Goddess, I Am.

We got back from Hong Kong early this morning, and I’ve been spending the whole day recuperating. I think my poor feet are now on strike! They’re certainly refusing to walk more than a few meters at a time right now. I’ll blog about what we were up to the 3 days we were in HK that got my feet in such sorry shape, but for now, I just want to write a quick review of the fabulous hostel we stayed in.

When we first visited HK in 2007, we had the misfortune of staying at the Travellers Friendship Hostel in the famous (and grubby) Mirador Mansions. On our first night, we were ‘upgraded’ to a deluxe room at the USA Hostel (they’re the same company, apparently) because our room at Travellers Friendship was still occupied. We were supposed to move in the morning – quite inconvenient, but we didn’t bother complaining about something so trivial. The room looked fine, though, so were expecting our ‘real’ room to be okay, at the very least.

How wrong we were! It was actually more of a closet than a room. It was just wide enough to fit a filthy double bed. The only way on or off the bed was via the bottom, where we had about no more than 2 feet of floor space before we reached the bathroom door.

And don’t get me started on the bathroom. It was beyond icky with cracked and yellowing tiles and the grubbiest grout imaginable. Cold water just trickled out of the shower, so we had to spend more time in the bathroom than was necessary. And the toilet . . . ugh! We had to pull a chain dangling from the ceiling to flush it, imagine that.

It was bad. No, scratch that. It was BEYOND bad! And when we tried to complain about it, the really rude staff actually had the nerve to tell us to move elsewhere while refusing to give us a refund on the same breath!

We vowed never to stay there again, which was why I spent the last few months looking for more suitable accommodation for our second visit without ruining the budget we’ve set aside for accommodation. As a rule, we make it a point not to spend more than US$200 total on accommodation, and since HK is an expensive city, our choices were limited to hostels. I did consider staying in yet another hostel in Mirador Mansions (Cosmic Guesthouse), but I just couldn’t forget our last trip, so I kept looking.

Thankfully, I stumbled over the Hop Inn on Trip Advisor. It was only a tad pricier than Cosmic, but a hell of a lot prettier and better recommended. I figured the US$60 (or so) difference was worth it – and it was!

Like all HK hostels, the Hop Inn had small rooms, yes. But one could really see the love and care put in to the venture. It’s run by two brothers, Simon and Wilson, and they did a fantastic job of making the best out of the available space by commissioning local artists to paint pretty murals on the walls. This made the rooms cozier and seem a lot larger.

Photo Taken from the Hop Inn Site

I especially loved the uber cool glass bathrooms, the LCD HDTV, the hot and cold shower, and the very modern toilet. Also, the location was absolute perfection. It’s no more than a few blocks’ walk from Victoria Harbour, the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station, the Star Ferry terminal, and all the best that Tsim Sha Tsui could offer. There was even a huge HMV right across the street, and as far as The Husband was concerned, he was in Blu-ray heaven.

The View from Our Window

They also had free wifi. And if you didn’t have a laptop, you could borrow one from reception – FREE! There’s free drinking water in the common room, and you could refill your water bottles all you want. There’s also a tiny but comfy reception area where you could read books and magazines, or chat with whoever’s tinkering with the iMac behind the reception desk.

My only gripe about the whole Hop Inn experience is probably the lack of sufficient surface space. We really could’ve used maybe a small table in the room to put odds and ends on. Instead, we ended up putting things on the windowsill or the floor. But no biggie; we made do with what was available, and we were still perfectly comfortable.

Our 3-day stay at the Landscape of the Traveler’s Palm room worked out just a little over US$180 at US$62 a night. It was worth every penny. In fact, we’ve already decided to stay at the Hop Inn next time we’re in HK. Which will be, what, early next year?

I honestly can’t wait to be back. And to think I’ve only just left! God, I ♥ Hong Kong!

Mum left for Canada last night, and right now, I’m just pining away. I truly am happy for her, though. There’s nobody in the world who deserves this opportunity more than she does. But, of course, it doesn’t stop me from missing her something awful.

Within the last 24 hours since she flew out of Cebu, I seemed to have developed an aversion to food. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to eat anything. In fact, the thought of food makes me slightly sick.

However, this does not mean that sadness is the best weight loss product. I can only stomach Macadamia and Caramel gelatos and tiramisus and Rockin’ Road Krushers right now. Evidently, my newfound distaste for food does not extend to sweets.

Thank heavens there’s the Hong Kong trip to forcibly pull me out of this funk in 3 days. Being sad – and hungry – is a pain.

Mum, you are missed. I love you.♥♥♥

[slickr-flickr tag="mom"]

When I was a kid, I wanted a pony. I begged, pleaded, and cajoled, but I never did get a pony. Instead, throughout my life, I got a hell of a lot of dogs, a few cats, a few freshwater fishes (one of ‘em was a piranha named Pete), a couple of sailfin lizards, 3 runaway Philippine hanging parrots (locally known as the kulasisi), and – believe it or not – a squirrel.

I haven’t had a pet in ages, and I do miss having one every so often. It’s just that right now, the house isn’t very pet-friendly with all The Husband’s electronics lying around, and I’m simply too busy to take any real responsibility for one.

But say, hypothetically, we do get a pet someday, I would want one of these:

1. A giraffe. I cannot explain it, but I am fascinated by giraffes. The first time I ever saw a real one in Bangkok’s Dusit Zoo, I burst into hysterical tears. I kid you not.

I know it’ll be a chore to get one in one of those Duramax Storage Sheds, but perhaps I can get away with having one in the (future) backyard? I’m not sure, however, exactly how the neighbors will take to it, truth be told.

2. A capybara. I’m thinking I could probably get away with one easily. I mean, a Labrador-sized rodent should be easy enough to hide, right?

I know I could give them an excellent home; there are no anacondas in the Philippines, after all!

3. An alpaca. Seriously, how cute are alpacas? And they’re pretty handy, too. Apparently, good alpaca fleece can be a real money-maker, so in theory, you have a pet that pays for itself.

I read that there are more alpacas bred in Australia now than in South America. So there really is no reason why they can’t be raised in the Philippines. Or so I told The Husband. Who did not look entirely convinced, by the way.

So right now, it’s looking like we’ll probably end up with a cat, or a teeny bichon fraise, and probably a few fishes. Eventually, maybe.

Okay, not really a slave. More like an assistant.

The Perks:

- You get to work from home. Or from Starbucks. Or by the beach. Whatever floats your boat.

- You get to learn SEO from an industry expert whose campaigns are consistently at the top of search engine results pages (SERPS).

- You get to work at your own time and pace. That is, as long as you DO the work.

- This is a full-time job. And if I’m happy with your work, it’s also potentially long-term.

- You will be very well paid. Again, if I’m happy with your work after 3 months, I’ll give you a raise.

The Catch:

- Your schedule is flexible, yes, but don’t think that you can bunk off work. We’ve got deadlines to meet, and you have to meet those deadlines one way or the other. This is extremely important. This pretty much means that if you skip work one day, you’ll have to make up for it the next . . . even if you don’t sleep doing so.

- This job isn’t a walk in the park. There’s much to learn and even more to do, so you need to have an excellent coping mechanism to do so.

- Apart from the good pay, there are no other benefits.

- You need to think fast and work fast. I will teach you a lot of things, but I will NOT be around to hold your hand at all times. You have to be able to take the initiative when needed.

- If you’re whiny, this isn’t for you. Nothing pisses me off more than someone who complains about work because I never do. This is an opportunity that a lot of people will kill for, so you have to be able to appreciate that.

- No slacking! I’ve been in this business long enough to know a lame excuse when I see one. I’m a considerate boss, believe it or not, but only if you deserve it.

- Although we’re not doing highly technical work, there’s still a bit of techie stuff involved. I need someone who can learn whatever I teach lightning-fast and who can follow instructions. I don’t like repeating myself.

- As I said, this is a potentially long-term, full-time job. If you are working elsewhere, this isn’t for you (unless, of course, you’re quitting, anyway). I will NOT have anyone resigning from their jobs on my account. This is ideal for those who are currently unemployed, or freelancing full time.

The Requirements:

- You can write. And by write, I do NOT mean type. You need to have near-perfect grammar and spelling, which meet my standards.

- You own a computer; preferably a laptop, in case I need to meet you somewhere to discuss something. Also, said computer must not belong in a museum and must work 99.9% of the time.

- You have stable Internet connection. Internet problems as excuses are a dime a dozen, and I will only accept such an excuse SOMETIMES (read: hardly ever). You should know by now if your ISP is crap or not so there’s no reason not to switch . . . like, NOW.

- You have a cellphone and/or a landline that I can bug you on. And be warned, if you’re not good or if you miss deadlines, I WILL bug you!

- You have to be computer-savvy. I have no time to teach you the basics. A bit of HTML know-how is preferred.

- I prefer someone who lives in Cebu City, so we can meet for trainings and stuff. But if you’re from out of town and you think you can do the job, we’ll talk about it.

If I haven’t scared you off at this point and you’re still interested (or know someone who is), email me at iriswrites [at] gmail [dot] com with ‘FULL-TIME APPlICANT’ on the subject line. Please attach your resume along with two or three writing samples (links to blogs, portfolios, articles, etc. – whether you’re writing about noxycut or the mating habits of llamas doesn’t matter). If you hear from me, it means I’m considering you for the job. If not, don’t bug me, please. Please state your expected salary, as well.

If you can only work part-time, let me know. I do take part-time writers, too.

Once again, I am amazed at how quickly time flies when you’re having fun. I woke up this morning and realized that in 11 days, I will be back in Hongkong! To say I’m excited is an understatement. The Husband and I already have our itinerary all planned out; I just hope it won’t rain so much while we’re there!

This was me in Ocean Park back in October 2007:

Yes, I’m in a pumpkin!

Good God, was I skinny! At the moment, I’m going to need to bring out ‘em weight loss products again, if I am going to rock all the outfits I’ve bought . . . so far. Oh, well.

So the countdown begins today. And it’s a bit of a catch-22 because I’m also counting down to something that’ll happen a few days before the Hongkong trip that I’m dreading. On the one hand, I’m wishing time will hurry up somewhat so I can go a’traveling again, but on the other, I’m wishing it won’t! It really is a freakin’ emotional roller coaster, and I’m starting to feel a tad bipolar.

How about you? Have you ever felt this conflicted before?