Author: thestampsinmypassport

A professional serving the travel industry for 25 years. Expertise and knowledge in sales, customer care and knowledge of the world. Sharing my knowledge, travel stories and tales from around the world in an engaging way.

25 Interesting things – 2009 edition

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A few days ago I was looking at a friend’s facebook profile page and on the left hand side of the profile I was surprised to see my name. It was in the ‘notes’ section of this person’s profile and found this note I wrote almost five years ago.

As I read through these 25 interesting things about Lisa Silver, I found some of them to be still true today and others not so much. I think the list needs updating. For now, I will update you below on the 25 interesting things about Lisa Silver from almost five years ago, from February 2009.

See the original and update below:

25 Interesting things about Lisa Silver

2 February 2009 at 23:47

PublicFriendsFriends except acquaintancesOnly meCustomClose FriendsBel Air TravelSee all lists…FamilyBel Air TravelNewtonbrook Secondary SchoolLimited ProfileRed Tag VacationsBel Air TravelBBYO Lake Ontario RegionThornhill, Ontario AreaAcquaintancesGo Back

Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “Write Notes” under your Profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people ( in the right hand corner of app) then click publish.)

1. I love the colour Purple, any shade and combination of the colour.
– This will never change. Favourite colour will always be purple! 
2. I love New York city, movies and shows filmed in New York city, books that take place in Manhattan, anything to do with New York City.
– This two will never change. In 2011 I finally made a dream come true by getting to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Magical experience. 
3. My parents are my best friends. We travel together, spend a lot of time together and laugh a lot. Even through the times that make me crazy, I wouldn’t want them to be anyone else.
– They just spent 4 days with me in my condo after the ice storm since their house had no heat or electricity. 
4. I am addicted to facebook. I try to have a facebook free day, but it never seems to work.
– Yeah, hard to find facebook free days. I did however have a facebook free week when I was cruising in Alaska this summer. Two reasons….wifi on the ship too expensive and no wifi in Alaska. Small towns, and couldn’t even find a starbucks (LOL)
5. I find it truly amazing that I met one of my best friends at a black jack table in Las Vegas.
– Still holds true today. I love sharing that story with people who haven’t heard it before. We have been friends for 10 years now. 
6. I love my two nieces more than I thought possible. I can’t wait to see them grow up, I don’t want to miss a minute of it.
– I have a nephew now as well. He is three and a half and he is awesome. I am three times blessed in being Auntie Lisa and it is the best job in the world.
7. I love the fact that when I ask my niece for a kiss in spanish, she kisses both sides of my cheek like a European and then giggles.
 – One niece doesn’t even like to give out kisses anymore, she is almost 9. My 7 year old niece loves to hug and be hugged.
8. I wish I would have taken music more seriously and become a professional clarinetist and played in live theatre on Broadway.
9. I often wonder if my uncle hadn’t gotten me a job at a travel agency when I was 19, what I would be doing now?
– I think about this often. I think too long to really discuss in this post. But let’s just say there are plenty of things I would tell 20 year old me. 
10. I love James Taylor, and rain or shine (and there was rain last summer), I will always try to get to a concert of his with my JT buddy.
11. I have very high expections of others. At times, it causes disappointment, but sometimes people surprise you.
– I think that I am learning to try to not have such high expectations. In my life today, I think that I assume that everything is “maybe” until you tell me yes. “maybe” usually means no, so if it works out – BONUS!
12. I am a good friend, I give more of myself then I get back from others.
13. I like to entertain. I would much rather have people at my house than go to a noisy over priced restaurant.
– I am proud of my condo. I am very happy to have people at my house. Anytime. 
14. I do not like the beach. I don’t like sand in my feet and I don’t like the ocean. Give me a pool anyday.
15. I am grateful to have an aunt that is also a friend, who you can talk to like a friend, and trust like family.
16. I went to Paris and the best meal we ate (well I ate) was at the Moulin Rouge…oh yeah, and the lemon tart from the patisiere.
17. I went up the Eifell tower with a friend who is afraid of heights. But he still came with me, on my birthday. Thanks Brad.
18. I remember when my best friend lived in Mexico, I wrote her letters almost every day and sent care packages to her when my clients went to the resort.
19. I love that I have a two little boys in my life that I love like they were my own nephews. I love being their friend.
– These two ‘little’ boys are becoming young men. They go to a school where they have to wear uniforms and to see them in their blazers and dress pants with their white collared shirts, makes me realize they are not little boys anymore. 
20. I don’t like cats. Dogs….well, I am getting better. But don’t expect me to get one.
21. I love my condo. It was the right thing at the right time in my life.
22. If I could do anything else other than travel right now, and money didn’t matter, I would be chef or a photographer, two of the things I love to do in life.
– a travel writer who is a photographer. That would be my dream job. 
23. I am a self proclaimed tv junkie. Now that I have PVR, it is worse, but before, I would consider not going out if one of my shows was on. At least now I can pvr it and still have a life.
– I now have the Rogers Nextbox 3.0 – which means I can record up to 8 shows at one time and I have 3x the amount of recording space. Just means, I record more shows (that I end up not watching). 
24. I like that I have a travelling companion and I am crossing things off my places to go before I die list….next on the list New Orleans.
– new orleans was amazing. Food, music and culture. If you haven’t been, you should add it to your personal travel list. And we have also been to Hawaii and Alaska since this post was first written. 
25. wow…25 random thoughts is hard….I wish I knew another language…spanish or french or where I live, Hebrew or Russian. Just to spice up life…
– JUST posted the other day that something I would have told my ‘younger self’ is to stick with French class and have a second language. It really would come in handy in potential job opprotunities!

The Dash – By Linda Ellis

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The Dash
by Linda Ellis copyright 1996

​I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
​the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before. 

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

​So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?

Throwback Thursday

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A fellow blogger who has committed to 30 posts in 30 days has created Almost wordless Wednesdays, and Meatless Mondays because as you can imagine, it is hard to be creative every day.

Everyone loved over the spring and summer when I shared photos on Facebook on Throwback Thursdays. This social media phenom founds its way into the urban dictionary this year describing it as people posting photos from “a while” ago on their social media sites.

I just returned from a work trip to Cancun. As I was thinking about what to write for the first throwback Thursday post I was reminded of my very first trip that I took with friends – it was a trip to Cancun, right after we finished high school. It was March 1990.

“back in the day” – what happened on vacation really did stay on vacation. There were no cell phone photos, or videos, no digital camera, no computers = there was so social media. There wasn’t instant gratification posting from the nearest WiFi area of the hotel. There were film cameras, and if you are lucky, maybe you still have some of those grainy, crappy photos that you would have developed back then. I see you, you are nodding in agreement with my last sentence.

In today’s travel world, it is all about the all inclusive resort for most people. Not ALL people, but most people. How many a la carte restaurant options are there? Is there 24 room service? Is there at least one pool bar? These are all the questions I get asked every day.

Jack Tar Villages and Club Med were the first true all inclusive concept resorts. Meals, drinks and entertainment included – all in one price? What a great idea. My first trip to Cancun was not at a Club Med or a Jack Tar Village. If my memory serves (two out of the three girls I went with will read this post) we didn’t even have all inclusive at the resort we stayed it. It was called Calinda Beach. I remember we paid for an oceanview room. Sure, it had a view of the ocean – no balcony and the window didn’t open. This I remember, and probably for that, really understand and appreciate the beauty of the balcony. I may not like the beach, but I LOVE the sounds of ocean and listening to the waves come in.

I remember that we packed crackers and peanut butter.
I remember that we ordered pizza from Dominos and sat on the floor at ate it.
Again, I see you nodding, because if you ever went to Mexico back in the day, you ordered Dominos as well.
I remember that we went out on night for dinner at a really great Italian restaurant.
I remember we went to the market, and bought silver earrings and I bought a silver ring with my name on it. I think I still have it somewhere. The earrings, long gone, which is too bad, because I really loved them – lost one and even replaced the pair a couple of times on other trips to Mexico. 

I was just looking through someone’s Facebook photos (what happens on vacation now ends up on Facebook) and noticed a photo with numerous arm bands from the different clubs in Cancun that they went to while they were away. That is something that has not changed, but again, evolved. There are a lot of clubs that have an entry cost that will include unlimited drinks. Some of the clubs in Cancun (and I know elsewhere) put on shows inside and outside of the club area, so you can drink, watch the show, drink, dance, drink, try to scream any type of conversation to the people you are with. Oh, and did I say drink?

Part of the reason for going on these work trips beyond going and seeing the hotel, tasting the food, and experiencing the resort and destination is to look and observe the people at the resort. Look at the clientele that is there, do they seem to be having a good time, and who out of your personal client base would you think would be a good fit for this hotel/resort/destination.

Cancun was, is and I think will be for a long time, a strong destination, no matter what people say. People are travelling to Mexico, and they are going to Cancun, and they are going to the clubs, markets, shopping, etc. I saw proof of that last week.

1990 – 2013 – that is 23 years between my first trip to Cancun and my most recent trip to Cancun. I have a feeling I will go back to Cancun again soon. I will probably NOT be the one in the Facebook photo of the arm full of wristbands from the clubs, but more like the one sitting with a drink at the hotel lobby bar. That is the different of being 19 vs….well…you can do the math!!