Saturday 9^th July 2011

Southbound to the Côte d'Azur

Texts Li's class as preparation for Chinese New Year Show (in order of appearance):

My very first in a personal series of "Brabant minus 1 day micro-treks" documenting short walks in the surrounding region of the low lands. Unfortunately I am living far away from Ontario's magnificent Algonquin or Alaska's wild open Danali Natural Park - where it would be tricky to pursue a career in IT anyway - but tiny green patches persist in Belgium's urban sprawl.

My recent career-shift to TOBIUS as Enterprise Architect for the PERFORM Team (Project & Portfolio Management) meant that I had to tune down my holiday ambitions, but still we had a really great time at our coastal studio in September 2010. Almost full-time at Sea with a regatta of the WSKLUM - during which we ruined an entire spinnaker sail - and skippering practice with the Flemish Sea Sailing School.

The WPC 2010 (World Partner Conference) held July 11-15 in Washington, was the first global opportunity, offered by TOBIUS N.V. as my new employer, to actively network again within the Microsoft Community and its Partners, after 3 years hard work in the background on alternative markets (Telco) & technologies (Sun/Java).

On some occasions throughout the digitalized life of an Information Technology Consultant, you've got to drag yourself away from behind your computer screen, and scout beyond new horizons. When you're deep into Microsoft, the WPC (a.k.a. World Partner Conference) is one of those events on everyone's radar, as the Microsoft corporation announces new product launches at the beginning of their new fiscal year.

On Thursday 13th May 2010 at 5 o'clock in the morning, the Nictea - a Wauquiez Pretorien of 36 foot (10.80 metres) registered with the S.R.N.A. ("Koninklijke Antwerpse Watersportvereniging" or "Royal Antwerp Watersport Guild") - left the port of Nieuwpoort for Ramsgate in the UK (Kent) across the North sea Channel, with Michael Van Schoor as skipper/owner, and me as 1 out a crew of 3.

Ages ago I published my 4 favourite running routes, which to date still remain my top training tracks. Since I got to prepare again for the "20 kilometers of Brussels" in May, and recently I became member of the "Zeilclub Hofstade", today I ventured direction Mechelen to test my luck in the forested domain surrounding the sailing club.