Posted by Tony F on Feb 2, 2010 in
Uncategorized Tattoo’s were something that never bothered me one way or the other for most of my life. Now my brother has the world of them and they are class but for me I always thought if I was ever going to get one done it was going to be a “Tattoo” and have some meaning in my life. So the other day I took the plunge and this is the outcome.
When I posted it on Twitter/Facebook some people asked me the meaning, if any behind it. So here it is.
Firstly the design comes loosely from the Bon Jovi logo. Actually Anna picked it out. As an individual who always wears his heart on his sleeve I wanted to start there. So the heart symbolizes the way I live my life, honest and open. The text is taking from a Motley Crue song “Home Sweet Home”. This song was beautifully penned by Nikki Sixx during during some very dark days indeed. They actually sum me up 100% too. In case you cannot read them they are as follows:
“My Hearts like an open book for the whole world to read, sometimes nothing keeps me together at the seams”
My life is wide open and by choice might I add. When I do or say something I do so in the knowledge that its completely out there. A lot of times I get hurt for being like that, but thats me and I aint going to change now. In fact I dont want to change either. There have been times when I felt everything was lost and gone and no matter what I did I was falling to pieces. I used to feel the sheer fabric of my being was coming apart and nothing could keep me together. So these lyrics are so apt for me.
The wings at the top of the heart represent my belief in my Guardian Angel who looks after me on a daily basis. Her name is Cliona and she has been in heaven over three years now having passed from this life at the very young age of sixteen. I have written a blog about her in the past and if you have not already read it, take a few moments and click here to take you back to it. http://www.tonyfrattaroli.com/?p=579
The cross was used for my belief and faith in God. Please let me add that this is not in a bible bashing way. Trust me I am as mad as the next guy. But when the chips are down, something had to work. He looked after me and guided people, places and things into my life. The reason for having it go through the heart was to symbolize when my heart ached and I thought it was breaking, he stepped in and prevented it from happening.
Finally the glow at the back of the cross symbolizes a new bright dawn for me. This is one that I have found and I am determined not to let go down any more. This I attribute to my self belief and determination as an individual to keep going and keep rising along with the support of family and friends. Its hard to keep me down. It is also a new and bright beginning with my new found love Anna. She has been a heaven sent and I love her so much and I am blessed to have her in my life.
So there you have it folks a boring ole blog about a tattoo. Oh yeah a big shout out to Taylor aka @sneaker_whore at The Axiom Tattoo Studio. This guy is not only an incredible artist but a gent as well. Nice one!
The next one (tattoo) is lined up already as picked by herself!
Ciao……
T.
Posted by Tony F on Jan 21, 2010 in
Uncategorized Some friends of mine did this recently and I decided to give it a try. Here goes, 101 things you didn’t know about me.
1. I am the middle child of three
2. My dad is from Italy and my mother is from Limerick and that’s where I was born.
3. I studied to be a priest for a number of years but the love of women forced me out.
4. I was part of the first Irish Rock Band to ever play in the USSR.
5. I have a huge love affair with the USA dating back to my first trip there in 1983.
6. My grandparents had an Italian cafe where my grandad, Pasquale, made the best Italian ice cream.
7. I saw my best friend die in front of me when he was 7. He choked on a gob stopper-Miss you Terence.
8. My other great friend died when I was 35, miss you too Mikey.
9. I grew up in Southill, Limerick of which I am very very proud.
10. I always wanted to be a successful rock star or a very successful entrepreneur-Still working on both.
11. I was the first student to make the drum corps of the CBS Pipe Band, Limerick 8 months after joining.
12. I hurt a lot and wear my heart on my sleeve.
13. I cry a lot for which I give no apologies for.
14. I appeared on The Dragon’s Den TV show last year.
15. I was caught for a huge amount of money when I was 21 but used my initiative and started a delivery business with my van and repaid all the money to the bank.
16. My favourite colour is Red.
17. I follow Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
18. I have travelled to many parts of the world and for that I am very grateful.
19. My dad, Salvatore, is the single biggest influence on my life.
20. My favourite band is U2 and have seen them over 20 times in concert.
21. I have loved and lost over 3 times but not anymore, lost that is.
22. I trusted people with my life only to be kicked in the b***s!
23. I studied Psychology and Philospphy.
24. I am a vegetarian not beacuase I love veggies but I love animals especially dogs.
25. I had 2 Old English Sheepdogs, Oscar and Chloe. Oscar had to be put to sleep and Chloe lives with my ex-wife. I miss Chloe terribly.
26. I have four exceptionally great friends that I would take a bullet for.
27. My house was attacked with fire crackers some years ago. I found out who it was and lets say they never did it again.
28. I dont sleep at all well.
29. I love coffee (Nespresso), coke, chocolate and peanuts.
30. I owned 3 houses in my time and the last, my dream home, was taken from me by people who I thought loved me.
31. I am a very spiritual and christain person but not in the bible bashing way.
32. I have a passion for all things mob related and love The Sopranos.
33. My first gig I ever attended was the Bay City Rollers in the 70’s. I was only 7 and my aunt brought me.
34. I have 2 wonderful nieces and 1 nephew. Alana, Sydney and Tino.
35. My sister Anne Maria lives in Ohio and is a great person. She is the Janice Soprano of our family.
36. My parents never owned a car but we didnt care.
37. I always seem to be chasing the dream and on that I am a huge dreamer.
38. I hate to see anyone abuse animals.
39. I love Twitter and have met some really great people on here.
40. Sometimes I think of myself as the nearly man.
41. I am seperated from my wife and that is in the hands of my attorney.
42. I suffered 2 mental breakdowns in my time but always bounced back.
43. I love to help people and I am not afraid to ask for help myself.
44. I can be very stubborn especially when someone tells me that I cannot do certain things. I am also a huge risk taker.
45. My dad brought my brother and I to White Hart Lane in the 70’s and there I met Pat Jennings.
46. I started the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club in Limerick in 1995.
47. My first car was an Opel Corsa but always wanted a BMW X5.
48. My middle name is Gerard and I am not quite sure.
49. I was the only boy in the church choir with over a 100 girls. Nice One!!
50. My brother David is one of lifes gentle giants and has represented Ireland in power lifting and track and field.
51. My dad is a book binder and printer by trade.
52. I had my appendix out when I was 14 and suffered the trauma of having a dry shave in the you know where. Ouch!
53. In 2000 I co-founded a Thermal Transfer Labelling company for which I can sefely say is still going strong.
54. I tend to get paranoid from time to time.
55. When I left college I spent some years in Boston working for Dominic Rossi, work that one out yourself.
56. My grandmother lived with us for 14 years which was like having 2 mothers.
57. When I was 24 I got meningitis for which I was very very ill.
58. I have over 40 first cousins.
59. I use Orange Mango body lotion after I shower.
60. Some people think I am gay and my reply is “give me 10 mins with your wife”
61. I hate people who complain about nothing and bitch all the time.
62. When I was 23 I met the founder of Verbatim in Ireland and he was to have a very important influence on my professional career.
63. In 2005 I woke up paralysed in my bed. It took me 7 months to get back walking again. Very scared.
64. I used to hate the dark and being alone until I was 25.
65.One of my biggest fears is being abandoned.
66. My mother is a seamstress and is a very very good mother indeed and I love her.
67. If I like you I love you, If you cross me I eventually get you. Simple as.
68. I have one very good mentor in my life and I owe him a lot. Thanks Chris.
69. 2009 was the worst year of my life.
70. I had people try to destroy me, I lost my business, my house, my money and just about everything else one could imagine. But they didnt kill me and I am still standing and didnt deserve a bit of it.
71. I thought I was going to die when I turned 40. I woke up thinking I had 6 weeks to live.
72. My philosophy in life is simple, shoot for the top and dont let anyone tear you down.
73. If I had millions I would spend it all on clothes and shoes.
74. I have over 50 pairs of Nike and Puma shoes.Probably because I had only one pair growing up.
75. My parents encouraged me all the way.
76. When I was 38 I had to tell my parents something that was very difficult to tell them, something that happened me when I was a kid but I did and they helped me.
77. New York is my favourite city in the world.
78. I have given talks in schools on business and other topics.
79. In 2008 I started my own pizza business naming it after my dad,Sal.
79. I play the drums and I love beating the crap out of them when I am frustrated.
80. I always had chubby cheeks and detested them.
81. I managed to get my BMW X5 in June 2007 only for that to be taken fromme when my life was turned upside down last year.
82. I believe in talking and sharing your load, also to be a good listener.
83. It pains me that we have starvation in the world.
84. My niece Alana is going to be an Olympic Champion. Trust me!
85. People amaze me at times and I detest liers.
86. I love aircraft and would love to fly a 747 one day.
87. My hair is my own design and I love fooling around with it.
88. My idea of happiness is being with someone you love and feel wanted.
89. My nephew wants to have hair like me.
90. I have no time for detail. I just want to get to the end result.
91. I am impulsive and can be a complete fool at times.
92. My dad organised a trip to Rome in the early 80’s to raise money for the local scout hall. He did it all himself and got an audience with the pope for the cyclists. They travelled from Limerick to Rome on bikes.
93. As I get older I get a little wiser.
94. My current situation is great one I am loving.
95. I share the same birthday with Billie Joe Armstrong, Britney Spears, Michael Jordan and @spangilla
96. I was first engaged when I was 20-Mad or what??
97. My closest friends are Brendan, Brid, Beth and Anthony-Grade A people.
98. Many people have been good to me and gratitude is something I have and need in my life.
99. At 41 and lost so much recently I thought life had not much more to offer after being robbed of everything.
100. I recently found love again and Anna has brought me more happiness in my life and I love her dearly. She is one of Gods very special people.
101. Some say I am metrosexual.
Posted by Tony F on Dec 31, 2009 in
Uncategorized As I fast approach the end of 2009 I wanted to write a quick post that would end up making me smile, happy and looking forward to a great 2010. And no better place to write it but right here in New York City.
As a lot of you know 2009 was a tough year for me to say the least. That said, I do not want to live in the past but instead learn from it and move on. I also believe it has and will continue to make me a stronger and a better person.
The year brought its fair share of low moments but the friendship and support I received was to be the foundation of the next chapter of my life. Do I look back and want to forget all about 2009? No, because there were some great moments there too. Remember I got to appear on The Dragons Den and have that infamous stand off with Bobby Kerr, which I believe he talks about today on his speaking circuit. I also spent some time with my family in the US and never laughed so much bearing in mind I was stuck in the middle of a very traumatic situation. I often hear people say too that they cannot wait for the year to end as the next one wont be as bad. They also say that they want to forget all about it. Well I don’t as it was not all that bad and I also have to keep an eye on where I ended up. I have to remember too and be very conscious that there were a lot of people worse off than me and they were facing much tougher situations. Gratitude is something that I have in spades.
I have many hopes and plans for 2010 and for those of you who know me really well, some of them are as mad as I am. I have a strong feeling that Sal’s Pizza will make a comeback. I have come full circle in twelve months and the Tony Frattaroli that was there as I sat in the Canary Islands this time last year is back.
I want to take this moment to thank everyone who stuck with me, supported me and were basically my friends. Friendship and time is something we tend to shy away from but you guys were tremendous. Some of you never met me in person but we did so through Twitter and Facebook. As there are so many of you out there please forgive me in advance for not naming you in person but you know who you are.
However some of you went above and beyond the call of duty so Beth, Brid, Brendan, Martin, Chris, Pat, Eithne and Mark I thank you sincerely. To my family both immediate and extended, I thank you too. You guys really stepped up big time and to Anna, thank you for coming into my life and making me feel happy and loved again. You are one of Gods special people and I love you.
Finally if there is anyone out there that I hurt in 2009 I sincerely apologise to you and I mean that. Also to those of you that hurt me, please forget about it, I certainly have. I have no resentment against anyone today as it would only drag me down. I wish you all the best for 2010. Look after yourselves.
So there you have it my friends, the snow is falling here in Manhattan, the sound of the NYPD sirens are blaring on the streets and that means only one thing. Time for me to hit Starbucks and enjoy the day.
Oh yeah, one last thing. Some of my friends have suggested I put on some weight as my diet of coke, peanuts, chocolate and coffee does not have any impact on my 10st 7lbs or 147 lbs for my US friends. My answer to that is simple. God will look after me. He has done to date and will continue to do so moving forward.
Have a great New Years Eve and an even better 2010. I certainly will.
Ciao,
T.
Posted by Tony F on Nov 11, 2009 in
Uncategorized During this time of economic doom and gloom aka The Recession, companies must continue to sell their products and services. This is imperative if they are to stay afloat and weather this crisis and come out of it a stronger and more importantly a solvent company. The big question on everyone’s lips is “how do we do that?”
This I believe is where real leaders and people with vision come to the fore. These are the people who will see opportunities and start to take risks because they firmly believe that their approach is going to work. They think outside of the box and start to put methods into place that before might have been laughed at. They need to galvanise the troops and start to instil a belief that they can get through this. By the troops I mean the sales team because the company will rise or fall on their performances. I believe that when companies struggle they do so at times because the leadership is all wrong. The people driving the team is wrong and the motivation is left wanting. Sales people need to be constantly encouraged and motivated enough to get the job done.
I watched Bill Flynn, Chairman of Mutual of America, being interviewed last week. Here was a man with clear vision and he took a good company and made it a great company. He had a very interesting take on how to pay sales people. None of his team get commission for their sales. He believed this only encourages them to sell stuff for the sake of it and this he called “fraud”. He does however pay a very healthy salary and gives bonuses throughout the year. I am not sure if I subscribe 100% to that because my belief is that sales people are driven by the commission but I am open to learning new ways especially from a man like Bill Flynn.
So what are we doing to stay afloat? Are we using new methods like Twitter, Facebook? Are we using more and more on-line methods like email marketing? Are we listening to the experts who have been there?
My own take is that we should do whatever it takes to survive, stay extremely positive, ask for assistance and more importantly demonstrate a confidence and belief to your team that we can and will get through this.
SELL-SELL-SELL!
Ciao,
T.
Posted by Tony F on Nov 7, 2009 in
Uncategorized Well they say that you cannot pick your family but I bet deep down very few of us would change the ones we have. I for one certainly wouldn’t. Over the past couple of months mine have certainly stepped up to the plate to be there for me and stand shoulder to shoulder through a very difficult time. I must also include my extended family in this. I just wanted to use this opportunity to give them all a big shout out. Sometimes we can take them for granted.
My dad Salvatore (Sal) has been the biggest influence on my life. What a man! He came to this country some forty odd years ago and never looked back. He is a printer and book binder by trade and very gifted man with his hands. He would do anything for his family and always encouraged me, even when I had those hair brained ideas. He took my pain and suffering of late very personally indeed. I saw him watch his son go through hell and he was with me every step of the way. It was like as if it was happening to him. It was his advice and level head that encouraged me to make some very tough decisions. Family to him is a big thing being Italian of course.
Me, Sydney
My mam Anne, is a typical Irish mam. She would kill you with kindness and would want to feed me beyond belief. She would meet me for coffee in town and always have some very encouraging words to say. She would feel helpless at times but her faith and spirituality was working away in the background and certainly paid off. Again like dad, family and unity is very important to her.
Mam & Dad
Then there is my brother David, a very solid man indeed. This guy would do anything for you and I mean anything. As brothers we don’t get very emotional with each other but that is fine too. My sister Anne Maria is our version of Janice Soprano. An incredible person who has been through her own troubles and has come through with them with flying colours. A very generous person too. My sister in law Regina is a tonic and a person that makes a lot of sense and you could share anything with her. Anne Marias partner Mike is a gent and looked after us all in the summer. I bet he was scratching his head at times.
Me, Alana, Tino
My niece Alana is an incredible girl. She is very much like her dad. She is a great athlete (watch out for her) and her support to me especially on Twitter and Facebook has made me so proud of her. She always has my back and nothing seems to phase her. My nephew Tino is cool out and a great little goalkeeper aswell. We had some great fun in Ohio of this year. Finally there is Sydney, Anne Marias little girl. I got to meet her for the first time in August of this year and a great testament to Anne Maria.
David, Alana, Anne Maria, Regina, Me
As well as my immediate family my Aunts, Uncles and cousins have also been a huge support. They all reached out and offered all kinds of support from beds to dinners to financial support. They always wanted to take some of my pain away. You may not see one another from one end of the year to the next but as they say blood is thicker than water. I love each and every one of you. You have all played a huge part in my recovery.
Me, Anne Maria
All of the above have helped me through my crisis and I will be forever indebted to each and everyone of them. They were there when I cried, when I was angry, when I was confused and most of all when I thought there was no way forward.
So there you have it. A little recognition to the people closest to me.
Oh yeah I forgot to mention, I am back!!
Ciao,
T
