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

Inconsistent blogger...

Blogging at 4am probably isn't healthy, but I'm doing it since I'm still wide awake anyway (getting home from work at 2:30am isn't healthy either).

Here are a couple of highlights for the week:
1. Character Hunting at the Magic Kingdom;
2. Working at the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT and;
3. The end of working during Halloween parties!

Last Thursday (Oct 28), a few workmates, myself and my ever trusty Nikon D5000, made our way to Magic Kingdom in the hopes of getting more snapshots with and autographs of some Disney characters. It was quite a success; we managed to add another 12-13 more to our collection, including the new characters, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider; and we finally got to meet our boss, Mickey.



The second highlight for the week was being able to work at EPCOT for the 15th anniversary of the Food and Wine festival. I was working at the Welcome Centre selling Food and Wine merchandise, cookbooks, etc, and got to meet a couple of celebrity chefs, including Kat Cora. It was such a great experience and I had such a blast, before I knew it, the day was over. I actually wouldn't mind getting deployed to EPCOT even for just a while.

The final highlight is the glory of not working for the final two Halloween parties! For someone who comes from a country that doesn't really celebrate this holiday, I've had my fair share to probably last me a lifetime. I know it sounds mean, but I'm being serious. No more Halloween games! Yay! Hehehe. No matter how much I may bag working at these parties, I will always be thankful for the ones I have worked, as I may never get to experience them again.

Well, I guess that's all for me right now. Next step, sleep.

Till next time

xx aBz

UCF Knights!!

I can honestly say, yesterday (Saturday, 10/23/10), was the best Saturday of my life. I got to experience a real American football game. It was such a great experience, I can't even describe how good it was. It's one of those things that you just have to be there in order to truly experience what and how it's like.



First of all, this would not have been possible if it wasn't for one of my best mates, Clinton Reyes. He totally pulled through on this one. Once we were armed with alcohol and snacks, he picked me and my friends up and drove us to University of Central Florida (UCF), roughly 35 minutes away from Vista Way. He then drove us around the absolutely gorgeous UCF campus (this made me wish I was still a uni student!). We got to experience an all-American tradition before a football game, which was 'tailgating'.

This is one of those things that I mentioned, you just HAVE to be there in order to truly have an all-American experience. This was probably the best thing out of the whole day. The campus grounds were packed with people and their tents, grills, sausages, meat patties, hotdogs, chicken wings, buns, chips, etc. Oh and most importantly, their 6-packs! Such an unbelievable sight. Tents and music everywhere, with people playing such games like catch, bean bag toss and more. So much to see and do!


This all lasted til around 2:30pm; but we made our way to the game early at 3:30. Good decision, it was packed by the time 3pm rolled around and we got great seats! UCF Knights were playing against Rice (Texas team). We sat right in front of the offense side of the UCF team, with the cheerleaders and 'Knightro' the mascot facing us. The opening of the game was insane, starting with Knightro coming out on a horse and a war aircraft dropping down 3 para gliders, who then landed in the middle of the field. We stood there in awe. The whole game was amazing! UCF won 41-14. Rice only scored when UCF was leading at 34. The atmosphere in the field was almost electrifying; fans were in their element, both young and old were taking part in this great tradition. It was a monumental experience for myself and my roomies, as this was one of the things listed on our bucket lists while we are here in America. We actually got to cross off a few thing: see a fraternity/sorority house, tailgate, and see a football game. All in one day. Thank you Clint!

I must admit, Australian footy does not come close to American football. I said to my friends earlier, Australian footy is entertainment, whilst American football is an experience.

Aah, I can honestly go home satisfied now.

Til next time.

xx aBz

I Guess We'll Wait and See...

I had a bit of time to think by myself today, and there were times when it was good and times where it just got a bit depressing. The main question going through my head was, 'What do I really want?' Vague question, I know. But I just can't help ask the question at this stage of my program, let alone, my life. I'm starting to loathe these times that make me think too much. I still have time to decide what I really want to do after this program. Nevertheless, I am so grateful to embark on such a journey, I have such a great support network behind me; it has been amazing so far. Actually, amazing is an understatement - it is beyond words and unexplainable.

I gotta admit, I'm quite scared to go home. What has Australia got in store for me when I go back? I damn sure hope there will be good things! All I can do right now is just take it one day at a time.

Well, here's to waiting, and here's to hoping...

This is for you la familia. I always have you guys in mind. Te Amo!






Till next time.

xx aBz

3 months...

Yep, it's been exactly 1 month since my last post. I've been lazy, can you tell? hehe.
Alright, so much has happened since then.

I've...

rented a car; went to Mickey's Not-So Scary Halloween party in Magic Kingdom; attended a concert; been to Clearwater Florida; seen a famous person at work; added like 50 more friends on facebook; gone to and got drunk in Miami; been scared the bejesus out of in Universal Studios; and tanned to the maxx! In other words, I've been having a blast!

A couple of days ago, I realized, there's only 3 months til my program ends, and that literally freaked me out. What on earth am I gonna do after all this ends? Do I extend or not? I'm still trying to decide. On the one hand, I can still enjoy and travel while I'm here in the US for another 6 months; but on another hand, I can't help but think that it's time to go back to reality and leave Fantasyland... Decisions, decisions!

Ergo, Abz's current status: undecided

Til next time.

xx aBz