The last couple days have been great. I spent all of Tuesday hanging out with Cindy and Sarah (who invited me to visit Ukraine, which I will take them up on sometime in the near future). I was going to let them spend time together after we visited the castle, but we were having a good time, so I continued to stick around with them. It was Cindy's birthday on Tuesday, and it was her day to pick everything to do. We had a relaxing day: after the castle, we went to an art museum, a book store, and for dinner.
Yesterday, I decided to spend the day walking around the mall. I felt like doing something completely non-site related, as it was quite warm, and just didn't feel like walking in the heat. I bought a few clothes in H&M (and now will have to figure out how to pack them into my already full bag...), but I'll enjoy the clothes. I really wanted to get a watch from Swatch, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend more money (around 40 euros), even though it wouldn't take up any room since I could wear it. I'm still thinking about it...
In the evening, I went out with three people from the hostel. We were looking for the Jewish Quarters, but after 25 minutes of walking, we ended up discovering that we'd walked in a circle and were back at the castle! We tried again, and then reached the Jewish Quarters and went for a nice Polish dinner and then stopped in a bar for a drink on the way home (I had my favorite: Tatanka - apple juice and polish vodka, which together taste like apple pie!).
Today (Thursday) is a completely relaxing, no schedule day. I woke up when I woke up, no alarm, and am still putzing around the hostel at 10:30... Some days you just feel like doing this... I plan to walk around the whole city where the castle surrounded, stopping to read my book every once in a while, and then I'll meet a couple guys I met from the hostel for dinner. Still taking pictures and will post when I get home. :-)
Oh yeah, and I discovered a shop which sells the best ice cream in the world somewhat near my hostel -- yum, yum!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Krakow... the beginning few days
So far, Krakow has been good fun. I spent a couple days with my friend Romek, who drove us to different sites around Krakow, including a famous salt mine, and beautiful forest areas (will post pictures with the names of the places later... can't really pronounce them to try to spell them, so best to wait and get it right...).
Now that Romek's gone off to his home town for work (about 2 hours away from Krakow), I'm exploring around by myself.
I met two really nice girls (Cindy and Sarah) the day Romek and I arrived at the hostel and the four of us went and had a drink together and shared some laughs. Today (Monday), Cindy and I went to Auschwitz (a concentration camp in Poland) and Birkenau (an extermination camp). It was quite sad to see the museums there, and also to walk through the areas where millions of innocent people walked through at one point. Lots of thoughts went through my mind while walking around... I'd only ever seen reinactments of concentration camps in movies, but being in the camp for real was...well, there's not really words for it... but realizing how real it was and that it really did happen on the ground I walked on, was eye-opening...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp
On a lighter note, the hostel is great, and is in the center of the main plaza (it also includes breakfast!) Although, last night was a bit annoying. There's a crowd of people from Spain, and last night, they were extremely loud. The room I'm staying in happens to be right next to the common room / kitchen, and the Spanish people decided to drink last night. Not that I have a problem with people who make some noise and all, but they were doing so until 5:30 in the morning, turning on the lights in the bedroom, talking at the top of their lungs, banging around, etc! On top of that, at 2:45, I heard a girl moaning in the bunkbed nearby...a guy and a girl decided to have sex right there in the dormitory! Sigh... Needless to say, I didn't have such a great sleep last night, and I really hope that I will tonight...
Now that Romek's gone off to his home town for work (about 2 hours away from Krakow), I'm exploring around by myself.
I met two really nice girls (Cindy and Sarah) the day Romek and I arrived at the hostel and the four of us went and had a drink together and shared some laughs. Today (Monday), Cindy and I went to Auschwitz (a concentration camp in Poland) and Birkenau (an extermination camp). It was quite sad to see the museums there, and also to walk through the areas where millions of innocent people walked through at one point. Lots of thoughts went through my mind while walking around... I'd only ever seen reinactments of concentration camps in movies, but being in the camp for real was...well, there's not really words for it... but realizing how real it was and that it really did happen on the ground I walked on, was eye-opening...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp
On a lighter note, the hostel is great, and is in the center of the main plaza (it also includes breakfast!) Although, last night was a bit annoying. There's a crowd of people from Spain, and last night, they were extremely loud. The room I'm staying in happens to be right next to the common room / kitchen, and the Spanish people decided to drink last night. Not that I have a problem with people who make some noise and all, but they were doing so until 5:30 in the morning, turning on the lights in the bedroom, talking at the top of their lungs, banging around, etc! On top of that, at 2:45, I heard a girl moaning in the bunkbed nearby...a guy and a girl decided to have sex right there in the dormitory! Sigh... Needless to say, I didn't have such a great sleep last night, and I really hope that I will tonight...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Up, Up, and Away!
Saturday I head to Krakow, Poland for 9 days and then to Prague for the remaining 5 days! I'm really excited for the trip, and will share pictures when I get back.
I'm off to read more of my book after I finish packing!
I'm off to read more of my book after I finish packing!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Backlogged Blog, but Still Accomplished and Excited :-)
This weekend was really nice. I started the weekend off by going to a play by Oscar Wilde (An Ideal Husband), which was quite funny throughout (I do admit I was getting a bit sleepy in the middle, but that's not because of the play, it was just because it was late at night). I also had a wonderful Sunday afternoon with Sonja, Natalie, Steffi, and Lukas!!
Friday
1. I enjoyed having a lovely dinner of nachos at the Gasworks
2. I talked with a family at the bar who were traveling through and gave them some tips about a place to eat for dinner, and also some tasty drinks for later at the Gasworks!
3. I got an extra half of a Strawberry Daiquiri by asking the bar-man (after all, he would've thrown it out otherwise... ;-)
4. I picked up some shopping items in town that evening (a bunch of bottles of a great vinaigrette that tastes delicious on cucumbers!)
5. I had a pleasant conversation with my Uncle that evening - will have to take the initiative to invite him to a play or movie next time I go.
6. I enjoyed watching the Oscar Wilde play that evening -- one of the characters was extremely comical, and I realized where Angelica picked up one of her tag line quotes that's used as a signature on her e-mails: "The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself."
Saturday
1. I enjoyed lounging around the house.
2. The dreadfully powerful rain that fell all day was actually quite nice to watch and listen to.
3. I got most of my packing done for my trip, which begins on August 23rd!! Woo-hoo!
Sunday
1. I got up relatively early and had a good "irish breakfast" complete with an egg, toast, and rashers! Needless to say, I was quite full afterwards!
2. I went into town and bought everything on my list, including a bike lock and an adapter for Poland and other miscellaneous items. I was quite pleased that I managed to run from store to store and still make it to lunch on time, with 3 minutes to spare!
3. I met up with Sonja, Steffi, Natalie, and Lukas for lunch at a Sushi restaurant (no, I still don't care for sushi, but I can tolerate some with avocado in the rice roll...). We all had so many laughs together, and it was great to see everyone. I'm sure going to miss Sonja's company when she leaves for Germany, but I hope that Natalie and Lukas (Sonja's housemates) and I can stay in regular contact. And Steffi and I will have to meet up more as well!
4. After lunch, we all went to Dundrum shopping center, and I bought yet a couple more items, but I really love them, so it's okay that they cost the money that they did.
Monday
1. My friend Dave from work bought me an mp3 player because it was in the bargain bin at Tesco. I was absolutely thrilled with this present, and loaded a bunch of songs onto it so I can listen to them on my trip this coming weekend, and on my way to work during the week. It works brilliantly! I never realized how cool portable music could be until now!!
2. I successfully managed to make it into the city center and exchange items before the shops closed (one I realized was broken and another I realized I'd grabbed the wrong size) during my purchases on Sunday morning), and also make it back home in time to watch Friends (yes, I still really love that show even it makes me a silly mongoose...)
3. I was able to catch the bus home (barely), which means I didn't have to wait 20 minutes for the next bus to come along.
4. Table Tennis was great fun as usual, and I got some pointers from my other friend Dave, who's really good at the sport.
Tuesday
1. I went into work early today (since I left a half hour early yesterday to do my returns), and it was a pleasant walk in (it helped that I was excited to try my new mp3 player...!)
2. I had a nice chat with my Grandma and my mom after work over the phone.
3. I remembered to floss my teeth in between the bar that's on my first four lower teeth (it's always a chore to thread the floss in between the bar and my teeth...). I'm going to make that an every-other-day process.
4. I also ate my broccoli today - that made me proud of myself... ;-)
Friday
1. I enjoyed having a lovely dinner of nachos at the Gasworks
2. I talked with a family at the bar who were traveling through and gave them some tips about a place to eat for dinner, and also some tasty drinks for later at the Gasworks!
3. I got an extra half of a Strawberry Daiquiri by asking the bar-man (after all, he would've thrown it out otherwise... ;-)
4. I picked up some shopping items in town that evening (a bunch of bottles of a great vinaigrette that tastes delicious on cucumbers!)
5. I had a pleasant conversation with my Uncle that evening - will have to take the initiative to invite him to a play or movie next time I go.
6. I enjoyed watching the Oscar Wilde play that evening -- one of the characters was extremely comical, and I realized where Angelica picked up one of her tag line quotes that's used as a signature on her e-mails: "The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself."
Saturday
1. I enjoyed lounging around the house.
2. The dreadfully powerful rain that fell all day was actually quite nice to watch and listen to.
3. I got most of my packing done for my trip, which begins on August 23rd!! Woo-hoo!
Sunday
1. I got up relatively early and had a good "irish breakfast" complete with an egg, toast, and rashers! Needless to say, I was quite full afterwards!
2. I went into town and bought everything on my list, including a bike lock and an adapter for Poland and other miscellaneous items. I was quite pleased that I managed to run from store to store and still make it to lunch on time, with 3 minutes to spare!
3. I met up with Sonja, Steffi, Natalie, and Lukas for lunch at a Sushi restaurant (no, I still don't care for sushi, but I can tolerate some with avocado in the rice roll...). We all had so many laughs together, and it was great to see everyone. I'm sure going to miss Sonja's company when she leaves for Germany, but I hope that Natalie and Lukas (Sonja's housemates) and I can stay in regular contact. And Steffi and I will have to meet up more as well!
4. After lunch, we all went to Dundrum shopping center, and I bought yet a couple more items, but I really love them, so it's okay that they cost the money that they did.
Monday
1. My friend Dave from work bought me an mp3 player because it was in the bargain bin at Tesco. I was absolutely thrilled with this present, and loaded a bunch of songs onto it so I can listen to them on my trip this coming weekend, and on my way to work during the week. It works brilliantly! I never realized how cool portable music could be until now!!
2. I successfully managed to make it into the city center and exchange items before the shops closed (one I realized was broken and another I realized I'd grabbed the wrong size) during my purchases on Sunday morning), and also make it back home in time to watch Friends (yes, I still really love that show even it makes me a silly mongoose...)
3. I was able to catch the bus home (barely), which means I didn't have to wait 20 minutes for the next bus to come along.
4. Table Tennis was great fun as usual, and I got some pointers from my other friend Dave, who's really good at the sport.
Tuesday
1. I went into work early today (since I left a half hour early yesterday to do my returns), and it was a pleasant walk in (it helped that I was excited to try my new mp3 player...!)
2. I had a nice chat with my Grandma and my mom after work over the phone.
3. I remembered to floss my teeth in between the bar that's on my first four lower teeth (it's always a chore to thread the floss in between the bar and my teeth...). I'm going to make that an every-other-day process.
4. I also ate my broccoli today - that made me proud of myself... ;-)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Ride Around Sally, Ride
1. I got myself a bike (used) today from my friend Sonja. It'll be nice to ride by the sea. Now I just need to get a lock and a helmet... 2. Today I called and talked with my dad, I missed his voice, and was glad to hear from him :-)
3. My boss congratulated me on getting so much feedback on workplace morale from the mini-group sessions I set up. It helped that Elaine, one of the line managers who's also really into this area, was there. Elaine is able to really make people feel comfortable in sharing things. I'm in the process of trying to emulate her work manner.
4. I figured out why there was a mismatch with my checkbook register, finally! I had forgotten to write in a payment I made through Paypal for $25 to Skype. It's a relief to know what it is!
5. I got good news from the gym that I'm going to join, which made me quite happy :-)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Yes!
1. I called a meeting today with my boss, another line manager, and our boss to discuss how to keep morale up in the workplace, especially with the downturn of the economy (I'm supposed to be in charge of this area for our team, but people are tired of having the meetings 7+ years for the purpose of increasing the Gallup pole results). The meeting went really well, and afterwards, I discussed with my boss and his boss about my discussion with the head of the department. I think it was well-received, so we'll see where it leads!
2. I figured out how to free up 8GB of space on my laptop, whose hard drive space was increasingly inching its way towards being entirely full! Now I can finally run the disk defragmenter (you have to have at least 15% space free to use it apparently). This saved me from having to buy an external hard drive and it saved me from having to take it in to a shop!
3. I received an email from a friend, and I laughed my head off after reading it -- I love a good belly laugh! Thanks Romek! ;-)
4. I received another email from a different friend who gave some very good advice, and it fits in perfect with my desires and goals in life. Thanks Dick! :-)
2. I figured out how to free up 8GB of space on my laptop, whose hard drive space was increasingly inching its way towards being entirely full! Now I can finally run the disk defragmenter (you have to have at least 15% space free to use it apparently). This saved me from having to buy an external hard drive and it saved me from having to take it in to a shop!
3. I received an email from a friend, and I laughed my head off after reading it -- I love a good belly laugh! Thanks Romek! ;-)
4. I received another email from a different friend who gave some very good advice, and it fits in perfect with my desires and goals in life. Thanks Dick! :-)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Timing
1. I was able to catch the bus this morning just as it was rounding the corner, saving me from being too late to work (seeing how I fell back asleep after turning the snooze button off by mistake)!
2. I received some good advice while talking to the head of our department, and will try to suggest incorporating the idea into my goals for the year when I have a chat with my boss.
3. I put the final touches on a report I've been working on at work for a few weeks. It feels good to have it mostly behind me (pending one area that I'm awaiting information).
2. I received some good advice while talking to the head of our department, and will try to suggest incorporating the idea into my goals for the year when I have a chat with my boss.
3. I put the final touches on a report I've been working on at work for a few weeks. It feels good to have it mostly behind me (pending one area that I'm awaiting information).
Sunday, August 10, 2008
I Should Be Sleeping in The Flowers...
Here are some photos from Saturday's adventure to the Botanical Gardens in Glasnevin. It's a great place, and if you haven't been there, definitely make time to go!!
This was just a cool metalic statue (I wanted my picture with him, but no one was around to take our picture together, so you just have to imagine...!)
There were so many colors of flowers in the gardens, it was really nice to have all in bloom!
This was a pretty arrangement
I love these flowers!!!
This is designed and created with flowers! Each color you see is a flower or plant of some sort! Amazing, huh!?
A meddow I saw, outside the garden gates, but wildflowers are just as pretty in my mind!
This little squirrel liked getting fed. He was also quite the bully if any other squirrel tried to take food from me, he would make a strange noise and then run them away from me! Still cute though...
These magpies kept trying to take the squirrels' food. When I left, they finally went searching for the leftovers!
This is a different little squirrel, I liked his curiosity and his smile ;-)
See, loads of colors!!
A nice little patch where you could sit and enjoy the garden...
The one and only...!
A pretty little waterfall, anyone who knows me, knows my fascination with waterfalls of any shape form or size!
Walking along the canal, quite nice, my feet always seem to head towards water when my ears hear it rushing along...!
This was just a cool metalic statue (I wanted my picture with him, but no one was around to take our picture together, so you just have to imagine...!)
There were so many colors of flowers in the gardens, it was really nice to have all in bloom!
This was a pretty arrangement
I love these flowers!!!
This is designed and created with flowers! Each color you see is a flower or plant of some sort! Amazing, huh!?
A meddow I saw, outside the garden gates, but wildflowers are just as pretty in my mind!
This little squirrel liked getting fed. He was also quite the bully if any other squirrel tried to take food from me, he would make a strange noise and then run them away from me! Still cute though...
These magpies kept trying to take the squirrels' food. When I left, they finally went searching for the leftovers!
This is a different little squirrel, I liked his curiosity and his smile ;-)
See, loads of colors!!
A nice little patch where you could sit and enjoy the garden...
The one and only...!
A pretty little waterfall, anyone who knows me, knows my fascination with waterfalls of any shape form or size!
Walking along the canal, quite nice, my feet always seem to head towards water when my ears hear it rushing along...!
Abundance in Life :-)
I just finished the Law of Attraction (by Michael Losier) and I'm going to start again with writing about things that made me feel good about what's happening in life, and to make me appreciate anything that helps keep my vibrations positive.
Friday -
1. The head of our department, Joe, acknowledged an email I sent to him, and told me to schedule an appointment with him for Monday just to chat (he's in charge of 2,000 people, and he is choosing to spend time chatting with me about my ideas and thoughts!) - all because of an email I wrote to him with a suggestion after he gave a speech to our departmental team.
2. I had a lovely evening with Dave and discovered that I love Strawberry Daquiries and Frozen Snowslides. And doing the crossword with alcohol involved, Dave still managed to get more answers than me (I'm going to attribute that to the fact of him not drinking as many beers as my cocktails...!)
3. I talked the bartender into giving me 1 euro off a 6 euro drink! (as a compromise to giving me a free drink...! ;-)
4. I met my friend Frank while I was walking home, and it was a nice surprise! We chatted and then parted (I play table tennis with Frank)
Saturday -
1. I spent the day in a beautiful botanical garden (which was free to enter, I might add!)
2. When feeding the more-than-happy-to-get-food squirrels, a handful of children came up to me wanting to share the food I brought to help feed the squirrels. It was nice to see their excited little faces. One of the kids was young, and when I handed him a small handful of food, he ate it himself instead of giving it to the squirrels!
3. Twice I met the same happy group of people (about my age) giving a tour of Ireland to their friends from another country while walking around the garden, and we had a good laugh in our brief conversation exchanges!
4. One of my friends, Ali, brought me a pizza for dinner just because.
Sunday -
1. I started to put a pair of jeans on to go out and look at bicycles today, but then it started raining. So, I took the jeans off and put my pajama bottoms back on, then the sun came out again. I took that as a sign to lounge around the house and do things as my jeans are a sure sign of rain today. It hasn't rained again since, and I was quite happy lounging around my apartment!
2. I finished reading a book that I've been glancing through for a few months now, and actually wrote out all the required exercises! I'm proud of myself for that, and I hope I can make a difference with what I wrote!
3. I started going through the thousands of photos from Peru (yeah, I know this trip was back in July...but there's a lot of photos and it's slightly daunting and tiresome!). I've decided that I'd like to finally pick out the good ones and create my photo album of my trip to Peru, it's been long enough!
Friday -
1. The head of our department, Joe, acknowledged an email I sent to him, and told me to schedule an appointment with him for Monday just to chat (he's in charge of 2,000 people, and he is choosing to spend time chatting with me about my ideas and thoughts!) - all because of an email I wrote to him with a suggestion after he gave a speech to our departmental team.
2. I had a lovely evening with Dave and discovered that I love Strawberry Daquiries and Frozen Snowslides. And doing the crossword with alcohol involved, Dave still managed to get more answers than me (I'm going to attribute that to the fact of him not drinking as many beers as my cocktails...!)
3. I talked the bartender into giving me 1 euro off a 6 euro drink! (as a compromise to giving me a free drink...! ;-)
4. I met my friend Frank while I was walking home, and it was a nice surprise! We chatted and then parted (I play table tennis with Frank)
Saturday -
1. I spent the day in a beautiful botanical garden (which was free to enter, I might add!)
2. When feeding the more-than-happy-to-get-food squirrels, a handful of children came up to me wanting to share the food I brought to help feed the squirrels. It was nice to see their excited little faces. One of the kids was young, and when I handed him a small handful of food, he ate it himself instead of giving it to the squirrels!
3. Twice I met the same happy group of people (about my age) giving a tour of Ireland to their friends from another country while walking around the garden, and we had a good laugh in our brief conversation exchanges!
4. One of my friends, Ali, brought me a pizza for dinner just because.
Sunday -
1. I started to put a pair of jeans on to go out and look at bicycles today, but then it started raining. So, I took the jeans off and put my pajama bottoms back on, then the sun came out again. I took that as a sign to lounge around the house and do things as my jeans are a sure sign of rain today. It hasn't rained again since, and I was quite happy lounging around my apartment!
2. I finished reading a book that I've been glancing through for a few months now, and actually wrote out all the required exercises! I'm proud of myself for that, and I hope I can make a difference with what I wrote!
3. I started going through the thousands of photos from Peru (yeah, I know this trip was back in July...but there's a lot of photos and it's slightly daunting and tiresome!). I've decided that I'd like to finally pick out the good ones and create my photo album of my trip to Peru, it's been long enough!
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