Categories
Travels

Do not visit Leonardo De Vinci ‘s The Last Supper

I have another day off in Milano, Italy, whilst another trainer takes the NLP Master Practitioner course and people have said that I should go and see the sights. Well there are not many tourist sights to visit in Milan despite the age of the city.

Physical places like Duomo, Teatro Alla Scala, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Castello Sforzesco and more are worth a visit, but they do seem to be spread-out, being far and few between.

I had taken the City Tour bus to get an idea of the layout of Milan, thus allowing me to spend my own time to view what I decided to see.

I had work to complete in the morning and at mid-day I set out to walk from Stazione Centrale (the Central Railway Station) to Santa Maria Deile Grazie the home of The Last Supper painting. It is a painting on my list to see, and this was my opportunity.

After a long walk following a map through the back street of Milan, I arrived at Santa Maria Deile Grazie, and after a search to find the entrance, I offered my money to enter, but was told there were no tickets available, and they were fully booked until June, that is nearly two weeks waiting time.

Visiting other tourist and religious sites throughout the world, I have never come across such a long waiting time, even the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, Rome yes one has to queue for a lengthy time, but not two weeks.

So do not visit Santa Maria Deile Grazie to see The Last Supper unless you have booked your place, or willing to wait a long time maybe weeks.

A little upset, but OK, get on with life, I had seen on the City Tour bus tour I had seen near bye the Museo Nazionale Della Scinza e Della Tecnologia, Leonardo De Vinci, (National Museum of Science and Technology), Leonardo De Vinci.

When I got to the museum building, an old 16th century monastery, I could not see an entrance, I could see no signs, so I set out and walked around the block, that way I would find the entrance. Trust me to go the wrong way, the long way round, but eventually I found the entrance.

Bus loads of school children were going into the building, and I nearly gave-up trying to get in, plus I wondered if it would be worth the time with so many children inside. But I stuck to my plan and paid to get in.

Was it worth it? Yes and no.

They seem to be under going a lot of rebuilding work, and many areas were empty or restricted. I only saw three aircraft behind a makeshift barrier, the railway engine shed had some good examples, but again many exhibits were restricted or only viewed from a distance.



Three aircraft at Museo Nazionale Della Scinza e Della Tecnologia, Leonardo De Vinci, Milano.

There is a submarine on display, but that too was restricted, and an extra charge of 8 Euro to view the inside. It must have bee quite an effort to get it from the sea to the inland city of Milan.



A submarine at Museo Nazionale Della Scinza e Della Tecnologia, Leonardo De Vinci, Milano.

Although there were many children visiting, they were all well behaved under the control of I presume their teachers, and were often to be seen in rooms where there were interactive exhibits.

I enjoyed the exhibition of Leonardo Da Vinci housed in one long gallery, giving a brief history of his work with models of some of his ideas.

Also, I did see a fresco of The Last Supper painted in 1626 by Giovanni Mauro Della Rovere, as against the one in Santa Maria Deile Grazie by Leonardo Da Vinci painted between 1495 and 1498. So all was not lost.



The Last Supper painted in 1626 by Giovanni Mauro Della Rovere

After that visit, it was a long walk back to Stazione Centrale and my hotel. I had been walking or on my feet for nearly six hours.

Now I deserve a pizza or a plate of gnocchi.

Categories
Memory NLP

The strongest memory rises to the surface first

A question often asked of me is how can I erase a memory.

My answer is that at this time, (perhaps in the future this will change, and I think it already has), we cannot erase any memory, any experience that we have learned or had. The memory pattern, the neuron pathways will always be there.
The problem is, can we access them.

OK, there are going to be times when memories will be deleted, when people abuse the brain with alcohol, drugs, through an accident or brain damage, a stroke or the ageing process and degenerative deceases like Alzheimer’s. I am talking about the normal functioning brain.



All memories are started by some stimulus, a firing of in NLP terms an anchor. It is when that stimulus occurs and the brain searches the memory banks or goes on a transderivational search, it is the strongest match to that stimulus that will delivered to our consciousness, and a memory is brought to our attention or an unconscious reaction will occur.
I have had in recent times two examples of how our brain works.

The husband Necdet, of my colleague and sponsor Mehpare of GAP Consultancy in Gaziantep in Southern Turkey, took me to a football match between Gaziantepspor and Beşiktaş J.K. (click to see entry). He had a box available, a room with a big glass window, so we could sit in comfort and warmth, eating nuts and drinking, without sitting with the normal supporters in the cold.

Now unlike some people, a football match is not a sport I would go out of my way to watch, even when on TV, I have little interest, but I am not uninterested, I will watch a game on television and have over the years.

It has been over forty years since I did go on a semi regular basis to watch Wolves (the English Wolverhamton Wonderers), and I would shout and jump up and down with the best of their supporters. Since then, I have grown out of that way of life, I have been confined to watching matches on television

It was during the football match in Gaziantep, sitting in comfort in the box, that Necdet and myself said couple words to each other, and during in this brief conversation, a goal was scored, and I missed it.

Now I am so used to watching football matches on TV, that I was very aware of my brain saying, “no problem, you can watch the replay”. But at the same time, I was also aware that there was no TV screen, the glass window of the box was not a TV screen.

My brain was in conflict. It took some time for me to instruct my brain that there would be no replay as there would be in my home.

One of the best meals of the day for me, especially when I am in a hotel, is breakfast. It is a time I can sit and relax, watch others interacting with the world and others around them, and for me to be drinking a hot cup of tea with milk, and a fresh orange juice.
In the Hotel Auriga here in Milano, Italy, a small 4 star central hotel, I help myself to some cereals and go to the jars of juice. It is now my brain is in conflict, confusion occurs.



Which is Orange Juice and which is Ace (mixed fruit) juice?

Which is the orange juice?

All my life I have learned that oranges are the colour orange, and the inside segments of oranges are orange coloured, as is the juice. My brain, my memory is conditioned to these facts.

The red juice will be strawberry or raspberry juice. I am not that interested in that taste or drink, so I help myself to the orange juice, even saying “the orange juice” tells the brain it is derived from oranges, but when I taste it, it is not oranges, it is mixed fruit juice or in Italian, ACE juice.

The next day I serve myself the red juice, and guess what, it is orange juice.

Even drinking it now every morning, my brain still is in conflict, it still recognises and expects a different taste that should be associated with the red colour. Strawberry.

So we will have learned that the brain Deletes, Distorts and Generalises information it receives. My eyes had seen the signs near the jars of juices clearly indicating what was in each jar, so the brain Deleted that information,  it took the resulting depleted information and went on the Transderivational Search to make an understanding, found matches that said that orange coloured juice will be orange juice and red coloured juice will be strawberry, thus Distorting the information, then it Generalises that this is the truth.

I am still aware that this process, this conflict goes on in my mind my brain every morning, and I cannot stop it.

Categories
Travels

A trip through Italy

It is another day off here in Milan, as another trainer, Owen Fitzpatrick, takes his turn in the NLP Master Practitioner course.

It is rare that I have chance to do the sight seeing tours, but today I think I will get to know a little bit more of Milano after over ten years of visiting this Italian city.

On previous visits to Italy, as other countries, I have scheduled my arrival and departures so that I walk off the aircraft and go straight to the course venue, and at end the course, to go directly to catch the plane home.

The one exception of note was with Gianni Golfera, the Man with the Biggest Memory, with whom I co-operate and work with, delivering Mind Mapping and PhotoReading training in Italy. (click to see dates)

I gave some training in Rome, with Lucia Falang as my translator to a lively group of participants. It came as a surprise to know that Lucia, an Italian who knew Rome well, had never been to the Vatican, to St Peter’s Basilica. Being only a fifteen minute walk from the course venue, there was no option but to take Lucia to see and experience this center of the Roman Catholic religion, a place I visit often to take in the atmosphere, history and to learn more, even if I am not a member of the church.


Lucia Falanga, one of my Italian translators at Saint Peter’s, Vatican, Rome

As we walked into Saint Peter’s, I noticed tears in Lucia’s eyes, and I left her for a moment to absorb the atmosphere and go through any emotions she needed to.

As we walked around the basilica, I became the tour guide I often find myself as, pointing out the sculpture of the The Pieta, Mother Mary holding Christ (see previous entry click here), another monument where the Italian artist Bernini created a world globe, hiding the UK with the foot of one of the human figures, as the Vatican was against the British at the time as the Crown, the King, had broken away to form the Anglican Church (click to see here).

It was a quick tour of the Vatican, as Gianni, Lucia and myself were to drive up from Rome to Milan, the next venue for the PhotoReading and Mind Mapping courses, with a stop-over in their home town of Luca.

Along the way we passed though many historic and beautiful towns, stopping on occasions to take-in and saviour parts I Italy I would love to learn more about some day.

   
The steep walls of the town of Aorte

    
The narrow streets of Aorte


My jouney through Italy would take me down many twists and turns and bring me more experiences which I will write about soon. 

Categories
Memory Mind Maps

Mind Maps and Memory Skills at the Woodlands Scool, Great Warley

With Jill Lawday last week, we had a day at Woodlands School, Great Warley, in the Essex, teaching Mind Maps and memory skills.

The whole of year 6, took part in the day, and with their two teachers, we went from the basics of mind maps through to making Mind Maps versus using lists, using a Mind Map as for revision, planning with Mind Maps and more.

For memory we learned how to remember facts, lists of fifteen random words, and recall them in order after only being told the words once. Not only were they able to recall the list of words given them in the order I gave them, but they could repeat the list backwards.

Mrs Harding, the Head Mistress came into the classroom at the end of the day, and the children were able to demonstrate to her what they had learned during the day, plus being able to count from 1 to 10 in Japanese. I am still struggling to count up to 7 in Turkish after over five years of giving training there, and up to the number 5 in Italian after over ten years delivering training there. I think I must apply what I teach to my own learning.

It was a wonderful experience shared with Jill to deliver the training to the twelve year olds, but also to go back in my memory to my school days, sharing the school lunch with some of the youngest pupils at the school sitting at tables designed for their body size, and trying to squeeze into a vintage school desk without success.

Phillip Holt trying to fit into a desk at the Woodlands School, Great Warley     Jill Lawday trying to fit into a desk at the Woodlands School, Great Warley.
Jill and Phill trying to fit into a desk at the Woodlands School, Great Warley.

It was after lunch that Jill and myself walked around to the playing field, where children were playing, and we were approached by some young pupils who were preparing for a competition of hoola hoops (also spelt hula hoops). A hoola hoop is a large plastic ring, which you spin around the waist. The last time I had tried it successfully was when I was these children’s age, using my cousin Glynis’s hoop, now my physic, my body shape is not conducive in spinning the hoola hoop around my tummy when encouraged to have a go.

Categories
NLP Uncategorized

Special Half Hour, Radio 5 Live

It was a privilege and honour to have recently been on the BBC’s Radio 5 Live, Special Half Hour of Richard Bacon nightly show.

The Special Half Hour is aired between 00:30am and 1am in the morning on Richard Bacon’s week day (really nightly) show, and protocol dictates that I cannot tell you the contents of the SHH (Special Half Hour). So, if you would like to know what is the SHH, I am sorry you will have to tune-in or go on-line via the internet and listen there.

Being on the show, I was awarded the Special Half Hour badge, and I said I would wear it with pride at a training course I am now giving here in Milan, Italy, the NLP Master Practitioner.

Of course, the participants being Italian, will have no idea about the Special Half Hour, and even if they ask, I will not be able to explain to the what they are missing, or perhaps what you are missing.

The only answer is, stay up, tune-in and listen to Radio 5 Live of the BBC, 0030 hours until 0100 hours, and find out.

 

Phillip Holt and SHH Badge
Phillip Holt and SHH Badge
Phillip Holt and SHH Badge
Phillip Holt and SHH Badge

 

Phillip Holt training the Master Practitioner NLP course Milan wearing with pride the Special Half Hour badge.

Previous Entries
Rotary Club of Kingston upon Thames
Even more on the Special Half Hour Club of BBC Radio 5 Live 
Special Half Hour, Radio 5 Live
More on the Special Half Hour badge of Radio Five Live
Categories
Memory Mind Maps Thoughts

Be prepared

The is nothing like getting ready for a trip, but I have the tendency to put things off until the last moment, so as I sit in my hotel room at the start of a ten day tour of giving training in the UK and Italy, I know I am ready.

The Boy Scouts have a motto which is Be Prepared, perhaps I should have been a member of that organisation, but I was a member of the Boys Brigade which had the motto Sure and Steadfast., and I think I am that. See picture of me blowing my own trumpet.


Boys Brigade Badge

Yesterday trying to get prepared resulted in ironing some twenty plus shirts, a number of trousers, watering the plants, tidying-up, meetings, banking, and travel. It was a rushed day.

But I am ready to face a group of school children for the day to teach them memory skills and Mind Maps, or Mappe Mentalli in Italian.

Categories
Travels

A drab day in Kingston upon Thames

It is not a good day with regards to the weather today in Kingston upon Thames, the clouds are low and it is drizzling that fine rain that gets you wet.

I had to be at the dentist at 9am, and they were running late, so I did not leave until 10:30am. Not good for the nerves.

Walking back to the town center along the River Thames, I felt is if I was the only person in the world, well apart from a lone runner in the far distance. There was just me and the wildlife, the ducks, coots, geese and swans. Perhaps I am the only person in this world and others are just a figment of my imagination. I wonder. Just a thought.


A drab and drizzling day in Kingston upon Thames, along the River Thames, devoid of people.

Compare the photograph above to the video I took some time ago. Click here.

Oh well, might as well iron my shirts and prepare for the next train sessions, school children in the UK for Mind Maps and Memory skills, and NLP Master Practitioner in Milan, Italy.

It will be the start of over two months of nearly non stop training sessions I will be giving, taking me to Italy, Turkey and Bahrain. So I look forward to meetings all my old participants, and meeting new ones.

It is a good job I love my work.

Categories
NLP PhotoReading

La Salsiccia di Phillip, Phillip’s Sausage

It was whilst delivering the final day of the NLP Practitioner course in Vicenza, Italy, that I realised that the participants had remembered what I had taught them on my last visit.

Not only had the remembered “Antonio” (“Fred” or “Mustapha“), but “Oh Poo Poo” and “Phillip’s Sausage“.

A FaceBook group has been created just for “Phillip’ Sausage“, called “La Salsiccia di Phillip“, so sign up now.

 

la salsiccia di Phillip
la salsiccia di Phillip


The Phillip's Sausage

Phillips Sausage


If you do not know what is Phillip’s Sausage, you will have to come on a course. Visit web site nlpnow.net

Categories
NLP Travels

A quick trip to Italy

It was only for a few hours, but what a privilege to work with the participants in Vicenza, Italy on the NLP Italy NLP Practitioner course, realising they had taken in what I had taught them on a previous meeting. (see next blog).

I had opened the course a couple of weeks ago with a bad chest infection, and being part of the training team within NLP Italy, it was other trainers to guide the participants through the course, and I returned to the UK to give other courses.

Sunday saw me on the British Airways flight from London’s Gatwick airport to Verona. (see My Trip to Verona as a Tourist)

A very expensive 10 minute taxi ride (30 Euro) to the railway station from Verona’s airport, and then a relaxing train journey to Vicenza saw me at the Tiepolo Hotel where the NLP Practitioner course was being held, and it was a strange sensation to see faces I recognised, I did not know I was to work with participants I knew.

Even more strange was to see Owen Fitzpatrick, a fellow Society of NLP Trainer, who I had not seen for a couple of years, and I was to take-over from on the course. Owen and myself, along with Alessio Roberti had started the road of NLP at the same time many, many years ago.

Owen Fitzpatrick
Owen Fitzpatrick

In the evening, Owen returned to Ireland, and all the participants and assistants either went home or went about their own business, leaving me to walk the streets of Vicenza on my own, to eat a sandwich in my hotel room by myself. No-body loves me. But it was a wonderful view from my window to the snow capped mountains and rooftops. I can relax.

View from the Tiepolo Hotel, Vicenza
View from the Tiepolo Hotel, Vicenza

Categories
Thoughts Travels

Sometimes you need to go further

Today after bringing to a conclusion a number of issues, including booking a flight to Italy tomorrow for an NLP Practitioner Training I will be closing, I felt I needed to expend some energy, so I took a walk.

I took to the Thames Pathway at Kingston upon Thames, a walkway which follows the banks of the River Thames, stretching I believe some 30 kilometers, in one continuous walk.

I knew that at odd places along the way, I would be able to leave the Thames Pathway to catch a bus back into Kingston, so I headed downstream towards Richmond-upon-Thames.

I had no actual plan, but I began to enjoy the walk, wondering where the old factory of Hawker Sidley was where they built, tested and launched the seaplanes and the Hurricane, the Harrier Jump Jet among other great planes, then watching the passing river traffic, and other walkers.

At Teddington Lock, the sound of the river crashing over the weir raised my spirits, I love the sound of water, and the forever changing shapes the wild water makes. But I did not stop long, I pressed forth on enjoying the sights.

The weir at Teddington Lock
The weir at Teddington Lock

Keeping my eyes open, using Phillip’s Sausage, I saw a heron I suspect waiting for a fish meal, rabbits enjoying the sun, even a green parakeet flashing between the tree branches.

A heron near the River Thames   A rabbit near the River Thames
A heron and rabbit near the River Thames

I just kept walking.

I then came across Ham House with its’ gardens, a house built in 1610 in the reign of Charles I, full of fabulous paintings and history. I had driven passed the sign to Ham House, but never stopped to visit it. Well I had come tis far, why not have a look inside.

Ham House, Richmond-upon-Thames
Ham House, Richmond-upon-Thames

A rather expensive entrance ticket later, over £9.00, I went into the building, and I purchased (another £1), a single (but folded) sheet guide to the house, and after reading it, toured the house.

I am pleased I visited Ham House and viewed its’ contents, but I needed to finish my walk and get home to pack for Italy, and pushed on to Richmond.

By now it was 5pm and my feet were beginning to ache, I had no choice, but walk on as the amount of walkers increased on the pathway as I got closer to Richmond and the chance to catch a bus home.

I had set out at 1pm for a stroll by the river, but now it was over four hours later, oh my feet, but I had gone further than I intended and saw and learned more by doing so.

Thank goodness the bus only took just over fifteen minutes to reach Kingston, back home to rest my legs, and then prepare my evening meal and iron some shirts.