Whatever Weather

Two more days to go, and vacation. I am so looking forward to this, you have no idea. I am getting a bit anxious now, and the nervous energy should be able to get me through the next day or so. I still haven't finished packing, although more or less, I have figured out what to bring. A wrench to the festiviies: it looks like we will have wet days, and colder days there. That totally changed what I will bring, but whatever we get, I just have to bring things that will make me prepared for whatever weather gets thrown at us. I just look forward to going away. And seeing the sights. I cannot wait to see Tivoli Gardens at night, I cannot wait to see The Hermitage. I cannot believe it's finally here. It seems like so long ago when we first started planning this, and well, it was a different life ago for me. I don't know now if I can concentrate on work, but I am going to need to try since there's work to be done at the office. 

"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Older Version Of Me

It's reassuring to see Bill Evans, the NY WABC 7 Meteorologist on my television set - isn't it weird how your newscasters seem to be like family? I used to watch them everyday, and then when I moved...poof! Gone. Seeing them is like seeing the older version of me. I have been trying to do some more packing. I keep on telling myself I really do need to finish up by tomorrow evening. Monday and Tuesday will be very hectic, and I am leaving Wednesday morning. I do hope that there won't be any delays of some sort on Wednesday - 9000 flights were cancelled going to the East Coast, and I am connecting via Newark, of course. I have about a three hour layover, and I kind of wish it was longer, and I had thought about running out and getting a quick hair cut but obviously that would be just a fantasy.  Speaking of, I just realized that I need to color my hair tomorrow, and at some point before leaving, I need to have my eyebrows done. And really, I am still at a lose as to what to bring to this trip: short sleeve...long sleeve...sweater? scarves? I know I want to pack light, and have practical pieces, since I really do plan on packing light(er). It's just finding the right balance that is key. I want the key !

"The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer somebody else up."
— Mark Twain

Irene

The most frequent question of the day: "Are you glad you moved out of NYC ow that they are getting a hurricane?" I smile and be polite but deep in my heart, I wanna shout NO. No I am not glad, I am actually devastated, am scared, am anxious about the city getting hit. Wherever I am in the world, wherever I end up, I will always think of New York as my hometown, my home, maybe not necessarily where I grew up, but it is the place where I learned about LIFE. I have gotten a lot of messages on Facebook from people who have not realized that I have moved, and are concerned, and wishing me happy thoughts. I can only bite my lips and say thanks. For all intents and purposes, I will be with New York as the eye of Hurricane Irene hits them. On my Direct TV, I can actually get the local NYC stations, and it is small comfort for me that I can watch them. 

"When we learn to trust the Universe, we shall be happy, prosperous and well."

- Ernest Holmes

Scenes From My Morning Walk 8/25/11

Remembering Sixty Degrees

So yes, I have started packing. I figured better start gathering things I want to bring. I have had a mental listing of them, but after seeing the weather reports, have reconsidered them. I surmise this cruise will be similar to my my Alaska cruise more than a "summer" one. I will still bring shots, but I have to acquiesce and say that pants, long-sleeve shirts are probably more the norm for this trip, more than anything else. I am bringing light jackets, I am bringing even a sweater. Being out west now in the Summertime, I kind of had o ask myself - do I remember what Sixty Degrees felt like? And it was cold, and it would even be colder with the sea wind. So I will not take the risk and get sick - I will pack warmer. That would eliminate a lot of the summer ware I had planned n bringing - less T-shirts now, I probably won't even bring a sleeveless top. The funny thing is, even London right now is on similar, if not exactly the same weather as Eastern Europe - high of 65 degrees as well! This should still be great, albeit not hot weather great. I cannot wait. The next three weeks or so should be hectic and fun, because once I get home, there's more celebrating, this time for my birthday. 

"Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late."

- William Shakespeare

Not Exactly Summer

All this time, I thought I was leaving Thursday next week the 31st. I just realized right now that 31st is Wednesday, not Thursday. No wonder I had all my dates mixed up in my mind. But, now it's really crunch time. A week from today, I will be leaving, or I have left. Off the top of my head, I can think of a couple of things I need to get done, and I have been dragging my feet on doing them. Now I am starting to get anxious, as I am wont to feel whenever I embark on a trip. Geez, now I just need to make a mental note to make sure that the zippers on my suitcase still work (they were tagging the last time I checked) and if they are defective, then I will need to do what I need to do. And, I realize that the temperature in Eastern Europe around this time is not really "summer weather."  Lows in the 50s, and highs in the mid 60s - not exactly the same as the Mediterranean, which is what I have been used to. So, layering, layering, layering - that will be the key to the wardrobe necessities this time around. And I will try not to forget to bring my scarves! Yay !

"Happiness depends upon ourselves. To live happily is an inward power of the soul."
— Marcus Aurelius

Summer's Almost Gone.

The summer's almost gone, and I don't know why, but I feel wistful. There's something about an end of a season, a transition. I was thinking about that tonight when we passed by a local high school and a lot of the students were in some kind of orientation gathering, and I used to remember that exciting feeling of a new school year. Maybe I am just in an introspective mood, but then again, I always seem to be. We were at a all tonight and I felt sad while I was there, for a myriad of reasons, none of them I can totally verbalize. Maybe I am just emotional these days, and maybe the upcoming trip will really shake me out of this mood. It will be good, it promises to be. We have been invited now to some NCL sponsored Cruise Critic events - who knew they had them? Free drinks, that's always a welcome thing. And the temperatures over there aren't really summer-like (as opposed to the Med) because in some countries there are only highs in the mid 60s. I mean, at this point, I may need to pack some sweaters! But I will be monitoring them more closely next week, and hopefully, I would be able to make wise clothing decisions.

"That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own esteem."
— Samuel Johnson

Scenes From The Josh Groban Straight To You Tour 2011

A Ghost Of A Chance

1. I got another 5 a.m. call today, this time from Chase Fraud Services. I tried using my card last night to buy "Ghost the Musical" tickets for 9/12 in London. It kept on rejecting and rejecting me, and I think it's because of the discrepancies between my Billing Address and Current Address. (Long story) I let it go, and I guess Chase got suspicious, and called me. The thing is, though, it was one of those automated calls, so it was kind of annoying. And I was going to complain about the time, but then I realized that they think I am on East Coast time, so technically it was an 8 a.m. call.
2. But anyway, I persevered and I finally got tickets for "Ghost The Musical." It's apparently the hottest ticket on the West End, and I have been scouting for tickets for a while now. I saw a block of more reasonably priced tickets yesterday and wanted to grab it. So, I feel better now that I have saved 10 quid! Well, ten is ten!

The future is called "perhaps,"
which is the only possible thing
to call the future.
And the only important thing
is not to allow that to scare you.
~ Tennessee Williams 

It Won't Be Photoshopped In Copenhagen

In two weeks, there will be taken pictures of these spots in Copenhagen... and Jeff and I will be in them

PS - It won't be Photoshopped

Planning Mode

I am doing more planning for our Baltic cruise, which is really close now. Two weeks to go! I posted our tours the other day, and thanks to the folks at Cruise Critic boards, we got a great price for four tours. We are playing $399.00 for four tours: two days in St Petersburg, a day in Berlin, and tours of Talinn and Helsinki. That's a fantastic deal, considering NCL charges almost $300 for  just one day in St Pete's.  Sweden is trickier - it's a tender port so people are suggesting we get the on your own tour from NCL which gets us to the center of town, and then everything is apparently within walking distance from there. We'll see, maybe we can spring for a full tour if only for convenience's sake. I mean, we have already saved money, so that may justify a "splurge." But seriously, I am so looking forward to another cruising experience. I need this vacation after all the life-changing experiences I have gone through. It would be nice to get away from it all, to be able to just chill. As much as I enjoyed my NY "fix," it was tiring, and this upcoming cruise promises to be a "real" vacation, so bring it on!

"One is not always happy when one is good; but one is always good when one is happy."
— Oscar Wilde

Coagulated Blood

Guess what? My sleeping patterns are all fucked up again. What else is new? And last night, I had the office phone forwarded to my 702 number. So of course, I get this call at 5 in the morning from this woman with an "emergency," something about her husbands antibiotic tubes having coagulated blood. I told her I would try to get in contact with the nurse and she got upset. I texted my sister in law but hello it's 5 a.m. and we are not a hospital. The woman called twice again and with each call she got more and more agitated, and her nastiness came out. I told her that she used the term "emergency" and if she thinks it's an emergency, then she should call 911. She got indignant when I told her that "I am not going to call 911! We just came from the hospital! " Well bitch, what do you want me to do then? I mean, I understand where she is coming from, she is probably scared. I learn later that it is the hospital's fault, that they were discharged without the proper information, and materials needed for the husband's condition. Well, la di da, bitch! So anyway, you can see why I couldn't go back to sleep after that. And now we come back to why my sleeping patterns are all messed up. 

There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks.
Most of the time we are simply not patient enough,
quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.
~ Linda Hogan

The Tours

DAY 1    8.00AM-6.00PM

08.00 am Meet at the ship

08.00-10.00 am City sightseeing tour. Subway ride

10.00-11.00 am Drive to Peterhof 

11.00-12.30 pm Walk in the Peterhof Lower fountain park and the Upper gardens

12.30-01.00 pm Lunch at a local place (optional)

01.00-02.00 pm Drive to the Tsars’ Village (summer residence)

02.00-04.00 pm A visit to the Catherine's Palace with the Amber room and a walk in the park

04.00-06.00 pm Drive back to the city. Shopping opportunities 

06.00 pm  Return to the ship or optional evening activities, for example ballet, folklore show or a canal boat ride

DAY  2        9.00AM-5.00PM

09.00 am Meet at the ship

09.30-10.30 am A visit to Peter and Paul's fortress and cathedral

11.00-12.15 pm A visit to the Yusupovs' Palace

12.30-01.15 pm Lunch: traditional Russian meal (optional)

01.30-03.30 pm The Hermitage museum

03.45-04.15 pm Excursion in the Church of Our Saviour on the Spilled Blood

05.00 pm Return to the ship

GERMANY/Berlin Classical tour (12 hr)

7:00am – Pick-up at the ship in Warnemuende

10:00am – Arrival in Berlin / Meet your guide

10:00am to 12:30pm – City sightseeing of (West) Berlin, including the Charlottenburg Palace, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the Ku’damm, the Tiergarten and Victory Column, the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the site of the Hitler Bunker, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial)

12:30pm to 1:30pm – Optional lunch (German meal with a great German beer, if desired)

1:30pm to 4:00pm – City sightseeing of (East) Berlin, including Potsdamer Platz, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Gendarmentmarkt, Unter den Linden, Bebelplatz (Book Burning Memorial, Humboldt University, State Opera House), Neue Wache Memorial, Museum Island, and Alexanderplatz (TV Tower and Red Town Hall)

4:00pm – Departure to Warnemuende

7:00pm – Arrival in Warnemuende / Return to the ship

NOTE – Times and locations may vary depending on several factors, including when your ship arrivals and leaves, as well as interests of the groups and traffic in Berlin. Also, there is often time at the end of the day for something extra, such as a bit of time for shopping or one museum, as described below.  Please let your guide know what you might be interested in doing.  

ESTONIA/Tallinn walking tour (3 hr) 10.00 am - 01.00 pm

   This tour is a good compromise for those who do not want to stay on the ship and who do not want to walk in Tallinn on his own. You'll be accompanied by a knowlegable and professional English-speaking guide who will be glad to share his or her knowledge of the history and of the every-day life of Tallinn with you. She/he will also give you tips on where to buy great souvenirs, where to eat after the tour ends if you wish to try local food, and will point out the way back to the ship.

   You will meet your guide at 10.00 am before walking from the pier to the gate of the Old Town (15 minute walk). Old Tallinn is neatly divided into two districts: Lower Town and Upper Town (also known as Toompea or Cathedral Hill). During the sightseeing tour of Lower Town you will see the Great Costal Gate, St. Olaf Church, and many merchant houses. You will see and learn about the fortifying walls and towers that surround the city and which in the 16th century made Tallinn's defense system one of the best and most powerful in Northern Europe. You will also get a glimpse at and photo opportunity of the Church of the Holy Spirit (built in 1316). The next part of the tour will take you to the Toompea (the Upper Town), where from its hills you will enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the Lower Town, its towers and steeples, and picturesque red-tiled roofs. You will stroll through the narrow cobble-stoned lanes to the Dome Church, also known as St. Mary's Cathedral. It is one of the oldest churches in Estonia - originally built 780 years ago (brief optional visit at 1 EUR/person). You will have a brief visit inside of the impressive Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, built in the style of churches in 17th century Moscow and whose interior is full of mosaics. Finally you will descend to visit the Town Hall Square, back in Lower Town, the central intersection of the town's network of cobble-stoned streets and alleys, and have a glimpse at the impressive Gothic Town Hall, completed in 1404. The tour will end on Viru Street by the Viru Gates. Now you have about 4 hours on your own to spend in the old town. If you wish to return to the ship immediately, please let your guide know about your needs and he/she will point out the way back to the ship. 

Notes: This tour involves a lot of walking. Comfortable shoes are highly recommended. Please note that the itinerary is approximate. Some inside visits may not be possible due to privately-booked special events.

FINLAND/Panoramic Helsinki Tour with a vehicle (3 hr)  10.00 am - 01.00 pm

Experience by vehicle a panoramic glimpse of Helsinki, "the White City of the North." You will begin by heading to the city center, passing the Uspenski Cathedral on the way, for a photo-stop at Senate Square, where one can see the elegant Lutheran Church, and the interesting mix of East, West, and simply Finnish influences pervading the city. You will drive down Mannerheim Street, the main boulevard of the city, passing the City Hall, Parliament House, and Finlandia Hall, the convention center designed by famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Continuing on you will see the Olympic Stadium, used for the 1952 Olympic games and the Opera House.  You will stop at Sibelius Park for a unique photo opportunity of the monument of 527 steel pipes honoring the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, before continuing on to the famous Rock Church, a one-of-a-kind modern-day structure build entirely into bedrock and quarried stone. Finally head to Central Station - the heart of Helsinki - where the tour will end. You will have the option to stay in the city for dinner or shopping or to return to the ship. 

Being There

I thank God it was a restful weekend. That massage really helped, and I have a big week ahead, or a big day ahead tomorrow. All the bigwigs will b out and I am kind of in charge, although I really wouldn't be making major major decisions, but will just "be there" while they're not. I don't think it will be a lot of pressure, but I kind of need to just be on alert, just in case. I am making some research on the Baltic, on which ports to do alone, which ports to get excursions, and all that. I am starting to meet some people on the Cruise Critic boards, and NCL actually have some private parties for them. FREE DRINKS! Can't beat that.

"Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom."

- Rabindranath Tagore

Hello Goodnight Goodbye

I've been here almost five months now, but have never been to the Las Vegas sign until Jojo visited:

Just Around the Corner

I realized, when I was talking to Jeff this afternoon, that our Baltic vacation is just around the corner. I don't know why, but in my mind it kind of feels like it's farther. And I am remiss with "planning." Usually, I have already done all my research by now. I haven't even readied by luggage yet, which I should be doing in the next day or so. I haven't even thought about the wardrobe yet, and usually by now I would have had everything planned already. Oh my Gosh - could this really be the laid back me? Every day, I see changes in me - and they are really neither good or bad, just different. I really do think I am a different person now than before. And, I really do plan to travel light for this trip, and I know I said that before and have had varying results.  This will be a great trip, and I will be checking some places off my bucket list, like Russia, and Berlin, most importantly. Actually, all the ports excite me, and furthermore, I would be doing a return to London, a city I love dearly and haven't visited in about 15 years. So this is all good. 

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another."

- Anatole France

Feeling Good

I am in heaven. I just finished a full body massage. I finally made an appointment with that woman, Lolita, and she came over and it was pretty good. $35.00 for a an hour and fifteen minutes is an excellent deal, and what's more, she goes into your house. She has a table and her style is deep deep tissue - just the way I like it. She is a little on the "adelentada" side ("Why do you pluck your eyebrows?") but I could oversee that in exchange for feeling good.And right now, this feels very good. I could get used to this! ("We do this every week? Tawagan mo lang ako," she says) I could get used to this, most definitely.  But, are there no gleeks around me? I went to see the movie yesterday, and I was expecting a crowd, and I even pre-bought my tickets because I knew I didn't have much time. So imagine my surprise when I stepped inside the theater and saw that there were less than 30 people inside. Plus, the average age was...15 ! Gee, is this my demographic, or has it always been? On second thought, don't answer that, I say as I clutch my Hello Kitty collectables.

"What's difficult in life is to stay centered when somebody does or says something that tempts us to close our hearts because their heart was closed. That is hard. But that is also how we grow. We go through those circumstances in order to evolve into people who can hold to our loving center no matter what the world throws us."
 
- Marianne Williamson

Wait

I cannot wait to get my iPhone. I old Blackberry is turning three years old and it freezes all the time now. I think this is the longest I have had a single phone, and I am ready for a new one. My Verizon contract has been up, and I can get a phone if I renew, so I could get a cheap-ish phone for free if I wanted to, but I want an iPhone. But, of course, the iPhone5 has not even been announced yet, and it would be kind of pointless to get an iPhone 4 right now anyway. So all I can do right now is wait. A couple of years ago, i was a lot more impatient, but nowadays I just shrug this off. It would be nice to bring the new phone for the vacation trip, but if it can't be, then it won't be.

"Kindness, at least actual, is in our power, but fondness is not."
— Samuel Johnson
 

Last Leg Booked

I just booked the CPH-LHR leg of our trip.  I just did it to get it out of the way. There's still a part of me that wanted to wait until a discount or so, but then I thought to myself - how much more can I save? How much more can it go down? The lowest I have seen is perhaps $20.00 less than what I paid for, and I don't want to take the risk now of seeing the price go the other way. So there you go. It's done. I can now breath a little easier and hope and pray that these bad whatever thingies stop happening in London. Leigh Bates posted these pictures of some of the looting in Clapham Junction and it's sad, it kind of reminded me of the time in LA when Rodney King got an unfair judgement. It's kind of sad that human nature can make some people arrive at bad decisions. But i want to see the Eye intact, and I want to see the Parliament, and Big Ben, and everything else unscathed. I cannot wait for the pictorials that Jeff and I will take. 

"Mount the stallion of love and do not fear the path, love's stallion knows the way exactly. With one leap, Love's horse will carry you home."

- Rumi

How Now Dow Jones

There are some turmoil right now. First, the Dow Jones Average "crash." Is it a reaction to the S & P downgrade, is it a market correction? All I keep thinking about is that if I were still doing what I used to do, I would have had so much work - all those corrections I would have to do because of the rating change - all the portfolios that would need to be re-evaluated, recalculated, re-calibrated. I am glad to be where I am right now. And turmoil in London, where there is looting, and arson, and I am just thinking that we will be there in less than a month, and I hope everything will be fine by then. This reminds me that I need to get my ticket for my CPH-LHR leg, and I keep on forgetting to do it. Pronto, I need it done.

I will waste not even a precious second today in anger or hate or jealousy or selfishness. I know that the seeds I sow I will harvest, because every action, good or bad, is always followed by an equal reaction. I will plant only good seeds this day."

- Og Mandino

Quiet Time

I feel so refreshed this morning. I slept and slept and slept from 4 p.m.  I can' remember the last time I slept this much... and that's a good thing. For once, I am starting a new week rejuvenated and ready to rumble. Jojo and I just had lunch at Chow King yesterday and that was it, we didn't go anywhere else. Sometimes that's all you need. We thought about going here, or there, but decided we would be better off just relaxing at home, and why not, indeed. Isn't that the reason why I left the fast pace? A day of rest and relaxation is just as fulfilling for me. I no longer need all the fat and trimmings to make a day significant.

Live deep instead of fast.
~ Henry Seidel Canby

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I feel like I haven't updated, well, because I haven't.  Jojo arrived on Tuesday morning, and it's been busy. I have been enjoying having someone near to hang out with. As much as I enjoy my quiet time, I also love having someone within reach to talk to, to comment with, especially since we think alike on a lot of things. It seems like I never left the East Coast, and really now feel the significance of the saying, "Home is where the heart is," because it's so true. It doesn't matter where you are, as long as you are with people you cherish. We have gone to the strip twice, but yesterday just hung out at home - we don't need no freakin' strip to make us happy! He was supposed to leave for Arizona on Friday but then he found out his things were not going to arrive till Saturday so I told him, what's the point? You might as well stay here and hang out more, which he did. I mean, it was just the most practical thing to do.So he will be here for most of this week, until he finally embarks on his new journey to Arizona. Who would have thought, indeed, that both of us would be here in the West Coast? A year ago we were doing Luha Films in NYC. Now...

The man who does not believe in miracles
surely makes it certain
that he will never take part in one.
~ William Blake

Scenes From A BFF Reunion Pt 2

Scenes From A BFF Reunion