in that (stalker-like)moment!

it's been how many months and here's my published post... finally! haha i realized i have quite a number of drafts. i started.. but never get to finish. moving on, im irritated at the moment coz i have this 'stalker moment' again! jeez! i dont know if i should be flattered or not.. but deym! if they only look as good as lee min ho or park shi hoo... you would NOT hear me complain! hahaha (talk about discrimination!) on with the story..

i was on my home riding the tram. my friend left so the newly-vacant seat was now occupied with this middle-aged, indian-looking guy. he (let's call him A, how creative right? haha) and his friend (let's call him B for sure), seated at the back, were talking all the way. they can talk all they want, for all i care. even if they talk about me, i dont care too! 3/4 of the way, they moved seats and sat beside each other. that's a relief for me! i continued to stare out the window, listening to my ipod, but i could see from my peripheral view that B glanced at my direction twice. it's quite obvious as B had to look back. i was the only one in that direction. ok, that's still fine. no harm. im almost home. in my designated tram stop, i opted to alight later than other passengers, checking to see where A and B are headed. much to my luck.. and dismay, they also alighted in the same stop. ok, they can't help it if they live in the same area. instead of going straight home, i went to the grocery to buy something, and also with the hope of 'losing' them. BUT NO! i could still feel them following my tracks! grrrrrr!!! i focused on what i needed to buy, stopped at the water station and got my supply. with much kakapalan ng mukha from their side... B approached me with a leaflet on his hand, with a number printed. that's how i saw it. whatda?!?!?! i kept my cool, removed my earphones, faced him and said "can you please NOT follow me?!?!". and so like soldier, he retreated quickly. he should!!! or else, i would make a scene there! deym!!!

i could've threatened him by telling him to the police or sumthin. i was just sooo irritated those were the words that came out of me. i strolled for a few more minutes in the grocery, called my friend to keep me company, even on the phone. soon, i went to the counter but still nakikiramdam if they're still following me. i had to be cautious, paranoid even, coz they can know where i live. there's no security in our building so i had to be doubly cautious. now, back in the safety of my home, i heaved a sigh of relief. i dont know if i made a good approach, but my friends told me, the offensive strategy is better as to not give them any opportunity that i can welcome any of their advances. i gotta put police numbers in my speed dial.

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.

janet jackson: number ones in HK

happy hearts' day ALL! and im celebrating it with Janet! wuhoo! it's my first (and probably the last?) time im going to watch a concert here in HK. venue is in HKCEC. first time to go inside too. im just completely in awe at how huget the place is! haha i just go there in the area to tour my visiting friends , near the bauhinia square and watch the fireworks during CNY. inside, HKCEC though, it's really huge. there are a LOT of function rooms, restaurants, halls where concerts/shows can be held simultaneously. as you see, i can't seem to move on yet , venue pa lang. hahahaha

concert was slated to start at 8pm. but crowd just started to pour in at that time. we took an express dinner , este snack lang coz we didnt want to be late. had to leave the office at 6pm to make sure we're on time. show started a few mins before 9pm, ending at 10:30ish. the concert was just AWESOME! given the songs were just amazing, janet still got the moves! lavetttt! it's one big partey! our seats were a bit far but given the size of the hall, im ok with it. at least, our area is elevated compared to those more expensive tickets. they had to stand up all the time. i saw more expats than locals in the crowd. no surprise in that, i guess. the crowd was a bit restrained i think, compared to the YT videos i saw from Manila. haha i miss the rowdiness. but, suffice to say, we enjoyed it. never mind if we're the only ones in our area standing, shouting, singing. heck, we're there to enjoy every minute of the concert!

janet sang all her hits, too bad, i dont know some. haha my faves, and everyone else's : together again, black cat, rhythm nation, miss you much, again, all for you, let's wait awhile, to name a few. i was secretly hoping she'd sing someone to call my lover, everytime, whoops now but to no avail. no encore too. she has very limited spiels. i was "bitin" so to speak but i just try to understand that it must be her age, so she has to set some boundaries too. hehehe she had a lot of dance medleys, 80%. but, then again i thought, what would a few more slow slongs do to her? hahaha aiyahh! this fan just wont give up!

after the concert, it was freezing outside, with drizzle adding to the cold weather. we ate some more and watched on YT the songs we missed. hahaha janet j hangover, i know! it was a fun night! i realized i miss watching live concerts, and grooving to the music. next on my list... michael buble in hkcec? hmm, but too expensive. and too soon. maroon 5 in manila, maybe? let's see...

happy valentines day! love love love!

Manila hostage of HK tourists

it's just all over the news and you can't get by without hearing or watching about it. i was back in pinas when this happened. i didnt know about it until the evening when things turned for the worse. i left for hongkong the day after in the midst of the black travel warning of HK govt to the philippines. on board PAL's delayed flight, i headed straight to the immigration area and easily got through. after baggage claim, i headed to the green lane (no items to declare) but was immediately asked by the officers for another baggage check. it was random, i suppose. i didnt see any one checked before me. didnt bother to look back if there were others who were checked too. i didnt mind coz i had nothing to be afraid of. i took it as a security measure. however, some pinoys became hesitant to travel in HK coz of discrimination which may occur.

there are stories i hear of DHs being terminated coz of this tragedy. some physical violence and discriminatory looks on pinoys. i havent personally proven this though. i know a lot of pinoys here in hk are cautious now. but we shouldn't over sensationalize or become too paranoid. as we don't want to be generalized as troublemakers, let's not do the same to the hongkong people. emotions are high and it's understandable that they vent out their sentiments in a peaceful and respectful manner. we are one, whatever nationality, in condoling with the families of the victims and the whole of hongkong in calling for justice and transparency of what really happened during the 10-hour hostage drama

phil govt may have done a lot of wrong in this situation, but hopefully, the truth will shed some light to the many questions on what actually transpired during the hostage crisis. a lot of bashing, blaming - can't stop that. emotions are high. in the end, philippine police have a lot to improve on. lessons were learned the hard and bloody way, which costed a lot of lives and straining country ties with HK, CHina. thankfully, hk's CE donald tsang also understand the plight of filipinos in hongkong by calling for a more calm and civilized way of handling the situation. we feel your grief, we understand your anger. we will not be judged by wrong acts done by a few.

LKF changes

is lan kwai fong having a face lift? it's been a while since i last went there. i read about the upcoming changes esp with the rumored addition of Hard Rock Cafe. to my dismay though, the cavern, hongkong brewery and finds will find its way out of the swanky nightlife hotspot.

itacho sushi: taikoo shing

yummy sashimi: salmon, yellow tail, tuna

i'm sooo loving japanese right now. had sashimi, sushi, miso soup, cold noodels, etc.. from itacho sushi for dinner the other night. what's even better is that it's FREE! hahaha (i guess, that's why) i've been here twice already... given the accessibility being a few minutes walk from my place. japanese restaurants abound in the area to cater to japanese expats residing there. we sat in the bar area so we would eagerly await if the next dish being prepared is ours already. we're a tad hungry so we can't wait for our food to arrive. we started with miso soup, then came one by one the sashimi, hand roll and sushi arrive. love them all! LOL. one 'different' dish we ordered is the the warship style sushi, as they call it. rice wrapped in nori, topped with lobster salad, or fish roe, or sweet shrimp, were handed down to us by the chef. i couldn't finish it in 1 bite, though. still, all is well. haha love love love their grilled salmon, which arrived last. it was complemented with a sorta mayo that removes the 'suya' taste.. thus keeps you yearning for more. hmm, maybe that's why...

hongkong observatory storm signal advisory

"The Observatory will consider the need of issuing the Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 around sunset."

i wish HKO would just announce this type of warning earlier. like, during office hours, right? or maybe in the next day morning, so we don't have to go to work? hahaha typhoon signals in hongkong are classified by wind speed. there are 3 levels: 1, 3, 8; while 9 and 10 are still possible, they are seldom hoisted. rainstorm warnings are identified by amount of rainfall and are issued based on colors: amber, red, black. more often than not, hko weather forecasts are almost accurate. that's why i always check on the site, www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm, for the latest update. may it be on the latest outside temperature or the 7-days forecast, i rely on the site for such information.

BBQ @ shek O

we took time out one night to go for BBQ in shek O. from the office, it's around 30ish minutes travel as we have to go to shau kei wan first then board the bus from there. too bad for me; i had to go to chai wan mtr and realized that there's no bus to shek o in that area. it was a hot summer night so we prepared to be mausukan from the grilling food.

BBQ in honor of our guests.. mara and mheann (ooppss, not in this picture yet.)

meat, meat all meat bbq selection. ohh, didnt know there was cuttlefish ball (i got there late na kase)

migs just couldn't stand the heat... obviously! hehehehe

us, enjoying BBQ.. for a change.. (from the usual steamed, pan/fried, soupy chinese lunch)

playtime with migs... if his folks were not there, i would've made him sakal hehehe

migs likes to take pictures with his gurls... he even called us to pose around him. hahaha

maraaaa, we'll see you again. soon! and mheann, hang in there! hehehe

how to go to shek O beach:

1. take the mtr and alight at shau kei wan station.
2. proceed to exit A2, if i'm not mistaken.
3. take the mini bus to shek 0.

this will cost you 9hkd.

dinner @ crystal jade la mian xiao long bao

we ate at crystal jade, a shanghainese restaurant in world trade center causeway bay. it was a packed night so we had to wait in line for a party of 8. some pictures to remember the night. too bad, no food pictures coz i was too engrossed eating. hahaha

here are the early birds... hehehe

the kids are playing.. not too keen on eating this kind of food.. well, they liked it eventually hahaha

here are the yayas... day off so we just had to treat ourselves..

enjoying mamma mia gelato in the upper floor of the building. good ice cream la!

good food, good company.. twas a good night.

up and about: MTR lift

shot in tuen mun station of the MTR (red line, i think)

our journey to sai kung

for the july 1 holiday, we opted to go to sai kung to get away from the usual crowded places in the island. however, a lot of people were there, especially it's a day off. i guess we just have to settle for some scenery, apart from the usual buildings, crowded streets in the city.

to get there, we met in tiu keng leng station of the tseung kwan o line of the mtr. it's 2 stations away from quarry bay crossing the victoria harbor. we boarded bus 792M traveling around 40 minutes to sai kung public pier. it was sooo hot arriving at the place. fortunately, the breeze kept us cool while having picnic lunch in the playground nearby. while the kids run around to play, the adults ate, rest, made chika to the max. hahaha it was a hearty meal, with adobo in tow and the famous almond chews from ate caryl. yummy!

after the kids finished playing, (uhm, will they ever? haha) we rode the boat to kiu tsui beach. it was 20hkd round trip for a 20-minute ride. not knowing what is in store there, we just went. though we didnt really plan on going for a swim, seeing that the beach area is occupied with dogs (and their owners), it was a good decision for us. hehehe as in, the dogs were swimming there... and i wouldnt like to be there with them. hehe just let them be.. and enjoy. we looked for a cool spot to bum around.. and eat of course. it feels nice to trifle away time without caring for anything else but the cool breeze touching your face, the leaves of the trees shading you from the sun's heat, the sight of the calm waves and the beach bodies. (haha) we left the beach around 5.30ish and cozied up in one of the restos and had a late afternoon tea.

this is life.

in mongkok after the acid attack

went to mongkok the other night to accompany my friend buy some stuff.  in the process of course, i got myself a few.  walking in mongkok area made us more paranoid because of the recent events of acid throwing by some still unknown perpetrators.  this, however, didn't dampen our spirits in going from one store, stall to another, looking for some good finds.  true enough, we found (and bought) "essentials" from sephora and sincere. hehehe

in a span of six months, if im not mistaken, there have been 3 cases of the same incident in mongkok.  the police is taking measures from putting up multi million surveillance cameras to increasing the reward for any information that can lead to the suspect.  and just recently, a pinoy family of vacationers also fell victim.  if this continue, hk tourism may be affected.  shoppers in mongkok's ladies market may have to bargain between their safety and a few deals.

hongkong primary, kindergarten, nursery schools close for 2 weeks

hongkong confirmed its first local case of swine flu.  a student in a school in causeway bay contracted the disease locally.  meaning, she has not come in contact with any person who travelled.  so chief exec donald tsang immediately seconded the move of shutting down primary schools for a fortnight.  it's already nearing the end of classes and also with timing, the exams will have to be administered some time.  hongkong, last i know, has 46 confirmed cases... hopefully we can still manage to minimize the spread as much as we can.  

now that WHO already declared pandemic alert, it's best to be cautious, not be lax about our health.  im not saying confine yourself to your room and isolate yourself from the world.  just be safe and be aware, know your body and have yourself checked once signs are showing.  you are not only doing this for yourself but also for the people you come in contact with. 

in the philippines, i read that there "should be no cause for alarm" even when count reached 77.  right... we don't wanna put panic into the minds of the millions of people in our country.  however, when the WHO is the one who will eventually declare pandemic alert in pinas... can DOH still ignore otherwise?? 

at work: as caution to H1N1

in the office, we have some precautions to prevent the spread of the swine flu:

• check body temperature everyday upon coming in to work.  there's a designated person to check our temp.  those above the normal temp will have to go home.
  
• there's a mask handy in our first aid kit for people with respiratory problems.
  
• self-quarantine oneself if you've travelled to infected countries.  
  
• if you're sick, DON'T report to work.  go home and have yourself treated by a doctor.
  

OA?  i think, just better safe than sorry.   with the rising number of cases in hongkong, the government thinks it's just a matter of time when the disease will be contracted locally.  i believe that the precautions done in the airport for incoming travelers are enough.  however, due to the common symptoms and incubation period, it's hard to track down all the people an infected person comes in contact with.  imagine if he went to a mall, boarded a public transport, walked along the crowded streets... that would mean, A LOT!  for now, we just have to do our part to take care of ourselves in any way we can.  avoid crowded places when not needed.  

lost in tuen mun, hongkong

i thought that with the efficient transportation in hongkong, going from one place to another would be a breeze.  i just didnt realize that besides the MTR's familiar routes, there are others... like LRT.  as in pinas, it stands for light rail transit which travels short distances in New Territories.  i dont frequent this area but i wouldnt mind exploring this part of hk.  i was confident... as long as we are on the MTR line, everything should be fine.  

however, one rainy saturday, my fwend and i braved the 2hr travel by train from HK island to tuen mun, which is practically the "other" side of the line.  from our place in the east, we traversed the upper western part of hk.  

1pm-ish --> already on board the MTR from quarry bay, changed trains in admiralty and rode until tsuen wan station (last stop on the tsuen wan line)

2pm-ish --> arrived at tsuen wan, looked for bus 61M heading towards tuen mun.  we kept looking around the area looking for the bus stop thinking it was somewhere really nearby coz the  bus terminal is there... 59M, 60M, 62M... hmm.. where's 61M???  asked some locals lined up in the bus stop, but to no avail.  tried to ask the 'friendly' cleaner.. but he cant speak english.  sigh.  we opted to ride 60M thinking it might lead us to 61M (right!)  one stop after, we alighted.  we're on the main road now... and no bus stops in sight.  we asked some locals BUT we're uneasy about their directions.  we thought of taking a cab, waited... until we saw a bus -- 61M!  we walked and walked and found the stop.  finally.  it was a relief.  i was already a bit wet in the rain, even though i have an umbrella...turns out water seeps thru my umbrella's tela. LOLZ.  fine, it's just for sunny weather.

  

3pm -->  arrived at our destination.  at last.   sooo late for our 2:30pm schedule.  

i dont like to enumerate our route back.  it makes me tired even more. hahaha this was the adventure we're looking for.  at least, we learned new things, discovered new places.  this area is not the typical hk that we know -- crowded, busy, old.  it's peaceful, quiet, has well-kept buildings.  just too bad, we have low tech phones that inhibited us from using GPS.  hahaha  next time, will just try to be more "prepared" and perhaps, not on a very rainy afternoon. 

h1n1 quarantine end for affected hk hotel guests

the week-long quarantine for mexican swine flu patient, along with 283 metropark hotel guests in wanchai, has ended tonight, may 8.  this is a welcome news to them, included were 4 filipinos billeted in the hotel for some RnR.  this is good news not only to them but also to people in hk because we don't have to be uber paranoid roaming around.  i guess hk is h1n1-free, for now?  still, i believe authorities are vigilant especially in visitors coming in from affected countries.  overall, it seems the virus is contained and hopefully, all other infected areas and sick people will recover from this ordeal.  

hk weather promises to be a beautiful one in the coming days, i would like to go out and explore... wanchai? hahaha

H1N1 confirmed case in HK

as of last night, this news struck hongkong pushing swine flu to the emergency alert level.  i guess hk people didnt want to risk any further.  prevention than cure.  it only takes one to spread the disease and once it's carried to more and more people, the harder it is to contain.  there has been precaution on the virus on different levels - national (news, TV), company (memo), even building memos are release.  

"Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of swine flu, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen said.
''We have our first confirmed swine flu case in Hong Kong. He is Mexican,'' Tsang said.
The Mexican arrived yesterday via Shanghai from his home country, Tsang said.
The man checked into Metropark Hotel in Wan Chai before seeking treatment at Ruttonjee Hospital for flu symptoms. He developed a fever in the middle of the night after being warded. 
Tests conducted by both the Department of Health and the University of Hong Kong found he was positive for swine flu. 
He is in stable condition, Tsang said, at Princess Margaret Hospital, the designated facility for any swine flu, or H1N1, cases. 
The hotel has been cordoned off.
''I will raise the alert level from serious to emergency,'' the chief executive said.
Despite putting the city on the highest level of alert, Tsang said all social activities and exhibitions will go ahead as normal and schools will remain open."

wanchai is around 5 MTR stations away from my place, 5-10mins by train.  i would have wanted to hear mass in Central, remit money in western union but that would mean passing by wanchai.  i guess i'll find a nearer Church and shop.  there's this growing paranoia, which i cant shake off , and i won't , just to be on the safer side.  plus, i havent started wearing mask yet.  though i saw people buying them by boxes in dispensaries.  i'll just ask from the office when the need arises.  

gloomy day @ work

and so it's done.  3 people from our division were let go by the company.  it's sudden because they were only told this afternoon that it's their last day.  so, off they went and left with their own stuff.  one of them is a pinoy colleague.  i didnt know what to say to him or how to approach him.  after he was told about the news, he fixed up his things and  there was our boss by his side to get his IDs and keys.  guess i was shaken by the turn of events.  i felt guilty in a way because i've known this will happen.  everyone in our dept knew except him.  i didnt breathe a word to him.  firstly, because i'm not so close to him, plus the fact that my boss told me not to.  so, scout's honor la.  he has his family here - his wife, his son.  i didnt even see his face when he came back to his desk.  no goodbyes, etc.  i can just see him from my peripheral view and didn't offer any support.  argh, how good is that?  i didnt want to show pity as i wouldn't want the same if im in his position.  i believe he'll be fine... eventually, recover from the drastic events.  

honestly, i felt sad yet relieved that it was not me.. yet.  i don't wanna leave the company in that way.  i will go in my own time, my own terms.  i told my brother that if that happened to me, he should come and pick me up here. hahaha  for whatever it's worth, i know that this crisis is hitting closer to home.  gotta pick up the pace even more.

must.not.be.late

9:02am.... and obviously, im soooo late! sadly, it's my 2nd time in our 30-day work period.  9:04am was my other login time.  it's more strict now with our company, as there will be a warning letter if you have 3 lates.  arghhh i CANT, SHOULDNT, MUSTNT be late!!! i dont wanna be lax in dealing with this attendance thing coz i dont want it to be used against me in any form.  im not pretending to have a squeaky clean timecard .. but hey, strike-3-you're-out is not a nice idea.  so now, i will remember to heed my alarm and wake up.. no more SNOOZING, ayt?!?! 

shopaholic morning

it's saturday.  woke up early to catch the first screening of "confessions of a shopaholic" in UA cityplaza, at 9:40am.  AM shows are cheaper at 35hkd and as the day progresses, it becomes not-so-cheap, pricing as high as 65hkd in the evening.  i liked isla fisher in "wedding crashers".  there's something natural in her brand of comedy.  i think she fits to a T as rebecca bloomwood.  her personality as isla seems apt to what her character requires.  however, there's still something off which i can't pinpoint now.  i love to shop.  can't say im a shopaholic coz money is always my issue. hahaha we each have our own sense of fulfillment, sense of high.  whatever that maybe, let's not lose ourselves and take for granted the things that really matter.

cheque this out

i applied for a new account in hsbc (mainly because i'm qualified naman).  i collected my card and along with it is my own checkbook (didn't know it's included)! huwaw!  MY VERY FIRST EVER!  hahaha!  didnt feel the need to have one since coz i think it's for those with lotsa money who are afraid to transact in cash.  hmm.. i can't wait to sign my own cheque!