I have bad news for European visitors and Filipinos who travel to and from Europe and the Philippines.  We have lost our last direct flight service to Europe: the  Manila Amsterdam KLM direct flight will end by April, 2012.

The main reason for KLM’s decision is the high taxes and exorbitant fees imposed on them to operate in the Philippines.  Among these are the 2.5 percent common carriers tax (CCT) and 3 percent gross Philippine billings (GBP), which is being charged on all foreign airlines.

This is definitely not going to help boost our tourism.  Our kababayans from Europe who go back to the Philippines for a vacation certainly need to find a new airline.  I am pretty sure this would mean paying higher prices for tickets.

So what would be our options now? The top 3 choices in my quick search revealed the following carriers: Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines and Singapore Airlines with option of using our local carriers PAL and Cebu Pacific to go to the hub cities such as Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

There have been some  unpleasant experiences I’ve had with flying KLM but still we continue using it all the time because of their unbeatable prices and a 12 hour flight is still better than having a stop over, inspite of the bad food, dirty toilets and brusque flight attendants we occasionally have to endure with KLM.  I just hope KLM will reconsider their decision. Nothing beats the convenience of a direct flight of only 12 hours to Europe.

I attended an oath taking ceremony for an old friend of mine in Philadelphia.

She, like several others here regained their Filipino citizenship back. I saw several familiar faces from my old life in the 90′s. They asked me if I was getting my dual citizenship. I told them I did it a few years ago already. The whole process of waiting took a day to finish. It’s good that we were close to Penang, my favorite Malaysian restaurant in Chinatown so we had a nice lunch there. This trip to the Center City Brings back old memories of my first job in the US. Oh well.

The following are picture of the Manhattan skyline close to sunset and
Manhattan skyline at sunset.

Crashed Attended a July 4 Party in Weehawken

and watched the Independence Fireworks. Met some really interesting folks. Parking was really difficult we even had to take a bus back to the parking garage where we parked the car. I am not really a New York type of person. My cousin loves New York City. I don’t. In the end, I thought the whole trip was tiring to me inspite of it all. New York is just too overwhelming for me. We went there a second time, to watch Rock of Ages the Musical and was able to watch it for $20 — only thing we needed to do was enter the raffle and wait there at the box office for around half an hour . It was quite easy to win because many people came in pairs or groups. If your name is called you get two tickets. My cousin won. Going home was a nightmare for me. To make the long story short, I got lost trying to find my way to my station and to my parked car. My cousin and I parted ways after watching the musical so that’s why I had to look for it alone. At first I felt ok with it since I’ve done things alone before but after this I swear I won’t try to do this thing again .. even go back to New York.. never liked it really that much…and also going to a big city alone however, if I would do it again it’s gotta be London and no driving. OK I might be dodging some stones now from the readers who love New York.

Here’s a video of the fireworks: Video of New York City July 4 Fireworks

The itinerary I chose is also somewhat wacky.  My hubby and I flew from the Philippines to Amsterdam and I stayed there for a week to attend the wedding of my sister in law.  After 5 days I knew I could only stand living there for one more day.  It seems that everytime I visit Amsterdam, I feel more and more of a stranger to the country.  What with all the stares I get and all the awkward conversations I had with both Dutch people and fellow foreigners (allochtonen) like me.  At some instance, I even had a fellow foreigner bully me into listening to her strange stories and crazy comments about me and my hubby.

When I was called for second interview right at the port of entry (and a thorough luggage search) I wasn’t surprised after telling them my weird but true story and the fact that I flew to North America by way of Amsterdam.  I knew I might trigger red flags. However,  after also spending a week with my family in Canada whom I really missed I also felt out of place and couldn’t find a quiet place to do anything worthwhile. The kids were all over the place (and all over me). I needed room to breathe.

That is why now I continued my sojourn into my past.  I found myself an affordable but comfy place right in South Jersey where I used to live.  The flight yesterday was quite painless.  The only trouble is that traveling alone without my hubby is such a chore with 2 pcs of luggage I had to roll around by myself across the Philadelphia airport towards the rental car shuttle and on towards the rental car office.    I was pretty sure my reservation said Prius or any midsize car but for some reason the agent said that is 10$ extra per day.  Are they scamming me or what?  I was too tired to argue so I just said fine whatever.  It turns out they didn’t even have a Prius. Oh well, nevermind then.  I ended up with a cute Kia Soul which I am not even sure counts as midsize.  With the insurance added, the total cost doubled.  Grr.  Can I downgrade? They said no.  Ok fine here’s my card.

Driving was so easy.  I didn’t even have to use my phone’s GPS which suddenly lost it’s voice.  It bailed out on me.  I’m just so glad I still remember the area (in general).   I used to live there back in 2002 anyways.    I arrived in the hotel without getting lost.

The (stupid)/(careless) concierge told me my name was not found in the computer.  I told her it was prepaid.  She said maybe I booked in the other branch. Duh!  I was about to show her the documents when she suddenly said she found my record.  She was looking at another date.

The room I got was fine although the TV was quite outdated and the remote not working right: every button was just adding -1 to the channel and there is no working power off button.  I decided to keep my dinner simple by buying something I like from the supermarket.  After all, I have a nice little fridge here.

I didn’t have a nice long sleep but I felt rested nevertheless.  I had free breakfast downstairs.  The breakfast was of course not remarkable.  The eggs had a weird smell to it so I kinda skipped it. They had canadian bacon though which I gladly put in between 2 slices of brown bread.  Fresh juices on the vending machine and cereals. They also had muffins too.  After that, I asked the concierge (new shift) if I could change to another room that is not adjoined (has door that opens to other room).  Creepy especially for someone alone like me.   Luckily she allowed me to move to another room.  The TV was the same, remote was the same but this time the channels can go forward and backwards.  Don’t get me wrong.  This hotel isn’t a scary bates motellish motor inn.  It’s kinda even +1 in luxury compared to Best Western: the beds were comfy, everything was also very clean and a high rise with elevators.  A plus for a security conscious and half scared / half brave adventurer like me.

I have talked to my cousin today who is currently in North Jersey and had received an invitation from a friend from the Philly suburbs for a stay this weekend.  As of now, I am still not sure whether I should go with my cousin on the 4th of July to watch the Manhattan skyline fireworks with her friends or attend a July 4 party in the suburbs.  I am partial to the fireworks but my cousin said if it’s possible I should do both.  There is another friend I contacted by email (who has a baby) but has not answered my phone calls.

I also received a short but thoughtful email from my nephew back in Canada. Today, I revisited my favorite PHO restaurant for lunchwhich MrC also liked.  The small bowl of pho was still $6.  I also tried to visit an Apple store but there was no Ipad with 3g available.  I got myself a phone mount.

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Day 1-5 : Spent each day visiting our friends. One couple with a small daughter in Haarlem, another new couple who just moved to a 2 floor apartment in the suburb of Almere and finally, another couple who just moved in to a nice spacious duplex house.  In between visits, we spent quality time with MrC’s family.  Of course one would not forget the typical sumptuous vegetarian dinners, and almost unlimited cups of tea with the “compulsory” cake or cookie.  We even went home with a “care package” bag composed of cheese  sandwiches, chocolate, and oranges. Thanks to MrC’s mom and his business partner! We stayed in our usual Best Western hotel which was very near MrC’s parents house — highly recommended by his Mom of course!

Day 6: I flew to Newark. I’m glad it was a direct flight. It only took around 9 hours +.  It wasn’t so easy carrying all the heavy stuff by myself though.   I was carrying a lot of winter clothes that I am going to leave to my mom and sister.  With a rented car and a GPS I was all set to see NJ and PA! Oh man, I just didn’t know how great the feeling was to be back again.  America did feel like home to me!  I stopped over a Ruby Tuesdays to have my first meal in the US of A.   I couldn’t help but grin after hearing this from the waitress: “Hi my Name is Janine (not her real name) and I am your server for today” .  Welcome to America!

At around 6:00pm I arrived safely at my friend’s place.  This is where I would be staying 3 days out of the 5 days I stayed in the US.  The rest of the 2 days was spent in my other old friend’s big house in Pennsylvania.

I’ve read somewhere that most of the time if a Filipino-expat mixed couple moves back to the Philippines it’s usually the Filipino spouse that has a hard time.  I think in a way this applies to me.  When I was abroad I missed things Filipino but somehow part of me has also embraced the American way of life, otherwise I wouldn’t have applied for naturalization.  I am proud to be both Filipino and American but now after going back there I feel as if I am slightly a bit more “at home” in the US.  Not all people are the same.   My friend still subscribes to ABS CBN and GMA channels and watches Filipino shows more than ever.  On the other hand, I was secretly indulging in all the American shows that I missed watching most of my free time. Thanks to having a really high speed Internet  connection (40mpbs) I can watch them there on-demand.  AAhh! I miss 40MBPS!  Right here back at home, my “high speed” Bayantel goes up to only 1MBPS (cry).

As part of my intended re-immersion into American culture here are the things I did: (1) watched friend’s kid’s school Halloween Parade (2) Visited and shopped in a factory outlet (3) Ate Chicken Wings while watching championship baseball match in a a sports bar (4) Ate Philly Cheesesteaks in a small pizza joint in South Philly (Italian Market) while listening local folks banter about the last baseball game. (5) Drive in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpike for at least 1.5 hours!  Seeing the old places, and quaint autumn vistas along the hilly suburbs West of Philadelphia, I can’t really find any more words to describe my feelings but it felt like meeting an old flame, and was uncontrollably smitten.  Enough said.

In Canada, I saw my sister’s family (husband, 3 kids) and mom.  I haven’t seen them for at least a year!  I missed them a lot.  I spent a whole week attending Hockey practices and matches, sending off nephews to their school bus, helping out at my sister’s Kumon business, being interviewed by a 4 year old “Oprah style”, having breakfast in a Canadian diner, attending church with family, having a birthday dinner with family, going to the mall (of course) and eating at the Chinese food court (yummy and cheap).  And having a relaxing time overall.  When I was leaving the airport, my family gave me a group hug. I was touched.  I held off my tears until it was time to board the plane (that long hehe!).

I went back to Amsterdam filled with fond memories, a renewed drivers license and a balikbayan box to boot which I filled up in New Jersey and will be sent via LBC thanks to my dear friend!

The next morning MrC and I took the next flight back to the Philippines.

We arrived on the first week of December last year and moved in directly to our two bedroom apartment in Mandaluyong my mom found for us.  We reconnected with the people we met during our first trip.  We visited my relatives over in Cebu and attended a wedding and also my relatives in Quezon City.  We were also invited to a company Christmas party by the beach by the Dutch businessman we met in September who eventually provided us with a lot of hospitality during our stay here.  Later on, our personal effects arrived here but we had to wrestle and play phone tag with the customs brokers to get it all done.  In the end, we spent a great deal of money and trips to North harbor just get it delivered right into our apartment.  We got them all now.

We started getting Globe broadband internet at home after one week of waiting.  Meanwhile, I was still unsure of what I am supposed to do here.  It was a confusing time for me.  My feelings about our move here were still mixed.  I explored various options.  At the same time I also considered it my Sabbatical.

In January, we visited Baguio.  The weather was perfect.  I explored the city a bit was impressed by the amount of parks that are still there and well maintained.  However, the city somehow lost its “charm” and “magic” that I had in my childhood memories of summer visits with my family.  Maybe part of it is the worsening air pollution and the scent of pine was not anymore there.   The pine trees are definitely much much less now than 25 years ago.

For my birthday, we also visited Kyoto for a long weekend.

A few more days .. and then next thing you know, we were at the brink of a major business deal with MrC’s clients.  And in a few days, we spent time, looking for office spaces and finalizing our deal with the Dutch businessman who would later provide us with our first team here of programmers.  We had our official office blessing in March and MrC’s father and business partner came all the way from Amsterdam to visit us.  I am glad that during this time, my role in the company is now more clearly defined.

I spent a great deal of time with MrC’s father showing him various places here in Metro Manila.  We also had a big adventure right at the crater of Taal volcano.  That was indeed something we wouldn’t forget.  We also went to Subic and drove through the scenic SCTEX highway.  I tell you, that 30 minute stretch of highway westward to Subic has beautiful scenery both sides of the highway that would rival any scenic highway in the world.  I am not exaggerating.  I am very much convinced that the Philippines is really BEAUTIFUL and BLESSED with natural wonders.  There are many places that one still has to discover.  And also, that Philippines IS NOT MANILA.  Many people outright judge our country by what they see in Manila but Manila is just its major city and but a speck compared to many other places in the Philippines.   Our decision to stay in Manila is really mostly driven by business alone .

For example when I was  in Santorini, Greece in 2006,  I thought  .. hmm.. why do I have this feeling that I have seen this before. Think Taal volcano.  Also, Subic or SBMA is also quite nice, it is somewhat like “Little America”.  I think this is worthy of its own blog entry.

In April, we traveled back to Amsterdam.  According to MrC, it was just a business trip.  He was right.  We were never relaxed and rested there.  We had to go and see people, and in between work.  At least I was able to spend few days in London by myself!  But during this whole 3 week stay my feelings about the Philippines have been more clear.  I want to be back here, in the Philippines and life in the Netherlands is certainly over for both of us.  MrC shared the same sentiment.  I also realize how nice and easy our life here now compared to there.  Ok, we admit, we got spoiled here.  We have someone coming over here once a week to cook delicious food for us and on other days we have someone come over and do housecleaning.  Our laundry is also picked up and delivered to us.   All for much much less than what we pay our cleaning lady in Amsterdam who comes 3x a week (combined).   We go out and have dinner or lunch as much as we want but we still prefer our homecooked meals most of the time anyways.  The amount we pay for an Indonesian or Chinese takeout in Amsterdam will buy both of us a meal at a fine dining restaurant here.  A 5 star hotel buffet costs the same or less as a Wok buffet in Hoofddorp.  A movie theater ticket costs 2 Euros.  And I haven’t told you yet about the pirated DVD’s … hehe.. that’s a secret!

I’ve been working almost daily now since we came back. We work Dutch time which means between 2pm to 11pm.  It wasn’t hard after coming back from Amsterdam due to the jet lag.

And by the way, we had a nice dinner with our team a few weeks ago and we commend them for their outstanding work.  Our clients are very happy and pleasantly surprised at how we are pro-actively dealing with their issues.  Business is good then.   MrC is working really hard and it’s getting to be too much for him — I could see it.  It’s time that we take a break so we stayed in a nice resort in Subic by the bay just doing NOTHING.  However, going back  It’s kind of getting hard again for me to work late nights.

This week, we finally gave in and purchased a brand new car.  We also hired a driver, who was referred by our business partner.  We know the guy already coz he also drove us before using our Dutch business partner’s car.  He’s probably starting next week. Geez.. if this is a dream I don’t wanna wake up