02.02.2010 06:44:44 / dia

Days off again.

Weather: Raining

I was off yesterday (Sunday) and then since it was raining today the pool was closed so I was off today as well. Since it was raining like crazy and we could not go to the beach, Boris and I decided to go to the movies. First we saw "When in Rome" and since it was still raining we decided to see another movie: "Legion" with Paul Bettany. Very different but good movies.

There has not much been going on lately just work and watching movies. Went out on Saturday to a club called Liv.

I am getting my paycheck next Thursday. I can't wait so finally I can start enjoying Miami to the fullest. Even though most of it goes to pay my rent.

» 1 hafa sagt sína skoðun

21.01.2010 04:48:43 / dia

Two days off

Time: 23.42

Weather: 24°C partly cloudy

The heat is finally back to Miami. Boris and I were off today, so we spent the day on the beach. The sea is still too cold, so we walked all the way from our building which is on 34th and down to 8th street. There we stopped at a nice Café and had an Apperol Spritz in the heat and looked at nice cars driving by on Ocean Drive. We took the boardwalk on the way back.

We had Mexican food for dinner and then we went to see Avatar in 3D. A very nice movie, very cool. Normally I do not like these kind of movies (future and adventure), but this one I liked. Those of you who still have not seen it, I recommend to see it in the movies, because not to see it in 3D is just not the same experience.

Well after two lovely days off, it is time to go back to work tomorrow.

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

18.01.2010 01:27:52 / dia

I'm in Miami Bitch

Time: 20.08

Weather: 23°C

Quote of the day:

"Drink all day

Play all night

Let's get it poppin'
I'm in Miami bitch"

I have been in Miami now for 11 days and I love it...

I am working at the Pool and Beach Bar & Restaurant so I should be able to get some tan working there

Still my uniform consists of long pants and a white shirt so when the heat goes up, I probably will be boiling. I really like my team, they are all very nice. The servers are all from Bali, Thailand or Burma. My manager is from Mexico, and the two other girls that are assistant managers along with me are from Thailand and Switzerland. When I arrived the weather was soooo cold. It has never been this cold in Miami, or at least not for many many years. Thus, there was no business at the pool, so unfortunately I cannot tell you a lot about my job since I have only worked for three days. But so far so good.

I have been living a week now in my new apartment. It is about 15 min walk to work, right on the beach, and just across the hall from Boris. It is a studio and I got it furnished, but still I had to buy a lot of stuff, so I went both to Target and Sam's Club to buy some stuff. So my money are running low now, so I am really hoping for some more work, because I am on hourly salary.... But once the weather gets better the business should pick up.

When it comes to party... There are no words, it has to be experienced. I have not gone out a lot, but those times I have been out I really liked it. I will tell you more about the party later.

In general Miami is very different from all other US cities I've been to, or at least Miami Beach, I have not spend much time in the city itself.

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

02.01.2010 14:02:01 / dia

Happy New Year

To all of you Happy New Year.... I hope all your wishes will come true in 2010. I am looking forward to new challenges in Miami.

I am leaving Iceland on the 5th and I fly directly to Orlando.....

Hope to see you in Miami!!!!

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

24.12.2009 00:23:50 / dia

Merry Christams

Time: 00.35

Weather: -5°C and thin layer of snow on the ground.

To all my friends and family. Hope you all will have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I am lucky to spend the Holidays with my family in Iceland. Hope you will all enjoy the holidays, where ever you are in the world, and whether you are with our family or not.

Holiday Kisses from Iceland, where Santa lives

ho ho ho

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

17.12.2009 15:17:02 / dia

Back home in Iceland

Time: 15.15

Weather: Hotter than China.... amazing

I am back home now. So nice to be back home and have some good food, and just chill. I really needed that. I am basically just spending time with my family, watching TV and eating good food. I am also going through the whole visa process for the US. There are a lot of papers that needs to be filled out and signed.

Other than that nothing special.....

Hope you all are good.

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

13.12.2009 10:36:57 / dia

Last Day in Shanghai

Weather: 10C
Time 18.35

This is my last day in Shanghai. Tomorrow around this time I will be half way to London already. My fight leaves tomorrow at 10.55. I am working untill 23.00 tonight. Then I have to go home and finish packing. Dora, Magnus and Thor will come and pick me up tomorrow morning around 8 and then it is good bye China.

It will take around 25 hours before I get home to Iceland. Then I will stay there for a month before it is time for Miami Beach......

» 1 hafa sagt sína skoðun

01.12.2009 09:49:08 / dia

Beijing Day 2-3

I am sitting at the airport waiting to be able to check in for my return flight to Shanghai.

Yesterday I woke up at 8, had breakfast at the hotel, and then the guide and the driver came and pick me up at 9. We drove just over an hour to the Badaling section of the great wall. The great wall is over 3000 km, and I climbed around 1,6 km. We reached 800 m altitude, by walking the very steep steps. When I came back down my legs where shaking, and when I woke up this morning I had a massive muscle pain.

The great wall is amazing, really impressive. It really is one of the must sees in the world.

After climbing down again, we stopped at a Jade museum. Jade is a stone that can be found here in China, and they use it to carve jewelry, Buddah statues, and other nick nacks.

Before heading back to Beijing, we visited the Summer Palace. This was where the emperors and empresses spend the summer months. There is beautiful lake there, and a nice garden. I am kind of here in the wrong season. Because it would have been beautiful to have seen either in spring or summer with all the trees blooming, or the fall colors, or even when everything would be covered in snow. But I should not complain, there were less tourists around, and the weather was actually very nice.

Once back in town, I enjoyed Peking duck in pancakes. After that I went to a traditional Chinese tea house, and tasted some good, but very expensive tea.

Today, my last day in Beijing I did not do much. I went to a market and did some shopping, and then I went back to check out of the hotel, and now I am at the airport.

I am working long hours for the next two weeks, and then I am flying home on the 14th..... So do not expect much update in the next days.

Peace out. And wish me luck packing and getting home with my all my luggage. As much as I love traveling, I had the packing part. I ALWAYS have too much luggage.

» 1 hafa sagt sína skoðun

29.11.2009 12:41:40 / dia

Beijing Day 1

I landed at Beijing airport at 11 this morning. I took the airport express downtown, where I transfered to the metro, and then finally I took a taxi the last bit. At 1 I checked in at the Holiday Inn Express. So it went really fast.

After eating Peking duck for lunch, I headed to Tian´an men Square (Gate of heavenly peace) and the Forbidden City. Tian´an men Square is the big famous square, where the big portrait of Mao Zedong hangs.

When I was outside the gate of Forbidden City looking for the ticket booth, a Chinese guy approached me and asked me if he could be my personal guide and show me around the Forbidden City since it was only one and a half hour until the "city" would close. I decided to take him on the offer. I was very happy that I did that. He spoke good English and was very knowledgeable. He told me all about the two emperor dynasties that lived there from the middle of the 15th century till the beginning of the 20th century. If it would not have been for him, I would just have seen this huge rectangular city (almost 1 km long, and 750 m wide) filled with palaces.

After the tour, he took me to the shopping street, where I went to an market, and had something to eat.

Tomorrow, he is going to take me to the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace.

Beijing is a very interesting city. Totally different from Shanghai. More Chinese, not all these skyscrapers like in Shanghai. However, I figured out something about myself today. I like living in a city, but when I go on holiday I am more fascinated by a beautiful beach, and the nature, than palaces and museums in a city. I just do not get that impressed by buildings. But that is just me!!!!

I´ll tell you about the Great Wall tomorrow.

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

22.11.2009 14:43:01 / dia

Shanghai - Beijing - London - Reykjavik - Miami

Time: 21.15

Weather: 10°C, sunny today.

Quote: Party in the city where the heat is on.

All night on the beach til the break of dawn
Welcome to miami (bienvenido a miami)
Bouncin' in the club where the heat is on
All night on the beach til the break of dawn.
I'm going to miami, welcome to miami

Big news!!!! I think most of you know but, I still want to write it on my blog. I have resigned from my job in Shanghai, and I got a job in Miami at The Setai hotel in their F&B department (the restaurant)... I am really excited about it. They want me to start on January 5th, but it is all depending on the visa process, how fast I can apply for it, because I cannot apply for it here in China. I have however started to do the online process.

So, since I have to go home to Iceland and apply for the visa I can go home for Christmas. I have already booked a ticket through London on December 14th. I will be flying home with Dora and the boys. So I can help here with the boys, and she can help me with my overweight

But before I leave China, I have to go to Beijing. So I have booked a ticket to Beijing on Sunday. I will be staying at the Holiday Inn Express (I have to use the employee discount before I quite). I will tell you all about it when I get back on Tuesday.

» 2 hafa sagt sína skoðun

04.11.2009 15:15:09 / dia

Cold & Internet

Time: 23.30
Weather: sooooo coooold...... brrrrrr (18°C)

Since I've arrived to Shanghai October has by far been the best month, and there are several reasons for that. First of all I went on a lovely holiday to Thailand. Secondly, I am so much happier at work. Lastly, the weather. If you ever go to Shanghai, go in October. The weather has been hot, but not too hot, and no rain, like in August and September. However, as soon as November arrived it got soooo cold. Much colder than what I had expected. But it is so strange last week I would go out in a tank top and shorts. Now I need a jacket and scarf. I've never experience such a quick change in the weather.

Enough about the weather. For some time now I've had problems with the Internet. Surprice, surprice!!! My roommates can both connect and I can connect using my iPod touch. So now I am sitting on the bus on my way to work, writing on my iPod. It is a good thing that I have an hour long bus drive because this is taking forever. Anyway, I am looking for some computer nerds that can give me some hints on why my Mac can not even detect the Internet, even though I am sitting next to the router. Any guessess? Please feel free to leave me a comment.
Well this is enough for now. I am going to continue reading the new Dan Brown. I have actually started liking these long bus rides to work. It gives me change to read some really good books. Currently I am waiting for the third Stieg Larsson book. A word of advice, if you have not read these books. Do not finish the second book unless you have the third one. I am going crazy waiting for it.

» 1 hafa sagt sína skoðun

26.10.2009 15:46:42 / dia

Changes II

Time: 23.35

Weather: Clear sky, 19°C

Quote of the day: "Silence is the virtue of fools". -Sir Francis Bacon-

Sorry for not having written in a while. The thing is that the Internet is terrible here. For some reason I have problems accessing the Internet on my computer, but luckily I can access the Internet on my ipod touch so at least I can check my mails. However, it takes some time to write long paragraphs, that´s why I have not been so efficient in updating my blog.

Last time I wrote that I was going to transfer to F&B, but now I will not be doing that. Instead I transfered to the front desk, so I am not in the club tower anymore. It is much better, I´m much happier there. There is more business, and last week I learned more about the front desk than I have done for the last three months here. Yes it is true, I've been in Shanghai now for three months. I really like the management at the hotel tower, and they seem to like me. At least I am getting some interesting tasks, and I´m given the changes to prove myself, which I what I was really looking for. So things are looking a bit more positive for me now.

Lately thought I have been missing party time like in César Ritz. Especially the balcony parties in 604 & 606. And some random drinking. You know when you just want to have one beer, and it ends up being the best night ever. I am hoping for some good Halloween party next weekend.

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

16.10.2009 02:59:43 / dia

Change

Time: 11.00

Weather: Sunny 20°C

Quote of the day: "Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because the world needs people who have come alive." -Howard Thurman-

There are some changes going to take place soon. I will most probably move to the F&B department soon instead of front desk where I've been since I got here. The reason is that the occupancy is very low at the moment since the hotel is brand new and has just recently opened. I do not think it will pick up within the next months. In fact I don't think it will pick up until next spring when the expo starts. For those of you who know me, know that I need some action. I am not really good at just sitting around. Additionally I think it is a viser carrier move for me at the moment. The thing is that I have a lot of F&B background but no previous experience in rooms. I can therefore go straight to a supervisor level in F&B and work my way up the latter faster that way. Then maybe later I can go back to rooms when I have a better opportunity to learn. I will get an answer next week when I can move. I will most probably be working at the steakhouse. The hotel has a total of five restaurants, a deli shop, and the "pulse" bar at the gym. Tha steakhouse is only open in the evening which therefore means that I'll mostly work evenings. unless I have some administrative work to do, which I think I will have. At least it sounded like that when I talked to Michael the F&B manager. He is from the UK so I'm hoping for a different work environment. I hope that this is the right decision that I'm taking and that I will be happier in F&B. I'll keep you posted on how things work out for me.

Now for those of you who are not familier with the hotel jargon; F&B stands for food and beverage. Under this department are all food and beverage related departments such as restaurants, bars, kitchen etc.

Ps. There are some new pics of my tattoo and few from Thailand under "myndasöfn"

» 2 hafa sagt sína skoðun

06.10.2009 10:59:09 / dia

Back to China

Time: 17.57

Weather: Sun is going down

I'm sitting at Bangkok International airport which means that my holiday is over now... back to China, and back to work. It was great to come back to Hua Hin. I missed it a lot. I ate a lot of delicious Thai food, went out, spent some time with my friends, and something that I had not planned.... I made a new tattoo. I but a new one over the old one. I did not like the blue rose anymore. Nobody could see what it was. So I made a bigger rose. Red and yellow. I will put up some pictures when I get back to Shanghai

On Saturday I went to Music Room. A bar that I have seen growing for the past five years. When it opened in 2004, when I first moved to Hua Hin, it was just a small outside bar with 4 tree tables, plastic chairs and all they had to offer was whiskey and soda. Me and my friend Polly went there almost every weekend before continuing to The Brewing Company at Hilton. Last time I came in 2006 they had moved to another location. This time with few more tables and a more extended menu. Now, they have leather sofas, food, Absolute vodka, Bacardi Rum and other big alcoholic brands. Still, it remains authentic Thai, with very few foreigners coming there which I like.

Yesterday I went to a Thai home just outside the town. There is an Icelandic guy, Viktor that is now living in Hua Hin and he has a wife from Thailand and 3 children. He invited me and Einar, another Icelandic guy that works for Össur in Shanghai which was also in Hua Hin on holiday at the same time, for dinner at his house. Vikotr works for Oriental travel and is expecting to have some Icelandic tourists comming to Hua Hin over New Year's.

Have to go now, they are starting to board my flight to Guangzhou where I will stay over night, and then tomorrow I'll fly to Shanghai. Then it is back to work on the 9th....

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

04.10.2009 04:31:14 / dia

Thailand the land of smile

Time: 12.20

Weather: "Sun in Shining, the weather is sweet, yeah"(Bob Marley)

Quote of the day: "We all fear what we don't understand" (Robert Langdon)

My best friend in Iceland posted a poem as a comment on this blog. It was basically about how friends sometimes drift a part and do not stay in touch. But with good friends even though you don't hear from them in a long time, and then once you meet, it is like you never were a part. This is how it is to come to Thailand. There are over 4 years since I left Thailand, and then I came for a short visit 3 years ago, and coming here now still feels like coming home. I have met up with my friends Tuk and Polly, and it feels like I never left. This was just what I needed. To get away from it all. Event hough it is just for few days.

Yesterday I went to the beach, and I guess I did not use strong enough sunscreen, because I am rather red today. I guess I'll have to take it more easy today. Otherwise I have just been chilling here. Went out yesterday with Polly to our favorite place Music Room. It has changed a lot from what it was when I lived here. Just a small room with few plastic chairs, tree table, and a limited drinking menu. Now it has moved to another place. With nice sofas, dance floor and a wide drinking selection. Still though, and then thing I like most about it, is the fact it is mostly Thai people, and not that many foreigners.

On my way over here from Shanghai I stopped in Guangzhou. The plan was to take a cruise on the Pearl River. However, my flight was delayed and it took longer than expected to get to town from the airport as last Thursday is the biggest travel day in China. I don't think you can imagine how many people there where all over. Since I did not have a plan B, I ended up having dinner in the town, and then walked along the river for a little bit, before heading back to the airport and fly to Thailand.

Flying with a low cost Chinese airline is a different experiene. For example, you have not experience little leg space before you fly with the airline I went with. And it is not like I have long legs. There was no life west under my seat. Ok I did not fly over sea, but still. The worst part though was the flight attendant that talked constantly on the PA for 45 minutes in Chinese, describing everything that they were selling in their in flight shop. At least I think he was, because I stood up front and was showing each item from all sides. I was going crazy... I put my ipod in my ears, found some good house music, and turned it up full blast....

Well I have two days left in Hua Hin, so I'm going to go out and enjoy my time here. Tell you the rest of my travel story later.

» 0 hafa sagt sína skoðun

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