Kathy_at_Sea's Xanga

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:28:36 GMT

well, it has been awhile since i have written anything..... it's all because I have been really busy for the last week. I have actually just found out where I will be going for my contract. I will be leaving the UK on thursday and flying to miami to join my ship. I will be going on Royal Caribbean this time for my spa job. I am actually pretty excied about it cuz I will be going to many different places this time for 8 months. I will first go through the panama canel and to dominican republic, san juan, St martaan, St thomas, St. lucia, hatiti, and many places in the Caribbean. then in late april I will be heading over to the Med for the entire summer until the end of contract. so I guess I will be seeing Europe for the first time..... the only thing that i am apprehensive about is my honey.. cuz we odnt' relaly know when he will be joing me on the ship. There are actually couple of positions open on the ship in april and may so the chances are really good. but we wil have to find out for sure before I leave on thursday. But don't get too excited about anything yet, cuz everything could change just like that with this company, so nothing is for certain until you are on the plane, and even then you never know cuz they might very well tranship you so some strange reason.....

anyways, will update more soon...

Friday, February 11, 2005

Fri, 11 Feb 2005 18:45:15 GMT

Well, I have finally finished my second week in London training for my up coming job on the ship. I seriousely have been put on a emotional roller coaster for the past week. There were so much pressuer this week alone due to the fact that all the BIG bosses from head office were here. All the trainers were stressed and freaked out and as for all us students everything HAD to be perfect. I never thought that I would be going on the ship so soon. Not to mention that I had to learn whole bunch of things ( theory and concepts) and I also had to learn teeth whitening....... ( yes I got my teeth whitened as well, so now I have a million dollar smile) so overall it was just crazy crazy week...... I am actually being kicked off the internet now.... will right later when I go home tonite..... cheers...

Monday, February 07, 2005

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 18:42:16 GMT

well I am starting another week at this blah training school thing for the spa job on the ship and once again I am doing nothing all day long....... today I got this treatment done ( iontherime) where it is suppose to left your butt, reduce inces and reduce cellulite, flatten your tummy etc... anyways I had the treatment today where they put these plusing things on my tummy and under my butt for 30 min. and well over all I lost 2 inches all over ( water only)... I relaly didn't like that treatment...it was actually kinda painful....... and for the ppl that would spend that kind of money on things like that to lost weight ...... man they relaly should get their head examined......I relaly do believe that you should eat healthy and do excerise like the old fashion way to get hte body you want......

I also got a scalp massage and a hair up from my friend... which was really cool..... we took a long time so we didn't really have to do any clean up for today....... ( yes we have to clean everyday and on fridays we all have to scrub the place spotless....) and yeah another thing.... today all the head office ppl from the states are now here... so all the trainers and students and bosses are all on their toes....... and I swear some of the ladies MUST have had some things done to their faces and bodies to look like that at their age...... I hate to say it..... they all pretty much look like plastic barbie dolls..... almost too perfect to be true......... but I guess you know being in thise BEAUTY industry you HAVE to look like that in order to sell your products and mostly you are selling your image..... I think they have successfully transformed me into the way they want me to be..... if any of you guys saw me now.. you would not be abel to reconize me for sure....... I for sure look WAY too fancy to be me...... ha ha...

anywyas I gotta go to the super market now... maybe I will get a Krispy creams for FREE>>> kee kee

PS_ time to e-mail me ppl

Cheers

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Thu, 03 Feb 2005 19:26:05 GMT

Finally, I can use the internet..... well, I have been in london for about 5 days now.. and have started my training with steiner ( the spa thing that I am doing) I am staying at this really dodgy YMCA in North London where it would cost me about £20 to get to central london... We have to go to school every single day...... We all have to do be there at 8:45 and classes all start at 9:00 until 4:30 and then we have to clean for like an hour........ for the first few days we have just been doing the paper work and trying to get everyone organized. We had to do this public speaking thing infornt of all the trainers and staff and the head manager Robert, who ultimatly has the say in what ship you go to.... lots ppl were really nervse b/c we had to use this mic and had to do this intro thing to introduce our partners that we have just met 5 mins. ago.... I thought I did pretty well, cuz well, I do have to thank SUF for this for all the presentations that I have had to do in my classes it really did help.... this sure was MUCH MUCH easier then having to talk about some extra hard study and tryingto teach it to the rest of the class.....

Since I will be working for this spa company as a receptionist, I have to look the part which in simpy word.... lots of make up ( including eye liner, top and bottom, eye shadow, and blush/bronzer and lip stick and liner at all times) and also my hair need to be up in a very nice formal up-do... so since we all have to take the bus in the moring to school and it takes about 30 min to get there I have been getting up everyday at 6:15 in the moring to do make up and hair....... I told my honey that in the last 4 days I think I have spent like 5 hours just looking in the mirror looking at my self fixing my self..... and for all of you guys who knows me... I am totally NOT like that...... if you were to see me now you would be in for a real shock.....I totally look like a drag queen...... but they love it there... all the trainers have told me that I TOTALLY look the part of a steiner receptionist........ ha ha...... I will have to send some pictures home when I get taken......

oh also I have to wear these nasty white uniforms..... with wihte flat shoes...... you know the ones that look very ~asian~ with 3/4 legth pants.... well... that's what I look like...... very funny..... I still have school on sat. as well... so look lik eI won't be able to get back to Taunton until maybe sat. or even next weekend if I am still here....... but My honey will be coming up to see me any how...... I relaly wnat to go home and watch some TV and eat some decent food... I really really need my veggie intake.... the food they have been feeding us is just beyond disgusting... I just can't stand it..... I don't even know where to begin....... ( over cooked and mushy) and not to mention the bathroom 5 ppl have to share one.. ( with 2 guys) and man... it's just disgusting....... thank god I brought my shower slippers with me.... or else I don't think I would survive........

There is one good thing about going through all this... I get to receive a treatment once a day.... and well, today I had a hot stones massage.... which was pretty good and I hope tommorow I will get thehydralife facail.... that would be awsome......

anyways I think the internet place is about to close I will write more soon..... cheers!!!

Monday, January 24, 2005

Mon, 24 Jan 2005 18:16:23 GMT

well, less then a week to go until I start my boot camp in North london... I am really looking forward to it but at the same time I am relaly NOT happy with the uncertanty of my future.... I really don't like the idea of having to put my life in other ppl's hands... and let them decide where I should go...... I also don't like the idea that I will not be able to come home at night aftedr a hard day's work to spend time with my honey ( well for at least awhile and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will not be long) plus I am indeed a Princess girl...... and really don't fancy going to other cruise liners....... I just don't understand sometimes.... how princess can I get... I ALREADY work for them before... and still work for them..... so if I am not a Princess girl then who is?

I am starting to miss the gang back in Vancouver..... I really don't feel that independent here at the moment... cuz well, first of all, I cnát drive.. cuz I have no idea how to drive stice and plus they all drive on the wrong side of the road and there stupid roundabouts...... man they just do my head in...... so I am pretty much depended on my honey.... we alwyas go everywhere together.... ( that is when there is some where to go) I swear I have been here for about 5 weeks now... and well, let me tell you.. it's relaly a TOWN not a city..... just think of it this way.... it's like being cooped up in WVan ( with farms surrounding you) and there is only couple of streets of shops and if you wnat to go to the closes mall it would take you about 45 min on the motorway... so in a sense it's shittier then Wvan. but you know what..... I am really likeing the whole domestic thing.... where we kinda just do our own things and go out when we want to.....

I do have to say the Tele here is really good...... you can alwyas find things to watch.. and they alwyas have relaly good movies on esp. on the weekends...... and the best thing about it is that there are no commercials..... which is great so you dont'have to watit to see what happends..... I have alwyas hated being interuppted when I am watching a movie......

I have come to the conclusion that I really like it here... and I could really live here after doing this whole ship thing....... the only downside would be not having my own friends around to hang around with....... I do miss you guys all...... but look at the bright side... you guys will have NO excuses not to visit good old england when I am here........ right..... btw it's relaly cheap to fly to placce such as france.. you could get there for like under 30 pounds ( round trip) pretty cool eh....

anyways.. I will write later...

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Thu, 20 Jan 2005 22:42:11 GMT

i am officially off this whole internet banking thing. today I rang my parents just to check that everything at home is nice a peaceful and that my banking is totally "intact", well, it turns out that it was not. I ended up having to check my statements online to see what's going on and figure out why they have done the thing they have....... it was just a big stressful event. but nevermind that.
In 10 days I will be going to London again and my freedom will thus be over as I know it ( well, at least for the next 8 months). It totally hit me today when I got my "starter joining package" it all looked very professional , but if you actually read it , it is just a bunch of bollocks. and really, who in ther right minds would make their "students" wear white flat shoes with their all white uniform? I understand that if they were massage therapists and that they have to be comfy and need to work with their hands/arms so they would need to wear tha, but why should a receptionist? I guess I will never know?? my honey and I looked everywhere in town today to see if we could find some of these "white flat shoes" well, we did ( in the last store that we went to) it only cost my £6 can you believe it? that's so cheap.... I don't even thing that you could maike a pair of leather shoes for that price?? it's just such a bargin..... the shoes are actually pretty cute , but unfortunely I don't think I would ever wear them besies in training.
Looks like I will be spending chinses new year in the UK, ( wow that's a first) but I think I will be in London so I will hopefullly have made some friends and can convince them to go into central london with me... kee kee
BTW- my honey put some colour in my hair.... I now have strikes of "bright" red in my hair....it's really cool... you can only see it when you put it up a certain way.. and when I have my hair down you can only see it when I swing my hair around.... so....... it's pretty settle but at the same time it's pretty loud........
anyways, that's it for now........cheers

Friday, January 14, 2005

Fri, 14 Jan 2005 19:46:36 GMT

I have been back from London for couple of days now...... it has been indeed a very stressful couple of days...... I am now officially a Steiner now ( spa ppl that work on cruise ships and different posh spa/resorts around the world). they rang me within 24 hours to tell me that I have been hired. I have thus dropped all of my classes, and changed my flight back home. I have thought by joining the company I will have an easier time/better chance of being put together on the ship as my honey. But according to the ppl at the office, they can't promise that we will be together..... they will have to send me to where thye need me and and he will then have to request to see if he could get on the same ship.
We are hoping that they will send me to Princess and then it will be much easier for him to request the ship that I am on. I think I will be going back to london in the next couple of weeks to start my training. I will be staying at this shanky YMCA, where you wil have to share a room with another person( that's ok ) but 4-5 ppl will share a bathroom,....... ( that I have a problem with) but I will only have to put up with that for couple of weeks, cuz if I was going to be in training for longer then that I will be sent to a host family and stay with them for the remainder of my training.
I do hope that I would not have to stay there for more then 2 weeks, so I would have to get back to my exam mode and pull out all my studying tricks druing the time that I am there. I am really hoping that it will work towards my advantage, cuz I hate to say it most ppl there ( all beauty /massage/fitness/hair ppl ) all have...... well shall I say "limited" education in the academic field........... maybe I will be really good that they will send meoff in a week...... who knows.......
I know when I am there I would be bored to death, cuz where I am staying would be about 20 miles away from central London and would cost me about £20-25 to get there. and not to mention that when I get out there I would have to spend more money on food/entertainmant. I would have my weekends off, where I would just catch a train back to somerset and spend couple of days there and get back on a sunday night and off to training again on monday. One good thing that I am looking forward to is to try out all the treatments ( ALL the massage/facials, etc. ) so I will be able to promote them. so that's would be about the only thing that I am looking foward to.
When it really comes down to it, if they dont give my hone an I what we wnat they cards are all still in our hands, I could just quite and come home. I don't relaly have nothing to lose......but I am sure once I get into the training academy they would give us what we want.
Lianne-the MAC store is the computer store not the make up store... I already lashed myslef at the duty free Mac makeup at the air port.........
Jacob-send me some pix of your new crib......... and I still need your e-mail......
Law- respond already....
Victoria- still don't have your e-mail send me one,....... so I would keep you updated.......

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Sun, 09 Jan 2005 16:29:33 GMT

well well, once again I find myself in the Mac shop on the high streets of London. Yes, I came up to london again, this time for a little bit of fun and a VERY IMPORTANT interview. I do have to say that with this importnat intervei I don't feel a liitel bit nervouse, maybe I am just over nervouse who knows.
my honey and I got here yesterday and for the first time in a year we took the tube (london undergroud) again and came into central london for some much needed chinese food. We ended up watching the movie "white noise" which was ok... there were some jumpy parts, but other then that it was ok. It was however, filmed in Vancouver, so it was wrid again seeing "home",
I met up with my frined Tom from back home, who I have been freinds with since our childhood...... and who I have NOT seen in couple of years, we are getting together for dinner tonight and we will be for sure doing lots of catching up.
Latly i have been going to the bookies (they have them everywhere in the UK cuz ppl like to bet on things) with my honey and learning how to bet on horses and dogs......... it's pretty cool..... there is a real art to it ( if you have the $$) and you can protential make a lot... but of course I am poor and I don't agree with the fact that ppl should trow their hard earned money away on betting/gambling..... so I just sit there and watch the races that my honey bets on..... I do have to amitt that it does get really exciting when it comes towrad the end of the race nd your hourse is in either 2ed or 3rd... and you want it to come first........ ha ha.... who would of thought that I would be watching hourse racces.... ha ha... anyways I better go and check on my honey to make sure that the ppl at the Mac store upstaires have not Lashed him with buying me RAM or something........ update later

Friday, December 31, 2004

Fri, 31 Dec 2004 17:44:15 GMT

well, today is the last day of 2004. i can't believe it....... this year went so fast... I have done so much and experienced so much in the last year....I am usre 2005 will be just as exciting as last.
We won't be doing much for new year's eve this year, we are going to go to my honey's aunty's house fore some yummy food and set off some fireworks for the new year just like last year. Last night we watched LOTR extended version part 1 and 2, and we will brace the 3rd one tonight.
We will be going back to London next week for my interview.... we were actually just there fore couple of days after xmas...... it was realy nice being able to get outta town for couple of days. I sure had my fix of chinese food ( which was much needed) and oh my god there were so many dan ppl in London everywhere becuase of the sales. I was ALWAYS shoulder to shoulder with everyone in the department stores, on the streets, on the bus, just everywhere. you could not go anywhere with out seeing people with big shopping bags in there hands. The sales were alright..... there were lots of things on sale, but they were all seasonal things and crappy clothes that were on sale. I did however buy a good strudy balck smart long coat for winter........ and a pair of Puma sneakers (white with pink tiger and pink stripe on the side). the Harrods' sale starts on monday and supposly it would be way more ppl then when we went..... I guess i will see for my self when I go on the weekend....
anywayas time to get ready for the party next door....... HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONEL>>>>>>

Monday, December 27, 2004

Mon, 27 Dec 2004 00:51:40 GMT

well, once again didnt' do much today for boxing day. it's so werid here how nothing is really open on boxing day? I thought all the stores would be open for business for ppl to shop. I dont' remember it being like this last year??but again there are not that many stores in town to shop in anyways. We had a pretty good xmas yesterday, didnt do much but it was nice and relaxed. we had a xmas lunch with the family wher ewe had a roast ( chick and vieggies and spuds ) and opend presents. got loads of little presents and even got some money..... ( chinese new year??) then we went over to our freinds' house for another round of roast beef this time) and just when home and watched some xmas movie on BBC one..... I sure do feel like a giant pig today.

Got up this moring with a massive headache..... I think my cold is gone now but it's moved to my sinuses so I sound like a dork with a plug up my nose, I at least stound alittle more nasal now to sound more BRITISH!!! went down to the local pub man iti's so grim.... when my hoeny and I first walked in we were the most clean cut ppl there and really felt so outta place there.... I swear there was somthing dodgy going on in there. We waited for his mates from school to show up. he hasn't seen them for ages and a load of them showed up. I think we will be seeing them again soon before we go back to ship.

It was so smoky in there I thought I was going to died of smoke inhalation... bad eh? but I hate to say it every place in this country is like that and I am suprised that ppl in the service industry hasn't tried to lobby against second had smoking.... I now know how lucky we all are in vancouver with the smoking ban..... I seriousely think I am cutting my life short by YEARS just being here. Had my first REAL indian food tonight with some friends after going to the pub..... it was real nice.... I do have to say tho there were way too many different falvours in the different dishes for my liking.. I could never eat too much of it..... but I am sure I will be having it agaig before I leave.I also found out how much a GREEK meal would cost in the ONLY greek restaurant in town. I chekced out the meun..... its would cost between £25-£30 per person.... and you times that by about two and a half and there you go that's how much the meal will cost you.... I so do miss Stephos..... who cares bout the line when in this town you have to book at least twon months in advance to eat in the GREEK restaurant.... so stephos is difinly NOTHING........WE will be going up to london tommorow for couple of days just before new years it should be lots of fun....I will be meeting couple of friends up there and do some REAL shopping and I am sure I will be broke by the time I come back...... I can't wait to h it Burberry again..... wahhhhhhh

oh yeah LAW where is my xmas card and xmas present? where is it where is it?

ppl go join sms.ac and send free text msg....... I have been loyal to practicing my texting skills on my new nokia phone so I could do it really fast while I am driving (lianne) and still keep my car on the road.....