A New Look For The New Decade

Sitting in the office, listening to piano by Jim Brickman, waiting for my flight to London. Another year has passed, and very soon we will enter a new decade. The eighties, nineties, and the soon-to-be-passed "noughties" are now just memories committed to my own memory.

I've had a chance this month to reflect not only on what's happened this year, but over the past ten years. From the Dot-com bubble burst to the Global Financial Crisis. From the 9/11 attacks to the Swine Flu pandemic. From the meteoric rise of Tiger Woods to the equally meteoric fall of Tiger Woods. And, personally for me, from the tumultuous times of university to the equally tumultuous times of working and travelling.

It begs the question: what have I done this decade? There are far too many activities to enumerate so, year by year, in this decade I'll outline the most significant and the most memorable.

• 2000 - Study (enough said), turned 21.
  
• 2001 - More study (enough said). Finished my conjoint degree.
  
• 2002 - Graduated with a conjoint degree, decide to study at postgraduate level.
• 2003 - Graduated with first class honours, secured my first full time job at The University of Auckland.
• 2004 - Started work at my current company, Orion Health.
  
• 2005 - Started running as a hobby, resumed playing indoor cricket.
  
• 2006 - Made my marathon running debut, harboured initial thoughts of going overseas, joined Orion Health Toastmasters.
  
• 2007 - Became President of Orion Health Toastmasters, won the Area Speech Competition in humourous speaking, submitted an idea for the most expensive Christmas party the company ever had, met Joe Cotton and Amber Claire in person.
  
• 2008 - Achieved Presidents Distinguished Club status for Orion Health Toastmasters, changed my career path into consulting, left New Zealand to live an exciting life in the UK.
  
• 2009 - Left UK to live a new life in Spain, learned French, German and Spanish, ran a huge personal best in the Berlin Marathon, met Hayley Westenra.
  

What will "the tens" have in store for me? Well I already have 2010 set in stone with a gruelling running season and more travel, but that still leaves nine more years for the scriptwriter to develop new stories, new characters, new settings, new themes, new plot twists and new cliff-hanger endings. An exciting time ahead, I'm sure. As a twenty-something this decade, the past 10 years were memorable. As a thirty-something in the next, the next 10 years will hopefully be spectacular.

I've also changed the layout of the blog to represent change and the coming in of the new year and the new decade.

Finally Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone. Hope the year 2010 brings peace, joy, happiness and success in whatever you choose to embark on. And may the new decade be even more exciting than the one about to give way.

As always I'll be back blogging again in 2010. Better head off and catch my flight to London. I'll be in London for Christmas, and Switzerland for New Years holiday. Snowboarding in the Swiss Alps - can't think of a better way to close a good year. No, a great year!

The Top Ten of 2009 Part 2

Continuing where I left off last time, here is part 2 of my Top Ten of 2009, which also brings us to my Final Five. Without further ado, I'll continue the countdown, starting at number 5.

5: Meeting New Zealand superstar, Hayley Westenra
What a talent, and what an extremely nice person she is! I was probably the only New Zealander at her concert that cold night, and I was extremely fortunate to have met her as she was leaving the venue. A few stragglers were waiting for autographs, and like a true Kiwi, she was only too happy to oblige. When I first asked her for a photo in my real thick Kiwi accent, she immediately knew I was from her side of the world, and luckily she didn't turn her fellow Kiwi down!
Awwwwwww, don't we make a lovely couple! Only lasted 3 minutes, but easily the best 3 minutes to make it into my Final Five!

4: New Years in the French Alps
A week of snowboarding mayhem, living in a little cosy chalet, fun with friends, snowboarding down the red and black runs, new years parties and drinking mulled wine to warm our cold bodies. Great fun and great times!
I've done skiing before, but this was my first attempt at snowboarding. I have to say that snowboarding is easier, and far more enjoyable, than skiing! Despite falling on my head and butt numerous times, and experiencing sore muscles I didn't even know I had, it was great fun going down the mountains. The rest of the folks in the chalet were a cool bunch of people to be around with as well. I'm going to do it all again in a couple of weeks, this time in Switzerland, so that should be a laugh! Look out for another snowboarding report near you!

3: Moving to Spain
Moving to Spain has presented new challenges, both professionally and personally. Professionally, because I am now the technical lead for the project I am involved in. Personally, because of the new environment, culture, the Spanish way of life, and the most obvious challenge being the language barrier. Before I moved to Spain, I knew absolutely no Spanish whatsoever. But having been here for just over a month, it's amazing how much Spanish I've picked up. There's still a long way to go to be truly fluent, but I've made a solid start, even impressing the locals. Moving to Spain also allows more opportunities for travel, such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and the infamous party island of Ibiza! And I must say that Spanish food is absolutely wicked! If there were any concerns that I would miss the nice pastries and curries in the UK, then these were all dispelled when I ate this paella.
Not sure why I have my eyes closed though. I'm probably thinking about how on earth I'm going to eat the whole thing!

2: Dining at The Ritz Hotel in London (The Most Famous Hotel in the World)
Nothing can quite prepare you for the first time you step into The Ritz! The sheer grandeur, opulence and beauty of this legendary hotel is absolutely breathtaking. An experience unrivaled anywhere else, dining at The Ritz Restaurant will give true meaning to the phrase 'wined and dined'. Absolutely no photos allowed..... but I still kept taking the camera out.
The event was organised by BritBound, a social group that tends to attract a lot of Kiwis and Aussies. So the evening was pretty much a trans-tasman affair. The 3-course dinner was absolutely amazing, coupled with the most ambient setting and flawless service you can imagine. You certainly will not get this kind of experience in a Chinese restaurant!
It cost £50 for dinner, but I took my good friend along for a birthday treat, so £100 for the both of us.
Awwwwwww, don't we make a lovely couple! Okay, enough of that! Moving on to Number 1.

1: Running the real Berlin Marathon
Ich bin ein Berliner. One of the best marathons in the world, if not the best in the world. Running in a city and country once divided and now reunited, running in both East and West Berlin, running through the Brandenburg Gate 400 metres out from the finish line is such a thrill.
A poignant reminder of the loss of life, the division and reunification of a city, a nation, and the German people. And when I ran through that middle column of the Brandenburg Gate, I knew I was taking part in something very special.
At the end, I crossed the finish line in a new personal best time of 3:22:45. I didn't qualify for Boston, but then again, I'm going to have another crack at this coveted goal in 2010. Watch this space!
Epilogue

This concludes my Top Ten and my Final Five of 2009. After much deliberation and reflection over the last couple of weeks, I believe this is it. Of course, I've had a bunch of other unforgettable experiences this year, such as visiting Cornwall, celebrating Chinese New Year, the Waitangi Day pub crawl, watching the very best musicals on London's West End, seeing some huge tennis stars at Wimbledon, watching the Black Caps take on the world in the ICC World Twenty20 championship in London, etc, so it was a pretty difficult task to choose what should be included in the Top Ten and Final Five of this year, and which position it should occupy in the list. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed creating it.

P.S. 150 blog posts!

The Top Ten of 2009 Part 1

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been producing a short 15 minute video for the folks back home in New Zealand, which basically narrates what I've been up to abroad, my experiences and the 2009 year in general. A script was written, which I recorded in the most natural way possible. And I filmed both static images and movie clips to complement the narration. I was very pleased with the end result; I might have a future as a movie maker!

At the end of the video I highlighted my Final Five, where the idea was borrowed from Rove, the Australian talk show programme, which unfortunately met its end just recently. Instead of guests answering random questions in Rove's final five, my final five listed my top five experiences of 2009.

Here in this exclusive two-part entry, the lucky reader will not only read about my final five experiences that I included in the video. They'll be getting twice the number, which I've labelled my Top Ten of 2009.

So without any further ado, I'll start the countdown, starting at number 10.

10: Getting a front row standing position at the BBC Proms
In order to secure a front row standing position near the stage, I queued up 9 hours before the concert started. A great use of my time! The concert itself was stunning, it featured one of my very favourite classical works, and standing less than a metre away from the stage was unforgettable. And, being in the front row, I got plenty of screen time on live BBC TV on a Saturday night.
Would I do it again? Absolutely not! I may be a classical music fan, but I don't think I'd spend 9 hours waiting in a queue again. Maybe I'll have a different view when I've aged a little.

9: Appearing in the Reading Evening Post
In the lead-up to the Reading Half Marathon, I was featured in an article in the Reading Evening Post as the runner who travelled further than most to compete in the Reading Half Marathon. The article was inaccurate in reporting that I was a gap year student. That would make me the oldest gap year student around! Oh well, what do you expect from a tabloid?
The article raised my profile both in Reading, and back home in NZ! And this event has taught me the finer points of public relations. Would I do it again? Absolutely! I'm doing the Reading Half Marathon again in 2010, the reporter has my email address, so perhaps I might feature in another article? Hopefully they won't call me a gap year student again.

8: Visiting Paris
A romantic city, but my trip there was not for romantic reasons. Though, visiting Paris did remind me of that ABBA song, Our Last Summer. Activities included climbing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, walking the Champs-Élysées, cruising on the Seine, checking out Moulin Rouge, and so much more.
Drinking red wine, which I am a big fan of, in a swanky French restaurant was also a plus! Eating baguettes and pain au chocolat - yummy! Drinking coffee in a French cafe and watching the world go by - magic! Would I go back again? Oh definitely, but I'd have to bring a date next time. I do have a few names in mind!

7: Setting a personal best in the Reading Half Marathon
The event that made me believe that I could go faster. I shattered my half marathon personal best time by over 10 minutes, which went over and above my personal expectations for the race. After a pretty average 2008 in terms of my running, I think I found an extra running gear within me this year, and my running has improved in leaps and bounds since.
The RHM was the first event I did in the UK, so it was pretty special for me. Also, the RHM is the second biggest half marathon event in the UK in terms of participation, and it boasted an elite field, so this wasn't just a casual Sunday fun-run. What was great to see was the large number of participants taking part. Whether they were seasoned runners or first timers, it was great to see people having a go. Would I run the RHM again? Well I've already signed up for RHM 2010, so yes! And after that? Well, I'll see what kind of time I'll manage next year.

6: Living in Reading
As ridiculous as it sounds, living in Reading makes it into my Top Ten of 2009, as high as number 6. It's a small town with not a lot going for it. But it was also my first UK town, and that, to me, makes it very special. I was also very fortunate to live in such a nice house, which made me stay in Reading a lot longer than I planned. My housemate, Tina, is such a wonderful person. I learned so much from her, and generally enjoyed living with her. Check out this picture, I was very impressed!
Tina is German, so in the process, I managed to learn how to speak German, and appreciate the German traditions surrounding Easter (hence the Easter bunnies above) and Christmas. I'm also very privileged to have met her parents and sister who have travelled from Germany to visit her for a time. And since her parents speak very little English it was an opportunity for me to practice my new found German. It was an interesting experience, but not without a couple of embarrassments and laughs at my expense. Sometimes I can't help thinking about that end scene from the movie Love Actually to see how my attempt at foreign languages comes across to the other person! Will I live in Reading again? It's hard to say. I can only hope that our paths will cross again in the future.

That's all the time I have for today. Stay tuned for the second half of my Top Ten of 2009, which brings us to my Final Five.