tung ping chau

here are some photos of tung ping chau marine park. my favourite place in hk, well next to the library.

with all the shells, clear water and water ripples. woot! woot!

run downs

hey... apart from feeling sorry for myself for being stuck in this job, i've also been doing some stuff.

snorkeling
i've been so inspired with my coron experience that i bought my own snorkel gear, shoes, life vest. we went to sai kung, shek o, and ultimately, tung ping chau. the last was really a blast! i never thought hk could have such a beautiful place! the water is really clean, fine white sand, and the site underneath! wow! well it's a marine park to begin, so you can expect a very location. imagine, they only allow the public to go there on weekends, and there's only one schedule of departure. so the visitors are really controlled. my first time to see water ripples! wohow! it's a pain going there - you have to endure 1.5hrs and if you're so unlucky, you need to endure noisy chinese people. you'd be surprised how noisy chinese MEN could get.

camping
well i've been feeling really outdoorsy, so i took it to another level. how about camping?! emmy left her tent for the time being so i only had to buy sleeping mat, sleeping bag, camping lights, and camping bag. we went to pui o. i didn't enjoy it that much. maybe because the site wasn't too cool, or maybe because i was too tired to appreciate the sea. we arrived at the site at 2am then left at 7am. we just literally slept there. darg... next time ill devote more time.

35th anniversary banquet
our company celebrated its 35th anniversary. it's more of a business strategy more than anything - at the expense of the staff! darn it, we were having meetings left and right for four straight days! the anniversary night was really a bleh! it would have been more lively if they agreed to the original plan of hiring a filipino live band. instead they hired a filipino jazz band. i felt like we were only seated at the lobby of the hotel! their reason for not getting a live band? they were assuming that some people may not want to dance - specifically the chinese. but what about the other half of the guests? durg!

new phone and subscription
yep, i got a new phone. nokia 6120. for 1/3 of the price when i applied for subscription. voice calls in hk are really cheap but you'd feel like a prisoner once your prepaid card runs out. nobody could contact you once you run out of credit. this phone is cool in such a way that it's pink! haha! and yeah, it's got cool features too!

wireless
i applied for my own wireless connection. it's about time that i stop stealing wifi from my building-mate. now i can watch tv shows and check mail regularly.

gossip girl
im addicted to this show! i marathoned season 1 for three days! waaahhh! i love ch-air!

break up
fake break up with b. i could still manage.

bought a portrait lens
only to find out that it's not compatible with my camera. fuck. now im contemplating on upgrading my camera. but where can i get the money?

ppc-hk boat trip

this post is more than a month overdue. last aug 6th i went to the boat trip organized by the ppc-hk. it's a whole day of food, sea travel, and of course shutter clicking. this is indeed taking it to another level. we managed to hire models, rent a luxurious boat, and have fun at the same time!





a beautiful little lighthouse along the way


rocky mountains


photographers goofing around




our very beautiful model, margarette. make up artist: lejannie

my new housemate

i've got a new permanent housemate. she's actually nice. she's from mainland china, but she works in our hk office. she's almost the same age as my mother and she's very domesticated. she likes curtains, cleaning, cooking -- plus all other stuff that, let's say, are not my strongest points.

the real story is that i was asking for my boss' permission to give me my full salary and then i'd live on a cheaper flat. they thought it's not going to be a good move because they wouldn't have control over me. i said it's more of the money i save. i don't need a two bedroom apartment when i just cuddle up in my room most of the time. they gave me a couple of grand increase just so i can stay in my flat. i said yes immediately.

i didn't think there was a catch. they reasoned out that i looked very lonely so they are going to make one of my colleagues to become my housemate. darn. i loved the independence and the disorganization of my place. now somebody's asking me to clean my living room, or wash the dishes. arrggghhhh..

im really getting fed up.

unmotivated me

i must have applied to hundreds of other companies everywhere in the world. some did bother to acknowledge receipt, but most of the time they send rejection letters a few days later. haaay.... i really want to get out of this company. they are really exhausting the staff down to their last breath. two weeks back was really hectic. we celebrated the 35th anniversary of our company at the marriott hotel. the event was on a sunday but guests started arriving on friday. so it was nothing but four nights (monday included) of non-stop breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings. we were tasked to mingle with clients whom we have zero interest at all. it was so hard to sound interesting when you know you're very ordinary to begin with.

last monday was the mooncake festival, a national holiday in hk. unfortunately, we got a customer coming over. see how shitty it gets? you've been robbed off your whole weekend and just when you thought you have 2 and a half day rest, they're still taking it from you - uncompensated!

boss: so the meeting is at 10:30 on monday. but you need to meet the agent at 9am so you can do the preparations
me: can we not work on saturday? monday is a holiday and it's just fair that we get that written off somehow.
(silence - she must have been slapping me in her mind)
boss: no! im so surprised that you even had to ask that. you know that no matter the day, when there's a client we have to be there. and you still need to go to the office during work hours
me: but monday is a holiday! you're robbing us another holiday.
boss: it's not my fault.
me: but can we at least have another extra annual leave?
boss: no.

shitty, eh?

lord, im really in dire need of a new company. please please let me get an interview with any of the companies i've applied for.

im losing my sanity here.

rusia.. una vez mas...

this is my first official business trip for this year. matumal talaga byahe ngayon. cost cutting daw e. hehe...

anyway, it's been confirmed that i am going to moscow. it's been also confirmed that i will go there alone. it's a dread this time because the organizers are russians, compared to last year where everything was just convenient because it's been organized by the hong kong trade council. shet, good luck to me. i hope i don't get lost. i hope i don't get killed. i hope i meet a russian cutie. hehe..

here goes my visa:


im not too excited about this. we're going to the same venue so i'd be seeing kremlin again. there isn't a travel package to go sightseeing. im going to a place where even the hotel receptionists don't speak english. im going to be alone for one week. hayhay.. hirap maghanap buhay...

syeeettt!!!

waaahhh!!
di ako nakapanood ng eheads reunion concert! pinapanood ko ung videos sa youtube. sana andun ako! kahit one set lang, im sure it's a blast.

snorkel addict

snorkeling would have to be the best therapy. photography is another good one but snorkeling would give you that present time adrenaline rush. you may not take the site with you but this is not like photography which sometimes deprives you of a moment because you need to cover an event. i mean how many parties have you actually missed mentally because you were too busy taking photos? snorkeling is different. you enjoy the moment right then and there.

a bunch of other good reasons why i like snorkeling:

- it's really cheap. all you need is a good snorkel mask and hose plus a life vest if you don't know how to swim. this can last you for a long time! it's like my course in UP. all you need is a very good dictionary and you're set to face the world.

- it gives you peace of mind. all you need to concentrate on is your breathing. you won't think of your failed relationships, house bills, neighbors' pets. you only focus on inhaling and exhaling that you'll feel closer to your own body.

- good sunburn area. since you're facing down the water, only your back side is exposed under the sun. you're still pretty flawless when you go back to your office the next day.

- it reduces panic attack. with the help of a life vest, you can be assured of dealing with monday morning sickness even if you don't know how to swim. compared to scuba diving, you don't have to worry about losing oxygen and struggling to swim back to the shore.

we've been heading to different hk beaches for four weeks now. woohoo! i never loved hong kong until this month! it just keeps getting better once we get to one beach after another. yesterday's was really awesome. i'll post photos next time. im still struggling with a sunburn on my butt.