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

China Chronicles Day 4 (Part II)

It was another 3 hour ride back to Shanghai. Thank God there weren't any boat rides anymore. So, we dozed off on the bus.

We're en route to Shanghai but we just made a stopover at Tongxiang for a BOM (that's what I call it - a Business Opportunity Meeting) which is famous for its Chrysanthemum Tea. Just like our Longjin Village stopover, they offered a cup of tea and made a Sales Pitch... - copied from my palm note pad

When we arrived at Shanghai, I thought we were going to the hotel first but Tony took us to another part of Shanghai that had the tiangges. It was a Friday, the start of a long weekend so there were a lot of locals everywhere. It was at the Shangyung area and Tony gave us, would you imagine, 45 minutes to shop! That's barely scratching the surface of the merchandise if I may say so. At this point, nagkanya-kanya na kami so, Ricky and I started going around. It's like Greenhills at night...Well, it turns out that we spent nearly 90 minutes and when Ricky & I returned to the meeting place, Tony was there, along with Jane and Nelson. So, Ricky and I slowly inched our way towards the other side of the tiangge since there were only 4 of us there. So bad of us! But we quickly returned & by then, the group was almost complete. So, it was time for dinner, we were all hungry by then.

Afterwards, since we weren't going to the Bund (which they say has a spectacular view at night), Tony took us to Xin Tian Di, a place in Shanghai that combines new with old, east with west. It's like our Libis, Malate or Makati areas here in Manila. It's like you're in Shanghai, France and SanFo all at the same time. I'm positive that it would be a different experience altogther had we gone there during the day. This is definitely one place I'd love to go back to and savor the place by sitting outside let's say Starbucks, with Ricky and we're just doing our 'mall thing' (a.k.a. people-watching ). There are cafes all about and even a bar where Filipino bands perform - a true testament to the Filipino talent. And mind you, the line at the entrance was long; they must be really good.


at the square entrance (L-R) Jane, Nelson (partly hidden), Jackie, Diane (partly hidden), Jane and William

We really didn't go around the whole place due to lack of time but it was pretty interesting. Here, we just decided to get our coffee fix at Starbucks then just walk back to our meeting place.


Starbucks Xin Tian Di


outside Xin Tian Di waiting for the bus to take us home (L-R) Nelson, Jane, Jackie, William (partly hidden) and Me (pretending to be surprised...)

We arrived at the hotel and decided to forego our earlier plan of going out again. We called it a night and prepared for our last day in Shanghai.

China Chronicles Day 4

Morning call was not so early - 7 a.m.. We had breakfast at the hotel’s café and I was pleasantly surprised...The café's interiors were tastefully done but it was small, cozy; food selection is comparable to Holiday Inn breakfast fare - maybe not as many dishes but definitely better food than the other hotels we stayed at.

After breakfast, Tony took us around West Lake, a place Hangzhou is very famous for. The lake, surrounded by mountains on three sides, has three man made islands in the middle. The Hangzhou local government developed the lake and the areas surrounding it into a strip of cafes, causeways and tourist attractions. Shangri-la Hangzhou is within the vicinity of the lake. West Lake is a beauty and it certainly beckons one to just sit on the benches, gaze out at the lake or read a book; you know, a place to just 'chill out'. Now, to get another view of West Lake, Tony was going to take us on a boat ride (oh no, not again! But this time it was perfectly safe...) that went around the lake.


at the back of the love boat

In the middle of the lake there are 3 hollow pagodas, the sides of which have moon shaped "cut-outs". Tony explains that during the Spring Festival, lamps/bulbs are placed inside these pagodas and are covered with paper. At nighttime, you get a spectacular view of what they call 'The Lake that Mirrors the Moon'. This view shows you 32 moons! 32 because the pagodas give off the reflection of 30 moons. Then you have the real moon up above and its own reflection hence, 32 moons. I'm sure the place is much more beautiful during spring or summer when the flowers are also in full bloom.

After the boat ride, we walked around the park, took some pictures and made our way into a neighboring restaurant for lunch.

pose tayo sa puno


the beauties

Then it was back to Shanghai via bus.