Highlights of 2009

At the beginning of each year, I really like taking a moment to think back about the previous year and remember the highlights of that year. Most people like remembering the negative points, well it is easier to do that… however I would to share my best moments of 2009 with you. These include mainly my travels around the world as this is big part of my life but there are many more. So here goes…

- started the year in Eindhoven

- my new home, I had an unfurnished flat and a new job at The MathWorks

- finished moving from Scotland to the Netherlands, and was not sure what 2009 was going to be like…

- turned out that the job was a perfect fit for me

- Miami on a cruise to Cozumel

- rented a limo in Miami and toured the city ending up in VIP rooms of night clubs….

- played pool for money with some local mexicans in Cozumel… close game but still lost the money. The experience on the other hand had no price

- Discovered Boston for nearly 3 weeks

- Drove to Berlin and back

- Went to my first F1 race: Nurburgring:)

- Met up with friends in Dusseldorf

- Broke up with Martine…. it just wasn’t meant to be

- Travelled to Portugal for Ines wedding:)

- Discovered the Netherlands: Den Bosch, Utrecht, Delft, Rotterdam, Den Hague, Amsterdam, and many other places…

- Skydiving in Rosendaal

- Space cakes in Amsterdam

- Red light district and ice bar in Amsterdam

- Did the transsiberian with some GREAT friends

- Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Irkutsk, Lake Baikal, Moscow, St Petersburg

- Drove to Prague

- Went to Vienna

- Went to London for a crazy weekend

- went to Brussels, Bruges, Gent and Luxembourg

- Discovered Stockholm

- Had a crazy weekend in Las Vegas

- Made it to Venice twice…

- Paris and EuroDisney with an amazing italian:)

- Travelled to Milan and Bergamo

- Furnished my flat and made lots of new friends in Eindhoven:)

- Succeeded in my new job:) Got offered several jobs during the year which I turned down just because I am happy where I am:)

- Organized and played football with German colleagues in Eindhoven and Aachen

- Went to Aachen to a mixed Spa… had my first true massage… (amazing)

- Went to Aachen and Charleroi on my way to Paris.

- Spent Xmas Eve with my friends in Eindhoven

- Flew to Portugal and went down to the Algarve for Xmas and the few days after that.

- joined a 5 a side football team here in Eindhoven:)

There are many other things which really made 2009 a great year for me… I cant put them all down… but I am really glad that I made it to the Netherlands… and I cant wait to see what 2010 has installed for me:)

 

Gareth the world citizen.

2008 what a year!!!!

Hi everyone this is just a quick entry to wish everyone a Great New Year ... 2009 is going to be GREAT!!!!!

But before I get all enthusiastic about it I wanted to share with you the adventures I had in 2008.

2008 was a really good year for me with lots of traveling as it:


Started 2008 (new year) in Madrid
Drove to Lisbon
Stayed in Paris on my way to Aberdeen
Drove to Manchester (saw Old Trafford)
Discovered the West Coast of Scotland on weekends
Bought my Mazda 323:)
Played for Bridge of Don (11 a side amateur football team - like 6th Division in Scotland)
Went to Amsterdam for a holiday
From Amsterdam went to Brussels
Flew from Aberdeen -> Amsterdam -> Lisbon
Went with a few friends: Lisbon -> Heathrow -> Doha ->Bangkok
Stayed in Thailand for a week and a half
Went to Phuket and visited the Phi Phi Islands:)
Flew from Phuket -> Bangkok -> Doha -> Heathrow -> Lisbon
Stayed in Lisbon for a few days and flew back to Aberdeen (via Paris)
I met my girl friend on the plane from Doha to Heathrow. She is a Dutch nurse who had just finished 6 months voluntary work in Nepal and New Zealand:) She lives in Amsterdam...
Went to Colombo (Sri Lanka) on work
Worked hard at Oceanscan and organized Oceanscan Football Team and continued playing for Bridge of Don (as well as a couple of other 5 a side leagues in Aberdeen)
Flew from Aberdeen to Amsterdam to Beijing then to Dalian for work
Stayed a couple of nights in Beijing on the way back
Stayed in Amsterdam for 7hours on the way to Aberdeen from Beijing (it was good to hook up with Martine)
Went to Amsterdam for a wonderful romantic weekend.
Joined Potterton amateur football club (11 a side)
Flew from Aberdeen to Amsterdam to Beijing to Dalian for work
Worked hard in China (in places you could not imagine....) GREAT experience
Stayed in Beijing for a couple of nights and took some leave to visit China
Caught a train from Beijing to Shanghai
Stayed and discovered Shanghai all by myself (made lots of friends while I was there)
Flew from Shanghai to Macau
Stayed in Macau for 3 nights
Flew from Macau to Beijing
Went to see the Great Wall of China
Flew from Beijing to Amsterdam and back to Aberdeen
Martine came over from Amsterdam and we drove around Scotland for a week and a half (very romantic trip:))
I flew back with Martine to Amsterdam (met her parents) and flew to Lisbon for a friends wedding
After the wedding flew back to Aberdeen via Paris (lost a few flights stayed in Paris for a night), not that great all by yourself... but still good fun:)
Flew to Amsterdam for a weekend. And discoverd Eindhoven with Martine
Had 6 interviews with MathWorks in Eindhoven
Got the job at MathWorks in Eindhoven
Resigned from Oceanscan
I am flew to Amsterdam->Beijing->Dalian on work
I came back a week and half later, Dalian->Beijing->Amsterdam (see Martine) ->Aberdeen
December I packed my things in Aberdeen to live in Eindhoven
Arrived in Amsterdam stayed there for 1 week
Amsterdam -> Lisbon
Lisbon-> Armacao de Pera, Silves
Back to Barreiro and Lisbon
Flew from Lisbon to Amsterdam
Xmas in Amsterdam
Amsterdam Eindhoven
Got a new flat and moved in
Started 2009 new in Eindhoven...

I would have never have guessed what 2008 was going to bring me... but working for Mathworks in Eindhoven was not on the list... I guess one just has to go with the flow:)

All I can hope is that 2009 will be as challenging and fun as 2008:)

Gareth

Another Year older... Another Year Wiser!!!

Yupp, another year has gone by... what can I say... 2007 changed my life!!! I thought that 2007 deserved a small space on my blog!!!

2007 Started in Vila Nova de Mil Fontes.... what a way to start the year!!! great place with great friends!!!
I already had a contract with Oceanscan and I knew that my life was about to change....
Said goodbye to Portugal....
Goodbye to Natasha.... maybe the hardest thing I have ever had to do....the price one pays when chasing dreams....
13th of January I started at Oceanscan the beginning of an eye opening experience...
I was now living in Scotland... who would have known?! Some say it was destined...
The first few months of the year... were challenging in more ways than one...
Started playing Ice Hockey....
Bought my Bike great way to keep fit :)
Travelled to London... to Peterhead....
The R&D team widened my horizons...the number of things that I had not realised....Professionally and personally
The "wee" kid from Portugal realizes how lucky he is to have the job he has....
Travelled to Peterhead...
Travelled to Fort William....
Travelled to Colombo 2 times....
Travelled to Glasgow....
Checked out Lochness monster!!! I could not find Nessie?!?!!?!?
6 months later... I decided to go back to Portugal:)
Lisbon and Armacao de Pera:)
Got back from Portugal and...
Back to Colombo....
Back from Colombo to Aberdeen... started planning my trip to the States..
Joined a football team here in Aberdeen....
Trip of a lifetime.....
Miami
Key West
Cape Caneveral
Orlando
Miami
LA
Hollywood
Santa Monica Pier
Venice Beach
Rodeo Drive
Vegas
Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon
San Francisco
Santa Barbara
LA
Washington DC
8 Airplanes, 2 cars, 1 helicopter and 2 weeks later back in Aberdeen a new man!!!!
Back to work at Oceanscan... learning more and more...
the sky is the limit...because at Oceanscan we can!!!!
Started renting cars every weekend do really discover the wonders of Scotland...
Started my new passion in life.... indoor wall climbing!!!! oohh yeaahhhh
Joined a Tennis club it is good to be playing again:)
Decided to take a weekend a discover the wonders of Madrid!!!!!
Back in Aberdeen... working hard... and playing hard.....
Played golf for the first time.... it is not as easy as it looks!!!
Had a great Xmas Lunch at Oceanscan....
Flew back to Portugal for Xmas....
Stayed in Lisbon for a couple of days...
Drove down to the Algarve.... Vale Perra...
Xmas in a T-Shirt... ohh yeahhhh
Vilamoura Casino....of course I got lucky...:P
Almograve....Sines... Lisbon.....
Headed off to Madrid in the red 1007 for New Year....
2007 Ended with a bang in Madrid with my new friends!!! ohh yeahhhh


All I can say... if 2008 is as good as 2007.... who knows where I will end up....
I just want to make the most of life... What a year....

CARPE DIEM!!!!!!

Kamone, Gareth, Ideias, Petal!!!!!!