En route home to Ireland

After a productive 2 weeks in Manila, and
getting see some friends I made last year again, I am heading back to Belfast.
 The clock has been running since I left the hotel by the way, if
you want to guess a time.  Manila is as friendly now as it was last
 year, and from the moment I got there, I was made feel welcome.  A
strange place is where the staff of Starbucks remember you from the previous
year, along with just about everyone else in the locality.   Their
attitude and approach to external people in this region makes you want
to work more for them, as it is a welcome relief to the "damn consultants"
mentality I see all too often.  It is still a VERY busy city, and
there is no shortage of work, especially in the technology area.  It’s
so strange to see IBM signs on the streets with a recruiting pitch.  I
dare say its been a long time since IBM have done that in Europe or USA.
 

Manila reminds me of Ireland in the
80′s.  People are poor but cheap to employ, hard working, appreciative,
keen, but dealing with a serious legacy of corruption and crime.  These
things take years to eradicate, but they will eventually fade away (or
become more "hidden" as it is in more developed cities).  The
biggest negative I have about the city is the pollution and the air quality,
as it is horrendous.  The scary part is after a few days you don’t
notice how bad it is anymore.  Its just "normal".  

As I sit in Dubai Airport, awaiting
my flight to Heathrow (oh joy) I become aware that is almost December,
and this year is coming to an end.  The lightening pace of this year,
combined with managing to keep busy in these uncertain times makes my head
spin when I think about it.  Eight trips to the US, countless to Europe/UK,
one to Asia and a lot of work in Ireland.  Trying to limit any travel
for the rest of the year, and hopefully plan a slower pace for the coming
twelve months.  Work/Life balance has weighed heavily in work’s favour
for many years.  Next year specifically, that is not going to be the
case.