My Thoughts

After our trip to Malaysia; we took a four hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan. We had to wait an hour or so before leaving for Los Angeles (something bad happened there by the way, I’ll tell ya about it soon…) By the way, the airport in Malaysia was really cool! The flight to Los Angeles took around 18 hours; it didn’t seem that long though since I was sleeping most of the trip.

We finally arrived. We were welcomed by two friendly immigration staff. One was Pinoy! (okay, maybe I’m a bit over-reacting)… When we were checking in our luggage, my brother noticed that one of the padlocks were forcefully pried open… We were disappointed. By the time we arrived at the Alaskan airport, we noticed that 4 out of 5 of our bags locks were forcefully pried open… This time we were pissed. The four hour flight to Alaska seemed much longer than our 18 hour flight to LA.

Alaska is sooooooooo beautiful. When you leave the airport (which looks way better than Los Angeles’), the smell of incense just fills your nostrils. I take another deep breath. That smell was the smell of pine trees, and it’s everywhere! Right now, the sun set’s at 11 pm and it rises at around 2 am (how cool is that!). I’ve been walking around the city finally with the freedom my parents gave me, I can walk alone! (sometimes it’s nice to have some "me" time once in a while). Everyone here is so friendly. You can’t go to any store without at least one person saying "hi" to you. People smile everywhere and have that "twinkle" (I guess that’s one way to put it) in they’re eyes.

I started walking around at around 7 am to 9 then I went back to the hotel and took the car around the city. Breakfast here was great by the way. I started walking again at around 1:30 visiting every single art gallery in the city; one of my favorites is Artique. They have wonderful whimsical paintings eveywhere, and that’s the style I like (think Mirror Mask, if you’ve seen that movie). I arrived around 3 o’ clock.

Now, I’m back at the hotel. We’ll be visiting this place called Earthquake Park. They say it’s great for pictures. We’ll leave as soon as my mom comes back from buying gloves for our ship cruise to Canada. =)

That’s all for now, ciao!

I’m in Malaysia right now! My first impressions were… WOW
The airport was absolutely stunning. There was a free coffee machine!=P Everyone staff in the airport wore cool clothes (think of Indian royalty, haha). Everyone here’s really friendly compared with Hongkong (oh, how much I loathe that place). I had no idea that this place was really developed, you should check out the freeway; I love it! It’s like having the SRP all over the city, and people from Cebu should know what that is… Haha What I really like about this place is that girls here dress modestly (alright, call me old fashioned… grr!! =P).

I’ll try to post some pics of the place soon. We might be going to the Petronas Towers tommorow! Oh, and the girl from the front desk told me about a cool spot; it’s an entire spot completely devoted to satay! Woohoo! =D It’s called Kajang; I’ll also try to visit that on the way back from Petronas.

Sadly, we’re only staying here for a night. =( That’s because we’re leaving for Los Angeles tomorrow, then Alaska!

Malaysian food is excellent. If you’ve tried Thai cuisine, it’s something like that but it’s not too hot — it’s just right. =)

Alright, that’s about it for today. This is kind of a draft though, so I’ll try to edit it sometime.

Ciao!

The day started out with my mom waking up me up at ten in the morning; it was Tuesday. She told me we were going to the beach…  "What? We’re going to the beach? Umm… Okay! =P" I went down for breakfast, something was different though. My aunt and uncle from Manila’s here! =D The thing is we don’t have any relatives here in Cebu, so it’s a bit of a big occasion. =)

We left for Mactan at 12 and took a quick stop at Ayala before that. We took one of those bangkas (or whatever you call those native boats! The one with ‘wings’ =P). We took the boat to this restaurant situated right in the middle of the sea! And there are a lot of Koreans there. Haha We began handpicking the seafood freshly caught from the waters below us. We had some scallops, crabs, squid and some fish. My dad started complaining though about the slow service, it took us half an hour to get our beer and they weren’t even cold!

After a few minutes the food came and we finally got what we wanted… cold beer! The wait was completely worth it; nothing tastes better than fresh seafood. =D After finishing our meal, this bassist and guitarist came… Music! My uncle requested for a song, the "Magellan" song! He joined in the song; oh yeah, did I mention he’s like the "choir master"  (or however you call it) at church. Then he sang a Frank Sinatra song… He was unstoppable!

In the end, he finally finished. We went off to Bantayan! =D Since the time I woke up, I decided not to swim. Just in case, I placed my phone in the bag because I wanted to sit at one of the boat’s "wings". Here’s a pic!

That’s me hanging at the wing. =P

After sitting around, I tried walking at the edge of the wing without holding anything. Guess what? I fell! =P That’s when I decided to swim, Haha. That’s when I realised "Oh my God! I still have my wallet" Here’s a pic. That’s my wallet I’m holding =)

After the beach we went off home to rest. A few hours later, we went off to Lai Garden (home of Cebu’s best siomai =D). After a hearty meal, we went of to Aziza for a drink. I finally get to try a Singapore sling!  Haha

We ended our day with a nice massage before going to sleep… =)

Yeah, it’s really been a while since I’ve blogged.

Last Sunday, we were having our usual trip to Dumanjug. It’s south of the city and it’s on the other side of the island. Before going there, we decided to have mass in Redemptorist (since I really didn’t wanna have mass at night being all exhausted). Woah! There really are a lot of cute babies on Sunday mornings. =P Why do babies have mass that time anyway? Haha

After the mass we stopped by Fooda to grab a bag of Lays and some drinks. Then we’re off to Dumanjug. We took the SRP; I love it ’cause you can really go fast there! =D Before we leave the only cool road in Cebu, my mom just said that we’re going to Vietnam next week. "Oh cool, okay" and that was it! Then the music again took control of the car. My mom and dad didn’t even seem really surprised about our apathy. Actually, I’m okay with Vietnam. We haven’t really visited our Asian neighbors. =P

We arrive in Carcar. We had our usual lunch beside that big shoe (you can’t miss it) while my mom and dad were getting the oh so famous Carcar lechon. Honestly, I like CNT better. Haha I flipped up an entreprenuer book my mom bought. Oh yeah, I’m supposed to make a business this summer… Now what should I make? =)

Okay, now we’re done with lunch. We circled the huge roundabout; we ignored all those chicharon and ampao guys this time; we got bored of it. I’m craving for ampao now… Grr… >:( Haha My mom told us where we’re actually going. We’re going to the states this Sunday. I don’t know. I don’t really feel excited for some reason. I want to go experience other cultures. Where in the world can’t I see American culture?! Just go to MTV and you’re in. I wanna’ go to Morroco or Turkey or something. Not the states. I don’t think it would really be surprising that we gave the same response like last time… "Oh cool, okay".

In Dumanjug, we stopped by this German restaurant. I can’t say it’s the best looking place I’ve been to, but it’s really homey — the province kind of homey. This guy actually makes his own drinks! And they taste great.

So we’ve finally arrived to our destination. A two hour long trip for five minutes of respect to our dead grandparents.

On coming back, we decided to eat at that German restaurant I’ve mentioned. The food’s actually good. And I’ve said, it’sn’t exactly the best looking place ever. I still like Boruschia (if that’s how you spell it!) a lot better. Maybe it’s because we always bring wine, and our wine glasses!

After the long trip, I arrived home. That’s when I started making a script for my religion project (thank God I didn’t have to make the movie though!)

That’s about it. Oh yeah, I have a new haircut. =P

I’ve just created a new concoction of rhum coke! It tastes great actually =).

Here’s the recipe:
1 cup                         coke
1-2 tbsp                     rhum
1 drop                         vanilla extract
1/4-1/8 tsp              nutmeg

It’s simple but it tastes great. I think people drink rhum coke because of the vanilla flavor in rhum; they just don’t know it!

The past few days have been good and bad.

I’ve received a letter from my penpal in Denmark. =D I’ve slept at 1 am just to make another batch of letters to my penpals in Slovakia, Denmark and Japan. Nothing can replace personal good ‘ol handwriting. There’s always something very special in every stroke. That means the 1 o’ clock was worth it!

Our trip to Busay was alright. Although, it was better the last time. That morning, I packed up my stuff for the trip. At that time, I’ve recently learned a really quick Japanese shirt folding technique. It was even from Queer Eye! By the way, I’m not gay. Entering the school, I first saw Andrew, Dennis and James at their usual waiting spot — the bench. I asked, "Where’s everybody?"; "They left na". I was surprised since I was just 15 minutes late ("just" in my standards!). They were leaving also, they just were waiting for something. They’ve mentioned that Mr. Langahin needs a ride; so I’ve waited a couple of minutes, then we left. As we went up, he was talking about the college courses I plan to take. I want to take up business and culinary arts. We just kept discussing about the possible colleges and its courses. UA & P seems to be my first choice.

We’ve finally reached it. As I went down everybody was setting things up and sir asked to bring the stuff down from my car. I helped set up the tents and took some pictures (for our school newspaper) right after piling up our bags.

At the middle of everything. The "bell" rang (if you consider glass and spoons one). The TAAS meeting was about to start. We entered a dim room lit by its chandelier in the middle and some of it’s light outside. Everybody sat at the chairs at room’s walls. We all faced the table at its center. It was kinda’ short. We just were discussing about what to do today and tomorrow after praying the rosary.

When the afternoon was coming to a close, everything was all at its place. Now it’s time to cook! We brought barbeques, ribs and soda. Dennis and I tried to light up some charcoal, and we did (after almost an hour)!

The rain came pouring in and now our tents were all wet! I could hear shouting everywhere and I also donated my fair share. =P What was great was the teamwork we all gave. Everything was all very well coordinated. We’ve managed to move our tents and fit a roof over it. Then we worked together to clean up the inside. We were all soaking wet after that. Now’s the perfect time to use the Japanese shirt folding technique. =P

The While the people were cooking, a few of us started talking about philosophy. It was actually interesting. I was arguing over whether freedom reallys exists. The question that really irked the group was "Can you kill your own mother?". That seems simple enough, but I had to make it harder by saying "You will, if there is a cause". Everyone answered "yes". I answered the same reply more than 10 times, so you can imagine how aggravated they were!

Dinner was ready. Everybody was at the table outside the house except me and the few people who were talking back there. We were playing billiards. =P We ate after most of them left the table. Everybody was getting ready to sleep in the house except us who were sleeping at the tent. We stayed up all night listening to the i-pod and drinking soda. We were waiting till morning to drink some beer. When morning finally arrived, we bought some Tanduay and some Coke since there wasn’t any beer. I ended up sleeping after that, while everyone else were wide awake.

Since it rained that night, we couldn’t climb up the mountain. This is why the other trip was alot better. Anyways’… we ended up cooking all our food. That meant that there were piles of food on the table (okay, maybe I’m kinda’ exaggerating). While we waited for our car, we played some poker. lol

Well that’s our trip. I just gave this blog a less personal touch. I’m experimenting on other styles for the Surfing Times (our school newspaper)!

Last week, our class was in Manila. It’s too bad that I couldn’t come along. =( That meant that I’d be left alone with only one classmate. All I did was stay in the library the whole day (partially because of the air conditioning =P). On friday, I’ve decided to be absent. Finally I could relax! I was reading and listening to music all day and some chatting in between.

I made some scones that day and they were really good! Imagine bread with a milky buttery taste. Then we drove to the dentist to have my braces adjusted. I asked him when can I take my braces of and he realised that I finally can! What’s weird’s that I expected my world to change. Instead, familiarity just came back that instant. It felt as if I never wore braces in my life. There wasn’t any new sensation. It’s neither a good thing or a bad thing anyway. What was really different is when I looked at the mirror.

The next day was Justin’s birthday party. I first met up with Jane for some coffee, then I went to Parklane for the party. The food was good for a buffet. =) After that, we played at 460 for 4 hours. I met up with Hannah and Jane with her friends to watcha movie. Then we had some coffee before we go out clubbing (yeah, I’m actually suprised that I did that).

The next day (yesterday) was really great. =D A popular chef was going to do a show in Ayala. Maybe you’ve seen that Rocco ad? I’ve learned alot of good tips from him and I even had a picture with his autograph! Here’s a pic…

Here’s the autograph. The other’s "photoshoped" ’cause he mispelled my name!

Here’s the unedited one…

This ad might seem familiar…

That’s about it! I’m really happy =D lmao

Ciao!

It’s been anothe long time since I’ve written here. Anywayz’, I’ll be quick. I’ve have a few things to do and a few things to pack before I go there.

It’s a trip organised by our club. The club’s called TAAS, meaning… Oh no, I forgot the meaning! I remember that one of those "A’s" mean "alternative". lol, oh well.

We’ll be meeting up at school in an hour’s time. I’ll be donating one of our cars to bring us up (the multicab! =P). Everybody’s obliged to bring food for the trip and share ‘em. I’ll be bringing some rhum as well.

The last time I’ve been there was awesome. That was, I think, two years back. Some of us sleep in tents and some at the house — bother overlooking the city. I remember at the tent, a couple of us would making some howling noises, and the cool thing is that the other dogs do the same! We’ve climbed a mountain to a shrine. The mountain was completely unpaved and at that time, it was completely muddy. A few didn’t even want to continue. The half an hour climb as well worth it. I’d say it was the best view you can see of the city. The huge stone shrine of our Lady stood at the hill’s top. There was no trace of civilsation around it, with the exception of the statue. We carefully crossed this barbed-wire fence to get a better scenery. After a few prayers, we climbed back down the slippery slope. The trip took around 2 hours. We were welcomed by the streets of the Ayala Heights and those huge grass-like plants which some of us took home. After that, found myself in a marathon run with someone, lol.

That’s the story of my previous trip. =) I hope that it would be better than the last time! I think we’ll be climbing the highest peak in Cebu this time.

Oh yeah, I’m the school’s journalist for this trip. I’ll be posting about the trip in the school newspaper. I was also the TAAS photographer that time. I’m not sure about now though. I’m still going to take some photos for the newspaper.

Well, that’s about it.

Ciao!

The week’s been pretty interesting…

Last Friday, we’ve watched this play. The name of the play’s
Doubt. The acting was remarkable (for my standards at least =P). It was
about this priest in conflict with this conservative (and extremely
cranky) nun, whom I find very annoying throughout the play. I’m not
going to tell anything else. It might spoil the story!

I also
forgot to mention that my dad bought a new car. It’s a Chevy
Trailblazer. The seat’s comfy and the speakers are great. You can
actually here those minute sounds which you tend to neglect.

This
school year kinda’ sucks though since they took out Badminton Club.
:’< This year I’m thinking of going back to soccer club. I’m still
not very good, but I’ve just realised that I should be playing for the
fun of it! By the way, Italy will win this World Cup (I have a gut
feeling). I had a gut feeling that Brazil would be out and I was right!
I’ll be watching at Wine Shop for the finals… =>

I’ve also
developed this interest in cooking the past month. It’s really fun.
It’s also true that it tastes much better when you cook it yourself.
=> I’ll try to post pics next time of what I’ve cooked.

Just
a few days ago, I’ve just received a letter from a pen pal in Denmark.
I just love the feeling of holding something that came thousands of
miles where it’s from. Handwriting has this warm touch that computers
can never replace.

Yesterday, we ate at Mizukami’s house. We did a commercial for him on his restaurant. Maybe you remember "Tabe ho dai
means ‘eat all you can’ in Japanese". =P I was still cooking, so my mum
and dad left earlier. I couldn’t resist though, so I just stopped
half-way when I left. As I entered, I just suddenly bowed. It was
automatic! Looks like my Karate formalities still exist. =P The food
was great. The ingredients were extremely simple, yet they still tasted
great. After the meal, we asked Mizukami if he wanted to go to D’vine; it’s this wine shop near Metro Sports. My dad chose this wine with a picture of a crane. It’s a Cabernet sauvignon
from Cali. It’s very light-bodied for a Cabernet. So from 10 o’clock to
around 1 am, I was just lounging around with some wine and familiar
faces (they can sometimes be creepy ;p).

Finally today, I
continued the dish I’ve stopped half-way; people eating it loved it.
=> I’ve left for Ayala at three just for Kumon
(which can sometimes be annoying). At the end, it payed off. Since my
dad was just around, he picked us up then we went straight to Kagura.
They were going to make a commercial for the restaurant. Hey I’m in
another commercial! After shooting the commercial, the restaurant
offered this ocean of sashimi, sushi and alot others. =D The tea there’s excellent, try it when you’re there.

I’ve also found my old collection of National Geographic Magazines. I have a couple of them published in 1931! That’s before the second World War. I like the feeling that these magazines existed before Anne Frank wrote to Kitty (her diary =>).

Ahh… So that’s what’s been happening for the week. (We might be going to that German restaurant again tomorrow =>)

Ciao!

I’m being grounded right now. So if you want to contact me, please just relay it to someone I know or someone at school. I cant use the PC or my mobile right now (and I even shouldn’t).

Ciao!