Who knew that the pacific was in Rome? Let alone Europe?
I think I’ve had this domain now for about 10 years – I think I first registered it in 2000 or 2001. I’ve rarely updated the page with any real frequency. Therein lies it’s consistency.
In that time I’ve done quite a lot of stuff. I’ve lived in Japan. Twice. Finland (on and off). France. Twice. Spent a few months in Thailand, Georgia (not the USA), Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic each respectively. And visited numerous other countries. And I’m on my third “long-term girlfriend”.
I’ve climbed Mount Fuji, met the Dalai Lama and the President of Finland (more than once). I’ve Eaten at the same cafe as one of the world’s wealthiest men (Cafe Mysore @ Matunga – unfortunately he wasn’t there at the time).
I’ve missed bomb-blasts in Hat-Yai and Military Coups in Bangkok by oddly short-lengths of time – and a war by a couple of months. I’ve passed people I didn’t know I knew in places like Malaysia. I’ve caught up with all except one friend from my 2001 year in Japan and I’ve had people try to convert me to “hippy-Hinduism” in New Zealand and then to Christianity in Japan. I’ve personally adopted Buddhism, although I remain an omnivore.
I’ve started 4 companies, and expanded one of those to have a branch office. Restructured them on average once a year. I’ve started several joint ventures – some which worked, others which did not.
I’ve started and not completed some projects (anyone remember the castle in Breclav??), and started and successfully completed others. I have earned (and spent) hundreds of thousands of dollars (let’s stick with the NZ Dollar).
I’ve stayed in all sorts of places from parks in Paris to 5-star Tokyo Hotels – and I’ve been arrested twice (both for minor “offenses” – once I wasn’t carrying my gai-jin ID card in Japan and the second was in Finland because they wanted to know how I had been earning money for the 18 months I had been waiting for a residence permit. After explanations and receipts and 3 days of interviews, everything was cleared up).
I’ve also been detained at Munich airport for driving offenses which occurred at a time when I was actually on another continent and was cleared of that issue once they saw the stamps in my passport for other countries (I’d lost my drivers license in France in 2005 and it had been used in Germany in 2007 – this was the official explanation I got from the authorities).
Some years have been better than others, but on the whole, it’s been a hell of a sine-wave!
So, where am I now compared to where I thought I would be at age 25, and where am I headed from here?
Well, let’s put it this way, I’ve not lived up to my expectations. But realistically speaking, I’d always actually anticipated being the multi-gazillionaire by age 30, so I am working on it – and I’m closer now than I was even 1 year ago.
I think I’m relatively safe in saying that I came to the right place at the right time, despite my landing in Mumbai in the middle of some terrorist attacks (bummer!) on the morning of 27/11/2008. Economically speaking 2009 has been a tight year – not just for me, but for everyone. Even people who shouldn’t be affected by “recession” haven’t been splurging like they usually would.
Ah well 2009 is gone now, and with Hayai started and with customers anxious to receive service, I think I’m well on my way to achieving that thus-far elusive goal of being, shall I say, “comfortable” by the age of 30 (2015) – and I truely think that India is the place I’ll be making my mark!
That being said, India has it’s own caveats – I have to effectively do a visa-run in a couple of weeks, so I’ll be off to T’bilisi, Sakhatvelo (Georgia… was invaded by Russia in 2008 if anyone remembers that) and the Ukraine on the 25th of January via Istanbul (woo Turkish Airlines!)
Fortunately I think I’ve assembled a decent management team at Hayai and the ISP partner is very supportive. I think I can run Hayai remotely for the weeks I’m out of the country. It’ll be nice to be on a 3G cellphone network again, even if it is temporary!
I’ll be keeping my Indian cellphone number on, but I doubt I’ll be answering too many calls unless I can get my Indian cell number forwarded by VOIP somehow., because incoming calls are something like Rs27/minute in Georgia and Rs70/minute in the Ukraine.
I’ll be pissed off if I get any spam SMS’s though, as I think they are about Rs15 each! I might have to see if Vodafone can block all SMS’es except from a certain number for a monthly charge.
Needless to say, I should remain available by Skype/Email and so forth so as to keep things running as smoothly as possible. Everything else I have to say is basically Hayai related, and has been said on Twitter – we have lots of interesting things coming up at Hayai Broadband, and I’m looking forward to the future with great anticipation.
For now though, I have to go and find out about paying some bribes (just in case I actually *don’t* have to leave the country for a couple of weeks because, let’s face it, the timing sucks!), so I’ll be back online later on.
MC
Dear Vodafone,
This morning I tried to top up with Rs 333 but was given Rs 301.
I thought this was a bit odd, so I called 111 and was told over the coming hour by 4 separate Vodafone representatives that “This is in our system, when you top up with Rs52 you will not get full talk time”.
Thanks for the warning.
My response was that: “You have not warned your customers. The only warning I got was that 1p/sec billing is not compatible with any other talk plan, which meant I had to also give up my 20p/min friends and family plan. Vodafone is supposed to warn customers of possible ramifications when changing calling plan, and I have seen NOTHING in your advertising on TV, buses/bus stops, newspapers, nor is it in the initial message that one hears when they call 111 OR in the response SMS which is sent by Vodafone when one switches plan. In fact I have found but one reference to it anywhere else (the internet – and not even on Vodafone’s site) – which essentially has the same complaint as I do: If I am on per-second billing, I will have to forfeit over 10% of my recharge time.
Considering Vodafone has vouchers which are not valid for full talk time, I would expect that if I make the trouble to purchase a full talk time voucher, I should receive full talk time regardless of which plan I am on.
The only warning I received when I changed plan (and I called 111 before recharging with Rs52 to change to per-second billing) was that this is not available in conjunction with any other plan (eg, my Friends and Family @ 20p/minute).
As I understand it, Vodafone has directly violated advertising codes by neglecting to inform consumers prior to switching plan.”
…to which their response was “But Sir, in our system, when you top up with Rs52 you will not get full talk time.”
“May I have the telephone number of Vodafone’s legal representative?”
“No. I will pass you to my supervisor who will tell you the same.”
Big. Waste. Of. F*ing. Time.
Doesn’t this fall under misleading advertising? Considering I’m being charged extra ST because of my plan, my costs are actually 1.1p and 1.33p per second respectively.
I think I’ll switch back to my old plan, and see if I can’t scare Vodafone in to either adding this fine print to its advertising and/or SMS and/or phone message – this is stupid.
