E’ già quasi Natale, anche se l’aria così fin troppo mite non ci ha accompagnato verso questa festività, di solito fatta di sciarpe, cappelli e cappotti. Tuttavia mancano meno di 27 giorni e le iniziative festose fioccano da ogni parte. Non poteva mancare l’iniziativa del Consorzio Fare Centro Insieme di Campi Bisenzio, che propone per le vie del centro una serie di eventi enogastronomici, artigianali e animativi. Giornata inaugurale domenica prossima (29 novembre 2009), per terminare domenica 20 dicembre, proprio a pochi passi dalla festività. L’iniziativa è partocinata dal Comune di Campi Bisenzio. Troverete in eventi altre iniziative che animeranno il natale campigiano, ordinate per giorno.

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz
Thanksgiving Day it is, it is
Young or old, the richest of fare
Family and friends glad to be there
Delectable treats, chip and dip
Order Plugging Into Real Worship
http://www.aplogansr.com

Buenos Aires is a very well-connected city by public transport. Among all the means, I love taking the colectivos (buses) the most. Some might not see eye to eye on this for whatever odd (ha!) reasons, I have many good ones to make the case. (HA!) Thus, I’m starting a series dedicating to my dear colectivos, and all their good, bad and ugly!

I always told newcomers that the colectivos are like cheap tour buses to see the city. In fact, they could easily be the cheapest. For just AR1.25 (US$0.35), you can go from one end of the city to the other on an elevated viewing platform (as opposed to being inside a taxi at street level or worse, in the subway underground staring at fast-moving cement walls). They go through not only main well-known big roads but also small neighborhood streets where you could have a better glimpse of the true local life, and not just the typical commercial after commercial, tourist/consumer-targeted streets.

Also, you can go through easily 5 barrios (neighborhoods) in just an hour ride and your legs would still want to be your friend. Once you have spotted an area you like, you can always get off or return to walk around and explore more. They are really a great tool in helping you to get your bearing and to know the city in a more efficient way. While walking in Buenos Aires is a very enjoyable and common thing to do, it is also quite limited.

So I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to give the colectivos a shot, and you’d be amazed how many discoveries you’d make and those that you’d have missed otherwise!

Isabel

Tutti noi abbiamo imparato qualcosa dalla scienza.
Bisogna vedere che uso se ne fa, di ciò che abbiamo imparato.

(Cit. di Gilbert “Gil” Grissom, da CSI)

Previously, Zest Air would send promos and airline updates via email. I noticed that they haven’t sent me one for the past few months. You would really have to visit their website for promo updates. Fortunately I was able to see some of their refreshing new ideas. They have posted the selling and travel dates for their promos. Moreover, they now offer packages for travelers like me! Check out some of the latest happenings from Zest Air!

Important Zest Air promo sell and travel dates to remember for 2010:

Zest Air New Year Sale

Selling period is from January 3 to 5, 2010

Travel period is from June 15 to November 15, 2010

The Love Seats Sale

Selling period is from February 12 to 14, 2010

Travel period is from June 15 to November 15, 2010

Summer Madness Sale

Selling period is April 1 to 7, 2010

Travel period is from June 15 to November 15, 2010

Mid-year Sale

Selling period is from June 1 to 7, 2010

Travel period is from July 1 to November 15, 2010

Zest Air Annual Sale

Selling Period is August 1 to 3, 2010

Travel Period is September 1 to 30, 2010

Halloween Sale

Selling period is  October 27 to November 2, 2010

Travel period is from November 1 to December 10, 2010

Early Christmas Sale

Selling Period is  November 23 to 30, 2010

Travel Period is from January 15 to March 15, 2011

IMPORTANT NOTICE: For all booking made and finalized before October 16, 2009, kindly click the image for the new flight numbers. It is important that you reconfirm your flight bookings through their hotline or ticket offices within 24 hours prior to the day of your flight to avoid inconveniences.

For those who want to travel stress-free, you simply have to book the package offerings from Zest Air. I believe the package rates are valid until March 30, 2010 and it already includes round-trip airfares, 3 days and 2 nights accommodations, daily set breakfasts and the 12% VAT.  It resembles the packages of PAL called PALakbayan and I guess that’s how Zest Air came up with their new product. So check them out!!!

To book your flights or for more details you may log-on to Zest Air’s website at anytime. You may also call their hotline at +632-855-3333 or email through leadagent@zestair.com.ph.

For inquiries and feedbacks you may email Customer Service Center at customerrelations@zestair.com.ph.

Biyahe na!!!

“Marchionne ha detto una cosa giusta che condivido e cioe’ che non sta alla Fiat fare la politica industriale ma sta al Paese, dotando la politica industriale, oltre che delle scelte, delle risorse necessarie in funzione alle scelte.

A margine della premiazione dei progetti vincitori del concorso di ideee ‘Accade domani’ di Italia Futura, il presidente del Gruppo Fiat, a chi gli chiedeva della chiusura degli stabilimenti ipotizzata dall’amministratore delegato nei giorni scorsi, ha spiegato: “siamo una squadra, la forza della Fiat e’ nella coesione non solo come spirito di corpo in azienda, ma come totale spirito di squadra dei vertici.

Ultimo minuto – La newsletter giornaliera con le notizie di Repubblica.

Divisione La Repubblica – P.Iva 00906801006Società soggetta all’attività di direzione e coordinamento di CIR SpA

Fonte:
http://www.repubblica.it/ultimora/24ore/FIAT-MONTEZEMOLONON-STA-A-NOI-FARE-POLITICA-INDUSTRIALE/news-dettaglio/3736157

Planning My Trip To Cagayan de Oro – Camiguin

Cagayan de Oro is a part of the province of Misamis Oriental, one of the provinces in Northern Mindanao. Nature tripping is a never-ending possibility in Misamis Oriental. From watersports and fine beaches to cave exploration and ethnic settlements, the list of nature-communing endeavors to be experienced in the province is longer than enough to fill a lifetime’s itinerary.

Seas and beaches offer a limitless aqua adventure. Go scuba diving at Duka Bay and Mantangale, also a primary dolphin and whale shark watching destination. Find glorious hideaways in the white sand beaches of Midway Beach, Maputi White Beach, and Opol Beach Fronts. Go white water rafting and tubing in the rapids of Cagayan de Oro River, one of the longest rivers in Mindanao. Or simply get picture-happy at the San Isidro/Sagpolon, Palalan, and Tiklas waterfalls as well as Sapong Spring and the Cold Spring at Lagonglong.

white-water rafting at Cagayan de Oro

Moreover, it was a good thing that Cebu Pacific Air offered their Piso Rates, which I thought of Cagayan de Oro being my first choice! A multitude of choices await the nature love and adventurer. in us. The Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village in Cagayan de Oro, a cultural village in a botanical setting, is home to Region 10’s tribal communities and endemic plants and trees. Also in Cagayan de Oro is Macahambus Cave, a historical site dating back to the 1900s. Initao Cave is home to the split-nose bat and the Initao National Park is a forest reserve with a natural limestone formation and marine life. Shift into a more relaxed pace at the Pueblo de Oro Golf and Country Club, situated along Lumbia Road in Cagayan de Oro. Or explore this city’s museums, from the Xavier University Museum showcasing Muslim-Bukidnon culture to the La Castilla Museum featuring household heirlooms.

We have set our travel dates as June 16-19, 2010 for the Cagayan de Oro – Camiguin leg. I have been dreaming of going to this place eversince. The only thing that hampers me is the budget. Good thing, Sheila allowed herself to be immersed with the captivating beauty of this place. And so the hunt is on for the best bargains around CdO and Camiguin.

How Do I Get To Cagayan de Oro?

There are several ways on getting to Cagayan de Oro. The most popular are as follows:

a. By Air – since we’re coming from Manila, there are only 2 airlines that I know of that can fly you daily straight from Manila to Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro. The estimated flight duration is 1 hour and 35 minutes. The regular fares are really expensive by the way, but I’ll be posting their promo rates from time to time so please take time to read.

• Philippine Airlines – PAL does not have any promo offerings at the time that I was planning to book my flight. Their regular round trip rates to CdO is Php4592.00. Wow! Very expensive!
• Cebu Pacific Air – Cebu Pac recently launched (I believe that was in November) their 2-day Piso Fare to all of their destinations and I was lucky enough to be able to book for me and Sheila. Our round trip tickets cost us only Php312.00 each. That’s a great value for money indeed! Their regular round trip fare actually costs Php 4270.56. Konti lang ang difference sa PAL.

b. By Sea – the only shipping line that I know of is the SuperFerry. The travel duration takes almost 2 days aboard SuperFerry12. Their e-ticket for a roundtrip Mega Value aircon accommodation with food costs Php2989.81. It is quite cheaper than the traveling by air but it would take almost 2 days before you reach your destination. SuperFerry has promos from time to time, like their Todo Tawad promo where fares can go as low as Php500 on one way. But at this time, no promos offerings for Cagayan de Oro destination. Moreover, they have schedules for their trips. According to their website, their trips are Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday only.

c. By Land – The city has two bus terminals. The West Bound terminal caters to trips going to Iligan, Ozamiz, Pagadian and Zamboanga while the Agora Terminal caters to trips going to Gingoog, Butuan, Malaybalay, Valencia, Wao, Kidapawan, Davao and Camiguin Island (via Balingoan Port). Agora has a reputation among residents as being a somewhat more dangerous place than the rest of this peaceful safe city–don’t let it stop you from using the bus service, but don’t hang around Agora at night longer than you need to and keep cameras/phones tucked in.

The Itinerary For Cagayan de Oro-Camiguin Trip

This is the proposed itinerary for our Cdo-Camiguin Leg. Please note that this is subject to change depending on participants’ concerns, which is only Sheila and Me.

Day 1 Arrival at Cagayan de Oro

This is our arrival day at Cagayan de Oro City. Sheila and I will be on seperate flights, so just like what happened with me in Busuanga, I would have to wait for Sheila’s arrival. Today’s activity will definitely have to be the white-water rafting. This is actually 3 hours and most of the package that I have seen range anywhere from Php700-1000 and this does not include the lunch yet. I guess we’d have to eat lunch prior to the rafting. For this adventure, I found Rafting Adventure Philippines. This was one of the agencies showcased in the Philippine Travel Mart held last September 2009 in Megamall. Their website features all of their activities including the rates for the adventure. I chose their Group Rafting which is described as follows:

Group Rafting Trips

Get hyped and gear up your day as you go paddling the wild waters of the spectacular Cagayan de Oro River while building up amity with in your friends, officemates and colleagues in your companies. We customized your river trip by doing “Team Building” activities along the way. This trip is good for firms, big groups and company outings.

Regular Rate:

Beginners Php700/pax

Advance Php1000/pax

Packages are negotiable

Inclusion:

Free Transportation vice-versa

Safety Gears (Helmets, Buoyancy aid, Paddle) and

Dry bags for valuable things (e.g. mobile phones, wallets, wrist watches, cameras, etc.)

Schedule: Any day of the week

1st Trip: 8:00 a.m.

2nd Trip: 12:00 noon

What to wear and bring?

Beach Attire preferably quick dry clothes

Rash guards or Long sleeves

Extra Clothes and Toiletries

Personal Zip locks

Aqua Shoes, Sandals or Slippers (preferably with straps)

Sun blocks or Sun screens

SLR or Digital Camera’s (dry bag will be provided) and

Your Sense of Humor

Other options for the day which can be squeezed into our 1st day would be a trip to Macahambus Adventure Park. Adventures lined up for this park includes rappel and zip-line across trees a hundred feet above ground. If we still have time we can probably drop by the Mapawa Nature Park which is ideal for horseback riding, biking, zipline and nature trekking. After all these adventures, we can try to experience CdO’s NIGHTLIFE!

Day 02: Welcome Camiguin Island!

I was told that there are a lot of things and places to visit at Camiguin. Moreover, there are also several beautiful resorts to stay at which is really easy on the budget. Since we’ll be staying for one night in Camiguin, I will also have to look for a resort who allows one night of stay, probably one of the cheaper ones in the area. Here’s a 2-day Camiguin Island tour schedule I saw online that could fit into ours:

7:15AM, ETD Balingoan Pier Cagayan De Oro

Note: Ferry schedule 7:15am, 9:00am, 10:15am, 1:15pm, 2:50pm, 4:15pm

8:15AM, ETA Benoni Pier Camiguin

8:30AM – 8:30PM, have a day tour of these tourist spots, arranged chronologically as follows:

1. Sto Niño Cold Springs (swimming)

2. Soda Water Pool (swimming)

3. Old Guiob Church Ruins (sightseeing)

4. Sunken Cemetery (can dive here)

5. Stations of the Cross/Walkway (sightseeing)

6. Mt Hibok Hibok Volcano (sightseeing)

7. Katibawasan Falls (swimming)

8. Mambajao Market (“palengke”)

9. Vjandep Restaurant & Bakeshop (must try! Pastel)

10. Ardent Hot Springs (swimming)

11. Pabua’s Cottage (cook food that came from Mambajao Market, dinner)

The Following Day 3:

6:00AM, Wake-up call

7:00AM, off to White Island Camiguin

7:15AM, ETA White Island Camiguin

Note: Make sure to bring food and shade

11:00AM, ETD White Island Camiguin

12:00Noon, ETD hotel to Beroni Pier going to CDO

1:00PM, ETA Beroni Pier

1:15PM, ETD Beroni Pier

2:00PM, ETA Balingoan Pier CDO

2:30PM, Lunch

And the rest of the day would have to be used for exploring more of Cagayan de Oro. I heard that ukay-ukay in CdO is one of the best. So I’ll never let this ukay-ukay opp pass by!

Day 4: A Trip To Nearby Iligan City

Tinago Falls is a waterfall in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Iligan, a city known as the City of Majestic Waterfalls. Legend has it that there once lived an influential and powerful Sultan Agok and her wife. They were appointed by their people as their king and queen. But they become too proud of themselves and became selfish rulers of their kingdom. When the sultan’s wife was pregnant, an enchantress, disguised as a beggar, begged for their help but instead they exiled and rejected her. Because of this, the enchantress cursed the couple that the child will become ugly but they did not took it seriously and permanently banished the enchantress.

Tinago Falls in Iligan City

When the child was born, the child did become ugly. The couple was sad and disappointed, expecting the baby to be as lovely as her mother. They hid the child in a cave to avoid embarrassment and named the baby Tin-ag, which means “hidden face”. They visited and took care of the baby in the cave. When the child grew up, she came out of the cave and became amazed at what she saw. The enchantress, who cursed her parents, saw her and made an offer to transform her into something of great beauty and splendor. She accepted the offer and became the Tinago Falls.

Going to Iligan City takes about an estimated 1.5 hours by bus from Cagayan de Oro City. It is located in a deep ravine in Barangay Ditucalan, Iligan City. Other falls to see would be the Maria Cristina Falls along the Agus River. Both are sources of hydro-electric power for most of Mindanao.

]]> http://ferrucci.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/ricominciare/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:11:02 +0000 p. ferrucci http://ferrucci.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/ricominciare/ http://otayaku.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/cost-the-common-question/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:40:31 +0000 otayaku http://otayaku.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/cost-the-common-question/

One of the most commonly asked question or phrases I always get asked when I tell people about my trip to Japan is, “How much did that cost?” or “That must have been expensive!”; the latter statement just isn’t true. Like any and all holidays it is down to how YOU decide to spend your money. It is obvious that a 12 hour flight is going to cost a fair few pennies along with accomodation but the rest is all about being smart with your money and knowing what YOU want from YOUR holiday.

I cannot stress enough the emphasis that any holiday should always be tailored for YOURSELF. Everyone has different tastes and different ways of enjoying  a time or place and not everyone is purely into the tourist/commercial side of visiting Tokyo (or any other place for that matter).

Anyhow I am digressing from the main topic.

The price of any holiday cannot be compared to the pleasure you will derive from the trip and it also means you don’t have to spend alot to get the most out of any trip. Otaku and I are attempting to plan a trip back to Tokyo sometime in May/June of 2010 and so I can break down the costs to show you that you don’t need mega-bucks to get to Japan and enjoy life there.

Sleepy-san's Plane Ticket

Plane Tickets: £620 (via JAL) to £670 (ANA) per person

Ryokan Kangetsu: 143,000¥ (approximately £485 per person) (13 nights, shared accomodation with private bathroom for 2, WiFi internet access)

Narita Express: 3110 ¥ (appoximately £20) each way per person.

(This is the train to take you from Narita Airport to Shinagawa)

Daily Travel Expenses: 500 ¥ (approximately £3)  each for a PASMO card and then 1000 ¥ (approximately £7) per day per person.

Daily Food Allowance: 2500 ¥ (approximately £18) per person, per day.

Spending money: “Whatever you can scrape together” ¥

Lets total this up shall we with some basic maths. The total displayed will be what each person (in this case Otaku and I) will need to raise by May/June time.

Flight: £620 via JAL.

Accomodation: £485.

Narita Express: 3110 ¥ x 2 = 6220 ¥ (appoximately £40)

Travel: 1000 ¥ x 13 = 13,000 ¥ (approximately £90)*

Food: 2500 ¥ x 13 = 32,500 ¥ (approximately £220)

Total: £1455

Sleepy-san's PASMO Card

*Travel does NOT include purchase price for PASMO card as Otaku and I have already purchased these at our previous visit.

Let’s round up our figure to say that Otaku and I will each need to raise approximately £1500 for a successful trip to Tokyo. You may be asking several questions by now; “where is there no spending money included?”, “How did you derive food and travel expenditure?”.  Spending money was NOT included as this is really a personal thing and how much you decide to change to ¥ is upto you; after all some people travel for the experience, others to purchase as much goods as they can. For me, I initially took too much money however that is not such a bad thing in that I didn’t have to ration myself nor did I feel the need to needlessly spend the money.

300,000 Yen

So…how did I come up with the values for food and travel?

Pretty obvious really; Otaku and I have recently come back from Tokyo! On the busiest day travelling, we each spent 1000 ¥ on the trains and that was almost 2 hours of travelling on three different train lines! On most days we spent around 500 ¥ – 700¥ each and somedays even less.

Food budget…well that is dependent on what you like to eat and how careful (or not) you are with your money. Reflecting on the recent trip it was quite apparent that the most expensive meal was always dinner…and this ranged from 780 ¥ for a nice big bowl of ramen to 1500 ¥ for a nice meal at Mario’s with some beer and

Wonda Morning Shot Can of Coffee

dessert. Lunch is quite straight forward as you can either prepare by going to the supermarket before hand and making your own lunchs or hitting places like Mos Burger or a local eatery. Otaku, Lee and I found a brilliant place, I think it was in Ikebukuro, that served you curry, rice, soba and miso soup for 580 ¥. It was ALOT of food and really tasty. I’m not much of a morning person or eating anything more than a snack for breakfast; I get indigestion if I eat alot early in the morning so in the mornings, I thrived on a can of Wonda Morning Shot and a nice hot bun or two from the local AM-PM shop; grand total of 220 ¥.  Averaged out, my daily meal costs were in the region of 2500 ¥.

There we have it: a trip to Tokyo for two will cost in the region of £1500 per person at today’s exchange rate.

NOTE: Price conversions from ¥ to £ are based on the current exchange rate of 147.5 ¥ to £1.

(1)SARAH BYRNES
(2) JAYSON HENRYSenator/Sénateur

 

(1) STEFFEN HEM

Historic VICTORY for post-secondary students

VICTOIRE historique pour les étudiants post-secondaire

Glendon Student Affairs is currently seeking applications for the Mature

Student Organization Coordinator. Application Deadline is Thursday,

November 19, 2009. Applicants must be available for an interview on

Friday, November 20 and meet all requirements listed below.

Duties:

• Coordinate activities for Mature Students, such as “brown-bag lunches”, movie nights, forums, etc.

• Attend student life and club events as a club leader (i.e. Clubs Conference, Clubs Day, etc.)

• Maintain official Club status with the Glendon College Student Union

• Manage club finances and funding applications

• Manage all club communications (bilingual), including posters, emails, blog, listserv, etc.

Qualifications:

• Upper year Glendon Mature Student

• Advanced communication skills

• Bilingual (English/French)

• Understanding of mature student population and their needs

Requirements:

• Has completed the online Student Financial Profile and demonstrates financial need as per this document.

• Enrolled and registered full-time for Fall 2009/Winter 2010 at York University

• Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person

Please submit applications to Aaron Doupe in person at YH C110 or by email
- adoupe@glendon.yorku.ca

Pour des renseignments en français, veuillez contacter Aaron Doupe au
416-736-2100 poste 88550 ou adoupe@glendon.yorku.ca.

INVIATO A PARMA Altro che Juve o Ferrara, i più danneggiati dagli infortuni di Alex Del Piero sono le decine di ragazzini che l’assaltano di brutto nel foyer del teatro Regio di Parma: «Alex rientra, sennò il fantacalcio non lo vinco», gridano in molti.

Il capitano, cui è andato il premio ambasciatori dello sport di «Sport e Civiltà», sorride agli spintoni, e sopporta con somma pazienza.

Pure l’umore racconta di una salute ritrovata: con quella si riprenderà la Juve e, chissà, la Nazionale.

«Credo che le mie caratteristiche siano quelle, ma c’è la massima disponibilità per fare qualsiasi cosa, all’interno di quelle che sono le qualità e le peculiarità di ogni singolo giocatore.

Fonte:
http://www.lastampa.it/sport/cmsSezioni/quijuve/200911articoli/23741girata.asp

INVESTIRE SUI GIOVANI in un momento di crisi economica di fronte alla quale, specie nello sport, quella è la prima voce che spesso viene dimenticata.

E’ questo lo spirito del progetto ‘Giocare Insieme’, tenuto a battesimo ieri nella sede dell’Ascom, alla presenza del ds della Fortitudo Renato Nicolai, del patron della Libertas Fabio Landi, del presidente del comitato regionale Fip Giancarlo Galimberti e di Ivano Zoccadelli dell’Università di Bologna.

Il vice presidente dell’Ascom di Bologna Valentino Di Pisa e il direttore generale Giancarlo Tonelli hanno fatto gli onori di casa: «Questo progetto abbina lo sport, in questo caso il basket, a un percorso formativo» è stato il commento del primo, «L’Ascom prosegue il suo appoggio al mondo dei giovani, è nello sport che iniziano a sviluppare i concetti come le ambizioni personali e quelle di gruppo, il fidarsi degli altri, la vittoria e la sconfitta», ha continuato il secondo.

Poi stilando una serie di eventi, si comincia sabato e domenica ad Argelato con un torneo Aquilotti con Siena e Milano e incontri per le famiglie.

Fonte:
http://www.basketnet.it/news/116856/a_scuola_di_minibasket_per_fare_canestro_nella_vita

Melbourne Direct

* Book before 19 November 2009
* Fly before 9 December 2009 or between 17 January – 31 March 2010 (subject to seat availability)

Other Options available
There are options a-plenty for those looking to travel to India from Australia. Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific each operate one service on every day of the week. Thai Airways operates five flights per week, one per day excluding Tuesdays and Sundays, whilst Malaysia Airlines operates four flights per week, with a service every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. www.melbournedirect.com.au