been practically on planes and in airport lounges for the past weeks. and seriously, it is tiring! mnla-saigon-hk-saigon-hanoi-saigon-hk-manila is not the kind of trip one would want to have. yes! not even a nomad like me. my itchy feet are actually now aching feet.
for 3 days now, got sniffles and nasty headache, which actually hamper me from working effectively. these on top of a stressful work programme in saigon make a super combo toxicness! and the communication barrier between my team and the contractors just makes the whole thing even more stressful. arrrrg!
i’m just glad i’m back to my motherland, where my super comfy bed is waiting for me. whoopeee!
o~o
in my recent business trips i met a couple of random yet very interesting people.
– an american woman, M, who is involved in training higher education teachers in afghanistan. she now lives there and is dedicating her time helping out restore whatever taliban troupe has destroyed. she told me stories i was so amazed, that humbled me BIG time. i hope i can do something like that too…something bigger than me…something that can make me proud cuz i did something for humanity. how? i still don’t know. but i am more awakened now, and would want to find that path that leads to that goal.
– a kiwi, C, who dropped his suitcase and turned his back to pursue his music. he used to be part of the hamster world as a marketing (and you know how marketing people can earn big bucks), when he realized, he can never be fully happy if he will not listen to the call of music. cool eh? now he’s relaesed 3 albums (not on major label), and is still writing songs that are witty, sometimes cheeky but generally chillax music.
– an aussie girl, N, left the life down under, chose saigon, a world totally different from what she’s used to, and is now teaching music in schools. she is the ambasadress too of CS-HCMC ans is very active in keeping the group intact to ensure no tourist would be alone discovering the charm of saigon oi :-) she floored me how she manage to get in touch with everyone regardless of color, gender & religion and find time to hve a dinner with them, drink with them and if they are lucky (cos N is free), go with them to mekong river or cu chi tunnel. sweeeeet! this is not to mention she is again taking another degree after her full time work during daytime.
– a filipino, J, auditor by day, singer by night :-) met him randomly when i had to go to DFA to have my mutilated (thanks to VN immigration officer who carelessly removed my passport from its jacket! booo!) passport replaced because X embassy where i got interviewed, didn’t accept it. (this deserves a separate posting). we had the same case so spent the entire day with him chatting about careers, travels, interests..about life in general and everything in between. he struck me with his zest for life and his ability to balance family, work & hobby so well. and mind you i swung by to this site (click on <advanced search><genre><jazz and blues><artists><jet pampolina>), wooooah! he’s one talented crooner! it’s just amazing how much he put himself in the album and thought of having a UK sound mix just to achieve the crisp & sharp quality of music he has aimed for. sweeeet!
yes, i complain about how stressful work can be, but if i can always learn a thing or two in my travels, who am i to whine the whole day?
coffee mug 
Characters like these make our everyday richer ‘no? :)
hi toni! welcome here! i knew you. i’m a lurker in your crib :-) and i like it there, always leave a positive energy after hopping.
true, these peeps just inspire me immensely! :-)
Thanks for the mention! I’m honored! It’s a great way to keep track of the people you meet around the globe. I’m always meeting incredible people around the globe that it is hard to keep it all straight. I like your use of initials to keep things on the downlow. I haven’t used this in the past, but might just adopt it! Hope we can meet again somewhere!
Cheers,
Miel