A weekend in Rome

It was time to travel again, I thought that I would visit Rome with Giovanna for a weekend. To be honest Rome is one of Italy's finest pearls, as it has everything from great food, to history, to amazing culture, to crazy traffic jams, and of course the Italian Passion thrives within the city. The weather was hot, and all I could think of was having nice cool ice-cream …

Turkey 2011

I had not yet visited Turkey. This trip however was not for fun but for work. It was my first time that the MathWorks invited me to speak outside the Benelux. As a result, I ended up going to Ankara and Istanbul for 1 week. The good news is that in between hotels, conferences, seminars, customer visits I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul. The city is amazing. Starting with the fact that half of the city is in Europe and the other half in Asia. There many things to be seen, of which I really only saw: Galata Tower, Hagia Sophia and the Galata Bridge.  This is really a city to come back to.

Cambridge 2011

Some say that all good comes to those who wait. Well I waited 29 years to see Cambridge and I must say I was impressed. This little village of 300 thousand people clearly dominated by its large Colleague student community brings something young and vibrant to the city. University of Cambridge actually covers over 20 different Colleges and most of the city is devoted to education. Students have to eat in their colleges 1 a week with the warden of the college all dressed up. This is unique to the life of most University students. The result is clear, people learn from example and Cambridge is unique in the UK as it has the lowest crime rate associated with drinking.

There are loads of things to see, however I guess one of the highlights is the punting, a bit like the Gondolas in Venice. this is mainly organized by the students trying to get a few more pounds in their pockets.

 

While I was there, I was lucky enough to catch the air show at Duxford, a little outside Cambridge. This Sunday afternoon was dedicated to female pilots who have made their mark in the UK over the years. It was amazing, to see all the different planes, stunts, and just enjoy the nice weather. Of course there is a museum which is worth a visit for 20 pounds(they have a B-52), but actually seeing the Spitfires in action was like a dream come true. I had never seen a air show in my life. I guess it is true all good things do come to those who wait.

Effective time for Posting on Facebook

Have you ever thought what time is the best for posting on Facebook or LinkedIn?
When I say the best, what I mean is when will the most people read or comment on your posts? Maybe you can help me out here.

How Many Triangles can you count?

We all have our “Jerry Maguire” moments – there is something that keeps you awake and you just want to cease the moment so you stay up and think/write. I guess I have just had one of those moments and would like to share it with you.

Simple Problem: in the picture how many Triangles can you count?

I will past the solution in the comments.  But in the mean time… Good luck and have fun.

TIP(with MATLAB):

>> a = [73    32    102    105    103    117    114    101    100    32    105    116    32    111    117    116    32    98    121    101    32    114    101    100    114    97    119    105    110    103    32    116    104    101    32    102    105    103    117    114    101    44    32    97    110    100    32    99    111    117    110    116    105    110    103    32    104    111    119    32    109    97    110    121    32    110    101    119    32    116    114    105    97    110    103    108    101    115    32    119    101    114    101    32    99    114    101    97    116    101    100    32    119    105    116    104    32    101    97    99    104    32    110    101    119    32    108    105    110    101   46];

>> char(a)

Vegas just keeps getting better and better!

This was the 3rd time I went to Vegas for a few days…and what can I say? Vegas is simply amazing!

The truth being said, it is always fun, but what really makes the difference is who you go with. This time I took the opportunity to focus more on the shows. Every casino, has its own shows from erotic, to stand up comedy, to musicals, to whatever your heart desires! Just walking down the strip is an adventure or an experience that every mortal should go through once in their life.

Most people have this perception that Vegas is all about adult entertainment and gambling however if you choose to visit Vegas with people who are not really interested in that… well it does not mean that Vegas is boring. Actually that is what makes Vegas so great there is something for everyone!

I will keep this blog entry short, as what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas… but I can tell you that it was a blast! If you have never been, just go there for a few days and see for yourself. There is no place on earth like Vegas!

Tips for Vegas:

Tip#1 Hotels and accommodation are cheap! It is worth spending 80 dollars for a room on the 50th of Trump Towers with a view that makes your heart stop. Go for it.

Tip#2 Don’t stay in Vegas too long, I recommend at least 2 nights but not more than 4! It can get expensive.

Tip#3 If you are there you have to go to the Grand Canyon! Rent a car and drive it is part of the the Vegas experience.

Tip#4 Vegas is not only for men! I saw plenty of women there who were with their partners and had a blast! Take your partner you might be surprised.

Tip#5 I would recommend staying at one of the ends of the strip. When you walk up/down the strip it only gets better and better and bigger!

Tip#6 Only take into a casino what you want to loose. Hang around and figure out the rules before loosing your money blindly. If you are at the tables, always get a free drink.

Tip#7 Just go once in your life! No matter your age/sex or tastes… you will enjoy Vegas! Don't hesitate, don't postpone, just go. Check it off your bucket list!

Fenway Park: Boston 2011

My visit to Boston would not be complete if I did not walk around Fenway Park. Most people outside the US have no idea what Fenway Park is or how important it is. Until you visit or see a professional game of Baseball it will always be an question mark. The game is actually lots of fun. The crowd really gets into it plus America’s history is relatively short in comparison to Europe, hence sport plays a much bigger role.

Fenway Park is the home of the Boston Red Sox. It is called Fenway because Red Sox owner John I. Taylor said, "It's in the Fenway section of Boston, isn't it? Then call it Fenway Park." It was also Taylor who changed the club's name from Americans to Red Sox prior to the 1908 season.  I went there in the Winter and it was strange to see the pitch in snow, but still interesting. You this is a historic monument, which is about to be considered National Heritage (and hence will be never allowed to be taken down) as it is the oldest Baseball park in the US with its first game on the 20th of April 1912. It goes so far back that this park as seen how Boston changed in the last 100 years.

 

Walking through the park it is clear the amount of passion that the city has for the game, the team and of course the rivalry with the New York Yankees (most famous rivalry North American professional sports).

WhatsApp ?

What makes WhatsApp so special? Just like the Angry Bird phenomena, now there is WhatsApp... thousands of people download and use something blindly. This must be one of the most efficient marketing strategies ever. First year it is for free then you pay 2 dollars per year...and still people like it (including myself)! Well it turns out that there more than 1 million people already using the program...Will people stop using it? NO, just because they want to stay connected, fear of being along or not popular scares the vast majority of the world. Next Year WhatsApp makes 2 million out of the box! (not bad for “simple” app).

Couple a instant messaging service to a mobile phone number and allow people to send video, geographic position, text, pictures, recordings...for free.

If you read this you may think there are so many other services which have the same... but none of them couple the account to a mobile number, around the world (not just the US)! The secret here was you can find someone based on their phone number instead of their email! And since you already have your friends phone number on your phone… it is just easy to find people.
This makes Whatapp special they probably have the fastest growing best cross platform mobile phone directory in the planet!

How did they do it? Word of mouth? It is a phenomena takes off, and EVERYONE needs it... Human nature at its very best, if my friend has something, I also need it!

But how do these things grow? Tweeter? Angry Birds? YouTube? gmail? Google? Facebook? Blogger? Skype? iPhone? iPad?LinkedIn? DropBox? Flicker?

Technically there are always just as good or better (even cheaper) products/websites and still this is not enough, people need to feel part of something and therefore chose what their friends have. So what do these things have in common?
- Timing?
- Great network?
- Effective Marketing?
- Creative/Innovative Idea?
- Started in the US?
- Makes you feel good? Or part of something!

- Get Connected with others?
- Topic that you can talk about anywhere? to anyone?

Alice Springs 2011

The last stop of our trip in Australia was Alice Springs. Clearly the idea was to go and see Uluru. I must say it was impressive from so many perspectives: the 3 day tour, hiking in the outback, meeting amazing people, watching the sun at behind Uluru with Champagne, sleeping under the stars and learning more about the local culture.

We had a 3 day tour organized buy Emu Tours which was very nice. Everything was organized for us from food to lodging to sight seeing. We travelled with a great group of people who made the trip worth while. Most people come to Alice Spring to see Uluru, and yes it is impressive but that part of the world has much more to offer than just walking around the great rock (9km). We had the chance to get a bit more information about how the Aborigine survived and how their stories actually explain how nature in a very simplistic way. They clearly survived in one of hardest environments known to man kind but on the other hand they depend so strongly on the land and once this balanced is disrupted ever so slightly they find themselves at a lost. Which is very clear to anyone who visits Australia.

Part of the 3 day tour around the centre of Australia included camping and sleeping under the starts… which in one word is breathtaking. Most people who live in big cities forget how beautiful it can be to just watch the starts.

Alice Springs was really worth while as we got to see kangaroos in the wild but for me the most attractive hike that I have ever done: Kings Canyon. I would say that it on a par with the Grand Canyon.

Cairns 2011

Cairns is one of the party cities on the east coast of Australia but better known as the gateway to the great barrier reef as it proud to be the second biggest diving centre of the world.

Cairns was lucky to have missed the flooding. We have met several people blocked or seriously in trouble because of this tragedy that has heavily hit the Queensland. The floods cover an area larger than France and Germany put together! We were very lucky to avoid the floods our whole trip, as at each stop we encountered several backpackers who had to change their plans due to mother natures wrath!

Sponsored activities in Cairns range from scuba diving to sky diving to hang gliding. Actually it is not and easy task to find your way through the maze of offers that are available everywhere. We decided to try scuba diving, a 1 day introduction course on the reef. Jay, our tall blond hunk of muscle trainer, taught us how to use the equipment and going down to 10 meters! What can I say… a dream had come true! Swimming on the reef, all along the coral coast and discovering the pleasure of diving surrounded by thousands of colourful fish reflecting the brightness of the sun light unrevealed one of natures best kept secrets. After listening to Jays stories and his lifestyle, living around the world, one and only one question popped up in my mind … why had I waited for so long to try diving?!

The last two days we decided to rent a car (for 35 bucks per day) and to spend one day to visit the Rainfall forest Habitat Park at north of Cairns and the following one to make a tour of the Waterfalls at south. In the Rainfall Forest Habitat, just outside Port Douglas, we finally got to see the native Australian wildife, including koalas, kangaroos and wallaby.

There are several waterfalls near Cairns. Eventually we followed Nicoles (from our hostel) suggestion: Josephine Falls and Milla Milla. The Josephine Falls was a revelation to us as we had found were locals spent their summer!! With its natural slide (the algae on the rocks made it perfect to slide down) and cold fresh water this was heaven on earth to escape the overwhelming heat of the Australian Summer. After a swim we decided to drive for another 100km heading towards to the Milla Milla Falls. On the way we went passed rainforests, mountains, hills, lookout points and several little waterfalls. We got to the Milla Milla Falls late so we decided to have a “quick” cup of coffee at the local Bed and Breakfast where we met Sandy, John and Wilma. We quickly engaged in a friendly conversation and were eventually invited to have dinner with them. The tones of our conversation spread from the most light and funny to the serious ones. Namely we have to thank Wilma, John and Sandy for the sincere close up on the Aborigines lifestyle. Already in Cairns we got the feeling that these people were ghostly presences in an environment not really fitting their inner nature. Our new friends confirmed this awkwardness by tracing up forty years and more of racial harassment, cultural uprooting and attempts to integrate them in the white established modern society. After six hours of laughs and stories we decided to head back to Cairns. I would like to thank John, Sandy and Wilma for perhaps the best night of our stay in Australia, illustrating the true friendliness of the Ozzie culture. Thank you:)

For those of you who are interested in visiting Cairns, I strongly recommend our hostel, the Calypso backpackers. It was definitely a good choice: 50 bucks for a double bed room. Perhaps not the cheapest but staying there was a pleasure: nice decoration giving it a Caribbean style, amazing music selection and a management always available and smiley, in typical Ozzie style.Though internet was accessible under payment, our transports to the city centre and the airport was for free…very good point!

Fraser Island 2011

After reading about the largest sand island in the world in National Geographic we decided to go and see it. It is located on the East Coast of Australia, between Cairns and Brisbane.

This island is made up of 98% sand and 2% rock with dingos (wild dogs) and is particularly interesting as its sub tropical climate is unique. Most oasis there are only a few palms around the water, here on this sandy island there is a true rain forest which flourishes with flora and fauna of all shapes and sizes.

The journey itself is great as there are bumpy dirt roads that one goes on in jeeps to discover the most interesting areas of the island like lake McKenzie (apparently the bluest lake in the world), ship wreck and of course the 75 mile beach about 90 km beach where 4WD drive up and down.

The history of the island is really interesting from Aborigine, to the naming of the island, to the timber and wood exploration but the highlight for me was Wobbi beach, a lake which will disappear in about 80 years, as it lies between about a 60% incline sand dune and tree/rain forest. It is a sight! To get there one needs to track through jungle and breathtaking desert like dunes but it really is worth it. This is a close as I have ever been to a true oasis.



Thank you National Geographic, the pictures/description in that article that triggered me to go there was definitely worth it! Two days in nothing short of paradise on earth.
Here is National Geographics article: Sands of Time

Fiji 2010

As soon as you land in Nadi, the capital of Fiji, you need to give up your concept of time as you officially enter into the “Its Fiji Time zone”.

Our first encounter with the Fiji Time concept, was before the disarming and bright smile of our 2 hour late driver who simply apologized with a innocent shrug of his shoulders and exclaimed: “Sorry Sir, Its Fiji Time”.  Along the week this expression became more of a life style to us.

Our stay in Fiji started with a very special Xmas present: two days in an Hilton Resort in Nadi. Well, not really “backpackers style” but we wanted to just pamper ourselves: swimming in the pool, lying in the sun, walking on the beach and of course our well deserved fruit cocktails.

Leaving the Hilton a truly artificial paradise was hard but we were ready for our backpackers trip to begin. We choose to spend the last four days of our week in Fiji in one of the more 300 islands that make up the archipelago... a true dilemma if you consider that in the brochures all of them looked gorgeous! Eventually our choice fell on the Yasawa Islands, a crown of little spots of land in the north west side of Nadi. Our destination: The Long Beach Resort.

Five hours on a ferry boat and 260 Fiji dollars (€110) later an amazing blue lagoon unfolded before us. We were welcomed by a thrilling “bula”(cheers in the local language) from our host family which made us feel at home.

Life in the resort was simple: for 75 Fijian dollars 35€/per person we got three hot meals per day served after the loud calling of drum's. We slept in mosquito protected dorms with our own private beach. Activities like snorkelling, fishing, coconut lessons, kayaking, fire dancing and beach sports were all available. The added value of stay was given by meeting a multitude of people that alone or in group decided to give up everything just to start travelling around the world. Most of them get an island pass and hop from one island to another as such every night we had different guests.  Our meal times were filled with stories from other islands and the past lifestyle of the travellers. We met a wide variety of people from the British designers who created their own font, to the pHd chemical engineers, to the simple bar tenders, to the marketing directors, to the Swedish twins, to the German working travellers. You can imagine that meals were never disappointing as their reality could not be further away from steady jobs, stability as you and I know, the family life, or paid holidays.

To be honest once you travel enough, meeting interesting people is part of the journey but what makes travelling truly special is to understand the local culture and lifestyle. We took the time to talk to Melinea, a young single lady who worked at the resort. She explained how the Fijian lifestyle has changed over the years. It all started when the missionaries came and introduced religion, the concept of clothes and the different food. She was disappointed as her culture, the ways of her fathers as she referred to, was slowly changing. She explained that before there was no need for clothes and the desire for more or money did not exist, the island provided everything. The tree of life (coconut tree), the fish, the sweet potato and fruit is all they really needed. Their island ruled by one big family, which she referred to as the clan, actually does not follow the main land rules/laws and have their own system. Land and family is all that is sacred. Respect the land and you will happy. Their happiness is simple, what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine. Family provides for each other, the clan looks after each other. The concept of war, anger, vengeance, laziness, or any of the other deadly sins did not exist. It was the missionaries who introduced these concepts. Even though this is sad she understands the need for change, but is reluctant to accept it. An Italian entrepreneur has taken over a resort on another island she said this a sign of change for her and her family. During our stay we were invited to play volleyball with the rest of the local family, we were taught how to fish by Noah, teaching us the way of his ancestors, Manu, the cook, showed us how to prepare the fish we caught, with the sweet potatoes from the land, Ruben showed us how the tree of life provided everything and fun can be simply playing flicky flicky at night were laughter is the trump. Take a second and think about it, what more do you really need to be happy? This life style is the living proof of this.

Sydney 2010

Following the amazing Dubai, landing in Sydney is a world apart. As soon as you arrive in Sydney you are welcomed by the easy and outgoing nature of this nation. Once through customs a warm and humid air along with everyone in flip flops, colourful shirts reminds you of one thing alone: Summer!

Even thought the city is expensive the nice feeling you get when talking to people make up for that. Their double decked metro takes you straight into the city centre, where life is good. Indeed we were lucky as at the airport some Nordic tourists ready to leave gave us their still valid metro tickets. We saved 119 dollars, not bad to start our journey in Australia! After a tasty coffee and a nice chit chat with a very friendly waiter we were ready to discover Sydney on foot. The starting point for most tourists is the Rocks. Once the roughest part of the city as it was the main landing point for Convicts from the UK, now this part of the city is turned into the heart of Sydney Harbour particularly famous for its cafes, museums, restaurants and shops engraved in a maze of narrow streets. Circular Quay in my opinion is the best place to be! Picture this: the shining Sydney Bridge on your left and the modern Sydney Opera House on your right, the sun reflected on the harbour with the faint sound of snap happy tourists and children laughing and playing in the near by park.

To capture the essence of the city waking up and to get a different perspective of the lifestyle that Sydney has to offer, we went for a morning jog along the harbour wharfs through the Marina, under the Sydney Bridge around the city. This city can only be described as overwhelming.

The Hyde Park Barracks Museum now considered a World Heritage is a great place to see how Sydney came to be the city that we know today. Its history is relatively recent and tough, often haunted by human pain. In a nutshell here is how modern Australia was born: being a British colony, Ozzie land was used for storing convicts for which the UK had no longer any space for. The advantage for the British was to free the prisons and to use cheap labour to build the infra-structures that still exist today. The Hyde Park Barracks was the main sleeping/working quarters for these convicts in Sydney. Later on the Barracks hosted Irish orphans (mainly female) as Ireland was struck by several bad years of agriculture. This helped boost the Australian population which had become predominately male. Not that different that from what happened on the Eastern Coast of the US.

Knowing this it becomes very clear why personally I think that today Sydney is very similar to New York in many aspects: the modern architectural style and the dominant multicultural diversity go along with the friendliness and the energy you feel when walking down town. And then again the TV channels, the concept of distance, the European emigration patterns, the currency and the pursuit of a good life style… all of this reminds me of a young New York.

Gareth