26 days and 5 pounds later

So I filed for an 18-day leave and packed my bags to go to" the land of the free and the home of the brave " for 24 days. Some would expect me to post something really detailed about my recent adventure. Well, prepare to be disappointed because I do personally feel that this post won't be anything like that. Why? Because first, I am a very lazy blogger. Isn't it obvious? 1 blog post every month, sometimes none at all! and second, Because I am very busy.Believe it or not but I did do some work while I was a couple of timezones away from the Philippines.   I tried my best to stay connected, responded to emails and requests for proposals and planned my night-outs on manila weekends.

But since my primary reason for this blog is to keep an online journal; here's a quick peek at what happened during my US-trip... a.k.a. "operation blue eyes".

1st stop: the city of angels. Took a 12-hour flight from Manila to Los Angeles. Spent 3 of my most jet-lagged days there. Got to walk on the biggest stars at the Hollywood Walk of Fame and took the chance to have my picture taken with the" Victoria's Secret Angel" star.  Also had the chance for the inner child in me to enjoy Universal Studios. And I know you can see that little minion that tagged along with me! 

Spent 6 hours on board the Mega Bus and travelled to San Francisco where I stayed for 2 weeks. So aside from being invited for buffet after buffet after buffet, I also did the following:

Spent an afternoon in sunny but very windy downtown San Francisco.  Rode the Bart and the world famous Cable Car. I really wanted to but I did not get the chance to have my photo taken at the world's crookedest street.

A friend of my mom was kind enough to invite us to invade their pretty pretty Las Vegas home. So off we went for a 12 hour ride to the entertainment Capital of the world.  All dolled up for Halloween, I saw the largest pumpkins. Walked through rows and rows of slot machines.Too bad I did not have my jumpshot photographer with me as I hopped and skipped to my heart's delight in front of the Welcome to Vegas sign. Our visit to Vegas coincided with iHeart radio's music festival... Since we were not aware of this event, I wasn't able to attend.. but just the thought that Justin Timberlake is within a mile radius is good enough. 

Returned to San Francisco and met with some college friends. We had a blast! I can say it was one of the highlights of my trip. It was so nice catching up with them. They took me to Stanford University and to the very posh Stanford Shopping Center. We feasted on crabs at the Backyard Boiler and had Sprinkles Cupcakes for dessert. We were all laughing and talking at the same time... It was like the movie "The Hangover"... female version! We got quite a few unsolicited stares, primarily because we looked like a dance group as all four of us showed up wearing a certain shade of blue!

Before I took my bus ride back to Los Angeles, I was invited to visit the Facebook Headquarters! For that I will make a separate post because my experience inside 1 Hacker Way was really something nice. Truth is I have already started thinking about working for Facebook! Who wouldn't? Your boss can not say you are procrastinating when he sees that you are checking your Facebook account. 

Back in Los Angeles on the day prior to my trip back to Manila, I visited the Griffith Observatory, kept my eyes open for possible celebrity sighting as I strolled along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and had a great dinner by the beach in Sta. Monica. Oh did some last minute shopping too at the promenade. Seemed like by this time the tourist factor has already rubbed off because I was no longer in the mood to take photos. Or maybe I did take photos, I probably did, but lazy lazy me has not yet uploaded any! 

US Visa Application - Part 3 : this little pig went to the bank

After the online application form has been properly completed, the next step is to pay for the US visa application fee. I got this table from the us embassy website :

160 US dollars for a non-immigrant visit visa. Whether your application for a visa gets approved or not, you really have to shell out this amount. Once you have decided that you are ready to part with your hard earned cash,  Go to this site : http://ustraveldocs.com/ph/ph-niv-paymentinfo.asp

and choose whatever payment option will be convenient for you. I decided to pay cash at the bank. 

After clicking on the option, you will be directed to a page that you need to print. 

Should you be applying with your family, please print a separate slip for each member, 1 payment slip = 1 applicant. Present this to the bank. 4 hours after your payment has been processed, you can now arrange an appointment for the interview.

Go this this site : https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/

and create an account.

After being able to successfully create an account. you will see this page:

Now we are ready to find a suitable date for our interview.

choose the visa type that you intend to apply for:

You will be directed to a page where you will be asked for your personal data. Please note too that you will be asked to input your DS-160 confirmation number so you must keep that handy. This part will also ask for your mailing address. approved visas are mailed so make sure to correctly input your mailing address.

TIP: Choose the earliest interview time! Tell you why on my next post!

US Visa Application - Part 2: Honesty is the Best Policy

The first step to getting a non-immigrant US visa is to go to this website:

https://ceac.state.gov/CEAC/

click on the 1st option and you will be directed to this page:

Scroll down and select the location where you are and click START AN APPLICATION. You will then see this:

Take note of your application ID , print it if you can. I personally just wrote it down. Scroll down to choose a security question you want to answer and click CONTINUE.

will then be directed to this page:

It took me roughly 40 minutes to completely answer this all the way to the security background questions. As you can see, details about your passport, travel and US contact will be asked. I had the following ready:

• my passport
• my SSS ID card 
• the name, address and contact details of the person I will be visiting
• if somebody else will pay for your travel expenses, the name, address and contact details of the one sponsoring your trip should also be ready.
• information about my work

TAKE A TIP:

• Read carefully and answer each questions as honestly and accurately as possible.
• I found the right sidebar helpful too.
• Don't leave any questions unanswered and tick the DOES NOT APPLY button if the question is not applicable.
• You can leave an item blank if you see *OPTIONAL 

If at any part you failed to complete a needed data, you will not be allowed to proceed to the next page and will be alerted.

A box with letters written in red will show you which items you failed to answer, a corresponding red arrow will point to the items that needs to be answered. 

The security and background part is answerable by yes or no.  Read everything carefully. After completing all the security questions, you will be asked to upload a photo.

My cousin Ken was kind enough to take my photo and upload it. Please make sure that the photo you will upload satisfies the photo requirements. Click here to see the requirements set for visa photo. Please note too that should your visa be approved, the photo that you uploaded will be the one that will be attached to your visa. My cousin Ken took a couple of shots before we were able to find a suitable one to upload. 

While I was having my photo taken, Ken reminded me to:

• Remove my eyeglasses 
• Not to tilt my head 
• not to show my teeth when I smile

After the photo was uploaded and has been approved, the next step will be to review all the information that you have provided.

Should there be an item that you feel needs to be corrected, click on the edit portion and you will be able to make the necessary changes.

After making sure that all given information are correct; you will be asked to confirm the location where you will submit your application:

After which you will be asked to electronically sign your application and submit it.

There! A bit time consuming, a few clicks here and there but not really very difficult.  Next post will be paying for the application fee and getting scheduled for an interview.

Busy week ahead

My last two posts were published using my playbook. Truth is I really have a few stuff in mind that I want to blog about, I find it hard to do so using my playbook,editing is difficult. A post that would normally take me 40 minutes to finish takes a few more minutes because my fingers tend to fall on the wrong buttons very often. I'd rather use the desktop, but with 4 teenage nephews, and a mom who is constantly trying to beat my bejewelled blitz score, our lone pc's activity can be compared to one that is in a computer rental shop. 

I have had a very lazy start for this week. My workweek starts on a Sunday, I filed for 3 days leave, so I reported for work for just 2 days. And now it is my off again. Did a lot of eating out during that 5-day long (days off included) staycation, after all, it was my birthday weekend. I was reunited to the 3-pounds I lost the previous week in preparation for a photo session with my cousin Ken.

But I have a very busy week ahead. Much of my time will be spent blahblahblah-ing in a training room for a 3-day long system training for 5 of my staff. I hope I can still find time to blog about these: 

¤ A movie review of this:

...saw it with my mom and we both cried our eyeballs out. I was supposed to have my ID pictures taken after the movie. But I had to postpone it as my eyes got swollen from all the crying.  Come to think of it, I have never done a movie review before, and I am not really very confident about doing 1. Maybe I will just write about my favorite lines from the movie.

¤ my birthday treat for my nephews

my pearly whites ... ready to get very oily! Spent an evening with my sister, my big nephews and Ken... and this photo was taken by Aye. With appetite as big as ours, Zark's was the place to be. Maybe for this post, I will be posting mostly photos.

¤ weekly secrets. I love PostSecret .period. A Sunday will not be complete without me looking at other people's secrets. I used to post my weekly favorite. I am planning to revive that. Hope I can.

¤ my travel plans.  I have been invited to go to Singapore. I hope it pushes through. I am excited. Maybe not much about the place but to see my former colleagues and and to spend quality time with my loved ones... away from work and schedules and deadlines. And a bora trip is also being brewed. 1 word , 4 letters and it is something i really want to do now ... D - I - E - T. I want to look good in pictures!

aaaah so much to talk about so little time. Last, I saw this one while surfing and immediately went aaaaaaaw. Linda, whoever you are, you are one lucky girl. So I guess guys really have a hard time saying the word sorry... ego maybe, but this makes up for what this guy can not verbalize. *sigh* inggit much!

click on the photo to view the whole story... 

Bright Minds Read

"If you are a kid, reading is really important stuff."
- Bruce Jenner

As a kid, I used to read a lot. My allowance back then was just enough for my daily expenses, for me to purchase a book; I have to really save up for it. I envied my classmates whose moms buy books for them. You see my mom was a working one and I never really wanted to bother her to ask her to buy a Sweet Valley Twins book or a Nancy Drew book or one of those books that lets you choose your own ending. I simply borrowed from my classmates. I remember this particular seatmate of mine in high school; Ivy, she was really neat and took good care of her books.  Whenever I was given a chance to borrow her Sweet Valley books, I took extraordinary diligence in making sure that the sides of the book never had a crease. I read lying on my bed and opened the book just enough for me to somewhat peep through the entire page. I almost did not flip the pages, I somewhat figured out a way to flip my head, or my whole self. I may not have my own books, but I still consider myself lucky to have classmates with books who was kind enough to lend it to me.

But there are kids who can't buy books... and their friends can't buy as well... and I think what's worse than not being able to read is being able to do so but not having something to read. A few days back as I was cyber-stalking someone on facebook, I chanced upon a post from a friend who is very active with TREK (TRails to Empower Kids). A group of friends who did not just admire the beauty of the mountains but also saw how deprived the isolated tribes were. So they have decided not just to trek, but to bring treats to the tribes that they visit.

Sometime next month , August 25-26, they will again embark on a journey,to have a good exercise, to marvel at the beauty of nature and most importantly, to bring treats to Primary School Kids in Nagtipunan, Quirino.  I am such a wimp and wouldn't want to go with them, not for the fear of being away from my urban lived comfy life, but from the fear of embarrassing myself because I might just be deadload for the group.

So I just told my friend that I will try to collect books for the kids. And I need help. I need books that an 8 year old can read and learn from. To my mommy friends, I know some of your kids have been given books that they no longer read and are just collecting dust, I am more than willing to meet up, and catch up too with a cup of coffee. I also need pens, crayons.. lots and lots of them.  I want these mountain trekkers to really have heavy bags on their backs full of treats.

of dates and travels

I have been blog hopping lately when I came across this one. http://www.solitarywanderer.com/

I can only wish to have a blog just like hers,and also wish I can go to all the places she has been to. Her latest entry, DATE A GIRL WHO TRAVELS got me nodding in approval plenty times over and can't help thinking that she is in a way talking about me too. Why? Here are the reasons why:

• I can't remember the last time I bought a pair of nice party shoes. You know, those glitter-decorated types with very high heels. I'd rather save up for a trip to India. I would love to go to Paris, but not to shop, but to have myself photographed among authentic French kissers.
•  I used to bring a backpack to work. Until i got promoted and had to bring a more corporate looking bag.  But I really love backpacks,I don't mind looking like a ninja turtle with a huge bag behind me. I used to date someone who have always wondered what's inside the huge and heavy bag my 4'11" frame always carries.  Well wonder no more, inside my backpack is a pack of wet tissues, a small bottle of alcohol, mouthwash,toothpaste,toothbrush, a pack of pineapple tidbits (a healthy snack, just in case i feel hungry), a bottle of water(traffic flow from where I work to where I live is unpredictable.. thirsty is unhealthy), a small notebook, a couple of pens, my pouch of over-the-counter medications...
• I don't mind having my clothes soiled. I don't mind a bruise or two. I do not plan to join a beauty contest so I really don't mind getting scratched and wounded on a hike and later having a scar.

And yes, it doesn't take much to amaze me. Stargazing, long walks on the beach, a nice little hike... just the thought of doing these activities with someone special is enough to send shiver down my spine. If only someone would realize the joys of dating a girl who travels.

my 8-hour Cebu experience

Have a look at these boarding passes:

As someone who has worked in the airport for 1/3 of my life, I guess it is safe to say that I have encountered more than a million passenger. And whenever I come across a traveler who says they are traveling on duty; I tell them I am jealous. Who wouldn't want to be paid to travel for free? But more often than not, seasoned business travelers tell me that I shouldn't be jealous. And now I know why.

Last Tuesday, my company asked me to go to Cebu to handle a Dangerous Goods training class. A class normally takes 4 hours, or even shorter depending on the participants' willingness to participate.

So after my counter duties at terminal 3 ended at 1002h, I took a heavy brunch for I know that no meals are served for domestic flights. After my agents were shuttled to terminal 1 for their 2nd airline duties, I asked the company driver to bring me to the domestic terminal of Philippine Airlines. I reached the airport at 1115h, enough time to check in for my 1245h flight. I guess it was not a full flight because I did not have to wait to be attended to at the check - in counter. After which, I proceeded straight to the boarding gate and waited. Having been awake since 0430h, I was able to take a quick nap at the holding area before my flight boarded at 1225h.

I must admit though that I was a bit surprised at how the boarding was handled. There were only 2 agents at the boarding gate, 1 did the announcement, which really did not sound very impressive, and the other agent tore the boarding passes. Nobody was there to control the flow of passengers, so even the business class passengers had to wait in line.

T'was a cloudy day, I was seated by the aisle and slept immediately. After what seemed like 20 minutes, I woke up to meal service. A pack of peanuts, a fudgee bar and choice or coffee, tea or water. I asked for coffee and later asked for 2 glasses of water.

I arrived Cebu at 1410h, was met by a pretty Cebuana. Being the naturally chatty me, we engaged in small talk and later learned that they have been very busy for most part of the day since another boss of our company was also visiting. I was guided to the PAL admin office to meet out training manager.

His class ended at exactly 1600h, my cue to start mine. I just waited for 15 minutes to let the group settle.

I found our Cebuano agents to be quite a happy bunch. I enjoyed my little class with them as they do live up to the warm and friendly Cebuano reputation.

I finished my class a little before 2000h. Dismissed the class and went to the nearby Marina Mall with our training manager. I was not really in the mood to eat, I was glad to see a shawarwa stand in front of the supermarket. My colleague paid for it and I had my avocado shake. That is dinner and I am happy. Knowing that our manager had to rest for he still have to prepare for his class the next day, I told him to head back to his hotel room and I shall find my way back to the airport.

I was back at the terminal by 2100h. I was early but I had nowhere else to do, I've been to Cebu 3 times before and I know that there is not much I can do in 2 hours time. I decided to just do a bit of work : check the exams that I earlier gave so I can inform the manager if a retake needs to done. Luckily all agents passed.

The flight was slightly delayed, but sadly no announcement was made. It was said that boarding will start at 2150h, we did not board until 2224h.

I again slept in the cabin.a pack of peanuts was again served this time paired with a pack of sumo mini cookies. This time around I asked for a cup of tea. After sipping my tea, I went back to sleeping.

The flight arrived manila at 2340h, as instructed, the company driver met me and drove me home.

-an hour spent awaiting boarding in Manila for my flight to Cebu

-an hour spent on board

-an hour spent waiting for my class to start

-roughly 4 hours of talking

-an hour spent for dinner

-an hour and half awaiting boarding in Cebu for my flight back home

-an hour spent on board

Guess I really should not be jealous of all those business travelers.

a day at the cove

I used to be a regular at Island cove.  Back in 2005, I lost major poundage playing tennis there. But I had to stop. Mainly because it was financial suicide if I continue. I was not playing competitively, I played with a trainer. So I had to pay for court usage charges, pay for the trainer fees and pay for the ball boy. Back then, what I was shelling out for my twice-weekly game was equivalent to a quarter of my monthly salary. 

My officemate recently spent a day with her family at Island cove and told me that her kids had loads of fun with what the place had to offer. I heard her say that they swam and biked around.  So in my endless quest to keep fit, I asked my nephew to go with me for an early morning bike.

Much has changed since the last time I was there. Very noticeable was the new CAVITEX. The new road that connects Kawit to Coastal road. So for those who will be coming from Manila, you can now be spared of the gruesome traffic along E. Aguinaldo Highway. Me, my nephew Jermaine and cousin Lara walked to the entrance.  Way back in 2005, I used to just enter freely and announce that I would be playing tennis, thereby exempting me from resort entrance charges. But when we got there, we were asked to pay 100 pesos each in exchange for IC (Island Cove... I guess) money that we could use for purchases inside the resort.Fair enough since I heard we are to pay 100 pesos for an hour of bike rental. This is a mandatory charge for everybody. Since I have also tried running inside the resort before. I can not help but ask if I will be charged should I not use any of the resort's facilities and just run around. Yup! I still need to pay entrance fees! I guess nothing really is free. But they offered me membership to their runner's club. For 300 pesos, I will be given an ID to grant me free access to the resort to run. This card is valid for a year. No thank you.

I was not aware that the bike rentals will not be available until 8:00 am ( We went there on a Friday, we were told that on weekends, they operate an hour earlier) We were there as early as 7:00 am. We walked around, visited the fishing village and spent a few moments by the poolside. Since I noticed that my nephew was losing his enthusiasm and was starting to feel bored. I challenged him to a game of chess. Here's a few shots courtesy of my cousin Lara:

 

Here is Maine with his Queen!

After our game.. actually once we saw the bike rental counter was already opened. We rearranged the chess pieces and chose our bikes. Lara and Jermaine picked mountain bikes, old fashioned me, I picked a BMX. After an hour of butt-punishing-leg-torturing biking, we decided to call it a day, or half a day and went home to a hearty breakfast. 

Find out more about ISLAND COVE.For a quick getaway from the summer heat!

UA... Unbelievably Annoying

I have been trying my very best not to write about stuff that concerns my work.. but my experience this morning is something that I can't afford to not share.

The customer service of UNITED AIRLINES sucks big time. Call their ticketing hotline and I bet all my little toes you will end up using up all the patience you have allocated for the entire year.. no make that for the entire decade.

Read on and find out what made me lose every bit of my sanity

0918h - I called their ticketing hotline and was told that I was "important to them" but I will have to wait since all their agents are engaged.

0922h - A certain Kelvin took my call. I explained to him that I am from a ground handling company in manila and that the flight that I was handling will depart in 25 minutes. I informed him that I have a parent and an infant traveling together but the infant's ticket was not yet rerouted and can not be used on our flight. After giving him the necessary information (ticket number , name..stuff like that) I was again placed on hold.

0930h - Now a girl named Mabel told me that their Chicago office has been made aware of my concern and that they are working on it. And then I was ... well right guess! Placed on hold.

0940h - Mabel gave me a series of numbers, and advised me that the rerouted ticket for the infant has been issued and can now be used on our flight. I thanked her profusely.  Great! looks like our flight will not be delayed. So the passenger was allowed to board the flight.

0943h - Since I was confident that the tickets are now in order,I attended to dispatching the flight first.  After all the passengers have boarded and the flight was awaiting pushback, I started to amend the infant's record.  This is when I saw that the new ticket that Mabel gave me was voided.

0945h - My 5-foot frame was filled with panic as I raced back to the telephone to contact United Airlines again. The phone rang and once again I was made aware of my "importance" to them and I waited to be attended to.

and waited...

and waited...

and waited...

1105h - At last! Kelvin took my call again. As i started to introduce myself, Kelvin sounded something like -yeah yeah so what do you want now--- But when I informed him that the ticket information that his colleague gave me was voided, he too got the shock of his life.

1110h - I was again transferred to Mabel. She apologized for the booboo and told me that she will again get in touch with their Chicago office. She then asked for my contact details, but I decided to stay on the line and wait. So I once again waited....

and waited...

and waited... 

and waited...

1205h - Mabel gave me the details of the new ticket of the infant... but before that sarcasm filled the airport. I might have threatened to take her life too... or maybe not. I can't be sure, maybe I was already hallucinating since I haven't eaten anything since I reported for duty at 6am.

2 hours and 20 minutes.  I spent 2 hours and 20 minutes with 1 hand holding the phone against an ear and the other hand wiping away the tears that was already streaming down my cheeks... yup I cried... out of frustration... and maybe because I can not believe that such incompetence exist! 

Me in Japan... time for pictures

   

     Most of the time I was in Japan was spent inside a training room, that's the reason why I was sent there in the first place.  But to be with Sir Eric, who is a photography enthusiast, photos should be aplenty. Here are some of them:

      Our instructor Nana-san was kind enough to bring us to Tokyo. She served as our tour guide.  We saw the Emperor's Palace, but it was already late so we did not see much, we had a glimpse of the Tokyo Tower and saw the nice illumination.  It was so cold that night, I even borrowed Sir Jovy's scarf. 

our train ride to Tokyo!

  we are not trying to be cute... it really was  chilly that night.

      Not only did Nana-san gave us a walking tour of Tokyo, she also treated us to dinner!  I love salmon and ate grilled salmon in this place. yumyum!

    

    Aside from this trip to Tokyo, most of my other photos were shot from the airport or from our hotel. Here are some of them:

On our way to the ANA sky center.  ANA's world class training center.

while waiting for our access pass to be released...very comfy couch and coffee vending machines nearby... love it!

U for Uniqlo, a clothing shop located at the Airport Mall, this shop is owned by the richest person in Japan! 

 a test shot

at bus stop 16. waiting for our shuttle back to the hotel.

     The following shots were taken outside our hotel. We woke up a little earlier than usual for us to be able to do an outdoor photoshoot with the sun still shining!

YOKOSO JAPAN!

WELCOME TO JAPAN!

     I saw a familiar face as soon as we reached the end of the jet bridge. Ms. Mari was there with her usual warm smile. She escorted us to the immigration. Haneda airport is really, really, really nice!  After I handed my passport to the immigration officer, I was asked to have my fingers scanned and a photo of me was taken too. We then went to the baggage carousel claim our checked in bags where Ms. Mari was also waiting.  While waiting, 2 representative of Cathay Pacific met us and apologized for the delay.  They then gave us 3000 Japanese Yen for our transportation. 

     At the customs clearance, I was asked to open 1 of my bags. I was able to complete my customs clearance by 9:08pm. We met Ms. Mari with Ms. Hanako  afterwards. We had to rush to the train station as Ms. Mari wanted us to be able to take the 9:20pm train. Running down the escalator with 2 pieces of luggage and resisting the urge to marvel at the beautiful airport, we were the last people to board the train.

     Ms. Mari explained the reason why we had to rush to the train.  It turned out that with this trip, we will be able to reach the Narita train station at 11:08pm. If we will be quick enough, we can still take the hotel shuttle from the train station that will leave at 11:15pm. Ms. Mari was so organized that she even had everything printed and explained to Sir Eric.  Should we be able to take the free shuttle to the airport, we can keep the 3000Y! She wondered how we were able to get Cathay Pacific to transfer us since it turned out that our original ticket with NH was not transferrable.  She was impressed by the fact that we were able to get ourselves transferred and get transportation allowance as well. She lauded my negotiations skills...what more if she learned that I was able to get complimentary call cards as well.

    Ms. Mari and Ms. Hanako left the train after a few stations; she then reminded us that we should be arriving at the Narita train station by 11:08. It was only 9:45pm. We still had a very long way to go.  After the initial thrill of being in a Japanese train and looking at the famous Japanese fashion, fatigue and boredom was starting to set in.  At every station, I keep looking out and wondering if we had missed our stop already.  But I remember Ms. Mari specifically saying that we should be at the station at 11:08.  At 11:06pm, we had passed by multiple stations and I was a bit worried if we really did miss our stop. Sir Eric asked his seatmate and was told that our stop will be the next stop.

     We really did reach the station at 11:08. Talk about Japanese time! It was very cold.  We had imagined having enough time to get winter clothes from our bags when we reach the airport. But we have always been rushing; we did not have the chance to do so. We were told to exit through the South exit. We did as we were told. Sir Jovy had a little problem as when he was about to pass by the control gate, the box of dried mango he was carrying for souvenirs fell back and when he returned to pick it up, the control gate has already closed.  He had to talk to the guards and he was allowed to leave through another exit. 

     We saw two Japanese girls and asked for instructions.  They were kind enough to accompany us to the bus station. The bus station was 5 floors down. So there we were, not properly clothed for the weather, tired from the trip, bringing at least 20 kilograms of bag and walking down flight after flight of stairs! We were too late for the shuttle.  The two Japanese girls even called our hotel and helped us to get a cab. Our 15 minute cab ride cost us 2000Y...that’s around 900 pesos!

     We checked in, assigned a room each and proceeded to our rooms immediately.  My room turned out bigger than I expected. There was even a bathtub in my bathroom. Cold and tired, I needed to defrost, so a hot water bath will be a sure treat. After soaking in the warm bath, I was ready to retire.  I decided to just fix my stuff the next day.  For the time being, all I wanted was to crawl under the duvet.

ask and it shall be given

     Time to refresh my cantolish. 14 months in Macau made me quite an expert in Cantolish-English spoken the Cantonese way, fairly simple…just construct your English sentences in the simplest form possible and alternately punctuate your sentences with “la” and “wor”. Now here in Hong Kong, to hear and to be able to speak it again after 3 years of not doing so is quite a treat, if only I didn’t have to worry about bringing my ass to Japan before the day ends.

     The girl who met us upon our arrival assisted us to the transfer desk. She explained that since we missed our flight to Haneda, she will be having us transferred to another flight that would depart roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes later than our original flight. We asked if we could be transferred to a flight to Narita since this is our ultimate destination, we were told that the next flight to Narita will depart a little before midnight and will reach Narita at around 5:00am the next day. Not a good option because our class will start at 9:00am.

     This trip was sponsored by our client airline in Japan, thus they have the right to know about our whereabouts.   So while waiting for our turn to be checked in on our next flight,  we told the nice lady from Cathay Pacific  that we need to make a phone call to Japan.  Unfortunately, I failed to activate my mobile phone’s roaming, under the assumption that it will be automatically activated. After we were given our new boarding passes, we were each given complimentary prepaid phone cards.  Each card was good for a 10-minute international phone call. We were told that we needed to proceed to the boarding gate area where we could find phone booths. 

     Sir Eric immediately tried to call Japan using the phone booths; he was not successful and had thought the complimentary call card was no good so he went to the information counter to ask for help. After he vacated the phone booth, I tried using my call card and called home.  I was able to talk to my mom and told her not to worry.  After my short call to my mom, I followed Sir Eric to the information desk.  He was not able to talk to our contact person in Haneda, Ms. Mari. Instead he spoke with a colleague of Ms. Mari and was told that if we are to arrive at 9:00pm, there will no longer be a shuttle bus available to transport us to Narita.  We were told to advise the agents at the boarding gate about this. We did as we were told and explained that we needed assistance for our transportation to Narita.  The boarding gate agents committed that their staff in Haneda will take care of us.

    In cases where in a disruption in the flight was caused by the airline, it is ok to ask for the things you need.  But please be reasonable when asking for something:

• ·         You can ask to be transferred to another flight if the airline caused the misconnection, but please don’t ask to be accommodated in business class! You paid for an economy class seat after all. They did not mean to delay your flight.

• ·         You can ask to inform your meeting party that you will be delayed. Some airlines will ask you to write down the message and contact details of your meeting party, and then they will contact them for you.  Other will just let you use a company provided mobile phone. Should this be the case, please be considerate enough to just call the person who needs to know about your situation. Call your meeting party and inform about the delay. Don’t call your boyfriend and ask if he has eaten, or call home to ask if your poodle has been brought for a walk by your sister.

• ·         Some cities don’t have 24-hour transport services, in cases like this, the airline would arrange for your transportation. Please don’t demand for a limousine service. All you need is to get to your final destination; you need not get there in style at the expense of the airline.

     We boarded the flight and were seated away from each other. We were all given aisle seats. Luckily there was no one assigned to the seat next to me.  The next aisle seat was assigned to Japanese.  I was too tired to try to exchange pleasantries.  And at the back of my mind, I was already thinking of asking the flight attendant as to what time they will serve the meals. I was feeling a little cold, maybe due to the fact that I am hungry, so I asked for a blanket.  The aircraft did not have the video on demand kind of entertainment system. What they had was movies played on several channels and once it has already started, you cannot rewind it.  I was able to watch half of an Ashton Kutcher film entitled Killers and half of Despicable Me. 

     Come meal service time, I was asked to choose between a chicken dish and a pork dish.  I chose the mildly spicy ground pork dish.  Butter and bread was available so I ate it first. Cold soba was also served. I noticed wasabi on top of the ramen and a packet of soba sauce.  I immediately removed the wasabi before I placed the soba sauce.  Ate the soba before eating my rice meal.  I think I consumed 4 glasses of orange juice and went to the washroom thrice.

     I was able to sleep for a little while before the announcement was made that our flight was arriving 15 minutes earlier than schedule and that we are already in the final descend.

    Finally! I will be in the Land Of The Rising Sun on my next post!