Vegas Suite

Home Again

After two weeks on the road, I am home again. This trip has been quite an adventure, circling the globe, visiting countries I never thought I would see, and most importantly, meeting people who could not having been nicer or more interesting.

To all the team members we met, FPL, Sempra, BGE, BGEHone, SoCo, and Exelon, thank you for your hospitality! To some old friends, Jet, Cheng, Lina, and Rema, it was great to see you again! And especially to Sarang and Eric, I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality, time you took to show us around, getting to meet your wonderful families, and commitment to our client teams success! I hope someday to be able to repay the favor here in the States.

Although our trip back was long, it was pretty uneventful and it is now back to new views.

Dazed and Filled

Been a few daze since my last view, guess that is due to me seeing things I had already seen the last time I was here. For other POViews, please go here: http://ejduffy.blogspot.com/

Been a fairly uneventful few days except for the opportunity to get to know my team’s here. Eric and I have had a number of meetings with the team, team meeting, lunch’s, dinner party and each chance we have had to talk to the folks here has been fun and a pleasure. Here is the Sempra/FPL Team, and yes, eating again:

We have been getting to know each other better, learning about each other’s home town, hobbies, etc. Also learning more about the local cuisine, seems all we do is meet and eat. We went to a traditional Philippine restaurant; Fely J’s where the food never stopped coming. Will say this, while the concept of continual feasting is the same, the food is definitely different that India.

I also had a chance to meet briefly with my BGE and BGEHome team, I am hoping I will have a chance to get to know them better the next time I visit Manila.

Guess at this point after 13 days I keep hearing the home, home, home line from ET. Nice to go away to different and exotic places but something about being home with the family is making me wish the flight will come soon. But before I go:

Manila Views

Sunday morning in Manila, went for my walk and had breakfast with Eric in the hotel buffet, (jealous Jason? and yes the Dim Sum was excellent as usual but did not go with the chicken feet this time).

We met Miggy, Hegel, and JM who had his Mazda 3, from the office here today and proceeded to go out exploring, heading to the older part of Manila. During my last visit to Manila during the summer of 07 I did not get a chance to see much of the city so I was looking forward to seeing some sights. Sights we saw.

We started at the oldest church in Manila, started in 1599. There was a wedding taking place when we arrived, funny because the last time I was here there was one taking place in the lobby of the Shangri La Makati. It was pretty cool seeing old the old artifacts and paintings.

We then started walking to Fort Santiago. We saw the Manila Cathedral on the walk. Strange thing about this place is it has been destroyed by earthquakes and wars several times, rebuilt each time, but the other church has withstood it all and it is only a few hundred yards apart.

On our way to the Fort Santiago where Jose Rizal (the Filipino Founding Father) was imprisoned and executed we saw a guy having a bad day.

Then it was time to head for an early dinner. Debates took place on where to go and it was decided we would head to a Philippine national Treasure:

So while eating the national cuisine, wings and beers, who walks in but Eric Aurelio and his wife. Now here Duffy and I are, half way around the world, in a city of almost 2 million people, sitting in Hooters of all places and the guy we came to meet with this week is in the same place. I started this blog with one of my favorite phases and it continues to be.

Hooters is located across from the Mall of Asia which is the 3rd largest in the world and on Manila Bay. Saw a beautiful sunset and after learning that I was one of the original owners of the Clearwater Hooters it was picture time with the staff. Gave them all a raise and it was back to the hotel where I am now writing this drivel, listening to XM on the net and looking forward to the next adventure.

Cheese Burgers

I realize I am not has good as Eric in keeping up with posts, and he is a much better chronologist than I, see his Blog.. http://ejduffy.blogspot.com/ ..but things have changed since my last post.


Never had a desire for Cheeseburgers; however, here was a tease:





So I am thankful for the time I got to send with my team in Pune. Although we live worlds apart, we have the same values, enjoying family, looking to better ourselves, while also realizing that while on our trip around the sun we need to enjoy everyday life. I really enjoyed my time with each person, Sarang, Vipul, Paromita, Sriram, and Karunakar.


However, the time here in Pune had to end and I was looking forward to my next adventure in Manila, thinking I had escaped without too much financial damage. I had bought some little trinkets for Kelsey and Dylan and thought I was safe. Except that knucklehead (Duffy) had to find something that Mrs. Robinson had purchased last time he was in India which sent us off to the best friend I ever had who took all my money and made me feel great about it. They made some amazing cravings out of something called softstone or jade, truly amazing if true, so I bought. Hope the pics do justice because if the story of how women with small hands and sharp tools carve these things out of solid jade is true, it is amazing.

So, after our last meeting and goodbyes, it was time to make our way to Manila. But first we had to get to Chennai via Kingfisher Airlines. Now who ever owns Kingfisher is suppose to be the Indian Richard Branson but I think he forgot about people with legs longer than three feet.

Anyway, we got to Chennai, had a good beer there, Kingfisher is good for something, highly recommend the beer if you can get it, and it was time to head to Singapore.

I sat next to a guy from Arizona who has been working in India for 10 years and needed to either get a life or I am jealous. He works in Chennai during the week and fly’s to Singapore for the weekend to have fun and the stories he told me makes me…………………

So we spend some time in the Singapore Airlines lounge which was great and finally head to Manila. Slept all the way there with one thought and dream:

Pune to You

What a long strange trip it's been.

Viewing back....please go here http://ejduffy.blogspot.com/

Viewing forward.....it's day five of our world tour...seems longer and shorter if you know what I mean...but this day has brought even more adventure. Started out the same, ride through the various degrees of amazement, work, lunch with a team member, Sriram at a Hydrabad restaurant with very good Biryani Chicken , then ride back to the office, traffic jam, bang, rearended. Just what my back needed.

Afternoon was a mixture of meetings and spreadsheeting then it was off to my team's event, bowling (which back said no) and eating (which I am trying to advoid at all costs). But it was great being with the team, good conversation (politics, life at accenture, places where we live, and of course food) and laughs.

Well tomorrow or today or whatever this day is will surely bring more amazement and pictures and FOOD, ugh.