And it's not just a game...

...no it's not just a game! Is not a case that anythime I cross the colors of South Africa, the sound of this country, the inspiration that a leader such as Nelson Mandela was, is and always will be...well, anytime I feel my soul waking up so badly.

Is not a case that this blog was inspired by his autobiography, read at the end of one of the most important learning experience of my life...and at the beginning of my new life path abroad...

Its not just a case...that this year the World Cup is playing in South Africa... that one of the most inspiring movie I watched lately is "Invictus"... it's not just a game the Dream I have in my mind.

I must live it... because is not just a game!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBmcgxFXu-Q&feature=related

The Wishing Gate...

Inspiration from books..:-)

There are times when even the bravest want to give up: times when appearances indicate that everything is against us, and it is no use to try. At such times you should remember that is always darkest just before the dawn; that a little more faith, a little more patience is all that we need to win. Remember, too, that all those who have reached their goal ahead of you felt tired sometimes, and wanted to give up, but they DID NOT. If they had, you would never heard of them.

Occasionally we are like the little boy who went off to find the “Wishing Gate.” He was so intent on his purpose that he did not notice where he was going. Presently he found that he was lost and very tired, so he sat down on an old stile to rest. The North Wind came along and offered to take him home, and he abandoned his quest because he was tired and accepted the North Wind’s offer.

As they traveled along the North Wind asked him how he came to be lost. “I was looking for the Wishing Gate,” he replied. The Wind laughed all the way to his home. When they reached his doorstep the North Wind said, “The next time you go out to search for anything keep your wits about you. You were sitting on the Wishing Gate when I found you.”

"Elena", "Alfredo" and..."Toto"... a unique story with thousands of thoughts....

Yep... not necessarly these three names tell you something, but for sure will let you think if you have the chance to watch a Tornatore's masterpiece: "Cinema Paradiso".

Due to a pure casuality, yesterday I had the chance to watch this movie. I alredy did it long time ago (considering that was produced on 1988), but yesterday was different...many meanings and thoughts came up at the end...3 uncredible life-stories, a trade-off between an unrealized love story and a director carrier, the knowledgeble crazyness of Alfredo, able to deeply influence the course of the story... a mother that always have the true feeling of what is happening... it's not just a story! It's a continuos conflict between opposite forces that drives your life.

Glad I share them with a close friend of mine... is not an easy movie to "digest"... but wonderful to bring your thoughts in front and behind your feet.

"Is there any Elena in your past life? There will be one in the future? Who is your "Alfredo"? And what "Toto'" is doing right now? ... I leave all these questions open... but suggest to watch the movie first if you want to start answering...or at least, try ..:-)

No need to mention the fantastic soundtrack of Ennio Morricone and the several Awards won by this film... Enjoy the view

Movie Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LarMt8J-6BQ

Thinkers....The outstanding figures of tomorrow are the creative and constructive thinkers of today

Isn't funny that sometimes it takes years before you read a book that you have in your library? Maybe it was a gift, maybe it was not the right time to read it, for some reasons that book is still there, waiting for you...

Today, in my early morning reading, "Key to Yourself" decided that was time to be opened...and as always happens, the daily inspiration was there, untouched...:-) It's just 6.12 in the morning...a lot more to discover...:-) Enjoy your week...

CHAPTER 1: THOUGHT, LAW

"THINKING is the true business of life. Thinkers rule the world. They always have and they always will. All people think, but the tragedy of life is that so few of us think creatively or constructively; so few recognize the fact that thought is a creative force. Every achievement in business, literature, philosophy, or science has found its source and expression through the mental efforts of the world's leaders. The outstanding figures of tomorrow are the creative and constructive thinkers of today...."

Customer Service as a Growth Engine ....from "Thank you for calling" to "How is your day going"?

An interesting article written by DANA MATTIOLI on the Wall Street Journal. A reflection of today business environment...

"Executives are paying more attention to customer service in an effort to increase sales and gain market share in the economic recovery.

Drug-store chain Walgreen Co. is training pharmacists to spend more time helping patients with chronic illnesses. Comcast Corp. is putting call-center agents through new training and instructing supervisors to coach their agents more. American Express Co. is expanding a program aimed at getting agents to build better relationships with customers.

American Express is encouraging its call-center agents to focus more on the quality of customer service than the quantity of calls handled.
.Just over a quarter of the 1,405 companies surveyed by Accenture late last year said customer service would be the first area they'd increase funding for as the economy recovers. Some companies have begun that practice this year.

Businesses are changing their approach, too, dedicating more of their efforts to the customer segments considered most lucrative. It's an outgrowth of the recession, when companies scrutinized customer-service spending to see which business practices delivered the biggest returns.

Some executives also see a chance to woo frustrated customers from rivals through word of mouth and by creating pleasant experiences. In another Accenture survey of 5,000 consumers, 69% said they had switched at least one provider because of poor customer service in 2009. That's two percentage points higher than in 2008 and 10 points higher than 2007.

Walgreen is trying to gain the loyalty of patients with chronic illnesses, starting with diabetes. Since January, it has trained 500 pharmacists to work closely with diabetes patients. The pharmacists set up regular 20-to-45-minute meetings with patients to help them manage their disease. Pharmacists normally meet with patients for about three to five minutes. Walgreen is betting that loyal customers with lifelong illnesses will spend more money at the pharmacy and consolidate prescriptions there.

"We think we'll see a stronger degree of patient loyalty, and we want to get a bigger share of the patient wallet," says Colin Watts, chief innovation officer at Walgreen.

With 4,000 new diabetes cases being diagnosed each day, according to Walgreen research, Mr. Watts expects the program to attract new customers. In an effort to improve customer service, executives conducted home visits with patients. Diabetic patients said they were confused about managing the disease and the advice they received.

The company plans to roll the program out nationally by the end of 2010—it's in eight regions now—and extend similar services to customers with asthma and hypertension.

Cable provider Comcast is bolstering customer service operations in an effort to retain customers and sell higher-priced services. The company has been trying to improve customer service for the past couple of years, but it's still a sore spot: earlier this year The Consumerist, a consumer issues website, granted Comcast its "Worst Company in America" award.

In January, Comcast started putting its 24,000 call-center agents through additional training and has told call-center supervisors to spend 70% of their time coaching their agents, more than double the amount of time they spent before. So far, Comcast says it's seen a decrease in repeat customer calls—queries about the same problem—and in customer requests to speak to a supervisor.

"Our primary focus has been on ensuring that we're delivering superior customer service and that clears the way for us to be able to up-sell," says Tina Waters, senior vice president of customer operations at Comcast.

American Express is also relying on customer service changes to drive growth. It's expanding a training program started last year aimed at getting call-center agents to focus less on resolving calls quickly, and more on building customer loyalty. The reasoning: more loyal customers will spend more money. Already agents in 16 countries have gone through the training; later this year the program rolls out to about five more countries.

Rather than answering a call by saying "Thank you for calling," agents now say: "How is your day going?" They're also told to look for opportunities to pitch related services rather than rush off a call.

Customer service is "a growth engine for a company in a world where marketing dollars and credit is constrained," says Jim Bush, head of world-wide customer service "

Blog versus Facebook: who will win?

Here we go, few days ago I was thinking to this question and I realized that so far, Facebook is the winner of the online networking competition.

When blog started to pop up all over the web, it was a kind of cool to have your own space where you could write your thoughts or share your pictures and so on. There was the need to have something easier of a website. This was the time on which everybody started to write on the web-blog (I can think around 2002/2003).

Then, the first evolution. People started to create websites where several blog could be linked and where you can see the latest updated post. I can call this as a rough version of Facebook. I still remember a conversation amongst few guys while I was in Germany for an AIESEC Conference. They were talking about this concept and the value that could be developed over the years. It ends up in one of the most pleasant network we have on the web now.

Than, the dinamic version of the blog: Facebook, for which I don't think I could add more than what you already know.

Finally, I could think to Facebook as the natural evolution of the blog.

Does it mean that blog are destined to end? Not at all. Blog is still keeping the beauty on its original status. It's like to compare emails with our old mail system. I do write 99% of the time using emails, but I do know that regular mail can reach point that emails cannot.

So, maybe we simply need to use the right tool for the right moment or purpose.

Let's use both, making sure we don't forget our lovely and traditional blog.. He is always there, waiting for your updates :-)

Wines: a taste of.... life :-)

There are no doubts that wines makes not only table but life much more colorful :-) Today I enriched my home collection (destined to continously diseappear) with 5 new bottles. Following a short description of these tasteful and enjoyable wines:

1. Gavi di Gavi. This is a white wine, my favorite one. Made with Cortese grape it is traditionally grown in the area around the town of Gavi, Piemonte (North Italy). I spent several summers in that small town and as you can see, I'm always bringing with me this fantastic wine. Delicious to match with fish dishes

2.Falanghina, Irpinia. This is from Campania, South of Italy. Also white, this grape has been grown for thousands of years. It made wine for the Romans and now is keep doing so for the "New Ones"..:-) Ideal with scallops and fish dishes in general.

3. Sangiovese. Let's move to red wines. From a region close to the Lake of Garda, (North Italy), this is excellent with pasta dishes and risotto. To be served at "temperatura ambiente"...so, don;t put it in the fridge!!

4. Chianti Classico, Riserva 2004. Nothing to add to this Tuscany wine. Simply enjoyable, you never go wrong!

5. Barbera D'Alba. This is also a wine from Piemonte (North Italy). Before to drink it, a couple of suggestions could be useful. First, it is a great match with steak or meat. Second, to fully enjoy this wine, open the bottle at least 30 minutes before to drink it. It is an essential trick :-)

Hopefully you enjoy above selection. I will surely do....time to cook something that will match the first bottle..:-) Anyone for dinner? :-)

Ilhabela...or Beautiful Island

One week ago I visited this fantastic Island, spending good time with friends and enjoying the atmosphere of this place. In case you will be visiting Brazil, I strongly reccomend to spend some time in this Paradise..:-)

Below some useful information:

Ilhabela, or Beautiful Island, on Ilha de São Sebastião in the state of São Paulo, (see the interactive map from Expedia) certainly lives up to its name. Discovered in 1502 by Américo Vespúcio, the island has a long history of defense against foreign naval powers, pirate's refuge, black market slavery, smuggling base and failed colonial efforts at sugar and coffee plantations.

About 85% of the island’s almost 350,000 square miles is within Ilhabela State Park, with further development not allowed. Most of the development is on the west coat facing the mainland, and the island’s economy is based on tourism.

There are great 35 km of beaches, a coastal Atlantic rain forest, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, to explore, mountain peaks to climb and over 400 cool waterfalls cascading into the ocean. Add to that legends of pirate treasure, underwater wrecks to explore, great sailing, enough to make Ilhabela's annual Sailing Week a must, and you've got the makings of an attractive vacation destination.

I believe...just like a child...:-)

April 22th will be the Earth Day 2010, time to celebrate 40 years of common activities around the world.

In case you don't know about this movement, below some details (http://www.earthday.org/):

"Earth Day Network was founded on the premise that all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. Our mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable environment. We pursue our mission through a combination of education, public policy, and activism campaigns. Earth Day Network has a global reach with more than 20,000 partners and organizations in 190 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world."

Time to enjoy our lovely Planet...simply watch this video..:-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGvfdtI2c0&feature=player_embedded#

That green square....called the Heart of New York

A white-brown dog observing his territory, a Japanese mother teaching the first steps his son, a student texting on his blackberry, an helicopter flying on top of our heads, a couple playing with a yellow frisbee, a runner crossing the side of the park, a lady reproducing a yoga position, a jumping squirrel curios of his guests...

Yes it is. A spring day after a long and cold winter. Main actor: The Sun. Sunshines are not limited to few....but simply they can reach anybody.

This reflects the principle of the "unlimited resources", the one that can be shared without diminishing the energy itself. The same concept can be applied to our feelings. A smile is contagious...more you share it, more it becomes bigger and bigger... without losing its intensity.

Now, combine sunshine and smiles and you will understand why today Central Park represents the heart of a smiling city :-)

Enjoy....

Sounds...and Feelings

A characteristic sound in the subway, a slice of wind at the 24th floor of a building, a thought crossing your mind, a feeling touching your heart... Simply... Emotions!!

This is what any human being is able to feel in just one day of his life. Sometimes we are too busy to listen, see, smell...sometimes we let things influence us...

But..

...regardless if you are tired or not, if you are happy or sad, if you are awake or asleep... there is always a sound there with you. Yes, humans call it Music.. In reality is a unique sound that characterize each moment of your life...

Hmm...If this is the case.. Why don't we simply tune to the right station???

"...there is nothing you can't do, I love New York..." ;-)

Discovering Manhattan...from book to foot...

It's always interesting to read a book about the place where you live...it gives you the chance to walk through the history and learn about the past... well...what I noticed is that, now the City looks a bit different...:-) Why don't you try?

Few lines from the book "Downtown" of Pete Hamill...

"If they are lucky, the new immigrants will get to know New York the way so many others did, long ago. They will discovere that the easiest way to know this place is to start at the beginning. That is, to go on foot to Downtown. They will walk its streets. They wil recognize its ruins and monuments. They will inhale the dust of the past. They will celebrate living in a place that is filled with people who are not, on the surface, like them. They will stroll with their children across Brooklyn Bridge and see the spires of Oz gilded by morning sun....."

Take the Lead...

Saturday March 13th, raining outside and finally a free morning day. These are the moments in which you need to make an important decision: remaining in bed enjoying the warmness of the pillow in your face, or run outside the city and discover some new activity, image, moment...

Well, I guess this morning I was able to found the right combination. Turning on the tv I did catch the movie "Take the Lead", with Antonio Banderas. Well, not only I was enjoying my resting moments in bed, but I have got a great inspiration from this movie as well.

Lucky???Maybe....

Once done, breakfast and...next step: researching what the movie is inspired about...and I discovered that behind this story there is a real project that is helping childrens to find their way to live life with a positive attitude. If you want to read more about Dancing ClassRooms Project, simply click to below link....

http://www.dancingclassrooms.com/NationalNetwork.aspx

It's now time to "take the lead" of the week end....with a big thanks to Mr Pierre Dulaine and his morning inspiration..:-)

A bag and the NYC Subway...

You never know, what a bag in the subway can carry on..

Maybe a book of an inspiring artist, maybe performances reports of a busy young corporate manager, maybe a toy and the milk for a small baby, maybe the few things that an homeless has, maybe... Maybe the history of a person that is going up and down asking himself: what will be the next...

And this is a simple bag... Not even touching what is around!! I love the NY subway!!!

Surfing the wave...

Yes, this is the sensation when you feel that you are going towards the direction that you like it...
It is not easy to find the right track, but experience is teaching me that if you want something, if you are truly willing to work hard, if you really dream about it... There is no way is not going to happen!!!

It's all matter to believe in something, being ready to the necessary sacrifices.. A world cup cannot be win without years of trainings, a marathon cannot be finished without passion and trust in yourself, a love cannot be found if you are not opened for it...

Simply surf your wave... It will bring to your happiness :-)