macau tower

After draining my savings, I was able to make my mother and sister come visit me in Hong Kong, instead of me coming back to Pinas. So after our company Christmas party, which disappointed me because I really wanted to win the IPOD shuffle, I went to the Macau Ferry Terminal with butterflies in my stomach. I'm hugging my mother again! Let's just say I was never close to my mother eversince I was a kid. Being the papa's girl, I never cared if my mum existed or not. But when I went to HK, I realized how much I love my family, my mother included.

Segue:

Can I just say that I now believe that Filipinos are everywhere?! I thought it was just an exaggeration, but when I accidentally bumped into my two newly found friends in Macau, I realized that the world is really a small place for us Filipinos.

Let's start with Annie. She lives in Macau. She offered to accompany me when I fetch my family at the Macau airport. But I had to turn down her offer because I do not want to shame myself infront of her when I see my family for the first time after half a year. Needless to say, I saw her at the airport because she was waiting for another friend of hers, who happened to be on the same plane with my family.

Then goes Leo. He is a friend of mine here in HK. On the night of 22nd, we sort of agreed to go to the Macau Tower, since he would be touring his friend from Manila in Macau during the day and he will meet us at the tower at night. Unfortunately, my suppossedly auto-roaming mobile failed me, therefore preventing me from reaching out to everybody. To make the story short, he found us at the tower, and we even rode the same ferry on our way back. The latter is another sheer coincidence.

Powerpuff!

Blossom commander and the leader...

Powerpuff will save the day...

I almost lost the child in me by trying to fit in an adult world.

This display board reminded me of the joys of staying young.

To continue:

Macau is a really nice place, if you do not mind the scant public transportation and the inability of the people to speak English (locals at least). I have been eyeing the Macau Tower Sky Adventures since I saw Annie's friendster pictures. The adventurous girl in me reemerged upon seeing the skyrocketing tower. We paid MOP228 each for the skywalk, the cheapest package there is. It looked promising when we reached the observation deck at the 58th floor. You can literally see all of Macau from there -- "The Las Vegas of Asia" as it is sometimes called. You can be mesmerized by the blinking casino lights and the majestic lit bridges. Filled with much anticipation, we hurried to the 61st floor to experience the thrill of our lifetime - walking around the peak of the tower on a 1.8 meter plank.

Much to our dismay, it wasn't even close to thrilling! Not even exciting! Not even worth any positive adjective! Boo! It was just another photo-op session. My sister and I were toured by one of the tower's crew (we're still debating about the staff's gender). And I never imagined that a plank with such width could be so boringly wide. Nevertheless, we still gave our best smiles and made it look like we were having the 'fear factor' moment of our lives. It was a real rip-off, and the experience only lasted for less than five minutes. We haggled with the tour guide so we could at least round the tower again by ourselves and feel the cold air without having to stop every five seconds for another pose. But he/she declined. Booboo! Aargg! And we paid MOP150 for one CD that contained our pictures. Pictures were ok. If I do not rant about the absence of excitement, anybody will get envious of our Macau Tower experience.

Anyway, I am still posting some pictures.

Just forget what I said above and spoil yourself with a Macau Tower Skywalk Adventure.

Charge it to experience! Life is sometimes filled with sugar coatings and bitter chocolates anyway. Huh?! What am I saying?! Labo!

Korea in Hong Kong

Last Sunday, I went to the Hong Kong Cultural Center to watch Korean cultural presentations. This event is a good eye opener because I do not know much about Korea. I only get acquainted to this country when I watch Korean movies, which I love by the way.

Pretty girls in bright coloured costumes doing a sword dance.

Ethnic musical presentation. They even played the theme from Endless Love which was tagalized in our country.

Another cultural dance

Would it be complete without the constant reminder of Korean-Chinese partnership?

And my favorite part of the show! - THE GAMBLER CREW

Woohoo! Breakdancing to nth level!

I love it! Every dancer just leaves you in awe.

Rock on!

nff's

far from the hustle bustle of Hong Kong, I went to Lamma Island (together with the friend who i met a week earlier) to accompany a friend from macau. It's been a fun and busy day for us. We went to Lamma, tried a seafood restaurant, did a little shopping from the posh IFC, went to Victoria Peak to see both sides of the harbour, drank some coffee (my first since i came to HK), and watched PDA through a 32" flat TV. haha. I was really rooting for Yeng. But I liked Ronnie during the Dream Night. He's so freaking H-O-T!

nuevas cosas

Been doing some great things lately:

* Got a new set of pinoy friends here. I had lunch with someone I met through Pinoyexchange. Small world is the perfect description for it. He came from the same university I've gone to, and he's working with the HK headquarters of the MNC that I used to work with before I went here. After that, we had dinner with his pinoy friends. It was really a fun day/night.

* I am a sucker for treasure hunts. I went to this little bazaar at Victoria Park. For 10 dollars, you can eat all the little weird Chinese candies and drink all types of broth and tea for free. What's more (wait, I am sounding like an infomercial here), they have this little treasure hunt thing where you roam the entire park and look for the six stamp points so you can join a raffle for you to instantly win something. So we took the challenge. We lined up for almost half an hour for a jewelry stop with a big number 4 infront of it, deducing that it is the 4th stop. Needless to say it wasn't the fourth stop of the hunt and the booth simply gives out freebies. We got a small calendar. It took us more than one hour to finish the 6 stamps. What we got for free? I got a bottle of soda water which up to now I still cannot figure out how to open. I am luckier actually. My friend got a sachet of something. That something we have yet to figure out. It was all written in Chinese.

* Just finished reading "Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami. Now I am into "Sophie's World" by Jostein Gaarder.

* Watched Simon Birch. I cried, and I am crying until now. I have been listening to the soundtrack for one week straight.

* Watched Phenomenon. I cried again. But I loved the shaving and haircutting scene. Those are the types of love scenes that I prefer.

* Tried Nike Rockstar Hip Hop class. I am really a bad dancer. Still it was fun though.

* Tried Bodycombat class. I am worse at boxing. I am still going to attend Bodycombat classes if I have the time.

finally!

I have been trying to post pictures. But for the past few days, the menu bar would not appear, thereby preventing me from adding pictures.

Two weeks ago, I was able to come to the Victoria Harbor and take a photo session of the HK Island Buildings while doing the Symphony of Lights. Equipped with a tripod, I was able to take photos which I dare say are mine. Never been any prouder. Haha!

This is my favorite shot. It tells many stories. It contains many contradictions -- all in one frame - darkness and light, modernity and tradition, crowd and solitude, happy and lost, promising future and doom. Many thanks to the people who unknowingly participated in one of the my best stolen shots.

new things

So here are the things that happened to me lately:

1) I got into an accident while using the treadmill. It's a real case of stupidity. I was trying to read a magazine while running. Yes I know it's sort of foolish to do, but I felt like a superwoman that time -- enriching my mind while sculpting my body. The magazine slipped in my hand, so I had to reach for it. Dumb me, I did not stop the machine so I got thrown on the floor. So I was right on the floor, with all the pretentious socialites in the gym laughing at and/or feeling sorry for me. But I had to get back there to restore my dignity. Dumb me again, I returned without realizing that the platform is still rolling, so I got thrown AGAIN when I came back. Somebody yelled "You have to press STOP!", I yelled back "I know!" But it was too late, all the dignity I got left simply vanished. Finally an instructor came to the rescue and asked if I was ok, I had to say "Yes, no worries. I'll just run again.". In my attempt to regain my dignity, I ran for another 20 minutes while still reading (I never learned my lesson), with my entire body aching and some bruises bleeding. When I came back to change clothes, I really felt loser so I called my bestfriend. Even she is laughing at my accident. I got bruises all over my body now. It's been more than a week but the wounds are still fresh. Damn.

2) I got into a Jazzdance class last night. Imagine having to rehearse for an hour just to finish a 30 second choreo. It was really fun. Nevermind the bruises, I'd feel more of a loser if I just rot myself in my room, looking back at all the stupidities I made in my life.

3) I made a Friendster testimonial for my childhood bestfriend. I am not really a testi freak, but I felt like doing it. She made me a testimonial, and I was tearjerky upon reading what she had to say. I realized that I am a good person afterall, modesty aside. haha!

4) I spent another night of photo session of Hong Kong, this time taking it from the other side of Victoria Harbor. Also my first to time to finally use a tripod. Feeling pro! haha!

5) Forgiving my ex who cheated on me. This time I really intend to do it wholeheartedly. Hate is a self poison that I had been overdosing myself with. Time to move on. Besides, I have more important things to deal with aside from dwelling in the past -- like finding my ikigai.

So there. I'll post photos soon.

november 20

it's my mom's birthday. i greeted her when i went home after work. we talked for 35 mins, simply fighting about her application for passport. the conversation gave me a headache.

anyway, i was reading a back issue of National Geographic. it's about the secrets of living longer. they featured three communities that are holding the record for life longevity -- sardinians in italy, okinawans in japan, and seventh day adventists in california. these three communities have three things in common as far as i can remember: healthy lifestyle, family first, and social involvement.

this changed my perspective in life. there's so much to love about living despite all the war and poverty around us. so i'll try to take care of my body and sanity.

vocabulary 101:

ikigai - Okinawans' term for "that something that makes your life worth living"

moai - Okinawans' term for their inner social circle where they depend on each other emotionally and financially

I need a moai!

Also, what's my ikigai? I have yet to find out.

But for now, I'll try to enjoy life.

What I am eating these days?

Instead of potato chips, I snack on Kellogg's Corn Flakes at any time of the day.

My main meal is Maxim's Baked Lasagna.

Dessert is Mini, Chinese Yakult!

Yum Yum!

What could this be?

Come on, three guesses.

Too easy.

Due to my addiction to Maxim's Lasagna, I was able to collect Hello Kitty amulets (well they call it as such) from 7-11. Of all characters, why does it have to be Hello Kitty? Let's just say I was never a Hello Kitty fan. Now that theme song from the Hello Kitty song that my sister used to watch on Sunday mornings rings in my head...

Hello Hello Kitty

Hello Hello Kitty

Aaarggh! But I have to admit, they're not that bad. I want to collect the other 24 designs. I am such a hypocrite. Haha!

So what's my favorite cartoons?

Heads down to Lilo and Stitch.

My real love story revolved around the movie, so that makes it a plus.



For weeks now, I am trying to relive the story inside my head. Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten. Tear tear.

Musta ka na Lilo ko? Waha!

One of my attempts on macro photography

my nov 19 adventure

The New Star Ferry Terminal. For only 1.70HKD (lower deck), you can experience one of HK's trademarks.









And yes, we also have those little pigeons flocking the city's plaza. It just doesn't look too dramatic since there are people everywhere. What can you expect? You're in China, for Christ's sake.



















I hate Christmas, due to personal reasons, but this overly decorated mall really caught my attention.








So here's the thing, I was going to the HK Cultural Center to attend the "Open House" celebration. HKCC is a venue for grand concerts and other cultural presentations. This time it's free so I took the opportunity. They invited clubs and organizations to perform local and international presentations.





Clown on stilts. I still wonder how they manage to walk in towering planks with the faith that no psycho would ever shake their feet extensions thereby causing their death.



I believe it is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.















Grannies doing a Cambodian dance.















Teens ballroom dancing












Kids being the clowns for the day




















Bringing real smile to the clowns















One of the girls belonging to a dance organization ingenuously dancing with wooden boxes.



















These girls can really dance!
















Dancers having a good time. This is my favorite shot for the day.








So after the "Open House" event, I am off wandering and taking night shots of Hong Kong.









The Peninsula Hotel at night


















I also went to the exhibition entitled "Body Moves", an interactive presentation wherein peoples' images are flashed by the use of projectors while spectators can see their enlarged shadows.















Would my night photo session of HK be complete without taking it from Victoria Harbor?








And this picture caps my November 19, 2006 adventure.

This reflects my life here in HK, fast yet manageable...so far.

my first attempt

I have signed up a to a lot of blog websites already. But somehow, I still could not manage to write one sensible thing to even start!

I was thinking of doing a scrapbook to chronicle my adventures and misadventures. I even collect magazine scrap to embellish the memoir I have been planning.

But I realized that it would be selfish to do so since I will not be able to share it to others for the reason that I live alone in a foreign land. No one will be encouraged to care about my life since no one can see my revered and imagined scrapbook.

So I hope I can maintain this site, and share to other what I have been up to.