ice skating

for years now, i have been wanting to try ice skating. when i was in high school, i pestered my parents into buying me an in-line skate. after a couple of months of asking (and saving), i was able to convince them to buy me one. i bought a red and black in-skate.

though it was one the best things to do in high school, it didn't take long for the novelty to wane -- and for my brother to crack my skate. that altogether stopped my skating (though i was never a good one).

lately, or more honestly over the years, i have a hankering to try ice skating. this time, i was able to convince my friends to join me and here we are, trying to skate the the International Ice Skating Rink at the Mall of Asia --

 it's been over a decade since i've been on skates, and the first time on ice, but it still feels the same. it feels great! here, i'm helping a friend find his balance. 

catching snow flakes

*****

one funny moment while i was skating:

me: lei, catch me on video!!! =D

lei: okay!

me (skating away, turning, zooming towards lei): woohooooooooo! 

then suddenly, BLAAAAG!

i fell. LOL. all these was caught on video. 

UP Lantern Parade 2010

it's been years since i have been to the Lantern Parade. this year, despite the rain and traffic, my friends and i were there! these are this year's displays --

Why give up before we try
Feel the lows before the highs
Clip our wings before we fly away
I can’t say I came prepared
I’m suspended in the air
Won’t you come be in the sky with me

-Unthinkable (Alicia Keys feat. Drake)

Perch

my girlfriends and i have this pact that we will try to have one fancy dinner each month. this is to have time to just catch up with what's happening with one another. being together in the office doesn't mean we get to talk everyday -- work gets in the way. so this december, we decided to try out Perch, where one of my friend's sister is a regular chef together with the owner chef. this also became our own Christmas party, where we also played a White Elephant game. it was great to see friends trying to 'steal' the other one's gift, to see them running around the house! LOL.

here are some pictures at Perch:

 family dinner table

 mushroom, zucchini, bell pepper squid dish with potato balls and cream sauce

 paella and roasted chicken -- yummy!

close up of the paella

 welcome to perch!

removed our sandals, running after more gifts :)

and the perfect way to end the night - a cup of creme brulee with coffee...

thank you, chefs golda and hazel! it was one fun night, indeed!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Cafe Perch 

22 Ramos St., Carmel 3, Project 6, Quezon City, Philippines

(02) 927 9767 and (02) 427 4707

*apologies for not being able to write the food's real fancy names :)

life, love, time

the best use of life is to love
the best expression of love is time
the best time to love is now

-fr. conching's sermon today at the parish of the holy sacrifice

the grace of waiting

i took a tricycle ride on my way out of the subdivision. upon arrival at the entrance, i hopped off the tricycle and proceeded to get my purse to pay the driver. but my purse wouldn't come to my hands (accio, purse!) and i had to rummage through my "deep" bag for that small purse. so i said to the driver,

"kuya, wait lang (brod, please wait)."

and he said with a smile, "it's alright as long as you won't take the whole day."

that made me smile -- what a patient man!

*****

i went to the grocery today to pick up some stuff and when i reached the check-out counter, i noticed that i picked up more than what i planned. it took three packages to put in all the stuff and i had to carry them all on my ride home in a jeepney. as i was about to leave the jeep, i asked the driver to wait, because i could not possibly be fast enough in getting down. i was carrying three packages and my laptop bag. the driver then said to me, "okay, take your time." again, that made me smile.

*****

i took a tricycle ride going to our apartment carrying my three packages and laptop bag. when i arrived at our gate, i had to ask the driver to wait because i had to get out of the vehicle first before picking up my stuff. he didn't say anything but he proceeded to pick up my packages and handed it over to me.

what a nice reminder of patience! i like!

good feeling

"i've got a feeling... that tonight's gonna be a good night..."

not just for tonight, nor the coming days ahead, but for the coming Year! :)

i really do have a good feeling about it, starting today because finally --- i enrolled in what i hope will be my last penalty course and i started the filing of application for graduation. i have not done the latter before so i hope that will be a good start. according to the grad office, the last day of filing for grades for master's student this semester is on april 11 next year. i am truly hoping to beat that deadline so i could go and march with the rest of the graduating class on the third week of april 2011. :D

to all of you, wish me luck and may we do well this semester! :)

i am claiming it!

i am claiming it!

next year, i am going to Finish my Thesis and get Engaged! :)

and no negative reactions please. all i need is your wholehearted support :)

i am really happy how this monday turned out to be. i finally got a good feedback on the latest work i've been doing at the office. i thank God for being there, giving me the guidance and strength that i needed to do it. one thing i know, though have not applied yet until now, is this: if you want to be heard, speak up! i've learned that to be able to go on, i had to say what's on my mind or else i'll go crazy and lose interest in what i'm doing. today, i am excited to do my work again.

second, i have finally gained permission to take a leave of absence from work (after numerous failed attempts) to finish my thesis. this is my third year of residency and should have finished three years ago. but now, i am excited to face my thesis again next year, beginning january. my driving force for this are my parents whom i would like to see walk onstage with me when i receive my Master's diploma. i can't wait!

i am owning these words, and i am claiming these things.

next step is to get engaged. to whom, let's just wait and see. LOL.

i think and feel that next year's gonna be MY year! :)

*****

i've read this somewhere before and most often than not, this is true:

if you want to be seen, stand up
if you want to be heard, speak up
if you want to be appreciated, shut up!

fears and getting old

today, i went to subic to take my refresher course for my offshore emergency training. this was just a one day event where we only had to do the practical test. when i did this four years ago, i was pretty excited and couldn't wait to go on and do all those underwater capsize things and fire escape test. it was all so new to me and felt i was invincible.

but not today.

underwater during the capsize helicopter simulation, i panicked. four years ago, i knew exactly where i am inside out of the simulator. today, i was totally lost. it was a series of little things that if i hadn't really kept my head, i would have drowned. first, i had trouble opening my window; second, i couldn't get out of the window until i realized that i didn't unfasten my seatbelt. when i figured it all out - all in split seconds - i was disoriented. i didn't know where was up anymore and had to swim away from the simulator as fast as i can without knowing if i was swimming up or down. all i could think of, "where was the rescue?!"

it was scary and i don't know if i could do it again.

four years ago, i was raving to do it over and over. what's more was that, i had a girl companion who was just as crazy as me. there were only the two of us in the simulator. now that i have more (guy) companions, i was more scared.

i was not alone today though. my swedish classmate (there were only three of us), was also feeling crazed. he was lost.

the same thing happened during the fire escape exercise. i went in the building alone with only my hands and feet guiding me; the second time even blindfolded. it was just a matter of keeping my panic at bay or i would have lost it there too when i couldn't find the lever to open the door. "if this is true life, would i faint here?," that was what i was thinking. when i got out, the only thing i could only say is "i'm really getting old, i'm scared of doing this already!"

but everything turned out very well. i am just so happy to have good instructors and very, very fun and supportive classmates. so to lars and demi, thanks guys. i think i lived up to part of my bargain - i didn't slow us down and were able to go home before 3p! :)

beauty raw ako

walking along st. andrew street on my way back to the coach station, i had to stop for a red light in one of its side street. across the road, i glimpsed three guys just coming out of a pub and one of them was a bit tipsy. when the light turned to green, i saw the guys crossing the street towards me. before i can get off the street though, one of the guys stopped and tapped me on the shoulders and said,

"you are very beautiful."

i was stunned speechless for a while and then i replied,

"why thank you!" and gave him a big grin. then i started walking towards the coach station again.

and that, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the reasons why i love edinburgh. 

and i know for a fact that it wasn't the tipsy guy who said that to me. unfortunately, i couldn't remember how he looked but i remembered that he was a bit tall (but not too tall) and a bit chubby guy - just the way i like it! :D

-----

note: return ticket (london victoria to edinburgh) the first time i was there cost me around 80GBP.

122

i am not a bowler but for this year's annual company bowling competition, my friends and i formed our team again. last year, we agreed on just having fun but when we saw that we could hit the pins, we were trying to cheer everybody on so we could get into the finals. we didn't but we had a lot of fun. i scored a bit less than a 100 and it was my personal best (from my days of duckpin bowling LOL).

it was the same for this year, we went to play a competitive fun game. and i scored my ---- my personal best:

122!

maybe next year, when i get to play again, i can score more.

or.... would anyone want to join me in a bowling game soon? :)

15 Books

1. Scarlett - Alexandra Ripley
2. The Map that Changed the World
3. Sword of Truth Series - Terry Goodkind
4. Harry Potter Series - JK Rowling
5. Love Stories of Great Men and Women
6. Greek Mythology - Edith...
7. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
8. Prince Caspian - CS Lewis
9. Voyage of the Dawn Treader - CS Lewis
10. Stardust - Neil Gaiman
and last but not least
11.  The Bible

11 books written but by count, is more than 15. Goodkind's books in the series are 11, HP's 7. :)

Prayer of Sacrifice

Good morning everyone!

I've added a prayer to the right side of my blog page. I hope you will also have to time to read through it and pray. It is one prayer that I have always liked and feels strongly with. After all, we have always struggled with sacrifices and the only one that could see us through it is God. May this prayer also move you as it always does me. It gives me comfort and I'm glad that now, I have a copy of it. :)

Again, may the prayer move you, too! :)

japan adventure - day 4

ticket to nara from keihan station

inside the train station, changing trains

i totally love japan's vending machines!

a monk just outside the kintetsu nara train station (to his left is the road going towards the deers and the todaiji temple

one of the many deers roaming freely on the streets and parks towards the todaiji temple

the temple is so near! there's the rooftop now!

and we were sadly mistaken. this was just the gate of the temple. it's so beautiful. just like in the movies where the gates are made of wood and the color is faded red and brown, weathered by time.

the entrance to the todaiji temple

(entrance fee was around 500Y)

the todaiji temple was created around the middle of 700 (conflicting dates from different sources) by an emperor. it is said that this was created so that people can be protected from epidemics and to be able to consolidate the seat of power in the area. this temple is one of the biggest wooden structure in the world.

the Daibutsu is Japan's largest bronze Buddha and is also found inside the temple

the hole in the pillar is said to be the size of the Daibutsu's nostril and whoever can pass through it will have enlightenment in their afterlife. i didn't try this though coz there were so many people lining up and we were in a hurry to leave because we were all so hungry at this time.

Tamon-ten, one of the standing Four Heavenly Kings

my lunch at this famous Italian restaurant (forgot the name, though). yummy!

would you believe that this is inside a train? we actually thought that this was our train and we were so amazed. unfortunately, there were no other people around and this made us doubt that this is a regular train so we left. we were lucky we did because we realized that if we were inside when it left, we would have to pay lotsa lots of yen for the fare! 

this was the right train! so ordinary!

for our last night at kyoto, we just had to visit the Gion district where the Geishas are. we did not see one, though we saw lots of geisha paparazzi. do you know that there are such things as them??? :) they hang around the street hoping to get a picture of a geisha coming out of the "pubs." we went and looked at the "pubs" menu and oh were they so expensive! imagine, steak for 18,000Y?! no way!

lakwatsera me on a Gion street marker. notice the geisha fan.

one of the restaurants with geisha inside 

(we know this because security is so tight, we can't even have a glimpse inside!)

09/28/10

japan adventure - day 3

the first building inside the Kinkakuji complex. just a little note: kin = gold, gin = silver.

entrance was around 300Y

Kinkakuji Temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion. if only i could sit on those wooden floor, look out the peaceful scenery everyday, i wouldn't so stressed at all!

the nearest i could get to a bullet train! they said that the fare from kyoto to tokyo is around 250USD. wow, so expensive, don't you think?

as usual, we were late in leaving the apartment so we had a late lunch (the lunch we took at the apartment was just breakfast, really). so this is my lunch for this day. rice with nori on it packed in plastic and fried chicken which we bought from a convenience store. eating this made me feel so modern japanese, while sitting on an open set of steps outside the fushimi-inari area. just like old times in UP.

the first Tori we saw as we headed to the "real" ones inside the Fushimi-inari complex

we feel like we're in the set of Memoirs of a Geisha despite the fact that we were bitten by too many monster mosquitoes at this place. my sister's legs were so red and so namaga after being bitten by them. luckily, we have brought a Katinko to relieve the itchiness, discomfort and pain. anyways, at the back of these toris are the names of the people who donated to have them built

i think these are the names of the donors in this place. all i can say is that they are beautifully written on these perfectly cut wooden blocks

oh no, oh yes! Wicked is playing in Osaka. but of course, we didn't dare watch it because it's in Japanese. would just be a waste of time. would rather watch it in english and in broadway or west end. when would that be, my guess is as good as yours.

09/28/10

japan adventure - day 2

at the bus near gen's place at ginkakuji. we're trying to learn how to read the bus times, numbers and stops :)

walking along the famous philosopher's path going towards ginkakuji (silver pavilion). they say that in spring, this place is beautiful is spectacular with the cherry blossoms

zen garden inside the silver pavilion

a wishing pond inside the ginkaku-ji 

the silver pavilion was built in the 1940s and was named not because it was covered in silver foil but because that was the initial plan

we really had to take a picture of this forest inside the complex. if only my father could see this personally, he'd be in heaven. this is one of my father's loves - beautiful forests

shijo area where we went looking for the nishiki market :) right in the middle of this place are lots of shrines!

inside the nishiki market where you can find most of japanese goods!

the best new thing i discovered at the nishiki market - vegetables in tubs of miso so they can be preserved

this is one of the street foods that got me curious at nishiki. it's an octopus stuffed with quail's egg. my friend said that in japan, most of the time, when you pick something up for a free taste, you are expected to buy that product. so unlike in the philippines when you can just grab a stick for a taste and just walk away if you don't like it.

shrines right inside the nishiki complex. i guess that if you don't look for it, you won't even notice it

my first sushi meal! this was already cheap at 220Y per plate which includes only 2 sushis

one of the best experiences in kyoto - sushi bar! although sushi are being replaced regularly on the conveyor belt, you can still order what you want on the computer beside your table. it will then be delivered by an express train on the second level conveyor belt, as anni is doing in this picture. the train even looks like a bullet train!

while waiting for my sister's friend near the keihan train station. the houses beside the river becomes a night destination in summer.

geisha statue just right beside the bridge at the keihan station (i assume it was keihan station)

this water fountain is usually found right in the entrance of any temples in japan. i once read that one must wash their hands first before going inside the temple. i noticed that some do not but for those who do, they even drank and washed their faces here!

looking towards the street from the yasaka shrine gate

for those who watched the virgin snow, where a korean guy visited kyoto, this is where the guy met the girl he fell in love with. i got my first japanese fortune here but unfortunately, nobody could read it for me because it's in japanese text!

the nearest i could get to see a japanese cemetery. this is far off the mountain behind the buddha we saw while walking towards kiyomizu-dera

going up and up and up towards the kiyomizu-dera temple. we walked so far the complex beginning from the yasaka shrine. you could imagine how tired we were by this time and we still have a lot of ground to cover. we also had to walk fast so we could make it before closing time at 5p! :) gen's famous lines for those lagging behind was: "we're near, just ten more steps." and upon arriving on the last steps, she'll then say "okay, another walk to the left, but we're near!" LOL. how our companions must have hated us! LOL.

the entrance hall of kiyomizu-dera

the famous tourist photo of the kiyomizu-dera. this stage looks like it's suspended in air

the love shrine's love stone. it's said that when you reach this rock while walking blindfolded from the opposite end, you will find your true love unaided soon. for those who needs help reaching the rock will need help in finding that one true love. the first time i tried it, i was way off and the second time, i was aided by my friends. so i guess that means i need help to find my true love, huh? :)

on our way back, we saw these people lining up for something. when we got closer, we saw that they were drinking fresh water coming way up from the mountain. as tourists, we hurriedly lined up to try it. the mugs we used, for hygiene purposes, are placed in ultraviolet containers for cleaning before being used again by the others

notice that the basement of the temple is only made out of woods that are not supported by bolts (according to my friend). it's like the original bridge of sighs at cambridge.

the kiyomizu-dera gate is so orange, don't you think?

the bus on our way back to the ginkaku-ji area :)

09/28/10