Ugh Broncho Girl is still at it. This is her second week of coming to work ill. She's coughing on her keyboard her monitor her seatmates. This is so wrong. Yesterday she sat with us while eating. I made sure I sat as far away from her as possible. She offered some of what she was eating because she's such a nice person and I almost blurted out, I don't want any of YOUR germs on my food and certainly not in my system! Instead I shook my head and politely declined. Just earlier, she was complaining to her seatmate that she was getting tired of the numerous trips to the bathroom to spit out the phlegm she was coughing up. GROSS! Just fucking stay home already!!
Anyway, moving on to MY health: I went to see the heart doctor this morning. I was reading up on persistent chest pains yesterday and the research led to articles on various heart conditions. Anyway Mr Doctor said what I thought all along. Lack of exercise! Apart from that, I'm hale and hearty. Woohoo where's my medical diploma?
So maybe if I go around saying BG's condition is contagious and the office's poor ventilation could easily turn it into an epidemic, maybe she'll be shamed into staying home and the others won't be so touchy-feely with her. Don't they understand that she's unclean and that SHE'S BREATHING HARMFUL GERMS OUT INTO THE WORKPLACE? Shun her! Shun her!
I could be mass hysteria all by myself.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Hypochondria in overdrive
Help! I'm surrounded by disease. Several people have been sniffling and coughing all over the workplace, it's driving me insane. I don't know what to do. I hold my breath when I walk past someone who's being particularly gross but I can't keep holding my breath! They're everywhere. Coughing and coughing and clearing their throats wetly and sniffling and sneezing and releasing their germs out into the world. Ugh. Yes, I'm really particular about being around people who sound ill. I can't stand hearing wet sounding coughs and runny noses being blown. Why can't they just call in sick? They're contaminating the rest of us who aren't. Ugh. So inconsiderate. Maybe I should call in sick. I'm sick of this shit.
One of our officemates has been diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia. I overheard her talking about having come back from the doctor's. I'm a mild hypochondriac so I looked it up. It IS contagious. She's been coughing since last week and even lost her voice mid-week. She's up to a raggedy whisper now. I don't understand why she keeps talking. She sounds so ill. I'm really bothered. At first I was concerned about her health and kept telling her to take a few days off and get lots of rest and see the doctor. You know, all good advice. But she won't and I think I know why. She's one of those people who work their asses off waiting to be recognised for their hard work and getting praised for being such a wonderful worker and how they're such a credit to the company. Bullshit. She is NOT going to get a raise for this. Ugh I wish I could shake some sense into her but I'm afraid she'll cough germs in my face. I kept reminding her that should she be hospitalized, the company will only cover so much of her medical expenses. They don't care after they've fulfilled their obligation. It's a business not Red Cross. The sicker she gets and the longer she stays sick, the more expensive the treatment will get. Yet she won't take heed. Well I'm through telling her to go home. I'm so pissed off at her now for being an idiot about this. Doesn't she understand that no one cares if she keels over and dies? Everyone will say oh what a crying shame, she was such a sweet girl. But they'll eventually have someone clear the mess. The next day, someone will be sitting at her desk. Business as usual. She's being a moron. Ugh she should just go home. Last night, she had a coughing fit that lasted at least half an hour. It was nasty. I half-hoped she'd faint so they'd have to take her to the clinic or even better, the hospital, and keep her there until she's better.
One of our officemates has been diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia. I overheard her talking about having come back from the doctor's. I'm a mild hypochondriac so I looked it up. It IS contagious. She's been coughing since last week and even lost her voice mid-week. She's up to a raggedy whisper now. I don't understand why she keeps talking. She sounds so ill. I'm really bothered. At first I was concerned about her health and kept telling her to take a few days off and get lots of rest and see the doctor. You know, all good advice. But she won't and I think I know why. She's one of those people who work their asses off waiting to be recognised for their hard work and getting praised for being such a wonderful worker and how they're such a credit to the company. Bullshit. She is NOT going to get a raise for this. Ugh I wish I could shake some sense into her but I'm afraid she'll cough germs in my face. I kept reminding her that should she be hospitalized, the company will only cover so much of her medical expenses. They don't care after they've fulfilled their obligation. It's a business not Red Cross. The sicker she gets and the longer she stays sick, the more expensive the treatment will get. Yet she won't take heed. Well I'm through telling her to go home. I'm so pissed off at her now for being an idiot about this. Doesn't she understand that no one cares if she keels over and dies? Everyone will say oh what a crying shame, she was such a sweet girl. But they'll eventually have someone clear the mess. The next day, someone will be sitting at her desk. Business as usual. She's being a moron. Ugh she should just go home. Last night, she had a coughing fit that lasted at least half an hour. It was nasty. I half-hoped she'd faint so they'd have to take her to the clinic or even better, the hospital, and keep her there until she's better.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Elevator Stories #5: Wrong floor
On my daily afternoon break, I came across three silly girls. They looked like job seekers fresh out of college: intimidated, clueless and unprepared. They were giggling like a bevy of schoolgirls on recess. They also seemed like close friends sharing an adventure. Good attitude. They bumped into me, well they were bumping into everyone really, in the elevator lobby. The elevator I was waiting for shoots straight up to the 20th floor from ground level. They were obviously lost and I don't know why they followed me inside the lift when they were clearly unsure of what to do. One of them hesitated and said I don't think this is right, but she got on anyway, propelled by her friends' sudden hysteria at the thought of being separated. They were discussing their next move and were about to alight when I pressed the door close button. This action should by no means be taken as cruelty on my part. I am not an unkind person but I wasn't about to let excellent entertainment get away either. They seemed like they were having fun anyway, in a terror-stricken sort of way.
It was a hilarious sight, one was wailing about being hopelessly lost "Where are we going? What floor are we on? How do we get out of here? Oh we'll never find our way" and another giggling uncontrollably, so much so that she had her mouth open but she was not producing any sound at all on account of the lack of air coming in. The third one was laughing too but at least she was struggling for composure as she tried to gain some control of the situation by speaking slowly to the other two. She didn't seem to be getting through to them. The doors opened at 20 and they shuffled themselves out when I got out. I had to exit the scene quickly because by this time I couldn't help smiling widely, thoroughly amused, and I was finding it difficult to wipe it off my face. When I left them, they were standing in the lobby awkwardly, holding each other up and still tittering.
Silly girls.
It was a hilarious sight, one was wailing about being hopelessly lost "Where are we going? What floor are we on? How do we get out of here? Oh we'll never find our way" and another giggling uncontrollably, so much so that she had her mouth open but she was not producing any sound at all on account of the lack of air coming in. The third one was laughing too but at least she was struggling for composure as she tried to gain some control of the situation by speaking slowly to the other two. She didn't seem to be getting through to them. The doors opened at 20 and they shuffled themselves out when I got out. I had to exit the scene quickly because by this time I couldn't help smiling widely, thoroughly amused, and I was finding it difficult to wipe it off my face. When I left them, they were standing in the lobby awkwardly, holding each other up and still tittering.
Silly girls.
Breathe again (hehe)
I'm still alive. Apparently my heart is too relaxed. That's what Nurse G says (yes, I think it's a ridiculous thought too). We usually walk together after work to our respective stops and she's always brimming with remedies and diagnoses whenever something afflicts me. I don't like to bother her with my health problems when we're walking because, well, apart from the fact that I seem to have so many, it is after work hours and she may be sick (pardon the weak pun) of dealing with ailing employees. But she insists on knowing, so I tell her.
I have been walking two kilometers morning and night since and I find that I feel much better. Although I suspect it is the work of endorphins, I let myself relax (but not too much, of course). I checked my pulse prior to all this walking nonsense and my heartbeats were at 60 per minute, weak ones at that. Even though I don't know what 'weak' is, I was duly alarmed. It's better today though, I checked it again this morning and my heart gives me 70 stronger ones now. My lungs feel okay and my heart is more upbeat but now my hip is sore and I walk with a slight limp because I do not stretch. I can't win.
I have been walking two kilometers morning and night since and I find that I feel much better. Although I suspect it is the work of endorphins, I let myself relax (but not too much, of course). I checked my pulse prior to all this walking nonsense and my heartbeats were at 60 per minute, weak ones at that. Even though I don't know what 'weak' is, I was duly alarmed. It's better today though, I checked it again this morning and my heart gives me 70 stronger ones now. My lungs feel okay and my heart is more upbeat but now my hip is sore and I walk with a slight limp because I do not stretch. I can't win.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Barely breathing
I've been having trouble breathing this past week. I don't like taking meds and I'm not a big fan of doctors. Yup, I'm one of those. When I don't feel well, I just drink a lot of water and rest as much as I can and that usually does it. There's never been anything seriously wrong with my respiratory system until now.
Now, I'm usually good at sleeping, I can pretty much sleep anywhere anytime if I decided I wanted a nap. But last night it took me over two hours to fall asleep, mainly because I was afraid I might stop breathing in my sleep. By midnight, I was making a conscious effort to take deep steady breaths. I must have overdone it because I got really lightheaded and a bit nauseated. Hehe I never would have pegged me as a stupid breather. Hehe.
Anyway, it didn't improve at all throughout today. In fact, breathing became even more laboured as the day wore on. I kept getting urges to breathe more and more deeply until my chest hurt. I found that bit worrying. I've decided to monitor things for at least a week.
I'm guessing this whole breathing episode was brought on by a combination of general poor health, a lack of exercise and eating habits that rock (yeah!) but not so good for the body. Oh yeah and the smoking bit but I'm putting a stop to that, well at least until I'm sure it isn't emphysema or lung disease.
To start things off, I had a wonderful salad for dinner and walked two kilometers on the treadmill when I got home. I didn't want to run straight away because I'm lazy and weak. We'll see how things go.
Now, I'm usually good at sleeping, I can pretty much sleep anywhere anytime if I decided I wanted a nap. But last night it took me over two hours to fall asleep, mainly because I was afraid I might stop breathing in my sleep. By midnight, I was making a conscious effort to take deep steady breaths. I must have overdone it because I got really lightheaded and a bit nauseated. Hehe I never would have pegged me as a stupid breather. Hehe.
Anyway, it didn't improve at all throughout today. In fact, breathing became even more laboured as the day wore on. I kept getting urges to breathe more and more deeply until my chest hurt. I found that bit worrying. I've decided to monitor things for at least a week.
I'm guessing this whole breathing episode was brought on by a combination of general poor health, a lack of exercise and eating habits that rock (yeah!) but not so good for the body. Oh yeah and the smoking bit but I'm putting a stop to that, well at least until I'm sure it isn't emphysema or lung disease.
To start things off, I had a wonderful salad for dinner and walked two kilometers on the treadmill when I got home. I didn't want to run straight away because I'm lazy and weak. We'll see how things go.
Monday, January 22, 2007
2007: Fixing broken teeth, learning stuff and managing money
Those three take top priority as I slowly get used to 2007. I have a lot of exciting things to sort out this year. For one, my teeth need attention! Huhu I think I'll need to set aside time to see the dentist at least once a month for most of this year. How horrid. If only people didn't put so much importance on pretty teeth these days, I'd live quite a happy life as a toothless cackling wrinkled old lady. Hmph. Another dream frustrated.
Also I have loads of french review to go over, which will probably take up most of the year as well. I'm very forgetful and I like to put things off all the bloody time.
And it looks like I may stay on at this job longer than I had projected. Although I've started looking around, I'm not in any real hurry to go through the hassle of changing jobs again. I only found out recently that there's a few other useful bonuses that I was not aware of. Basically in addition to health care, regular employees, such as myself, are given a nice amount to cover extra medical expenses. Provided I keep the receipts of course, because I'll need to present those before reimbursement. But yeah basically my eye care is pretty much covered this year, including new frames and lots of eyedrops for my sick left eye. They even have something called an economic bonus. Hehe woohoo indeed.
Ugh I've grown bored with this post. Hmm ok just quickly now, other things I'd like to get started on are small investments, mostly to test myself and my money. We've never properly mixed before so I'm rather wary to proceed to the next step of its management. It's not as deathly boring as I had always feared. I'm actually beginning to be really interested in defining my spending habits and allocating funds for shiny things that I just have to have.
Also I have loads of french review to go over, which will probably take up most of the year as well. I'm very forgetful and I like to put things off all the bloody time.
And it looks like I may stay on at this job longer than I had projected. Although I've started looking around, I'm not in any real hurry to go through the hassle of changing jobs again. I only found out recently that there's a few other useful bonuses that I was not aware of. Basically in addition to health care, regular employees, such as myself, are given a nice amount to cover extra medical expenses. Provided I keep the receipts of course, because I'll need to present those before reimbursement. But yeah basically my eye care is pretty much covered this year, including new frames and lots of eyedrops for my sick left eye. They even have something called an economic bonus. Hehe woohoo indeed.
Ugh I've grown bored with this post. Hmm ok just quickly now, other things I'd like to get started on are small investments, mostly to test myself and my money. We've never properly mixed before so I'm rather wary to proceed to the next step of its management. It's not as deathly boring as I had always feared. I'm actually beginning to be really interested in defining my spending habits and allocating funds for shiny things that I just have to have.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The French starts
I attended my French class this afternoon after lunchtime. I got off to a laughably shaky start since I haven't been speaking the language seriously for years. That's how big a procrastinator and lazyass I am. The class did me good though, it was wonderful and now I'm dizzy with excitement about getting started, so much that I've already borrowed stuff from the library and I'm still up with the intention of cracking open my new book to start reviewing. Yes folks, this is what I'm doing on a Saturday night. Alright then, ça recommence.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Book and Film: The Princess Bride
So I read the book during the Malaysian trip and I have to say I was incredibly disappointed. The film is one of my favorite adventure movies ever (shut up), so much that people find watching it with me around annoying and pretty much impossible because I recite the lines aloud. I know it's annoying but I can't help it. Reading the book gave me little or no pleasure but I stuck with it because I felt compelled to finish it, and I was hoping it would pick up at some point. It didn't really, at least not for me. I was very irritated to discover that the Pit of Despair doesn't exist in the book; instead there is something called the Zoo of Death, completely different from the story I had grown up with. I realize that film production would have been a logistical nightmare and the budget would have been insane but still. I fell into my own pit of despair even when exciting new things were happening all around me. Everyone was too chatty for my taste as well. Westley wasn't clever enough and he actually slaps Buttercup when she says, "I have loved more deeply than a killer like you could ever dream". In the film, he just raises his hand as a 'warning'. Some hero! Hmph. Buttercup herself is irritatingly dim-witted, I could not get over it. Even the freaking head of security had more lines than I deemed necessary.
Too unsettled by it, I did some research as soon as I got online at home. This 'classic tale of true love and high adventure' is supposedly written by some Florinese guy (bear with me) named S. Morgenstern and is abridged by William Goldman (he is most famous for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). He also writes the screenplay for the film. It got quite confusing but apparently S. Morgenstern is, wait for it, Mr. Goldman himself. It's supposedly brilliant, the way the book is written, leading readers to believe that places such as Florin and Guilder exist and that the story itself is centuries old. They are, in fact, old (relatively) names for Dutch coins. Yes, it was very silly of me to believe that such places existed but when I grew up, everything was real. I am very impressionable.
Anyway, in light of all of that brouhaha, I grudgingly admit that maybe it is quite clever of the author to have written the book the way he did, I've never read anything like it, but I found it too distracting. There I was, engrossed in the story, hanging onto every word, and then--bam--the author inserts a silly footnote about his fictional son (he has two daughters in real life) smack in the middle of a particularly intense scene. There were so many times I bolted upright in my seat thinking, wtf!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Call center agents = Endless Entertainment
The phone rings, someone picks up and then hands it to me.
(Surprised because no one ever calls me at home) Me: Hello?
Citibank Guy (at 70 words a second): Ma'am, this is so-and-so from Citibank and I'm just calling you to ask if you are satisfied with our service and whether you are receiving your billing statements on time.
Me (worried, absolutely paranoid about late charges): Yes, I have been, but last month's statement was late but I made my payments anyway, just guessing the amount due. Is something wrong?
CG: No ma'am we were just verifying (too fast to understand)...Bythewayareyouawarethatyourcreditlimithasbeenincreasedrecently?Youhavebeenselectedoutofthemanysubscribersofthiscardtypebecauseofyourgoodcreditstandingandyouhavenotincurredanypenaltiesorlatecharges...
Me (flattered): Oh yeah I know, yeah that's cool thanks.
CG: Notonlythatma'am,inadditiontoyournewcreditlimitwearealsoofferingyouanextra40,000pesosatverycompetitivelylowinterestratesintheformofamanager'scheck...doyouhaveanythingenrolledinthepayliteplanatthemoment...?
Me (getting confused): Actually yes I do, I've just bought a camera and..
CG: Wellma'amyouhavetheopportunitytousethemanager'schecktopayforitatalowerinterestrate...
Me (confused): But I thought the paylite plan allowed me to pay within a certain amount of time at zero percent interest? Are you telling me I am getting charged with interest every month? Why, that's misrepresentation--
CG: Well ma'am that's how some stores do it...(too fast)
Me: What stores do it? I don't understand. I thought it was a Citibank promo thing?
CG: Nonoma'am,Ijustmeantthatifyouhaveanoutstandingbalanceafterbilling,payingwiththemanager'scheckthatisonlyavailabletoselectedsubscribersandyouhavebeenselectedbecauseofyour goodcreditstandingalowerinterestratewillbechargedtoyou--
Me: But if I pay on time every month like I always do, I won't be charged the interest?
CG: That'srightbutma'amyouseethisisaspecialofferthatIthoughtyoumightliketoavailbecause (too fast again and lots of numbers)
Me: Well you just raised my credit limit, right? I don't think I need all that money right now, there isn't anything I want to buy just yet but thank you.
CG: Wellma'amwhilewe'reonthephoneIwouldalsoliketoofferanotherpromothatisavailabletoyoubecauseofyourgoodcreditstanding,whichisthebalanceprotector..
Me (curious): Ooh, Balance Protector. What's that?
CG: Wellma'am...
I'm going to spare you. Basically he wanted me to avail of this balance protector thing because should anything untoward happen to me and I have an outstanding balance in my account, neither I nor my family will be held liable for it any longer because that's how good it is. To make it short, I wasn't getting charged extra in my billing statement because I'm such a goody goody, with my good credit standing and all, so he was trying to charge me for my unbilled balances. Only he calls it a 'contribution'. It's not much, about 6 pesos for every 1,000 pesos worth of transactions that I make. But let's say I had 5,000 unbilled every month, that would be 35 and for a whole year that's 420. It went on for at least 30 minutes, him giving me the hard sell and basically repeating that something bad could happen to me at anytime. He even went as far as asking me for confirmation to go ahead with the pre-activation and I had to be clear that I didn't want it so I said, Hey wait a minute, I haven't agreed to anything. He was actually being very slick and I had to put a stop to it because I was going to be late for work. So I said:
Me: Well I don't think I'll need it right now, I'm not really interested in extra charges (being careful not to call it contribution even after being corrected at least a dozen times by him), but thanks.
CG (persistent bastard that he is): Wellokayma'am,butlikeIsaid,ifanythinguntowardhappens..
Me (laughing a little): I'm going to keep using the card and I'm going to keep paying on time, you don't need to scare me with the what-ifs.
CG (indignant): I wasn't trying to scare you, who says I was, I merely said that--
Me: Well you keep telling me I could die at any moment, basically making me afraid enough to buy just about anything--
Dial tone.
(Surprised because no one ever calls me at home) Me: Hello?
Citibank Guy (at 70 words a second): Ma'am, this is so-and-so from Citibank and I'm just calling you to ask if you are satisfied with our service and whether you are receiving your billing statements on time.
Me (worried, absolutely paranoid about late charges): Yes, I have been, but last month's statement was late but I made my payments anyway, just guessing the amount due. Is something wrong?
CG: No ma'am we were just verifying (too fast to understand)...Bythewayareyouawarethatyourcreditlimithasbeenincreasedrecently?Youhavebeenselectedoutofthemanysubscribersofthiscardtypebecauseofyourgoodcreditstandingandyouhavenotincurredanypenaltiesorlatecharges...
Me (flattered): Oh yeah I know, yeah that's cool thanks.
CG: Notonlythatma'am,inadditiontoyournewcreditlimitwearealsoofferingyouanextra40,000pesosatverycompetitivelylowinterestratesintheformofamanager'scheck...doyouhaveanythingenrolledinthepayliteplanatthemoment...?
Me (getting confused): Actually yes I do, I've just bought a camera and..
CG: Wellma'amyouhavetheopportunitytousethemanager'schecktopayforitatalowerinterestrate...
Me (confused): But I thought the paylite plan allowed me to pay within a certain amount of time at zero percent interest? Are you telling me I am getting charged with interest every month? Why, that's misrepresentation--
CG: Well ma'am that's how some stores do it...(too fast)
Me: What stores do it? I don't understand. I thought it was a Citibank promo thing?
CG: Nonoma'am,Ijustmeantthatifyouhaveanoutstandingbalanceafterbilling,payingwiththemanager'scheckthatisonlyavailabletoselectedsubscribersandyouhavebeenselectedbecauseofyour goodcreditstandingalowerinterestratewillbechargedtoyou--
Me: But if I pay on time every month like I always do, I won't be charged the interest?
CG: That'srightbutma'amyouseethisisaspecialofferthatIthoughtyoumightliketoavailbecause (too fast again and lots of numbers)
Me: Well you just raised my credit limit, right? I don't think I need all that money right now, there isn't anything I want to buy just yet but thank you.
CG: Wellma'amwhilewe'reonthephoneIwouldalsoliketoofferanotherpromothatisavailabletoyoubecauseofyourgoodcreditstanding,whichisthebalanceprotector..
Me (curious): Ooh, Balance Protector. What's that?
CG: Wellma'am...
I'm going to spare you. Basically he wanted me to avail of this balance protector thing because should anything untoward happen to me and I have an outstanding balance in my account, neither I nor my family will be held liable for it any longer because that's how good it is. To make it short, I wasn't getting charged extra in my billing statement because I'm such a goody goody, with my good credit standing and all, so he was trying to charge me for my unbilled balances. Only he calls it a 'contribution'. It's not much, about 6 pesos for every 1,000 pesos worth of transactions that I make. But let's say I had 5,000 unbilled every month, that would be 35 and for a whole year that's 420. It went on for at least 30 minutes, him giving me the hard sell and basically repeating that something bad could happen to me at anytime. He even went as far as asking me for confirmation to go ahead with the pre-activation and I had to be clear that I didn't want it so I said, Hey wait a minute, I haven't agreed to anything. He was actually being very slick and I had to put a stop to it because I was going to be late for work. So I said:
Me: Well I don't think I'll need it right now, I'm not really interested in extra charges (being careful not to call it contribution even after being corrected at least a dozen times by him), but thanks.
CG (persistent bastard that he is): Wellokayma'am,butlikeIsaid,ifanythinguntowardhappens..
Me (laughing a little): I'm going to keep using the card and I'm going to keep paying on time, you don't need to scare me with the what-ifs.
CG (indignant): I wasn't trying to scare you, who says I was, I merely said that--
Me: Well you keep telling me I could die at any moment, basically making me afraid enough to buy just about anything--
Dial tone.
A book: Another attempt at studying harder (not its title)
The title is actually The Ultimate French Review and Practice and I found it in Kinokuniya and although it was quite expensive, I got it anyway because we don't have it here. I've leafed through it and so far it looks friendly but I know it's going to be difficult working it into my schedule. I get lots of sleep with this current one hehe. I do love learning but I can't stand studying and I'm always trying to get out of actually doing it. My french class started last Saturday and I missed it because I was still gallivanting but the plan is I'm going to try to come at least an hour earlier so I can sit my ass down and do some exercises. I should like to be done with this book and be all French fortified within two months.Monday, January 15, 2007
Malaysia: Holiday over
Boohoo. I started work today. We arrived yesterday afternoon and after distributing goodies to eager hands, I took a nap and only woke up briefly to stare at the television. Then I closed my eyes and went to sleep again.
I am in the process of resizing the 600+ (some of which are of the same thing, I was trying out different settings) photos that I took. So, for those of you who are waiting for the link, please be patient.
Photos didn't really turn out as great as I had hoped. I need to work on understanding The Bitch more, I guess. But for the very impatient, here are some of the better ones:
Photos didn't really turn out as great as I had hoped. I need to work on understanding The Bitch more, I guess. But for the very impatient, here are some of the better ones:
Friday, January 12, 2007
Malaysia: A holiday destination part 5
So yes, indeedy, Malaysia is truly Asia, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad, as Asia is and should be. We arrived in KL late last night and this will be our last leg of the trip. Phew, finally! I'm sunburnt and so sick of walking, I'm absolutely exhausted! Hehe it was fun! Oh and if my calculations are correct, by the time I get back home, I would have spent exactly 446 US dollars. Including my shopping, token presents for friends, family and other people who expect something from me. Yes my friends, I am zee best.
Okay so Langkawi was definitely the most expensive part of our trip, mainly because there is no public transport there and the food was pretty pricey. But good! Sand so white and so fine, the water cool and refreshing, only downside was that it was jellyfish and cuttlefish season so loads of little jellyfish eggs were in the water and that made it both icky and itchy to be in the water. Beautiful beautiful place. I have vowed to return, I absolutely loved it there. KL is nice and a lot greener than Manila but it's like any other city really. We went up the Petronas Towers earlier and it was good and silly. Too bad it was overcast and foggy. We also went to Chinatown on Jalan Petaling (I think) and it seemed to me a combination of Greenhills and Divisoria. So many knock off Louis Vuitton bags and Gucci belts haha! Loads of white tourists bug-eyed with disbelief and awe. I could practically see the rapid currency conversion in their eyes. Cameron Highlands would have been amazing, if it weren't so damn cold. But I got to see how tea is grown (acres and acres of tea leaves!) and ate a lot of yummy food! Ipoh seemed like a wealthy place but it was scorching hot there and we spent all of our time in the car (like I mentioned earlier), so I wasn't able to appreciate it much. Penang was charming, dirty and busy and I swear we walked at least a hundred kilometers on that damn island, sightseeing and looking for a place to stay. We went to this pagoda and the experience was unusual. The buddhas had swastikas on their chests, so bizarre and the steps leading up to the temples were littered with vendors selling souvenirs and bottles of water. Very very odd.
Some Malaysians were very friendly, others were dismissive (we are goddamn tourists after all) and still others were downright rude. But all in all, I loved this trip. I am already planning my next trip. Cambodia? Laos? Vietnam? Oh the possibilities are endless!
Woohoo tomorrow is shopping day! Yay!
Okay so Langkawi was definitely the most expensive part of our trip, mainly because there is no public transport there and the food was pretty pricey. But good! Sand so white and so fine, the water cool and refreshing, only downside was that it was jellyfish and cuttlefish season so loads of little jellyfish eggs were in the water and that made it both icky and itchy to be in the water. Beautiful beautiful place. I have vowed to return, I absolutely loved it there. KL is nice and a lot greener than Manila but it's like any other city really. We went up the Petronas Towers earlier and it was good and silly. Too bad it was overcast and foggy. We also went to Chinatown on Jalan Petaling (I think) and it seemed to me a combination of Greenhills and Divisoria. So many knock off Louis Vuitton bags and Gucci belts haha! Loads of white tourists bug-eyed with disbelief and awe. I could practically see the rapid currency conversion in their eyes. Cameron Highlands would have been amazing, if it weren't so damn cold. But I got to see how tea is grown (acres and acres of tea leaves!) and ate a lot of yummy food! Ipoh seemed like a wealthy place but it was scorching hot there and we spent all of our time in the car (like I mentioned earlier), so I wasn't able to appreciate it much. Penang was charming, dirty and busy and I swear we walked at least a hundred kilometers on that damn island, sightseeing and looking for a place to stay. We went to this pagoda and the experience was unusual. The buddhas had swastikas on their chests, so bizarre and the steps leading up to the temples were littered with vendors selling souvenirs and bottles of water. Very very odd.
Some Malaysians were very friendly, others were dismissive (we are goddamn tourists after all) and still others were downright rude. But all in all, I loved this trip. I am already planning my next trip. Cambodia? Laos? Vietnam? Oh the possibilities are endless!
Woohoo tomorrow is shopping day! Yay!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Malaysia: A holiday destination part 4
Madness! Adventure! Excellent food! Never a dull moment! If there is one, I take a wee nap. We spent the weekend up in the mountains (Cameron Highlands) where it was cold, wet and freezing. Of course, I had a blast anyway. Today was crazy, we left the mountains and drove down to Ipoh for a day trip and promptly spent that in our friend's car, driving around and getting stuck in traffic until we were completely and hopelessy lost. Hihi. It would have been more fun if I WASN'T BURSTING FOR A PEE!
We are in Georgetown, Penang at the moment. We arrived earlier this evening and spent 2 solid hours of walking and huffing and puffing. We found a decent hotel, got ourselves cleaned up and went for dinner. The food here rocks!
Read Paula's entry on this for now. I AM EXHAUSTED but very happy.
From the 200 USD I changed when I arrived in KL, I got about 700 ringgits for that. I have a little over 500 ringgits left. Wonderfully within budget.
We are in Georgetown, Penang at the moment. We arrived earlier this evening and spent 2 solid hours of walking and huffing and puffing. We found a decent hotel, got ourselves cleaned up and went for dinner. The food here rocks!
Read Paula's entry on this for now. I AM EXHAUSTED but very happy.
From the 200 USD I changed when I arrived in KL, I got about 700 ringgits for that. I have a little over 500 ringgits left. Wonderfully within budget.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Malaysia: A holiday destination part 3
Okay so the mustard rings are the parts of Malaysia that Paula and I will be traveling to. Although the location of Cameron Highlands is something that I could be making up entirely (Paula, am I making it up?). I don't know what's in Ipoh but apparently Michelle Yeoh is from there.Anyway, I finally got leave approval an hour before I left the office last night. So a lot of woohoos are in order. It is for realz: I set off tomorrow morning!
I have all these expenses and I haven't even left yet! Okay this is the useful-info-for-the-budget-traveler section:
Budget: USD 500 / PHP 24,700 / MYR 1,770
Spent so far (plane tickets): USD 106 / PHP 5,200 / MYR 375
Expected expenses (since I won't be able to post for the next few days):
Shuttle to Clark, Air Asia airport: PHP 300 (one way)
Travel Tax: PHP 1,600 (more or less)
Airport tax (?): PHP 300+
Cash on hand: USD 200 (about 10k in pesos)
I'll update this once I have accurate info. I know I'm totally mixing my currencies but I can't be bothered to convert.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Un cours français
I enrolled myself in a french conversation class earlier. I was supposed to enroll in another one but the weekday class that I wanted wasn't being offered in the morning. So I used the extra cash to pay for my credit card bill. Oh I know, I'm so responsible. I haven't even received the statement yet but I won't be around next week and I know from experience that those finance charges are big bitches. They bite off huge chunks of your ass if you're not vigilant. You gotta keep those fuckers at bay!
Anyway a very sad thing has happened: I decided that I'm going to have to suspend my german learning for a while. I was really conflicted with that decision but I believe that it's for a good cause, that cause being one of those important investments that one believes will be beneficial to oneself in the future. I also believe that I'm really full of it today. The reason I'm studying french now is I'm planning to take a big ass exam sometime later this year (when I feel I am good and ready...problem is, I don't feel good and ready at all) which, if I pass it, will open many exciting (and lucrative) opportunities for me. It's really expensive, so failure is not an option. It's only sad for a little while and then if it all works according to the master plan, then I can be happy happy joy joy again with the Deutschlernen. Well, the results of the final exam were less than satisfactory anyway, I passed but I didn't get the sehr gut. I was really struggling in that last course. So I shall have to retake German 5 when I resume my studying and focus on maintaining a sehr gut status.
Alright, enough of all that boring studying and future planning shit. I'm going to Malaysia in 3 days, people! THREE DAYS!
Anyway a very sad thing has happened: I decided that I'm going to have to suspend my german learning for a while. I was really conflicted with that decision but I believe that it's for a good cause, that cause being one of those important investments that one believes will be beneficial to oneself in the future. I also believe that I'm really full of it today. The reason I'm studying french now is I'm planning to take a big ass exam sometime later this year (when I feel I am good and ready...problem is, I don't feel good and ready at all) which, if I pass it, will open many exciting (and lucrative) opportunities for me. It's really expensive, so failure is not an option. It's only sad for a little while and then if it all works according to the master plan, then I can be happy happy joy joy again with the Deutschlernen. Well, the results of the final exam were less than satisfactory anyway, I passed but I didn't get the sehr gut. I was really struggling in that last course. So I shall have to retake German 5 when I resume my studying and focus on maintaining a sehr gut status.
Alright, enough of all that boring studying and future planning shit. I'm going to Malaysia in 3 days, people! THREE DAYS!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Malaysia: A holiday destination part 2
I'm exciiiited! 4 more days! Exciiiiited!
Packing is an art and I take it very seriously. With that said, I did my preliminary packing over the weekend, before I went out on Sunday night knowing I would need all of yesterday to recover. Hihi I was right, I got home at 7 in the morning and slept for most of the day. Anyway, I just need to add a few more things in my backpack like toiletries and underwear and I'm all set. I've gotten very good at remembering to bring everything I need but I always worry. I also tried confirming my flight last week but I kept getting cut off. I read the fine print on my ticket and I may not need it after all. Well I'll just find out on Saturday, won't I? I've already applied for international roaming on my phone and I bought new contacts woohoo! I've started learning some useful Malay words and expressions and it's been really fun, it's very similar to Tagalog. I'm pretty sure Malaysians speak English (I think so anyway) but it's always fun to learn a new language and I enjoy either shocking people with my impressive amazing vocabularly or getting laughed at. I usually get the latter reaction. Hihi I do hope I don't get them too mixed up when I have to use them.
Other things to keep in mind:
- Keeping all my travel docs together
- Changing currency (I've decided to change 200 US and use my bank card if I need more cash. Also I intend to use my credit card whenever possible)
- Make a copy of important numbers I might need while travelling
- Getting in touch with HC members and making sure to inform them of my plans regularly. I wouldn't want them to take the time to clear their schedule only to discover that I've decided to change plans.
I hope I haven't forgotten anything. I know I'm being a big geek about this but as soon as I get the tedious practical stuff out of the way then it's all fun fun fun and adventure!
Budget and what I've spent so far: unchanged from first Malaysia entry (apart from the few useless minutes trying to call Air Asia's hotline and the few pesos I'm going to lose when I change my money)
Packing is an art and I take it very seriously. With that said, I did my preliminary packing over the weekend, before I went out on Sunday night knowing I would need all of yesterday to recover. Hihi I was right, I got home at 7 in the morning and slept for most of the day. Anyway, I just need to add a few more things in my backpack like toiletries and underwear and I'm all set. I've gotten very good at remembering to bring everything I need but I always worry. I also tried confirming my flight last week but I kept getting cut off. I read the fine print on my ticket and I may not need it after all. Well I'll just find out on Saturday, won't I? I've already applied for international roaming on my phone and I bought new contacts woohoo! I've started learning some useful Malay words and expressions and it's been really fun, it's very similar to Tagalog. I'm pretty sure Malaysians speak English (I think so anyway) but it's always fun to learn a new language and I enjoy either shocking people with my impressive amazing vocabularly or getting laughed at. I usually get the latter reaction. Hihi I do hope I don't get them too mixed up when I have to use them.
Other things to keep in mind:
- Keeping all my travel docs together
- Changing currency (I've decided to change 200 US and use my bank card if I need more cash. Also I intend to use my credit card whenever possible)
- Make a copy of important numbers I might need while travelling
- Getting in touch with HC members and making sure to inform them of my plans regularly. I wouldn't want them to take the time to clear their schedule only to discover that I've decided to change plans.
I hope I haven't forgotten anything. I know I'm being a big geek about this but as soon as I get the tedious practical stuff out of the way then it's all fun fun fun and adventure!
Budget and what I've spent so far: unchanged from first Malaysia entry (apart from the few useless minutes trying to call Air Asia's hotline and the few pesos I'm going to lose when I change my money)
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy first of 2007
I had a blast celebrating the start of 2007 with family and friends. Hope everyone else did too. 2006 was a pretty good year for me. Looking forward to another great one!
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