Category: Travel

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Personal Travel Work

A Very Cold Week

I am back from Turkey.

It was fun walking under the snow.

Ten below zero in Ankara, under the snow, outside the hotel entrance, I had a quick reflection of my life over the last three years.

Sometimes, coming out of a meeting with some potential customers, whether I was in Bangkok, Hanoi, Manila, Sydney or Istanbul, I would catch my reflection in the elevator doors, in a shirt, and a briefcase in hand. In a blink of a second, I would imagine myself as leader of this industry, shouting out orders, closing the deals, before I remembered who it was that I really wanted myself to be.

People often say, Why Simply Win When You Can Dominate?

I don’t want to just be better than someone, I want to be the best as who I can be.

I am happy to be back in Taipei.

Categories
Personal Travel Work

Feeling Cold

I was told at this time of the year, Turkey is cold.

While I was packing my stuff, I asked myself, just how cold?

Therefore, I checked The Weather Channel, and this is what it tells me.

Istanbul
Istanbul Weather

Ankara
Ankara Weather

This is really really cold. Much colder than Taipei, and even Melbourne too. Istanbul might be OK, but Ankara is really going to kill me.

I really don’t feel like going anymore.

Categories
Personal Travel Work

Turkey?

Interesting, just like the start of this year, I will be sent off to another country right after new year.

I went to Vietnam on the 3rd of January this year.

This time I will be in Turkey on the 6th of January.

Wow, Turkey, sounds like a fun place? Well, yes and no. Just yesterday a letter bomb exploded in the central of Istanbul, killing one.

I will be in Istanbul too.

I will bring my DSLR with me this time, just in case I get to visit some interesting historic places like some of the famous mosques, museums, castles, churches or towers. Maybe the ruins of Troy or the Trojan Horse too!

Anyway, anything is good, just don’t give me another letter bomb.

Categories
Personal Travel Work

Back!

I am back from Philippines!

The schedule was so shit I had to buy dried mangos at the airport…fuck.

Got to Taoyuan airport yesterday at 6:30am.
Took 7:30am flight.
Delayed and arrived in Manila at 10:00am.
Met customer and had lunch at 12:00pm.
Finished presentation at 5:00pm.
Finally checked into hotel at 6:00pm
Meet potential customer at 7:00pm.
Aat, drank and massaged with customer till 12:00am.
Went to bed at 1:30am.
Had shit all sleep and woke up with headache at 7:30am.
Met customer at 9:00am.
Finished discussion at 12:00pm.
Had lunch at 12:30pm.
Arrived at the airport at 3:00pm.
Brought dried mangos at 3:40pm.
Plane took off at 4:30pm.
Arrived in Taoyuan airport at 7:20pm.
Arrived home at 8:30pm.

What a shit trip. I am tired, I need to sleep.

Categories
Personal Travel Work

Nothing New

I have been real busy, at work, as usual. Nothing new.

Drank a lot last night and came back home at twelve.

I had mega bad sleep and still got up and went to work.

I just arrived back home again almost two hours ago.

Right now is 12:10am.

I need to wake up in five hours time and jet off to Philippines.

Yah well, nothing new, work is still work.

Categories
Personal Travel

Bizarre, Crazy, Memorable, 24 Hours

I am back.

It was the most bizarre 24 hours.

It was the craziest 24 hours.

Yet, it was also the most memorable 24 hours.

Categories
Personal Travel

Just Call Me Crazy

I made a really crazy decision today, and it will be even more crazy when it happens.

Just call me Crazy.

Categories
Personal Travel Work

Finally, One More Day!!

Yes, I haven’t been updating in a while because I have been too busy stuck in Sydney. The good thing is, I can finally fly back tomorrow.

Quite frankly, the whole trip hasn’t been exactly great. It has gotten better, but never like what I first expected. The whole trip could have been a lot better if my boss hasn’t been too much of a prick.

They wanted me to say for a week I said OK.

After I got here they wanted me to say for three months. No way.

I said my rent in Taipei finishes on the 15th therefore I need to move out before then, they said OK, come back on the 14th.

What? Are you out of your fucking mind? I also need time to pack, clean and arrange mover you dumb fuck, tell me I can arrange that in one day????

Now they are telling me after I come back I might have to fly back to Sydney again, and this time really for three months.

Fuck you no deal. I am coming back early no matter what.

I mean, I don’t mind to stay here for three months if I am to stay in a more urbane area. Unfortunately where the company is located is like in a remote area off the east side of Sydney. It is a little like Clayton in Melbourne, where you do not get much except, houses, trees and nothing more.

Please do not get me wrong, I love Sydney. It is a great place, except the location of the company is just a little too remote for my liking. Perhaps I am more used to Melbourne city life, and the convenience of going to shopping malls and restaurants in 5 minutes, by foot.

Maybe I should rent a car.

Anyway, slowly but painfully, I did get to know this neighborhood a bit better. Hopefully it will get better next time I come back, but still, I hope not for three months.

Oh yah, last day tomorrow, I cannot wait to go back!

Categories
Travel Work

Land of Money Fiends

Company is complaining the cost in Australis is too high, and now I can understand why.

I arrived at the customs and got busted with two cartons of ciggies valued at NTD470 each. They confiscated the ciggies, and to get them back, no problem, AUD105.00.

I took taxi from airport to hotel, AUD115.00.

The hotel is OK but it is certainly not the best, but it is certainly the most expensive so far. By the way, they do not even offer tooth brush, and it is costing me each night, probably excluding GST, AUD198.00.

This place has no free internet (even Vietnam and Philippines do), and per hour is AUD9.90. One day unlimited is AUD19.90.

This place offers no complementary breakfast, and breakfast costs a mere, well, per person is, AUD14.00.

Australia is a land of money fiends.

Then again, like always, here is a picture of my hotel room.

My Room at The Grand Mercury Hotel

Man, I love business class. Actually, no, I didn’t take business class, I just have priority baggage. It does look pretty good hanging there though.

Business Class and Priority Baggage!

Me. Good night.

Blurry Me.

Categories
Travel Work

Strange Week Coming Up

Next week is going to be strange. I will fly back to Australia, well, not for holidays, but for work related trip. I will stay in Sydney, but I need to make my own way to Melbourne.

Company is stingy. They won’t let me have a direct flight back to Taipei from Melbourne, because I purposely delayed the trip for personal benefit. Gay.

Anyway, like always, I am under tremendous pressure again. I don’t like business trips. They send you and make sure you cannot come back unless you get the tasks done.

If this statement stands, then dammit!! Maybe I cannot come back.