12 hours in the Wimbledon Queue

For the one weekend I was going to stay in the UK, I wanted to do something special. So I picked Wimbledon.

There are 3 ways to get tickets at wimbledon - the easiest way is to be rich/famous/connected - where you can get corporate seats and all that. Harder but more common is to enter the ticket ballot, though obviously that requires a little more luck. The one that requires the least planning is to just show up on the day, where you can buy a day pass (After queueing for 1+ hours though!) and walk around the 20 or so courts looking for action.

If you want to see the best matches though - on centre court, and courts 1 and 2 - and haven't been lucky enough to get it in a ballot or anything like that, your only option is to queue EARLY. Of the day passes (of which there are 6-10,000) the first 1500 are special - 500 for centre court, 500 for court #1 and 500 for court #2 (includes day pass access too).

We decided that we should go for it - though the Saturday - the only weekend day of the whole tournament (well, apart from the finals) would be very, very crowded. We eventually got there at midnight - over 13 hours before play was to begin - only to be told that we were about #1700 in the queue.

But luck was on our side - we were one of the last 40 to qualify - as we managed to get to the least crowded of the two gates, and 750 passes were allocated per gate. Phew and double phew!

The queue itself - until sunrise - was actually a lot of fun. We immediately made friends with the people around us, with pizza delivery boys making food an option ...



... after chatting and playing card games with them - we EVENTUALLY got to sleep at around 4am, only to be woekn up at sunrise at 5:30am for the start of the long queue moving in. This was a huge queue - with people having brought tents, BBQs, bedding, everything ...!

The morning queue was a lot less fun, moving about once an hour, and we were all tired/cranky/impatient by then. Throughout the day we grabbed sleep whenever there was a patch of grass and a few minutes!



... but once we got in, we discovered we had AWESOME seats - 2nd row from the front! It was all smiles ...



... even though the best action was on centre court, there were still some great matches going on in court one - such as Amelie Mauresmo (who later went on to win the whole thing) whose strength has shamed me into trying to do more weights, and our own Lleyton Hewitt, who we got to see in court two (he won! at least that match).



Another really cool part of Wimbledon is where the big screen is mounted - Henman Hill. This is a nice sunny grassy knoll to watch the centre court match on - and the crowd for when new British hope Andy Murray played was ultra packed ...



... overall, a really excellent day. Aussie Aussie Aussie!

Berlin - the most un-German part of Germany

So I returned to Berlin for a second 3-day trip - this time alone, and, of course, to watch yet another football game: Ukraine vs Tunisia.

The game itself was actually pretty average - with Ukraine much better than Tunisia and only needing a draw - but the stadium in which it was held - the Olympic Stadium (formerly known as the Hitler stadium!) - was absolutley breathtaking (This is where the World Cup final is eventually held).

The highlights of my Berlin related to two tours - a walking tour I did during the day (These are fantastic), and a few other "walking tours" done with my friend Leland, an American who's lived in Berlin for the last 4 years.

The conventional tour took us to all the important parts of central Berlin, such as theis beautiful quadrangle (ironically where books were burned in the 1930s). Here they are decked out with Bears - somewhat of a symbol for Berlin - from every country ...



Then also to important historical sites - like this tribute to the Jewish vitims of the holocaust ...



... and even to a chocolate shop! Witness the large chocolate balls ...



As for the "other" tour - I was so privileged to see the harder-to-find parts of Berlin - an amazing array of parties in abandoned buildings and lots, cool things to eat and see.

For example, we watched the Germany round of 16 game at this "Trailer Park". Literally full of old trailers in an abandoned parking lot ...



... it was a really cool place to watch the game. Crowded, full of shouting and beer drinking Germans ... very cultural! :)



Elsewhere in the city we went to these huge abandoned buildings filled with squatters proclaiming amateur art galleries (mostly filled with interesting quasi-left-wing propaganda) and indy movie showings. Other vacant blocks had huge ad hoc night parties which raged from about 11pm until sunrise ...



... my favorite one being this patch of sand next to the river where someone had set up a little bar and put a whole lot of deckchairs ...



Berlin. Way cool indeed!

Leipzig: Football crazy ...

Historic Leipzig was once the "jewel of east Germany" (ok I made that quote up) ... boasting one of Europe's largest train platforms, recently restored to its former glory ...



And now - overrun by large soccer balls (note the cool traffic pedestrian green man) ...



... and another huge fan area with masssive screen (here's the victorious Brazilian crowd - we watched Australia go down to Brazil here. But we don't talk about that anymore)



With scalpers, scalpees, and large mascots: what more could you want?

... and Korean Krazy! France 1, Korea 1

... of course, however, the real focus of the weekend in Leipzig was the match it was hosting and that we were going to - France vs Korea. Leipzig has NEVER seen so many Koreans in its life, I'm sure ...

... first there were just a few nervous Koreans awaiting the game ...



... then they came in packs ...



... at the game there were stands of them, shouting and screaming non-stop (Even when Korea was scored against) ...



... and even though they only filled up 20% of the stadium, they made more noise than everyone put together; an astonishing performance by the fans of non-stop, 8,000 fans in unison chanting a range of impressive songs (Well over 10 distinct chants!) including ...

• Go West (Korean version - includes a capalla, then drum bits / techno version)
• Ode to Joy / Beethoven's 9th
• One which I presume was created specially for the game, to the tune of the French national anthem
• And of course, that perennial favourite, "Hail Kor-ea!"

... complete with dance moves, drums and signage. They made me proud to be a Korean (Even though I'm actually not ... I think).

The game itself was electric. Leipzig's stadium was built especially for the World Cup, and it is gorgeous:



We had some great seats at around the 20 metre mark, right next to the Korean crowd. France dominated much of the game, leading 1-0 for most of it and missing many more chances - but Korea came back - with a vengeance, with 2002 hero Park scoring; holding on for a thrilling 1-1 draw!

The crazy but lovable 'pension' in Loutzen, rural Germany

Seeing Leipzig's population expanded by over 10% with tourists streaming in to watch the game, pretty much all the hotels there (both of them) were booked out. The closest hotel/motel I could get for me and Angie was this bed and breakfast (in Germany/Europe they are referred to as pensions - yes, it confused me for a while too) twenty miles out of Leipzig.

... it was like a different world. Miles from anyway, a picturesque scene - here's the view from our room:



... there was wildlife running around (before breakfast, anyway) ...



... and a lovely German style home made breakfast to boot!



... but of course, no German pension in the country would be complete without being run by a CRAZY owner. Here he is, with Angie ... I preferred to keep my distance ...



Whilst he spoke great English - he reminded me of some of my economics lecturers; would start speaking in German to himself DURING our conversation: being nice and hospitable and then angry?!!

However, he certainly wasn't crazy on the pricing - hitting us with a 20 euro 'service charge'. Financially shrewd, but otherwise crazy ...

I'll leave you with this thought!

The Fan Mile: This is what the world cup is all about!

What I love about big events (probably really only applies to the Olympics and the Soccer World Cup - there was nothing like this when the rugby world cup, the next biggest tournament, was on in Sydney a few years ago) is that they do cool stuff with the streets. They close them off, big time, and make them big areas to part-ay.

Germany is no different - with each of the 10 host cities having huge areas closed down for TV screens and the like. Berlin, the home of the final, has the most, with an area called "the Fan Mile" ... one of the biggest arterial roads in Germany, stretching from the Brandenberg Gate to the Victory Column (pictured below with the Duracell Bunny).



It boasts huge television screens every 100 metres showing the game during game time, and dance music (different genres every stop ... my favourite was the "Grease Megamix stop"):



... it boasts food tents galore, including German favourites such as sausages, strudel and crepes (ok they're french) BUT with German-invented Nutella on them! yum.



... there's the usual selection of soccer cages and sporty game-things: here's a game of night time badminton (?):



And, topping it all off, the MASSIVE Mastercard (tm) ferris wheel!



I love this town!

Berlin: World Cup CRAZY!

Berlin - where we flew in and stayed the first night - is currently soccer CRAZY. Berlin is home to the Olympic Stadium, where the World Cup Final will be held on 9 July. But they have taken it to a new level: including the FIFA Fan Mile (they closed down the main street and did some amazing things to it to make it a place to watch the soccer) and the Adidas Arena (a 10,000 seat, 1:10 replica of the Olympic Stadium, complete with surrounding soccer park). Separate coverage of that later ...

... but soccer has basically taken over the city. There are giant shoes around ...



... they have placed a giant soccer ball on the tallest tower in the city ...



... They have put a giant soccer ball next to Brandenberg gate!



(Here's a nice shot of the gate - which, interestingly, used to be a tollway!)



... even our hotel room chocolates were soccer balls! =) They were tasty too ...



Berlin: It's a great city.

Weekend 1 in Germany: World Cup Fever

Well, after months of planning and managing to get a job in Europe, Angie and I were finally able to get to Germany for the World Cup. How was it? An action packed, exhilirating weekend - the highlight being the France vs Korea preliminary round match.

I wore a few hats this weekend ... both as the Australian ...



... and the Korean - for the France-Korea match of course! (And when Australia lost miserably to Brazil ...)



(pictured here with a sausage)

And the best news is, I'm back there next weekend! =)

It's a hard life I know!

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering, I am NOT Korean. But I do like Korean food, and electronics, if that counts ...

One week in: report from London

So, after a week on the job at Google, Friday night arrived: and Wendy (another MBA friend from Stanford) and I organized a reunion for all us MBAs working here over summer. Well, it's a bit early - many of them are still on holiday - but we're going to try to make it an "every Friday" thing. Here's a bunch of us at a nice Thai place near Covent Garden ...



Google has been great. You would not BELIEVE how well we are treated ... Thursday was massage day, Friday is "Thank God it's Friday" - and every day is free breakfast/lunch/50+ different soft drinks/chocolate bars and fruits galore ... wow.

Am on a great team doing some really interesting sales and marketing work! Enough to warrant a "Cheers" with my Stanford friends also here ...



Tomorrow = Germany! Ohhhh yeah.

Goodbye America, Hello London!

It is AMAZING to be back in London again, starting work for Google (note: go to google.com - for all your searching needs). Whilst people tell me that London architecture is pretty average compared to the rest of Europe (Eg Prague etc - where I'll hoepfully be able to visit soon!) I confess, I still really like it:

... the long winding, sandstone building-ed streets:



... the house/apartment/town house type things that span entire blocks:



... big red buses and, in summer, days where the sun doesn't set until 10pm!!



... not to mention, a pub on every corner! All the better to watch the World Cup with, my dear ... conveniently timed with my entry ...

Empty rooms and (soon not to be) empty boxes ...

Packing sucks. It takes a LONG time (Well, always longer than you think anyway) and the amount of stuff I managed to accumulate in a small room over 9 months - after starting with literally a 30kg suitcase - is staggering. I filled over 10 big boxes PLUS my suitcase for London!



Hard to believe this will all be over so soon; from the hurriedness and action of Stanford, MBAs and Schwab to a different kind of action ...

... almost no time to think! To reflect. I guess that's my one big regret of the past 9 months: being too busy to slow down and take it all in ... something that needs to change.

It has been one incredible year.

Goodbye Schwab - how I'll miss your non-stop party nature!

Schwab has been my home for the last 9 months. A 250 room complex, it houses the majority of first year MBAs (only), including the vast majority of the unmarrieds. It therefore basically runs like those American undergraduate college TV shows you see on TV, except everyone here is old enough to legally drink, and has money to spend on, well, pretty much whatever they want.

Due to the reflecting pool, high prices, and resort-like feel, Schwab a reputation at Stanford for being a bit posh. In this picture with my "new company" team and mentor, it's not hard to see why ...



... on the final Sunday, we hosted the lunch 4 people won where Robyn and I were to cook for them. I'll miss the leisurely lunches in our courtyard ...



(and here's my fruit platter - nice huh?) =)



... I'll miss the social areas where we mingled, and there was always someone to hang with (except, ironically, in this picture ...)



... to celebrate their graduation, the second years had a big "take back Schwab" night. Where once again they danced, partied and chatted in its bright orange (if somewhat clashy!) walls. Here's me with my friend Arul (and "head") ...



And the final dance party - to think, in one year, that will be me ...