Day 1-USA 2nd November 2011

I guess I start at the very longest day of my life by saying that it started at half past midnight when I got home after a very festive Melbourne Cup celebration. Then after a couple of hours sleep typically, I started packing my bag for my very big adventure to the big apple. And Journey indeed it was going to be. It s more than a run for me, its another discovery, another journey down learning lane… I think the run as most of my past 12 months had been a reason to start some learning and not necessarily know what the lessons are or where or how I intend to extract that knowledge…The only thing I can promise is I have lessons to learn and now the patience to wait for the teacher(s). After, a very stressful morning all of my own doing…I was packed and ready to hop n the cab…luckily, I booked it the night before (how organised am I?) No, it was a complete fluke that I went to the races in a cab and the cabbie was available. So now I am at the airport about to check in the flight I only recently booked due to Qantas strikes (insert Link) and the adventure starts in the queue ...I was not told about needing a Visa/Visa Waiver…(Link for Estra) so all you USA travel virgins fill this before you get to the airport…Clearly, there are many schmucks in my boat as they have a booth setup at the international terminal and for $10 will let you use their PCs. Now I have very little time to get on the flight and rush to the gate, but my delayed check-in allows me to grab three vacant seats…woo hoo stretch my long legs ;-) I got on and only to land after watching some pathetic movie such as Hangover 2 (WASTE OF TIME) and a brilliant movie such as the (The Source Code) Brilliant Story line (Parallel Universe… What are other Hany(s) are doing now I wonder? If nothing else I hope they are learning or teaching. Ahh Whatever. First mistake was I booked my transit trip 10 hours too late and trust me 10 hrs in LAX is pathetic. However, my learning were a very entertaining chat with an Israeli national Mr A Rapaport…who not surprisingly anymore was another person who had more parallels to my life than I can explain... A very entertaining 2 hours of multi topical discussions and we exchanged particulars to stay in touch. The people we meet n life are there to serve a purpose and that I truly believe in. The rest of the day was agony but I was soon on the flight to NYC and it’s a relief…by the time I landed in NYC it was 15:30 on Thursday back home which is 38 hour day (2/11/2011) or thereabouts. Damn that was a long day but the view of a well-lit NYC from the sky was worth it and I know I will be back again and again to NY…Rigot, I now get it.