Conquering Chirripo – An Incredible Three Generation Adventure
Norma, Neil and Melanie Kahn Conquer Chirripo Mountain in Costa Rica
“Climbing Chirripo, the tallest mountain in Costa Rica with an altitude of 3820 meters or 12,500 feet, has been what I thought was an impossible dream. With each passing year, it seemed further out of my reach. Several months ago my son Neil invited me to climb it with him before I was too old. I’m 72.
After immediately accepting, the doubts began, but so did the determination to succeed. My husband, Ken, climbed with me daily, giving me his total encouragment. I never was able to train at much above 5,000 feet- and certainly never hiking 14.5 kilometers up, up,up.
Neil, my granddaughter Melanie, age 13, and I set out at 6:30AM on Monday, Sept. 5. LABOR DAY – and labor we did. The first kilometer took us 1 hour – daunting, steep, muddy, rocky – a harbinger of things to come. Let me say that Neil was amazing throughout – incredibly helpful and patient. After a few kilometers, Neil was carrying my pack along with his. At certain points, he was carrying Melanie’s as well. Graceful, strong Melanie made most of the hike look almost effortless. Some sections were more difficult than others. The last one, Cuesta de Arrepentidos, certainly made you want to repent. 9 1/2 hours later we actually made it to the Crestones ‘hut’ at 3,392 meters or 11,130 feet where we were two spend the next 2 nights. We ate lunch and crashed.
The hut had electricity 2 hours a day, internet 4. There was NO HOT WATER – the coldest water ever according to Neil. Neil, Melanie and I did have our own room with bunk beds. The reigning indoor outfits were heavy, heavy coats, sweaters, hats, gloves. Inside my cold weather sleeping bag, I was wearing several layers of clothing. We had hired Oscar to cook for us, but some others fixed their food on little gas stoves. This hut experience added to the adventure.
Tuesday morning we had breakfast at 5:30 and then headed up to the summit. People said this was easier, but I can’t say I agree. It was shorter – 5.5 km, but with the higher altitude and the pure rocky steepness of the last portion, it was TOUGH. I had to stop every 3 steps or so to breathe. Neil got behind me and pushed. I told you he was great. I could not have done it without him.
The feeling of exhileration, pure joy, sense of accomplishment when we arrived at the summit was incredible!!!
The next morning we headed down, which some said was more difficult than up. I didn’t find it so, but when I got to km 1, my body pretty much wilted and Neil held my hand for that last bit.
With every step down I wondered how in the world I had been able to climb that mountain, what had ever possessed me to think I could. But I could, and I did!
Thank you Melanie and Neil for this wonderful gift. I couldn’t love you more.
Power Lunches and Vanity Plates are Alive and Well: Marcello Dines with Michael Port and Neen James
Michael Port
Neen James
Marcello Pedalino
You know you’re out to lunch with the right people when the waitress comes by three times and you still haven’t looked at your menus yet.
That kind of organic conversation and camaraderie combined with delightful weather and a gorgeous view makes you stop and say, “I’m very grateful to be here… life is good today.”
I took a nice top-down ride out to New Hope, Pennsylvania, last week to dine with New York Times bestselling author, Michal Port and renowned productivity expert, Neen James. Topics of discussion varied from world travel, staying fit, and intellectual property to Harley Davidsons, concierge services, and cool apps for your iPad.
When you surround yourself with successful thought leaders, it’s impossible for some of their mojo not to rub off on ya at some point. If you haven’t read any of Michael or Neen’s books or had the chance to hear them speak, I highly recommend it.
… p.s When we met at Michael’s home, it was really fun to check out everyone’s license plate. See if you can guess whose is whose. Neen’s should be fairly easy. 
If you or a friend has a cool plate you’d like to show off, share it on the MMP Facebook wall for the world to see! -mp
Impressive Aussie- Marcello Recommends: Secrets of Super Productivity by Neen James
Secrets of Super-Productivity by Neen James
A few weeks ago I attended a private business conference in Indianapolis. It’s an annual gathering that’s kinda like a Dead Poet’s Society for special event entrepreneurs. One of the featured presenters at this multi-day event was productivity expert, Neen James, from Australia.
Not only did she offer sage advice with regard to personal and professional efficiency, she totally owned a room that was filled with 40 alpha-male control freaks who can be very unforgiving if you don’t bring your A-game.
I can’t share specific details from that particular presentation, but I can at least refer you to her public book release, Secrets of Super-Productivity: How To Achieve Amazing Things In Your Work Life. Neen graciously sent me a signed copy in a very impressive follow-up package after the conference. It read like a modern version of How To Win Friends and Influence People. James touches on everything from task prioritization, the importance of social surroundings, continuing education, financial fundamentals and general wellness tips.
Secrets of Super-Productivity would make a great gift for anyone you know who is old enough to read and who’ll eventually be on their own someday. Like the ability to balance a check book and display simple social graces, I firmly believe that the gospel of Neen should be standard fodder for school curriculums everywhere. SOSP is also a great investment for the successful professional who likes or needs a little reminder of what got them to the top and more importantly… how to stay there.
Here are a few excerpts to whet your appetite:
Neen James
“Stop trying to manage time and learn how to make time.“
“…The other thing most people overlook is the need to schedule time before and after each meeting to prepare and complete follow-up activities…“ Jason and I had a ‘decompression session‘ after each day of educational content in order to digest what we learned, discuss implementation strategies and just to chat about anything else BUT business in order to avoid information-overload.
“Many people have a tendency to want to keep e-mails. Set yourself some guidelines for what you want to keep and delete the rest once you have read or actioned them.” Jason @soundconnectdj recently tweeted: ‘WOW. Just hit 10,000 unread emails.‘ It’s good to be busy and in demand, but I think JJ needs a little Neen-inspired Delete Key session.
“Make an appointment with yourself for the first of January every year to reflect on the year that was and the year to come. “ My friends know that I’m usually on a plane to Costa Rica at the beginning of each New Year. The reflection begins on take-off and evolves into a month of introspection and rejuvenation. 11 years ago I read that mandatory sabbaticals yield significant results for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, it’s been a part of MMP’s annual playbook ever since.
“Sleep is vital for renewing body and mind and yet we often forfeit sleep time so we can do other activities.” .. “The important thing is to discipline yourself to get a good night’s sleep and rise early so that you can make the most of every day.”
“You will feel more in control of your life when your home is a retreat rather than an obstacle course or a constant reminder of things that need doing! Spend some time spring-cleaning… remove the clutter, tidy problem areas, create storage solutions and eliminate the mess.”
Connect with Neen on Linkedin, Twitter, & Facebook or visit her online productivity store for additional resources & booking information. -mp
*Editor’s note: I still get choked up every time I see that scene from Dead Poets.
“Astounding” – MMP Entertainment Brings the Fiesta to Costa Rica for Melanie’s Masquerade Bat Mitzvah
When I was 16 and providing the entertainment for my first special event, a wedding at The Brownstone-… the thought of someday being flown out of the country with my team to perform and help a family celebrate life never crossed my mind. This whole experience reminds me of that saying from the lottery ads… “Hey, you never know.”
After one of the most logistically challenging events in the company’s history, second only to the Allen & Company Media Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, I’m delighted to report that MMP’s first international event in Central America was a great success.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Neil and Yasmin Kahn for over 10 years. After meeting them on my first surfing excursion to Costa Rica, their family has become my family. Neil’s mom and dad, Norma and Ken, always invited me over on Friday nights for Shabbat and made me feel like I was home- even though I was 2500 miles away from Jersey. The funny thing is, from doing so many Bar and Bat Mitzvahs here in the states throughout the past decade, I learned the prayers and was finally able participate in the blessings instead of just standing there quietly.
The joke is that I am an honorary Jew. Or, a Jew by occupation. Whatever you call it, one thing is for sure. I’ve noticed that Jewish and Italian families are very similar. Hospitality and friendship are made readily available to everyone they consider a fellow mensch or pisan. When you combine the best of both these nationalities and put them together in a paradise locale like Costa Rica… Fuggettaboutit. Mazel Tov & Pura Vida! -Life is good.
After watching the kids grow up over the years, it was an honor to return to my second home and help produce Melanie’s Bat Mitzvah. If you’ve seen some of the other events in our Bar/Bat Mitzvah portfolio, you know that we are extremely fortunate to work with some very talented and super-cool guests of honor. Melanie kept the streak alive and then some. Not only is she a gifted athlete, dancer and singer… she read her Torah portion in perfect English, Spanish and Hebrew!!! And as you can see from the photos, Melanie is also a beautiful young lady.
The celebration was billed as Melanie’s Masquerade. It’s an excellent choice for a theme if you are looking to do something fun and different. We incorporated personalized visuals on the big screen and colorful masks for all of the guests to wear. This really seemed to put everyone in a festive mood when they walked through the doors. *A mask can do wonders for a guest who has dance floor inhibitions.
One of the highlights came during the candlelighting ceremony. We knew ahead of time that one of Melanie’s favorite cousins, Bailey, would not be able to make the trip out for the celebration. No problem. With the help of some pre-production and modern technology, Bailey made a surprise guest appearance via video after candle #12 when Melanie just finished saying how much she wished Bailey could be there. It was definitely a tweet-worthy moment that WOW’d Melanie and her guests.
When Melanie had time to reflect on her Bat Mitzvah the next day, she shared a comment that was a good indication that we did our job… “My friends were blown away... they all want to be Jewish now.“ I’ll take that. -mp
On behalf of the entire crew, I want to thank Neil and Yasmin for setting up an awesome Kayak Snorkeling trip, a Canopy tour, and sunset drinks at the world famous Villa Caletas the day after the celebration.
Special thanks to Melanie’s aunt, Julie Kahn, for capturing and editing some of her personal video highlights and post-event testimonials for us. What a nice gesture! … Typical of the Kahn family. Julie has been nominated twice for a National Emmy Award for her work on the children’s TV show, Zoom. She’s also worked on PBS documentaries, independent projects and music videos for the Indigo Girls. (who happen to sing one of my favorite songs of all time, Closer to Fine). Julie can reached at Julie.Kahn@me.com
I also want to recognize Steven Sandi and the staff from the Hotel Amapola. They were instrumental in organizing all of the on-site logistics in the weeks leading up to the event and provided us with necessary assistance the day of to help facilitate a seamless production.
Encore Gallery:
MMP Entertainment Goes International: The Celebrate Life Team Will Perform In Costa Rica Next Month
Over the years, we’ve taken the show on the road to places like New York City, Palm Beach, Florida and Sun Valley, Idaho, but this will be the first time a U.S Passport will be required to fly out of Newark Liberty.
I’m delighted to announce that The Kahn family, owners of Kayak Jaco, has chosen MMP to provide the entertainment and event production for their upcoming Bat Mitzvah celebration.
Needless to say, we are honored and very excited!
The beautiful guest of honor, Melanie, is a very talented young lady who loves to dance, sing and of course, text her friends all day long.
Melanie’s theme will be “Masquerade In Paradise.” I love it! -mp
