One more trip around the sun

Hear 'em singing Happy Birthday

Better think about the wish I made

This year gone by ain't been a piece of cake

Every day's a revolution

Pull it together and it comes undone

Just one more candle and a trip around the sun

~~ Jimmy Buffett "Trip around the sun"

What a way to kick off the start of year number 33. Everyone has their superstitions and lucky or favorite numbers. Mine has always been number 3 and for double the luck is # 33. The previous year had many ups and downs that accompany this roller coaster we call life. I am looking for good opportunities both personally and professionally with this year and hopefully not so bumpy. :)

My gift to myself came in today - a new camera. My brother and sister in-law have been gracious and let me use theirs for quite sometime now. Which has been absolutely wonderful and captured many great times in my life. The stories that camera could tell...it has recorded many amazing times in my family's life from the birth of my first niece, friend's weddings, work adventures, and most recently my cousin Michael & Kindra's wedding. A friend of mine from work was teasing me last night at dinner that I will probably take a picture of every turn I make while on this trip.. okay maybe not *every* turn but yeah, I'll take many of them. I think I embarrassed him on our business trips. Especially when in MN, when I would stop on the side of the road and take pictures of barns, drag him around the campus of the local college to look around and try to sneak a peek at the Vikings training camp, or hope to get a shot of that little FL alligator he was terrified of in the pond to jump up at him. Yet he and Dave never complained when I took their pictures with the Hooters girls... at 3 different Hooters....all in one night ....hmmmm. Each day is a new adventure and I will have a lot of time on an airplane to read the instruction manual/play with the camera to learn its tricks and secrets to properly capture this trip as well as the many fun and important chapters in my life over the next few years.

Everything has become increasingly overwhelming over the past few days. So much that I completely forgot to go by the bank today and exchange currency! Then I started to worry because when looking at BofA's website it appears you have to order the currency ahead of time! Did not even think about that! My doctor was gracious to call in a prescription of Ambien for me to help sleep. My zipper baggie of orange medicine bottles is beginning to look like my mom's bag she carries. Well, not quite that bad. :)

My flight leaves Charlotte Monday morning. Here is my agenda for crossing the International Date Line -

Monday June 30

9:05am leave Charlotte on Delta

10:15am arrive Atlanta

1:15pm leave Atlanta on Korean Airlines

Tuesday July 1

5:10pm arrive Seoul, South Korea

8:05pm leave Seoul on Korean Airlines

10:55pm arrive Manila, Philippines

I am staying at the Makati Shangri-La. The photographs of the hotel are beautiful! Check it out http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/manila/makatishangrila

Much to do over the next 2 days and I am actually sleepy - and I haven't picked up the Ambien yet from Walgreens! HA I hope to write every other day so be sure to check in! Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Hugs and smiles to all!!

Thank you sir may I have another?

Suddenly I am having flashbacks to my older cousin Billy frogging the crap out of my arm and telling me that I can't say a word to anyone or it would be worse next time. And he always managed to hit right between the muscles of my biceps. But I never made a peep....

I had my shots done today. One word - Ouch! Yet, like taking Billy's knuckle punches to my arm or pay later consequences, taking this is much better than the alternative or unknown. So, I have started my Hep A & Hep B series along with Tetanus and Typhoid shots. I get to go back a couple more times to complete the Hep series after my trip. WEEEEE I also have Malaria pills, an antibiotic for a fun thing called "travelers' diarrhea", and some kick butt bug repellent! Dengue fever (aka something called break-bone fever) can be left behind by their mosquitoes. And those little buggers are determined! They will bite through clothes!!! These mosquitoes are day-time mosquitoes.. (Oh and Malaria is also carried by daytime skeeters) and the night time ones carry the encephalitis. An education in skeeters. Just when we thought of them as nothing but a nuisance in the summer and the southern region's state bird.

So my dad asks me... "Are you really sure you want to go there??"

The nurse from Passport Health made me this great bound booklet that would cause anyone to consider dad's question! I am curious to see what residents of other countries receive when they are traveling to the U.S.! Do we have crazy things like this but are immune to it? I wonder what the health and travel advisories are?

I picked up some books today at B&N about things to see in Hong Kong along with a map of the Philippines. They don't make a traveler's guide for Philippines.. maybe the rebel group MILF (yes, you read that right) doesn't encourage it because the younger American generation begins to chuckle when they see their name and can't be taken seriously. I digress... but there are some awesome places in Hong Kong to be seen. I wish we would have more than a day and a half, but we will be making the most of that weekend excursion! I also picked up a little guide for speaking Chinese and Tagalog. I know I know, many speak English there - however I would like to think of myself as a polite American traveler and be able to say some basic things in the local language. Plus, I need to be able to teach my nieces how to ask for a beer or margarita in Chinese & Tagalog! The uncles will carry on the family tradition and teach them how to ask in Spanish.

It appears we don't have to have a VISA for Hong Kong... but there is some sort of traveler's tax charged when leaving the country. ?? What the... If anyone has anything to share on that I'd love to hear from you. In a country of that many million people you'd think they would be happy to get rid of two and that spending local currency would be enough to contribute to the local economy!

Have a great weekend until next time... SMILE! :)


Oh and another tid-bit from Passport Health.... for anyone who is considering going over there, this is one of the advisories:

"Do not consume raw poultry products, such as raw duck blood."

I don't think that will be a problem!

Let's go collect passport stamps

Hey everyone! Figure I would join the cool people and do one of these. So bear with me while I figure all this stuff out Thanks Toker!!!!

I have an awesome opportunity coming up for work and will be headed to The Philippines for the month of July! While there, I will be training and supporting a call center along with touring the country and checking out Hong Kong. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. But it was too good to turn down!

I'll be keeping this updated while over there since I won't have easy access to a phone (well, maybe inexpensive access is more appropriate) as well as posting photo albums on picasa. There will be links on here.. don't worry!

I do hope you join me on my journey and enjoy the trip! Wish I could take you with me - traveling is so much more fun with others. Don't worry mom, I have a co-worker going with me to Hong Kong. So hopefully we won't end up in some random jail cell with a dirt floor and chickens. We plan on staying in the city itself! :) No need to test how effective our Hep A, B & tetnus shots are.