Just before the new year I was talking about getting a new mobile phone in my upcoming upgrade. I had always had my eyes on the Samsung Galaxy SII as I wanted to stick with the Android operating system and definitely need a faster phone as my HTC Magic (which is now two-and-a-half years old) is now very old, very slow and definitely lost all of it's magic! The last time we looked at this I had considered getting the phone through another 18-month contract or buying a sim free handset and getting a cheaper tariff from Vodafone. So this morning I called up Vodafone to discuss my upgrade options. They offered me the Samsung Galaxy SII for FREE if I took a 24-month contract with them at my current tariff of £36/ month. So that meant £864 over two year. That's a lot of money AND two years is a long time! Who knows what will happen to my phone then? I wouldn't want to wait two year before any upgrade options become available. OR if I took an 18-month contract at the same monthly cost I'd have to pay £64 for the handset. I tried to ask for the handset to be free, played the loyalty card reminding them I've been with them since 2006. But no, the system said No. Haha! An 18-month contract was reasonable, but I was not happy to pay the extra £64. The customer service agent (who shall not be named), then advised, that I could take the sim-only contract for only £10.25 a month which will give me the exact same quotas: 600 Anytime Minutes, Unlimited SMS and 500MB data. And I could buy the handset sim-free elsewhere. He said a lot of people are doing that these days as it seems the cheaper option out there. I was so glad to hear this. £10.25 a month would save me £309 a year on the tariff alone. All I'd have to do it get myself a sim-free handset and then the phone is all mine and I'd have much greater flexibility with it, like being able to use it in other countries like Singapore for example. Haha!
So I am happy to say that from midnight tonight my new lower tariff will kick in and I will start saving money. =P
Seats are taken
Earlier on the week mum and I logged on to Emirates website and we picked our airplane seats for our trip to Singapore. It was very exciting indeed, especially when also considering whether our seats will be too close the toilets, too near the back or if we're up the front just behind potentially crying babies in their baskinets that hang from the wall. Haha! Our seats are sorted for now. Any changes can still be made later I suppose. We didn't pick our meals though. Want to be surprised by what they offer us on the day. I quite like my airplane meals from my previous flights. Everything was quite yummy. Haha! So.. seats are sorted and we will be flying in August. But that won't be my only visit to the airport. I will be taking Cat to the airport in a few weeks time when she flies over to Singapore to see Nick again. It wasn't that long ago that she complained it was too far away before she went over for her well-deserved break and to sort out wedding stuff etc. But now it seems not long at all. Not only that, once Cat is back then the time will countdown till her BIG DAY on 16th July! My my! My sister getting married!! Things are going to be so difference once Cat is married and migrates to Singapore. The house will be occupied by mum and I and we will miss her. Must treasure all these moments that she's here with us. Must treasure the meals that she cooks, must treasure when she cleans the whole bathroom, must treasure all the reduced priced goods she gets from supermarkets for the family, must appreciate all the baking she does. For it won't be long before these things will no longer exist. Where there will be one less person to ask me about exercising, about protein shakes, who sends me funny pictures on Whatsapp or share funny jokes with me. My wee sis all grown up...
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holiday. Show all posts
28 January 2012
18 January 2012
Super skint!!
I am now officially super skint!! Booked the return flights to Singapore last night. I'll be flying with my mum to attend my sister's wedding banquet at the end of July and it will be a gooood two weeks! Whoo-hoo!! Now that the dates are settled it is time to really start saving for the spending money and to cut out all luxuries between now and then! Can I do it? Can I revolve my life around work, gym, cinema and church? I will try!! =D
So exciting!!
So exciting!!
29 December 2011
Christmas 2011: Inbetween Days
So after yesterday's impulse purchase at Hollister (haha! forgot to mention that did I?) I have decided I will no longer be pursuing after the Samsung Galaxy S2. For the past two weeks I have been online searching for the cheapest sim-free version so when my Vodafone contract expires (March 2012), I can ask them to give me discounted tariff if I don't take a phone off them. Does that make sense? So far the lowest price I can find for the smartphone is on eBay at £379.95, but this has now increased to £384.95. I had thought about getting the handset itself and then getting cheap tariff from Vodafone whilst trying to maintain my current credentials: 600 Anytime Minutes, Unlimted SMS, 500MB Internet and Stop the Clock. It will be hard to get anything like that for anything cheaper than £17.50 though, so that means if I buy the phone and get another 18-month contract with them, it might add up to £695 for eighteen months. If I settle for getting the phone from Vodafone I would expect my tariff to go back up to £36 a month and that will mean 18x36 = £648. Yes it will be cheaper by £47 but the phone MIGHT be tied to Vodafone after it and I might have to have it unlocked later. Unless it only "appears locked" like I discovered recently!
That's the phone issue settled, kinda, for now. Just awaiting the call from Vodafone to ask me if I want to continue my contract with them and then I'll try my best to get the handset for free AND try lowering monthly tariff. Could both be possible you think? Haha! We'll see!
Phone issue sorted, now next item on my "to-think" list is: Singapore. The time is drawing near for me to start looking for flights to Singapore for Cat and Nick's wedding banquet in August. The actual date is 4th August so mum and I will need to get there at least a few days before the 4th and anticipate fighting off any jetlag. We didn't feel any jetlag back in 2008 when we went to HK, so don't expect to get any this time either, but hey, you never know. Both mum and I have aged since then, haha! =P So trying to get the cheapest flights of course and more importantly, we should consider/ discuss visiting neighbouring countries like Hong Kong and/ or Malaysia, possibly elsewhere? There is a small issue: mum does not want to be off work for that long. She wants everything to be done and dusted and back to work within her two weeks annual leave. She doesn't want to take any more than two weeks off work. I, on the other hand, see this as a great opportunity to go travelling, sight seeing, eat great food, see friends, take photos, try new things etc. You get the drift! However, I cannot leave my mum to travel back to Glasgow on her own of course. So... how long shall we stay in Singapore? Will ten days be enough? If I wanna go travelling and mum does not, will she be ok staying in Singapore whilst I travel around then come back for her and we fly back to UK? Questions, questions....
That's the phone issue settled, kinda, for now. Just awaiting the call from Vodafone to ask me if I want to continue my contract with them and then I'll try my best to get the handset for free AND try lowering monthly tariff. Could both be possible you think? Haha! We'll see!
Phone issue sorted, now next item on my "to-think" list is: Singapore. The time is drawing near for me to start looking for flights to Singapore for Cat and Nick's wedding banquet in August. The actual date is 4th August so mum and I will need to get there at least a few days before the 4th and anticipate fighting off any jetlag. We didn't feel any jetlag back in 2008 when we went to HK, so don't expect to get any this time either, but hey, you never know. Both mum and I have aged since then, haha! =P So trying to get the cheapest flights of course and more importantly, we should consider/ discuss visiting neighbouring countries like Hong Kong and/ or Malaysia, possibly elsewhere? There is a small issue: mum does not want to be off work for that long. She wants everything to be done and dusted and back to work within her two weeks annual leave. She doesn't want to take any more than two weeks off work. I, on the other hand, see this as a great opportunity to go travelling, sight seeing, eat great food, see friends, take photos, try new things etc. You get the drift! However, I cannot leave my mum to travel back to Glasgow on her own of course. So... how long shall we stay in Singapore? Will ten days be enough? If I wanna go travelling and mum does not, will she be ok staying in Singapore whilst I travel around then come back for her and we fly back to UK? Questions, questions....
30 December 2010
Back in Glasgow
Arrived home at 6:25pm this evening and was happy to see mum and Cat. Immediately I gave them the gifts I bought them and then I started unpacking my bags and made sure I got unpacking out of the way before I settled down for dinner and to tell them things I were up to in Dublin. It was nice to come back to a not-so-cold Glasgow, in fact I'd say all the roads are back to normal now and the recent weather reports says there is no more snow forecasted in the near future. Phew! I was really happy to have spent quality time in Dublin. Time away from this busy city. Ok, from one busy city to another I guess, but being away in some place nobody knew me was nice. Away from my everyday responsibilities etc. I guess this was like a wee retreat for myself. Hehe!
This trip has been amazing. The time out was what I really needed and I come back feeling refreshed and recharged with God. I have really enjoyed my time in Dublin, although I often wished I had a toothpick with me. Haha! The past few days I spent by myself, just me and God in an environment that is new and that is foreign. A place were nobody knew me. A place were I could walk whatever speed I want, didn't have to drive (wah-hey!), check out tourist sites, drink Guinness, drink Baileys on ice, walk about the hotel room nakes if I wished. One word: freedom. This freedom does not last long because I knew once I got home I return to responsbility, a business, family, church and matters of the heart.
Trip has been refreshing for me because the said freedom has given me time to think about things properly, to consult in God about matters weighing in my heart and to fully submit to Him. I acknowledge and confess that I have been very wrong in the handling of certain areas of my life, especially matters of the heart. I know what the main cause is and I know I have to seriously take action in order to change. Tuesday night was the second night in which I chatted to God very openly about these issues. It was also when I felt the need to really study the verse "Seek first the Kingdom of God" and see how it applies to me. The notes I made goes on for ages and I will share that in another blog post, cos I don't want to bore anybody here. I will post it up later though =)
Thanksgiving
Well guys, I want to tell you I felt very blessed by God during my time at Dublin. For starters when I arrived at the airport I was faced with a choice of taking Air Coach (blue) or Air Link (green) to the city centre. It seemed these two companies were the main two competing. I chose the Air Link bus because it also provided an Airport Return ticket and a 2-day Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour package for total of €22. When the bus arrived at it's O'Connell Street stop, I asked the bus driver if he knew where on O'Connell Street the Gresham Hotel was and he told me it was just a few metres away from the bus stop. Wow! How convenient! I didn't even have to walk far with my luggage! =) Blessed!
Some might think I booked the hotel myself and so shouldn't be surprised at where it was located. But in fact, I did not choose this hotel. Originally I had booked the Croke Park Hotel next to Croke Park Stadium. But in mid-November Alpharooms informed me the hotel had closed down and they had to relocate me to another hotel. They chose Gresham Hotel which was the same star rating and same room type. I was ok with it as I didn't have time to look up different places again. Croke Park Hotel would have been a few miles away from O'Connell Street the heart of the city centre and I might have had to take another bus to the hotel. So I thank God that my accommodation was relocated to this particular hotel. How very convenient. Blessed!
Tuesday morning I walked out of the hotel with a wee map and was looking for a Parnell Street where I should expect to see the start of the Dublin Tours green bus route. However when I walked to the end of the street on the right and looked right onto Cathal Brugha Street and there sat a green tour bus stationary. When I consulted the wee tour bus map it turned out that the Cathal Brugha Street stop was the first stop of the tour!! How cool was that!! I got to begin the 23 stop tour from just around the corner of my hotel. AND I got to choose my best seat before any other people came onboard. Hehe! Blessed!
These are just a few of the things that made me feel blessed whilst being on holiday. There were other things like getting charged a concession rate when I went to Christ Church Cathedral, when people agreed to take pictures of me with my camera, feeling safe walking about even at night time without any bother from the locals or others. The peace of God was with me, giving me the confidence, even when a man and a woman stopped me on the street asking for money and I told them I was a tourist with "only €10 on me" and that was for dinner. We had a nice chat on the street and we shook hands, hugged and wished each other well for the new year. I would never have done that in Glasgow, or at least felt comfortable doing that in Glasgow, but I felt peaceful about it last night. God bless Michael (who was also blind) and Rosie. =)
I shall share more later when I have the time. Right now I'm quite tired and looking forward to sleeping on my memory foam bed and memory foam pillow =) Scheduled in the gym tomorrow at 1pm. Must go even earlier in order to get more cardio work done. Have eaten sooooo much (unhealthy!) food in the past few days!! =P
Special thanks!
Before I forget I want to give special thanks to a few more people. Cat my sister took me to the airport on Monday morning. It was cold, it was wet, but my wee sis drove me in her wee Micra before going to the gym. She was shocked to hear that the taxi would have cost £24. As was Bryan my driving instructor friend. He was also disgusted at the cost of the taxi fare and said he'd take me and pick me up. Vince also kindly offered to take me and pick me up. In fact, he texted me on Monday morning and also this afternoon to ask when I was landing. God has blessed me with great friends and family who are kind to me. They show love and kindness amidst their busy schedule. I opted to take the 500 bus to George Square then then local 41 bus back home. Although I declined their offers (I'm never one to bother people if I can help it), their kindness will not be forgotten and I am gratefully touched. Cheers again guys! =)
This trip has been amazing. The time out was what I really needed and I come back feeling refreshed and recharged with God. I have really enjoyed my time in Dublin, although I often wished I had a toothpick with me. Haha! The past few days I spent by myself, just me and God in an environment that is new and that is foreign. A place were nobody knew me. A place were I could walk whatever speed I want, didn't have to drive (wah-hey!), check out tourist sites, drink Guinness, drink Baileys on ice, walk about the hotel room nakes if I wished. One word: freedom. This freedom does not last long because I knew once I got home I return to responsbility, a business, family, church and matters of the heart.
Trip has been refreshing for me because the said freedom has given me time to think about things properly, to consult in God about matters weighing in my heart and to fully submit to Him. I acknowledge and confess that I have been very wrong in the handling of certain areas of my life, especially matters of the heart. I know what the main cause is and I know I have to seriously take action in order to change. Tuesday night was the second night in which I chatted to God very openly about these issues. It was also when I felt the need to really study the verse "Seek first the Kingdom of God" and see how it applies to me. The notes I made goes on for ages and I will share that in another blog post, cos I don't want to bore anybody here. I will post it up later though =)
Thanksgiving
Well guys, I want to tell you I felt very blessed by God during my time at Dublin. For starters when I arrived at the airport I was faced with a choice of taking Air Coach (blue) or Air Link (green) to the city centre. It seemed these two companies were the main two competing. I chose the Air Link bus because it also provided an Airport Return ticket and a 2-day Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour package for total of €22. When the bus arrived at it's O'Connell Street stop, I asked the bus driver if he knew where on O'Connell Street the Gresham Hotel was and he told me it was just a few metres away from the bus stop. Wow! How convenient! I didn't even have to walk far with my luggage! =) Blessed!
Some might think I booked the hotel myself and so shouldn't be surprised at where it was located. But in fact, I did not choose this hotel. Originally I had booked the Croke Park Hotel next to Croke Park Stadium. But in mid-November Alpharooms informed me the hotel had closed down and they had to relocate me to another hotel. They chose Gresham Hotel which was the same star rating and same room type. I was ok with it as I didn't have time to look up different places again. Croke Park Hotel would have been a few miles away from O'Connell Street the heart of the city centre and I might have had to take another bus to the hotel. So I thank God that my accommodation was relocated to this particular hotel. How very convenient. Blessed!
Tuesday morning I walked out of the hotel with a wee map and was looking for a Parnell Street where I should expect to see the start of the Dublin Tours green bus route. However when I walked to the end of the street on the right and looked right onto Cathal Brugha Street and there sat a green tour bus stationary. When I consulted the wee tour bus map it turned out that the Cathal Brugha Street stop was the first stop of the tour!! How cool was that!! I got to begin the 23 stop tour from just around the corner of my hotel. AND I got to choose my best seat before any other people came onboard. Hehe! Blessed!
These are just a few of the things that made me feel blessed whilst being on holiday. There were other things like getting charged a concession rate when I went to Christ Church Cathedral, when people agreed to take pictures of me with my camera, feeling safe walking about even at night time without any bother from the locals or others. The peace of God was with me, giving me the confidence, even when a man and a woman stopped me on the street asking for money and I told them I was a tourist with "only €10 on me" and that was for dinner. We had a nice chat on the street and we shook hands, hugged and wished each other well for the new year. I would never have done that in Glasgow, or at least felt comfortable doing that in Glasgow, but I felt peaceful about it last night. God bless Michael (who was also blind) and Rosie. =)
I shall share more later when I have the time. Right now I'm quite tired and looking forward to sleeping on my memory foam bed and memory foam pillow =) Scheduled in the gym tomorrow at 1pm. Must go even earlier in order to get more cardio work done. Have eaten sooooo much (unhealthy!) food in the past few days!! =P
Special thanks!
Before I forget I want to give special thanks to a few more people. Cat my sister took me to the airport on Monday morning. It was cold, it was wet, but my wee sis drove me in her wee Micra before going to the gym. She was shocked to hear that the taxi would have cost £24. As was Bryan my driving instructor friend. He was also disgusted at the cost of the taxi fare and said he'd take me and pick me up. Vince also kindly offered to take me and pick me up. In fact, he texted me on Monday morning and also this afternoon to ask when I was landing. God has blessed me with great friends and family who are kind to me. They show love and kindness amidst their busy schedule. I opted to take the 500 bus to George Square then then local 41 bus back home. Although I declined their offers (I'm never one to bother people if I can help it), their kindness will not be forgotten and I am gratefully touched. Cheers again guys! =)
26 December 2010
Fed up
Feeling fed up right now. Looking forward to getting away tomorrow for a few days. Sent Nick away today and it was an ok time at the airport, but the last part was emotional. Yes it was. There were a few other people who sent him away as well, so I had to stay strong. Mum pushed back those tears as much as possible too but couldn't keep some from flowing out. I was pretty much the same. Can't remember when I last had a proper cry. Seems like there is stuff bottling up inside of me but I can't seem to find an outlet. I really need that "mountain top experience" when I can shout out loud and let it all out. Not literally shout it out cos that would hurt my throat, quite literally, but really just let off some steam. Something that even the gym can't do. Where can I get this outlet?
Taxi
In the middle of looking through and gathering my important documents I need for flying tomorrow. Have to be at Glasgow Airport for 9am. I've just this moment booked the taxi for 8am, just in case of transport issues or whatever. In fact, I think I might be too early but better early than feeling I'm in a rush. But guess what? Before I hung up I asked the operator if there is a set fee for going to the airport. She told me usually it is £16 but because tomorrow it is fare-and-a-half I am due to pay £24. Bloody heck!! That's more than a standard one hour driving lesson! Don't know if I'll even learn anything from this driver. Lol!! Probably spot a lot of bad habits instead. Haha! Don't think I'll tip then. £24 is a lot of money and that's even before I've departed to my destination.
Christmas
Christmas was nice. Had Nick over spending the day with us for once our family opened Christmas presents together. Took pictures and videos and had a laugh. Cat prepared brunch for us all. I prepared dinner. We had brunch, opened presents, had a laugh, then watched some tv, played with a new massage chair and played Sudoku (Nick and I) and then it was time to prep dinner. Lol! Quiet night in and it was just as well because the streets outside were frozen and pure slippery. We ended the night praying for one another, in particular praying for Nick as he was soon to set off back to Singapore. We thank God for a blessed time together as a family plus one :)
Disconnected
Now Christmas has passed, the next special occasion is New Year. And between now and then I will be off work which will give me time away. Time in solitude with God and time to reflect upon things in my life. Most likely will be without the internet, cos although the hotel offers free wi-fi I won't be bringing my laptop as I don't want to carry so much stuff. If I get access, cheap access, to a computer I might check email and/or Fb, but if not I'm happy to just be "disconnected" for a few days and reconnect with God. I won't be using my mobile because if I use it for outbound connects it will be roaming and I will be charged a bomb for something that is free back here.
Plan to bring my Bible with me. Notepad, pen, Christian book, print outs of places to visit and of course somme Euros and Pound notes just in case. Will pack some gym stuff as well. Will try to go to the gym a couple of times to keep the physique, cos even though I'm on holiday, working out cannot be on holiday. Christmas Eve I had a McDonald's for lunch. Today I had McDonald's for lunch. This evening I had Pizza Hut. So c'mon!! Where is the discipline?? Whilst I'm away I hope I can find healthy enough food to man, if not I'm gonna come back a few pounds flabbier!! Noooo!!
Looking ahead
Nick asked me last night what my aspirations are for 2011. I told him I want to look good, feel good and smell good. But about all else I want to walk closer with God. I think being closer with God is the most essential thing I need to be which will help me look good and feel good. For smell good, well I'm not sure I'd smell any different, but for sure I might have the "fragrance" of the Holy Spirit. Haha! Tonight I was reminded of the importance of Seeking First the Kingdom of God and few nights ago I was playing Scrabble and the first seven tiles I randomly chose turned out to spell "J-O-S-H-U-A-B". We were quite amazed at seeing that and later when I got home I read the Bible at Joshua chapter 8. The first thing is said was "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged". When asked by some people if this applies to my life at present, I think it does actually. There is something niggling inside of me, something that has been taking my thoughts and attention, something weighing down my insides. What can I do about it? Could God be speaking to me indirectly? Truthfully I haven't been too close to Him recently and it is something I am shameful of. I feel I have been running on my own steam, on my own fuel. Need to look to God to be my fuel, to be my source... =)
Taxi
In the middle of looking through and gathering my important documents I need for flying tomorrow. Have to be at Glasgow Airport for 9am. I've just this moment booked the taxi for 8am, just in case of transport issues or whatever. In fact, I think I might be too early but better early than feeling I'm in a rush. But guess what? Before I hung up I asked the operator if there is a set fee for going to the airport. She told me usually it is £16 but because tomorrow it is fare-and-a-half I am due to pay £24. Bloody heck!! That's more than a standard one hour driving lesson! Don't know if I'll even learn anything from this driver. Lol!! Probably spot a lot of bad habits instead. Haha! Don't think I'll tip then. £24 is a lot of money and that's even before I've departed to my destination.
Christmas
Christmas was nice. Had Nick over spending the day with us for once our family opened Christmas presents together. Took pictures and videos and had a laugh. Cat prepared brunch for us all. I prepared dinner. We had brunch, opened presents, had a laugh, then watched some tv, played with a new massage chair and played Sudoku (Nick and I) and then it was time to prep dinner. Lol! Quiet night in and it was just as well because the streets outside were frozen and pure slippery. We ended the night praying for one another, in particular praying for Nick as he was soon to set off back to Singapore. We thank God for a blessed time together as a family plus one :)
Disconnected
Now Christmas has passed, the next special occasion is New Year. And between now and then I will be off work which will give me time away. Time in solitude with God and time to reflect upon things in my life. Most likely will be without the internet, cos although the hotel offers free wi-fi I won't be bringing my laptop as I don't want to carry so much stuff. If I get access, cheap access, to a computer I might check email and/or Fb, but if not I'm happy to just be "disconnected" for a few days and reconnect with God. I won't be using my mobile because if I use it for outbound connects it will be roaming and I will be charged a bomb for something that is free back here.
Plan to bring my Bible with me. Notepad, pen, Christian book, print outs of places to visit and of course somme Euros and Pound notes just in case. Will pack some gym stuff as well. Will try to go to the gym a couple of times to keep the physique, cos even though I'm on holiday, working out cannot be on holiday. Christmas Eve I had a McDonald's for lunch. Today I had McDonald's for lunch. This evening I had Pizza Hut. So c'mon!! Where is the discipline?? Whilst I'm away I hope I can find healthy enough food to man, if not I'm gonna come back a few pounds flabbier!! Noooo!!
Looking ahead
Nick asked me last night what my aspirations are for 2011. I told him I want to look good, feel good and smell good. But about all else I want to walk closer with God. I think being closer with God is the most essential thing I need to be which will help me look good and feel good. For smell good, well I'm not sure I'd smell any different, but for sure I might have the "fragrance" of the Holy Spirit. Haha! Tonight I was reminded of the importance of Seeking First the Kingdom of God and few nights ago I was playing Scrabble and the first seven tiles I randomly chose turned out to spell "J-O-S-H-U-A-B". We were quite amazed at seeing that and later when I got home I read the Bible at Joshua chapter 8. The first thing is said was "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged". When asked by some people if this applies to my life at present, I think it does actually. There is something niggling inside of me, something that has been taking my thoughts and attention, something weighing down my insides. What can I do about it? Could God be speaking to me indirectly? Truthfully I haven't been too close to Him recently and it is something I am shameful of. I feel I have been running on my own steam, on my own fuel. Need to look to God to be my fuel, to be my source... =)
24 December 2010
Christmas Eve
So I finished up for Christmas today. Only had one driving lesson between 12-2pm and it went quite well I think. In fact I was meant to have a driving test first thing in the morning followed by this driving lesson, but when I woke up this morning I got a text from my pupil saying the test was cancelled. I called him to ask how he knew so soon and he said the test centre called him around 7:30am to tell him his 9:37am test was cancelled due to icy conditions. Not too surprised it was cancelled but very surprised the test centre called the pupil as I was expecting to call them on his behalf since English is not his first language. After speaking to my pupil I went back to bed. Yep, I could have gotten up and went to the gym but I was pretty tired and struggled to face the coldness outside. So I was thinking... would this be my last gym session? Not quite. Cos I will still get to workout next week at some point. Either at the hotel when I'm away on my wee trip or at Greens if I get snowed in and cannae fly.
Wee trip
It just dawned on me last night that my wee trip is only a few days away. The flight is at 11:35am which means I should be at the airport at least an hour beforehand, but might not know if my flight is going ahead until possibly on Monday morning when I will check the flight status online. Oh my! There are reports of snowfall this Sunday and Monday (Boxing Day and the 27th December) but I hope the snow doesn't affect the trip. However it also makes me question, what if I got out there but can't get back in on time for New Year? Haha! Ok, might look funny here, but I don't think it will be quite so funny if it really happened. Cos although I have the week off work it doesn't mean I want to be away from home that long. Haha! Guess what? When booking the flight and the hotel I only took the insurance when booking the flight, but didn't take it when booking the hotel. Cos I was thinking the flight insurance should/ would cover the hotel stuff as well. Now I'm a little doubtful cos I am not sure if the flight insurance will cover all cancellation related changes if the weather causes my flight to cancel. The worse case scenario would be if/ when the snow hits us again and my flight is cancelled. According to the airline website I can get a refund if the flight is cancelled. That's fine, without or without insurance I should get my money back. But what about the hotel? Well I contacted Alpharooms to ask what would happen if my flight got cancelled due to the weather and here's their response:
"In normal circumstances, any cancellation within 14 days of travel would incur a 100% cancellation charge, however due to the weather situation in the U.K at the moment we are trying to remove or reduce charges wherever possible.
If your flight is cancelled, please let us know as soon as possible. We can then contact our supplier and let them know you will not be arriving. Should they offer a refund then of course this will be passed onto you, however please be aware that if the hotel/supplier charge for the cancellation we would have to pass these charges onto you."
So I've to contact them on Monday morning if my flight is cancelled and just keep my fingers crossed that if I cannot make it over there I will get some sort of refund for the hotel. But I wouldn't hold my breath because it would be very spectacular for the hotel to refund money after a booking but hey, you never know eh. Anyway, I wouldn't want the flight to be cancelled cos it would be more hassle than anything else, but I'm also scared in case I get stranded there and not make it back for New Year. Nooooo!! But having said that, I did take the first step in getting myself ready for the trip and I went to M&S and got myself some Euros. Not much, just £100 worth. Should be enough to last me for the first day over there. And I'm sure the rest will sort itself out. Now travel money is sorted, it's just a case of waiting to see if I can fly away :)
Ready for Christmas
It's Christmas Eve now and I've done all my shopping, written all my Christmas cards, wrapped all my presents, made sure my admin is all up to date. I will be leaving all things driving instruction related from this moment onwards until I start back again on Monday 3rd Jan. I wonder how long this can last though. Lol! Pupils are bound to call me at some point to ask stuff or reschedule etc. One thing that I cannot avoid is my office, which I require to get me around even when I'm off. And I still need to clean it as well. Haha! I'm looking forward to this week off. It's so much different from the two weeks off when I was snowed in because then I had to call pupils to confirm or cancel lessons and had to constantly check the weather forecasts etc. Now I can truly lay them all aside and just enjoy myself. Looking forward to time off without being on edge. Hopefully not more ranting. Haha!!
So what's planned for this Christmas? Well I will get up tomorrow and get all spruced up before getting Nick and bringing him over to our house. We shall have brunch together before we hang out and possibly open presents, watch Christmas tv or possibly a movie, or play card games, or arm wrestle, or sing and dance. Gonna have a big dinner I hope and get stuffed on turkey and lots of veg. Will try to have an early night because we plan to hit the Next Boxing Day Sale on Sunday morning. I think the stores open at 6am so we shall try to go there as early as possible (the early bird catches the worm!) before coming back to pack and send Nick off to the airport. Guess it'll be my first of two trips to the airport, so at least I will get an idea of whether my flight can take place the next day =)
Ok feeling really tired now. Gotta go guys. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!! =D
Wee trip
It just dawned on me last night that my wee trip is only a few days away. The flight is at 11:35am which means I should be at the airport at least an hour beforehand, but might not know if my flight is going ahead until possibly on Monday morning when I will check the flight status online. Oh my! There are reports of snowfall this Sunday and Monday (Boxing Day and the 27th December) but I hope the snow doesn't affect the trip. However it also makes me question, what if I got out there but can't get back in on time for New Year? Haha! Ok, might look funny here, but I don't think it will be quite so funny if it really happened. Cos although I have the week off work it doesn't mean I want to be away from home that long. Haha! Guess what? When booking the flight and the hotel I only took the insurance when booking the flight, but didn't take it when booking the hotel. Cos I was thinking the flight insurance should/ would cover the hotel stuff as well. Now I'm a little doubtful cos I am not sure if the flight insurance will cover all cancellation related changes if the weather causes my flight to cancel. The worse case scenario would be if/ when the snow hits us again and my flight is cancelled. According to the airline website I can get a refund if the flight is cancelled. That's fine, without or without insurance I should get my money back. But what about the hotel? Well I contacted Alpharooms to ask what would happen if my flight got cancelled due to the weather and here's their response:
"In normal circumstances, any cancellation within 14 days of travel would incur a 100% cancellation charge, however due to the weather situation in the U.K at the moment we are trying to remove or reduce charges wherever possible.
If your flight is cancelled, please let us know as soon as possible. We can then contact our supplier and let them know you will not be arriving. Should they offer a refund then of course this will be passed onto you, however please be aware that if the hotel/supplier charge for the cancellation we would have to pass these charges onto you."
So I've to contact them on Monday morning if my flight is cancelled and just keep my fingers crossed that if I cannot make it over there I will get some sort of refund for the hotel. But I wouldn't hold my breath because it would be very spectacular for the hotel to refund money after a booking but hey, you never know eh. Anyway, I wouldn't want the flight to be cancelled cos it would be more hassle than anything else, but I'm also scared in case I get stranded there and not make it back for New Year. Nooooo!! But having said that, I did take the first step in getting myself ready for the trip and I went to M&S and got myself some Euros. Not much, just £100 worth. Should be enough to last me for the first day over there. And I'm sure the rest will sort itself out. Now travel money is sorted, it's just a case of waiting to see if I can fly away :)
Ready for Christmas
It's Christmas Eve now and I've done all my shopping, written all my Christmas cards, wrapped all my presents, made sure my admin is all up to date. I will be leaving all things driving instruction related from this moment onwards until I start back again on Monday 3rd Jan. I wonder how long this can last though. Lol! Pupils are bound to call me at some point to ask stuff or reschedule etc. One thing that I cannot avoid is my office, which I require to get me around even when I'm off. And I still need to clean it as well. Haha! I'm looking forward to this week off. It's so much different from the two weeks off when I was snowed in because then I had to call pupils to confirm or cancel lessons and had to constantly check the weather forecasts etc. Now I can truly lay them all aside and just enjoy myself. Looking forward to time off without being on edge. Hopefully not more ranting. Haha!!
So what's planned for this Christmas? Well I will get up tomorrow and get all spruced up before getting Nick and bringing him over to our house. We shall have brunch together before we hang out and possibly open presents, watch Christmas tv or possibly a movie, or play card games, or arm wrestle, or sing and dance. Gonna have a big dinner I hope and get stuffed on turkey and lots of veg. Will try to have an early night because we plan to hit the Next Boxing Day Sale on Sunday morning. I think the stores open at 6am so we shall try to go there as early as possible (the early bird catches the worm!) before coming back to pack and send Nick off to the airport. Guess it'll be my first of two trips to the airport, so at least I will get an idea of whether my flight can take place the next day =)
Ok feeling really tired now. Gotta go guys. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!! =D
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