zhuhai - yuanmingyuan

back to china!

never really got out of china, eh?! been traveling for a while but i never really went out of china. what the heck?! china is such a huge place that you can actually spend a life time (well not really that long) exploring it.

so zhuhai naman! it's just a 10 minute bus ride from macau. it's that close!

annie took me to yuanmingyuan, yes the same name as in beijing's (aka old summer palace).



and boy, kaya pala parehong name kase replica! zhuhai's yuanmingyuan is like the mini version of beijing's old and new summer palace plus the forbidden palace. as in ganun na ganun! i was ranting at annie because we should have just gone to zhuhai instead of beijing. hehe. syempre joke lang un. i love both.

perspective shots supposedly


i am sorry, but this school of fish really gave me the goosebumps. i don't know why. maybe they're humongous and colorful and something...

macau - religiosity

being part of the return to the filipino community, i joined the entire salvador and enerlan clan on their religious activities for the lenten season. for those who know me, you'd be surprised to know this since i grew up in a family where religiosity is NEVER encouraged. we treat lenten season as a time to bond with the family, i.e., magtong-its hanggang umaga.

don bosco church on a maundy thursday


san antonio church on a good friday


AT ETO PA, eto ultimate:

i went to the via crucis event! do you know what that is? you walk for almost one hour and you pray the rosary. your ultimate destination will be the stations of the cross. there are 14 stops that show papa jesus' sacrifice. you pray and there will be some reflection portion. and dig this: i read twice! saan ka pa? novice pero nagtake two pa. ;)

this is such a first time for me so i took photos of the stations where i got to lead:



sadly, i overslept on the next two mornings. so no church on black saturday and easter sunday. as in lunch time na talaga ako tumayo. boohoo for me.

macau - st paul's ruins

st paul's ruins has been the heart of macau tourism before the establishment of casinos and macau tower. why not, it was once the center of catholicism in east asia and it has stood a lot of natural and man made disasters.

with beautifully maintained landscape


with a bronze statue on one of the benches

macau - second time around

after my disappointing skywalk adventure at the macau tower three months ago, i decided to give macau a chance.

macau tower up close during the day



these are some of the european style buildings that you can find at the largo do senado:

macau tourism office


santa casa de misericordia - built in 1568, this is the oldest european charity in china




haha! whatever! i just did not have enough money to go to taiwan, so i have no choice but to hibernate in annie's abode. and it was such a fun experience. it's really like i am in pinas! all the pinoy food round the clock! grabe, kahit latang-lata na ung gulay ng munggo sa ilang beses na paulit ulit pinapainit, pinapatulan ko pa din! and don't forget the pinaksiw na tulingan! pati carioca! tsaka palitaw!


at andami daming tao! di nauubusan ng bisita! di ka mauubusan ng kausap!

hmmm... i miss home...

"the visit"

my bestfriend visited me here for two nights. i really missed her. i may pretend to be strong and not care about whom i left back home, but deep inside i know that i am willing to endure additional torture days from work if i can be given a few days to be with them.



since this is my blog and i am supposed to pour my heart out, i will try to be more personal in my entries. sure i derive a lot of satisfaction from posting my prized photos, but it will be nicer to share my sentiments about my inner and outer struggles.

so she asked about my life here. i didn't cry but i felt overpowered by too much negative feeling. it's like putting all your defences down. eversince i graduated from UP, i lived in a world where i am always the youngest. i always needed to fit in to the adult world. i don't have an excuse to act silly, to be ignorant, to be confused. and it wears me out every day. im a little girl with so much life yet too much responsibilty that i can barely become the bubbly blsm that i always am.

i am the sole breadwinner of my family now. i am obliged to give them monthly allowance enough to sustain their lifestyle. i do not have a problem doing it but there are times when i think of my own plans. i want to study abroad. i want to be unemployed for two months and just meditate in an isolated abode then read all the books i wanted to read and write an encyclopedia thick journal. i want to drain my savings and spend on a cruise vacation or europe backpacking. i want to join a UN event without expecting a compensation. i want to join a camp that lasts for weeks. i want to joy ride the visayan islands during the entire summer season. i want to be a full time swimming, flute, judo and tennis student.

but all of these are close to impossible since i have to work so my loved ones can continue getting by. a lot of people depend on me now, and im prohibited to think selfishly. accepting everything is not an easy task. i don't think i have gone to the point where i realized the sense of it all. but even if i don't understand the how's and why's of what is happening, there's not much choice, is there?



ON A LIGHTER NOTE...

i asked my bestfriend to buy me a dozen condoms. a condom can only cost you five pesos in the philippines, while it costs 20 dollars in hk. ridiculous right?! it's like they really celebrate procreation in hong kong.

anyway, like i can use them anytime soon! haha! if i don't overwork, i just rot myself in public libraries or in the gym. no time to snag a guy at all! i think they'd be expired before i can get a fubu. i couldn't get more honest and blatant than this!. please note that i this is the "other" me, the uncontrolablly horny and uncivilized me writing this entry. i'll be more sober next time. i am absolutely booze free. it must be all the food that the salvador family has been sharing with me.

i told her how i "flirt" with my guys. and she was utterly disappointed. she was like: blsm, you're supposed to be intelligent and signals like those from guys do not need a genius to be reciprocated. what can i do? i was never really acquainted to the art of flirting. will i still be a 23 year old unattached virgin if i can easily get a guy? sablay forever!

i can see myself adopting an innocent toddler when i turn 30. then my adopted kid becomes a rebel and leaves me for drugs during her teenage years and i am left alone to fend for myself until i turn 80.

life, oh life.

hong kong - pok fu lam reservoir

Last Sunday, we hiked Pok Fu Lam Reservoir.


This was the view when we started the hike.




This was my first time to go hiking in Hong Kong with Pinoy friends.



You don't really notice the difficulty of the track since you have somebody to talk to.


Fatigue is somehow diverted when you tell senseless stories to friends.


The trail is the least difficult among the HK hikes that I've had. It only took us a little more than two hours, to think that we got lost for a few kilometers. But overall, it is still a nice experience.


A turtle spotted in the reservoir. It is joined by other types of fish. Think of it this way: whatever comes out of my faucet is surely mixed with turtle wastes. That's why the water is a bit colored at times. Waaaahhh!!!

the week that was

What I did last week?

1. Watched "The Pursuit of Happyness". I did not cry, but I felt more ready to accept life's blows. If Chris Gardner can do it, so can I.

2. Dinner with my direct manager, as in my previous post.

3. Dinner with my bosses, and two Canadian customers at one of Lei Yue Mun's seafood restaurants.

4. Mixer with UP Alumni Association - Hong Kong. I haven't been out with too much UP graduates all my life. Ang kulit! Ang saya!

5. Finished Murakami's "Wind Up Bird Chronicle". It has to be my least favorite among his works. Too thick yet very vague.

6. After 8 months, I was able to watch Maalaala Mo Kaya and Little Big Superstar. The best pa rin talaga ang MMK.

7. Finished Mitch Albom's "For One More Day" in one night. I almost cried. I miss my family.

8. Hiked Pok Fu Lam Reservoir. This time I was with 5 pinoy friends. I'll post pictures shortly.