Not going to law school (Yet)
Choosing to work for *******
Staying single
Living in the moment
Taking up Muay Thai
Making the complete switch to Ubuntu (No more Windows, which was disheartening at first)
Moving in with my friend
Going on crazy adventures
Bungy jumping (I want more of it!)
Deferred taking up a Master’s in International Business in Hult – Boston
The first thing I noticed about Palawan upon arriving in Puerto Princess City is the garbage free streets. No candy wrappers, no bubblegum on the floors or random plastics or any kind of garbage anywhere. It was CLEAN. The penalties for littering really encouraged people to throw their trash properly (1st and 2nd offences are fined while the 3rd, violators get fined plus mandatory jail time – 30 days to be exact.)
I love everything about Palawan – the lush rain forests, pristine waters, fresh air, friendly locals, the local cuisine (which is FANTASTIC) and the underground river, truly a wonder!
Snorkeling, swimming, sightseeing…
Eating, exploring, enjoying…
Best family vacation (so far)!
I will definitely go back to Palawan.
So many things to do, so many things to see, never stop exploring Palawan.
At Starfish Island
Before the Underground River tour
My friend, Grace and I went on a Macau – HK trip last April 11-15. The whole trip was fun and stress-free. Transportation was accessible and easy. Although there were minor mishaps such as getting on the wrong bus, my bag’s padlock combination accidentally changed or we couldn’t find our hotel (and there’s the language barrier) but these were easily solved and we were on a lucky streak the whole trip.
MACAU
What to see and do in Macau (other than gambling in casinos).
Swim in Cheoc-Van Beach
Eat egg tarts at the first Lord Stow’s Bakery in Coloane (and at Lord Stow’s Garden Cafe)
Go to the Historical Center of Macau
Climb up the stairs of the Ruins of St. Paul
Climb up (again) to see Fortaleza do Monte and Museu de Macau
Smell the flowers at Flora de Jardin
Walk a-“round” Senado “Square” haha!
Go inside Lou Kau’s Mansion
Experience East meets West at the Fisherman’s Wharf
Catch a glimpse of the mermaid in the Vquarium (Virtual Aquarium) at City of Dreams
Hop on a Gondola at The Venetian
Get some luck with the Wishing Crystals and Fortune Diamond at Galaxy
and when you’re done with all that…
Take a ferry to Hong Kong! (via Cotaijet or Turbojet)
As I’ve said, we had a difficult time locating our hotel because got so confused by the numerous bus routes that we even reached the barrier gate to China!
Although the next day, we learned that our hotel was just one bus ride away from the airport. In fact, the first bus ride we took to Vila de Coloane was right!
Once we got a hang of the bus routes, travelling in Macau was a breeze. It’s easy to find a bus stop and there are loads of hotel shuttles you can hop on for free.
Our first 2 nights were spent in Hotel Pousada de Coloane at Praia de Cheoc-Van Beach, Coloane, Macau.
Cozy, comfortable and peaceful – words that best describe the hotel. It was away from all the noise and hustle. Plus, it was located right in front of the beach.
Swimming in Cheoc-Van Beach definitely gets your blood pumping since the water is FREEZING cold!
No Macau trip would be complete without visiting the first Lord Stow’s Bakery at Coloane Town Square and having some egg tarts. Lucky for us, it was only one bus stop away from our hotel (walking distance even). And then we had lunch at the Lord Stow’s Garden Cafe which was just a few steps away from the bakery.
After lunch we went around Macau, with only our map as guides as to where and which places should we see and do such as:
Walking around the Historical Center of Macau
Climbing up the stair of the Ruin’s of St. Paul
Ruin’s of St. Paul
Going up to see Fortaleza do Monte and Museu de Macau
then munching on some seafood and meatballs dipped in curry sauce after photo-ops
And at night we visited places that Macau is most famous for: Casinos (and hotels).
The Venetian, Macau
City of Dreams
etc… and etc…
For dinner, I tried this pork chop in noodle soup at Venetian’s food court. I’ve noticed pork chop seemed to be very famous in Macau because I’ve seen a lot of restaurants selling pork chop buns or pork chop this, pork chop that. Definitely the pork chop was good since it was soft but didn’t have any flavor which complimented the light but slightly spicy soup.
The next day started out no different – breakfast and then hopping on a bus because… we were off to our hotel in Macau.
and then off we go to see more of Macau.
A quick stop at Prace de Amizade
I love jeepneys, buses or trains no matter how smelly, crowded, filthy or run down they may be.
What’s my favorite public utility vehicle? The jeepney of course!
Oh the Philippine Jeepney or the “Dyipni”, painted with colorful, personal or miscellaneous artwork and blasting out of its speakers is loud and obnoxious music noise as it carelessly race through the streets of Manila suddenly stopping at any moment, at any corner for passengers, it’s quite a sight.
Climbing in a jeep, squeezing your arse in the small space between complete strangers and trusting them with your fare as they pass it to the jeepney driver – it’s an experience that completely obliterates your personal space.
Then there is the danger of getting in a vehicular accident, getting robbed by someone cutting through your pants for your mobile phone (unsuccessful attempt) and high probability of getting gum on your pants and sitting next to someone sweaty, smelly and maybe insane.
Exhibit A.
My everyday jeepney to school is Cubao-Divisoria. I’ve ridden jeepneys hundreds of times and I’ve been riding on this route for a year now. After our last graduation practice, I hopped on a jeepney home. The man beside me used a really sharp blade to cut through my pocket (which also cut through my phone’s casing, yes it’s that sharp) without me even feeling a thing. He was quick and quiet. Luckily, I noticed and was able to get my phone and got home safely. Although I walked home with a big hole on my jeans. Hahaha.
So what’s there to love?
Well…
It’s easy to find a jeep to ride on in Manila. The fare is cheap and the ride is entertaining.
Well there is also the interesting stories from interesting people. The weird stories told by weird people. Basically, it’s the people you ride with that makes getting on the jeepney worth while. Hehehe
Maybe for most Filipinos, jeepney’s are more of a bane. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit that there are times that going on a jeepney during a hot summer day or rainy day makes me cringe and want to take a taxi even though I’m going somewhere near.
But despite it’s downsides, hop on a jeepney. More often than not, you’ll go down with a story to tell. 🙂
I often go to Tomas Morato to eat. With several restaurants just next to each other, it is not hard to find a great one.
I finally decided to try this Japanese burger restaurant, Sango. I sat down in one of the booths with a collection of Naruto and One Piece manga.
I asked the waitress if it was okay to read them and of course she said yes.
I took one out and scanned a few pages only to find out that it is in Japanese.
I don’t know if she was trolling me or she thought I knew how to read Japanese or what.
Anyway, their menu consisted mostly of burgers and sandwiches and probably a few rice meals. You can choose from sumo sized burgers, regular burgers and even rice burgers. Soooooooo.. I ordered the Beef Yakiniku Rice Burger and chose a Japanese salad on the side instead of fries (yes you can choose to have fries or a salad as a side)
This reminded me of the rice burger offered by McDonald’s in the past and this other rice burger at Mercato but THIS rice burger was different. Why?
I carefully picked it up, opened the cover and in an instant the delicious beefy aroma escaped the crisp white wrapper. The smell was heavenly.
That first bite, with the beef and sticky rice swirling in my mouth was delightful.
With just sticky rice, a leaf of lettuce, japanese mayonnaise and the tastiest beef yakiniku slices I have ever tasted – that single burger ousted any other rice burger I have ever tasted.
If you get a chance to pass by Tomas Morato, don’t hesitate to try Sango’s burgers. http://www.sango.com.ph/
I’ll try a sumo burger next time 🙂
I was back reading all of my blog entries to check grammar or spelling mistakes. I was horrified to see my errors – how could I over look such errors? I edited a few simple errors but decided to keep some mistakes.
Why? Because:
– I want to keep the imperfect, raw and unedited feel of my entries.
– I feel it is unnecessary to edit or proof read everything.
– It is a simple way to see the progress of my writing skills.
Side note:
When I was in high school, I frequently wrote good (if not great) poems, stories and simple journal entries just for fun. After reading all of my posts, I came to the conclusion that my writing was better in high school. Hopefully, I can find the time to write some more to regain good writing skills.
Keeping my fingers crossed.
Keep a hold of your dreams no matter how ridiculous and far-fetched it maybe.
It keeps you young, optimistic and enthusiastic.
But don’t keep your head in the clouds for too long.
You wouldn’t want to crash down to reality faster than the speed of light.
Keep dreaming… But know when and how you’ll go back down and face reality.
UP LAE General Information:
Which is not a cocktail?
a. Mai Tai
b. Orgasm
c. Grenadine
d. Long Island Ice Tea
Me: C. I know my alcohol.
Which is not a dessert?
a. Tiramisu
b. Pinot Noir
c. Creme Brulee
d. Black Forest.
Me: B. Please… I know my alcohol. I know my desserts.
2 questions, OWNED. HAHAHA
Sometimes, THOUGHTS are so hard to organize.
Now that our midterms are over, I finally have time to re-organize my thoughts.
My brain feels like a messy attic filled with ideas, thoughts, plans, random moments and memories – it is so hard to pull out a single idea and focus.
Pure chaos.
I have a lot of cleaning up to do.
If only our brain had a disk cleanup installed, a large storage capacity and an external hard drive so we can organize, delete, hide or save ideas or memories we would like to ponder, forget or cherish and access someday…
After a stressful yet satisfying week, I felt I deserved a celebratory steak for the favorable response I received from Hult.
I had a restaurant in mind – Steak Plus at Timog. (http://food.clickthecity.com/b/MN1cb62)
I tried this restaurant before with my cousin, Ishi, and I liked their steak. So I was really hankering for one.
To my dismay, when I got there mid-afternoon, it was still closed.
I was bummed out but I was too hungry to find a different restaurant, so I just went to the café next to it which was Metro Blend Coffee (http://food.clickthecity.com/b/Wo1c605)
To my surprise, the waiter handed me the menu of Steak Plus. Turns out, Steak Plus and Metro Blend Coffee share one kitchen.
However, after browsing the menu, I decided to order a burger but did not know what to get.
As usual, I asked one of the waiters which burger was good. He answered confidently “lahat” (everything).
So I ordered the “Steak Plus Burger” (if I remember correctly)
Toasted bun with sesame seeds
bacon
fried egg
a slice of cheese
mayonnaise
flavorful and juicy patty
onion ring
crunchy lettuce
bottom bun
And it was DELICIOUS.
I am a bit particular with mayonnaise but theirs was just right.
I took my time, savoring every bite. It was a great calorie-filled burger. Hahaha
Definitely a good buy for only P195. 🙂
It shall be forever known to me as my memorable Celebratory Burger.
eatscapades 