Excited to go home

This is one big anticipation that I wouldn’t want to miss to write about. Going home.

I had just purchased my ticket online via Apple Travel. It was all done through Skype, no actual personal encounter with the travel agents and no phone calls involved. It was amazing how technology nowadays can ease up things. I found its website from a quick google search.

There is no direct flight from Xi’an to Manila. The travel agent provided me options I could choose from. This will be my first time to take a connecting flight. I could fly via Shenzhen, Guangzhou or Beijing through Air China or China Eastern Airlines. I had to wait almost half of the day for the agent to give me all the available schedules. I would have to review all of them, though I already knew which I preferred to take.

I took Philippine Airlines for my flight to Beijing when I was required to stay there to wait for my residence visa and work permit last July. While on my way to Xi’an on August last year, Misys was able to book me a flight via Air China. For my flight to Hong Kong last October to meet my children for Shami’s 5th birthday, I reserved tickets from the China Eastern airline ticketing office located in the building next to our office’s. For two of my three flights to and from Singapore, I preferred the cheaper choice -Cebu Pacific. The most expensive airline I paid for was Singapore Airlines, for my second trip to Singapore –and so far it’s the best plane I had ever taken. But Singapore Airlines is just the second best airline in Asia (according to a magazine I read sometime ago). This time I wanted to take the plane from the #1 airline –Cathay Pacific, via Hong Kong.

The round-trip tickets cost more than RMB5,100. The itinerary would be to take DragonAir from Xi’an to Hong Kong, then Cathay Pacific airbus from Hong Kong to Manila. My plane leaves Xi’an on the 20th of December at 12:30AM, and I will have to wait at the Hong Kong International Airport for around two hours before my next flight to the Philippines at around 5:30PM. To pay for the tickets, I had to sign a form sent via email by Apple Travel, and photocopy my credit card then send them altogether back to them via email or fax. I did not have access to any fax machine so I just thought of using my SLR camera to take images of the form and my card, and then send the images to them via email. Resourceful and hi-tech… Hahaha!

I prepared my itinerary. I only have around fifteen days so I will need to make the most out of my short vacation. Below is a list of my initial plans:

1. Dine at my favorite Pinoy restos with my kids.
2. Go to any Canon service center to have my SLR camera’s lens cleaned.
3. Go to the dentist and my OB-Gyne.
4. Shop for Christmas gifts with my kids.
5. Shop for Christmas dresses for my kids.
6. Go to Pampanga for Christmas, New Year and Jeff’s wedding.
7. Have some games for the children in my hometown, as what I always do every New Year.
8. Visit my father in Manila.
9. Meet up with my high school classmates (at most 2 days).
10. Shop for kikay stuff that I will bring with me to China.
11. Shop for coats at Debenhams or Zara.
12. Have some piamicucu and natural facial services at Prince Jireh Spa.
13. Have some glycolic peel at Let’s Face It.
14. Have a hair rebond service from Britanico Salon (c/o of my three-year hair advisor Dennis).
15. Buy Intel Atom laptop.
16. Buy either an Apple IPhone or HTC Touch Diamond.
17. Buy a Magic Sing microphone.
18. Drive Ava.
19. Hug my kids everyday.

I managed to convince my boss to allow me to return to work on the 6th of January. It’s one loud “yahooooo!” for me. Aside from spending more time at home, tickets are cheaper for non-weekend flights.

I can’t wait to see Manila again. It doesn’t matter how I utilize it, the best thing about this vacation is being home… and feeling “at home”.