"I'm daydreaming, let me count the ways..." My month was just right, with some memorable unearthed treasures from a year that was spent away from home. Most of these popularly known "throwback" came from the social media giants who have gone from just networking people to making people bawl over nostalgia. Quite an exciting moment everytime I review a year that was both s*** and sweet. "Now here's where girlfriends come in hand, Especially those that understand" And in the end I just know, that when it comes to getting hurt and bruised by all evils of the universe, I have my girlfriends who are there forever; and that those who cross the line and hurt them, will suffer from the karmic forces of the universe. Do not cross the line. Oh, and someone's finally reading this blog? Hah! Gotcha. Ain't you cray? Singapore is a city I never thought I'd get to visit last year... twice! The first travel was for my birthday weekend, the second was for an academic endeavor--the Skyrise Conference. For November, Singapore's temperature was just right, very different from that of March 2013 when Singapore was excruciatingly humid and hot. I still find it unbelievable to have too much heat in that city albeit the existence of tree-lined streets and a bombardment of vegetation EVERYWHERE. What more if there were none of this green wonderland? For my Singapore-lah November, I explored the city lakad-style! (lakad is the Tagalog version of "walking"). We stayed near the Bugis Area so can you just imagine the happiness of seeing a lot of stores and knowing that we are near the Marina Bay area?(yes, I find it very walkable). Knowing that everything was indeed walkable, we started our afternoon stroll to experience the cityscape. Most of the photos I took captured in snapshots the images of the built environment and the socio-cultural layer of Singapore. You see a lot of green spaces, but taking photos of people and the landscape made it a more intriguing walk. I seldom see photos of people TALKING unless they were inside the restaurant or are seated comfortably with no gadgets at hand. I did saw people talking, realizing they were also Filipinos. Are we really happy, talking walkers? We had our lunch hawker-style. Albert Centre is one of my favorite hawker food center in Singapore. We were there last March and we tried almost everything we could take in on our last night. The food we randomly ordered were yummy. Walking near the Bugis Area gave me a diverse cityscape and a crowd that shops and eats gastronomic street food. I wasn't able to try the ice-cream but I would love to if given a chance. We were in a hurry so I had to skip that. The walking and limitless shopping crowd. I love how the landscape encourages people to walk and walk and walk. I dream of having that same walking experience in Manila (beyond Makati and BGC). Next stop: Raffles Hotel--the hotel that has it's seasoned touch and stands out from the modern-architecture neighborhood. Next walking pitshop was the Suntec City. Noticeable are the big boards with vines creeping on it. I find it fun to see even the "green" concept on ads. The "O" outdoor art work is an optical illusion. Literally flat, but appears otherwise at several angles. Intriguing... That Fountain of Wealth that marks the center of the mall complex at Suntec City. Not noticeable but underneath that fountain is a food court, and the fountain acts as a perfect outdoor view for the eating public. I am happy for the idea of providing them a view regardless of the location. And we finally arrived: The Youth Olympic Park. ... And I thought our walk ended with this pit stop. I loved the crowd though. Seldom do I see open spaces used extensively in the Philippines. For a country like Singapore where open spaces are difficult to find, small spaces like these are indeed, premium lots where people find solace from the heavy work day. I love the field lawn, too!
I'm saving my food fest, aka MAKANSUTRA food binge for another post! For now, let's end this "tour" with a scenic view of that athletic field in SG.:) "Let's Dine and Unwind!" I had that in mind the minute I saw probably a hundred (or more) people gathered to eat by the bay. Makansutra was our dining mecca, to others it was a place to meet up and talk with good friends. Finally, something spectacular in a city setting is a place where people just stop from their usual walkathon to enjoy life and talk. SG has Makansutra for that. During our first evening at Singapore, we were given a chance to end our walkathon with good food from food stalls at that place. Of course, nothing beats the good lovely chitchat with friends but the food just made it even worth the visit. Spotted: Chicken that was to-die-for, spicy noodles that was probably one of the most sinful and addicting noodles I tasted, and fish that went to waste just because we were full (but was also one of the best tasting curry fish in town). We also had crispy garlic shrimps, fried rice and one of the best lemon iced tea. Everything tasted heavenly and everyone had a good talking-while-dining vibe. Also, I was told that Makansutra is a Filipino-bakasyunista favorite so you get to imagine the crowd of happy talkers and happy diners in one.
When: September, 2011 Where: NAIA 3 and Beijing Capital International Airport Posted: November 11, 2011 Last September, the masters class and the professors from the college flew to China for the annual IUSAM. It was my first time to attend and present my paper abroad and I was all giddy with this new milestone in my life, I just had to buy that pink travel bag. A "what's in my bag" photo above showing what I brought to China. Although we were all sleepy and were all rushing all our work stuff, we managed to have our butts working to meet the check-in sched. Thank you SBC for the food (not sponsored though, but we had good food before we had our naps on board). Although I do believe NAIA3 is the best (in the Phil) when it comes to food and all that jazz (you'll never get bored while waiting), I can also say that their waiting areas had the comfiest seats, so far. I wished that the food joints were designed closer to some of the waiting areas. The long walk can be a bore. The views of China and the Philippines and of course, my ipod kept me sane. The long plane ride challenged my EQ, plus it made me doze off. Arrived @ Beijing Capital International Airport past midnight. Very sleepy @ 1am! Imagine the detest when I saw the unknown Chinese characters on almost every signage. Hello, China! For a positive note, Capital International Airport made sure there were translation for very important areas.
We rode a van that brought us to our particular hotels (no photo, too busy walking and talking/transating the conversation while my brain was too drained understanding what was going on. HAHA!). 50RMB/pax was way over what we expected since we had online research on how a cab will cost us. Plus longer hours of explaining (sign-language style!) of where we were staying etc. The language barrier can be a big challenge. We ended the challenging first day travel with language barrier and eyebags. The last day of the conference was dedicated to technical tours of our choice. We were given three categories by the host : (1) transport , (2) environment, and (3) housing. Since my profession delves more on the outdoor environment, my decision to be part of the Mai Po Nature Reserve Tour was evident. Eventually, I realized it was my real choice regardless of my profession. I love nature walks! I grew up having nature treks at our subdivision when the creek was pristine and when terrain was sweeping with green grass and trees, definitely different than today's built-up subdivision grounds. During summer, we also visit the province to trek the mountains of Siquijor, just to view the trees and enjoy the harvest. It was my nostalgic self permeating. Happy to have chosen that tour. Mai Po Nature Reserve
The Reserve is a restricted area under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Chapter 170). In order to minimize disturbance to wildlife, all visitors are expected to behave responsibly and observe codes of entry. For more information about the nature reserve, visit the WWF website thru: http://www.wwf.org.hk/en/getinvolved/gomaipo/ The last day of our conference and the culmination dinner signaled the start of the excessive walking, so help me dear feet. The day started with our transportation shenanigans to the university, followed by our search for the CUHK sweater/hoodie for a friend's son. Although we weren't able to find the item, I was instead happy to see buildings that I haven't been to. These were located farther from our venue. A photo of the building is shown below, alongside the colorful paving. When the culmination dinner ended, we rode the trusty public transport to our HK Home. A few minutes after we settled, we pursued with our plans of exploring more of the megacity at night. Yes, our only time to actually grasp the HK Culture. It was indeed fortunate for us that our apartment's location was near the bustling part of Temple Street (just across the street!!!!) Allow the photos to explain how Temple Street was part of my HK memorabilia. I do suggest this exciting cultural street when you visit HK at night. Take note that stalls at the street bazaar also close at around 11pm and the only thing that shall welcome you beyond that time are the seafood restaurants and the 7/11's that are located everywhere!
Below is the map showing how convenient the location was for us! We rented an apartment at Liberty Mansion and didn't know it was this strategic to the street bazaar. The happenstance I am thankful for. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a lovely university. We had to travel to this part of town because the conference was held within the CUHK grounds. The Chinese University of Hong Kong was this year's host for our annual megacity conference. It took us a 30-45-minute ride aboard the public transport (train) every day to be able to reach the university (Sha Tin area). Regardless of the length of travel, I love how their train rides were so convenient to PWD's, elderly, and to those who would want a quiet ride to several locations at HK (they have a quiet train where talking and loud music are not allowed).:) What I really find extraordinary during the second day of the conference was the bookstore, the interiors and the book collection inside. Haha! I am sooooo in love with their bookstore! I have always seen refuge in a room full of books. When the room full of books is spruced with a shelf of stationery, pens, and notebooks; I know I am in the best place in the universe. This can be added to that list of best places. Took home a pop-up card just because it was the most extraordinary find. After the welcome dinner at the university, we went to our apartment and decided to walk the streets of Nathan Road to see the amazing Victoria Harbor--the HK trip photo must-have. It was a long walk from the Tsim Sha Tsui station to the Hong Kong Cultural Center. At the back of the building was an amazing view. We were not able to watch the symphony of lights during that evening's walkathon, but the lights of the buildings were enough to "wow" us. Saw this outdoor marvel, immediately took a photo of it to show to my father. We ended our night with memories of a very walkable and vibrant megacity. It wasn't really what most of the tourist would have raved about, but the people I am with also enjoy the same walking tour I'm glad to have during our second day-- where the amazing built and natural environment of the city center of HK can be best viewed and when the light devour the roads and the people are more relaxed than on a rush.
Haven't had a good blog as of late. Early this semester, I went AWOL to be able to submit papers for a conference and an academic journal. That's writing in between my lecture preparation, plates checking, and thesis proposal bashing (the severity of the bashing is purely academic, no pun intended). This month culminated one of my sought after trip to a nearby megacity -- Hong Kong!I We attended a conference to present our research papers infront of an international audience. It was also my first time to see Hong Kong so imagine the excitement when I went aboard that plane to see the urbanscapes i am still unfamiliar of. It started with a thud. Our flight got rescheduled a couple of hours (was it 5 hours?) just because the typhoon that recently left the PAR (Philippine Area of Responsibility) actually moved towards China on the same day, affecting Hong Kong weather intensely. It was Signal no. 8!!! We were beyond scared to think about it so it was a relief to know that our flight was rescheduled (nevermind the Roomorama reservation!!!!). Then after a few naps in the morning we realized that regardless of that warning, our plane was still leaving 5 hours later! We eventually rushed to the airport to finally continue with this trip (Thank you Cathay Pacific for the food, the accommodating staff, and the inflight entertainment to veer away my thoughts from that turbulent and exhilarating ride!!!). We arrived a little past 3pm, later than what we really planned. After the immigration and baggage claim-related activities, we eventually moved out of the comfy airport interiors, bought our airport express train tickets, and had the longest scenic train ride ever. It was so different from the usual train ride, we were able to sit at comfy seats, didn't notice how expensive that train ride really was till I compared it to the other train rides I ever tried. I guess it was every penny's worth. I loved the views of HK while aboard the train. We rented an apartment owned by Nicole and Lun. I searched for a place at Roomorama, hoping I'd find one that is proximate to the bustling Nathan Road just because our other colleagues (who attended the same conference like us) chose a hotel somewhere near the area, ergo, a strategic spot for possible meet-ups and train ride. The Hong Kong apartment we chose was just right for the four of us (we also rented another room from the same owners in the same apartment, for the male delegation). It was even designed to accommodate more people, but given the availability of just one rest room, 4 pax is definitely just right for our unit (given we take a bath roughly 30 minutes each!:P). It was living with the locals that I find different for this trip. There were no special treatment from a hotel lobby receptionist. It was fun, very practical, and exciting. Plus, the unit was equipped with WIFI, our own kitchen, our own TV, and a view of the busy Jordan Street, running perpendicular to the Nathan Road.:) The first day was laid back. Due to the typhoon, most of the shops and destination places were not operational that day. We had to just relax and cancel our plans. Given the dinner at the university is still a go that night, we saw CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong) a day before the conference and experienced the longer train ride we were facing for the next few days. Hong Kong is captivating in photos. Below are more images of Hong Kong and me. So far the most laid back day out-of-the-country. Posting the next travel "kwento" soon!
Lucban is located at the province of Quezon in the Philippines. Photos above are taken last March 29, 2013.
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