travel bug

why is it once you started seeing other places you just couldn't stop yourself from seeing more?

i guess its the same thing as other people wanting more and more money... all i'm amassing right now are more and more travel photos :)

too bad, i could have done a lot with more money....

printing those photos for a start. ;)

site visit travel "inconveniences"

i went on a site visit yesterday, september 01, monday. it was in bristol about 80-90 miles west from London, and our high wycombe office is located north about another 35 miles away.

of all the things that could go wrong that day, it had to be the train system.

i went along with one of our project managers. from our office, we travelled by car to reading, southwest of high wycombe. from reading, we booked a train to bristol. our train was supposed to arrived at 11:57am. it arrived at 12:23pm. our meeting was scheduled at 2pm, and it was an hour and a half ride. i guess we were lucky.

when we got back to the bristol station at 4:15pm, we boarded the 4:30pm train to london paddington... and at exactly 4:30pm the driver announced that the trip was cancelled. we had to wait at the platform for the 5:00pm train.

it's a good thing i already bought a ticket from reading to high wycombe earlier, as it would really be a hassle just to go down at reading, purchase a ticket and board the next train again. our project manager got off at the reading station. i would not want to be stuck alone in an unfamiliar station.

i arrived in paddington station at 6:45pm. went to the london underground to catch the train at marylebone station going to high wycombe. and just when i was thinking of having dinner at home, the driver announced that the marylebone station was closed because of a fire alarm or flooding, i could not remember... how would i get home? the only trains going to high wycombe terminates at marylebone!? i was thinking of maybe getting a taxi or bus or asking leo to pick me up somewhere...

and then, thank you Lord!...there really is a guardian angel, just as the underground train approaches marylebone, the driver said it has reopened...

can't you just imagine that? we got delayed at reading, we got cancelled at bristol, and my only station home - marylebone was closed...

i got home just in time for dinner... and then i remembered, i have a St. Jude novena in my bag...:)

oil painting

i am really desperate on hanging a painting in our living room, above our sofa. i've checked out ikea and other stores but i could not find one with the right size and theme. so i decided, i'll just make my own painting!

there is a discount art/book store on high street called 'the works' where you can buy really cheap art materials. they have books on the masters like monet and van gogh, and they also have beginner's guides. i bought one on oil painting, i even bought a combined desk easel and materials box, which my husband thinks is really a good find.

but it's a good thing i held myself from buying the canvass and the oil paints because when i read the book on oil painting, it turned out that oil painting may be hazardous to your health. i've read about varnish, poisonous pigments and other chemicals needed.. it was even advised that the work area should be well ventilated. i may be subjecting myself to some health and safety risks! well, that put me off.

i'm trying out oil pastels now, maybe someday i could get one painting hanged. or maybe, just get lucky and buy one.

wall-e

i love animation! i love happy endings!

i really have no idea what the plot for the movie wall-e is when leo asked me to watch the movie with him. i've seen trailers and posters of the movie, and it had me thinking 'he's a cute robot, but what is his story?'. how many stories could you write with a recycling robot? garbage stinks...

after watching the movie, i could say he's now one of my favorite animated characters. (probably next to cinderella but ahead of care bears and rainbow brite.)

(i wouldn't tell you the plot now, see for yourself, he's lovable.)

cash - less

i'm on a roll! 3 postings in one night! i'm just trying to fill out the many months i should have posted....

i do not bring cash, as in paper money/coins, anymore. any thief or pickpocket would be disappointed to find out that what i have in my wallet are only useless coupons and old receipts. and of course, my ever-reliable debit card. (which i could cancel with a phone call, just in case)

before coming here to live and work in the UK, the only card i know that's being used as payment is the credit card. i really don't like using credit cards, i only use them if and only if, i know i can pay for them. well, it's like you have money in your bank but you don't want to spend them yet because you want to maintain your average daily balance...so you plan your spending and pay for it when it's more convenient for you...

so back to my debit card. i love it! you just put in an x amount of money on it and you could literally use it to pay anything! it's like an electronic cash card. well, it is, actually. i really got excited when we first ate in a local restaurant, asked for the bill, showed our card, and then the waiter got a wireless card reader and placed it in our table. you could even split the bill and just punch in how much you'll be paying! even the tip!

so what's the diff between the credit vs debit card? i guess credit cards are essentially used for purchases that could eat most of your savings or for unscheduled expenses, a debit card is used for everyday small expenses without the hassle of finding a way to spend that last coin, without acquiring more. (it helps to keep the wallet flat and light.)

lord nelson

for those who do not know, (like me, initially) lord nelson led the british army to victory during the battle of trafalgar, hence the name of the square near charing cross station where his monument is.

anyway, on our first week in our new office, one of our officemates brought us out to london for a little sightseeing... upon entering trafalgar square, he enthusiastically pointed out the statue in the middle and exclaimed- "that's lord nelson!" (WHO??!)

well, you could just imagine the look on our faces... it's probably the same thing as bringing our officemates to luneta and pointing out dr. jose rizal... blank faces! :)

i'll never forget who lord nelson is NOW.

--just want to share with you one of the funniest things we experienced here in the UK on our first month. well, i should have posted it a year ago! :)

when home is far away from home

how can it be that only after a year, our new place of residence begins to feel like home? it's been more than 12 months from my last posting, back then, my boyfriend and i started a new job in a new country, went home to manila for our wedding, and started our married life in buckinghamshire.

how many years would it take for me to stop thinking of manila and realize the philippines is not where i want to be?

would that time come?

i don't want to forget. i don't want to stop coming back home to manila.