How to survive the Hoff Tour

Author: Miki IZUMIDA at HIBL-TOKYO1
Date: 5/29/98 9:37 AM
Priority: Normal
TO: Paul HOFF
Subject: Re[2]: flight from Osaka to Oita
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Tour no kokorogamae!?


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: flight from Osaka to Oita
Author: Paul HOFF at HIBL-TOKYO1
Date: 98/05/29 AM 9:08


Travel light, think positive, talk to clients other than your own,
don't
drink too much late at night, listen for problems and communicate them
to
me as soon as possible, floss after brushing, encourage your clients to

ask questions, help with translation so clients get the whole message,
order the cheapest items on a menu and tell clients they're the most
tasty, introduce yourself to company staff and ask them lots of
questions
and always be on time.

I confess to not following these rules all the time myself, but only in

extreme situations.


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: flight from Osaka to Oita
Author: Shinobu MOCHIZUKI at HSIPO001
Date: 5/28/98 11:35 AM


Paul, Miki-san,

I have no problem flying economy. I hope hotel reservation was not a
problem?
(I rather avoid staying in Youth Hostel) Would you let us know the hotels
we'll
be staying?

Walid Kassem of MLAM is on vacation and I won't know his final schedule
untill
Monday. He'll be attending an internal meeting in Tokyo Sunday, so if he's
joining Kyushu visit, he'll arrange his own flight. I'm not sure about his
hotel
arrangement at this time.

Since this is my first time joining the tour, do you have any advice? D
Turry
said it's not a good idea to bring a big suitcase.

Thanx!

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Finally

Finally got back to Japan and down to the house in Izu. Cathay had some engine trouble so the flight was delayed almost an hour. Got the Narita Express at 6.48 and then played telephone tag with Tim Nicholls. Tim was calling to talk about his secondment to Hong Kong. I think we managed to cover most everything in about 15 calls. Either a tunnel or some electric shock from the trains would conveniently knock me off the line.

I finally made it to Izu Kogen station at 10.20 after transfers at Tokyo, Atami and Ito.

Now that the rainy season is here it is cloudy and rainy. Rumor has it tomorrow will be better weather. Anyhow I have had a pleasant day sitting around, talking with Thor, cooking and napping. Tonight I'll bbq for the family. Anton is due home soon from a night or two in Shimoda at the Marshalls.

The hot water is running in the bath.

Cocktail time soon!

Still don't know how to upload pictures.......

Still on the road

This trip is now at an end. I am in the Cathay lounge waiting for my flight to be called. Made some progress in Taiwan. We are aiming to get the stalled RFP process for the Mid Cap and Tehcnology indices.

Last night had dinner with Katherine Su. She has quit her job at the Economic Times and moved on to a marketing job at Kao Taiwan. She'll introduce me to another level headed journalist who is more interested in writing about what is than making up stories.

Still don't know how to upload photos.

I had a meeting in Bangkok on a Thursday and a presentation to make in Hong Kong on Monday so I decided that rather than flying all the way back to Tokyo and then having to leave again right away Monday morning I would just laze my way from Thailand to Hong Kong this weekend.

Saturday morning was nice in Bangkok. I swam in the Westin pool and then made my way to the airport. I hadn't check the flight time on my e-ticket, so got there late and had to wait at the airport to take the afternoon flight. That was OK. I got some time to sit in the lounge and write an article for the company magazine. No distractions! And I ate at an outside beer garden where I ordered a minced duck salad, some special egg and noodle dish and some stir fried pork.

Today I have been cleaning up my emails and decided to inaugurate my blog. This is it. I will gradually learn how to put more interesting stuff on it, but for the meantime this is good enough.

Maybe I'll use it as a way to show pictures I take as I fly around Asia to my friends.

It'll be an interesting way to keep track of my travels too.

Here goes my first posting. I'll attach a picture of the folks in Bangkok from the Thailand, Jakarta, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines stock exchanges.

Oops! Blogger just told me I can't post pictures. Why not? [Blog added uploading pictures at the end of June, so I can now do it!]