I've got some time off and money to burn and was thinking about doing a RTW. I'm an AA Plat living in San Diego. I'd like to visit:

SYD
BNE

Also, I have friends who will be traveling at the same time who want me to visit them in:

FCO/VCE April 14-23
HNL May 25

And I'd like to catchup with friends/family who live abroad in/by (these are optional):

Europe
CDG
MAN
LGW
LYS
North America
JFK
YVR
IAD

So, is a RTW the best choice for me? Do I want to go east bound hitting Italy/Europe first, then on to Australia and ending up in Hawaii? I'd be doing this to re-earn my AA Plat for '05. Or perhaps I should fly to Europe, start my RTW there? Any thoughts?