separated

If love was a bird
Then we wouldn't have wings
If love was a sky
We'd be blue
If love was a choir
You and I could never sing
Cause love isn't for me and you

If love was an Oscar
You and I could never win
Cause we can never act out our parts
If love is the Bible
Then we are lost in sin
Because its not in our hearts

So why don't you go your way
And I'll go mine
Live your life, and I'll live mine
Baby you'll do well, and I'll be fine
Cause we're better off, separated

If love was a fire
Then we have lost the spark
Love never felt so cold
If love was a light
Then we're lost in the dark
Left with no one to hold

If love was a sport
We're not on the same team
You and I are destined to lose
If love was an ocean
Then we are just a stream
Cause love isn't for me and you

So why don't you go your way
And I'll go mine
Live your life, and I'll live mine
Baby you'll do well, and I'll be fine
Cause we're better off, separated

Girl I know we had some good times
It's sad but now we gotta say goodbye
Girl you know I love you, I can't deny
I can't say we didn't try to make it work for you and I
I know it hurts so much but it's best for us
Somewhere along this windy road we lost the trust
So I'll walk away so you don't have to see me cry
It's killing me so, why don't you go

So why don't you go your way
And I'll go mine
Live your life, and I'll live mine
Baby you'll do well, and I'll be fine
Cause we're better off, separated


Separated (Usher; from the album 8701)

same time...last year...

i was in a frenzied state already...mentally trying to go over all the things that should've been done: hotel arrangements, what to pack, what to bring, which suppliers to talk to, flowers, bouquets, bridal car, gifts for the principal sponsors....whew! the list was endless...

it was a very exciting time for me as i knew that in a matter of hours, i'd be closing a chapter of my life to write a new one. a new one that wasn't just a chapter meant for me to write alone but finally to share it with someone. to live a "new" life with that person, to create memories, share our joys, pains and sorrows.

little did i know that i would be left with the task of being the author - alone...and it hasn't been a very pleasant one at all...

it seems as if the past 365 days of my life were spent in a different dimension. the institution known as marriage actually became some sort of curse for us i guess. as a dear friend would say several months after..."did marriage actually ruin your relationship?"

in hindsight, i guess we ruined the marriage ourselves. i did for not thinking about it two, three, four, five hundred times before saying "i do". i did for not being strong enough for the both of us. i did because i turned into someone who couldn't make you happy. i did because i believed in you too much. i did because i hoped, tried, prayed and loved you too much.

i'm trying to figure out what i did...have you? instead of just telling me "nauntog ako eh", what realizations have you made?

should i or should i not?

what do you think? should i remove the daisypath banner above that's a countdown to my 1st wedding anniversary?

it doesn't mean anything, it doesn't signify anything anyway...

holiday blues

a good friend of mine texted me yesterday afternoon asking how was i. after the perfunctory reply (i.e., fine; surviving) she said that trials make you emerge a stronger and better person. i answered back with "i hope i do emerge stronger and alive."

the trial i'm going through, i wouldn't wish on any married woman. im so grateful for the support of my friends and family. its a long, long journey but with your help, support and prayers, ill get through it.

i really hope i do.

i can see my friends with their partners beside them and its makes me long for mine so badly. but i realize i must move on and live my life as i should have it. when im alone, the sadness strikes a chord and it's much more difficult with the holidays here... the lights, decorated trees and christmas carols... wow, my favorite season of the year now evokes a sadness so unreal...

i miss him terribly but i hope that whatever my future is, with or without him, i can move on and find the happiness that i truly deserve.

have a wonderful christmas and a peaceful new year!

so how was your christmas?

chance or choice?

i've come across this article many times via e-mail...allow me to post it here...

Chance or Choice?

When we meet the right person to love when we're at the right place, at the right time; That's chance. When you meet someone you're attracted to, that's not a choice. That's chance. Being caught up in a moment (and there are a lot of couples who get together because of this) is not a choice, that's also chance.

The difference is, what happens afterward? When will you take that infatuation, that crush, that mind-blowing attraction to the next level? That's when all sanity goes back, you sit down and then contemplate whether you want to make this into a concrete relationship or just a fling.

If you decide to love the person, even with his faults, that's not chance. That's choice. When you choose to be with a person no matter what, that's choice. Even if you know there are many people out there who are more attractive, smarter, and richer than your mate, and yet, you decide to love your mate just the same, that's choice.

Infatuation, crushes, attraction comes to us by chance. But true love that lasts is truly a choice. A choice that we make.


what if your partner decided to make the choice of being with you forever but then suddenly changes his mind a couple of months after and decides to go on finding his soulmate? the concept of a soulmate being so alien to him before...

don't you just find that a lot of crap? especially if you have made the choice to be with him no matter what? just as it says in the third paragraph, beyond the faults and even if there's someone more attractive, love makes you choose...

why can't you choose me? why can't you see beyond my faults, shortcomings and misgivings? am i so unpleasing? what is it? it's a two-way street and you fall short of my expectations too. but love makes me see beyond that and makes me endure the pain...

until when, i don't know...

how?

you always convince yourself that you can prepare for almost any situation that can, would and might happen to you. but, when you're there, you realize that nothing can ever make you prepared for the pain. absolutely nothing.

all you can do is pray, pray and pray for mercy and the strength from a higher force to help you get thru the aftermath.

the question now is: how do you pick up the pieces of your shattered self? can you do a humpty dumpty to put yourself back together again? will you ever be the same? will everything work out for the better?

will i live long enough to be happy again?

it's never easy and you never know
what leaves you crying
and what makes you whole
there ain't no way that i can hold it down
falling to pieces
forever in doubt

but it's alright
why don't you tell me again
how you'll still be there when the heartache ends
it's alright
why don't you tell me my friend
how you'll be with me
when the heartache ends

there ain't nobody who can show you how
to find the surface when you're underground
there ain't no blanket that can hide this cold
there ain't no memory
that ever gets old

and i move all directions to the corners and the outskirts
while the lovers and the lonely
start to whisper all about me
and if i stand here silent
i almost start to feel you fading in
telling me to hold on
cuz it's gonna be alright

say you'll be with me
when the heartache ends



from ...something to be (rob thomas)

it's raining, it's pouring

Where Do We Go From Here?
Brian McKnight (from the album, "U Turn")

I found an old photograph
I couldn't help but laugh
I remember that day
And it was the best of times
You are my first
My beginning and my end
Am I losing my best friend
Am I coming or going
Or if this is goodbye

And now where do we go from here?
When everything seems so clear
Will I be left with the pains
Staying all alone, out in the rain
After the love is gone
When everything right turns wrong
And where do we go from here

Love have run out of time
You said you'd always be mine
It's hard to believe that somehow we've grown apart
Why the way that things have been
It just make no sense
Was so unprepared for the way I feel inside

What happened to the flame
It dont feel the same
And I dont know what to say


i've always been a brian mcknight fan. not because i like r&b but because of his songs and how there is always a song that aptly describes how i feel or what i'm going through - just like 'where do we go from here?'

but if there is something i should say, it's...

i love you, still and as deeply as ever...

the valkyries

"... he alternated between looking at Chris and watching the road. He loved his wife, but was getting fed up with marriage. He needed some strong passion in his love, in his work, in almost everything he did in his life. And that went against one of nature's most important laws: Every movement needs a pause at times.

He knew that if he continued the way he was, nothing in his life would last very long. He was beginning to understand what J. had meant when he said that people wind up killing what they love most."

what about those who don't know they're killing someone they love? those who repeatedly justify their actions as a normal thing for them even if it's evident they're "murdering" those whom they should hold dear and near to their heart? would that mean that the love they have for them is shallow, false and at times a figment of their imagination? love that they say they have but cannot allow it to manifest itself once they're with the person they claim to love? could such a lie ever exist?


"Love was worth everything, and couldn't be exchanged for anything."

for those of us who love someone deeply, could you ever say that it was worth it? right now, i couldn't say the same. i'm thinking of trying to exchange this so-called love for peace of mind, dignity, a heart that has healed or even the truth that i hope would set me free...



i am currently reading:

paulo coelho's 'the valkyries'

work, work and work

sometimes, people think that having out-of-town trips or assignments are the best way to wiggle your way out of things that need to be done in the office. yes you do get to drink in the lovely sights that place has to offer but, what they don't realize is that the work isn't a 9 - 5 thing. in subic, our schedule was a 9 a.m. - 3 a.m. thing every single day!



while waiting for their turn in the shower, tuesday (L) & marlet are resting & getting things ready for our "meeting"



above: (L-R) mackie texting, tuesday working on the laptop and ian, who wasn't sure if he was in the picture or not

below: (L-R) marlet, mackie & ian (partially in the frame) discussing the day's events...



and where was i? well, i was the photographer...but don't worry, i was still in the meeting...

culinary images

mongkok's siomai



mongkok's lemon chicken & salted fish fried rice



one of my faves in subic: pacific grill's mouth-watering t-bone steak...

oh dear, it's time for lunch!

monkeying around

due to the timetable we have for setting up subic, our compnay decided to rent out a place long-term like 3 - 6 months. we're staying at crown peak in cubi point. most people know that when you say in the same breath, it's near the monkeys and the bat kingdom. although we haven't had the luxury of actually checking out the bat kingdom and the monkey trail, it seems as if our monkey friends, checked us out. these pictures were taken just outside our room.

tales from subic - part 3

more pics...



those were some pictures taken from part of the boardwalk




here we are (L-R): deliberating after the training session & at "home" - mackie, tuesday, me & ian

the hardest things

i visited ny niece-in-law's blog (jen, thank you very much! i miss you...) and found this interesting post which i swiped and edited to capture some of the things that have been going through my mind lately...

THE HARDEST THINGS (some of them...)

a. Realizing that you have been TRICKED after you have given your WHOLE TRUST
b. Letting GO of someone you've LOVED ALL YOUR LIFE
c. Bracing yourself for the worst kind of pain... & still hurting so much
d. Loving someone too much and learning to love the pain that goes with it...

"Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."

funny how we can experience a whole gamut of emotions and they are somehow all "related". you shift from one emotion to the next as fluidly as possible.

i know that when my friends and family chance upon this post of mine they'll be intrigued to no end. even if i'd like to explain what it all means, ibalato nyo na lang sa akin 'to. then, just say a prayer for me...

bring on the toothpicks

i am so damn sleepy :( it doesn't help my workload right now requires sitting in front of the computer to finish databases and a bit of research as well....i say bring on the toothpicks so that i can prop my eyelids up to stay awake!!!

espresso please... but i doubt if it'll help....

actually i haven't had time to sleep really well lately...i guess it happens when your in a shitty phase of your life...

tales from subic - part II

of course, all work and no play makes life so damn boring. good thing all of us who were assigned to subic made up a crazy bunch!




(L-R) marlet & ian on the bus; waiting for mack & tuesday @ the Tipo Gate - SBMA & ian, deranged during lunch





(L-R) marlet puckering up; find the lady 'plastered' to the glass wall, that's marlet & going home with 'rambo tuesday'

tales from subic

before if you'd tell me you went to subic, i would've thought it was also clark. i always believed they were the same banana. but a couple of posts ago, i mentioned we had a subic call center project. well, since i joined reynolds review, i've been there a lot and surprisingly, the place does grow on you.



this is the view from our subic bay yacht club room window; it was raining hence the 'gloomy' sky

after negotiations and paperwork, we were ready to roll. first up on the agenda: agent's training. we had almost 300 people to train so, that meant 6 groups with a manageable class size of 50 per group. american culture & geography, customer service, accent and sales were the modules they had to go through.












this is the facade of bldg. 61-a where all the sessions were held













here are some shots of the class i handled for accent

the initial training ended sept. 8 with a third of the trainees passing and moving on to the next phase of training. we may have another group after a couple of months so it'll be another round of intonation, pitch, vowel sounds and consonant sounds for me...

happy "bloggersary" to me...

hahaha i just had to come up with a word...my lord, it just dawned on me that on wednesday, i'll be a year-old blogger! yipee!

wow, something that i thought i wouldn't be able to keep up with is actually a year-old! wow... i'm proud of me ;p

i'd like to say THANK YOU to all those who read my blog, i'm so happy to share my life, our life with you...

my trail of thought doesn't end there, this time last year, ricky and i were up to our ears with wedding preps and puttin' up gotcha. that means, gotcha will soon be a year old and soon after that, it'll be the paper anniversary (am i correct? paper is the first year?) of the babuys!!! :)

hopefully, i'll be able to realize some blog resolutions:

1. blog at least 3 times a week;
2. post more pictures and
3. link up more ka-blogmates!

:) well, i really hope these resolutions are fulfilled...


currently in my discman:


r. kelly: tp.3 reloaded

i can't breathe...

i never thought i'd see a nebulizer much less need one during my asthma attacks. unfortunately, last saturday, not only did i have to consume a nebule of ventolin, i had to consume 3! i thought i had outgrown my asthma. i mean, i don't have an inhaler and it certainly isn't on my top 5 essentials list.

but last week's bout with asthma was a reality check.

rewind to august 18 or somewhere around that date. now the metro's weather is at times very unpredicatable. you get summer in the morning til noon then somewhere in between 12 and 1 p.m., the clouds sudddenly check in on the horizon and sooner or later, it's raining cats and dogs! now, i really don't like lugging an umbrella around therefore, getting wet was inevitable. so, i guess that's where my cough and colds decided to come back into my life. i was taking cough medicine but before i knew it, i was wheezing at night. no need to panic since i popped a ventolin capsule and i thought it would go away. it did; but just for a few hours. the wheezing progressed into a full blown attack and the ventolin capsules were no match for it. i slept for two nights in an upright position (read: sitting) and my cough progressed into such a nasty one. i also had chest pains akin to broken ribs. when i coughed or sat in a certain position it was painful. it was so difficult to walk and climb the flight of stairs at the lrt and mrt stations...sometimes even going down the stairs resulted into shortness of breath.

workload at the office wasn't letting up either and i was informed that i was to handle the first 2 batches of accent training in subic on monday (aug. 22) which meant travelling to subic on sunday. damn!

so saturday, aug 20, i voluntarily went to makati medical center with ricky in tow. i told him, "please take me to the hospital." i couldn't take it anymore. i went into e.r. had my vital stats checked and the nurse wheeled me into the pulmonary section of e.r. the physician on-duty (he was so cute!) held a stethoscope to my chest and back and listened to the rock concert going on inside my lungs...then he put me on my first (of three) nebule of ventolin. in between nebules, i told him of my chest pains so he decided to photograph (read:x-ray) my lungs. he did explain to me that the pains were actually muscular pains due to the inflammation in my lungs but just to be sure, after an hour, i had my chest x-ray and then they injected a steroid...

well, it was a relief to be finally let go and feel it easier to breathe. of course, my prescriptions read like a mini-pims hehehe: ambroxol capsules, azithromycin (antibiotic for my lungs which were so costly!), medrol (steroid), bambuterol and of course, my latest fashion accessory, the salbutamol inhaler :)

although it was easier to breathe and i slept on my side after so many days of sitting, i still had the wheezies. but my trip to subic was much more comfortable. i could imagine the difficulty i could've been in had i not decided to have my self checked at makati med. it's been a week after and there are still traces of the cough but the wheezies are gone and the pain has subsided but the meds go on for another day. after that, i hope i won't go through this again.

and at 35, i thought i was rid of the wheezies...

my dearest yan-yan

happy birthday!

we don't get to see each other regularly but whenever we do, it feels like we just saw each other yesterday. (well, now that you're in europe, it's gonna be another month or so before we really get the chance to catch up...)

i wish you all the best girl and i'm so thankful to have you as a friend.

love you!!!

best positions in bed

i got these cute pics from a message mae reme (my hs classmate) sent to our hs e-group...aren't they adorable?

happy birthday bro!

KUYA BOYCHIE !!!!

happy, happy birthday! ricky and i wish you all the best...

we miss you and love you!!!

have i found this?

The Best Kind of Love
by: Annette Paxman Bowen

I have a friend who is falling in love. She honestly claims the sky s bluer. Mozart moves her to tears. She has lost 15 pounds and looks like a cover girl. "I am young again!" she shouts exuberantly.

As my friend raves on about her new love, I've taken a good look at my old one. My husband of almost 20 years, Scott, has gained 15 pounds. Once a marathon runner, he now runs only down hospital halls. His hairline is receding and his body shows signs of long working hours and too many candy bars. Yet he can still give me a certain look across a restaurant table and I want to ask for the check and head home.

When my friend asked me "What will make this love last?" I ran through all the obvious reasons: commitment, shared interests, unselfishness,physical attraction, and communication.
Yet there's more.

We still have fun.

Spontaneous good times. Yesterday, after slipping the rubber band off the rolled newspaper, Scott flipped it playfully at me: this led to an all-out war. Last Saturday at the grocery, we split the list and raced each other to see who could make it to the checkout first. Even washing dishes can be a blast. We enjoy simply being together.

And there are surprises.

One time I came home to find a note on the front door that led me toanother note, then another, until I reached the walk-in closet. I opened the door to find Scott holding a "pot of gold" (my cooking kettle) and the "treasure" of a gift package. Sometimes I leave him notes on the mirror and little presents under his pillow.

There is understanding.

I understand why he must play basketball with the guys. And heunderstands why, once a year, I must get away from the house, the kids - and even him - to meet my sisters for a few days of nonstop talking and laughing.

There is sharing.

Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens - we also share ideas. Scott came home from a convention last month and presented me with a thick historical novel. Though he prefers thrillers and science fiction,he had read the novel on the plane. He touched my heart when he explained it was because he wanted to be able to exchange ideas about the book after I'd read it.

There is forgiveness.

When I'm embarrassingly loud and crazy at parties, Scott forgives me. When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, "It's okay. It's only money."

There is sensitivity.

Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it's been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened. He told me about a 60-year old woman that had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman's husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover? I shed a few tears myself.

Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

There is faith.

Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer. On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer's disease on her father-in-law's personality. On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought, This is too much heartache for one week.

Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window. I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor's house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.

Finally, there is knowing.

I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper every night; he'll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box. He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head.

I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it's just a familiar hue. We don't feel particularly young: we've experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories. I hope we've got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott's wedding band engraved with Robert Browning's line "Grow old along with me!"

We're following those instructions. "If anything is real, the heart will make it plain." There are some people who meet that somebody that they can never stop loving, no matter how hard they try. I wouldn't expect you to understand that, or even believe it, but trust me, there are some love that don't go away. And maybe that makes them crazy, but we should all be blessed to end up with that somebody who has a little of that insanity.Somebody who never lets go. Somebody who cherishes you forever.

Hope you find this kind of love in your life.

swiped from ian's blog - thanks ian!

harry oh harry

i am blessed with friends who happen to share a love for books. but what rose sent to me was a big surprise.

i now have an e-book of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince! wow! (rose, you are heaven-sent!) and believe me, i read it wherever and whenever i could. during my lunch break, on the lrt, on the mrt, before i slept at night even while i dressed for work in the morning! it's been such a long time since harry was a part of my life so july 16 was definitely a red-letter date on my calendar (aside from the fact that it was dad's birthday). i couldn't get my hands on a book but since rose got her copy, i told her i'd borrow it once she's finished. so the e-book was such a pleasant surprise.

many of you would probably wonder how could i anticipate, much less waste my time on an hp book. although i definitely agree that the hp series pales in comparison with the depth and grandeur of the lotr trilogy and the terry goodkind series, hp will always have a special place in my heart.

the hp series is what sparked my interest in the adventure/fantasy genre of books. the first is always special and so, harry is special to me. harry's life and adventures always enthrall me. the reading is light yet deep enough for me to want to travel with him on the hogwarts express, explore the hogwarts castle and watch a quidditch game. the film adaptations haven't failed me yet and just like lotr, i don't mind spending 3 hours in the cinema just to see it on screen. in fact, i'm looking forward to hp 4: the goblet of fire which i heard will be shown in november of this year. book 4 is one of my favorites in the series and i hope i won't feel shortchanged when i see it. then again, seeing daniel radcliffe on screen is good enough reason for my butt to stay glued to my seat...

by the way, humans aren't the only ones who can't get enough of harry...



(photos swiped from amazon.com-customer images)

working girl

i did mention a few posts ago that i am now officially back as part of the nation's workforce. to be exact, i was since july 11, 2005.

i am now part of reynolds review institute, inc. (r2i2), an english review center that specializes in IELTS, TOEFL and TSE classes. the meanings of these acronyms still have to take residence in my memory but rest assure, all of these are english exams that overseas workers must pass before they are given the go signal to depart for their overseas assignments.

i'm part of r2i2 as Franchise Support Staff. although that is just a title. everyone in the group practices and upholds the law of multi-tasking. my first week was slightly easy. as franchise support, i went on site inspections in muntinlupa & subic, while trying to put an operations manual together. the latter proved to be a challenge without a computer to encode my thoughts and a guide to help organize my trail of thought. i had to "recycle" old office materials as my note pad and concentrate on getting some words written on the pad.

my second week saw more of trying to put together the manual but, multi-tasking is the key here so i did a marathon of interviews for our franchisee's hr req'ts, several meetings, handled a speaking class for an IELTS class and made preps for tomorrow's trip to subic for, check this out: preliminary interviews of 600 applicants! whew! i better bring the lozenges...

you may wonder why we need to talk to so many hopefuls. well, our franchisee is putting up a 300-seat call center so you can just imagine how many people you gotta talk to get those seats filled! our work is defintitely cut out for us but, i enjoy it.

after work, i visit gotcha, then ricky & i go home together.

good morning everyone! well, today is the day... today, pres. gloria macapagal-arroyo delivers her SONA (State of the Nation Address). last saturday, she declared today as a special non-working holiday. well i'll be darned, a holiday for a SONA? oh well...

at least it has given me some time to check in on you and say hello... i hope to get more posts on my blog :)

happy, happy birthday to one of the most important men in my life

my dad

i hope you had a great birthday...

i love you very, very much and i miss you

can we just stop and talk awhile?

yeah, i know, i've been terribly poor at keeping my promise of updating my blog. if it isn't the lack of time, it's the lack of resources. our pc has been down and out and my blog is one of the first sites i've seen to do a check on what the technician did. seems to be a-ok :)

well...i'd like to say thank you to those who haven't abandoned my blog like, my bro and pazette...how have you been? kuya boychie, i hope you'll still visit... hehehe that's what brothers are for... pazette...i hope to visit your blog soon; i miss reading about what's been happening to you lately...

if i remember correctly, my last entry was sometime in may? since then, my father-in-law passed away , reunied with some old friends and guess what? i've decided to join the rat's race again ....

welcome back...

hello everyone! well, it has certainly been a long time since i blogged. my life has been very busy. i know you're all looking at me with eyes wide open saying that's still not an excuse... i agree...

well, after the china chronicles, we were busy with the store. after a vacation like that, you need to get things up and running again. before we knew it, busy times were here to stay.

summer came and is almost out the door and we weren't able to go swimming except for april 9 when gotcha went to laguna for a swim...can't post the pictures yet because i haven't scanned them but don't worry, i'll post them as soon as i can.

well, gotta go. it's month-end and i still gotta count those cans - it's inventory time. see yah later, alligators


what's in my discman

check out his website

China Chronicles Day 5 (Part II)

After lunch, I guess Tony realized that we barely had time to shop for souvenirs while we here. So we headed for a shopping area in Shanghai (the name of the place? I seem to have forgotten) and he gave us about two hours to shop. This place houses a temple as well. The place is like a maze with so many shops, stalls and at the center (or is it courtyard? that's what it resembles), there are so many people. I call it the food plaza. Everyone is eating, chatting and just, well, eating! It was a bit noisy in that part of the place. So, it was to each his own, we would just meet up @ Starbucks (see? I told you we had a homing device for Starbucks).

After haggling, selecting and making our purchases, the gang was there outside Starbucks. We then found ourselves eating Siao Long Pao, a delicacy that’s very popular here. It’s a huge dumpling, huge because it’s about 2” in diameter and it fits into a tiny steamer. Actually it’s sold in a steamer with a plastic cup underneath and you get a straw. Yup, you read it right a straw. That’s because you sip the broth inside the dumpling first before you can actually eat it. The broth is so tasty and it really makes you wonder, how in the world can you cook it without tearing the wrapper and allowing the broth to seep? One for Ripley’s!


Siao Long Pao

Then, it was time to get to the airport. From the shopping district, we rode the bus to the Shanghai Maglev Train Station or what is more popularly known as the Bullet Train. Jackie & William met their new tour guide and we said our good-byes. We, on the other hand, waited for Tony to purchase our tickets. The Maglev, or Magnetic Levitation, is a railroad line from Longyang Road in Shanghai to the Pu Dong International Airport. Ordinarily, you could take a taxi or a bus or have someone fetch you at the airport and you’d drive 20 miles to get to the city proper. Now that is going to take some time. But via Bullet Train, get this: you travel the same distance at 430 kmh and the trip takes only 8 minutes! Unbelievable! Well, of course you don’t get that kind of transport service cheap. A ticket costs Y 40.00 that’s roughly Php 300.00. Well, it was part of the tour.


(L-R) Jane, Diane, Jane (Gan) & Me


Maglev Ride

Now this is where sheer frustration comes in. We saved time by taking the bullet train to the airport. Nevertheless, we had to 'walk-run-walk-run-run-run' from one end of the airport to the other and line up at the baggage counter. I was so close to having an asthma attack! I haven’t been in such cold weather for a long time and that kind of weather coupled with running leaves me “breathless” then the wheezies come in. I really had the end of the pack covered because Ricky was caught between monitoring where they went through, which door they took and motioning to me where to follow. At this point in time, I was close to cursing the tour guide. If I had an attack, would he take me to the hospital? Damn. We finally met up with the bus, claimed our luggage and started another sprint towards the check-in counter.

Here’s another one for the books. Imagine around five lines for the baggage check-in, all for the same flight and the guide CUT THROUGH a line thereby making our group cut the line. That’s not all, imagine the people in line are fellow Filipinos! Triple damn! I was so ashamed I just tried my best to ignore the stares and most probably the curses that were uttered our way. Hay! Nakakahiya talaga! Our groupmates, Jane and Nelson Gan even knew some of them, they were gracious enough to let us off the hook, or was it just Jane and Nelson?

Having checked-in the baggage, said goodbye to TONY the tour guide, gone through the monitors and security checks, all that was left was to wait in the lounge near the boarding gate for our trip home to Manila.


Jane & Me waiting for the boarding call

Wow! As I sat there, I realized five days had gone by so quickly, I hoped there was more… But like all stories, events and good things, it came to an end.

On the plane, I got to watch Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Good because, I didn’t get to watch that when it was shown in Manila. The flight home was okay. Just a final hurdle at the immigration desk in NAIA and we found ourselves saying good-bye to Jane, Diane, Nelson and Jane. If God permits, I hope we'll be in the same group next year, sans the Tour Guide we got ...

Please do visit our online album or simply click on the Snapshots link on the right side of this page and access the Holy Week 2005 and Shanghai Too albums; I haven't uploaded all of the pics so visit once in a while... Thanks y'all!

China Chronicles Day 5

Morning call - 7 a.m.

Well this was the fifth and final day of our Shanghai trip. Jackie & William will be proceeding to Beijing for a couple more days while the rest of us are going back to Manila.

Our flight was at 5:10 p.m. so, we managed to squeeze in a few places before we left. First stop: the daytime view of the Bund. Now in my previous post, I mentioned that it was much more beautiful at night. There's a boat that goes around it so you can see Shanghai in all it's nighttime glory. It's a pity that I didn't get to see it but thanks to our ever-efficient and accommodating tour guide, no Bund tour happened (Our guide is another saga altogether). They say that you haven't been to Shanghai if you haven't been on the Bund and seen the Pearl Tower. The weather wasn't cooperating that morning, there was a drizzle. Nevertheless, we stole a few pics. Sayang din naman...


Bund @ Daytime; the view from here ...


is this!

After the 5-second tour of the Bund, we proceeded to the Pearl Tower. Now this structure is fascinating as well. It is a 468 M tall structure with several sightseeing decks/levels, a rotating restaurant: the Oriental Pearl Sky Revolving Restaurant and a level that showcases gifts from friendship cities. This tower is the highest tower in Asia, the third highest tower in the world. It was a sight to behold as well.


Check out the Pearl...


Upclose & Pearl-sonal

Afterwards, we went to the other side of Shanghai to actually get to the Pearl Tower. We only went up to the upper sphere (263M). There were viewing decks for you to see Shanghai and if only the skies were clearer, it would've been much more beautiful. Then, at the Ground Level, we took some pics with the Great Wall in the background...


Great Wall Pic

Before we left, we went to the Gift Shop and bought some items there. We had lunch at a restaurant where there are dishes cooked and served from a bamboo stalk! Anyways, the food was good they also had a stage and we were entertained with two folk dance numbers.


Grinning because I'm full...


Bye-bye elephant