California baby!!!!

After the intense week of Orientation, Jane, Ross and I decided we need a break!
California was the place to go....with a small stop in Nevada to visit Las Vegas :)

Ross and Jane by the Hard Rock Cafe at the Universal Studios in Hollywood

Too cool for LA!!!

Universal Studios, in Hollywood

On the Hollywood Walk of Fame, by Steven Spielberg's start

The hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger, in front of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood

Jane and I with the Hollywood sign in the back

The Californian Summer fires are infamous, and when we were in LA, the fires were some of the worst in years. Everywhere we would see clouds of smoke around LA.

The famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles

Los Angeles
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Bathing in Malibu Beach, California

For a while, I was Mitch Buchanan from Baywatch, and the lives of everyone at Malibu beach depended on me!

Dolphins passing by Malibu (click on the picture to make it larger, and see them in the yellow circle I added)

Jane and Ross flying high (Malibu Beach)

Spreading my wings (Malibu Beach)

Late in the afternoon in Malibu Beach

Sunset in Malibu Beach

Santa Monica peer in California, by night

The Ferris Wheel in Santa Monica Peer

Outside the New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas with its own mini-replica of Manhattan

The Paris Hotel, with its own replica of the Eifell Tower

Outside the Belaggio Hotel, during their beautiful watershow.


Partying at Pure Club, inside Caesar's Palace

Jane and Ross by the fountain of Caeser's palace hotel

Jane inside the Venetian hotel, which replicates the canals and streets of Venice inside the hotel

Ross by the pool of the hotel where we stayed in Vegas, the Luxor hotel, inspired in Egyptian themes (like you can see the hotel is in the shape of a pyramid)

This is in San Francisco, and I will tell you later why I was making that expression and Ross was so happy...

Chinatown in San Francisco

Wine tasting in Sonoma Valley

The vineyards in Sonoma Valley, California

Getting back from Sonoma Valley, and approaching the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Dinner at the Hashbury Haight area of San Francisco (place of the hippie movement in the 60s)

Orientation

After a great experience last January, I decided to be a Peer Advisor again, and help the school run orientation for 1st year MBA students. It was total madness from August 19th (when orientation for international students started) until the 28th.

I will leave you just a great video that summarizes the experience we all had:

One week in Portugal

Back in March, when I was trying to organize my Summer calendar, I knew that between the end of my internship and the start of MBA for 1st year students (for which I had to be here, because I was helping organize it), I would only have one week. So the question was, is it long enough to go to Portugal and spend that much money on a plane ticket...
The conclusion was that a Summer without being in Portugal in August, going to the beach there and bathe in the cold water and have some grilled sardines with corn bread at night, would not be a real Summer. So I decided to go!
Due to time constraints, I had to rush in everything I did, and did have much time to be with friends. However, some of my family from Canada was there for their holidays, and we decided to take one day to go to Vale do Douro, the valley where the vineyards for Port Wine are located, and do a boat cruise there.

The boat docks in Peso da Regua

The "stairway" vineyards along the Douro Valley

The connection system in one of the dams

My aunt, uncle and cousins

End of Summer

Hello everyone,

I deeply apologize for my lack of posts.
Since the end of my internship things have been so busy that I haven't had the right mindset to write here.
These are the main things that happened between then and now:
- end of internship
- one week (only) of holidays in Portugal
- one week and a half of orientation for 1st year MBA students (yes, I was a Peer Advisor again)
- one week of travelling in California (Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco)
- two weeks to settle down at school and try to understand what I have to do

I am going to make some posts about some of these events and show you some pictures.

BTW, altough it is a beautiful day outside, the temperatures have started falling this week. The Summer seems to have come to an end, and Fall is here.

Face to Face: Elton John and Billy Joel in concert

Around 7 or 8 years ago, I found out that Elton John and Billy Joel sometimes did some concerts together. Being an admirer of both of them, I downloaded (not very legally) some songs from their concerts together and I was really surprised. They were really able to take their songs to another level by playing together. Their concerts are called "Face to Face" as they both sit on their pianos facing each other and playing together.
Since that time, I have always wanted to go to one of their concerts, but they never played in Portugal. In fact, Elton John only played in Portugal this month for the second time after a concert in the 70s (not sure of the exact date).

After starting their concert series together all those years ago, Elton and Billy still do some once in a while and my friend Gal and I got tickets to see them in Foxboro, Massachussets (near Boston) in the stadium of the football team New England Patriots.
It was the first time I went to a sold out stadium concert.
The gig was awesome, and I only regret being on the top ring of the stadium (better tickets were too expensive).

Elton and Billy started together, playing four songs.
Then Elton proceeded alone with his band. Afterwards it was time for Billy and his band.
At then end, both Elton and Billy got back together and finished with seven more songs.
It was a 3h30m concert!!!

Here is the detailed set list of the concert:

Elton John/Billy Joel (only both of them on piano)

• Your Song
  
• Just The Way You Are

Elton John/Billy Joel (with their bands)

• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• My Life

Elton John set with his band

• Funeral For A Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
  
• Levon
  
• Madman Across The Water
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  
• Daniel
  
• Rocket Man
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• I'm Still Standing
  
• Crocodile Rock

Billy Joel set with his band

• Prelude
  
• Angry Young Man
  
• Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
  
• Allentown
  
• Zanzibar
  
• Don't Ask Me Why
  
• She's Always A Woman
  
• Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
  
• River Of Dreams
  
• We Didn't Start The Fire
  
• It's Still Rock'n'Roll To Me
  
• Only The Good Die Young

Elton John/Billy Joel (with their bands)

• I Guess That's Why The Call It The Blues
  
• Uptown Girl
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• You May Be Right
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  

Elton John/Billy Joel (only both of them on piano)

• Candle In The Wind
  
• Piano Man

Little kids again...

Last Sunday was time to be a little kid again.
Gal, Nate, Avantha and I, decided to forget our age and go to Six Flags Great Adventure, a theme park located in Jackson, New Jersey, about 1.5 hours away from NYC.
Besides a theme park with roller coasters and other thrill rides, Six Flags also has a Safari park in Jackson, where we drove for 2 hours feeling like we were in Africa.


Gal thinking he could easily climb the tilted ladder, and win the teddy turtleWell, maybe it was not that easy...

Yeah....I won't take the teddy turtle home this time


Having fun on the front row of the Dark Knight roller coaster

Feeling scared....
Feeling even more scared...

A macho pose helps cool down the nerves before going on the rides

We were lucky they let us park our car inside the theme park

Nate and Avantha on a romantic parachute fall



Three rides on the roller coaster to make someone look like they are more drunk than if they had really drank alcohol!

Mets game

This year both major baseball teams from NY (Mets and Yankees) are playing in new stadiums. The Mets teared down the classic Shea Stadium (where the Beatles played their mythic concert in August 1965) and are now playing at the new stadium called, Citi Field. The Yankees also changed from the old Yankee stadium to a newer, same name, Yankee stadium.

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to go with some people from work to watch the Mets play against the Cincinatti Reds. I learned a little bit of baseball rules and had a great view from the box where we were sitting.

Independence Day

The 4th of July celebrates the independence of the United States from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was on the 4th of July of 1776 that the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
It is a national holiday and Americans usually celebrate it barbecues, firework, picnics and many other outdoors activities.
My friends and I decided to do a picnic in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. At night we went to Gal's rooftop and watched the fireworks with a privileged view.
It was a great day for good photography and I hope you enjoy the pictures
.