I Heard You Say This ... LIST

I just thought I'd write a few quotable phrases/words that I've heard this past week. Whether it is something nice, rude, naughty, intelligent, boring, sweet, senseless... whatever... I just thought I'd pick the top ones that I find either funny, rude, weird, embarrassing, cute, senseless, smart or whatever... Just something that someone uttered this week. Whether it's uttered by a friend, a stranger, a colleague, a family member, hubby, someone on tv, a client, something from the movie, someone from the street, whatever... It could be said by me..


"Never underestimate the power of a well written letter" - from the movie, Jane Austen Book Club

"I can not stand taking public transport." - a guy from the street


"Can I borrow my Ipong?..." (referring to the Iphone)
"Do you want some Ipods?..." (referring to the yummy Pods).
- from me! Talk about me mixing up my words.

Hugging you, Hugging Me

Hugs don't have proof that they are therapeutic in nature. However, one who's received or given one can attest that they feel better after hugging.

But really, it would be interesting to find out more about hugs :

• Who feels better after a hug, the giver or the receiver??
• Do both parties involved in hugging 'feel' the same thing while hugging? Same warm, nice feeling?
• Can one 'feel' the difference between a genuine hug, and a 'fake' hug?
• Are there different types of hugs?
• What makes people want to hug?

A bit of a HUG QnA:

• Do you prefer giving/getting a hug? Depends on the situation. If I am just my normal self, I prefer giving HUGS! But if I am down and wanting assurance, I don't mind getting them.
• What kind of hug do you prefer? I prefer long, bear hugs.
• Can a hug brighten your day? YES. If it's from hubby.
• Would you hug a stranger? No.

Let me know if you know the answer :)

Jane Austen Book Club

It's been a while since I've blogged about my movies. (Watched, rented, love or hate)

Watched the Jane Austen Book Club on DVD last night and I kinda like it. I don't actually know all the books that Jane Austen wrote, but I am thinking of reading her book "Persuasion", just because I think this is interesting. Well, based on the movie at least.

Put together a bunch of people with different personalities and views, mix them with a common goal, which is to read and discuss Austen's book, you will get the Jane Austen Book Club. Brought together by something, they discuss downright real issues about love, lust, marriage and relationships. Love can lead to marriage. Relationships don't mean there is love. Marriage can be a lasting myriad of everything between love and lust.

The book club met at different venues in the 6 months they agreed to have their book club meetings at, for the 6 books they picked to talk about. They had it at some of their homes, starbucks, the hospital, a formal dinner event, the beach. A nice variety if I may say so.

Overall, the quick pacing of the film will entertain the audience, even though you haven't read any of Jane Austen's book you would still find yourself relating to their topics and constant debates. It could have been a movie that has a lot of talk in it. But, if you catch the flow of it, you would not get bored. I found each character witty, charming and appropriate.

I love how the film is shot at the very end. Simply sweet.

How lovely the French windows are in Mauritius (Creole food better tho!)

During my trip to Mauritius I found how lovely the influence of France on that little Indian Ocean island! All the way from their language (they do speak French and Creole), to their cuisine, to their interesting French towns, the lovely French windows, their wine .. Having been occupied by the French for 100 years (from 1710 to 1810), they sure have adapted to their colonizers. The French must have left such an imprint on the people, that until now a lot of French people visit Ile de Maurice (Island of Mauritius). The photo/s above is one that I took during one of our lunches in the island. We had lovely Creole food at Le Fangourin Restaurant, just next door to the Sugar Museum (L'Adventure du Sucre). I think I should consider this one of the best places to have a meal at. It had great, great views of the mountain. Perfect to try authentic Mauritian cuisine with, enjoying the lovely view. Le Fangourin is approximately 10 kilomtres away from the country's capital city, Port Louis. Should you find yourself visiting the island, this is a MUST TRY!

Check out my other Mauritius Photos here, here, here, and here.

Business babbles about the internet

With the booming internet websites or domains, it is no wonder almost all business (if not all) have their own home pages. There are just so much potential that the World Wide Web can offer should one own a small, medium or large business. I have thought about pay per click marketing and how this internet crazy society is just spending so much time on the internet doing surfing, research, shopping, etc. In a lot of websites there are links to almost anything: local grocery, travel and holiday deals, herbal remedies are among other things that I remember seeing from websites I have visited. Talking to hubby about the wealth of information that the internet can offer, we’ve discussed that modern society has its advantages really. Having said this though, one can only know the actual benefits of such marketing activities when one gets the opportunity to try it out for themselves. Network Solutions offer a range of products that suits ones’ needs in terms of marketing. They can assist all the way from hosting your webpage to assisting in analyzing one’s site. Depending on one’s needs, they help your business appropriately, seeking to bring your market to your business page.

Just what I needed (or Wanted)!

I opened my email this afternoon and saw that Virgin Blue and Jetstar both have special sale fares!!! It is because it is the end of the financial year! Meaning, people will be getting their tax rebates and so more money to spend on whatever....

I am so tempted to go somewhere again... Hubby has been wanting to go to Fraser Island (Largest sand island in the world!) again! Me, I would just like to go anywhere we haven't been to. As soon as I saw my email, I could not concentrate anymore and so I called my lovey and he's given me the go signal to "research" flights (and possibly book) a trip to anywhere in Queensland. The problem would most likely be with dates and leaves though. We are both saving up our annual leaves at work (for possibly to travel back to Manila end of the year). Plus, our anniversary falls on a wednesday, meaning the middle of the week = more leaves required.

It is so tempting though. I might need more hours to fiddle with dates and cities to travel to. I might leave it for the weekend, to check this *exciting* sale. Do check them out on Virgin Blue and Jetstar's website should you be looking for great deals to travel to Fraser Coast, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide, New Zealand, etc!

P.S. Shall keep my blog posted with future (wishful thinking) travel plans!

This day next month

.. Hubby and I are celebrating our 7th year as a couple. Time flies by so quick, and I can only try to re-live our early days together. Sweet somethings that can keep me alive for days or weeks with just the memory of it all. Now, we still have our own memory box that we constantly fill with love and cheesy mushy things. Over the years we've done all sort of things together to celebrate special days, special dates, etc. We've travelled a fair bit, Philippines, Asia, and Australia. We've done restaurants, parks, zoos, aquariums, theatres, events, islands, beaches, etc. I am constantly searching for things and activities to do, places to visit. And on our special day next month I am thinking what to do. We've both actually discussed it. What should we do, where we should celebrate, which city to visit. Toodlydoo, should we go out of town? Just have nice dinner somewhere? Should we go biking? Should we do a movie marathon? Should we go picnic? So many options. I am sure I will be able to think of one. (Photo taken from here)

Back from Mauritius (Photos)

Sharing a few of my hundreds of photos taken from my Mauritian experience.

I've had the opportunity stay at four different properties, but I inspected more than that number. It was quite a long, tiring week, but really it was full of new experiences that I will remember. Overall, I would say that Mauritians are a very nice bunch of people. Amidst the poverty that the country is in, they do try to make the most out of their lives. After all, their country is such a beautiful place to live in. On a number of occassions that I engaged in small talk with the locals, I would always tell them that they are lucky. Lucky to live in paradise. They would give me a sweet smile afterwards. A smile that is partly shy, partly boastful and everything in between. Really. They are lucky.

Checking back in!

I've just been back to work. Well, my body was, but my mind was still adrift somewhere on an island in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius). So funny, but when I took a nap on the day I arrived, for about 10 seconds upon opening my eyes, I didn't know where I was. Literally. Since being on the trip, in a span of 6 nights we stayed at 4 different hotels! At one point I was giving out my room number to the waiter/front desk people mismatched room numbers belonging to previous hotels! Oh well! The joys of travelling!

It's been ages since I blogged here and I feel I am out of the loop. Just like the jetlag I am feeling. A bit here and there. I'm glad to be back in the comfort of my room. Back on the ground in my apartment, and back to the "joys" of working. Really, just the certainty of tomorrow and knowing that I will be logging back into work as usual, doing my rounds of passwords, dishes, laundry, etc. Seeing the familiar things can give a bit of satisfaction, the same way as seeing some place for the first time. I guess it just really is about having a break, and getting back on track after that deserved time off.

Will post photos and give feedback on my lovely Mauritius trip, when I am totally settled back in. For now, I am glad to be checking back into my blog. Ciao!

What I would probably be doing if I wasn’t a travel agent

I have always thought to myself what I would be doing, if I wasn’t a travel agent. I would most probably be working on a luxury cruise ship! I suppose I really can’t stay away from travel, even if I wanted to. It’s some sort of calling I guess. I could just imagine traveling to different cities or ports, and just living the real professional traveler lifestyle. I would prefer the ship line of work though, rather than a flight attendant job. That’s just me though. I know quite a number of friends who have worked, or are still working on luxury cruise liners. One of them working for Royal Caribbean Cruises, just told me they will be adding to their cruise fleet the ship called Oasis of the Seas. This Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas will start sailing towards late 2009. Like other Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the Oasis of the Seas will be sailing in the Caribbean seas providing excellent service to guests. This new liner will carry up to 5,400 guests onboard, and has so many different dining options to choose from. It even has it’s own Central Park for the guests to enjoy! I just can’t imagine how cool this ship would be, to have it’s own park onboard I guess is a big plus especially for park lovers as myself. It will be just like strolling in a mall downtown in some city. The only difference is that a few steps away I am overlooking the sea. Really, there are so many features that the Oasis of the Seas Cruise ship has to offer. One would be getting the best of all worlds by deciding to cruise with one of the best liners in the world.

My Travel Map

I was looking for a nice map that I could plot places I've been to, places that I want to visit. So far this is the application I found. I am still looking for a nicer more detailed one. A few of the cities I've been to weren't on this map! This will do for now!

A Traveller's Check List

I am going on my Mauritius trip on tuesday, and I've come up with a traveller's check list of things to bring:

• Passport/Document organiser


• Ticket and Itinerary copy


• Business cards


• Wallet


• Camera/Camera charger


• Camera Memory Cards


• Mobile/Mobile charger


• Iphone/Iphone charger


• Sunnies


• Smart casual outfits for hotel inspections


• Dressy clothes for nights out and gala dinner


• Beach clothes (bikini, sarong)


• A couple of jumpers


• Sunscreen


• Cap


• Black ballet flats, thongs, black heels


• An extra bag (or two)


• Book/Magazine


• Bag locks


• Kikay Kit


• Toiletries


• Medicine kit


• Ziplock bag

First wedding on top of the Harbour Bridge

This week, rain poured nonstop. As I write, it is still raining, the wind howling and raindrops tapping on my window. Pretty much since monday (or was it sunday?), we haven't seen the sun. And I hear it will be so up til the weekend.

The gloomy weather, rainy day did not stop a couple from getting married on top the Harbour Bridge! It was a first in the bridge's history to actually hold an official wedding on the bridge. Scottish tourists, Tierney and Tullan exchanged vows on the 3rd of June. It was something that the lady apparently has always dreamed her wedding to be! This officially marks the harbour bridge opening to such wedding ceremonies. If this was your dream as well, then you should visit BridgeClimb's website for more details. It's not for everyone of course. I know I still want a traditional church wedding one day!

Note: You still get strapped on to secure bolts and chains and make your way up on a harness. And, no wearing of gowns or jewelry on top of the bridge, just the black jumpsuit! Minimalist wedding! Saves you on a lot of things... and, you have a whole city for a witness!

June Countdown

I find myself having so much countdowns. Whether they are mental notes or actual crossing off the calendar countdown or a cute internet countdown. For this month, I'm looking forward to a few things.

1. Going to tropical haven! (Known as : Mauritius, Ile Maurice, MRU)

2. Hubby's birthday! We're thinking of doing an overnighter somewhere. Or, maybe just go on a real nice dinner date.

3. Just getting back from Mauritius (yes,weird of me I know). But I am looking forward to having a bit of normalcy for a while.

4. Thinking of a new hobby.

5. After June, I'm excited for July! It will be hubby and mine's 7th anniversary!