ScottC. As this trip involves flying in India and China at least, I'd back the fleet of foot. That attribute might come in VERY handy.



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~ Glen ~ Calling all United 1K Members - please join .. www.1Kflyers.com

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Yes, I had a similar thought!

My wife gave me a green light too!

Excerpted from her reply to me " ...If you went you could consider it your "XXX"th birthday present...

...It is okay with me in general, but I will not be entirely rearranging my schedule for such a long period of time. You love to travel. It sounds like something good for you. Let me know what you decide."

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As many already know, there are few, if any, FT'ers who have been to more countries than I have in over 30 years of travel experience. And I personally have no difficulty with either the required time, nor the financial committment, and FWIW, I would surely go off to compete as effectively as possible.

Yet ONLY if there were not other equally or better qualified individuals willing to do so on behalf of FlyerTalk.

IMHO, there are several highly qualified FT's on this list, aside from myself! Some have already even committed a donation to the FT effort and/or pledged back any winnings!

Regarding a final selection of two representatives for "Team FlyerTalk:"

I would think we would all surely want the absolutely best qualified people, no?

Is it a popularity contest?

Is it an essay writing contest?

IMHO, NO!

Rather we should all be, or rather have been, listing objective, relevant criteria to consider so that Randy & Co might make the best selection!

The qualifications, IMHO, in no specific order of importance, should include, but not be limited to FT rep's being:

interested
easygoing
committed
intelligent
analytical
organized
detail-oriented
disciplined
respectful
agreeable
flexible
adaptable
(physically) fit
good sense of humour
crisis loving!
widely travel experienced
verbal/well spoken
indefatigueable
optimistic
culturally savvy & sensitive
diplomatic
puzzle/riddle loving
logical
practical
resourceful
well connected
posess multiple passports
excellent sense of direction!
being a bit of a "schmooze" wouldn't hurt either!

In short, rep's should truly be great present and future FlyerTalk ambassadors!

Best of luck to all!

-Mark

Isn't that illegal?

Seriously though, I agree with your post.

I agree with you Doc.

It's not going to be a popularity contest but it will most likely be someone who is well known to other FTers.

How else would anyone know about all of those traits without knowing them?

Good luck to everyone.

I would nominate myself if I:
Had the time
Had the money
Was in shape
Like to exercise
Had patience
Liked the heat
Spoke more languages

Otherwise, I would be perfect.

Reviewing my qualifications...

I'm in okay shape, but I'm no marathoner. I speak only English. My international travel experience includes 6 months in Japan and a couple of trips to England, but no visits to the "third world". I'm a decent writer, I'm easy to get along with, and very tolerant of others. I've met a few Flyertalkers, though not as many as most, especially those who attend Do's regularly.

However, as I read all the posts here, it seems to me, from an objective viewpoint, that there are others here who would likely perform better than I would on this endeavor. In recognition of that, I am hereby withdrawing my name from the selection process, whatever it may be.

Having said that, the time off and the cost should not be obstacles for me, so in the unlikely event that unforseen events prevent the selectee(s) from taking this journey, I expect that I would be available as a last minute replacement, if needed.

swag
Team player, just not first string.

I also vote for Chexfan.

Have the contestants been decided?

Lisa - the Talkboard is possibly working at a feverish pace on this, and many other important matters. Or possibly they are not.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/000075.html

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~ Glen ~ Calling all United 1K Members - please join .. www.1Kflyers.com

And if the Talkboard is working on this, how will they figure into the selection process if a Talkboard member is among the candidates?

Some secret mysteries of this universe none of us mere mortals are privy to.

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~ Glen ~ Calling all United 1K Members - please join .. www.1Kflyers.com

To Randy and the rest of the FlyerTalk community,

First I would like to let everyone know that I very much appreciate all of the positive chexfan comments that have been made either in this thread or via electronic mail. Some from friends, some from others who I don't know. All from people who I didn't bribe!!!

In what has seem to be a whirlwind past 24 hours, I have tried to pull all my thoughts and ideas together. When I ran the idea past my friends, I received a resounding "Go for it!". When I ran the idea past my family, I received an emphatic "Go for it!" (even my mother said this was a better idea than going to Singapore for 8 hours!). With the support of the FT Community as well as my family and friends, I feel that my participation would be successful on so many varying levels.

I began to browse the "Packing List" and I knew that I would be able to handle what was required. I created my own packing list with the help of my roommate who thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and I was getting more and more excited.

Even though I wasn't smart enough for Who Wants to be a Millionaire, I took the Travel Quiz and got 11 out of 12 questions correct. It had to of been an omen!

Things were looking good!

...............
I think the initial major qualifications that the candidate must possess are:
a) the willingness
b) personal financial backing
c) the time

The figurative hammer dropped on me this morning, when my manager denied my request (after an initial verbal approval ) for 18 days away from my job through a combination of personal days, sick days and vacation that I have accumulated.

There's no fighting it. My bribery attempts failed... miserably. I have been shot down and denied by "The Man"

So unfortunately if I am playing by my own standards above, I can only guarantee my personal financial backing and willingness, but I cannot give the time and cannot therefore play the game.

sincerely,
Mike
(aka- chexfan, chex, chexy, fan 'o chex, Bill)

[This message has been edited by chexfan (edited 09-05-2002).]

I've taken the task of choosing the team so there is absolutely no conflict with the TalkBoard. I'm awaiting final confirmation from a few members as to their absolute commitment - thus the announcement by chexfan, Pete and gottigotti among others who in the final round were having conflicts with work which is not unexpected. I expect to announce in the next day or couple of days the team members. It's very difficult since i as well as you know there are multiple great candidates on FT and perhaps next year we'll raise the funds to help support several teams.

In the meanwhile I'm back to reviewing the team applications - and man do i ever feel small compared to the life adventures of some of our members.

Please no voting - it doesn't influence me and actually a lot of my attention is on members you might not have heard much from but are very capable of representing FlyerTalk on this great challenge.

Thanks for the tantalizing update - now I'm really intriqued!

Not for Canadians. I have 2. A Canadian and a EU. I believe US citizens are SUPPOSED to renounce their other Passport, but I have a few friends who hold EU as well. Its just less complex when it comes to working overseas.