All is well here in the Pacific! Been here a little more then a month and things are going very well. Time goes so fast its unbelievable.
School is well ... I'm really really happy to be back as a student. Students get it all ... discounts for the gym, food, clubs, etc., classes three times a week, long weekends, and free seminars and lectures. Now its not all fun and games ... my life pretty much involves readings and assignments. Since my terms are only six weeks long we go through the materials really fast and its tough keeping up with the readings but I'm holding my own and I have finals in a couple of weeks so we will see how it goes. One thing that really sucks about being a student again is the regular pay dates. I have a week off before finals and a week off after finals and it would be so great to be able to go away for a long weekend but it just not possible on a student budget ... well not right now anyway. My classes are good, my lecturers are very interesting and I must say not boring now I can't say that about my textbooks but I'm really enjoying my program and the people in my program are really nice. It is such a diverse atmosphere ... the ages ranges from mid-twenties to mid-fifties and all different nationalities so class definitely are interesting and I learning something new every day.
It is so expensive starting over again and getting things setup and I'm also started to look for an apartment which will be another expensive but it will be so worth it. I have been staying on the North Shore of Auckland but I'm so looking forward to moving into the city, however, the apartment hunting hasn't been going so well ... the prices are either high or low and the apartment level goes also from high or low. I'm so thankful that I'm in no rush of actually finding a place even though I can't wait to be in the city. I know that something will come available that will suit me its only a matter of time.
The weather here has been amazing ... winter is starting to come the nights are getting colder and its raining more and more but today its sunny and beautiful. I have started getting some of my tan back but I have been finding the sun extremely strong here and can't be outside to long but I'm still enjoying it a lot and when I hear about the 30cm of snow that they got in Canada or the -30 degrees without windchill I definitely don't complain :)
Other than that not much new ... I'm definitely getting the travel itch, I don't know how I'm going to last 18 months in one place ... I am looking forward to being settled for a little bit and I think it will definitely get better once I find a place of my own and get settled when I'm in the city. I'll let you guys know how it all goes in a few weeks. Cheers :)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
New Zealand Part Two
Wow so I just noticed last time I wrote in my blog was November. I haven't been great at keeping this blog at all and I feel pretty bad that I haven't been keeping you guys up to date on my travels. I guess I'll start from November where I ended off last time.
As you all know I was in Dublin all together for about 5 months during that time I had the chance to visit many different European countries including Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, England, and Czech Republic. I had a wonderful time in Europe and wish that I didn't have to leave it so soon. I will get to that a little later. Anyway while in Dublin I worked for a Security Company in the HR Department which was very interesting at times. I had no real experience in HR, to be honest I never toke an HR course in my life but really enjoyed it and had the opportunity to learn a lot of new stuff. It was a long 5 months, since I really didn't do winter last year it was a real shock to my system when it started to get cold and dark so soon but I definitely don't regret my time there at all. I was able to do lots of traveling which was the main reason I moved there and Dublin is a great port to travel to other countries within Europe. I would have to say my best European country I visited was Poland. This might have had some influence since I did have friends in the country which made it a lot easier to get around and to see everything and more than we wanted too. The food was amazing in all the different countries and it was a completely different experience that I truly enjoyed. It is pretty amazing how the countries can be so different and so close together.
So while I was in Dublin I got excepted to do my MBA down in New Zealand. I had applied last time I was over here but really didn't think that I would get accepted and if I did get accepted I didn't think that I would get things organized in time. However, I spent the five months in Dublin working hard on getting money to fund my MBA, my student visa and all the other things that go along with moving a country. So here I am again in New Zealand I arrived this past Wednesday and still a little jet legged, its 630 am here right now. Very nice weather at the moment and even started to get my tan back. I don't start school until March 3 so that gives me a few weeks to get settled and rested. I am very lucky cause I have my cousin down here and I'll be staying with her until I'm able to find something a little more permenant which also means I don't have to rush into finding a place which takes a lot of pressure off the situation. After moving so many times in the last two years I would think that I would be getting use to the uncertainty of it all but there is always something different about it.
Alright thats all I got for now. Hopefully I'll get the chance to write again in a few weeks after I start school. Cheers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As you all know I was in Dublin all together for about 5 months during that time I had the chance to visit many different European countries including Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, England, and Czech Republic. I had a wonderful time in Europe and wish that I didn't have to leave it so soon. I will get to that a little later. Anyway while in Dublin I worked for a Security Company in the HR Department which was very interesting at times. I had no real experience in HR, to be honest I never toke an HR course in my life but really enjoyed it and had the opportunity to learn a lot of new stuff. It was a long 5 months, since I really didn't do winter last year it was a real shock to my system when it started to get cold and dark so soon but I definitely don't regret my time there at all. I was able to do lots of traveling which was the main reason I moved there and Dublin is a great port to travel to other countries within Europe. I would have to say my best European country I visited was Poland. This might have had some influence since I did have friends in the country which made it a lot easier to get around and to see everything and more than we wanted too. The food was amazing in all the different countries and it was a completely different experience that I truly enjoyed. It is pretty amazing how the countries can be so different and so close together.
So while I was in Dublin I got excepted to do my MBA down in New Zealand. I had applied last time I was over here but really didn't think that I would get accepted and if I did get accepted I didn't think that I would get things organized in time. However, I spent the five months in Dublin working hard on getting money to fund my MBA, my student visa and all the other things that go along with moving a country. So here I am again in New Zealand I arrived this past Wednesday and still a little jet legged, its 630 am here right now. Very nice weather at the moment and even started to get my tan back. I don't start school until March 3 so that gives me a few weeks to get settled and rested. I am very lucky cause I have my cousin down here and I'll be staying with her until I'm able to find something a little more permenant which also means I don't have to rush into finding a place which takes a lot of pressure off the situation. After moving so many times in the last two years I would think that I would be getting use to the uncertainty of it all but there is always something different about it.
Alright thats all I got for now. Hopefully I'll get the chance to write again in a few weeks after I start school. Cheers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Update from Ireland
My two month anniversary of living in Dublin was this past Saturday and I must say that it has been a couple of up and down months. I thought I would write a little about my experiences here since I have arrived.
Dublin is a very nice city, it has great atmosphere and I have to say the Irish are right up there with some of the nicest people I've met. The pubs are very nice and if I drank beer I would say the Guinness is great but I have enjoyed a few pints of Bulmers (Cider) over the past couple of weeks. There is pretty much a pub on every corner which is handy but it also makes it difficult to pick a place to go. The pubs are great for going and chilling with some friends over a few but there are also a few night clubs where you can go dancing but I wouldn't say it is a city for that. I haven't really been able to experience a lot of the pubs here in Dublin ... a few that I enjoyed and remember are The Porterhouse and The Market Bar ... Also there is a nice small place just around the corner from my house called the Cobblestone.
I haven't had the chance to do much traveling outside Dublin ... except for my trip to Cork. Even though I have been here two months I have really only felt like I have been settling in the past 1.5 weeks. I have a semi stable job as a temp in a service company working for their HR department which is really not a bad position. The company has about 3000+ employees so you can only imaging how much complaints, lawsuits, etc we get. I got into my bank account finally after about 5/6 weeks in Dublin ... this was definitely a happy day. However, I have been planning some traveling over the Christmas Holidays but I'm going to wait and tell you guys my plans when I have the all confirmed hopefully in the next week or two.
Living and working here is pretty simple, I did luck out with the apartment ... I really pay a great price (350 Euros/month) plus bills of course and its in a great location. People do say that Smithfield is not the best place to live because back in the day it wasn't that popular but the city/government have pumped a lot of money into the community and its really a respectable neighborhood ... a temporary skating rink when up last week in Smithfield square where you can even rent skates so who know maybe I'll check that out this weekend. Also I heard about this great food market in Temple Bar on Saturdays and I'm really hoping to get to that and pick up some fresh food. Food is also a great thing here in Dublin ... I must say they definitely enjoy eating and drinking which is great by me since I love eating and drinking haha.
Alright so let me oo get down to the culture differences that I have noticed since I have been here. The major one was on Halloween night ... I have to drive a long way to get to work and by the time I get home its really dark ... anyway on Halloween people start huge fires in their communities and I don't mean on the beach or in a field I'm talking about right down town city in a children's parks or in a vacant lot. That was definitely a shock for me to see and they weren't really supervised either. I also read the next day in the paper that it was going to take like 1 million euros or something like that to clean up the mess from Halloween night ... crazy eh. Another one I really don't like is that people don't really pick up after their dogs when they take them for a walk so when I go running outside I really have to watch where I step. So far no incidents but I have to be alert at all time.
Finally, the weather here in Dublin I have to say has been pretty good since I have been here. Actually people have been telling me that it was a lot better than the weather they had during the summer. It is starting to get a little chilly in the morning and at night but I'm still running outside and only had a couple of nights I found it really cold. I don't really expect the weather to last though I'm just waiting for that one cloudy/raining day that turns into 40 days of clouds and rain haha.
Well thats all my stories from Dublin for now ... I'll write more again in a couple of weeks and hopefully than I'll have much more to tell you about Dublin and about my upcoming adventures.
Cheers :)
Dublin is a very nice city, it has great atmosphere and I have to say the Irish are right up there with some of the nicest people I've met. The pubs are very nice and if I drank beer I would say the Guinness is great but I have enjoyed a few pints of Bulmers (Cider) over the past couple of weeks. There is pretty much a pub on every corner which is handy but it also makes it difficult to pick a place to go. The pubs are great for going and chilling with some friends over a few but there are also a few night clubs where you can go dancing but I wouldn't say it is a city for that. I haven't really been able to experience a lot of the pubs here in Dublin ... a few that I enjoyed and remember are The Porterhouse and The Market Bar ... Also there is a nice small place just around the corner from my house called the Cobblestone.
I haven't had the chance to do much traveling outside Dublin ... except for my trip to Cork. Even though I have been here two months I have really only felt like I have been settling in the past 1.5 weeks. I have a semi stable job as a temp in a service company working for their HR department which is really not a bad position. The company has about 3000+ employees so you can only imaging how much complaints, lawsuits, etc we get. I got into my bank account finally after about 5/6 weeks in Dublin ... this was definitely a happy day. However, I have been planning some traveling over the Christmas Holidays but I'm going to wait and tell you guys my plans when I have the all confirmed hopefully in the next week or two.
Living and working here is pretty simple, I did luck out with the apartment ... I really pay a great price (350 Euros/month) plus bills of course and its in a great location. People do say that Smithfield is not the best place to live because back in the day it wasn't that popular but the city/government have pumped a lot of money into the community and its really a respectable neighborhood ... a temporary skating rink when up last week in Smithfield square where you can even rent skates so who know maybe I'll check that out this weekend. Also I heard about this great food market in Temple Bar on Saturdays and I'm really hoping to get to that and pick up some fresh food. Food is also a great thing here in Dublin ... I must say they definitely enjoy eating and drinking which is great by me since I love eating and drinking haha.
Alright so let me oo get down to the culture differences that I have noticed since I have been here. The major one was on Halloween night ... I have to drive a long way to get to work and by the time I get home its really dark ... anyway on Halloween people start huge fires in their communities and I don't mean on the beach or in a field I'm talking about right down town city in a children's parks or in a vacant lot. That was definitely a shock for me to see and they weren't really supervised either. I also read the next day in the paper that it was going to take like 1 million euros or something like that to clean up the mess from Halloween night ... crazy eh. Another one I really don't like is that people don't really pick up after their dogs when they take them for a walk so when I go running outside I really have to watch where I step. So far no incidents but I have to be alert at all time.
Finally, the weather here in Dublin I have to say has been pretty good since I have been here. Actually people have been telling me that it was a lot better than the weather they had during the summer. It is starting to get a little chilly in the morning and at night but I'm still running outside and only had a couple of nights I found it really cold. I don't really expect the weather to last though I'm just waiting for that one cloudy/raining day that turns into 40 days of clouds and rain haha.
Well thats all my stories from Dublin for now ... I'll write more again in a couple of weeks and hopefully than I'll have much more to tell you about Dublin and about my upcoming adventures.
Cheers :)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Dublin, Ireland and the Adventures Continue ...
Wow ... it has been about five months since I last wrote on my blog. How fast time goes. Where do I start? Well for the quick version ... I spent the summer on PEI, Canada working and enjoying the Island summer and then decided it was time to get back on the road and took off around mid-September to Dublin, Ireland and now here I am.
Once I arrived home after a year aboard I really had to think about what I was going to do next. I applied for some jobs on the East Coast of Canada but did get any offers or I should say nothing presented itself. I considered staying at home longer than the summer and studying for my GMATs again and taking a few courses to boost my GPA but it really didn't seem like the time for that either. So around the middle of June I knew I was going to have to make a decision and start on the process of whatever I was going to do and I enjoyed traveling soooo much that I thought I might as well give it a try again and Europe was definitely my next choice. People always ask why Ireland well its like this. My first decision was Europe and then I thought well I want to get a job in Business so I can use my degree and it is definitely going to be easier to get a job in an English speaking country and after a few discussions with friends it was decided that I would move to Dublin in September.
Then the process began, ticket had to be booked, visa had to be applied and approved, insurance had to be bought and the basic things that need to be taken care of before immigrating to another country. By the end of August everything was pretty much in place and my flight was on Sept. 15th. I was coming over to Dublin without a job and without a place to stay so I was pretty nervous when I left Canada. I had moved to different countries before but I always had a safety net ... this time I was really putting myself out there.
After I arriving I pretty much went into full gear ... I spent the first couple of days looking for a place to live. Since I was staying in a Hostel which was expensive and wasn't the best place to prepare for interviews I thought it would be best to get a place right off the bat. I really really lucked out. I set up six viewing but only had to see four of the places. Two of them were awful and the other two were great and luckily I was able to secure one of the rooms and I moved in on Saturday after arriving on Tuesday. Also, during this time of looking for a place ... I was able to get my tax number, meet some friends, and enjoy some of the city. Then the real hunt start ... the job ... I set up a bunch of interviews with job agencies and was able to get registered with six different ones and four of them are decent. I was able to land my first temp. job by the following Wednesday. It was a two week position but I didn't really mind cause I was working and it would bring some money in. After landing a job I really started to settle into my new environment and was able to relax a little even though I still had plenty to do such as set up a bank account, figure out my tax Certificate, etc. but that all didn't really matter since I was now working.
Now I have been here ... well it will be seven weeks on Tuesday. Things are going well. My house/apartment is great ... I have great flatmate's and it is in a great location even though I have to spend 1.5 hours getting to and from work everyday but I'm close to all the action and the bars of course. I did land another job after my two week position and I'm starting my third week tomorrow. The people are nice which helps a lot and I really don't mind the traveling to and from work ... well not yet anyway. Not really sure how long this position will last for but hopefully for a while since right now the market is not that great for temps. and you definitely have to be on top of things in order to get a job. To be honest it wasn't the best time to move to a new country and try to find a temporary position when the economy is having a tough time but I'm managing and as long as I can hang onto a job I'll be happy.
Haven't been able to travel much yet ... I got a bank account set up however here it takes forever to get your card and once you get your card you have to registered it and then you have to send another piece of paper in and then you have to wait to a pin and then you have to wait for another pin and about three to four weeks later you can access your money in your account. Therefore, I have been living off small amounts since I am unable to get money out which has prevented me from traveling. However, I was able to get away this weekend to Cork and I got to see some of the country side. Ireland is definitely as beautiful as people say. It is fresh and clean and green. I really enjoyed getting out of the city. I really enjoyed how there was a castle in every town that we went through ... and pretty much a church in everyone too. I have to say though that the Irish are some of the nicest people I have met ... they are really really friendly but in the nice polite/kind way.
That is all I can think about for now ... time to hit the bed. I've been trying to load pictures to Facebook however my internet is not the best and I always end up with an error but hopefully I'll get it figured out soon and get some new ones posted. Until my next post ... Take Care!
Once I arrived home after a year aboard I really had to think about what I was going to do next. I applied for some jobs on the East Coast of Canada but did get any offers or I should say nothing presented itself. I considered staying at home longer than the summer and studying for my GMATs again and taking a few courses to boost my GPA but it really didn't seem like the time for that either. So around the middle of June I knew I was going to have to make a decision and start on the process of whatever I was going to do and I enjoyed traveling soooo much that I thought I might as well give it a try again and Europe was definitely my next choice. People always ask why Ireland well its like this. My first decision was Europe and then I thought well I want to get a job in Business so I can use my degree and it is definitely going to be easier to get a job in an English speaking country and after a few discussions with friends it was decided that I would move to Dublin in September.
Then the process began, ticket had to be booked, visa had to be applied and approved, insurance had to be bought and the basic things that need to be taken care of before immigrating to another country. By the end of August everything was pretty much in place and my flight was on Sept. 15th. I was coming over to Dublin without a job and without a place to stay so I was pretty nervous when I left Canada. I had moved to different countries before but I always had a safety net ... this time I was really putting myself out there.
After I arriving I pretty much went into full gear ... I spent the first couple of days looking for a place to live. Since I was staying in a Hostel which was expensive and wasn't the best place to prepare for interviews I thought it would be best to get a place right off the bat. I really really lucked out. I set up six viewing but only had to see four of the places. Two of them were awful and the other two were great and luckily I was able to secure one of the rooms and I moved in on Saturday after arriving on Tuesday. Also, during this time of looking for a place ... I was able to get my tax number, meet some friends, and enjoy some of the city. Then the real hunt start ... the job ... I set up a bunch of interviews with job agencies and was able to get registered with six different ones and four of them are decent. I was able to land my first temp. job by the following Wednesday. It was a two week position but I didn't really mind cause I was working and it would bring some money in. After landing a job I really started to settle into my new environment and was able to relax a little even though I still had plenty to do such as set up a bank account, figure out my tax Certificate, etc. but that all didn't really matter since I was now working.
Now I have been here ... well it will be seven weeks on Tuesday. Things are going well. My house/apartment is great ... I have great flatmate's and it is in a great location even though I have to spend 1.5 hours getting to and from work everyday but I'm close to all the action and the bars of course. I did land another job after my two week position and I'm starting my third week tomorrow. The people are nice which helps a lot and I really don't mind the traveling to and from work ... well not yet anyway. Not really sure how long this position will last for but hopefully for a while since right now the market is not that great for temps. and you definitely have to be on top of things in order to get a job. To be honest it wasn't the best time to move to a new country and try to find a temporary position when the economy is having a tough time but I'm managing and as long as I can hang onto a job I'll be happy.
Haven't been able to travel much yet ... I got a bank account set up however here it takes forever to get your card and once you get your card you have to registered it and then you have to send another piece of paper in and then you have to wait to a pin and then you have to wait for another pin and about three to four weeks later you can access your money in your account. Therefore, I have been living off small amounts since I am unable to get money out which has prevented me from traveling. However, I was able to get away this weekend to Cork and I got to see some of the country side. Ireland is definitely as beautiful as people say. It is fresh and clean and green. I really enjoyed getting out of the city. I really enjoyed how there was a castle in every town that we went through ... and pretty much a church in everyone too. I have to say though that the Irish are some of the nicest people I have met ... they are really really friendly but in the nice polite/kind way.
That is all I can think about for now ... time to hit the bed. I've been trying to load pictures to Facebook however my internet is not the best and I always end up with an error but hopefully I'll get it figured out soon and get some new ones posted. Until my next post ... Take Care!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Home Sweet Home
I have been home for about two weeks now and things are going pretty good. Definitely been some readjustments but overall things are working out. I have a temporary job that will help pay off my visa and I have been applying like crazy for a more serious position. One thing I can't shake tho is the weather. I forgot how cold it was in Canada and now I'm struggling to make it through the day and I just look forward to a nice hot shower at the end of the day.
Reintegration is tough though ... little things that you wouldn't think would bother you do like for example I tried to get a cell phone hooked up here and the length I had to go through to get the right plan was ridiculous. In all the countries I traveled in South East Asia and the Pacific I was able to walk off the plane pick up a SIM card, add an amount, and walk away. Here they don't even have SIM cards that will work in my phone and I have to sign up for a contract because pay as you go is too expensive to even consider. My dad ended up having an extra Aliant Phone and I was able to get a month by month plan but I'm not going to mention how much I have to pay to get it to work and my other phone that I have been using the past year is useless here in Canada.
I also miss being out on the road, trying new things, meeting new people, and just have a great time. Here I do the same thing day in and day out ... I know I should be more outgoing why I'm here at home but its only temporary and I really don't want to get to involved with anything until I know some sort of future path.
I must say it has been nice being home and seeing the family. My parents have been great through this transition and have been very supportive. It is also nice that I am home now to help them around the house and with the gardening. I never really realized how much they appreciate some help from me and its great to be home now and help out were I can.
I know that this blog was suppose to be for my travels aboard and now I guess this should be my last post but I think I'll write something up every now and than and hopefully I'll be back on the road in the near future so I'll have lots more to write about.
Cheers from PEI
Reintegration is tough though ... little things that you wouldn't think would bother you do like for example I tried to get a cell phone hooked up here and the length I had to go through to get the right plan was ridiculous. In all the countries I traveled in South East Asia and the Pacific I was able to walk off the plane pick up a SIM card, add an amount, and walk away. Here they don't even have SIM cards that will work in my phone and I have to sign up for a contract because pay as you go is too expensive to even consider. My dad ended up having an extra Aliant Phone and I was able to get a month by month plan but I'm not going to mention how much I have to pay to get it to work and my other phone that I have been using the past year is useless here in Canada.
I also miss being out on the road, trying new things, meeting new people, and just have a great time. Here I do the same thing day in and day out ... I know I should be more outgoing why I'm here at home but its only temporary and I really don't want to get to involved with anything until I know some sort of future path.
I must say it has been nice being home and seeing the family. My parents have been great through this transition and have been very supportive. It is also nice that I am home now to help them around the house and with the gardening. I never really realized how much they appreciate some help from me and its great to be home now and help out were I can.
I know that this blog was suppose to be for my travels aboard and now I guess this should be my last post but I think I'll write something up every now and than and hopefully I'll be back on the road in the near future so I'll have lots more to write about.
Cheers from PEI
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Past Year and Taiwan
Well what can I say, its time for me to return to Canada after a year of traveling the world. It seems so unreal like I'm in a dream or something. I always knew that I would be going back but it just seems like yesterday I was boarding the plan in Halifax to start an entirely new life in the Philippines. I have mixed feelings right now about returning, I'm happy to be going back to see family and friends but sad because I have grown to love meeting new people, experiencing new thing and having a life not knowing what the next day will bring. Now it seems like I'm being hit with all these life choices I have to decide on like do I go back to school or do I get a job in Canada and work for a few years or do I say fuck it and save some money and take off traveling again. It's like I'm torn between my heart and my mind. My heart tells me to go experience the world and travel as much as you can and then my mind say be responsible some people your age already have a house and family. I know its something that I'll have to decide and soon but for now I'm going to enjoy the rest of my time left I have aboard.
I am currently in Taiwan but I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow where I'll be meeting up with my parents and brother for the first time in a year and I think its been a year and a half since I've seen my brother. I'm pretty excited about it but also really scared ... mixed emotions again. I have enjoyed my freedom and life aboard and know going back to my old home will not be the same and now that I think about it I might have some problems readjusting. We will see how the re-integration process goes when I start to get back into the swing of things in Canada.
The past five to six weeks have been complete chaos and fun. I have traveled most of NZ (the major parts) but I still have so much to see. For those who have seen my pictures on Facebook you will know that I had the time of my life and I was really sad to have to leave. People always say that they know or have heard of someone that went to NZ for a short period of time and then end up staying the rest of their life ... well I think I could have been one of those people if things would have worked out better. I fell in love with New Zealand and I hope someday I have the chance to go back and live there again. There is so much to do sky diving, bungy jumping, water rafting, jet boating, sledging, etc. You name and you can do it in NZ and that only half of it. What I liked most about NZ is there lifestyle and how they really have a balanced life. I was only there for four months I know but they have an entirely different outlook on life and there balance between work and life is amazing ... a real precise thing to have in life.
After I left NZ I spent six hours in the Singapore airport reading and drinking coffee which wasn't that great. Than I made a short trip to Manila and was able to catch up with some friends from before and had a great night catching up ... now that I look back it would have been nicer to stay a few more days I really missed my friends there. I made my way to Taiwan and spent the first night in Taipei at a nice little hostel and got caught up on some necessary sleep. Then I got up early and made my way to Fulong beach which is about one and half hours outside Taipei. I most say that this place is beautiful but it must be so gorgeous in the summer. I had the unfortunate pleasure of having four straight days of rain why I was in Taiwan and I'm guess tomorrow will be the same. Even though it rained I did make it out for a hike, enjoyed some local food and had time to read almost two books which is pretty awesome since it usually takes me a year to finish one. I'm glad I have had this time to myself in Taiwan to relax, reflect and prepare myself for my return to Canada because I have a feeling that its not going to be easy.
I guess thats pretty much it for now. I'll write more when I make it back to Canada and give you all an update on whats going on and how I'm fitting back into my old life.
Cheers from Taiwan
Amy
I am currently in Taiwan but I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow where I'll be meeting up with my parents and brother for the first time in a year and I think its been a year and a half since I've seen my brother. I'm pretty excited about it but also really scared ... mixed emotions again. I have enjoyed my freedom and life aboard and know going back to my old home will not be the same and now that I think about it I might have some problems readjusting. We will see how the re-integration process goes when I start to get back into the swing of things in Canada.
The past five to six weeks have been complete chaos and fun. I have traveled most of NZ (the major parts) but I still have so much to see. For those who have seen my pictures on Facebook you will know that I had the time of my life and I was really sad to have to leave. People always say that they know or have heard of someone that went to NZ for a short period of time and then end up staying the rest of their life ... well I think I could have been one of those people if things would have worked out better. I fell in love with New Zealand and I hope someday I have the chance to go back and live there again. There is so much to do sky diving, bungy jumping, water rafting, jet boating, sledging, etc. You name and you can do it in NZ and that only half of it. What I liked most about NZ is there lifestyle and how they really have a balanced life. I was only there for four months I know but they have an entirely different outlook on life and there balance between work and life is amazing ... a real precise thing to have in life.
After I left NZ I spent six hours in the Singapore airport reading and drinking coffee which wasn't that great. Than I made a short trip to Manila and was able to catch up with some friends from before and had a great night catching up ... now that I look back it would have been nicer to stay a few more days I really missed my friends there. I made my way to Taiwan and spent the first night in Taipei at a nice little hostel and got caught up on some necessary sleep. Then I got up early and made my way to Fulong beach which is about one and half hours outside Taipei. I most say that this place is beautiful but it must be so gorgeous in the summer. I had the unfortunate pleasure of having four straight days of rain why I was in Taiwan and I'm guess tomorrow will be the same. Even though it rained I did make it out for a hike, enjoyed some local food and had time to read almost two books which is pretty awesome since it usually takes me a year to finish one. I'm glad I have had this time to myself in Taiwan to relax, reflect and prepare myself for my return to Canada because I have a feeling that its not going to be easy.
I guess thats pretty much it for now. I'll write more when I make it back to Canada and give you all an update on whats going on and how I'm fitting back into my old life.
Cheers from Taiwan
Amy
Friday, April 4, 2008
The Past Three Months in New Zealand
So my apologies for being very slack the past couple of months with keeping my blog up to date. Mostly I have just being working at The Warehouse and saving my money for the traveling I'm currently in the middle of doing. Some of the stuff I have accomplished over the last little bit include driving a standard vehicle, learning to cook proper meals, and running (a lot).
I have enjoyed my time in Auckland working and learning more about there culture but I really wasn't amazed by the country until I traveled the south island which I completed yesterday. I have heard many people say that they weren't so sure about NZ and if they were really going to stay but once they went out and traveled the country they fell in love with it and I completely understand them now. I don't really know what it is about NZ but I do know that this country is beautiful and I have feel in love with it.
I mentioned that I have just finished the south island, I went to Nelson, Westport, Greymouth, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sounds, Christchurch, and back to Nelson with a few stop along the way. My trip was jammed pack with exciting and scary activities. Some include bungy jumping, ski diving, jet boating, glacier hiking and many more. There was always something to do in the south island which was great but was touch on the pocket book but came out to with what I expected. Every town or city we stopped into had some kind of difference to it and the west coast of the south island has to be one of the most gorgeous place I have ever since in my entire life. Even though I got to see so much and do a lot of stuff I still missed out on a lot. There are a few great hikes in the south, I didn't visit a winery, I didn't do any water rafting which I hope to do in the north island and many other activities I had miss out of due to time restrictions.
Tomorrow I had into Auckland city and catch the bus for the northern round about which should take me approximately 10 days. Right now I'm tired but I know that I'm super excited I just hope I get a really good bus team like I did for the south island cause that really makes a lo of difference.
Unfortunately, that is all I'm going to be able to write right now since I'm starting to fall asleep but I will be right more once I get back into Auckland and when I have more time. I do want to elaborate more on my trips and tell everything but right now sleep. If you guys have any questions then send me a comments and I'll get back to you as soon as possible :)
Cheers and Have a great night!!!!!!!
I have enjoyed my time in Auckland working and learning more about there culture but I really wasn't amazed by the country until I traveled the south island which I completed yesterday. I have heard many people say that they weren't so sure about NZ and if they were really going to stay but once they went out and traveled the country they fell in love with it and I completely understand them now. I don't really know what it is about NZ but I do know that this country is beautiful and I have feel in love with it.
I mentioned that I have just finished the south island, I went to Nelson, Westport, Greymouth, Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sounds, Christchurch, and back to Nelson with a few stop along the way. My trip was jammed pack with exciting and scary activities. Some include bungy jumping, ski diving, jet boating, glacier hiking and many more. There was always something to do in the south island which was great but was touch on the pocket book but came out to with what I expected. Every town or city we stopped into had some kind of difference to it and the west coast of the south island has to be one of the most gorgeous place I have ever since in my entire life. Even though I got to see so much and do a lot of stuff I still missed out on a lot. There are a few great hikes in the south, I didn't visit a winery, I didn't do any water rafting which I hope to do in the north island and many other activities I had miss out of due to time restrictions.
Tomorrow I had into Auckland city and catch the bus for the northern round about which should take me approximately 10 days. Right now I'm tired but I know that I'm super excited I just hope I get a really good bus team like I did for the south island cause that really makes a lo of difference.
Unfortunately, that is all I'm going to be able to write right now since I'm starting to fall asleep but I will be right more once I get back into Auckland and when I have more time. I do want to elaborate more on my trips and tell everything but right now sleep. If you guys have any questions then send me a comments and I'll get back to you as soon as possible :)
Cheers and Have a great night!!!!!!!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
1st Day on the Job in New Zealand
I have been in New Zealand for almost a month now and I started work today at the Warehouse Head Office which is like Walmart. I work in the grocery department doing data entry and purchasing and promotions. Since I'm just a temp I don't get much responsibility which is actually what I wanted because I want to enjoy my time here in New Zealand and not work like crazy like I did in the Philippines. It does pay well and it is good hours so it will be a nice job just to make some money before traveling in March and April.
Other than that not much new. The weather is beautiful here, I have an AWESOME tan going on and every morning I get up and go for a run on the beach and its so relaxing and beautiful. I guess this is going to be a short post because I really don't have much to say I've been just reading, running, tanning, and relaxing.
Cheers from New Zealand
Other than that not much new. The weather is beautiful here, I have an AWESOME tan going on and every morning I get up and go for a run on the beach and its so relaxing and beautiful. I guess this is going to be a short post because I really don't have much to say I've been just reading, running, tanning, and relaxing.
Cheers from New Zealand
Friday, December 28, 2007
First Week in New Zealand
I arrived in New Zealand on Dec. 24, 2007 and it has been going so well. Had a wonderful Christmas at my cousin's boyfriends house, started to learn how to drive a stick shift, and went for an amazing hike today.
Christmas was very lovely ... the family that invited me in for dinner was so welcoming and hospitable it was absolutely wonderful. There was turkey, stuffing, good conversation, and all the trimmings. Of course it wasn't as great as being home with my own family but being around the world they made me feel right at home and it made things a lot easier. I had a really nice Christmas and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to spend it with such nice and warm people.
I have also been out once to learn how to drive a stick shift. Since I have decided to extend my stay in New Zealand my cousin has allowed me to go on her car insurance, however, I have only driven a stick shift twice when I was about 16 years old so I'm a little out of practice. Anyway my cousins boyfriend took me out the other day to learn how and let say about the 12 time that I staled the car I broke it ... well I didn't actually break it ... something let lose. However, we did have to get it started again by rolling the car down the hill and then jump starting it but that only lasted 10 min and then it completely died so we had to call my cousin to come give us a boost and then we got home where Gavin (my cousins boyfriend) changed the battery and cleaned it up and then it worked again. Wish I'm so happy because well I didn't want to have to pay for breaking the car on my first try out. haha.
Finally, today we went on a hike around Waitakere Ranges Regional Park which was such a nice time. We left around 930 am and started hiking around 1030 am and ended around 3 pm or so but it was great. We went through some woods to start, then some flat land with the beach in view, then through some more woods, then we fallowed the river up and then through some more woods and back to the car. It was a really nice hike and very interesting but lets just say I'm going to be sleeping well tonight. It was so nice to get out of the city, get some fresh air and a tan. Also, it was really great to get out and see some of the country ... I can't wait to get in some more traveling however first I need to secure a job and then I can have some fun.
Alright I'll write again when I have more to say about New Zealand but so far so good. I am relaxed and I'm starting to enjoy life again. I'm getting back my energy and enthusiasm which had been gone for a very very long time.
Cheers from Auckland
Christmas was very lovely ... the family that invited me in for dinner was so welcoming and hospitable it was absolutely wonderful. There was turkey, stuffing, good conversation, and all the trimmings. Of course it wasn't as great as being home with my own family but being around the world they made me feel right at home and it made things a lot easier. I had a really nice Christmas and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to spend it with such nice and warm people.
I have also been out once to learn how to drive a stick shift. Since I have decided to extend my stay in New Zealand my cousin has allowed me to go on her car insurance, however, I have only driven a stick shift twice when I was about 16 years old so I'm a little out of practice. Anyway my cousins boyfriend took me out the other day to learn how and let say about the 12 time that I staled the car I broke it ... well I didn't actually break it ... something let lose. However, we did have to get it started again by rolling the car down the hill and then jump starting it but that only lasted 10 min and then it completely died so we had to call my cousin to come give us a boost and then we got home where Gavin (my cousins boyfriend) changed the battery and cleaned it up and then it worked again. Wish I'm so happy because well I didn't want to have to pay for breaking the car on my first try out. haha.
Finally, today we went on a hike around Waitakere Ranges Regional Park which was such a nice time. We left around 930 am and started hiking around 1030 am and ended around 3 pm or so but it was great. We went through some woods to start, then some flat land with the beach in view, then through some more woods, then we fallowed the river up and then through some more woods and back to the car. It was a really nice hike and very interesting but lets just say I'm going to be sleeping well tonight. It was so nice to get out of the city, get some fresh air and a tan. Also, it was really great to get out and see some of the country ... I can't wait to get in some more traveling however first I need to secure a job and then I can have some fun.
Alright I'll write again when I have more to say about New Zealand but so far so good. I am relaxed and I'm starting to enjoy life again. I'm getting back my energy and enthusiasm which had been gone for a very very long time.
Cheers from Auckland
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Manila, Philippines to Auckland, New Zealand
So I have arrived safe and sound in New Zealand, however, it was not easy task. I left for the airport around 9:30 on December 23 which was about 4 hours before my flight which was really early but good thing I did.
The first thing that went wrong is that we got completely ripped of by the cab driver who made us pay 375 pesos for a 120 peso drive. I hate cab drivers in the Philippines but I just let it slide this time because I just wanted to get on the plan to New Zealand so I just paid the stupid fee.
Next, I get to the check in counter and the lady tells me that I was over weight with my baggage and I wouldn't be able to take it. I was like that can't be right I check on the website two weeks ago for how much I could bring. Then I asked how much would it be to take the extra baggage and you should know that I was 20 Kg over weight which would have cost approximately $500 USD which of course I didn't have however I had been saving money for the past 4-5 months so I did have extra cash on me. Well I'm standing in the middle of the check in counter with all my baggage trying to decide what to do. I had to get my baggage under $300 USD cause that is all I had on me. Also, to make it worse I'm sick (I felt like shit), I'm tires and hungover cause we had been partying all week, and there is a woman with a baby behind me that is crying like no tomorrow which I turned around a couple of times to look at cause well I really thought the baby was dying from its screaming and then the woman with the baby start screaming at me ... "what are you looking at, haven't you ever seen a baby cry, I can't make it stop, what is your problem" ... that is what came out of her month ... I couldn't believe it ... and yes she can make it stop feed it or pay some attention to it. Anyway I just turned away cause I could deal with that cause I just wanted to get on my plan and get out of the Philippines. Well the only thing I could do it rip opened my suitcases and start throwing stuff out so that is exactly what I did about 10 Kg. I just throw it to the side of the check in counter and by this time I'm on the phone with my parents and I'm in tears because I just can't deal with everything. So my parents finally get me calmed down a little bit but the people that are working for Singapore Airlines are speaking in Tagalog and I don't understand what they are saying and I'm trying to find out how much it is going to cost. Finally, I get it down to $266 USD to send my baggage which I can afford and then I'm like just get me on the plan. Then someone new comes over and is like you can't bring to carry on bags on the plan and I'm like on is a carry on bag and the other is my laptop. He looks at me like I'm crazy and then says Ma'am next time don't take so much baggage. I was like excuse me one thing I'm moving and second I checked on your website to find out and I followed the limits. Then he is like well do you have any family you can call ... excuse me again I'm a white Canadian girl in the Philippines do you think I'm going to have any family here. Like WTF and why can't I be traveling by myself. I don't need my family at my side 24/7 like in the Philippines. Anyway I pay the $266 USD which wasn't easy either because they had no change for the $300 I had and the girl asked to get a new bill for the $100 I had. I was like why do you need a new $100 bill I just got that today when I exchanged my money, anyway I didn't care I just went and got a newer $100 to make them happy but of course that is not what they wanted either they wanted change for the $100 but that is not what they said so I get the change for it and pay the amount. They start to check in my baggage and then they tell me that they won't be able to take care of my stuff and by this point I do not care what happens to my stuff cause I can't take it with me. I turn to them and I'm like well do you have a garbage can and they don't know what to say like it was against all there morals to throw it out so I repeat do you have a garbage bag or a garbage can around ... they continue to look at me like I'm crazy .... so again do you have a garbage can anywhere in this airport .... they are still starring. Then I just loss it I'm like listen I don't care what happens to my stuff throw it away, give it to charity, take it home to your own families (which they probably did) I don't care one way or another. Finally one guy is like I have a box we will put it in that, I was like fine I don't care. Then I finally get my boarding pass and I proceed to the gate. It is all over I think to myself and it pretty much is. I fall asleep right away when I get on the plan and the then the stewardess wakes me up and ask if I'm ok and if there is anything wrong cause I don't want to eat or drink but then I sleep right until when touch down in Singapore. Everything goes great in Singapore I get a coffee and a sandwich and I find my gate easily. Give my parents a quick call to tell them that I am fine cause they were worrying especially after I called them from Manila airport. I get on my flight to New Zealand and sleep the entire way.
I land in New Zealand on Dec. 24 around 11 am and I get through immigration easily and was granted my 12 months Holiday Working Visa. I did have a few questions asked during customs because of the amount of baggage I had but by this point I told them that they are welcome to search all my baggage and I didn't care. Anyway they just let me go by and nothing happens. I go through arrivals and I see my cousin Jackie and I don't think I have been so happy or revealed in my entire life. It was like everything that was on my shoulders was lifted off. It was the greatest feeling ever. I was still tired and sick but something had changed.
Anyway I have been in New Zealand the past 3 days and I have been having a relaxing time which is exactly what I needed. Christmas was busy with family dinner and stuff but it was great to feel welcomed and be invited into someone else's home for the holidays. Every morning I have been getting up for a run on the beach which is so beautiful, it really beats running around Kingswood in a smog of pollution every morning. I have really enjoyed the past 3 days being in a clean environment, relaxing with a glass of wine, and getting some necessary sleep.
Well I'm happy to be in New Zealand and it has been a great experience in the Philippines but I'm happy and excited to start my new life here in New Zealand and I will definitely be keeping you all up to date on my activities. I have started to look for a job but since it is the holidays it is pretty quite around and not a lot of people are working but thats fine I'm not worried about landing a job. Also, I have a place to stay with my cousin which she has been taking really good care of me especially with the amount of wine I have been drinking.
Hope everyone had a Merry Merry Christmas :)
Amy
The first thing that went wrong is that we got completely ripped of by the cab driver who made us pay 375 pesos for a 120 peso drive. I hate cab drivers in the Philippines but I just let it slide this time because I just wanted to get on the plan to New Zealand so I just paid the stupid fee.
Next, I get to the check in counter and the lady tells me that I was over weight with my baggage and I wouldn't be able to take it. I was like that can't be right I check on the website two weeks ago for how much I could bring. Then I asked how much would it be to take the extra baggage and you should know that I was 20 Kg over weight which would have cost approximately $500 USD which of course I didn't have however I had been saving money for the past 4-5 months so I did have extra cash on me. Well I'm standing in the middle of the check in counter with all my baggage trying to decide what to do. I had to get my baggage under $300 USD cause that is all I had on me. Also, to make it worse I'm sick (I felt like shit), I'm tires and hungover cause we had been partying all week, and there is a woman with a baby behind me that is crying like no tomorrow which I turned around a couple of times to look at cause well I really thought the baby was dying from its screaming and then the woman with the baby start screaming at me ... "what are you looking at, haven't you ever seen a baby cry, I can't make it stop, what is your problem" ... that is what came out of her month ... I couldn't believe it ... and yes she can make it stop feed it or pay some attention to it. Anyway I just turned away cause I could deal with that cause I just wanted to get on my plan and get out of the Philippines. Well the only thing I could do it rip opened my suitcases and start throwing stuff out so that is exactly what I did about 10 Kg. I just throw it to the side of the check in counter and by this time I'm on the phone with my parents and I'm in tears because I just can't deal with everything. So my parents finally get me calmed down a little bit but the people that are working for Singapore Airlines are speaking in Tagalog and I don't understand what they are saying and I'm trying to find out how much it is going to cost. Finally, I get it down to $266 USD to send my baggage which I can afford and then I'm like just get me on the plan. Then someone new comes over and is like you can't bring to carry on bags on the plan and I'm like on is a carry on bag and the other is my laptop. He looks at me like I'm crazy and then says Ma'am next time don't take so much baggage. I was like excuse me one thing I'm moving and second I checked on your website to find out and I followed the limits. Then he is like well do you have any family you can call ... excuse me again I'm a white Canadian girl in the Philippines do you think I'm going to have any family here. Like WTF and why can't I be traveling by myself. I don't need my family at my side 24/7 like in the Philippines. Anyway I pay the $266 USD which wasn't easy either because they had no change for the $300 I had and the girl asked to get a new bill for the $100 I had. I was like why do you need a new $100 bill I just got that today when I exchanged my money, anyway I didn't care I just went and got a newer $100 to make them happy but of course that is not what they wanted either they wanted change for the $100 but that is not what they said so I get the change for it and pay the amount. They start to check in my baggage and then they tell me that they won't be able to take care of my stuff and by this point I do not care what happens to my stuff cause I can't take it with me. I turn to them and I'm like well do you have a garbage can and they don't know what to say like it was against all there morals to throw it out so I repeat do you have a garbage bag or a garbage can around ... they continue to look at me like I'm crazy .... so again do you have a garbage can anywhere in this airport .... they are still starring. Then I just loss it I'm like listen I don't care what happens to my stuff throw it away, give it to charity, take it home to your own families (which they probably did) I don't care one way or another. Finally one guy is like I have a box we will put it in that, I was like fine I don't care. Then I finally get my boarding pass and I proceed to the gate. It is all over I think to myself and it pretty much is. I fall asleep right away when I get on the plan and the then the stewardess wakes me up and ask if I'm ok and if there is anything wrong cause I don't want to eat or drink but then I sleep right until when touch down in Singapore. Everything goes great in Singapore I get a coffee and a sandwich and I find my gate easily. Give my parents a quick call to tell them that I am fine cause they were worrying especially after I called them from Manila airport. I get on my flight to New Zealand and sleep the entire way.
I land in New Zealand on Dec. 24 around 11 am and I get through immigration easily and was granted my 12 months Holiday Working Visa. I did have a few questions asked during customs because of the amount of baggage I had but by this point I told them that they are welcome to search all my baggage and I didn't care. Anyway they just let me go by and nothing happens. I go through arrivals and I see my cousin Jackie and I don't think I have been so happy or revealed in my entire life. It was like everything that was on my shoulders was lifted off. It was the greatest feeling ever. I was still tired and sick but something had changed.
Anyway I have been in New Zealand the past 3 days and I have been having a relaxing time which is exactly what I needed. Christmas was busy with family dinner and stuff but it was great to feel welcomed and be invited into someone else's home for the holidays. Every morning I have been getting up for a run on the beach which is so beautiful, it really beats running around Kingswood in a smog of pollution every morning. I have really enjoyed the past 3 days being in a clean environment, relaxing with a glass of wine, and getting some necessary sleep.
Well I'm happy to be in New Zealand and it has been a great experience in the Philippines but I'm happy and excited to start my new life here in New Zealand and I will definitely be keeping you all up to date on my activities. I have started to look for a job but since it is the holidays it is pretty quite around and not a lot of people are working but thats fine I'm not worried about landing a job. Also, I have a place to stay with my cousin which she has been taking really good care of me especially with the amount of wine I have been drinking.
Hope everyone had a Merry Merry Christmas :)
Amy
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Christmas Time
Merry Christmas Everyone!!! I know its still a couple of weeks away but I don't know if I will get the chance to write again. Things have been so crazy here and it has been a really difficult time here the past two weeks but things are starting to look up. Yesterday I took my GMAT and unfortunately it didn't go as well as I wanted it too but I not really surprised. I have been studying my ass off the past two months but being aboard and dealing with emotional strain everyday I knew that I wasn't mentally prepared. So after the holidays I'll be looking into taking a prep course or something similar to get my quantitative skills up to par and then just take the test again probably in February ... maybe. It feels so good to have the test complete though ... it has been pretty stressful the past couple of months just working and studying but finally had a chance to go out last night and dance and drink all night which was so much fun ... I just needed to let go. I had a great time last night and I know that it was a Monday night but it was great to get out ... open bar all night and pretty good music ... can't go wrong with that combination.
Headway's Christmas party was this past Saturday and it was very well put together. We had a four course meal and good conversation, however, I did leave early cause my test was Monday morning but one thing I must say about the Philippines is that their catering and partying stills are very well put together. Anyway it was really great to enjoy a Christmas party because I don't really feel like its Christmas time ... I think its the whether and well we don't have a tree or anything like that. However, Gosia and I will be making Christmas cookies this weekend so it should be a great time :)
So my big adventure from last week was my fight with the cab driver in the middle of a business street. Imaging this ... busy busy street on a Friday afternoon around 4 pm and its pay day so it is even more busy then usually and since Filipinos have money from pay day they all decide to take cabs so its really hard for me to get one. I have been trying for about 30 min which is not actually bad and then one cab is dropping some people off and I am about to get in. The people that are getting out of the cab only have 500 pesos and of course the cab driver doesn't have any change for them ... if you ever come to the Philippines always keep some small bills on you. So I search in my pockets and I can get about 300 pesos in change so I give that to the cab driver and he gives me the 500 peso bill from the lady and then he gives the lady my 300 so she paid two hundred for her cab drive ... which was fine cause I was going to get in the cab he would have taken me home which is like a 90 or 100 peso drive with meter and then I would just pay the cab drive the 200 pesos on top of what I would have owed him so it would have been easy to get change for the 500 I had and I thought I was doing this guy a favor. Well it wasn't that simple when I get in the cab "Ma'am 250 pesos" ... excuse me ... remember its only a 100 peso ride at the most. "Ma'am 250 pesos" ... "No boss meter" ... "250" ... No meter or I'm taking the bus" (which I know how to take but I was really tired and just wanted to get home). So by this time I'm tired, sweaty and pissed off at the cab driver for trying to rip me off. So I just get out of the cab cause I don't put up with that bull shit. Anyway it had slipped my mind that I owed this guy 200 cause I was so mad that he was trying to take advantage of me. I start walking away from the cab and then he gets out and runs after me saying "Ma'am 200, Ma'am 200" and by this time I'm so pissed and we start arguing in the middle of Shaw Blvd and Shaw is not a popular place for white people so I get looked at all the time even when I"m just trying to get a cab but now I'm hysterical and I'm yelling at this guy and of course I'm making this big scene. To make it worse he can't speak English ... all he can say is "Ma'am 200" and then the traffic guard comes over (a lady) and she can't speak English and all she can say is "Ma'am you owe this man 200". Now I would definitely have just given the cab driver the 200 pesos but I gave all my change to him earlier and I'll I had now was 500 and I'm still pissed that he tried to rip me off. Now were outside yelling and its hot so I'm sweating and I'm tired and feel like shit and by this time I"m crying cause I don't know what I'm going to do. The cab driver wanted to take me to a store so I could buy something and pay for the cab ride there to get change but I really didn't think that was the best solution for me plus I was the one that was trying to help him out in the first place. Anyway Shaw is only 2 minutes away from my work so I called Rey (one of the employees that is always around to help out when he can) and I asked him to bring change for 500 pesos so Thanks to him I paid the cab driver the 200 pesos and then Rey and I went back to the office. It had to be one of the worst experience I have had here. Rey said that it was because it was close to Christmas and a busy Friday afternoon that he was trying to rip me off but that seems backwards to me ... if its close to Christmas don't you think that they would be in the Christmas spirit and not try to rip people off. It true though they think because its almost Christmas they can try to rip you off because you will be more giving. Don't get me wrong I give a tip whenever I can and if they don't ask and they do a good job I don't mind giving extra but every cab I have got into the past couple of days I have had to asked several times to put the meter on and then they would say "Merry Christmas Ma'am" like that is going to change my mind. Anyway that was my cab driver experience that I had last week. I definitely laugh at the situation now but at the time it was so messed up and a terrible experience. I hope that if any of you come to the Philippines you will never have to go through something like that.
Well I'm off to New Zealand in less than a week and I will be having a great vacation and time away there. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays and a great New Year.
Take Care :)
Headway's Christmas party was this past Saturday and it was very well put together. We had a four course meal and good conversation, however, I did leave early cause my test was Monday morning but one thing I must say about the Philippines is that their catering and partying stills are very well put together. Anyway it was really great to enjoy a Christmas party because I don't really feel like its Christmas time ... I think its the whether and well we don't have a tree or anything like that. However, Gosia and I will be making Christmas cookies this weekend so it should be a great time :)
So my big adventure from last week was my fight with the cab driver in the middle of a business street. Imaging this ... busy busy street on a Friday afternoon around 4 pm and its pay day so it is even more busy then usually and since Filipinos have money from pay day they all decide to take cabs so its really hard for me to get one. I have been trying for about 30 min which is not actually bad and then one cab is dropping some people off and I am about to get in. The people that are getting out of the cab only have 500 pesos and of course the cab driver doesn't have any change for them ... if you ever come to the Philippines always keep some small bills on you. So I search in my pockets and I can get about 300 pesos in change so I give that to the cab driver and he gives me the 500 peso bill from the lady and then he gives the lady my 300 so she paid two hundred for her cab drive ... which was fine cause I was going to get in the cab he would have taken me home which is like a 90 or 100 peso drive with meter and then I would just pay the cab drive the 200 pesos on top of what I would have owed him so it would have been easy to get change for the 500 I had and I thought I was doing this guy a favor. Well it wasn't that simple when I get in the cab "Ma'am 250 pesos" ... excuse me ... remember its only a 100 peso ride at the most. "Ma'am 250 pesos" ... "No boss meter" ... "250" ... No meter or I'm taking the bus" (which I know how to take but I was really tired and just wanted to get home). So by this time I'm tired, sweaty and pissed off at the cab driver for trying to rip me off. So I just get out of the cab cause I don't put up with that bull shit. Anyway it had slipped my mind that I owed this guy 200 cause I was so mad that he was trying to take advantage of me. I start walking away from the cab and then he gets out and runs after me saying "Ma'am 200, Ma'am 200" and by this time I'm so pissed and we start arguing in the middle of Shaw Blvd and Shaw is not a popular place for white people so I get looked at all the time even when I"m just trying to get a cab but now I'm hysterical and I'm yelling at this guy and of course I'm making this big scene. To make it worse he can't speak English ... all he can say is "Ma'am 200" and then the traffic guard comes over (a lady) and she can't speak English and all she can say is "Ma'am you owe this man 200". Now I would definitely have just given the cab driver the 200 pesos but I gave all my change to him earlier and I'll I had now was 500 and I'm still pissed that he tried to rip me off. Now were outside yelling and its hot so I'm sweating and I'm tired and feel like shit and by this time I"m crying cause I don't know what I'm going to do. The cab driver wanted to take me to a store so I could buy something and pay for the cab ride there to get change but I really didn't think that was the best solution for me plus I was the one that was trying to help him out in the first place. Anyway Shaw is only 2 minutes away from my work so I called Rey (one of the employees that is always around to help out when he can) and I asked him to bring change for 500 pesos so Thanks to him I paid the cab driver the 200 pesos and then Rey and I went back to the office. It had to be one of the worst experience I have had here. Rey said that it was because it was close to Christmas and a busy Friday afternoon that he was trying to rip me off but that seems backwards to me ... if its close to Christmas don't you think that they would be in the Christmas spirit and not try to rip people off. It true though they think because its almost Christmas they can try to rip you off because you will be more giving. Don't get me wrong I give a tip whenever I can and if they don't ask and they do a good job I don't mind giving extra but every cab I have got into the past couple of days I have had to asked several times to put the meter on and then they would say "Merry Christmas Ma'am" like that is going to change my mind. Anyway that was my cab driver experience that I had last week. I definitely laugh at the situation now but at the time it was so messed up and a terrible experience. I hope that if any of you come to the Philippines you will never have to go through something like that.
Well I'm off to New Zealand in less than a week and I will be having a great vacation and time away there. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays and a great New Year.
Take Care :)
Friday, December 7, 2007
Filipino Life Update
Its December and Christmas is in less than a month. Crazy Right. Well it doesn't really feel like Christmas here without snow and without any of the traditional stuff we do in Canada its pretty hard to get into the holiday season but I'm managing. Next weekend will be our office Christmas Party so maybe that will get me into the spirit of things. So everything is planned for New Zealand pretty much ... have a few more things to rap up but its coming together. I can't wait to get out of here for a bit and have a vacation and get some rest.
It's been pretty stressful around here lately with the GMAT test coming up and my manager leaving the company a month ago. The GMAT should be ok I have been studying really hard but if I don't do how I want the first time I will just do it again.
Philippines is going ok ... been tough the last couple of months. Culture difference can get really annoying and it can be difficult at times but that is what I came here for to learn about the differences and open my eyes to a new culture.
Back to work ... I'll write more in the upcoming weeks probably before, during or after New Zealand depending on time availability.
It's been pretty stressful around here lately with the GMAT test coming up and my manager leaving the company a month ago. The GMAT should be ok I have been studying really hard but if I don't do how I want the first time I will just do it again.
Philippines is going ok ... been tough the last couple of months. Culture difference can get really annoying and it can be difficult at times but that is what I came here for to learn about the differences and open my eyes to a new culture.
Back to work ... I'll write more in the upcoming weeks probably before, during or after New Zealand depending on time availability.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Mindanao Weekend
Well just when I thought that the Philippines couldn't be any more beautiful I take a trip to Dipolog, Mindanao and discover the wonderful life of the South. Some of you have probably heard that Mindanao is not the safest places to go to ... to be honest there are warnings and notices all the time about staying away from Mindanao because of the situation down there. However, I ended up going with two Filipino girlfriends that knew the owner of the resort and it was located in the North way from the activist. Also, the entire time we were there we had escorts and drivers so we were never left alone which was nice to know.
So are flight was from Manila to Dipolog and we arrived around 12 noon on Friday. We got settled in and then spent the day relaxing by the pool and then all the action started on Sat. We were up early for Scuba lessons and then we headed out to a beautiful dive spot. It was my first time scuba diving so I was really exciting and it was more than I could have ever imagined. So many fish and sea plants, it is one of the most amazing things that I have ever experienced. If you ever have the chance to go scuba diving take it ... you will not regret it. Then after that we hit the water with the seadoo's for a bit and then lunch at the resort then in the afternoon a nap before heading off to visit the Rizal Shrine (one of the national heroes). After that back to the resort for supper and a tourist show of Filipino Dances which was very well done. Sunday up early again for a dip in the pool before breakfast and then out in the kayak for a while. Then we went and got some souvenirs before our flight back home. The highlight of the weekend was definitely the scuba diving but overall it was an awesome and amazing weekend. I feel refreshed and energized after the weekend so I hope that it will stay with me for the next week.
Everything is still going good here in the Philippines. I hear that some parts of Canada are starting to get snow. I'm dealing with temperatures between 20 and 25 so I still think its summer which is kind weird but I'm glad I don't have to deal with the cold weather this year. No major plans coming up just working, studying and volunteering but I'm ok with that ... I'm trying to save some money for NZ which is right around the corner.
That's everything for now ... I have a meeting at 1 pm so its almost time. I'll post again soon.
Cheers
So are flight was from Manila to Dipolog and we arrived around 12 noon on Friday. We got settled in and then spent the day relaxing by the pool and then all the action started on Sat. We were up early for Scuba lessons and then we headed out to a beautiful dive spot. It was my first time scuba diving so I was really exciting and it was more than I could have ever imagined. So many fish and sea plants, it is one of the most amazing things that I have ever experienced. If you ever have the chance to go scuba diving take it ... you will not regret it. Then after that we hit the water with the seadoo's for a bit and then lunch at the resort then in the afternoon a nap before heading off to visit the Rizal Shrine (one of the national heroes). After that back to the resort for supper and a tourist show of Filipino Dances which was very well done. Sunday up early again for a dip in the pool before breakfast and then out in the kayak for a while. Then we went and got some souvenirs before our flight back home. The highlight of the weekend was definitely the scuba diving but overall it was an awesome and amazing weekend. I feel refreshed and energized after the weekend so I hope that it will stay with me for the next week.
Everything is still going good here in the Philippines. I hear that some parts of Canada are starting to get snow. I'm dealing with temperatures between 20 and 25 so I still think its summer which is kind weird but I'm glad I don't have to deal with the cold weather this year. No major plans coming up just working, studying and volunteering but I'm ok with that ... I'm trying to save some money for NZ which is right around the corner.
That's everything for now ... I have a meeting at 1 pm so its almost time. I'll post again soon.
Cheers
Friday, October 19, 2007
Almost at the Six Month Mark
Quick update on my life in Manila. It's been really busy the past couple of weeks. Work has been going steady and smoothly ... hope it stays this way haha. Haven't been out of the city for a while but I'm volunteering and studying for my GMAT's so I have been keeping busy on weekends. However, that will soon be changing cause the Philippines has many holidays coming up so we have some long weekends :) On October 29, not next Monday but the Monday after is Sangguniang Kabataan & Barangay Election and we will be heading to Puerto for Gosia's Birthday (another intern with Headway). I have already been to Puerto but we will be heading to different spot please its a nice beach close to Manila so it should be an exciting weekend. Then on November 1 its All Saints Day and November 2 is a Special Nonworking Holiday so it will be a nice four day weekend. I will either being going to Palawan which is suppose to be one of the nicest places in the Philippines or I will go to Bohol to see the Chocolate Hills. Not sure yet which one I'm trying to work out the details. If I don't go to Bohol oh that long weekend I will be planning to go there the last weekend in Nov. cause November 30 is Bonifacio Day another holiday so I will have a long weekend. After that it will be New Zealand which I am getting really excited for but its still a long way away and I have to focus on getting a good grade on my GMATs before that hahah ... work first than I can play :)
Other than that not much new ... I'm still liking it here in the Philippines. I did have some rough patch with culture shock and all that but I seem to have got through the hardest part and hopefully the next six months will be a breeze haha if it was only that easy.
Thats all for now ... sorry this one is short, next time I'll write more especially after the next couple of busy weekends.
Cheers Amy
Other than that not much new ... I'm still liking it here in the Philippines. I did have some rough patch with culture shock and all that but I seem to have got through the hardest part and hopefully the next six months will be a breeze haha if it was only that easy.
Thats all for now ... sorry this one is short, next time I'll write more especially after the next couple of busy weekends.
Cheers Amy
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Rainy Manila
Update on my life in Manila ... It has been a long three weeks here in the Philippines. Were being hit hard with rain, rain, wind, and well more rain so it makes things pretty depressing. Haven't been out of the city since Korea but I have been catching up on some personal stuff that need to get down like student loan stuff (my heart goes out to all my friends that have to start paying them back soon ... sucks). Also, I have started to think about what I will be doing after the Philippines. Oct. 5th, this Friday, will be exactly 5 months that I have been in the Philippines so only another 7 months to go. In some ways that seems forever way but I know that it will come sooner than later. So for any of you that know me I'm really organized and like to get a head start on everything. Therefore, I have started to update my resume and looked into some universities. I have not decided yet whether I want to go back to school and get a masters but I feel pretty excited about the idea. I'll keep you up-to-date as time goes by and how the process is going. Some of you might be wondering if I will stay in the Philippines longer and right now I don't know. I really like the Philippines but this experience has shown me that the world is so big and I have so much to learn and I really want to see more of it. So we will see ... I'm so unsure of my future right now but I know some how it will just fall into place haha.
The past couple of weekends have consisted of shopping, getting my hair done, and volunteering. So I wish I could say that I wanted to get involved and give back to the community here which I really do but it is also I requirement for my internship but anyway. Not this past weekend but the weekend before I spent the morning with a room full of children during a read along session which was actually quite fun in a way. Then after story time I helped out during Hands On Manila - Breakfast Club where we bring and pass out food to them so that they will have something to eat. The children are really nice and enthusiastic about the program and it was really nice to just learn more about the Philippines and the people that live here. Then in the afternoon I went out to the University of the Philippines where I interviewed potential candidates for AIESEC UP. It was really fun I got to interview about 20 candidates and learn more about what they thought about AIESEC and what they thought about the Philippines. Some of them really didn't get how an outsider would see the Philippines. It was a really great experience to see how people from the country see the Philippines and how I (a foreigner) see it. Hopefully, in two weeks time I will be able to help out with Hands On Manila again and get to know the children a little better.
As for this weekend we are hoping to head out of a quick trip to hundred island national park but if the rain and the weather forecast not being so great and also the fact that the weekend after is a long weekend it might just be better for us to post pone it until the next weekend but who knows we might go this weekend. We will just have to wait and see.
Well thats all for now ... everyone take care and please fill me in on your lives through Facebook or email.
Cheers from the Philippines :)
The past couple of weekends have consisted of shopping, getting my hair done, and volunteering. So I wish I could say that I wanted to get involved and give back to the community here which I really do but it is also I requirement for my internship but anyway. Not this past weekend but the weekend before I spent the morning with a room full of children during a read along session which was actually quite fun in a way. Then after story time I helped out during Hands On Manila - Breakfast Club where we bring and pass out food to them so that they will have something to eat. The children are really nice and enthusiastic about the program and it was really nice to just learn more about the Philippines and the people that live here. Then in the afternoon I went out to the University of the Philippines where I interviewed potential candidates for AIESEC UP. It was really fun I got to interview about 20 candidates and learn more about what they thought about AIESEC and what they thought about the Philippines. Some of them really didn't get how an outsider would see the Philippines. It was a really great experience to see how people from the country see the Philippines and how I (a foreigner) see it. Hopefully, in two weeks time I will be able to help out with Hands On Manila again and get to know the children a little better.
As for this weekend we are hoping to head out of a quick trip to hundred island national park but if the rain and the weather forecast not being so great and also the fact that the weekend after is a long weekend it might just be better for us to post pone it until the next weekend but who knows we might go this weekend. We will just have to wait and see.
Well thats all for now ... everyone take care and please fill me in on your lives through Facebook or email.
Cheers from the Philippines :)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Korea and After
Two weeks ago I went to Seoul South Korea to visit a friend and see a new country. My trip was great and I had so much fun. Thanks goes out to Richard for showing me around all weekend and bringing me to the best spots in Seoul, I had a great time. Saw some palaces and some other tourist areas which were beautiful and clean compared to the Philippines which was a huge culture shock. I had forgotten what a developed country was like compared to a development country. The streets were cleaner, the infrastructure was great, and the washrooms even had toilet paper except maybe in one spot but here in the Philippines your lucky if the toilet even has a seat. Anyways it was just a big surprise to me to notice the difference between the countries because I really didn't get that shock when I went from Canada to the Philippines. Also, while I was there I got to eat and drink many different things for example at one restaurant we got to take shots out of a green apple that was hollow. So you get a bowl filled with some booze and then you fill your apple with the booze and then you shot it. Another thing was the amount of side of food they bring with your food. If you order one dish you get like 5 or 6 small side dishes and even more in other places. Overall I really liked Seoul, it was a really nice city.
Since, my trip to Korea I've been catching up on sleep and work. Over the weekend I spent Saturday in the salon getting my hair professionally straighten which I love ... I wake up in the morning take 10 min to dry it and then its straight no more straighteners haha. Then Sunday I got to get some rest and watched a few movie. Pretty boring but after not being home the last four weekends it was great to get some rest.
This weekend coming up I'm staying in Manila again. I have signed up to volunteer with Hands on Manila which is an organization that sets activities to help the community. I will be bring breakfast for some children that live on the street on sat. morning and it should be a new experience. Sat. afternoon I think I might be helping AIESEC UP do interviews for their recruitment but that is still up in the air.
Other than that not much new, my next big trip will be to NZ in Dec. my flight is booked and I'm so pumped to go. I'll be there for over two weeks and it will be really nice to have a really vacation but I will tell you more about that as it gets closer.
Well that's all for now ... everyone take care and please drop me a line if you guys have a the chance would love to know whats going on at home.
Amy from the Philippines
Since, my trip to Korea I've been catching up on sleep and work. Over the weekend I spent Saturday in the salon getting my hair professionally straighten which I love ... I wake up in the morning take 10 min to dry it and then its straight no more straighteners haha. Then Sunday I got to get some rest and watched a few movie. Pretty boring but after not being home the last four weekends it was great to get some rest.
This weekend coming up I'm staying in Manila again. I have signed up to volunteer with Hands on Manila which is an organization that sets activities to help the community. I will be bring breakfast for some children that live on the street on sat. morning and it should be a new experience. Sat. afternoon I think I might be helping AIESEC UP do interviews for their recruitment but that is still up in the air.
Other than that not much new, my next big trip will be to NZ in Dec. my flight is booked and I'm so pumped to go. I'll be there for over two weeks and it will be really nice to have a really vacation but I will tell you more about that as it gets closer.
Well that's all for now ... everyone take care and please drop me a line if you guys have a the chance would love to know whats going on at home.
Amy from the Philippines
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Boracay
Quick update on my weekend trip, I got back this morning from Boracay (little island in the south of the Philippines). It has to be one of the most beautifulest places I have ever seen ... it was paradise. Even though the island was very beautiful it was very commercialized which took away from much of its beauty but if you could look past the 100+ merchants trying to sell pretty much anything, from sunglasses to messages, to you could appreciate the wonderful view.
Boracay is made up of three different stations (1, 2, and 3) along the beach front. It is awesome to see all the restaurants, hotels, and shops along this huge beach. Not only is the merchants fun to watch you can pretty much find any water sport know to man on this beach, from snorkeling to wind surfing to water skying ... on a small Philippines budget I could only afford to go snorkeling with some of the other interns but it was great. There were hundreds of fish in so many different colors and you could feed them crackers and they would eat right out of your hands. Also, the boat that we took snorkeling took us around the entire Island and we got to see all the different beaches and the great view. Pictures are posted on Facebook for people that are interested.
Boracay is also known for its night life, however, due to the off session and my not so strong stomach I didn't really get to experience that much of it. All in all it was a great weekend. We were a little nervous that we weren't going to get much sun because its raining season but after about three hours in the sun with sun screen I have a wonderful burn that I am currently nursing, hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight with only one layer of Aloe.
Well that's all for now, this Saturday and Sunday we will be heading to Tagaytay which is just a small city out side of Manila but its suppose to have an awesome view of and from the volcano. Should be good times. So I'll let you all know how that goes next weekend.
Hope everyone is enjoying my blog and please keep the comments coming. I love hearing your thoughts on my experiences and what you guys have been up too.
Cheers from the Philippines
Boracay is made up of three different stations (1, 2, and 3) along the beach front. It is awesome to see all the restaurants, hotels, and shops along this huge beach. Not only is the merchants fun to watch you can pretty much find any water sport know to man on this beach, from snorkeling to wind surfing to water skying ... on a small Philippines budget I could only afford to go snorkeling with some of the other interns but it was great. There were hundreds of fish in so many different colors and you could feed them crackers and they would eat right out of your hands. Also, the boat that we took snorkeling took us around the entire Island and we got to see all the different beaches and the great view. Pictures are posted on Facebook for people that are interested.
Boracay is also known for its night life, however, due to the off session and my not so strong stomach I didn't really get to experience that much of it. All in all it was a great weekend. We were a little nervous that we weren't going to get much sun because its raining season but after about three hours in the sun with sun screen I have a wonderful burn that I am currently nursing, hopefully I'll get some sleep tonight with only one layer of Aloe.
Well that's all for now, this Saturday and Sunday we will be heading to Tagaytay which is just a small city out side of Manila but its suppose to have an awesome view of and from the volcano. Should be good times. So I'll let you all know how that goes next weekend.
Hope everyone is enjoying my blog and please keep the comments coming. I love hearing your thoughts on my experiences and what you guys have been up too.
Cheers from the Philippines
Monday, August 20, 2007
Malaysia and Other Stuff
Alright so I'm really really bad at writing this blog on a regular basis so my apologies. Everything is going great, I have just returned from Malaysia where I visited Farah. It was a great weekend, we visited the KL Tower and the Petronas Towers which I have always wanted to see so it was a pretty big deal for me. We also got to do some shopping and we went to the Sentral Market which was great and I got some Malaysian treats. However, the best part of the entire weekend was having dinner with Farah's entire family and having a real Indonesian meal and wearing their traditional clothing. It was a great new experience and the food was so good :) I enjoyed the weekend immensely and I would definitely consider going back to Malaysia and spending more time. Compared to the Philippines, Malaysia is quite similar in the land scape, however, there are many differences also ... KL is definitely smaller than Manila and the shopping is even different. It was a great weekend and I hope to put pictures up soon but my digital camera broke and it will take awhile to get them developed and scanned onto the computer but Farah should be posting some soon on Facebook. :)
So that was my weekend in Malaysia but my traveling doesn't stop there ... it has only begun. This upcoming weekend I will be heading to Boracay, a small island in the south of the Philippines, with the other interns. Boracay is suppose to be known for its beaches and party scene but since it is rainy season we might not see that much sun but hopefully we will be lucky and the rain will miss us. Either way it should be another great weekend away. Then the next weekend we (interns and I) will make a quick trip to Tagaytay which is known for its Volcano. It's only about three hours away from Manila so it will only be a two day trip but apparently the view is to die for. Then the weekend after that I will be heading to South Korea for a long weekend in Seoul to visit Richard, which should be a great time.
Those are the plans for the next three weekends so its going to be crazy busy especially with work and trying to get my project complete. Oh well all in all it is a great experience and Asia is a beautiful place and I want to see as much as I can before I have to leave and I can't believe that I have almost been here for four months now ... I feel like I have just arrived the other day. Approximately eight more months to go so I want to make sure I make the best of it.
Well thats all for now ... Cheers from Manila
So that was my weekend in Malaysia but my traveling doesn't stop there ... it has only begun. This upcoming weekend I will be heading to Boracay, a small island in the south of the Philippines, with the other interns. Boracay is suppose to be known for its beaches and party scene but since it is rainy season we might not see that much sun but hopefully we will be lucky and the rain will miss us. Either way it should be another great weekend away. Then the next weekend we (interns and I) will make a quick trip to Tagaytay which is known for its Volcano. It's only about three hours away from Manila so it will only be a two day trip but apparently the view is to die for. Then the weekend after that I will be heading to South Korea for a long weekend in Seoul to visit Richard, which should be a great time.
Those are the plans for the next three weekends so its going to be crazy busy especially with work and trying to get my project complete. Oh well all in all it is a great experience and Asia is a beautiful place and I want to see as much as I can before I have to leave and I can't believe that I have almost been here for four months now ... I feel like I have just arrived the other day. Approximately eight more months to go so I want to make sure I make the best of it.
Well thats all for now ... Cheers from Manila
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Work, Work, and more Work
Sorry it's been so long since I wrote on my blog but its been crazy at work and I really haven't been up to anything new. Still just shopping and partying on the weekends. My project was due last Friday so I had to pull some extra hours last week and this week I'm just making some changes and hopefully I'll be moving onto the next part of my project which will be great because I've been working on this business plan for the last 2.5 months and it would be great to start something new.
Right now its suppose to be rainy session but we haven't had much rain maybe three or four times a week for like 2 hours but nothing like I expected but lets hope it stays that way. It's about 35 degrees here today and the sun is out so I will probably go outside and work this afternoon as long as I don't find it too hot.
I have booked my flight to Malaysia and I will be visiting Farah on Aug. 17th which I'm so pumped to see and shop with. It will be nice to get out of the Philippines and see some of the rest of Asia. So that is what I'm looking forward too in the next month. Also, hopefully a short trip this weekend but we have been saying for the last three weekends that we will be going out of the city but with work and other stuff never found the time so we will see if this weekend we will actually get out.
Well that's all for now I actually have to get back to work but I just wanted to write something in order to stay in touch with all of you who are reading.
Take Care,
Amy
Right now its suppose to be rainy session but we haven't had much rain maybe three or four times a week for like 2 hours but nothing like I expected but lets hope it stays that way. It's about 35 degrees here today and the sun is out so I will probably go outside and work this afternoon as long as I don't find it too hot.
I have booked my flight to Malaysia and I will be visiting Farah on Aug. 17th which I'm so pumped to see and shop with. It will be nice to get out of the Philippines and see some of the rest of Asia. So that is what I'm looking forward too in the next month. Also, hopefully a short trip this weekend but we have been saying for the last three weekends that we will be going out of the city but with work and other stuff never found the time so we will see if this weekend we will actually get out.
Well that's all for now I actually have to get back to work but I just wanted to write something in order to stay in touch with all of you who are reading.
Take Care,
Amy
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Party Weekend June 15-17, 2007
I have to write something about this past weekend cause it was just crazy. Friday night we ended up getting free tickets to this Marlboro party which was awesome. Seven of us went around 10pm and walked down the red carpet, got our picture taken on the way in, and then was handed a free drink when we got in. We got free drinks all night and free cigarettes (to bad I don't smoke). It was great though cause free drinks all night long and it was really fancy.
Saturday was even better my birthday was on the 9th but I was out of town and usually people have birthday party around their birthday and invite the office and other friends so since I missed mine and one of the other interns has his birthday on the 25th we decided to have a huge party together so we rented out part of a bar and got drinks and food for everyone for about $50 CAD each but it was a blast we probably had about 30 people attend and everyone really had a good time. I have to say that the music wasn't that great but after a few drinks people didn't care.
Then on Sunday we bought tickets for 500 pesos ($12 CAD) to go on a yatch from 4pm till 10 pm with free food and drinks. Fifty people were on the yatch from all over the world: Germany, France, Philippines, Poland, America, and of course Canada. The sunset was great you would think in the middle of the city with so much pollution that a sunset couldn't be that beautiful but apparently the pollution makes it even better. Pictures will be posted on Facebook later this week.
That's all for now thought I would give you all a little taste of my weekend!!!!! Cheers
Saturday was even better my birthday was on the 9th but I was out of town and usually people have birthday party around their birthday and invite the office and other friends so since I missed mine and one of the other interns has his birthday on the 25th we decided to have a huge party together so we rented out part of a bar and got drinks and food for everyone for about $50 CAD each but it was a blast we probably had about 30 people attend and everyone really had a good time. I have to say that the music wasn't that great but after a few drinks people didn't care.
Then on Sunday we bought tickets for 500 pesos ($12 CAD) to go on a yatch from 4pm till 10 pm with free food and drinks. Fifty people were on the yatch from all over the world: Germany, France, Philippines, Poland, America, and of course Canada. The sunset was great you would think in the middle of the city with so much pollution that a sunset couldn't be that beautiful but apparently the pollution makes it even better. Pictures will be posted on Facebook later this week.
That's all for now thought I would give you all a little taste of my weekend!!!!! Cheers
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