home, sweet home

Well the trip from Manila home to Toronto was long.  Trips home are always longer than trips to places.  Well – except the airport from my house – – always feels like the drive home is faster than the drive there…anyways.

I made it back – safe and sound – at 6:22 this morning.  My lovely sister Sara was there to drive Lloyd and Danielle and I home.  I took her out for breakfast, bestowed gifts of multi-colored purses upon her, and then we parted company.  I’m hoping to get out to Oshawa to see Catherine and Jeff and Lori sometime this week if I get a chance.  I’m going to Wesley Acres next week – – so it’ll probably be a couple of weeks before I get home to see my parents…but soon I hope.

The trip was a great time.  The people were fun, the experiences were new.  It was everything I had hoped it would be and more.  It’s a bit of a let down – to be honest – to be home, and yet, there are things here at home that I could not find if I traveled to every country in the world.  There are some things and people here in Toronto that are important to me beyond what I even imagined before I left to travel abroad.

Home is indeed sweet.

So – I’m going to stop by the church this afternoon and say hi; renew my membership at the gym (yes I definitely put on a couple of pounds eating Asian food…it’ll be gone in a couple of weeks – – that’s the plan!); and then rest for the rest of the day – – run a couple of errands, do some laundry.  I would like to say thank you to those who have been keeping me in your prayers and thinking about me over the past days.  I was especially touched by the group reading of my blog, by some of my dear friends and family, at my house last night!

Tonight I’m going to post again I think (if I don’t fall asleep before I plan to).  I want talk a little bit about wealth, poverty and perspective – – we’ll see where it goes.

haggling…not really the activity of an infj…

As an emotional introvert it is not really my style to haggle.  Danielle Jupp is awesome at it – she even has the puppy-dog eyes.  BUT I have to say that I did a pretty gosh darn good job at the market yesterday.  Inspired by a caramel machiato from Starbucks, I walked, somewhat hesitantly, in the market.

 The market is indoor and air-conditioned but it is crammed and there is SO much everywhere.  AND I think that (almost) everything is fake!  So – no Gucci bags for anyone this year (and for only 400 pesos!).  It took a while for me to purchase anything.  Jay Penney was equally nervous.  So – I started simply by asking prices to see (out of curiosity) what the starting price was (for, say, some little knick-knack souviner).

Now I recognize that there are two main ways of bargaining.  The Aileen Lee method, and the Danielle Jupp method.  Both work incredibly well in different circumstances.  I quickly espoused the DJ method (you’ll see why – considering my infj-ness).

Method #1 (Aileen Lee Method) – How much fo’ dees? (with put-on, bad Chinese accent).  The vendor says 500 pesos.  Aileen comes back – BEST OFFA’ PEESE!  450 for you m’am since you best customer…Aileen Lee comes back – I will buy it somewhere else for much less – Aileen walks away.  End scene.

 Method #2 – (Danielle Jupp Method) – Hello! (said sweetly with a girlish smile).  How much for this game?  400 pesos m’am.  Hmmm.  Will you take 250 pesos?  Sorry m’am 350 is my best offer.  350?  I can give you 275 but that’s it.  325 m’am – since you are a special customer.  Good deal m’am.  Ok – thanks.  Have a good day…Danielle walks away – – wait, wait – – I give it to you for 300…275 is all I’m willing to pay sir.  Ahhh….275…ok.  For you – a good deal because you are my best customer.

So – I I wasn’t quite that good – but our host was very impressed at some of the deals I got!  I only got ripped off once…by a little boy who was selling these little magnetic rocks that sound like a rattle snake…you can buy them for 25 pesos…(50 cents) but I’m pretty sure that I would not have given him less then the hundred he asked…I’m still a softy sometimes…

Things are winding down.  I’ll be finished my last concert before most of you wake up…the concert starts in a few hours (7:00) and will last about an hour.  Then we have a day at the beach and then we fly home.  Hard to believe that the trip I have been anticipating for two (or is it six?) years is almost over.  Ain’t that the way…

Lots to talk about – lots to write about.