I’ve recently received some little gift originating from the other side of the world.
It’s a Gregory’s Down Under Map of the World 161 6th (folded) and I really do like and appreciate it very much. It was and is some very thoughtful thingy to send me. Thanks a lot!!

So being very much pleased with it, I went for a frame and did finally put it on the wall in my office yesterday.

Is there a need to tell that everybody coming along since then, first is looking at it and making a comment about. They all think about it as very different and a refreshing new way to see and understand world and it’s relations.

When I speak about ‘Gates to the World’ I’m not speaking about that fancy Stargate stuff (although I really would enjoy being allowed to use some).

My gates to the world are airports. Now I’m not travelling that often that travelling itself would become boring routine. And heading to one of those gates always promises new and exciting stuff.

Each of them is individual for sure and a few I ‘was allowed’ to use even weren’t really worth to be called airport. More some longer straight road somewhere in the bush with a few facilities close by.

But over the years a few of them have become more familiar than others and a few of them really feel like well know locations now.

First of all there is Fraport …. my very own starting Gate for nearly every trip I do. Now not being aware about the ranking list of airports, Frankfurt is certainly one of the biggest in the world and therefore starting there often makes you wonder about some small and ‘provincial’ appearing airport somewhere out in that world close to some famous and well know town.

Now there were also some really fancy airports I’ve visited once like Beijing Capital International Airport or Kai Tak Airport at Hong Kong (the old one) where aircrafts had to fly across the skyscrapers and landing and finally touch down nearly appeared like going down directly within the sea.

Singapore Changi International Airport is special for me as for I was already there several time and never left the international area of the airport as for I was always in transit …. strange as for I have even customers there.

And finally a few airports have become special to me as for they are my Gates for visiting friends.

Now I will make it a bit difficult for you only giving you the airport short name for guessing …. there is YYZ, SYD and finally PER. You are informed now?!

Years ago when i headed out into this world first, even phoning home was some adventure.

What will this call going to cost you? Does is need 2 or 3 leading "0" and the country code to dial home?
But today with everyone is carrying a cell phone this is no longer an issue anymore. We are used to pick our phone and dial whoever and whenever we want right away.

Now travelling some less occupied areas of the world it can happens that you reach the end of mobil phone coverage even these days.

Last this happened to me while traveling the outback of Australia. No one living out there …. no need (at least no commercial) to make effort covering this area for mobil phone usage.

But curious this time being over in the USA I’m running into similar situations. No cell phone network access since days … at least not with my european mobil phone. But knowing about there is no phoning anymore, it is impressive to see that nearly each Hotel/Motel does offer Wireless Internet connection for free …as a reason to exactly choose them and no other business instead.

Yes, world seems to be far more connected than once at the time when I headed out into it first.

But … tell me … how can they know, that today I far way more often communicate and write emails with international friends around the world … than calling folks at home and telling good old mum for example that I’m fine?

Yeah, things have changed dramatically …. but I couldn’t say I don’t like it.

This morning my first way was going to the computer and checking it for a highly awaited feedback via email…..
Guess I wouldn’t have done in case it would have been for work issues though.

Curious as it is, I had left this stupid puter thingy just a few hours before, giving it anything else nut nice names.
Believe it or not, "Stupid Metal Nerd" was one of the more harmless terms I had used for it!

Knowing about me in such critical situations when I have to work highly concentrated for hours, I’m aware that things start to get some more personal touch for me. The system in front of you is no longer just a computer and at least I start to talk with it giving it all kind of bad or nice names depending on the situation I have to go through.

Ensuring you are not doing any mistake, by looking at things two or three times and being aware there is only one and just one chance to succeed, at least I need such a valve to get rid of the pressure.

Making it short now, it was again a critical database recovery I was sitting about. Getting the info about a damaged database right at the end of my working day yesterday, I worked more than double as much hours as usually. But at the end I could ring the customer and telling him about the database got fixed again.

Now finally coming back to that email I found this morning. It was some personal news I was keen to receive and world directly started to look better and more beautiful again after reading it. YEAH!! Thats Tops!