if there is a couple of things that i learned from the recent past about relationships

do not go to bed angry

i swear if your partner sleeps on a fight, it's a big sign that he/she is not really in-love with you. sleep is to conclude that you are leaving the awake world for a few hours in a peaceful state. how can you close your eyes when you know there are unresolved issues with the only person you care about the most? it's just beyond logic that you just leave it like that and sleep peacefully. yes, granted that you're tired. but im sure 10 minutes of your time is nothing compared to the emotional pain that you're causing your partner. just be considerate and talk over it. then after 10 minutes it will be a whole evening of cuddling and tight hugs. a big reward, eh?



give your partner a right to be wrongfully condescending on something

so i had this ex-bf who made a big deal when i said "yaiks, point and shoot" when we were talking about cameras. he owns a point and shoot camera. yes, i know that's insensitive and uncalled for but before i could take it back, he blurted out: "you are such a bitch, as if you dslr owners are the only children of god.". i let it go on the first time and apologized, but he kept repeating the same line whenever he would see me holding my camera. which annoyed me to pieces.
come on, there's this one thing that we know we are very good in doing. some paint, some dance, some sing, some eat fire and glass crystals. and i, for one, know that i have quite a good eye in photography. it's not professional level, but if you were to ask me now on my 'talent' i would say it is photography. but this ex-bf is such a loser that he could not let it go. it undermines the fact that it's so important to me and he could not even support me just because of a short bruising of his ego. so puh-lease, give your partner a pass on something to be arrogant and just full of him/herself. for everything else you can remind him/her to keep grounded. just dont touch that one thing that they think defines them as an individual. doing so destroys them to pieces, i swear. it's a double slap: non-supporting partner, and stepping on his/her dream. that's just not love.

photo of the day: 10

shanghai skyline. we had a stopover here before going back to HK after our EU trip. in fairness, these rows of buildings make quite a marvelous view. i like them better than HK's . at least shanghai's are more nicely located. HK buildings are too close to each other.

photo of the day: 9

ladies and gentlemen... pls bow your heads to the best noodle soup base in the world. tantananan (cheap ng sound production ko. hahaha)... CHAO LONG! it's a beefstock soup with rice noodles, and they give you togue, kalamansi and mint leaves so you control the taste. i swear the mixture of calamansi and mint, and that insanely rich beef soup is a concoction only thought by the gods. they also come in pork flavor. and as extra you can order medium size french bread with garlic spread (and this french bread is also very good, it's not too hard, but hard enough for you to feel its toastiness (yes, i just invented that word). chao long and french bread --- what a match made in heaven!

have i said i love vietnamese food? im sorry i may be patriotic and all, but pinoy food has never been my top choice if i were to be stranded in one country and im cursed to eat their food for the rest of my life. i would choose vietnamese without a single blink. it's their pho's, spring rolls, fried rice, vegetables, beef cubes, prawn chips, crabs, etc... that make me treat myself to a vietnamese restaurant quite often with or without company.

before going to puerto prinsesa i have visited some blogs and i stumbled into a blog of a backpacker and he highly recommended chao long. i told the tryke driver to take me to the best chao long place in town, and just as it may, he brought us to bona's chao long. he said the reverred mayor of PP is seen eating there. and true enough, there were so many people eating when we got there, and that's like 5pm! you know, it's that hour when servers are supposed to rest. it's after merienda, but too early for dinner. but behold, we were like the 10th person in line, and it took us half hour to wait for them to serve our food. and yes, the worth was definitely worth it. i think i've already established that on my first sentence. hahahaha!

photo of the day: 7 - 8

there's this dish in puerto prinsesa that you just have to eat. your trip will not be certified with a touch of palawan if you hadn't eaten it. it's the TAMILOK or woodworm.

it's not terrible even though it's perceived to be exotic. it's just like eating oyster, only longer. i swear it's not even bad tasting. i had a few bites or so. it's about 150/dish and could be shared with beer. perfect with vinegar and perhaps a bit of alcohol. they can also deep fry it. we ordered the 'classic' which seemed to be boiled lightly with a little dash of vinegar.

photo of the day: 5 - 6

sorry i missed last night! anyway today is my dad's bday, and since he's the only man i love all through my life who never failed to care and love me back ever so endlessly, he deserves two pictures... with me! hahaha.. i've said it here many times, im a papa's girl! happy birthday papa!

photo of the day: 4

so i dove! you know the picture does not justify the height between the platform and the sea. i swear it was friggin high! only 3 people from our group had the nerve to jump (we were with 3 cute greek guys). though i was the only one with life vest, so it's not really THAT brave! hahaha! i was bloody struggling. for a moment i thought my lifevest would fail me because i was dipped underwater for a few seconds before i was naturally pulled up. but still... good times!

i'll give you the photo since this is photo of the day afterall... of my father jumping. hahaha!

photo of the day: 1-3

here we go again...

let's see how long i can keep this. hahaha! but seriously i think i need this to practice writing again.

well i need to start with three photos. i believe i have chosen the most appropriate photos. fireworks! i took this while at the rooftop of my sister's workplace, next to gigantic satellite receivers and signal towers. how cool is that? i got flu next day though. :(

this would be the first time since my beijing trip almost 5 years ago that i see fireworks on residents' backyards. you see im a visual person, so i like rainbows, colorful stuff, fireworks. i think they're works of magic to amaze us all. it's a bit too late, but i wish you a happy new year! cheers to the blessings of 2011, and more cheers to more blessings of 2012!