... same same but different ....

this week-end I had the pleasure of spending the day at the MotoGP at Le Mans. The crowd was immense, around 80.000 people around the circuit, 140.000 over the two days. And I have now proof: you do not need to be a freak to enjoy the motorcycle circuit.

The race itself was very exciting and full of tension. My idol Carlos Checa did very well, but the battle for the top spot in all classes was just amazing with a very unfortunate Valentino Rossi withdrawing with mechanical problems. I felt just like 14 again , that was the time out family was visiting motocross very week-end. Of course I had some privileges thanks to my current job. Was able to come very close to the riders after the warm-up, see and touch the bikes (the one next to the bike is my colleague resp for sales) ... The most exciting thing however was the fact we were able to go in the safety car and do one round around the circuit before the race ...

after this amazing experience I must say I do admire even more the speed at which those guys go around, this is not only a question of putting the mind to zero and the looks to the horizon, but above all of ability to control the bike in each condition ...

Of course the memory of my visit to the tennis tournament of Stanford was just around the corner and I had to come to the conclusion that at the end of the day it's same same but different. Top athletes that do everything for their sports, but at the end of the day are only human. One thing is for sure: I'm thrilled being there now and then ..

Happy travels

Toon

.. a difference in culture ....

Imagine this: put into one room a diversity of people: Japanese, American, French, Italian, English and to top it off a crazy Belgian :-0 .... result: quite an experience. Just had my first global meeting at the new job and i had the be the master of ceremony. With this diversity you can imagine it was a big challenge to keep the meeting into the right time and mindframe. But we managed .... especially with the help of the some more experienced people in the meeting. Bob helped me out very nice and was trying with me to steer the meeting in a very gentle but firm way in the right direction .... tomorrow we are off at 5.45 to the circuit to Le Mans to see the MotoGP race. It is going to be so thrilling to see th bikes and the riders with super dooper VIP passes :-) ...

but i just realized i've been away all week long and and i haven't heard the kids and or hardly any of my family. Sitting here in my hotel room after a very long week it sneaks up on you how important small things can be in life .... i wished i had more time to spend with them and for me and my girlfriend to think about the future ....

but fours days of holiday are just around the corner .. i'm lookign forward to some time with all of them and just come to the senses .....

happy travels

Toon

.... Regrets and the future ...

When I was 14 years old I decided to stop my classical education in high school and go for a more practical education of cook school school. When I announced this at school the principal asked a meeting with my dad, give him sermon about wasting a valuable education and all option for a descent future, warning him that in future I would regret the choice I made.



(try to recognize me in the blurry picture of my last year cook school :-), the winner gets a free dinner at my place)

I was very much impressed by what they guy said and started to doubt a little, till the moment my dad said: in life you should never regret things that you have done, only the things that you did not do. Still today I do not regret my choice of that moment, yes of course it made my path to university very difficult and rather cumbersome, but till today I feel happy I took the decision at that moment to go for an education as chef.

it has thought me in many different ways so much about life, still today, that regretting it would be denial of the beauty of the experience. It is the same way I feel to day about decision I took in my life. Yes I sometimes make the mistake like Graham Bell said: When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.

Because the door I closed is not really closed, the friendships I still have are keeping them open and make me look for doors beyond the ones that have opened. I know I will be able in the near future to open up these doors with the helps of my friends.