Sleep all...sleep all day!!!

Finally, I'm back! It had been a great, great week just relaxing and visiting new places in Macau, Hong Kong, and in China’s Guangdong business district Zhuhai. Below just recounts how I spent those fun-filled 7 days. There are just so many stories to tell, so I think it would be better to write about our vacation in two or three installments. Here goes the first...

After dinner at this small Cantonese restaurant near their apartment, we were finally home. I was so happy to see my nephew Malcolm for the first time since they came to Manila in May of 2005. He was so big and anyone could have easily mistaken him for some 3-year old toddler. But in fact, he’s just a year and ten months-old, but with a physique and vigor of a 3-year old kid. He's so cute but he's sobrang kulit. Ehehehe! I bought him 7 educational videos with Maisy, Barney, and Elmo on these sets. I’m happy that he liked watching these because for the next several days, I could hear him singing and dancing along these multihued creatures. Ahehehe! =)

At 10, we called it a night. I was so sleepy after bearing several hours of travel and was thinking that I needed a good night’s rest to prepare myself for a tour the next day.

Friday, April 21st.Headed off early to visit places in Taipa. Since my brother lives quite near the Coloane, we decided to head for this area first. We stopped by the new Macau Stadium in Taipa, where the 2005 East Asian Games was opened middle of last year.

Overlooking the Macau Stadium, Race Track and that road going to Coloane from the house

Walking along the centuries-old Taipa Village

My sister and I both had a taste of genuine Cantonese cuisine at this quite posh restaurant at the Macau Sky Tower complex once more which was really, really tasty. Lunch was simply great when I wasn’t eating with those long, plastic Chinese chopsticks.Went home around 4pm to rest.

At dinner time, Kuya and Oi brought us to Pousada de Sao Tiago in Coloane to try some Portuguese cuisine at Os Gatos Lounge (Portuguese for “The Cats”). The restaurant offers a choice of scrumptious cuisines from Macau, Portugal, Provence, and Greece; and it’s located at one of Macau’s celebrated historical landmarks, the 1641 Fortaleza da Barra. To give a little background…

“Romantic and intriguing, Macau has retained the historic beauty of the Orient - a timeless quality searched for by travelers from both near and far. The Fortaleza da Barra was one of the fortresses built in the 17th century by the Portuguese to defend Macau against hostile European nations and local pirates. One hundred years later a chapel was built within its walls and dedicated to Saint James, the patron saint of the Portuguese garrison. Today, much of the fortress and the Chapel have been preserved as part of the Pousada de Sao Tiago.” – http://www.saotiago.com.mo/

This charming little restaurant amazingly employs quite a number of Filipinos as servers and musicians and the service is generally okay. Patrons are a mix of Chinese locals and Asian and European expats. People say that it serves authentic Portuguese dishes, which are a little salty for the Filipino palate. Further, I suppose I can only consume so much of those baked potatoes, which certainly are a Portuguese staple. And of course, we couldn’t miss the photo opportunity, which capped off day 2. =)

Friday was both fun and tiring. So we just went home straight right after dinner.

Saturday, April 22nd.

We were blessed of a sunny weather for a walking tour of the Macau center. It was a bit hotter than usual, but at least it didn’t rain that time. The initial plan was to go to Chinoy Express, a sort of Filipino-managed travel agency located at an old building near the Senado Square, to arrange our visa for our trip to China on Sunday afternoon. Processing was completed before 12.30, after which we started our tour of the Largo do Leal Senado (or the Loyal Senate Square).

It’s a grand spot for tourists to get a glimpse of the Old Europe. It is bordered by the Leal Senado Building, the Macau Business Tourism Center, and other restored Renaissance-inspired edifices transformed into historical museums and business centers.

Oi brought us right away to that place famous for homemade gelato. I don’t exactly remember the name of this alley, but if I may vaguely remember, it bisects the plaza fronting another antiquated baroque and Filipino-inspired church, Santo Domingo Church. Oi said the place is quite popular among locals so one can simply ask people to show directions to this ice cream parlor called Lemon Cello Gelato. All are homemade and one may find such “queer” flavors like Guava, Grapefruit, Kahlua, Yakult, Green Tea, and even Ginger! I tried guava and it tasted astonishingly like heaven! =) Kuya, Oi, and Angel settled for the safer flavors Tiramisu and Mango, and they said it was good, too.

We walked past the Largo do São Domingos, Rua de São Domingos, and Travessa do Soriano on our way to the Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is another Macanese heritage site.

The place was full-packed with tourists, majority of which according to Oi came from the Mainland. I could also see quite a number of other tourists who I guess hailed from Europe. It was just amazing to see different races converged in a single location. I think I heard nearly 7 different languages as we walked past the food and souvenir stalls and archaic structures.

Only the façade of the St. Paul’s Cathedral remain after it was devastated by fire in 1835. Still it serves as a great historical and cultural reminder to the people of Macau about the beginnings and ultimately the strong influence of Roman Catholicism in the peninsula.

At the basement of the cathedral, an inner sanctum once stood. Now it houses a museum that displays very old religious icons, paintings, and other articles. On the other side is the chapel-crypt where the relics of Jesuit martyrs and the religious from the previous centuries lay.

A thing that surprises me, though, is that most Chinese tourists actually throw money over the crypt. I’m not sure what it means, but I guess it has something to do with the Chinese people’s beliefs that doing so could bring them good fortune. Will somebody help me understand, please?Around 2pm, we had our lunch at a Japanese restaurant back at the Senado Square. After which, we stopped by the Leal Senado Building to take more pictures.

Sidenote: One embarassing encounter was that I lost my balance and fell over a flower bed as I tried to take pictures of my sister over at the fountain area. I didn't notice that slab of concrete that I stepped on. Hehe! I was lucky that only Angel, Kuya, and Oi saw my acrobatics. Yak!!! Kakahiya pa rin! hehe!!!

We ended our tour around 4pm and headed for the wet market to buy seafood and veggies for dinner. It was interesting to see how live fish was taken out of a water basin, then pounded and sliced right before your eyes. I suddenly realized the pain that these sea creatures go through just so we could have something scrumptious to share over dinner. But then, it was a momentary thought. Dinner was good and apparently, I didn't turn into a vegan. =)

To be continued...

Hey guys! Just a preview of what ive been doing these past few days of pleasure...hehehehe!up:gucci handbags

Guys, I’ll be on blogging gucci handbags and blog-hopping hiatus for about a week or so. We’ll visit my brother and his family in Macau and I’ll have limited or no access to the internet by then.

Too bad, I’ve had no time to look up online the must-see attractions, so I just let my brother plan for our itinerary in the coming days. My parents who went to my nephew's baptism in September of 2004 tell us that Taipa (where my brother first stayed) and the surrounding suburbs are laid-back which makes the place even more tourist-friendly. And since the city is small, one can drive around and see all the famed places in a day. Since my brother and sister-in-law both go to work, we will be on our own most of the time. I guess we're fortunate that neither traffic nor pollution are a major hassle once my sister and I decide to go on a walking tour around the town square.

I still don’t know if we’ll set for Hong Kong. Parents and friends suggest that we do, but I’ve yet to know if my brother could get complimentary seats on the turbojet. I keep my toes crossed that he could so I don’t have to shell out dollars which I’ve saved mainly for the best-buys in Macau. Ahehehe! =)

So there, I know it’s only for a week but I’m starting to miss friends. How I wish all my loved ones were with me on this escapade. Haay…Yun lang...hehe! =)

By the way, I’ll take this chance to greet everyone a HAPPY EASTER!!!

I went out with Anj and Rose for the traditional visita iglesia, a pilgrimage that essentially follows the path of Christ when He carried His cross from the streets of Jerusalem to Golgotha. Ideally, one would visit 14 churches to reflect on the 14 stations, but since it was our first time to do it in Manila, we settled for 5 churches.

We relived the Way of the Cross at the UST Chapel, Sta. Cruz Church, Binondo Church, Manila Cathedral, and San Agustin Church. I had a great time going on a walking tour around the Old Manila (though more circumspect of bad elements in crowded spaces) while seeing these historical pieces from the Old Hispanic times. These centuries-old churches have become silent witnesses to all changes in our society. I took pictures of the places we went to because we were amazed with the regal architecture and design. Here are some of those:

We caught sight of a reenactment of Christ’s washing of the disciples’ feet on the Last Supper Mass. This happens simultaneously in almost all Catholic parishes in the Philippines and has become one of the highlights of the Catholic Lenten celebration.

It was a well-spent Maundy Thursday. We reflected on the passion and sufferings of our Lord, which I believe is the very core of why we, as Christians, observe the Holy Week. In the past couple of years, I’d find myself very much on vacation mode – just freeing my mind while relaxing at the beach. But this year is different, and I’m glad I rediscovered the very meaning of the Holy Week through our visita iglesia.up:gucci handbags

At syempre, di 'to mawawala... =)

Happy Easter, in advance!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINTOIS!!! =)up:gucci bags

Grabe, I'm soooo BONDAT! Just had nearly 2-hour lunch at Dampa in Libis and I absolutely enjoyed it! I heard people rave about a different dining experience wherein you buy fresh sea "creatures" from the seafood market, and then have it cooked for you at the adjacent restaurant. None of us workmates are very good at haggling for "sugpo" or "maya-maya," but a 10-15 percent discount for every kilo is not that bad! Nga lang, they charge high for the cooking and it would normally cost as much as (if not more than) the price of the fresh seafood.

But it really was a big lunch for a group of 8. I especially liked the "sinigang na ulo ng maya-maya" (served in two big bowls for half a kilo!!!) and the baked tahong. We also had buttered shrimps and tempura for the main course and ripe mangoes for dessert. I think it was sulit since we only paid PHP200(with a can of dalandan soda na yun), all-in! I was so full after and I'm starting to feel guilty because it's the Holy Week when I'm supposed to be fasting and reflecting...Oh well, I'm only human, but I'll make up to Him in the coming days. Peace, God!!! =)up:gucci handbags

Though I've struggled this first quarter handling my last few international relo cases, testing our department's internal control measures, and crunching numbers for the next fiscal year's firm forecast, I'm very happy that the team has reaped a number of awards from our last town hall meeting.

Good job to the leadership and customer consulting teams for their contribution to even the raise the quality of service that SOs deliver. I guess the recognition is sweeter when we least expect it. In the end, all our hardwork and the sleepless nights, stress, and sometimes heartaches that go along, are all worth it. =)

I told friends that work has stressed me out during these first few months of taking on the Finance SPOC role, and these little tokens of appreciation matter big time to me. I remember when I was on the verge of quitting my job, I received this note from our client's global program executive congratulating me for ranking number 1 in Asia for expatriate settling-in services in the last quarterly assessment. Global and regional process owners, as well as other other bosses in the center were copied in her email, which made it, I guess, worth mentioning. I tried to be as modest and discreet to share the good news with my TL, but she was just too excited that she announced it to everyone. Well, I have received some awards over the years but I'm not used to telling the whole world about it. In high school, my parents once put out all those golds and silvers for display in the living room, but when I came home and found out, I took these out of the display counter and kept them in a box. So it's not that I crave for recognition for my job or something, it's just that when too much work takes energy and sanity away from me, I need some form of reaffirmation that there's some good value in my output. up:gucci bags

Just very recently, I've regained control of my work and I guess I'm getting better at proposing more measures to improve our processes and leading new projects within the team. Besides, for the past three weeks Ive been able to hit the gym more often and spend time doing things other than work.

I don't like to think that I am in the"eye of the storm" phase. Rather, I'm hopeful these are finally the better days that I imagined savoring few months back.

The weekend was a bolt from the blue for me. Amal, whom I haven’t seen for nearly a year, came over our place and I knew she had something important to discuss with me. I was right, so I called in other friends Rhea and Ken to come over as well. It was impossible to ask Tin and Arlo to join us because Tin is in China and Arlo lives quite far from our place. My friend had serious domestic issues to tell us, so even if we were upset for her letting us wait till 4 in the morning and her not making it to our supposed meeting/night-out in January, we listened very intently to her. up:gucci handbags

From amongst the 6 of us high school friends, I guess it is Amal who speaks so differently. Well, maybe because she’s become a mother at an early age of 20 and since then, doesn’t have much liberty to enjoy the seeming pleasures of her youth. I’ve grown close to her over the last ten years, but she’s the least I’ve spoken to and hung out with over the last decade. That doesn’t ever change the way I delight in our friendship, but I sometimes feel sad for knowing that in 90 percent of all occasions that I’ve had the chance to talk to her, she’s ostensibly problematic and is urgently needing everyone’s support.

The five of us surely have had “tampo” episodes with Amal, but she’s a friend and it’s even more heartbreaking should we turn her down. I just pray that sooner, she gets through all the challenges that she’s prematurely going through.

Having heard it all from Amal, we’ve thought again about the pains and pleasures of raising a family. I dunno, maybe it’s just a matter of perspective. At least for now, I have a different way of looking at things and it will surely change by the time I’ve reached that certain point.

It feels weird talking about mature issues as such. Dear Lord, I’m becoming manic-depressive!