adrenalin rush

today was the eurodam's last call in nyc before heading for the caribbean. i had the morning off and made plans to meet up with joy and edward for a leisurely brunch.

as i walked towards 8th avenue, i felt the familiar rush of elation from being in manhattan again. to say i was excited to be back and see my friends would be an understatement.

seeing joy and edward again, even for just a couple of hours, got me so pumped that i was in a good mood the entire day. i just wish we had a little more time to do some more catching up.

here are some photos. there are more to come.

a long, tiring, but very good day

while i was doing phone duty last week, i received a call from one of my former guests in the neptune lounge: mr. & mrs. vrhovac. these guests are remembered for one thing: their extensive collection of animal slippers. you know, those soft, furry things that are extremely comfortable and keep your feet warm (i received a st. bernard from them on the veendam. this time around i got frogs).

anyway, when they found out i was working at the front desk, they decided to stop by and say hi.

it was great seeing them again and reminiscing about the cruise they had with me as their concierge. of course, it didn't hurt that my manager and supervisors were there and they talked me up like i couldn't believe. what touched me most, though, was when they made arrangements for me to join them for dinner at the tamarind restaurant.

see, for crew members to be able to eat in the passenger restaurants, we need to get approval from the hotel manager. the vrhovacs managed to get permission for me to join them. their concierge informed me during this morning's fire drill.

of course schedules had to be adjusted and i ended up working 7 hours straight. after a sumptuous steak dinner - and about 2 glasses of chardonnay - i had to go back to work two more hours. if there had been a random alcohol check, i would have most likely been sent home. not because i was drunk. but my alcohol level would've been a little over the limit for someone on duty. but it was all good.

it was so good that i even ended up checking on a guest stateroom with my crush. i swear, he's such a cutie. i want to take him home with me.

eurodam superstar

one of the crew activities for the month of october is the american idol-inspired eurodam superstar. actually, we were urged by the team to join because of the cash prize: $300 for first place, $200 for 2nd and $100 for 3rd. i decided to join for the fun of it.

i made it to the 2nd round! there will be 8 of us competing next week and, based on the song selection earlier, it'll be quite a challenge to pick a performance piece.

it was really fun and i'm so looking forward to next week.

eurodam superstar

one of the crew activities for the month of october is the american idol-inspired eurodam superstar. actually, we were urged by the team to join because of the cash prize: $300 for first place, $200 for 2nd and $100 for 3rd. i decided to join for the fun of it.

i made it to the 2nd round! there will be 8 of us competing next week and, based on the song selection earlier, it'll be quite a challenge to pick a performance piece.

it was really fun and i'm so looking forward to next week.

greetings from the ms eurodam

taking advantage of the free wifi in sydney, nova scotia. just a few thoughts:

1. this ship is huge. it's practically the same distance from my cabin to the front office both here and on the veendam. the thing is, on the veendam, my walk would take me from the aft of the ship, all the way forward. here, i only get from the forward to the middle of the ship. there's still quite a walk to reach the other end from the front office.
2. it's a beautiful ship. i love how elegant everything looks. we even have scenic elevators on the port and starboard side midship. although i do miss the coziness of the veendam.
   
3. we have two additional idependent restaurants on board aside from the pinnacle grill. the tamarind restaurant, which specializes in asian cuisine, and the canaletto restaurant, which serves italian fare.
4. i would never want to live in corner brook, newfoundland. not even if michael jordan asked me to. i would, however, consider living in charlottetown, prince edward island.
5. i'm trying to upload photos that i already have but the connection on the ship - and in this terminal - is too erratic. buti pa sa veendam medyo consistent ang service.
6. i love how i'm more independent and confident about how i do my work. it's a different ship with a different staff and a different way of doing things. it takes some adjusting to but i'm glad that the handling of guest concerns comes more naturally to me now.
7. i am one of the oldest members of the staff (in terms of age). we have one newbie who's 10 years younger than i am and she calls me ate pia. no matter how many times i tell her to just call me pia, she just won't. she makes me feel so old.
8. i have a crush. he's such a cutie.
   
9. it really sucks that i'm having difficulty uploading photos on multiply and facebook.