In other news... an eruption of blogging!

This is a post of some semi-random musings on the volcano Eyjafjallajokull.

"Hah!  Easy for you to say...."

Twitter:

Am following a number of Twitter sites including @Eurocontrol, who are very open about replying to information of what is going on in European airspace.  Also the mildly amusing @Eyjafjallajokull, who may or may not be the official Twitter account of the volcano itself.  (Bio: "I'm a lava not a fighter")

Conspiracy nuts:

NATO conducting one of the largest exercises in Northern Europe, combination of operations including Operation Brilliant Mariner, using air sea and ground forces in UK, Netherlands, France, and Germany, started 12 April and scheduled to finish 22 April.  The same day the airspace over the exact same countries is due to reopen.

Other stuff:

Here is a link of a bunch of people trying to pronounce the name of the volcano.

The name Eyjafjallajokull scores 47 points in Scrabble!

My NZ passport has flown from Heathrow to Germany and then to Hong Kong!!

DHL Airwaybill # - xxxxxxxxxx - Detailed Report



April 16, 2010 15:35 Lambeth - UK Shipment picked up
April 16, 2010 18:57 Lambeth - UK Departing origin
April 16, 2010 18:59 Lambeth - UK Processed at Lambeth - UK
April 16, 2010 20:50 Lambeth - UK Departed from DHL facility in Lambeth - UK
April 16, 2010 20:59 London-Heathrow - UK Arrived at DHL facility in London-Heathrow - UK
April 16, 2010 22:25 London-Heathrow - UK Departed from DHL facility in London-Heathrow - UK
April 18, 2010 12:38 Leipzig - Germany Processed at Leipzig - Germany
April 19, 2010 02:59 Leipzig - Germany Shipment on hold
April 19, 2010 12:53 Leipzig - Germany Departed from DHL facility in Leipzig - Germany
April 20, 2010 10:20 Hong Kong Hub - Hong Kong Arrived at DHL facility in Hong Kong Hub - Hong Kong


How?? Presumably not by sea....  Wont try to explain why I simultaneously sent my NZ passport to be renewed in London and my British one in Tokyo.  Both done and returned inside of 2 weeks, including volcano...

Finally.......

The last wish of the Icelandic economy was to have its ashes scattered over Europe.

So, what`s it like? (2)

I am getting a bit bored of this blog.  Which is probably natural.

It was originally set up to avoid the annoying group/spam/distribution e-mails which inevitably follow when you go overseas, drawn out updates clogging up mailboxes worldwide.  This way I put my thoughts (supported by a formidable cross section of technology: 3 Twitter accounts, 7 e-mail accounts, Skype, 2 mobile phones, 3 laptops, camera, Facebook, Linkedin, my own Youtube channel, lots of pen and paper) as they are relevant to me, without too much worry about audience impact, people can browse if they wish.

My guess, is that my audience (you) are probably at a similar, yawn, kind of stage... so soon I will wrap this little baby up.  Maybe a few more posts, a brief summation of the meaning of life, that kind of thing.

I have to think about whether to start a more public blog after that or leave it.  I have contemporaries, you know, inspiring business related stuff.  Profile building.  I dont think I will.

To relieve the boredom, here are some things that have happened to me in the last month....

• My 17th visitor has stayed (my mum) since I've been here
• I walked smack into the glass door of McDonalds at 3am, cut nose, black eye, chipped tooth (nice)
• Stopped going to the local McDonalds out of embarrassment
• Made some cute Japanese friends
• Wished I had been more able to meet more Japanese friends
• Went to Hanami party (cherry blossom viewing) where I discovered that the Hanami party is more about drinking alcohol than viewing cherry blossom
• Went to some more Hanami parties
• Worked a 16 hour day, a 60 hour week, worked a Saturday and a Sunday, had conference calls at 10pm, had 35 meetings in a week.
• Took a chill pill and didnt work so crazily, for a day or two...
• Restructured my sales team and started the process to hire 3 more people including one to poach from UK
• Ate sushi in the Tsukiji fish market, the biggest fish market in the world, and possibly the best sushi I have ever eaten (and I have eaten a lot)
• Changed my Japanese teacher and I am learning twice as fast as before
• Started reading as well as speaking
• Went to Sydney and gave my niece a mini-Kimono and the little shoe things that go with it
• Went to new restaurants - Indonesian, Italian, American, French, English, and... um, Japanese
• Drank lots of beer, sake, and wine...
• Ate amazing food every day
• Got lesson off my mum on how to read music and planned to buy second hand electric piano
• Had my apartment loo changed to an electric one with sounds and gadgets
• Started bowing out of courtesy to people I dont even know
• Went to the gym a lot because the weather was a bit crap for running

..... Found myself more incumbent, involved, and interested to the point that I dont feel like an observer anymore....

:)