Fear is how I fall, Confusing what is real...

Tonight is my last night here in Jersey. Oh what a break it has been, it's been so good to get away from 'the bubble', away from work and the 'surreal' environment. I needed this little vacation, especially the little naps and longer sleeps I've had. I can probably say that I am now 70% ready to face the most Magical place in the world - everyday gets me closer to the end of the program, which leaves me feeling bittersweet.

Seeing my relatives in Jersey and visiting NYC sites again has made me feel more refreshed and once again, rejuvenated. It makes me look forward to the future even more, I'd love to one day live in NYC, or at least visit it more frequently. I loved it so much, I honestly do not want to leave. But hey, I gotta set my priorities straight, right? Oh, why does reality have to bite you in the ass sometimes? So tempting to just stay here and forget about everything else...





Okay, as soon as I land in MCO tomorrow at round 2:15pm, and I'm going to think positive about the rest of the week and go to work at 5pm - gotta psych myself up somehow. Doing 45 hours this week. Woot! Oh I cannot wait to start work now and get it over and done with. Only a little while more to go til I see la familia again!
But then again, I also don't want this to end. When the program is over, I'd like to look back and be able to say 'yeh, I made the most of my time there. No regrets'. It's probably the best decision I've ever made. Ooft, here I am getting all emotional too soon... I'll return to this subject later on.



Til next time.

xx aBz

Pre-Thanksgiving break...

I'm back in New Jersey, and I've been here since Sunday (14th of November). I arrived here with one of my housemates, Gabi. We're staying with my tito here in Edison, New Jersey and have since then we've done the following: gone to the local mall; stumbled upon Times Square in New York; played in the biggest Toys R' Us in Times Square; visited PopTart World; gone shopping on 34th and Broadway; shopped in Jersey Gardens outlets; had authentic NY pizza at the well-known 'John's Pizzeria'; met up with and visited the MET with our friends Brodie, Dean and Bec (who are all on the Disney College Program); eaten at Ben & Jerry's (which Gabi loved); visited Madame Tussaud's famous wax museum of celebs; and bought our I heart NY shirts; and all of us had pre-Thanksgiving dinner back here in my relative's place (which was TO DIE FOR - did someone say TURKEY! =)) It's just too bad Gabi had to leave so soon, today actually (18th of November).



After we dropped Gabi off at Newark airport, I hung out with Brodie, Dean and Bec as they toured Downtown NY. The highlight: Ground Zero memorial. It's still in the process of being built, but just being there sent thrills up my spine. The last time I was there was April 2001 - just 5 months before they came down. We went into the 9/11 memorial store, which replayed footage of the chaos that happened on that fateful day all over the store. It was heartbreaking. Most of the people in-store could not help but shed a tear - me included. It was so surreal, the quote that struck me on one of the souvenirs was: "No Day Shall Erase You from the Memory of Time" - hits the heart. We then continued to head down Wall Street and saw the New York Stock Exchange, the biggest Tiffany & Co I've seen yet, and further down we took photos of the Brooklyn bridge. Feeling under the weather a bit (literally, as I only had 2 layers of clothing on), I decided to say goodbye to my friends early and go home. But before that, I took a little detour and went back on 42nd st and 6th ave (Grand Central Terminal) to look for the famous 'Magnolia' bakery, which was featured a couple of times on Sex and the City. I sampled their Magic Cookie Bar, and I gotta say, as good as it was, it does not compare to the one we have in WDW :) yay!

After my sweet treat, I made my way to MSG, where I was to catch a train from Penn Station to Metropark in Jersey, but before then, I bought myself a 'Nathan's Famous' cheese dog. Authentic NY hotdog, which did not disappoint. I felt like a New Yorker walking the streets of the 'Big Apple' on my own. I felt invincible. I really wanna live here And I can so picture myself doing so as well! Eventually, I would love to, if the opportunity presented itself then I'd jump at the chance.

Aah New York, what have you done to me? Haha! Oh well, I still have til Monday (22nd of November) here, til I go back to Fantasyland. Whoop-ti-dooo! Gotta make the most of it then.

Til next time.

xx aBz

Food & Wine

Let me start by saying, 'I Love my Days off'. There's nothing better than taking my sweet time, not worrying about anything and just plain chillaxing. I had last Monday (November 1) and this Monday (November 8) off for two reasons: Boyz II Men and Hanson, respectively.

I needed some 'Me' time last Monday after a Halloween experience I can hardly remember, and now that I've heard stories and seen photos, I don't want to remember. I went to EPCOT for the Food & Wine Festival with my ever trusty D5000 in hand, and tried out some palatable dishes being offered at the 15th Food & Wine festival. Some of which included the cherry colada in Puerto Rico, the churro in Mexico, shrimp cake and noodles in Singapore, happy lychee in Chine, baklava in Morocco and much more. Dead set, it was looking out to be a good day. At around 4:30pm I then made my way to the stage where Boyz II Men was to perform. To my surprise, I was shown by a lovely cast member to a front row seat, I was ecstatic. D5000 in hand, I kept snapping away when the group (now 3) came on stage. They performed such hits like 'Motown Philly', 'On Bended Knee', 'Water Runs Dry' and my fave, 'I'll Make Love to You'. Once they sang the latter, they brought out a dozen roses each. I'm not gonna lie, I squealed. Shawn, the lead singer, a rose to every female in the front row, lucky me! I could not stop smiling after that. The best, nuff said. I also got to meet 'Beast' from Beauty and the Beast, as well as the EPCOT rep, 'Duffy'. Though I started the day hungover, it turned out to be such a great day!

Today was no exception. My roomie, Tegan decided to give me a tour of her workplace, The Boardwalk. I was already in awe looking at the scenery when we got off the G bus, and she goes, 'wait til you see the lobby'. I was floored. The lobby was absolutely amazing, I can only imagine what the actual rooms and villas look like. There were replicas of the Royal carousel and a rollercoaster in the lobby, and the resort was 1940s themed. We took a walk along the boardwalk (there was actually a real boardwalk!) and Tegan showed me a few of the shops that stood out, such as 'Jelly Rolls', 'Kouzzina' and the 'Flying Fish', this called for more snapping away at the D5000. Great start to the day. Next stop, EPCOT, a 5 minute walk from Boardwalk. here we go again with the cherry colada, then cheese soup at Canada, seared scallop in New Zealand, Golabki in Poland and the dreaded Belvedere Strawberry balsamic chiller, thanks Teegs. I was quite tipsy after skulling the (really concentrated) drink. Afterward, we went to see Kayla and Bec in line for Hanson. Oh dear, I didn't realise there would actually be a line - guess those guys are still huge, after Mmmbop. Even after getting married and having kids, those guys still know how to melt girls' hearts, girls from 10-100 years, it was quite amusing to see grandmas dancing and singing along to their hit(s). Absolutely entertaining, this group still has it. *Squeals* Zac! Love my days off...

Till next time.

xx aBz