first few images from Nicosia, Cyprus

The border at the Nicosia side, separating Cypriot territory from the Turkish territory.

While on a nearby wall...

More photos to follow soon!

Dubai Layover

Dubai International Airport

Pre-Departure Blues

Nov 24, 2005
4:00 PM Manila Time
8 hours prior to Departure time

Of all my trips, Cyprus wins hands down in having the most stressful pre-departure period. This took three months of visa processing, filling up application forms, having visa's denied and then learning that it was semi-approved, back and forth faxing of documents, couriers to and from different countries and through different timezones, email to and from various people, repeated flight bookings and re-bookings, hotel reservations, cancellations and re-reservations...

..and all of that just refer to the "official" goings-on that need to be taken cared of for a business trip. There is, as with any traveler, the personal aspect as well.

I will put it this way..It took me a day and a half to stress, prepare and fuss over Kevin's recent wedding -- and I was just a plain old guest.
How much effort I would exert for a 3-week trip to a country currently in winter?

It might seem that with my travel experience, these things would be easy. On one hand, it was, since I no longer fuss about minor things --- deciding what to bring is almost automatic. However, having been on other winter trips have had some major effects on me as well. I am now armed with the first-hand knowledge that women my age can and most definitely do NOT look frumpy in oversized, overbulky and overlayered clothes. I have also developed a distaste for having too many handcarried bags.

As a result, I ended up bringing less clothes, buying one or two more-expensive-than-I-would-normally buy pieces of travel essentials.
I have to add, that I did my shopping within 2 days of my real, actual departure. I wanted to make sure I was leaving before I spent that much money and that much effort.

Add all that to my worries over the unusual circumstances of the Entry visa, and what I end up with is an extremely stressful experience.

Nov 24, 2005
9 PM Manila time
3 hours prior to Departure Time

After all that hassle and all the craziness that went on, I breezed past Immigration with the Immigration Officer not even sparing so much as a blink in the direction of my Entry Visa...?!??!?
No word, no murmur, no grunt marked the "interview".
Anti-climactic? Hell yes!!! It was so easy..TOO EASY, now it scares me.

A familiar feeling...been here before, unfortunately I don't quite know what to do.
I only recognize the signs, and I can pretty much tell what will happen next. Unfortunately, I have neither the means nor the knowledge to change the inevitable.

Walk away...I know how to do that by now.

not quite yet

still in Manila. Cyprus is pushed back to...who knows, really?

out into the world I go

This weekend promises to be exciting. As of this writing, I am good to go on Saturday.

Winter clothes? not yet packed but they're there..so check.

Budget? Check.

Plane ticket, round trip? Check.

Passport? Check.

Visa? Er....question mark???

My visa will be sent VIA FAX tomorrow afternoon. Along with an accompanying letter from the Immigration lawyers. That along with the numerous papers that I have ultimately boils down to one thing:

I DONT HAVE MY ORIGINAL VISA STAMPED ON MY PASSPORT.

Maybe its a Cyprus thing, and this is normal practice and a routinely issued visa, but I am anticipating long waits at the Immigration offices both here and in Cyprus.

I am now calling on all the angels and saints that have looked after me since I was a kid to please please make this trip not that painful for me. I imagine that the only thing worst than enduring a coach flight of over 10 hours is the delay at Immigration.

This is one trip that's definitely worth noting.

I love weddings.

Thats why I try to go to each wedding that I'm invited to. Grant that I don't really have issues with the bride or groom nor they with me.
Last Saturday, I made my way to Batangas with four other office friends to attend Kevin and Anna's wedding. It was a real effort on our part. Especially since those of us who lived in QC had to make our way to Sucat via public transport. Once there, we had to ask permission to borrow Jeng's parent's ride and in the process, have her brother drive us to and from Batangas!

Long story short...I chose to go under dressed after all the stress I went through trying to find something decent to wear. Public transport + full make-up + garment bag do not make a good equation.

Did I say I loved weddings? Well yeah, I still do. Despite the routine outfit hassle. And the expected wedding gift problem. I always get teary-eyed when they exchange vows. Mushy I know, but there, thats my soft spot.

I didn't get to shoot much...letting Allan get acquainted with Buddy instead (Starbucks ko??? hehhee) but here's one I liked:

A reminder of the things that I've missed and are missing came late last week and continued on throughout the weekend. I've overcome any strong reactions that I used to have and have learned to take things with a shrug of my shoulders and a quick "oh well". but last night I had a "relapse" of sorts.

I had that feeling again. And it came at the same time that my previous "attacks" came. I dealt with it the only way I know....sleep.

Sleep has always consoled me. It brought hope that when I awake, things will be where they should be.

And this morning when I woke up, things were where they are...but whether or not it should be this way...I am not sure.

I wake to sleep and take my waking slow, I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go.
-- Theodore Roethke
The Waking

whereabouts.

As of today, my November 12 flight has been moved to November 19.

Lets hope thats the last time they move it. I've been waiting to fly to Cyprus for two months already!

My excitement wanes and peaks constantly, I'm suffering from motion sickness....

Rizal Road Trip

the advantages of having new people at work who are just as into -- actually it should be "more into" -- photography is that they're willing to organize shoots and photo shoots.

take friday last week, a non-working holiday-turned-whole-day-photo-op. we went to the province of rizal to take photos.

below are some of my favorites ( I only had a handful that I liked :( )

Cyprus update

Late last week we received word that I was given an approval for a Cypriot work permit by the Cypriot Consul in Cyprus (If he's in his home country, is he still a Consul?). How that came about is beyond me. All I filed was an application for a Short-Stay visa which was denied by the Honorary Consulate in Manila.

This morning we found faxed copies of application forms for Employment in Cyprus. I was directed to sign them. Weird thing is, I was naming my current employer as the employer for the Cypriot temporary employment...and we dont have an office in Cyprus. Weird? Well it was the immigration lawyer's idea.

At the project office in Cyprus, they're expecting me to be there on November 7, Monday. Today is Thursday. I have no Entry visa, no work permit...nor do I have a copy of the "approval".....sure...Monday. This would be me at the Immigration counter (at NAIA):

Immigration officer: (eyebrows raised) You need a visa to get to Cyprus, where's your visa?

Me:(smiling my best smile and fluttering my eyelids as demurely as I possibly can -- which is not much, I have to say)

Oh, I have a stamp there that says I applied for one.

IO: (slightly turning red, voice raised) Yes, but where is your visa?

Me:(still smiling but with gritted teeth cursing whoever wanted me to leave without anything)

Uhm, I have the forms I signed to have the Entry Visa and work permits processed.

IO: (screaming, I imagine) WHERE IS YOUR VISA???

Me: (scared, I imagine) They assured me that they will be waiting for me at the Airport with my VISA.

IO: (screaming still and racing out of the booth to strangle me senseless) WHERE THE .... IS YOUR VISA???

Right. I doubt if they'll ask me the same question more than once. Chances are, I'll be ushered into one of those rooms I've only heard about but never seen. Chances are, I'll be heading home on the same day my flight was supposed to leave Manila. But hey, they DID say I should be there November 7...