the day plus wind AND I hear it’s hot and humid in Australia. *Greaaat*.

There’s also more snow around so there are some very picturesque moments where the (few) parks have a light covering of snow and the streets have a disgusting mush of snow, salt and dirt in the gutter and footpath. *Charming*

Every night so far I’ve collapsed into bed between midnight and 2am with all the work and prep I’ve been doing, but I’m determined to crash earlier tonight.

Tuesday 30 January 07

More trade show today. It’s very tiring and I am over talking about the same thing. Our product has a few limitations which make it a difficult sell to some prospective clients and we know what these limitations are and have scheduled resources to work on them over the next 6 months but it’s very frustrating to be able to see the need and how to fulfil it but just can’t quite make it happen. We have one day left at the trade show and then a few days to see the sights.

Also, the basketball was prohibitively expensive and the ice hockey was sold out – so no basketball or ice hockey match for us this time but we’re trying to get to the theatre. I may have convinced a few colleagues to come dancing on Saturday night, which would be lots of fun.

Oh well. I’m very tired but can’t really waste a night in NY according to my friends here so we’re off to dinner somewhere. Maybe Planet Hollywood in Times Square or Little Italy. I fancy a pizza.

…

I knew I was tired and working too much on the computer when I looked at myself in the mirror in front of the computer and saw the reflection of the computer monitor in my eyes. I had become a true square eye…for now.

…

Tonight I increased my cancer risk 100 fold by walking through Times Square at night with millions of watts of neon light radiating me. I guess that goes with the risk of travelling in a NY taxi. Dinner was with friends at Planet Hollywood which was fun. I discovered root beer is double sarsaparilla and is disgusting. Dessert was Dunkin’ Donuts cream filled donut with chocolate icing and a hot chocolate which went down sooooo well.

I have been having fun wandering around the NY Hilton and Manhattan streets in a suit and stylin’ it up!

Monday 29 January 07

First day of trade show

Early start at 7.30 at local cafe/deli

Setup and started tradeshow. Very busy. On the go all day. Lunch at 3.30. Talking with many people, demos with many people. Again, I was reminded of all the money and ego that floats around the conference. There are thousands of lawyers, litigators and technical people who comprise this seething mass of hungry sellers and buyers, all vying for one another’s business. We have met some very nice people in our discussions and had some very positive meetings. If only we could convert that positive feedback into sales!

5pm Cocktail party drinks with clients and potential clients at club 21 on 52nd st which is a very ornate, cosy Victorian style building in the middle of shiny skyscrapers. The finger food and service was exceptional and we had excellent opportunities to speak with clients and prospects. On the whole, it was a very good evening, where everyone who attended commented on how great the team is and what a great drinks evening. The evening of the first day of LegalTech is traditionally a hot competition for companies providing drinks. But we managed to pull some key people to the company which was very exciting.  

I had a very interesting encounter with an American woman from another vendor at the trade show who claimed I looked a lot like her idol, DJ AM (who is currently dating Mandy Moore - apparently). So much so, that she got a magazine with a photo in it to compare with me. I had no idea who DJ AM is, but there were some similarities (I guess).

After the cocktail party, drinks continued (of course) at the Hilton with clients and friends. I haven't been drinking any alcohol so I feel pretty good (even though it is now 12.30am).

Sleep in tomorrow...7.45

Sunday 28 January 2007

Good brekkie again. I don’t think I could survive the morning without brekkie.

We had a quick trip to the Hilton to setup for LegalTech. I had forgotten how much our lives our in the hands of NY cab drivers. The road lanes are only suggestions as the insane rush of yellow machines collect and disperse human cargo all over the city.

We had some light snow and rain last night, which made it very *pleasant* walking home.

I had lots of fun at an afternoon Lindy Swing workshop for 4 ½ hours. After relentless discussions with others in the team, I may just get almost everyone to a dance party next weekend…here’s hoping!

The day was capped off with a long prep session for the conference tomorrow. I spent a couple of hours with Paulien creating a music list for the cocktail party. We’ve including lots of swinging tunes from Robbie Williams, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, the ladies of blues and more. Some questionable tunes attempted to get in but Rob Zombie, Rage Against the Machine and Regurgitator were not quite the right mood for lawyers and technical staff at a posh club.

Here we go!

7.30 am start…ugh. It’s now 12.30am.

Saturday 27 January 2007

We’ve found our regular brekkie place with a 2 egg, bacon and cheese bagel freshly cooked for $3, jumbo coffee for $1.75 and 3 pancakes for 2.95 ($3.70 with bacon). So we’re on a winner with that one.

The morning was once again some more prep for the conference. However, the afternoon and evening were entirely different. This afternoon, I saw an amazing 2 hour Tango show http://www.tangox2.com/ featuring some incredible movement, music and expression. It was predominately Argentine Tango which involves lots of intimate turns, lifts and spectacular leg flicks. I also had the pleasure of speaking with an elderly lady who learnt tango to surprise her daughter and son-in-law who would go dancing when staying with her from interstate. She has since loved the dance and regularly dances in Manhattan at social milongas. She also gave me the inside word on some good places to go dancing.

We had a great dinner with our US sales guy and with an industry consultant. We had some very informative discussions and shared a great dinner in an Italian Restaurant.

Again, the team were off to the Groove Bar (for the third night out of four nights so far), but I was off dancing again. I was a bit disappointed by this studio. There weren’t very many people at all, it was an older area and there was no vibe to the place. Even so, I ended up staying and chatting for an hour and half with the two Aussie chicks who ran the studio and party night. One was from Lismore and another from Casino so there were some interesting stories. There’s another party next Saturday night with the chief instructor taking his once-a-month group lesson prior to the party, so I might try to get to that.

They gave me advice for what studios to look for and reckoned I was on a winner with Dance Manhattan.

I’m trying to get the dancing out of my system now cos I won’t have much time over the next week to fit in Theatre, basketball, dinners and Carnegie Hall during the nights. We also have a Cocktail Party (really just drinks) with clients and potential clients on Monday night at this ritzy club, so that should be interesting.

A long layover in HK. I am stuffed. Physically and mentally tired, particularly after the rushed exit from Italy.

I arrived about 6am and my flight leaves for Brisbane 11.30pm.

So I got another stamp in my passport and out to see some sights. Only a few. Maybe just a couple. Slowly.

It is so humid here! Ugh! I found a Starbucks (I’ve developed a taste for Choc or Mocha Frappecinos) and planned where the closest places to see are.

In the end, I just wandered to the Peak Tram which is a tram going up to a peak overlooking Hong Kong Island and Kowloon (obviously named). Amazing views, very hot, sticky and tiring so that was the extent of my sightseeing in HK. There’s a bit of shopping around but I was over it. Some areas are remarkably clean others are quite dirty. Skyscrapers everywhere but some nice scenery around.

Snoozed a bit in the Airport. HK airport is impressive, in size and efficiency. I’m definitely over announcements in 3 languages. Particularly when automated machine-voiced announcements in another language are repeated ad nauseum.

Nearly home.

Friday

Arrived home today and very tired.

Apologies I haven’t sent some of these emails before but intermittent email access makes it hard.

Sunday night

At the airport for the trip to Rome so I only caught the first 20mins of Brazil v Australia match but I hear that we played well. I eventually arrived in Rome and started chatting to a very nice Brazilian family about the game.

Monday

Excelente primo oggie e Italia. (Excellent first day in Italy)

Love it, love it, love it, love it, love it, love it

The people, the architecture, the history, the language, the food!! (Mania, mania, mania – eat, eat, eat!)

I caught up with my friend Jae with much joy.

We started with a great breakfast with panini and latte machiatto (coffee soooo good) and saw (the first of many) an amazing church with intricate artwork and a da Vinci sundial, clock/calendar.

Lots of sightseeing

Spanish steps (Scarpa Espana)

Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi)

Pantheon

Monument to the Unknown Soldier (Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele Il)

Some Roman ruins (Forums) (Arco di Tito)

Colosseum (Colosseo)

Amazing shopping

100% silk ties (cravata) for 6.90euro! (about $11AUD)

Bought an amazing pure wool Italian navy pin stripe suit

An Italian national football jersey

Some touristy things

Had a great converstazione with the vendors in this tiny little silk tie shop. Francesco and Magherita were wonderful, chatting away in English and Italian about themselves, Australia, Italy, men, women and more! It was so cool to meet and become almost ‘instant family’. I got one of the best compliments from a complete stranger there – who commented on the tranquillity in my eyes and face, which I didn’t expect, but was gladly received – grazie mille!

Had a great lunch of Mozarella di Buffalo (Mozarella with buffalo milk) which is quite tasty and a delicacy for Jae. Followed by spaghetti amatriciana – soooo good! And washed down with mineral water and Peroni, of course! The place is a favourite of Jae and her partner, Flavio. We ate in a great little garden area and the waiter was a rotund, jolly fellow who talked to himself and loved food.

BTW, Italians take their food VERY seriously. Good food is appreciated and very social – bad food is not tolerated. Hence, there’s lots of good food around J

Andiamo!

Tuesday

Navigating the Metro – finally figured it out

The Vatican today

The morning line up for the Vatican Museums (the largest collection of ‘stuff’ in the world) and the Sistine Chapel was at least 200m long and several deep. So I said, stuff that, and wandered around to St Peter’s Basillica and Piazza which is amazing. I took so many photos yet none do justice to the scale of the place.

I managed to join a free English tour hosted by a graduated Theology student from Canada. It was free because it was a promo for their tour of the museums and Sistine Chapel. The guide was very good and very knowledgeable.

The interior is all built in perspective style, so though things are very high up, they appear the same size as things close by except that physically, side by side, they are much larger. Eg. To make statues near the ceiling appear the same size as statues near the floor, they are scaled as much as 50-100%!

The opulence of the place is overwhelming. So many priceless and expensive things, yet I can almost understand why none would be sold to alleviate poverty etc, because most have some direct historical link to the Catholic Church. That said, I can easily see why people get disgusted with the Church’s gluttony while failing to serve humanity in others.

St Peter’s Basillica – amazing!

Sistine Chapel – breathtaking. The detail is unfathomable. Another experience that cannot be captured in a photo (plus the fact that photography was prohibited in the chapel). My friend Jae commented on the irony of verbose and loud Italians shushing the crowd to revere the chapel. Lol

Shortly after that we took in a few more sights and encountered a street artist who sketched these immaculate landscapes and monuments. I was sorely tempted by an A3 sized sketch of a bridge, a castle and the dome of St Peter’s in the background (the reflection of the dome and bridge were captured in the river) but at 100eu (~$160AUD), I just didn’t have the cash and didn’t want it that bad.

We travelled to Jae’s town Anagne (uh-none-yee) which is a classical ancient Italian town which cobblestones, tiny alley ways, gorgeous doors, cathedral etc nestled within a few hills. Jae and Flavio have a fantastic apartment with a terrace which overlooks most of the town and the nearby towns. Needless to say, dinner and breakfast on the terrace were a highlight.

We met up with a couple of their friends – Claudio and Marie-Angela who were great fun, and we went to an Irish pub nearby. Yes, an Irish pub – with karaoke. So Italians singing Italian and English songs in an Irish pub in Italy. Sounds like the start of a joke. An Italian, Englishman and Aussie walked into a pub…

In Italian culture, they aren’t big drinkers of alcohol, contrary to public belief – even red wine is consumed in small amounts with dinner. So a (reasonably) quiet Irish pub with not a Guinness drinker in sight was unusual.

I’m proud to say my Italian has improved a bit whilst in Rome. Mostly to having Jae and Flavio translate for me. There were still times when Jae and a native Italian would be chatting away and I would be completely lost, just soaking it all up.

We had a bit of drama leaving on Wednesday morning. I can now appreciate why Europeans make their cars so well when winding through narrow Italian streets and countryside. Thankfully, Italians were true to form and the train was late so I made the train from Anagne to Rome. However, after getting to Rome, checking out of my hotel and buying a ticket to the aeroporto, I missed one train by minutes and then missed the next one by seconds. I literally saw it pulling away from the station. Needless to say at this point, I was getting a bit panicked that I would miss my flight – which, overall wouldn’t be a bad thing to stay in Italy longer, which I really wanted to do, but I still needed to get home. Anyway, the train came and this time was delayed in leaving…not happy! If the preceding train was a little late, I would have made it. Anyway…

I jumped on the train and made it to the airport and raced to the check in – which was closed. No! But they had just closed it (12.05 for a 12.50 flight) and so checked me in with instructions to run the entire length of the terminal and fly through Security and Customs. Thank, God! Thankfully, I’m getting used to Italian Customs who basically glance at your boarding pass and passport (entering and leaving the country) so that line moved quickly. Anyway, I managed to get on the plane, just. So after a very rushed morning, I was glad to be on my way.

I love Italy. It was such an awesome experience and I can’t wait to return. It makes such a huge difference having people in the places to visit because they know the place, what to see, do and how to get around.

Thursday

Today we saw the Queen! We happened to be near St Paul’s cathedral for a work meeting and when that finished early, I suggested we go see the Cathedral. As we approached the Cathedral, we noticed all the roads were blocked off and heaps of people and police around. We then noticed that the Queen’s guards lined the entrance to the cathedral and lo and behold, the Queen and Prince Philip were saying hello to the crowd! Jolly good! As it turned out, it was part of Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations http://www.royal.govuk/output/page5302.asp Some people we knew in London weren’t too happy that they had been in London for months and still hadn’t seen the Queen. J

Friday

Today was a busy day with work commitments that kept stretching out over the day. But, it was the last day of work stuff so that was good. We had a really good balance of work and fun time, so that was great.

I had a farewell dinner with Ney and Katie in Covent Garden tonight and that was a nice way to finish off. Dinner was classic British fare with battered fish, chips and mushy peas. Covent Garden is reknown for its street performers so we saw a few of them perform. They really get angry when people watch and don’t donate any money. Some of the performers included Charlie Chaplin 2, a balancing act and a magic act. I happened to be chosen for part of the magic act involving a random audience member for a number trick. Thankfully it wasn’t to make my watch disappear or saw me half.

Off to Leicester Square for dessert in a great little café. This time I managed to get on a train home again J

Emotional goodbyes to Ney and Katie.

Saturday

I had a frantic pack up this morning for my flight to Edinburgh. I ended up running for the train to the Gatwick airport and just caught it by minutes.

Manchester and Edinburgh are very picturesque by air, rolling green hills and pastures.

I arrived in Edinburgh and found Andy, complete with jolly Scottish laugh. We had a great trip into Edinburgh via top part of red double decker bus, which is a great way to see any city.

He’s going great and says hi to everyone. His Scottish beard has grown a bit longer, fuller and redder J

We enjoyed a simple dinner at his shared flat of cheese, crackers, beer (birra Peroni) and haggis. Yes, I ate haggis. It’s not too bad. It’s certainly tastier than it looks, much like sausage. We then saw the Italy v USA match (0-0 draw) in a local pub. I asked Andy which jumper to wear – Italy or England, and the look of horror and on advice to avoid a punch-up, settled on Italy which suited the game well.

We did the quick tour of Edinburgh which included Old Towne, New Town, outside of Edinburgh Castle and heaps of nice churches and scenery. Sunset was about 11pm.

Sunday

Climbed Calton Hill (short climb) and saw a good view of Edinburgh. Arthur’s seat was a bit too ambitious for the time available (about 2-3 hours needed) considering I was flying out midday.

All through the city, there was a display of many cow sculptures in different themes. Some with wild colours, some dressed in weird clothes and some classic ones on stilts and in Viking clothing! What a laugh!

As we were leaving, we heard the classic sound of Scottish pipes. So I managed to get a photo with a bona fide bag piping Scot J

Another emotional goodbye. But on to Italia!

Wed – Thurs

We’ve all arrived in London safely, albeit with an arduous trip. We had a full day at the tradeshow and then went straight to the LAX and after some problems with luggage weight and additional security checks, a quick (but fantastic) dinner, we finally made the plane. A 10 hour flight is never fun and particularly as this was followed by a 2 hour Underground train trip to our hotel apartment. It’s a well equipped and nice apartment overlooking a wharf area (Canary Wharf) and is near the Millenium Dome. It has some great views and nearby to some useful stuff.

We’ll probably do a bit of sightseeing and stuff over the next few days. I’m also planning to catch up with some friends in London over the weekend and go to church with them

Pls click this link for photos

www.spaces.msn.com/pauste1

I’m having trouble with jet lag over here. It’s 9pm here and the sun is still setting! It throws me completely when I’m having dinner at 8pm but think it’s 5pm.

Friday:

After a meeting with a client, I checked out the local pub scene for the World Cup opening match Germany Vs Costa Rica. I started watching some of it on the large screen outside the Reuters building (along with many others) but made my way into Leicester Square and watched the rest of the game there in an English Pub followed by a trip to the theatre to see Chicago (which is fantastic – the live jazz band were awesome).

There is such a buzz around the place with World Cup. Cars drive around with English flags flying, flags draped from windows, jerseys everywhere. On Saturday, England won their first match and EVERYONE talks World Cup. I have some photos of English fans celebrating in the fountain in Trafalgar Square.

On Saturday, I caught up with Renee and Kate in London and we did the tourist thing which was great to catch up. They’re getting quite experienced at it with numerous people coming through London and getting the ‘Kate and Ney Tour’.

We were having a great time checking out the sights when we came across one sight we would rather not have. We’re walking down from Parliament Square and a few hundred naked cyclists pass us (with police escort – not naked). Hmmmmm. Needless to say, it was unexpected and we’re looking for somewhere safe to look while continuing on to have dinner. Apparently it is some protest against oil costs etc and to encourage people to take public transport, walk or bike to work. Lots of people stopped and stared but I think the message was overshadowed by the delivery of the message. And no, I did not get any photos.

Needless to say, we wanted to put that ‘behind’ us and find somewhere for dinner. We found a couple of nice cafes to check out. We turned around and all the cyclists were passing us again! Twice too many times for me.

It was another night for the theatre and this time, The Lion King which was FANTASTIC! We loved the music, costuming and amazing puppetry.

Sunday:

Today we had a pub lunch with some of Adam’s friends at Notting Hill. The beer garden outside was nice but the Steak Burger was really a grease-pattie burger; but the company and the location were very enjoyable. I also tasted mushy peas for the first time – and they taste exactly like they sound.

We tripped around the place a bit and ticked off more Monopoly locations J. Tonight I hooked up with Kate, Ney and Dan for Hillsong London church which was really good except I was quite tired. United were leading worship which was awesome. There was a HUGE line up outside to get into the Dominion Theatre which hosts Hillsong London at the moment. It also hosts the currently showing We Will Rock You musical which explains the giant statue of Freddie Mercury out the front. We then enjoyed dinner at Leicester Square.

Afterwards, I had the unique experience of being stuck in central London around midnight. Because it didn’t get totally dark until after 10pm, we totally lost track of time and I missed the last Underground train to my stop by a few minutes! Oh well. There were plenty of people around still and I managed to find a night bus to my stop at Canary Wharf and walked in the door shortly after 1am – so that was a late night.

Monday:

All I can say is:

-          Stupid, inconsiderate English Hooligans

-          Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!

-          Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!

-          Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!

-          zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Today we had an online demo (work) we were preparing for today so we spent a lot of the time preparing for that and the week ahead. Subsequently, I didn’t get to a pub for the Aussie game but watched the first half in the apartment with the others here. However, at half time, I raced down to the Canary Wharf plaza to watch the game on the big screen they have erected there.

Stupid, inconsiderate English Hooligans because during the England Vs Paraguay match over the weekend, a number of English hooligans rioted in the Canary Wharf plaza near our apartment and 16 people were hospitalised. Subsequently, Canary Wharf suspended all future telecasts of the World Cup games.

If you watched the Aussie game, you’ll know what Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!, Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!, Gooooaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!! mean J

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz because I was really tired and crashed about 7.30.

Tuesday:

After beautiful sunshine all time we’ve been here, we had our first ‘typical’ English day – overcast, raining and cool. We were even ‘puffing smoke’ it was that cold in the evening.

We had some very important meetings, demos and installations today, and after a rushed start to the day, everything went fantastic! We had some very positive feedback and interest which is very encouraging and should lead to some more sales.

Again, I crashed about 8pm and I keep waking between 3 and 5am. UGH!

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me. I’m having a great time and am well except for relapsed jet lag.

Cheers

Paul