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
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!
EpilogueThis 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!
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