Barasti Big Blog – Bytes from the Big Apple

 

Play your cards right..

So…, 28 hours of economy non sleep, followed by a  few hours in the the most ‘awesome’ (I speaka da lingo, ya see) Sheraton Hotel bed, followed by a  cup of in room coffee – Starbucks no less – (Getting the small things right – priceless).. we were all convening as requested for the first elimination round from The Barasti Big Deal.

REALLY weird, like waiting for an X Factor audition – sadly minus Dermot O Learly or even the ‘mum cute’ Ant or Dec>

Judges in the other room, we were all called in.

Our fate to be decided by a flick of card…

The tension mounts - our very own 'Simon" Paula, Randy and Derryn From Barasti decide our fate, Bruce Forsythe style.

It felt really strange, actually got ‘nervous’ for a  moment and smacked myself around teh face..

But it wasn’t to be> I never have any luck withe games of chance and this one was no different. So there you go, never take me to Bingo or buy me a raffle ticket. No Maldives for us – sorry Hubby.

So after 7 of us were eliminated from The Barasti Big Deal www.barastibigdeal.com, what to do?

A carriage ride around central park is the ultimate start to a Saturday morning I’ve got to say and was enjoyed by all.

Big Deal Finalists acting like the tourists that they are 😉

So it would have been rude not to have continued down 5th Avenue for a spot of shopping…. More later peeps

The BarastiBig Deal gang enjoy a post flight bev (or 3) at THe Sheraton New York

 

Our Tour guide - therew as mike, you couldn't stop him

 

It’s all aboout the journey…

Or for me, the destnation, I gotta say! Okay so we made it! It’s ten to 8am here in NYC and almost 5pm in Dxb. Two 7.5 hour flights after one and other yesterday and a  sea of purple t shirts later.

LOVE NYC, it’s my favourite place on earth, and I gotta say, A great welcome to the hotel from Derryn on behalf of Barasti – welcome drinks, our Saturday pocket money and a natty (I’m being polite) branded hat to match our attractive T shirts.

No worries on the journey – they did close the bar prematurely on the first leg, as I think they were literally drunk dry, but hey! these people are on holiday, who am I to comment ;)?

2nd leg much more subdued, and after being awake 27 hours and wearing a choc ice stained Big Deal Tshirt, and some fetching Virgin airline red socks (my new shoes had ripped me feet to shreds) I freshened up and had a couple of beers in the bar with the others..

So today.. In an hour is the first elimination, so in 60 minutes, the Maldives dream could all be over. We’ve got a group carriage ride around  Central Park this morning then I believe the day is my own. Catboy is wearing his long johns by all accounts – hope he remember his trousers over the top….

NYC ya!

THE MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE…

So Hallowe’en  Saturday was a typically hectic day in the MI household, categorised by mess, noise and some pumpkins thrown in for good measure. I had managed to co-ordinate the attractive lilac t-shirt with,( how exciting,) some white linen trousers, packed another bag, as we were meeting friends after the Big Deal Final, and changed yet again to take the boys trick or treating. Luckily (for me) they only managed 4 or 5 houses before they were ‘tired of walking’ , or more like ‘tired of waiting to eat sweets’ so Woody, the lil pumpkin and I trundled home in time for me to wear said t shirt and hop off with the hubby down to Barasti.

We were only there a few minutes before the final started. I’d literally had a  chance to say hello to only a couple of other nervous hopefuls, and again, the guilt complex kicked in,knowing my ticket was safe whilst the others sweated waiting for Catboy to draw their card.

What I loved about it was a real opportunity to observe people at their base. For example  2  finalists didn’t even show. Not remotely surprised, thought it might have been more… Dubai is the land of the vague and non commital, a place where a quick phone call or email to mention their absence is clearly beyond the realms of capability… There were finalists there who had taken their kids down with them, finalists who looked like they couldn’t give a fluff as their names were read out, those who were in tears upon winning and those who looked seriously unhappy about not securing that place to NYC.

Is it because it was the luck of the draw? Is it because people had a lot of time to get used to the idea of potentially winning? maybe already made practical arrangements with regards to work & family? I don’t know  – it’s a bit alien to me, but to be so upset you can’t look others in the eye, share a consolitary smile or even wish them well? I dunno.. People never surprise me really – I wish they would.

All that was left for me to do was enjoy a couple of cold beers in the company of my fellow travellers. A quick debrief and ANOTHER T shirt given and before I knew it I was in the ladies changing into corporate wife mode, back in another taxi (who, like his other 2 colleagues last night  had no change) and onto dinner… A million and 7 to do lists created in my head as we drove.. next to the motherly guilt, of course…

WHAT’S ALL THIS THEN??

So – for those of you who will not a have the first clue what I’m blathering about..

www.BarastiBigDeal.com … should explain it..

Tonight at Barasti, 50 other people will be on tenterhooks to find out if they have won place on the plane next Friday to New York, for an all expenses paid trip that will culminate in someone winning ANOTHER trip to the Maldives!, only this time, without 29 strangers as holiday pals.

Now, I’m not nervous at all you see, as brilliantly, I won a STRAIGHT PASS THROUGH to NYC via Catboy’s twitter Tuesday competition. So I’m not nervous at all.. well, I shouldn’t be, I mean I know I’m going, I even bought myself some winter woollies yesterday an all.

But I am a bit nervous about tonight, because it makes it all a bit real. I get to meet all the others who will be coming along and I think that’s what scares me.

As a 31 and a  half year old mother of three , who does very little except work my oversized ass off and take care of the Inferiorettes, it’s not really the kind of thing I’d usually do. It all smacks a bit of reality TV, and I’m scared of 29 ‘Kerrr–aaazzzzy’ wannabes and or dull people sharing my airspace.

This is certainly no criticism, as that’s the beauty of it. I entered knowing what was in store, putting myself out of my domestic comfort zone and gunning for that must needed diversion in my favourite city.

Not really my colour - but who am I to complain ! 😉

I get to feel cold for the first time in 5 years and wear woolly things and real life, actual closed in shoes. I get a chance to be a little bit of me again for a bit and not a mum, wife or taxi driver. I get to test my tolerance of dipsticks, as the law of averages states, amongst 29 others, there is bound to be a couple of those. I get to go on a plane without 300 pairs of eyes on me as a I wrestle with an ear splitting tantrum from a  kid old enough to know better. I get to look in that theatrical souvenir shop next to the Marriott hotel that I’ve never had the chance to look in, and to eat my weight in blue m & m’s

I also know, that anything to do with Mr Catboy and the lovely Mrs Geordie Bird will be anything other  than straightforward, so there should be some super cool stuff in store.

So, as I thank them all again for this great opportunity. I’m also thinking about the next 5 days, organising myself and the gang, getting through J’s 3 rd birthday and pushing the guilt of leaving them all to the back of my mind.

In the meantime, I’ve got to go and organise a ‘Zombie Pop Star’ and ‘Buzz & Woody’ for trick or treating and don my natty purple t shirt to meet my fate, er new ‘friends’…. wish me luck.