A business opportunity in Tuscany

The view from our hotel room

June 2007

This is a post that I cannot go into too much detail about but basically when travelling in Florence, I ended up hopping on a train the next day out to Tuscany and went to a meeting with the owners of a beautiful italian bath and body products brand. I didn't even have a suit. I went to the meeting looking like I was dressed to go out to a nightclub.

The meeting was in their factory which was literally a farmhouse surrounded by vineyards and olive trees and dogs running around with Italian women handmaking the products inside. It was like stepping back through time!

The company set us up at 5 star hotel Villa La Vedetta, part of the 'Leading Hotels of the World'. It was so luxurious! It would've costed $2000 a night if we had to pay. Rachel and Carl who were in Florence came over and we all drunk beautiful Italian wine and acted like kids whilst posh politicians and other important people had a function below our window. The bed was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on - you must try premium Italian linen before you die!

There was many dramas on the way from Florence to Rome and the company but this would be something you'd have to ask me about rather than read it here ;)

I had to make a very big decision - whether to fulfill my dream of working on an island in Greece during summer or starting something huge for my career by taking a risk and going back home. I chose the former.

Using Emotional Intelligence in the Amalfi Coast

The view from our balcony

June 2007

The Amalfi Coast was the first stop of my European travels so I use this as an excuse for my stupidity for hitchhiking with an untrustworthy stranger. I also blame it on the breathtaking views- how can one be put in a dangerous situation when you have panoramic, grandiose mountains with olive trees and vineyards sprinkled beautifully across it and an occasional quaint italian villa peeping over the cliffs? The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in the world.

I had walked down over 1000 steps by myself to explore a little cove that I spotted from our villa and spent the day floating in crystal clear water. I had to go back up the mountain to Pogerola but unfortunately the bus was running on 'Italian time' and didn't come.

So this combined with me being absorbed by the beauty of the place was why I said "Yes" when an Italian guy drove past on his scooter and offered me a lift up the mountain.

Now these mountains are dangerous - you constantly hear honking as that's the only way to let other cars know that you're coming around the corner so you don't smash into each other.

While I was thinking, "Hah! I wonder what everyone in Sydney is doing now compared to this!", the Italian stopped in the middle of no where.

"I am just stopping for a smoke," said the guy in his Italian accent. I panicked internally.

"O-okay", I said as I quickly looked around for other people.

He puffed his cigarette slowly, eyeing me the whole time.

This was when my emotional intelligence started to kick in. Being in Unilever's Futures Leaders Program meant we got a lot of training on soft skills such as EI. We got tested on our EQ (a measure of EI) as opposed to our IQ and really learnt how to use our emotions to manage and influence other people.

My first reaction was to panic but luckily he didn't see it as that would've meant he knew he had power over me. After the initial panic, I controlled my emotions and tried to think strategically on what I should do. I could either run away down a path that I found when scanning the area with my eyes (and reassured myself that I used to be amongst the best sprinters and hurdlers at school) or stay in the situation and deal with it with the outcome that I wanted.

The Italian grabbed my hand, then smiled, and said, "Will you give me a kiss?".

Immediate repulsion! But I contained myself and laughed smilingly and lied, "Oh no... I can't. I have a boyfriend."

"I have a girlfriend too. She lives in Positano. But we are in Pogerola now. Different place," he insisted. (Soooo Italian).

This conversation went on for a bit longer and there was a point where he looked a bit angry as from his point of view, he had driven me up the mountain and deserved something in return.

Feeling really scared (but not showing it on my face), I rejected him in a friendly, playful way to not harm his ego and in the end, he actually drove me all the way to Pogerola, dropped me off and left without saying anything.

Although we learnt how to use our emotional intelligence in the workplace, the course also helped me work out how to manage my own emotions and be conscious of how I deal with other people socially. Having strong EQ in the workplace is said to lead to more open communication with subordinates, resolve conflicts with win-win situations, and make you more successful with coping with environmental demands.

It's been awhile...

Wow.

Its been awhile since I've updated my blog due to the fact that I had been travelling a lot and did not have the diligence to report on the immense amount of stories and serendipitous happenings in the past year.

As I sit in a quiet apartment in London (arrived yesterday... yes, I did get a bit sidetracked and was in other parts of the world before returning yesterday), I'll try to write about some of the stories in the past year.

I have been also putting it off because the experiences I had simply could not be put into words. As said in the book Life of Pi, "But language flounders in such seas".

However, I'll try to convey the best I can. And the great thing is - it's not over. I'm about to embark on another journey so will report on them too =)

Mel x

Fantastic 4 Premier

Does this face look familiar?

My paparazzi relative texted me the day before about JT and Cameron Diaz being at the Shrek 3 Premier. He then texted me and told me about the Fantastic 4 premier. These things are usually pretty crowded at Leicester Square but Jade texted me and said she was already there so I met up with her.

Somehow I managed to get up to the front as some people left and I was next to someone who had been waiting for 8 hours! Jessica Alba came right up to us and I saw all these other celebrities as well (I didn’t know most of them!). Here are some pics below. Unfortunately my camera is slow so didn’t take the best pics of celebrities at the right time but its better than nothing!



Mr Fantastic; Addison from Greys Anatomy

Ron from Harry Potter; the excitement and crowds

Funny things I see in London

A club I walked past in Camden; a pub outside Islington station

I managed to get the police to do the peace sign with me in Trafalgar Square!! Score!!; the name of a suburb here

News stand... it was 8 degrees that night; dead rabbits at Borough markets (no!!!)

Random flying foot Yoni & I saw whilst walking around Trafalgar Square; Sloth & monkey having a staring competition at each other at the zoo

I achieved my goal!!!

I have some random things I want to achieve and one was them to go on stage at a major club in London and play the bongo drums. Here I am with 2 levels of people watching me play the bongo drums at Café de Paris! So happy!!
PS. Im not at a strip club. London clubs have girl dancers dancing on podiums all the time

My Paparazzi Relative

Since I had a small friendship base to start off with, I’ve found that I’ve adapted to make friends in lots of random ways. I contacted a distant relative that I hadn’t met before (something like Grandpa’s cousin’s daughter’s son) and he’s turned out to be the coolest Uncle ever!! (Chinese definition of ‘uncle’ is different).

My Uncle is a paparazzi photographer and takes pictures of celebrities. He gets invited to VIP parties and sees celebrities everyday. It’s cool because he sends me SMSes on things happening around town so that I might be able to see celebrities e.g. ‘7pm Berkeley Square. Agency has told me Sienna Miller, Beyonce, and Victoria Beckham will be there’. If a particular celebrity is in town, I can ask my Uncle where they are but that’s a bit too stalker like!

It’s a different world here in London compared to the North Shore. My Uncle certainly doesn’t fit the stereotype. He is asian and 45 and not married and is well … cool! He knows a lot of bouncers to major clubs and it’s a strange situation when your Uncle puts you and your friends on the guestlist and you all go out together! And it doesn’t feel strange or out of place at all.

I find it very refreshing as I’ve met a lot of people that don’t fit the stereotype and are just who they are as they are comfortable with it and not following certain paths just because everyone around them is. That’s because there are so many different types of people in London so you don’t feel like you have to fit in anywhere.

The Surrealist Ball

One night I got a message from my fashion designer friend Mark saying ‘Do you fancy going to the late night at the V&A? There is a surrealist ball and you can dance with lobsters!’

Now who can resist an invitation like that! I went and it was really quite surreal! The V&A is a beautiful, big, grand-looking museum and when I walked in, there were people dressed in the weirdest outfits (like dresses made out of plastic cups or someone painted in all blue or someone wearing a clock on their head). I felt very underdressed and ashamed that I looked so ‘normal’.




In the courtyard, hundreds of people were watching two women dressed as lobsters dance around on the balcony. Whilst people clinked their champagne glasses and had surreal conversations, Mark and I wandered off and started being silly in the museum. We took these pics below:






You will find when you are overseas you miss certain sort of conversations you have with certain people at home. Mark is interesting as he is from a different industry and I’d find myself learning about the difference between postmodernism, modernism and fluid modernism in art and other things in the art world that I might not usually come across. I have other friends that I have ‘Seinfield’ conversations with (my American friend) where we can talk for ages about nothing. Here are some pics from Mark's ice cream birthday party where we all got high on ice cream!

Where Im Staying Now

Probably the luckiest thing that has happened to me in London is getting to stay rent-free at an apartment by myself in one of best locations in London which would usually cost 800 pounds ($A2000 a week)! Yep that’s right… $8000 a month. How ridiculous is that.

A friend I met in Hong Kong off my cousin called Chester happened to have an empty apartment in Chancery Lane with no one living here which is right above the tube station with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, balcony, study, living room and massive kitchen. You must realize we are quite spoilt in Australia and this is really good in London! There is a porter downstairs to help me out with things (like when I didn’t know how to use a can opener!) and this place is like a hotel. I can walk Covent Garden or Oxford St back home.

Chester is the son of a past Miss Hong. The funny thing is he is going out with Janet who came 2nd in the current Miss Hong Kong. I had dinner with him and his friends once. Everyone seemed to be somebody like actors/singers/sons or daughters of prominent people and I was the random Australian.

Although everything I report seems fine and dandy, I actually went through a pretty tough week when I moved in but it is a challenge I wanted to face when coming here- HOUSEWORK! I had to ring 3 people about using the washing machine. I then broke out in a rash as I was allergic to something and then got sick. I feel like such a north shore princess when people ask me “Who did your cleaning for you in Australia?” as the answer is my Mum and that we had a cleaner. How embarrassing!! But I am very very proud of myself now as I can cook quite well (most of the time) and I can CLEAN!!! =)


Chester and his Miss HK number 2 girlfriend, Janet

Some more London pictures

Stephen posing for my 'artistic' shot at Hyde Park

Shakespeare Globe Theatre (thanks Yoni!!); Paella at Camden Markets

Picadilly Circus; Moving bus at Picadilly

Dessert at Yauatcha; writing at Hampstead Heath park

Me & Jade posing in front of Wireless Festival poster; Emily & I on the rooftop of Carl's friend's penthouse party in Covent Garden

6 RANDOM SHOE SIGHTINGS SO FAR

Im freaking out!!! 6 single random shoe sightings so far! It’s a global phenomenon! Do you Sydney people still see random single shoes now that I’m gone? (Apologies to those who have no idea what I’m talking about… you don’t want to know about this conspiracy otherwise it might affect you too)

Some London Pictures

Houses of Parliament

Silent Disco I randomly found whilst walking on the Thames (Queens Day which is a Dutch Day.. orange is the Dutch colour); Me taking a photo with bouncers wearing orange (I coincidentally was wearing orange that day as well!)

Kirsten Dunst at the Spiderman 3 premier; watching silent Shakespeare films with Yoni at the Shakespeare Globe

Hyde Park

Squirrel at Hyde Park; Eros at Picadilly Circus

Buildings at Kensington; Kate Moss loves TopShop line