December trip

We've been planning to go on a trip ever since we realized it's more than 2 months since our last trip. For 2009 we have been travelling almost every two months. It took us awhile to decide on where to go and we made last minute reservation for a plane ticket from Beijing to Hangzhou then from Shanghai to Beijing.

The plane out of Beijing was located in the outskirts of Beijing. Only China United Airlines doesn't use the Beijing Int'l Airport. Kinda like Tiger Airways in Subic. We got to Hangzhou early in the morning but took a couple of hours getting lost walking around looking for our hotel. Their website boasted that its near the infamous West Lake but of course you can't take everything they say - that we've learned the hard way.

Our first impression of Hangzhou is pretty negative. It's pretty scary place for pedestrians. The cars don't stick to their lanes and hogs the bike lane. The bikes have no choice but to take over the pedestrian lane.

Cabs in Hangzhou are like those in Manila. Don't bother riding first then telling the cabbie where you'e goin..instead, tell them where you're goin then wait for them to agree that they can take you. It's no fun especially during winter time.

West Lake, Hangzhou CH

West Lake is huge and packed with restaurants around it. We just managed to spend our late afternoon to early evening going around West Lake before we booked a tour to Wuzhen water town the next day.

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Wuzhen water townWuzhen Water Town Scenic Area, Wuzhen CH

The group's okay if you can tolerate being herded to deserted shopping malls and silk factories as part of the tour. The water town was nice. It kinda reminded me of Manila when it's flooded. It's like Ilog Pasig minus the basura. There are people still living in this town and they have resorted to selling souvenirs and displaying their laundry outside their anciient windows for all the world to see.
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ShanghaiOriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai CH

It's true what other people were saying that you can go around Shanghai in a day. The best one would be the glass observation deck in the Oriental Pearl TV tower. We'd recommend going through the Bund Sight Seeing Tunnel but please just purchase the one way ticket.Bund Sight Seeing Tunnel

Nanjing road - famous shopping street

I didn't really have fear of heights but I actually hesitated when I saw the glass floor which lets you see the city below. It took me a couple of tries and managed to get to the edge by not looking down.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower observation deck

We went to almost all the tourist spots on our first day that we had a hard time finding other places to go. We just went to the Old Shanghai street to buy some souvenirs. I didn't really get to shop save for a cheap leather bag I got in Wuzhen and 3 new scarves to add to my collection. Lol..

Old Shanghai Street

We were so beat once we got out of the Old Shanghai street so we just decided to have a late lunch at a restaurant in Xintiandi. We didn't want to walk some more so we decided to get our stuff from the hotel, take the subway to the Maglev train station. You get a 10kuai discount when riding the Maglev train if you show them your plane ticket. The ride took around 8mins so we were at the airport at around 4.30pm...WAAAY too early for our 8pm flight back to Beijing.

My parents used the money they got for early retirement to fully renovate our house. We should have put up a 2nd floor.

I have been feeling a little guilty when I've ignored my mom's messages on YM the week before Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) struck. I was feeling a bit of a recluse and didn't want to talk to anyone. That Saturday morning I was busy exchanging SMS with the local police about my residence permit. I just got back from the police station when I saw a whole lotta tweets about the typhoon and how some areas were starting to get flooded.

I stayed glued in front of my laptop checking the news and Julius Babao's tweets proved to be a big help during that time. When I finally heard that almost all of Cainta was submerged, I immediately tried calling our landline and my mom's cell but couldn't reach anyone. As the news started escalating and I was listening to DZMM's live streaming, I was so crazy with worry not being able to get in touch with anyone from my family. Our house didn't have a second floor so if the news says houses were submerged then it really scared me.

I saw a ray of hope when I finally saw my uncle (who lives near my parents) go online. Turned out he got stuck in the office and couldn't get home. That's where I heard the news that my siblings and helper were the only ones home and they weren't able to save anything because the water rose quickly they had no choice but to evacuate. They had to go over the wall at the side of our house and walk across neighbors roofs to get to the one house kind enough to offer them shelter. I cried at that instance - thankful that I finally got word on what's happening and at the same time helpless because I'm so far away to help. My parents were stuck somewhere in Bataan and had to stay there for the night.

That whole weekend I wasn't able to get in touch with anyone from my family. It was only my uncle whom I was able to speak with coz my mom would SMS him once in a while just to check on things. I was so scared my siblings won't have any food and honestly I was so devastated that our only house was destroyed. My books..my books! It was the only collection I treasured above all things and I can't accept that Ondoy destroyed everything.

I couldn't eat and had to force myself to sleep during that weekend. It wasn't until Tuesday that I finally got in touch with my mom. Thankfully I didn't cry but I can clearly hear how shocked my mom was that all our stuff are gone and we have to start from scratch.

I told her it didn't matter as long as they're all safe. Already a lot of friends came to our house to give food, clothing and stuff to sleep on, and some even helped clean our house. I gotta say, in spite of all the bad things people say about the Philippines, in times of crises, heroes emerge and people unite to help those in need.

In spite of what happened, I'm so so so thankful that none got hurt. It taught my family to stay strong and believe that together we will be able to rebuild what was lost.

New Fascinations

Last Saturday, we decided to get a foot massage and cupping. Clearly this was my first time to try it here in China. I only get treated every time I'm in Manila coz I know it's safe. As for the cupping, curiosity got the best of me.If you double click on the picture above, you'll see that the prices are really cheap. But notice the 'Maintenance Renal' treatment. I had to suppress my laugh and asked my Chinese friend, Susy what it meant. The treatment is something for the kidneys - 'nuff said.

We had the foot massage for 28RMB ($4) and the cupping treatment for the same price. Really cheap considering that it's fairly hard to find a reputable place (that doesn't require you to pay an arm and a leg) like these that doesn't offer "extra services".

Photo courtesy of Essence Health

Cupping refers to an ancient Chinese practice in which a cup is applied to the skin and the pressure in the cup is reduced (by using change in heat or by suctioning out air), so that the skin and superficial muscle layer is drawn into and held in the cup.

Photo courtesy of Learn Acupuncture

The picture above does look scary when you think about but it felt like being given kiss marks. Teehee. Once the 14 cups were on my back, I could hardly move. They leave the cups for 15 minutes then you end up with circular marks on your back. It definitely alleviated some of the back pains I was having plus my back looks like Keanu Reeves' in the Matrix. The marks or subcutaneous bruising will be gone in about a weeks' time.

They say that the part of your back with darker bruising mean it's your problem area and that the cup was able to remove a lot of 'bad' or 'cold' air.

===I'm a late bloomer when it comes to puzzles. Just last Sunday, we managed to buy some real cheap 3d puzzles. I managed to finish the 3d puzzle of the Great Wall of China in one sitting.

Someone told me that puzzles aren't supposed to be finished in one sitting but I'm excused as this is the first time I'm doing it. As of writing, I was already able to finish a 3d puzzle version of the Tiananmen Sqaure and St. Basil's Cathedral.

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I got this notebook from the Toy Market just behind HongQiao Market. They sell really cute notebooks but this was the one I bought.

I haven't written on it yet as I'm having a hard time thinking on what to write lest I waste this pretty pretty notebook.

I'm thinking to use this instead once I finally go and study Chinese with Hazel.

Wanderlust

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” - Jawaharial Nehru

Great Wall Bike Challenge Aug09

Click here to view these pictures larger

We joined this event last Saturday, Aug 22.

It was mandatory to wear helmets so we had to rent one just to be safe. At first, I found it hard to do the uphill cycle, I even ended up walking my bike on the first hill we got to. But after I learned how to adjust the gears on my bike depending on the terrain we're tackling, I managed to cycle both uphill and downhill without any problems.

I found the downhill cycle the best. At first I was too careful, always making sure I have my hand on the breaks specially when tackling sudden curves on the road. But after a while, I got used to the speed and ended up enjoying myself.

It was hella hard but getting two shades darker and muscles aching was all worth it. I consider this a challenge I was able to conquer. Jia-you!

BENEFITS OF CYCLING: (http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/cycling_ttgw.htm)

Clean air - Cycling is non-polluting and can help us breathe easier. Much of the pollutants and irritants in the air are the result of fossil fuel emissions and can cause serious health problems

, including asthma, irritation of the lungs, bronchitis, pneumonia, decreased resistance to respiratory infections, and even early death. These health risks are accentuated in children. When people ride bikes instead of driving cars, everyone’s health benefits.

Ease of incorporating it into your life - Cycling generally does not involve a steep learning curve and a lot of expensive equipment (beyond a bike and a helmet, other cycling gear is optional). In most areas, you can cycle year-round, and build it into your daily routine by cycling to work and to do errands. Most people can continue cycling indefinitely. This means that you will be more likely to stick with cycling long-term, and lead a healthier life.

Exposure to sunlight - Vitamin D generated from 15 minutes of sunshine a day can help prevent prostate cancer, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. (Note: Too much sun, however, increases the risk of skin cancer.)

Improved cardiovascular fitness - Cycling strengthens the heart, which improves blood circulation and reduces blood fat levels and resting pulse. Riding as little as 30 minutes every other day meets the American Heart Association’s recommendations for a healthy heart.

Increased joint movement and less pounding - Cycling reduces the risk of arthritis (or inflammation of the joints) caused by worn out cartilage. Exercises like running put more stress on joints and break down cartilage, especially in the knees. Cycling is gentler on joints and can actually strengthen them because the cycling motion provides nourishment that builds up cartilage.

More active lifestyle - Cycling (and other exercise) combats the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle, which increases the risks of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and respiratory ailments. All of these diseases can be prevented - even reversed - with regular exercise. Further, regular exercise increases the heart’s ability to pump blood even when you are sitting still.

Reduced back pain

- Cycling (and other exercise) provides nourishment that discs in the spine need for development. The large muscles in the back develop and become stronger. And cycling strengthens the small muscles that support individual vertebrae.

Stress reduction - Moderate exercise, including cycling, reduces stress, which leads to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Stronger immune system - Moderate exercise causes a boost in the immune system by increasing the production of cells that attack bacteria. Going for an easy ride can even make you feel better when you have mild cold symptoms without fever.

Sweating - Cycling causes most people to sweat, which is good for you because you sweat out toxins and (ideally) replace lost liquids with clean water.

Weight loss and fitness - Exercise, like cycling, burns calories, raises the metabolic rate, and builds muscle tone, so you burn more calories while at rest. This can combat the well-documented effects of obesity, including increased risk of disease and early death.

Update 1:
I finally bought a VPN access to finally be able to access most of the blocked sites over here. It sucks but I'm thankful that there are services that offer such.
I can finally be connected to the world without having to access free but pop-ups full proxy like Hotspotshield.

Update 2:
Work's getting shittier by the day. I want to move on but the chances for finding a decent job that will let me come to work whatever time I want and be the boss is hella impossible. So I'm doing the next option, which is to save up and deal with countless bullshit every frikkin' day.
I now see weekends like someone seeing a lush green spot amidst a heartless desert.

Update 3:
This is me being sporty. I'll be joining the Great Wall Bike Challenge this weekend together with some of my buddies who also love cycling. The event was set up by the same group that organized the Beijing Green Train event we also attended.
We'll have the option to choose which routes we would want to cycle to: Novice (7km), Challenge (13.5km), and Experienced (13.5km +). I think we will try the Challenging route and take it from there.

Last weekend, we decided to do some practice and went to Wukesong from Dongzhimen. It's approximately 30km to and from the area. I can say it was a lotta fun as I wasn't dead tired compared to the first time we went there. I got scorched pretty bad but it was worth it.


It's the little joys that makes life bearable.

Weak

Fear of the unknown has been keeping me sleep deprived as of late.

I could be known to have a carefree attitude but deep down I know there is always that desire to have whatever I'll be doing next planned out.

The other night I was doing just that; hands propped behind my head while staring at the overhead light. I was trying to make a mental list of what I need to do and where I need to be in a few month's time. Major decisions are always the hardest to make. So naturally, I came up with nothing.

Then a voice inside me spoke and whispered:
"Where you are now, who you are with, and what you have become all happened because of the decisions and choices you have made - good or bad. Don't-be-scared."

It made me pause. I started thinking back (it really took a lot of mental back tracking) and realized that it's true. All that happened in the past, it all led to where I am now, it led me to the person holding my hands now, and have led me to be the person I am today.

I smiled knowing that I should no longer feel scared. No matter what happens tomorrow or in a few months/years, may it be good or bad, it will all lead to whatever is written down for me.

"Let Your Will Be Done".

New Passion

We started on borrowed bikes and we realized it felt nice to see a different side of Beijing; one that is not normally seen when on foot or in a car..

I think the last time I rode a bike was back when I was still in high school. I remember my summers filled with trips to my friends' home so we can go around the neighborhood on bikes. I used to bike to my high school friends' house whenever my boyfriend was visiting me at home. I know I was mean back then but that's not the topic of this blog so let's continue..

Since it has been a long time that I rode a bike, I was quite surprised that I didn't even waggle during my first attempt. We started biking towards short distances like the supermarket but we quickly advanced to going to our usual weekend haunts that takes us 40mins to an hour to cycle to.

I even managed to cycle to and from work this week. It took me 40 minutes since I was trying to gauge if it's faster to go through the ring road. I'm proud to say that today it took me only 30mins to cycle home from work today.

I am officially hooked. Cycling is the perfect way to avoid public transporation during the swine flu outbreak, save money and get some exercise without having to spend money enrolling in the gym. Yey!

Inner Mongolia (Da Stupids 2009 Invasion)

I am happy to announce that I've finally crossed out one item on my Bucket List with our recent trip to Inner Mongolia - Sleep in a yurt, visit the grasslands and sand slide in the Kubuqi desert. 

Our day started with a 1-hr flight from Beijing to Hohhot on a Friday morning.  We got the earliest because it's the cheapest.  The roundtrip ticket only cost around 740CNY which was a landslide choice compared to the 600++ overnight trip by train.  Our tour guide SMSed me saying she's at the arrival area wearing a pink cap.  She then took us to a "3 star" hotel; which to our opinion was more like a "no star" motel sae for the hot water in the shower.

We are to spend 3 days in Inner Mongolia but the tour we took will only start the following day, Saturday and Sunday, which means we had the whole day to explore the city by ourselves. 

Using Inner Mongolia's 2007 map we got for free at the Hohhot Int'l Airport, we first went to the Five Pagoda by taxi.  Flag down is at 6CNY so majority of our city tour, except for the trip to the airport, only had us shelling out 10CNY each time.  The 5 Pagoda was right smack in the center of modern structures and was smaller inside but was impressive. (Pictures are the two on top and the one in the middle left)

Pressed for time, we took pictures then scurried to our next stop - Dazhao lamasery which is the largest temple and oldest building in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia being built at 1580.  We didn't spend that much time inside as we have seen our share of temples and lamasery in Beijing (Yonghegong Lama Temple).  So we just headed outside in search of a restaurant.  One thing we

 realized when travelling is that one should also research on decent places to eat and not just

 research on which places to visit.  This lesson was learned the hard way when we had to walk

 several blocks before we were able to find the whole strip of restaurants. 

 Our last stop for our first day was at the Inner Mongolia Museum.  It was frickin' huge!  Just walking around different rooms with different dioramas and displays really killed our feet.  I was nearly dragging myself back to our hotel.  To prove how spent we were, we slept at 5pm until the next morning.  Lol!

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It took us 2 hours to get to the grasslands.  We had to squeeze ourselves in a van to join 6 more people joining the tour.  It was well worth it because the scene that welcomed us was so vast and serene that you'll almost forget that you're in China.  Locals in their native outfits welcomed us with drinks.  We were told by our guide to accept it with our right hand and we were not obliged to drink everything.  

We also realized how under dressed we were when it was still a couple of degrees below 10 a

nd the locals were staring at us since we were wearing "tokongs", shorts, and thin

 jackets.  Uh-oh..and we're supposed to stay overnight?  Yay!

Activities like horse back riding and ATV were available to go around the different tourist spots in the grasslands.  We decided to just walk around and take pictures.  The yurts they were offering for us to stay have two kinds: one is the standard yurt where 5-6 people can sleep (doesn't include a WC so it was a deal breaker for me); the second one looked more like a hotel (with normal beds, TV, small coffee table, and WC) and one has to shell out 70CNY/pax.  

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We were up early the next day and had the traditional Mongolia breakfast of boiled eggs, mantao, and porridge.  We were all advised to stock up on food because our trip to the desert will take 5 hours - 2 hours to go back to the city proper then 3 more hours to go to the Kubuqi

desert.

We drove by a bridge that stands above the Yellow river.  The rest of the trip wasn't that boring because of the scenes we were seeing outside.  The picture above was a shot outside our van.  Can you see those 3 round specks in the distance?  It turned out to be a huge storage facility.  Everything is big here in China. 

We stopped at the starting point of the desert.  We all rented sand shoes to help us trek in the sand and for our shoes to stay sand-free (almost).  Rental of the shoes was at 10CNY, while the entrance fee was 60CNY.  They had us choose which vehicle we want to ride.  Our tour group opted to ride the monster truck.  Apart from the occasional lug because it was a challenge driving it up the sand hills, it was a pretty bumpy but awesome ride.  The desert was so quiet apart from the monster truck's noise, our group's collective "ooohs and aaaah", and occasional screams when the truck had to go on huge drops.  It was like riding a rollercoaster only slower.  

Apple and I promised that we won't miss out on riding the camels.  Well, it was pretty stinky and scary trying to hold on to the camel's hump (ewww).  I had a hard time balancing myself and concentrating on holding on everytime the camel had to trudge up/down sand hills.  So I wasn't able to take pictures while on top of the camel.  Boohoo.  Our trip back astride the beast was a nightmare because the track near the camp was littered with camel poo and there were little insects hanging on to our caps.  It was torture because I couldn't swipe at them because my hands were stinky.  

The highlight of our trip to the desert was the sand slide. For only 15CNY, you get to sit on a make shift sand board and get pushed from a scary height.  You get to choose whether you want to go down fast or slow.   I muttered some profanity and went for the fast slide.  I didn't fall down and rolled over but I sure tasted some crunchy sand.  Yummy.

Finally!  Da Stupids will be going on their first trip for 2009 - INNER MONGOLIA!

Felt like a long time since we last rampaged around China.  We are sooo ready to get lost in Mongolia!

S-T-O-K-E-D!!!!

Trip Home

My vacation last March was the most fruitful and most fun compared to my past trips.  Mainly because I was able to do a lot and I even managed to go to the beach during my two-week stay.

First week:

- During my first week, I managed to get my hair cut.  No rebond done this time as I decided to stick with the cheaper Hair Strengthening thing they have in China - the effects are actually the same and I didn't hafta wait until I can get back to Manila.  

-I met up with Chin because she went with me to POEA (to do my OFW thing) and we headed off to Croc Grill at Shangri-la to have a couple of drinks with Jey, Elma, Jo, and Marlon.  I was finally reunited with San Mig Light.  Beer in China pales in comparison to our beers back home.

-That weekend, we headed off to our 4-day trip to Boracay with my bitches Emer and Vianca, Jhon and Benz, Hazel and Mike.  We had a blast doing the reef walking, island hopping, paraw sailing, sipping margaritas and lounging by the beach in the afternoon..and of course, stuffing our faces with food.  Walang diet diet..vacation nga eh!

I went home with a weird sun burn on my face.  It looked like not putting on sunblock on our last day and buying pasalubongs along D'Mall was the culprit...I got scorched while still wearing my sunglasses.  I looked like a raccoon. Yay.  But it was all worth it.  Although Boracay is way commercialized now than 3 or 5 years ago, my 4th trip there will still be one for the books.  I had a great time with friends. 

2nd Week:

- I managed to have dinner with my college barkada: Preggy Sasa, Cathy and Budot.  We initially decided to have dinner at Grilla at Libis but when I got there before 6pm, it was still closed so I ended up waiting for them at the Old Spaghetti House.  I had a great time catching up with them and reminiscing about our old college days.  After our dinner, Sasa already went ahead because she's still on house arrest because of her delicate pregnancy.  Cathy, Budot and I went up to Grilla to have margaritas to end the night.  

 - I was also able to play catch up with old Macromedia/Adobe friends.  I actually felt sorry because I wasn't able to advise everybody about the dinner.  I just managed to message a few that I'm still in contact with using Facebook.  I told everyone that dinner will be at Gerry's Grill Glorietta 5 and we actually got there first at 7pm.  Nakalimutan ko na Filipino time pala itong mga friends ko so we ended up waiting until almost 8pm. 

Ian was the first to arrive and the others started trickling in.  We ended up taking up most of the tables in the resto because our group ended up with 14 people in attendance.  I had a blast talking about old times especially now that Adobe CS has announced that support will be transferred to a different company.  Some of these people I last saw about 3 years ago when I left the company to work for Dell.  

- And last but not the least, my ultimate reason for coming home last March - my brother's graduation.  Again, I am a proud ate.  I feel like a proud parent watching my brother go up on stage to receive his diploma.  Nakapag pa graduate na din ako sa wakas!

My being away actually helped me be closer to my family.  It rings true when they say distance makes the heart grow fonder.  After 2 or so hours braving the hot humid temperature on the grounds of San Beda, we headed off to Max's Restaurant for our family celebration.  My siblings are far taller than me.  Blame scoliosis.  At least I don't look like I'm actually the eldest.  HEhe. 

So there you go, I'm actually still too lazy to do a decent post but I hope the photos taken by my polaroid will suffice.

Til my next trip home...

Sucks

I'm scheduled to fly back to Manila on the 17th this month. I'm going home because I wanted to be there during my brother's graduation. Nakapag pagraduate din ako sa wakas! Now I know what parents feel when their kids graduate.

I have plotted my schedule so that I get to see the people I want to see and do enough stuff (BORACAY) before I go back to Beijing. Some were even scheduled a month or so before!

Unfortunately, my brother just told me that their graduation will be moved to the 31st. My flight back to Beijing will be on the 30th. What the f***! I already asked the person who booked my flight and they said I have to pay at least 14k Php to have my flight moved.

It f*!@*** sucks.

I hate San Beda for changing the graduation date at the last minute. Don't they know that some of the students' close relatives will be coming home just to see their loved ones march and receive their diplomas?!!?!

Grrrrnessss! Hate it! Hate it!


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EDITED: 13Mar
My mom just told me this morning that San Beda changed the Graduation date (AGAIN) and reverted to original one. Woot!! That means I get to attend it! Baka maraming parents ang nagreklamo - including my mom. It was a good thing I didn't force myself to shell out money just for my return flight to be moved.

Thank you, Lord!

Tracks

For those who loves music, I bet there's an event or a person, or simply a memory that comes up whenever you hear certain songs.

That's why I decided to write down the albums and soundtracks that have been an "integral part" of what I am today. They were silent witnesses to my not-so-pathetic existence.

1. Jennifer Paige album (Stranded, Sober, Always You, etc.)
I think I got this from Trina, a former colleague from Sykes. I remember listening to the whole album during my Baguio trip. I remember using a portable CD player that was tucked carefully inside my bag during the whole trip. I was alone and Jennifer Paige kept me company. She kept me sane during the whole 8-hr bus ride. That's why I'll never forget her.

2. Sean Paul track (Get busy)

I have fond memories whenever I hear this song. It somehow managed to propel me from being just a normal boring person to a drunk, crazy girl dirty dancing the pole in the bars of Boracay as well as Puerto Galera with Chin. We even had our own dance moves. Lol! *sigh

Beach + (lotsa) Drinks + pole = Pole dancing

3. Shanice track (Fall for you)

This song manages to produce a collective sigh and a giggle whenever I hear it. My bitches (Emer and Vianca) and I were at a beach somewhere in Subic. Vianca's cool mom and kids were with us so we only started drinking after we all had dinner and the kids were getting ready for bed.
After a couple of drinks by the veranda overlooking the ocean, we started singing along to the tunes we were hearing from the portable cd player we brought along. When it played "Fall for you" by Shanice, Vianca and I started doing an interpretative dance (ala Moymoy Palaboy). It cracked us up big time we decided to do a repeat and recorded it. Laugh trip, ever. I still have the video and I can prove that we have been doing it even before Moymoy Palaboy started. =P

4. Plumb and Sarah Mclachlan albums
These two remind me of Jarjar and Sam when we watched Plumb's concert at the Rockwell tent. Twin and I shared the same taste in music, it was weird sometimes. Kaya nga Twin eh. The old blog layouts I had were all inspired by these two artists/band. I even asked LG, my former colleague from Sykes to use her magic in Photoshop to come up with the layout shown above. It was the blog layout I used and kept the longest - for the fact that it was nice and I was so lazy to update it.

5. Grey's Anatomy and Smallville Sountrack

These two soundtracks really helped me get through my first few months here in Beijing. They kept me company while I learned to commute; they comforted me when I got so confused hearing Chinese people speak all around me (a.k.a. culture shock); they served as a good cover whenever a local would talk to me (I just pretended I didn't hear them - it was better than fainting); they were with me during my first lame attempts of using sign language and barok Chinese to communicate with the locals. They were also with me during the time I had to celebrate my first Christmas and New Year away from home, family and friends.

6. Fall Out Boy album (Folie à Deux)
I wasn't a big fan of Fall Out Boy. I initially just wanted to download the "I don't care" single but decided to just download the whole album. I loved it. It's dark, it has angst, it's cool how majority of the songs' title doesn't have anything to do with the song. It perfectly suited my melancholy phase last January.
I particulary liked the track "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes" because again, the title wasn't mentioned in the song, and I loved the lyrics as it was "so Me" during that time.


I have countless album/songs but these are just a few of the special ones that does something more than what it's intended to be.

50 Questions

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, Melissa from the tv show Little House on the Prairie and Anne from St. Anne.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Last Valentine's day

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
No, although I'm proud to say that I'm ambidextrous - I can write with my left and right hands. It goes the same when working the chopstix.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Beef

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Hopefully someday

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Of course, who doesn't want to be friends with me? My friends say I'm charming..lol!

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Oh yes!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Maybe..if somebody pushes me if I'm too chicken to jump.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
kellogg's frosties

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I don't wear shoes with laces.

12. WHERE IS/ARE YOUR FAVORITE PLACE(S) TO VISIT?
Hong Kong. I'm planning to visit Cambodia and Egypt (Thanks to Tina for inspiring me!)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Nothing in particular..depends on my mood.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
How they talk and how they look like while talking.

15. RED OR PINK?
Peeeeenk. Would you believe...

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
my being a crybaby

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
old friends

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
I don't feel like tagging anyone, but if they're in the mood I'll prolly tag Chin, Jar, Apple, and Tina.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
dark blue denim and snow boots - there was snow this morning

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Just Dance - Lady Gaga

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
pink..I'm so gay.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Armani White, Miracle by Lancome, Kenzo for men, and Versace for men - yea, I prefer cologne's for men. I'm weird like that.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
my boss.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I got this from Facebook

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Tennis, Basketball and synchronized swimming

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown...red..I don't know anymore. I have to visit a parlor soon.

28. EYE COLOR?
hazel brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, my left eye is so sensitive now. It's because I wear eyeliner back in college and was so lazy to wash my face afterwards..it got irritated.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
I've a lot

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Scary movies

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Bee movie - Star Movies

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Black

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter..so I can wear boots..and go snowboarding...yipppeee

35. BOXERS OR BRIEFS?
boxers

36. HUGS OR KISSES?
both - kiss sabay hug

37. FAVORITE DESSERT?
home baked cookies and leche flan

38. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
dunno

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
don't care, really

40. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
David Eddings - Polgara the Sorceress (ebook)
Simon Green - Nightside (audiobook)

41. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
my right hand?

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
American Idol

43. FAVORITE SOUND(S)?
a whole lot of genre

44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
beatles

45. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Beijing

46. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
oh yes, but you don't wanna know

48. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
anyone

49. WHAT IS THE CRAZIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?
sikreto

50. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
why the sudden jump to this question? O well, I met him at work.

Sign

I remembered my first snow here in Beijing. The childlike happiness I felt when glancing outside my window in the morning to find the street covered in snow. I loved it!

After being here for more than two years, the snow still has the same effect on me. Like a kid waking up on Christmas day. Weeeeeeeeeee!!!

I must say that snow in February is weird because it's normally around this time that people are looking forward to spring.

Snow in February - an example of global warming.

But then again, who's complaining?

Definitely not me.

Hurting

I'm a loose bolt of a complete machine
What a match, I'm half doomed and you're semi-sweet

--Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes--Fall Out Boy

New sports

Last Saturday, my team and I went to Yuyang Ski resort for our team building. It was my second time to go back and I didn't bring my camera because I wanted to enjoy snowboarding.

I remember the first time we went on a ski resort - that was last year. We tried skiing and I sucked sooo bad I ended up sitting at a restaurant drinking beer and waiting for the rest to finish so we could all go home.

Last January 1st, as I mentioned in my previous post, we went to a different ski resort this time with Ren and her bf. We tried snow boarding and I sucked..again. I think it has something to do with how I really suck in balancing.

Last Saturday proved to be much better than my previous attempts as I was able to go down a beginner's slope without falling flat on my face. Yipppeee! All my previous attempts weren't that successful because I was so afraid of falling down, and ending up looking like a fool. But this time I just didn't care. We were even using the boards as a make shift sled. We would sit on it and go down the slope. Yeah, lotsa people were looking at us and one resort staff told us to not do it but we didn't care.

The body ache was more than was expected the next day. It's a good thing we did all this snow boarding on a Saturday. I don't know what I would've done if we went on a Sunday and I got all sore on a Monday.

I wanna go again!

Happy 2009!

The new year started busy for me.

Ren and her boyfriend Joff spent a week here in Beijing and I went on leave to show them around.On their first day, I met them after work to go to Tiananmen Square and walk around. We realized it was a bad idea when it was a couple of degrees below zero and the fricking wind is not much of a help. It was torture walking around Tiananmen Square, the Egg (see below picture), and at Qianmen street. Afterwards we decided to have dinner at a hotpot resto near my office at Xizhimen but ended up going to an eat all you can buffet at a Brazilian restaurant. After getting full, we decided to hit up the D-22 bar but it was closed and we ended up at a weird coffee and bar place and had a few beers.Our 2nd day consisted of hitting up the Yonghegong Lama temple and lunch at the famour dumpling restaurant then headed off to walk the long stretch of the Olympic Green where the Bird's nest and Water Cube is. For dinner we ate at a Taiwanese Hotpot and stuffed our faces with food. Yummy!
For New Year's eve, we started off the day having lunch at my favorite Korean restaurant then walked the long stretch of the Gulou street and ended up at the frozen lake at Beihai. Ren and Joff spent their NY's eve at the D-22 bar while I attended a NY's eve party at one of my Russian agent's house. I was quite surprised how much fun I had. It was a perfect way to start the New Year - drunk and happy!
As for the first day of 2009, we went to Yu Yang Ski resort with Susy and her French roommate. I had to have someone who speaks Chinese as my broken Chinese won't fair well if you want to rent some ski gear and get through the whole day at an all Chinese ski resort. We tried snow boarding and I can honestly say that I found it easier than skiing. Just for the fact that I fell less on the snowboard. Hehe!

Because we were all sore from all the falling and tripping, we met up just before lunch and headed off to Nuerenjie - where the famous Lady's street and 2nd hand electronic shops are. We then went to another famous site for people interested in arts - 798 Art District.

I'm not sure if it's too much walking around in the middle of winter or I just smoked too much but I ended up getting sick over the weekend. I was bummed out but it was a welcome rest from being out all week.

I had fun and it was nice seeing a familiar face. I can say that I didn't do bad for a tourist guide but then again, touring the city in the middle of winter, getting numb and not knowing if snot's already dribbling down your nose - I can do better next time. =D