dawg days are (almost) over

im feeling low just thinking that my vacay days are coming to an end. this means leaving pinas and going back to HK. :( if money is not an issue and i have work back home i wouldn't leave. well, i guess that's the situation for most people going abroad. sigh. i dont know if it's just because im on a break so i like my lifestyle here.. or what. but i just feel more relaxed and i can communicate better with more people. i miss having that stable support foundation - that outside work, i know i can talk to friends, spend time with family. it feels good to hangout with my younger cousins. they were sooo young then, but now, they handle drinks wayyyy stronger than i could. seriously. hhahaha i guess i grew out of it, as one friend said. let the young ones have fun. i had my time. it feels good to just reach out to them despite our big age difference. i would like to imbibe some good vibes to them given much more time. but i guess, this is enough for now.

i would miss my lazy lifestyle here. i dont miss doing household chores. haha but thankfully, while being away, i learned a few. i miss driving esp now that we have a few more cars to drive. but that would mean, mama asking me to pay for the additional car. tsk tsk! i hate to admit, but i will miss april, our dog. i havent carried her around yet but am able to give her a belly rub. tee-hee

'time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted'. if wasting means, not doing anything.. and i enjoyed every minute of it.. then so be it. it would've been better if it was more fruitful. hahaha meaning, if i looked for a job.. and fortunately got one. back to the drawing board for me.. on that one. for now, what matters most to me, is to happily spend my days.

going back to hk is not all sad though, coz i have some friends whom i truly miss. i look forward to merging in the same office location with them. i look forward to reconnecting with my newfound friends although they give me nosebleed hahaha it's easier to explore different cultures coz expats are everywhere. im still amazed at how vast the possibilities of meeting a person with exactly the opposite of who you are, what you believe in.

be silent. be still.

i should be forcing myself to sleep. had barely 4 hours last night. nothing very specific in my mind. but i guess the looming event in my life is taking its toll. just when everything should've been right on schedule, unplanned circumstances just pop out. timing is key, i should say. i could stay up all night again, but can i really decide? darn! i feel so unprincipled, weak, fickle-minded! so far, 2 of my 3 consideration points were being "discussed". i'll know in a couple of hours. gahh, here i am, beating the clock again! pati ba naman sa resignation, me pressure?! i feel like im flying 2 equally built kites. i can't hold on to both. i have to let go of one. it's just convenient to have a lot of options, but when they turn you gaga, it's no good.

it feels to good to be needed. to be cited as an asset to the company. but you gotta stop and give room for doubts. all sweet nothings, and eventually, when they've gotten you back in their wings, nothing has changed. aiyahh! i should know my priorities. im just too scared to have no work before quitting. ano ba talaga??! i was talking to the top management people and i felt humbled to be contacted by them.. lil old me. after the chitchat, i felt good and said to myself, maybe i can try the position. and now, writing this entry, imagining my life in pinas.. im beginning to be swayed to just move back. to the left, to the right. which way ar?!

i need a moment of prayer. of silence. of respite. of sleep. it's calling me. hush hush.

meeting CnD... i know right?!

eeeeekkk! visited Chico and Delamar in their studio in ortigas. i have been wanting to meet them every time i go home. i just have this difficulty of waking up early especially when in vacay mode. it's just not my style. haha well, for chico and del, i would, i guess.

i woke up a lil before 7.30am, deciding in my half-awake state whether to go or not. after trying to condition myself, and realizing that i wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, i texted my friend to meet me in ortigas and to just do it... off i went. 9.20am, i was waiting in our meeting place while my friend is still in 'roxas boulevard' at that time! 10am, we were on our way, hoping to catch whatever we can. we went inside the building, calmly directed ourselves to the right floor. alighting from the elevator, turn left and there it is. i approached the reception, asked for "chico and del". "pasok lang kayo", the receptionist said. wow, so casual, eh. and there she is.. delamar talking to a guy, not chico. waited for a few minutes coz we didnt want to interrupt. i talked to del then, (feeling close), "hi del, where's chico?" hahaha she asked if we're there for an interview.. i was .."nope, just dropped by to say hi" hehehe maybe thought we're college students for a career interview thingy. we waited inside the booth while chico and del finish their stuff. the radio booth is just a small room that comfortably fits 10 people including the DJs. on-air were rico robles and jude rocha then. chico finally finished his recap and we just talked, chika like old fwends. haha FC talaga! we talked about hmm, about hongkong, CATS and lea salonga, etc. too bad we have to cut it short because there's one group waiting for them. *bummer* oh well, i just handed them some hk souvenirs.

leaving the place, we're still ecstatic. well, i am! hahaha i was amazed at how i breezed through that.. meeting them, the conversation. i thought i wouldn't be able to talk. thankfully, they're approachable and down-to-earth. parang old friends lang, oh. hahaha next time, i will surely drop by... earlier.

POST SCRIPT: of course, i had to befriend chico in facebook.

off to dubai-4

in dubai......

1 - weather is hot. humid.  and i learned that when it's cold. it's really cold. ergo, weather is extreme.

2 - having your own car is helpful to go around the city.  public transport is only bus or by taxi.  their buses are not so frequent and not that efficient.  they don't have subways or train stations.  it will only be available later this year.

3 - there are no poor locals.  no local holds a blue-collar job.  everytime i see a woman dressed in abaya, i would think, "this girl is rich".  and when i would see a woman covered in abaya from head to foot, face included, i would say to myself "this married woman is rich" hehehe they said that only their husbands can see their faces.

4 - a lot of construction is going on.   i dont know if many were suspended due to the crisis.

5 - even husband and wife are discouraged to be 'affectionate' in public.  no holding hands even.

6 - pakistani men likes boys... nyahahaha

an indoor life-size aquarium inside DUBAI MALL, the biggest (but unfinished) in dubai

sand everywhere.. scenery before our DUNE BASHING...

we had to fill up before THE ride...

articulated bus as means of transport

palm trees?  inside dxb international airport

off to dubai-3

the next days, we joined a tour - DHOW cruise and DESERT safari.  it was Good Friday, and to attend to our duties, we heard mass in the lone Catholic Church in the vicinity - St Mary's Catholic Church.  it was hot and humid and most of all, crowded.  good thing there was this adjacent basketball court to cater to the throngs of people.

the DHOW and ABRA (water taxi) both traverse the dubai creek.  the former is a sailing vessel used by earlier settlers as means of trade (for dates and fish) while the ABRA is a means of transportation to avoid traffic congestion in the major bridges of the city. now, the DHOW is used for tourism to let visitors enjoy the view from the creek. the cruise, which lasts for 2 hours includes dinner with a view.  but, im not sure i enjoyed the food though. hehehe

DESERT safari includes hotel pickup, dune bashing, henna tattooing, abaya photo op, belly dancing show and dinner.  food was better here.  i love the arabic bread and the BBQ chicken. realized i dont have the taste for lamb, mutton BBQ.

our campsite area

i was soooo relieved to finally get to our destination because the DUNE BASHING is taking its toll on me.  after the first half of being tossed left and right, up and down my seat in the car, i felt a bit nauseous already.  the 3 of us rode at the back and even with my seatbelt on, i couldnt stop myself from bumping with others.  it was more than a roller coaster ride, more than i could take! hahaha at least for a theme park ride, it only lasted for a few minutes but this one... takes you on what seems like FOREVER!  i grew quiet as time went, coz im not feeling good anymore.  thank goodness, before i even reached my limit, we reached the campsite.  boy, was i so thankful.  however, i was too drained to even ride the camel (kaya pichur nalang) and try the sheesha.  

during the latter part of dinner, of course there was belly dancing... and more dancing.  i prayed we didnt have to endure that same dune bashing experience coz it was already night time and drivers wouldn't dare under such situation... but no! they still opted for one last hurrah... good thing, it lasted only a minute plus the paved road is actually nearby.  whew!

off to dubai-2

dubai international airport reminds me of singapore.  i guess, it's because of the print of the carpet(?), the size of the arrival area, and the enclosed seating area in the boarding gate.  noticeable too, is the palm tree(?) indoor.  it was 5am when we arrived so we lingered a little in the airport, got a cab and checked in at 7am in at the hotel apartment in bur dubai. 

we ate breakfast, rested then headed out to meet rose.  we also met with gcel and jobert.  super thanks to them we have transportation to go around.  if not, we would've taken the cab from one place to another.  i learned that you CANNOT just walk, even if it SEEMS near, in the map.  dubai is nOt a walkable city, in that sense.  of course, the tour wouldn't be complete without the classic backdrop... BURJ AL ARAB, the 7-star hotel.  

went to SOUK MADINAT, a sosy tiangge nearby. but we still had to take the car.  saw some souvenir items.  i was warned not to buy coz cheaper stuff can be bought elsewhere.  and true enough, we found affordable items in KARAMA, ala divi in pinas.  we had dinner in MALL OF THE EMIRATES.  visited the SKI DUBAI for some photo op.  haha and while walking around, window shopping, rose, jobert and gcel were surprised to see a familiar face - sheik MAKTOUM.  (i hope i got the name right.)  he's the highest ruler in dubai and the 2nd highest in the UAE.  

after dinner, we headed to JUMEIRAH Beach residences (where gcel's office is) for coffee.  shempre, starbucks. hehehe from here, we can get a glimpse of ATLANTIS, another star hotel in dubai located in PALM JUMEIRAH, this is the reclaimed area built to be a luxurious residential area because you can have your very own.... beachfront! right!

after some catching up, jobert and gcel dropped us at our hotel.  kahiya, coz it was already late and momi gcel and her baby are still up. hehe but anyways... thanks soo much!

off to dubai-1

our midnight flight to dxb gave me enough time to work in the morning, go home, get my stuff and head to the airport to meet my bro, who flew in from manila. we checked in online to at least guarantee that we'd be sitting beside each other. checking in cathay was a breeze. immigration, customs are not a problem. i prepared my documents just in case i would be held for questioning. bro was stalled in NAIA for some time (good thing he was in the airport early). there was this visa checker making sure all necessary papers are available. she asked why bro only have the photocopy of the visa... and why he was issued that type of visa. she even showed sample visa papers from previous passengers.  bro called my sis in dubai to clear up the misunderstanding.  eventually, the visa checker conceded, "sige sir, kayo na po bahala sa immigration dyan sa papers nyo".  uhm, of course, who else would take care of it?!  so off he went to immigration... not even one question!  

transit in HK

fast forward to meeting in hk international airport... bro was still fuming about his encounter at the NAIA.  hahaha i got a bit naririndi over his repeated rants and so we just opted to eat and googled the directions to our hotel.  finally, boarding time!  

the flight lasted for about 9 hours, arriving dubai at 5am.  i wasnt bored coz there are a lot of things to keep you busy just with the cabin entertainment.  i just found it hard to fully rest by just sitting.  but that didnt stop me from being excited to explore.  we hailed an airport taxi to go to the hotel.  the drive was a sight to see with wide, clean roads and architectural structures, which i later learned are malls. hahaha  now, that's interesting.  so much to explore, so little time.

getting ready for dxb

i've been trying to go home early the past 2 days to prepare for my holy week sojourn.  i seem to always find ways to buy things especially when im going for a trip.  why can't i just buy them way before and not cram the shopping in a few days?!?!  hmm.. i guess that's the fun part of it.  knowing i can buy with just a wave of the plastic, rationalizing that i NEED that item, more than WANTING it. hahaha in a span of 2 days, i managed to buy a luggage bag, sturdy and classic-looking enough.  i bought this gray, echolac bag with lock.  it's on sale in JUSCO but still a little expensive than the pierre cardin, elle bags on display.  i opted for this coz it looks classy (hindi pala classic hahaha) and strong for me to carry around or should i say, whenever i happen to lazily transport it on a plight of stairs thus, bumping it's wheels, scratching its body on the ground.  i also bought some pistachios, which my sis loves so much.  bought some HK pasalubong to my fwends in the hopes that they'll like it.  hehehe gotta travel light!

pichurs

i've been trying to locate my pics.. but got too lazy to locate my digicam cable to download the pics.. im still short of peripherals for maxxie. was able to scour for a few though...

halloween 2008 in lan kwai fong.. of course, we took photo ops with those in costume. kahit sino lang makita namen interesting, pose lang. haha there was this one guy, ala phantom of the opera. he was was about to wear his mask but we all shouted "no mask, no mask!" lolz. too bad, i can't find his picture. eto na lang with the mad hatter. 

jack's birthday, unico hijo of ate ai and kuya j.  supposedly children's party... so here they are.. the kids at play.. 

hmm.. what to do in macau tower..

might as well, just sit down and let the others do it... hahaha 

inside "the venetian"

macau at night

ruins of st. paul

... and the colorful night lights

101... and counting..

well, sana... hehe 

i've been on hiatus for toooo long.. well, i realized this is my 101st post! yay for me hahaha

gotta get back on my feet now.. just wanna give updates .. and see how i've been the past months.  hmm.. i wondered what happened with my life? or me nangyari nga ba? 

October 2008

i forgot what transpired or if anything interesting happened last october.  nothing really, i guess. forgettable, ba.. ohhh, waitttt, i went to singapore! how can i miss that??!?!!? baka magtampo un mga host ko. shout out to anshe, jeff and mon for accommodating me. :)  i went there on short notice lang.. i've been wanting to visit singapore.. see how things are there.  so finally, i just did. i emailed anshe less than a week.. and i told her to make some 'plans' .. and sooo, i arrived at the airport, met with mon.   waited for anshe and jeff at the ferry terminal to bintan, indonesia.  stayed overnight at bintan lagoon and resorts where we did kayaking and go kart.  it was sooo fun! the next day, anshe and mon took ML to accompany me to sentosa.  went to palawan beach .. but i missed the siloso beach.. we also rode the luge twice! no thanks to mon who coerced us kase me promo ata. buti na lang we only had to ride the ala ski lift once. hahaha it helps to ride at night if you're afraid of heights.  i went to bugis street which is like mongkok in hongkong.  saw the esplanade, singapore flyer, and of course the classic merlion.  ate the famous chicken rice in lau pa sat and roamed around clark quay.  all in all, i felt so at home in singapore.  i can go around on my own, not that anshe need to worry.  i would love to visit them again.  they have no choice. haha  super duper thanks to you guys :)

November 2008

i was bent on watching "cinderella" with lea salonga at the helm.  i bought my ticket at the last minute hoping someone can watch it with me.  but then again, not even this circumstance can stop me. i went by myself. yeah yeah, pathetic na!  but i had a good time. wala lang akong mapagsabihan na katabi how proud i am, seeing a fellow pinoy being applauded, recognized, appreciated by foreigners.  lea's proud moment, is mine too (nakisawsaw ba?!) 

December 2008

bought maxxie.  finally, my new macbook! after intense research, comparison between available notebooks in the market.. i decided to switch to a MAC.  what gives?  primarily coz i've been reading not-so-good reviews about vista.  plus, i wanted to try the look and feel of owning a macbook - coz of the OS X, and the prestige that goes along with carrying an apple studded laptop. hahaha i just purchased the lower end unibody 13" macbook 2.0ghz.  

January 2009

went to macau to explore.  havent been here before even if it just takes 1 hr ferry ride.  i wasnt really keen on going coz my fwends say it's just "ok".  not so many places to go to.  still, i wanted to make the most out of it.  went to macau tower first to try to do the skywalk where you will traverse the outside of the tower X storeys high on a harness. but damn! i cant!  i got scared. hahaha plus it's expensive!  i can't even look down the glass floors of the indoor observatory! we just roamed around the deck.. and lo and behold!  2 people had the guts to do bungee jumping! hurrah for them!  went to the venetian macau where we ate late lunch and played few rounds in the slot machine.  dropped by the fisherman's wharf, rode the bus to senado square to see the ruins of st paul.  walked to the area of the casino hotels to take pictures.  they're sooo colorful at night with grand lisboa, hotel lisboa, wynn hotel, MGM as backdrop.  we went inside those hotels just to take a peak, and played slots again.  that's the only thing we can afford.  or if we get thirsty, free drinks in the casino. hahaha lastly, we chanced upon the dancing fountain show of the wynn hotel.  just amazing.  now, i wondered why they say they didnt enjoy macau?

February 2009

was in manila for a couple of days to pay my last respects to my dear mamuy.  wasn't really expecting her death this soon coz she's always been a survivor.  i know she's becoming weak coz of age.  doctors could not find anything wrong with her in the numerous times she went for a checkup.  i guess she just didnt want to become a burden coz she just stayed in the hospital for a few days... and never left.  sabi nga ng uncle ko... "sulit na".. but it still hurts.  i will not be able to tease her about selective hearing anymore.. na pag pera ang pinag uusapan, naririnig nya.. otherwise.. it falls on deaf ears.  hehehe wala ng magbibigay saken ng pocket money everytime i would go back to hk.  wala na ang paborito kong lola. (ako raw kase paboritong apo. hehehe)  hers is a life well-lived.  moreso because a lot of people love her.. and always will.  i will miss you mamuy.  *hugsss*

pics on my next post.. hopefully soon.. 

(was) in pinas for a hiatus

i headed for manila 3 weeks ago via flight 5J143. thanks to cebu pacific's low fares that i got to snatch a bargain deal. for 1000hkd, i was able to book a flight home. i took a longer leave since it's the end of the fiscal year for us and chinese new year was coming.

• 2D/1N - baguio ==> went to baguio country club thanks to lolo pilo who sponsored us in this exclusive getaway
  
• 2D/1N - batangas ==> grabbed the chance for an early summer outing as i know i wont be experiencing it here
  
• 1 D - laguna ==> hied off to the hotsprings in the midst of manila's heat
  
• 2D/1N - tagaytay ==> enjoyed the cool breeze, just a few hrs away from manila. went to picnic grove, cliffhouse, ate at manos greek taverna, bag of beans and tried tagaytay's night life.

in between i got to do some "stuff" - well, it's more like a routine sleep for a half day, 3 hrs bumming (basically, stay in bed and choose among TONS of channel in cable) and preparing to go out. im more of a nocturnal person so in the morning, i take my time sleeping. haha mostly, i visited my friends who are still in manila and bugged (or begged) them to squeeze a few hours of their time to meet me. hahaha all is worth it.


vian, my inaanak, barely 3 years old


my former colleagues, minus agh


tried this greek joint in tagaytay

more pichurs here!!!