Hello All. Sorry for no new stories since last week. Was a regular but somewhat busy week at work... and no personal stories really. During the week, I start work on Monday night.. leave at 7 PM and class is at 8:30 PM to 5:30 AM. Home, try to get to the gym... didn't do a good job this week, dinner and then usually putz around and try to get to bed by 10 AM.

This week Pat got Hong Kong Dog (cousin to Montezuma's Revenge) and didn't go to work on Thursday. I have little over an hour to scramble to come up with with the day's agenda for training. We are in the midst of her part. It all worked out and that is all that counted.

My friend Spencer who is a Data trainer and a friend for years from my old Boston days went home Saturday AM back to Providence for a few weeks. He was here for 7 weeks and this was his first time back home. Pat leaves next Saturday (my co trainer) and she will return, Lisa the other data trainer leaves the 9th and will return, and then I get to come home on Saturday the 18th of September.

We have one more week of this first class.. little bit worried on a few fronts.. but we have done the best we can with what we had.. and it is what it is.. Not how I would have planned it but it will be fine. Great bunch of folks in the class... Fun thing on Friday was we had Hat Day.. everyone had to wear some kind of hat.. ANY kind of hate.. we had some fun ones.. The one pic of me wearing feathers.. was actually Ian's hat (the guy in the pic with me) which he was one of the winning 2 hats. The other winner was also in my class .... Pat and I also treated for Pizza lunch that day as well.. not to mention we had to leave early since Spencer had a flight at 7:30 which meant we left early to get him to the airport on time. We all share Narciso, who is the man that drives us to work every evening and picks us up every morning. More on Narciso.. but suffice it to say. He is a great man that takes very good care of us.

This weekend was the final of Sportsfest 2010... I had a volleyball game on Saturday but ended up having to default since we didn't have enough red team folks to play. So we practiced for a few hours with other teams from different colors. Again at the Philippine Air Force Base gym... 95 degrees and open air to the outside. However after 3 weeks in Manila, I am getting used to the heat and humidity. I still was sweating but at least now not until AFTER I started playing volleyball. This is not the kind of volleyball we play on the beach while drinking and eating.. This is the kind of volleyball with rules, referee's, and keeping score. Who knew there were moves that actually would lose points??? They were some of the key points I was first told. I have to say though, after 3 weeks, playing in the heat, humidity, (not to mention all my teammates were in their 20's) and practicing to keep my arms together and use my forearms to set up the ball, I did get better. We all had bad plays so I was not the worst player but I held my own. Still not the greatest player here, but Ana told me that when I go home and next summer play volleyball on the beach in Ptown.... I will be the best of all my friends there... :) .. That made my day.

Today.. was the final for bowling.. After last week, we were in 1st place and we were the team to beat out of the 6 teams. We started out the day in first place by a good margin. We played the 2nd place team.. which they beat us the first round. However with our score from last week, we started the playoffs just 2 pins ahead putting us the 1st place team. We had to play the same 2nd place team again for the finals. I kept saying we were going to win... and I did believe we could. Well the final game was a good game and we kept at each others heels. We got down to the 10th frame, and I need to get a strike or spare to stay in the game. I got a 7 and a 2.... YIKES!!!!!! They had their last player to go up. All he had to do was get a strike or spare and we were finished. We had about 20 red team members for other sports team cheering us on... He missed his spare.. and we won by 7 pins!!!!!!! Our team went WILD. Of the 6 teams represented.. we had the the most support and no doubt the loudest. Everyone in the place knew who the RED team was.

Our winning was a acrylic medal which I really wanted so bad. What I didn't know was there was as monetary award as well. We each got 1000 pesos in the form of GC's.. (gift certificates). They looked like movie passes.. but come to find out there are good for a lot of the stores in the mall. 45 pesos to 1 dollar.. gave us each a little over 20 dollars worth. After the bowling, a bunch of us went to Diwaker's place which was a short distance away. He was getting pizza for all of us which was very nice. I had to get going since I had an appointment at the spa at 2:30. Third and Donald was very nice and helped me get a taxi and made sure that the driver knew where I wanted to go.

Got back to the hotel just in time to drop my bad and get to The Spa. Today I splurged.. I had a sea salt scrub exfoliation for 30 mins.. with a shower after, then an hour massage, then an hour facial, and to wrap up my 1/2 day of beauty... a manicure. I was there about 4 hours.. Now the great thing (and I am taking advantage of this.. by going to The Spa EVERY Sunday afternoon), is that the whole total cost including the tips for the 4 ladies that took care of me came to a total of $80.00. I was sleeping through most of the treatments.. but it felt great. I got out of there around 6:15 PM.. and it was a torrential monsoon winds and rain. The hotel was not that far of a walk, and I could have walked through the malls for most of the walk, but I ended up taking a cab back to the hotel. The cost was only 30 pesos (remember 45 pesos to 1 dollar) but I ended up giving this guy 100. He thought he had hit the lottery.

The wages of the people of the Philippines is so very little, and the people here are the most gracious, polite, and nice that come from the heart.. I tend to tip more than they are used to. However, I am blessed and fortunate beyond belief compared to these people and I need to do what I think is right.. not what they are used to. Besides it is nice to see the smile on their face. If I make their day for them or their family better for even a little bit.. that is a good thing.

Was so tired.. got to bed around 6:30 PM.. slept til 10:30 PM... cleaned up the place, got my laundry ready, had chick won ton soup for later dinner.. went to Starbucks at 1 AM for coffee and a snack that I didn't need and sat in the lobby reading and watching this weeks flower arrangement go up in the lobby. At around 3 AM, Lisa and Pat joined me in the lobby. I came up to the room, to get caught up on facebook, create a new facebook for all the folks here in Manila, and get caught up on my blog. I had planned on going to the gym... but now it is 6:20 AM and I am meeting Lisa and Pat for dinner at 7:30.. then off to bed at 9:00 AM. to be ready for work tonight at 7 PM.

here are some pics of bowling, and the hat day on Friday. I will get this week's flower arrangements today or tomorrow and post.

Thinking of the day today.. and it was all roses.. no thorns.. As much as I miss my life back in the states.. I will miss so much from here.