some hiccups, but Viva’s Sydney services passes our ‘road test’

By Kimberly Johans
Published in The Macau Daily Times
4 September, 2007, page 4 (653 words)

It has been almost two weeks since Viva Macau took to the skies in the direction of Sydney, Australia for the first time.
Despite the hiccups, the airline has managed to bounce back from what was undoubtedly an embarrassing state of affairs.
Having chosen Viva as my means of transportation back home for a few days of holiday I was concerned as to whether my expectations, realistic though they were, would be met.
I was not disappointed. While Viva Macau has some way to go, one could hardly doubt the sincerity and affability of the airline’s attendants or the eagerness to please.
The flight out of Macau on Wednesday night saw only 60 of the 200-odd seats filled with a quick trip across the tarmac on a convenient shuttle bus.
It was apparent from the onset that the needs of the passengers were the first thought of the flight attendants.
Each passenger was catered for, whether by being shown personally to their seat when they seemed unable to find it, or by having their luggage stowed away for them.

The chef from Sicily finds food and travel the perfect recipe

By Kimberly Johans
Published in The Macau Daily Times
September 4, 2007, page 2 (1,142 words)

Two roads diverged. And the one chosen by Wynn Resort chef Aldo Volpi has certainly made all the difference, for it has given him the opportunity to fulfil his dream of travel.
As Il Teatro’s chef de cuisine, Aldo has experienced the star style of Miami Beach, the teeming city of Jakarta, the moneyed in Monte Carlo and the freezing point of Moscow, over the course of his twenty years in the hospitality industry.
It probably seemed like an impossible dream for a young boy from Sicily, living in a town that held little more than 10,000 people.
“As a youngster what I always liked was travelling, seeing new places,” he says, adding that cooking seemed like one of the easiest jobs to allow for such experiences.
“When you’re travelling you know you can find a job anywhere,” he adds.
And it’s the constant travel and new experiences that shaped the chef guests at Il Teatro see today. For Aldo, it’s never been “just a job.”
“I believe this job, you have to like it.