It´s always about people
They are who make each experience different and unforgettable. I remember a 2AM conversation with some friends in Melbourne discussing about people, it was amazing see all of us, with a completely different background, religion or culture finding similitude and differences between people and all of us. Below there is a list with some of the memorable people who I’ve met during my past 6 months.
- I’m working with the past entrepreneurship organization president of New Zealand.
- I had couple lunches with a guy who has a twin, he is married with a woman who also has her twin and they both have together two daughters, who are twins. He is co-founder of the second most important paragliding company in the world and he has more than 4000 jumps.
- I interchanged emails with two writers of books I read.
- I met two women who had been partners for 12 years and I became friend with two British guys who been together for 22 years, they got married last year.
- I attended a piano and violin concert and they gave me a CD as a gift.
- I met a girl from Germany who was completely intolerable, I´m very patience and I just shared with her a dinner however it was too much time… Juan do you remember Niña?
- I interchanged emails and some ideas with a senior fellow and director of social computing lab from HP in California.
- I had my first flat mate, he is a guy who stopped his studies to follow his dream and become a sailor.
- I met a friend who is 23 years, she is a biochemical engineer speaks fluent Spanish, English, French, Italian and Portuguese and she wants to live in Africa.
- I had couple drinks with an UK diplomatic who ran for the European parliament and he is going to cycle from New Zealand to Japan and from Japan to UK, during the next two years.
- I was in a bbq with a guy who was married, his wife and his girlfriend (two different persons) were at the same bbq and they both are good friends.
- I traveled with two friends from Taiwan, one of them has to live in Australia because is what his parents want for him.
- I missed my family and friends (sometimes a lot)
- I met a friend who has a daughter, she is 12 years old, and she sells smoothies every weekend at her father’s restaurant to pay her next year dancing classes.
- I been in contact with most of my people thanks of Internet, skype, etc.
- A Musulman friend explained me why they let them father’s married them or why is important to respect the Ramallah
- I learned Colombian thanks of four friends and amazing trips together; they all are changing Colombian prospective in the world.
- I started new years with very cool people, one of them whom participated in the Olympic winter games in Turin.
- I met someone who told me he was a spy.
- I met the writer of whale’s rider and I hope we can set up a cafe during the following weeks.
We concluded our conversation thinking that in each nation, culture or religion there are people with same patrons and what make nations, religions or cultures different is which of the patrons is more predominant.
There are always some who wants to be a writers, those who wish build a family, some who work in a farm, those who want to sing, dance, paint or act, some who born to dedicate to politics or businesses, there are also people who follow them dreams until the end and those who doesn’t, there are bad people, people who make science progress, and a there are a few more, however what matters is those more predominance or those who can lead a change. I hope continue meeting wonderful people forever!
Add comment February 9, 2010
Maori Performance, late at the museum.
Similar of noche de los museos in Benos Aires, Auckland Museum comes alive on the first
Thursday each month with, LATE at the Museum. The series features enlivening discussion on contemporary themes, with bands and DJs performing in the Museum’s galleries.
Last Thursday was the first time that I´ve participated and it was fantastic. I went with Clovis, a friend from Argentina and her boyfriend from Chile. The discussion was about Maori presence in the New Zealand´s every day culture and the performance was lead by Whirimako Black with jazz, blues and Maori music as you can see in the video below. I hope you enjoy it!
Add comment February 7, 2010
Keynes vs Hayek
As everything, economics depends entirely on the point of view. The video below presents the well-known Keynes theory against Hayek from a different point of view, both are attending an economics conference on the economic crisis and it is presented in a non very traditional format.
EconStories.tv is a project of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and the The Productioneers, LLC
Add comment February 4, 2010
Rescued by lifeguard :)
On Saturday I went to Whangamata (3 hours from Auckland) to see three friends from Seattle, they were with the brother of one of them taking good care of a very nice house in front of a beautiful beach.
February 1st (Monday here) was Auckland’s anniversary so it was holidays and a long weekend was almost starting. On Sunday I had my first surfing experience, it was pretty good and not as difficult as I thought and after the 4th or 5th wave I was able to stand up on the board moving forward to the sea, what it was an amazing feeling!
Monday was different and it is where the story starts, if I’m writing this post is because I’m fine ☺. In the afternoon, Anna, Allysa and Jackie were suppose to go to watch a movie after surfing, so Kyle and me, decided instead of surfing and going for the movie, kayaking to an island and take the surfing boards later, when we return, and before the girls go to the cinema.
With Kyle (Jackie’s brother) we kayaked to an island. The island has the form of a dona because there is an internal lake inside of it, connected by a cave. The only way to get in is when the tide is low and there are not big waves. Before we were in front of the entrance of the cave we doubted to get in or not but we were almost there so after paddling quite fast we were on the cave and on the way to the small lake. We left the kayak in one of the internals beaches to walk around of it.
While we were walking, we found a second cave, much more smaller, which guided us to get out of the island so the real connections with the ocean were two, one quite big where we were able to kayak through and a second one smaller where we cradled and swam. The problem was that tide started coming up and waves growing, pushing and pulling all what was on them way and going back to collect the kayak was not a possible rational idea (maybe before neither), so at that moment we realized we both were stock in this second cave and not able to move forward or to return back, until the waves were smaller or tide came down.
In one moment, a big wave pushed us to the rock and it was why we were bleeding when the lifeguards rescued us but all the other time while we were waiting was not bad. Because we had not returned to meet the girls, they called the lifeguards and they went to look for us.
After circumnavigated the island and because they didn’t see us, they returned to the cost to ask the girls if they thought it was possible for us be inside of the island, they said maybe… so they returned and it was when we saw the BP lifeboat.
After the rescued, filled out some forms and checked that we were in ¨good¨ conditions we invited them to have some drinks. I thought to cook a big bbq for all of them but Andrew, the owner of the house who had returned on Sunday night, invited us to have dinner on the city.
We ended the night with 4 of the lifeguards, Andrew, his wife and daughter, Anna, Allysa, Jackie, Kyle and me playing beer pong and a very fun trivia. They all have a very special mention in personajes, I own them a lot ☺.
Couple very important things:
- The lifeguards said it was far one of the best rescues in the last seasons (the problem was that I was involved on it).
- If the article from the Whangamata´s newspaper came up I’m going to post it in this blog.
- The island was one of the most beautiful places that I ever been or seen and I always been curios by caves, however I know it doesn’t worth all what we did (sometimes don’t return before climbing to the pick of the mountain, because of weather, could cost you a limb in the best of the cases, and in this situation, with out mountain, it was not different, and I had to know it).
Finally THANKS to all, especially Matt, Andrew and Jackie.
1 comment February 3, 2010
Creative advertisment sign
I just walked by, liked the idea, snap and posted. Later I thought, is it normal for the New Zealand’s local weather forecast invest on advertisement? Anyway, the idea was nice.
Borges decia: ¨hablar del tiempo es perder el tiempo¨ asi que no me extiendo mucho mas.
Cheers,
Add comment January 26, 2010
My work at Auckland
As I mentioned in the post New Zealand wants me a little more I decided to stay a little longer in Auckland because of a job opportunity that came up.
Today I’m going to explain whom I’m working with and which are my responsibilities. I’m working for Results; it is a NZ company, with offices in Canada and setting the company in new countries during 2010. My responsibility are realigning the site to convert and create new ways to drive traffic, among other every day fun stuff. Results offers strategic 
planning & business execution methodologies to be implemented into business with measurable results – tracked via software, which is under a beta version at the moment, and it is going to be launched in the following months, hopefully before I finish working for.
I remember when I told to my father that I’d be working for a company for just two months and he was a little surprised because a company accepted me for just a short period. He told me probably is how new jobs are, and I told him: dad I also know all what I can do with just only two months.
All the people who I’m working with, are amazing talented. At the moment there are few less than 250 employees in all the company, which is a lot but still not a huge corporation, in the office where I’m based there are about 25. I’m working directly with 4 of the members of the board of directors, Ben, Tony, Simon and Stephen. Ben is a natural leader who can make any deal sees for both parts, Tony is an IT genius, Simon has amazing speech skills and Stephen reads tons and is one of those few big minds. The first meeting that I had with all of them, Stephen asked me: what do you want to learn from us? I gave him a very random answer, which I didn’t like it later, however it was the first thing that came up to my mind. Today I hope I can learn a little more about leadership, negotiation, IT, speeches skills, strategy and business execution, among other things.
They always make sure I feel as a member, but what is more important they all think big, very big, and they are on the way to change how people execute business. I’m very happy to be a member of results team, even if it is going to be for a short time.
This blog represents my own opinions, and does not in any way represent those of results.com, except coincidentally. To read more about Results.com.
Add comment January 24, 2010
Summer readings
While I was on vacations I finished three books, two of them very recommendable.
The first one was Angels and Demons, from Down Brown. It was very gripping but I didn’t like it, some of the nights I stayed until 2 or 3 in the morning reading it, what it confirms it was gripping. The story is too unreal, however he has a perfect skill to describe places and to make you travel around the hide and old streets, parks and places from Rome trying to make the story a little more real.
The second one was Africa, harenes de piedra
, from Hernan Lanvers. An Argentinean friend left it at home to pick it up when she returns to Auckland and she told me: it is a very good story but it is para grandes. It is about the journey of four teenagers, from Senegal to Mali, three of them sons of diplomatics. They were kidnapped in a national park of Senegal and they walk during nights crossing desserts, followed close by the father of one of them, who makes all what is in his hands, to rescue them, before they are offer as slaves. The story was really interesting and there is a lot to learn from the oldest continent in the world and from his people, I believe it turned on a little flame to make a nice trip around Africa, one day.
The last one was Jonathan Lifeston Segull, from Richard Bach. A friend was very surprise because I never read it before and for him it was a classic such us Little Prince from Saint-Exupery. Bash was friend of Ray Bradbury, and you can clearly see in the book the vision of Bash as a pilot. Life is an up flight, the higher you fly, the more you see. The story is about what Jonathan sees while he is flying and following his instinct, which is completely different from any other seagull. Ray Bradbury said: “Richard Bach with this book does two things, he gives me flights, he makes me young, for both I’m deeply grateful”. I’m still young, but it made me fly.
Now I’m reading the Fascination Principle and there are 3 more on my list. Margaret Thatcher’s and Edmund Hillari´s biographies and Entrepreneurship, Process and practice.
1 comment January 23, 2010
New years resolutions
Since I was 15 or 16 years old, every end of December or beginning of January, I used to write or draw some New Year resolutions, to keep in mind where I want to be by the end of the year, which was starting.
Some of them were personal goals, other about business, studies, people, savings or some random ideas that may come to my mind.
If you didn’t do it, is a good way to start your new year, there is a nice sensation analyzing what you wrote and all what you have committed the twelfth months before.
Think big, but keep your resolutions measurable, start now, focus in what you want to do and don’t give up are my recommendations. Meanwhile, you are open to what could happen and it was not planed. It is amazing achieve the resolutions and sometimes it starts happening before we all expect.
Finally, beginning of 2010 was especially interesting for two things. First, analyzing 2009, which was far one of my best years and second writing down my resolutions because it is difficult to plan while you are traveling, however it was good to follow a friend’s advice, and work on my 3 year resolutions.
Think big and start now.
Add comment January 21, 2010
Terri Irwin, discussing the role of entrepreneurship in her life.
When I came to New Zealand a colleague put me the contact with Howard Frederick. He is one of the specialist of entrepreneurship in Australasia and author (with Donald F. Kuratko) of Entrepreneurship Theory Process Practice (I haven’t read it yet but it is on my list). At the moment he is living in Australia, we haven´t met yet but during the past weeks we been interchanging several emails, his last one was a passionate video about entrepreneurship, that I want to share with all of you.
It is about Terri Irwin, Director of the Australian Zoo in Queensland and widow of Stephen Irwin, discussing the role of entrepreneurship in her life.
Please click here to watch it!
1 comment January 19, 2010
Find the 7 differences
I returned to Auckland on Monday after sailing for 5 days and a week traveling around the north island. I haven´t cut my hair since I left Argentina and I haven´t shaved since Christmas. Now I ¨civilized¨ my self and you can see the differences:
The short hair is more comfortable but I prefer it a little longer y la barba pica. Probably the next time that I´ll cut it I´m going to be in Argentina, we will see 
4 comments January 15, 2010
