I'm off ... well, to a new domain.  http://sassytraveller.com/  

I'd like to thank the people who've supported this little blog of mine, and I'm hoping my move to the bigger blogosphere won't affect how you like my little how-tos and adventures.  See you there!

I truly believe that everything that happens to everyone is their own responsibility.

But it’s cruel when accidents or calamities strike --- could anyone really point out that the victims of the earthquake in China, the cyclone in Myanmar or the kidnappings in Somalia are responsible for what happened to them? 

Then I believe in luck … but that directly conflicts with the notion that the person is in control.  Here are three things that I believe in now, which helps me keep faith in the things I believe in, and to help me not to lose hope during tough times.

Appreciate.  When you walk in the street, do you see A.) annoying beggars / traffic jams / or do you see B.) the sunshine, couples in love, people walking their pets?  If you see A, then you’re already bound to have a negative outlook in life.  Life’s pretty, and appreciating yourself and your surroundings would really give meaning to the life you live.

Avoid.  Really.  Some people prefer to end their day watching the nightly news, and, well, 90% of news shows are about something bad that’s happened to the world.  Don’t forward emails that “warn” or earthquakes or disasters, they only bring about mass hysteria.  Being updated with the world isn’t such a bad thing, but it doesn’t mean you have to wallow in the darkness.  Watch shows that help lighten mood, or, watch the end segments of news shows --- the ones that show the lighter side of the day.

Accept.  We’ll all be gone one day.  If you’ve lived your life to the fullest, always being nice, being smart, respecting people --- then it’s okay.  Living any other way is a waste.  Let’s just wish and pray for our fellow men, always being thankful that you’ve woken up another day to do the world some good.

I think I wrote something about people and them being like shoes --- well, see, there’s this funny thing that I’ve noticed while I’m trying out dating.  Some boys are just keepers, and well, some are just … egh. 

I don’t know if you all will agree with me, but for me, I can always tell when somebody’s worth the time, or not --- depending on the kind of sneakers he wears!  

I mean, there has been a study proving that when a person buys 3 or more pairs of shoes a year, they have leadership potential, so who’s saying that sneaker types don’t reflect the man? 

Old-School Sneakers.  Beat up Chucks, old Adidas shoes, with the old logo and all.  (Yeah you know it.)  Often misunderstood, this guy has just become so comfortable with himself that he doesn’t really care what anyone else says.  He’s a little on the defensive side, so it’s going to take a little work to try and coax that boy to shine, or, well, enter his world first.  Whichever comes first.

Sporty Sneaks.  This is a truly spontaneous person!  He’s always up for anything!  However, the whiteness of his shoe is equally proportional to how exciting this boy is: vanilla.  Is he just following the mad crowd?  Does he go where the herd goes? 

Flashy flashy.  Wearing sneakers that don’t even match?  Or wearing a pair of sneaks that have contrasting colors?  This is a guy who just loves himself, and loves to show off.  Does he balance his interest in you with self-promotion?  This guy can cope with change unlike the old-school sneaker guy.  Make sure you can cope up with him though, or he’ll replace you as fast as he gets new sneaks! 

Are you into pets, but dogs and cats won’t really fill that void?  Try something a little more exotic --- though I’m not talking about tigers or lions, some species of animals are illegal to be kept as pets, so here I am, with my pet Donatello the turtle, to educate you on some other cool animals you could keep without the legal hassle.

Remember: as cool as these animals are, always ask about how to properly care for them from whoever you buy them from, or do some research on the net. 

Turtles!  I’ve loved turtles since I was a kid, mostly in part because of the Ninja Turtles.  It’s not that you want to be any of them, but it was cool imagining that they’d be your ninja friends and hang out with you if you had pizza!  Here are a couple of species of turtles that are safe to keep as pets:

Box Turtle – These critters are land-dwelling creatures and are easily located in mossy areas of forests, and other damp habitats.  These are omnivorous creatures and will eat berries and small insects.  They are strong little turtles that can grow up to 6 inches long. 

Slider Turtles – I’m guessing these are the type of turtles that the ninja turtles were.  These are the kinds of turtles you see in pet stores in a tank, because of their tiny size.  However, proper care is required, as they can grow up to 11 inches long, so better make sure you have a tank that can accommodate a turtle that size!  Put in plenty of small rocks and a swimming area for the tank, as these turtles just love to play.  These are available and abundant in the California area.

Painted Turtles – Like the slider turtles, this species of turtles are aquatic.  They require a larger tank, or a small pool, always making sure that the water is clean.  They are omnivorous as well, and they can be fed feeder fish, chicken meat, special food sticks or lettuce.

Mud Turtles – Like the name implies, they prefer damp, muddy dwellings.  These turtles rarely grow over 5-6 inches, so they’re easier to keep indoors.  In captivity, special turtle food is recommended, only if you can’t provide insects, tadpoles and fish.

Ssssnakes!  Okay, so they may not be as socially accepted as turtles, but boy, do they make scary pets!  Remember, snakes from the wild usually tend to be much more aggressive than the ones grown in captivity.  So for your own safety, get a snake from a pet store instead.  Some species for inexperienced pet lovers:

Corn snakes, king snakes or ball pythons are bound to do you good.  These three tend to be gentle, and keeping in with their diet and environmental needs doesn’t take too much attention.  Should you do a good job, they can live up to 20 (corn / king) and 40 (ball python) years long!

Lizards!  Although lizards are usually inexpensive to buy, it’s with the light/heat equipment that’s gonna cost you.  Remember to do your research before a pet store tells you what the BEST (expensive!) equipment is.  Leopard geckos are ideal for starters, since they’re small and don’t really require the UVA/UVB lighting.  Bearded dragons, on the other hand need large terrariums and proper lighting to grow. 

Remember that research is still the best thing to do.  Also, consider if you could properly care for that pet, because it’s gonna be with you for a long time, given that you take proper care of it.

Whoah!  I’m psyched!  I’m pumped!  I just found out that the family’s taking a little trip to Singapore next, next week! 

Do you guys have any suggestions on what to do there?  (Aside from shopping, of course!)

In terms of our trip, I’m not sure what kind of flight we’ll be in, but I’m hoping it’s something like Singapore Airlines.  (Are these for real anyway???)  My dad’s going to do business, so during his meetings, me, my mom and my sister have some time to do whatever it is they do out there.

I want to go on one of those walking tours to China Town, Little India and Kampong Glam!  I also want to hit up Sentosa with my family, if ever dad gets a little time off.  Not sure how long we’ll be there, but I’m hoping after dad’s work, we get to hang out there for a while. 

Something I’d really, really, really like to do, but probably won’t get to do is get on one of the luxury trains and just see Singapore!

Hmmm … if I missed anything here, feel free to reply in your suggestions, while I do some research about Merlion nation.  =)

June is … next month!  You know what that means, wedding season!  As a girl, I have been planning my wedding, well, since I found out about it.  Call it social programming, whatever, I’ve always pictured myself having the biggest, grandest, loudest wedding … ever!  Maybe in Hawaii or the Bahamas!  Woohoo!

But the sad truth is, as I’m growing up, I’m realizing that frivolous wants does not equate to happiness in the long run.  Gotta think about the post-wedding life --- are we (me and my hubby-to-be) gonna live off the wedding gifts?  I don’t think so.

While I’m not saying to totally scrimp on the wedding details and have the reception at a Burger King, I’m saying, there are ways to save money simply by being practical.  (Most of these tips are friend-centric!)

Keep the wedding small – You don’t have to invite your schoolmate’s cousin’s friend’s neighbor to the wedding, just keep the list short, and full of the most important people in your life, close friends and family!  

Photography help! – I have a couple of friends who have SLRs and are photography hobbyist --- I think I’m gonna invite ‘em.  =)

Invitation nation – In my line of work, I’ve met a couple of artists, and, while some of them ask for cash when you ask ‘em to make stuff, they’ll give you a friendly discount if you ask nicely.

Car trouble – Limos and fancy cars are cool to rent, and cool to disappear off into the sunset in, but really, in my family, we’ve had tons of weddings using a borrowed Mercedes from an uncle.  =)

I came across a very interesting though this week from Ordinary Comics, “When you begin not liking the shoes that you used to wear all the time, it means that something in you have [has] changed.”  Which makes shoes a great indicator for growth, I guess.  Here’s my personal list of things of events that have happened to me that has moved me towards growth, in a way, I guess, and they may even be true for you.  (Life’s funny like that.)

Losing a relative.  I admit, I’ve lost a couple of loved ones to sickness quite a few times already, and its never gotten any easier over the years.  I remember thinking “I’m strong, I’m strong…” but then some days I just wake up with my pillow wet from tears. 

Falling and fooling (and failing!) in love.  Remember your first love?  This is funny, I remember thinking the world of this guy, and then, some conflict comes up, and I would end up crying myself to sleep!  --- Four, five years later, still can’t forget the guy, but I can now laugh at how I used to think that was “real” love.  Now I think that I’m smarter, I’ve made a couple of mistakes, but then I don’t know everything, love’s still a big giant mystery that I bite at, one nibble at a time.

Graduation.  High school or college graduation, it doesn’t matter --- it’s a great barometer for how far any one is in life.  It’s so weird to think about how life used to be soooooo hard way back in high school, well, until the real world ate up my friends and jobs and bills and such started popping up.  Graduation meant that, right after the ceremonies, your parents and relatives are going to take you out to dinner, or maybe meet up with a couple of friends because, according to John Mayer, “there’s no such thing as the real world.”  Well, until you get to it.

First job / First paycheck.  Having a job is super-different from being an intern --- when you make a mistake, you’re not risking a grade at school, but instead, you get a sense of what great potential for greatness and destruction you are.  Then movies like “Office Space” start making sense all of a sudden. 

First time out of the country, alone.  I have some friends who’ve done this ---- left the country all alone to pursue their studies and whatnot, and here I was worried over the planning, packing and how I’ll get to coordinate the things I want with people who don’t speak my language. 

First extreme sport.  Learning a new sport isn’t just for recreation, really.  That’s what I learned from my first bungee jump.  It scared the bejeezus out of me, but it proved a point that I really could DO anything I put my mind to, plus, I really could face my fears.  (And maybe not die from it?) 

Now I could think up other firsts but then they’d only overlap with the values that I’ve learned from all the various things I’ve just put up.  That’s not to say I’m a full grown up yet, far, far from it --- because sometimes I think that being a grown-up means that I get have ice cream for dinner, and no one would say otherwise.  :)

When I’m on trips, I always make sure I allocate my budget for important things.  Money for lodging/cab fares and whatnot, check.  Money for shopping, check.  Money for weird quirky souvenirs, check!  I always make sure to take a sampling of the culture with me once I get home.  My bag is usually lined with local delicacies (the kind that doesn’t spoil) and the unique souvenirs that place has to offer.

There are the usual, penholders, keychains and, ergh, shirts. 

Doing a little research, I’ve come up with 3 pretty interesting souvenirs that I, well, don’t look forward to owning, but will probably buy nonetheless. 

(Take note, when picking out souvenirs, I always look for things that are common in the place, something that’s not easily found, and something unique that I may display on my travel shelf.)

Kangaroo Scrotum Bottle Opener – Kangaroos have forever been related to Australia, and, with their great ability to reproduce, their numbers sure aren’t going down.  Although the Kangaroos have some form of protection from the Australian government and animal rights groups, they have to be creative in disposing with the dead ones.  I really don’t know what my dad or boyfriend will think once he gets one of these after a quick trip down under.

Panda Poop Souvenirs – Well, finally, someone’s found a use for poop other than manure.  What a great way to make money, it’s efficient!  A facility carefully segregates the undigested bamboo, sterilizes ‘em and turns them into paper products.  Wait, isn’t the Olympics in China???

Frog Purse – In the Philippines, well, apparently they sell frogs … as purses!  (Frogs gross me out!)  Is this a new way to help budget --- I should face my fears first before I could reach into the frog’s zipper mouth and grab my credit cards?

Ergh! 

Everyone has bad days, I guess.  It’s alright if you’re at home, with free access to a tub of ice cream … but what if you’re in the office?  And, well, the source of your frustration is your boss???

No matter how you try, you just can’t compute how your boss getting angry at you makes your job any easier, right?  Trying to reason out just makes your head hotter and hotter, until well you couldn’t take anymore, and then … kaboom!

Here are a couple of things you could do when being in the same room as an angry boss is just … insufferable.

Breathe.  If you can put off whatever you’re doing at the moment, take a walk!  Breathe!  Try breathing fast breaths gradually turning into low breaths … the more oxygen in the brain, the better you could think.  Think of a solution to a problem the boss has been badgering you about, or, maybe think about the boss … is he going through a tough time at home?  Is he snapping at you because he’s having a horrible time at home?

Breaker, breaker.  Nothing beats unloading a cluttered mind to a sounding board.  IM your closest officemates --- they might give you a new perspective on why the boss is mad.

Do your job.  If the claims against you are baseless, just do your job.  Just because a person's your boss doesn't mean you have to like him.  Know when to kiss up and when to stand up for yourself!

Unleash the beast.  Print out dozens of your boss’s photos … thumbtack a copy to a dartboard.  Throw darts.  J  (Do this outside the office of course, unless your office has a real morale problem!)

Remember the 90’s?  Of course you do!  Along with the rise and fall of 90’s rap into late-90’s grunge, there were comedy clubs!  (And yes, that segue was pretty far-fetched) And with comedy clubs, the obvious default line from the 90’s would be, “what is it about airline food?”   (Satire to satire?)

But know what, maybe that was a decade ago, but things have become so much better since then.  No longer do we have to settle with the idea of beer and nuts for lunch.  (Though it really just depends on what sort of ticket you get.)  

Until this little site called Airline Meals made its way to me.  Pretty interesting stuff, I might add.  Most of the content is user-submitted, along with a little review of their own about the food.  

The link to browsing airline food is called “browse thousands of meals” --- and it has a right to do so.  It gives you a selection of hundreds of airports … and the food stuffs they serve within.  No longer do we have to wonder what kind of meal to expect depending on the type of ticket you get on an airline.  

Is it a wonderful service?  Of course it is!  Because, to a tired and hungry traveler, a PB & J sandwich tastes like a million gold truffles, assuming that it comes with the flight!

Remember the 90’s?  Of course you do!  Along with the rise and fall of 90’s rap into late-90’s grunge, there were comedy clubs!  (And yes, that segue was pretty far-fetched) And with comedy clubs, the obvious default line from the 90’s would be, “what is it about airline food?”   (Satire to satire?)

But know what, maybe that was a decade ago, but things have become so much better since then.  No longer do we have to settle with the idea of beer and nuts for lunch.  (Though it really just depends on what sort of ticket you get.)  

Until this little site called Airline Meals made its way to me.  Pretty interesting stuff, I might add.  Most of the content is user-submitted, along with a little review of their own about the food.  

The link to browsing airline food is called “browse thousands of meals” --- and it has a right to do so.  It gives you a selection of hundreds of airports … and the food stuffs they serve within.  No longer do we have to wonder what kind of meal to expect depending on the type of ticket you get on an airline.  

Is it a wonderful service?  Of course it is!  Because, to a tired and hungry traveler, a PB & J sandwich tastes like a million gold truffles, assuming that it comes with the flight!

Earth Day may be over, but it doesn’t mean you gotta stop loving our environment.  After all, what’s the use of traveling if every place on Earth is a barren wasteland?  (I won’t even mention the zombies … oh, que horror!)

In our travels, we often sacrifice being ecological over convenience; here are a couple of tips to enjoy your normal vacations, all the while knowing that nature loves you too!

Re-use plastic bags, or use resealable Ziplocs – or even better yet, use recycled paper bags.

Avoid fastfood packaging … in any country.  For one, if you opt to buy fruits, you could eat them and the leftover skin can be reusable for some organic use.  Unlike styrofoam packaging and cellophanes.  For another one, if you opt to eat at traditional local restaurants wherever you may be staying, you get to experience the culture.  How cool is that?

Bring face towels and hankies!  When you bring a face towel or handkerchief and use that to wipe your mouth, face after eating, or when sweating, that’ll lessen the use for napkins.

Plant a tree!  Most countries I go to nowadays have some sort of countryside activity where you can plant a tree, or something similar.  Sign up for those --- who knows, your legacy will live on decades later!

Plan your trips online!  According to number 41 from 50waystohelp: “The cost of processing a paper ticket is approximately $10, while processing an e-ticket costs only $1. In the near future, e-tickets will be the only option, saving the airline industry $3 billion a year. In addition to financial savings, the shear amount of paper eliminated by this process is commendable."

Just because you don’t have the luxury of time or a huge, gigantic budget doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t take a weekend getaway.  A weekend getaway is a Friday-to-Sunday affair, oftentimes you can even attend work on that Friday, and maybe just leave a little earlier.  Here are a couple of reasons why it’s gonna be easy.

You don’t need to go far, far away – Fancy maybe a 3-4 hour drive to a beach, and maybe take some buddies with you.  They’ll be happy you asked them.  (Plus, you could peg someone else to drive!  Can you say ‘road trip’?)

You don’t have to save the last three paychecks for it – You can bring food from home, and cook ‘em yourself in most beach houses.  Plus, accommodation is pretty cheap, if you know where to look.

You can plan it … now? – The best thing about weekend getaways is, you don’t even have to plan them months in advance!  A friend might just get tired of work as much as you and pick you up from work, only to end up going to the beach, or a resort, two hours away.  Swimming clothes and toiletries???  There’re gasoline stations on the way.  :)

Spring is here … spring is here!  The flowers are blooming, and, well, since the Earth is slightly tilted towards the sun, the days last longer.  When the day lasts longer, there are more things to do!  And, well, since spring is just about the time June creeps in, it also gets pretty hot. 

Here are a couple of ways to keeping cool during Spring time.  (Now enjoy while the flowers bloom!) 

Spongebob Freezerpants – Yes, I saw this in an episode of a tv show starring Paul Reiser.  The idea is, if you like sleeping in your undies, bag ‘em then freeze ‘em for maybe an hour or two, then change into them before getting to bed.  Also, an icebag to the back of the knees and the elbows help keep you cool too.  (The only downside is, you’ll have that soggy feeling in bed.)

Spring Cleaning! – Surprise, surprise!  A cleaner apartment with zero dust / junk / clutter = more breathing room.  Plus, if you do get rid of dust, you’re less susceptible to getting sick, making you not miss any of that spring fun.

Go Go Vacation – Hit the beach!  Or the pool!  With a variety of places to go to, life couldn’t be sweeter!  A couple of suggestions would be Tortuga Bay Hotel, La Samanna or Cotton House. 

I love Europe.  Don’t ask.

It’s only like, another continent in this big, big world of ours, and yet, (as with many continents) most everything is different.  My first trip to Italy made me started it all --- the love for traveling.  Before, traveling meant just another reason to go through the motions of getting prepared, only to get totally exhausted afterwards.  But after Italy, everything changed.  The sights were new, the tastes … even the smells!  It was just too much to take in.  Of course, it was followed by shopping in Paris, eating in Croatia.  (They invented the tie!)  and inhaling the variety of architecture in Prague and whatnot. 

If you’re on a budget in Spain, try going to Pueblo Ingles (English village) and experience making a difference in the process.  They go and take care of your meals and lodging, while you try and impart your knowledge to others.  It’s also a great place to meet fellow travelers on their journeys.

That’s why I can’t let this unique opportunity pass up --- check it, you (or hopefully, me!) stand to win “unforgettable nights” for two in a selection of distinctly European places.  Because if you are a business traveler, I swear, try going to Europe --- you’ll find that life’s a lot more colorful when you’re out there!

Have you ever come across a friend you haven’t seen for years, … on a different country?  By accident?  You might’ve ran into that familiar face on the street, or maybe shared a place together, bottom line is, there’s something totally different when you’ve known someone from your playground days, only to see them as successful young men or women. 

The exact thing happened to me on a trip to Singapore --- I was remarking how the merlion looked “funny” --- I heard a chuckle from the travel group, and, surprisingly, the face was familiar!  It was a schoolmate from elementary!  (I hate to say it, but, “it is a small world after all”)  As it turns out, his job required for him to be sent back and forth to different branches of xxxxxxxxx hotels.  Which was interesting --- he got me discounts! 

We kept in touch months after that, occasionally meeting up with other friends from elementary we were still in contact with, magically making my phone’s memory fuller.  It turns out, during highschool, he developed a love for traveling.  Not only did I get a travel buddy (who can get me freebies and whatnot sometimes), I also reconnected with a long-lost friend.  Granted, we weren’t the closest of friends way back then, it’s a really nice surprise how knowing people in your childhood will bring good things in the future.

Looking for an old friend you’ve lost contact with?  Here are a few tips to finding ‘em:

Google! – Here’s a tip: Google’s only as effective as the keywords you use.  Keywords may include names, your school, batch, or special group/organization you might’ve joined in school.  Another key tip, use the “inurl” add-on to your query.  So, say you’re looking for John Smith in multiply.com, you enter “john-smith inurl:multiply.com” as your search query.

Social Networks – There’s no doubt in my mind that the internet has made the world a much smaller place --- and in the last 5 years, social networking has boomed making it even smaller.  Grab your highschool yearbook and run a search!  You’ll be surprised at what you may find.

Alumni e-groups – Both Yahoo and Google offer free Online E-Groups --- a batchmate of yours might’ve created a group for your batch, or school or your community.  Plus, they’re all easily searchable.

The Phone Directory – Yep, apparently phone companies still make ‘em.  What else is there to say?  Most phonebooths have ‘em, they’re all neatly indexed alphabetically and … that’s it.  (Thing is, if someone gets married, the last name changes.)

Blog – This’ll take a lot more work, assuming you don’t know any of your batchmates’ blogs --- a little Googling will help in blog urls, like blogger.com or wordpress.com. 

The cool thing is, if you find someone using any of the tips above, be it a really close friend or an acquaintance, they will lead you to other friends they might be in contact with!  You might find it surprising how far they’ve come, like the tv, or some other country.

Ever had one of those days when nothing seemed to go right?  You fall off the bed, the alarm didn’t wake you, making you later than usual, effectively dissolving that appointment at 8.  From that single moment, everything goes wrong --- the hot shower is lukewarm, the toast is soggy, the car won’t start and everyone seems to be moving slower than everybody. 

You’re cursing in the driver’s seat while the car in front of you seem to be trying to make a turn, delaying every car behind him.  There’s no parking space when you get there, and the nearest place to park is a block away from the actual office.  Once you get there, trying to act all aloof and cool, when, once you step out of the elevator, the boss is making rounds in the whole floor, for an inspection. 

It’s easy to point out the situations and all-around bizarre-ness of the things that added up to you ending up late, in front of the boss, but putting the blame on things is easy too.  If there’s anything my big brother taught me, it was taking responsibility.  If you slept early, you would’ve woken up early;  it wasn’t the alarm clock’s, the toaster’s, the shower’s or the other driver’s fault.  It’s a pretty harsh lesson, but practicing it will allow you to stop blaming everyone else for whatever situation you’re in.  Besides, it just goes to show that, when you are at your happiest, it’s by your own doing, not some external cause. 

At what point, during that morning, did you even stop and tried to smile? 

I had this article pointed to me the other day, and, well, aside from noticing that the first story sample is lifted from a Facebook story of an employee calling in sick, then posting images of him in a fairy costume for a Halloween party getting fired, I realized that, as a blogger, I like to think that it won’t ruin my life … not unless I let it.

I remember dissing blocks back when nobody else had ‘em --- it was weird for me, (not being part of the blogosphere yet) to post stories about myself.  It was like writing in a diary, then handing everyone a level-5 pass key --- all access.  It made no sense to me. 

Upon hearing so-and-so’s story about blogging a problem then getting a good Samaritan get to read that entry by accident and getting the required help --- well, I decided to give it a go.  When I did try it, it was … relaxing.  I get to write my own stories, regardless of edits and censorship. 

I do blog about adventures and things learned, but I know when to stop --- I do value my privacy, so I don’t post things that don’t need posting, like, what I had for breakfast and so and so.  About online bashing --- remember, when you put the hate on someone over a blog, it’s on the internet --- when it’s on the internet, it’s already global.  Now what good would that do?  Fanning the flames of hatred is the same in both the online and offline front: it’s a waste of energy. 

Advice?  Write what you feel like. 

Traveling is my life – much like how an instrument is for a musician, I could rarely imagine myself without the culture trip that every plane careening down a runway provides.  But I’m gonna step out of that for a while, as I’ve had this interesting talk with a travel agency friend of mine.  (If you travel as much as I have, you will get interesting contacts in the biz.)

I had this chance encounter with a friend who works at xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx, a travel agency.  We got into talking about holy week, and how, in some countries, they literally give the week away;  for prayer and whatnot.  (Though days off-work translates into potential mini-vacations.)  She was saying how, “If you don’t know anyone in whatever place you’re going into, holy week is the absolute worst time to go hitting beaches.  Along with Christmas and New Year, it’s just a kamikaze mission.” 

Of course, this didn’t shock me --- it was the absolute truth.  How come people still go trudge their way to these locales, only to get disappointed.  There’re no places to stay, the sands are covered with fleshy beasts getting tans and eventually getting stuck in a room that smells, or has a broken air conditioner. 

This was coming from a person who gets sent to xxxxxxxxx Suites all over the world just because it was a Tuesday!  She must be an expert at this, right?!  Her basic tip?  Get to know people.  If you had a pleasant stay at so-and-so place, make sure you meet the head honcho to get some un-written deal on your next flight there.  This includes private resorts and restaurants.  Hotels are a bit different – get to know if they have online booking, so that you could avoid the hassle of arriving way too late.  If you’re entrusting your trip to a travel agency, make sure you know the details of what a package entails --- if it says 2 days/2 nights, does that mean you can’t extend? 

What did she end up doing?  She spent time at home, with family.  “Just avoid the hustle-and-bustle if you could,” she said.