Falling in Love with Namsan

After taking a nap, our next destination is Namsan Park. So, from reminiscing You’re Beautiiful, it’s now Jun Pyo and Jan Di’s turn. Come and let’s all reminisce their first date.

First lap of the hike to Namsan

From our hotel we just walked towards this semi-elevator semi-escalator thingy to take us to the cable car station.

Getting ready for the climb

Remember the 5-star hotel coffee by Jan Di and Jun Pyo? I guess it was shot on this part. I didn’t get a coffee ‘though, ’cause I’m afraid that the caffeine will forbid me to rest later.

Jun Pyo and Jan Di’s Five Star Hotel Instant Coffee

After the very short cable car ride, we’ve reached the foot of Namsan Tower and was greeted by the Namsan Pagoda.

Namsan Tower Pagoda

This place seems to be a favorite place for having dates, there were couples left and right. Most of them has a bouquet of flowers or a teddy bear. It’s like watching a scene in a Korean Drama. I guess it’s a good thing that this isn’t an alone trip, or else I might be cursing the heavens why I don’t have anyone with me..haha..

But no, I did not take a picture of the couples. I’m here for the view

This is the spot where Jun Pyo waited for Jan Di while freezing in the snow. Is there a guy as sweet as him out there? Where can I find you?

The spot where Jun Pyo waited for Jan Di

It’s getting colder and colder at the time this picture was taken but we’re loving it. For people like us who’s so used to the tropical weather experiencing the crisp cold air is such a thrill despite the discomfort. It feels like I’m in another world.

Finally, here is the Namsan Tower. I took that nice picture below, it’s not easy to capture it ’cause it’s too tall, I had to almost lie down..haha.. but it’s worth it.

Namsan Tower

Somewhere at the back are the love locks, told yah this is indeed a place for the love birds. It is believed that when you lock two padlocks against each other with your names on it and threw the key away, you’ll never be apart for the rest of your life. Cheesy, right? but if your in love…the idea is kinda cute

One question, can I have my lock locked with someone without him knowing?hahaha…just kidding

More Love Locks

Ooopppsss! Swear I didn’t broke the bench! Am I that heavy?

There are weirdly designed benches near the love locks area filled with graffitis…seems like the Koreans can’t help but express their artistry everywhere.

Ooopppsss!

Lastly, here”s the view of Seoul from Namsan, a very well lit city, right?

Seoul from above

After exploring the tower from the outside, we went inside for the bear museum. Watch out for my next post. I swear, it won’t take very long.

Before I say goodbye to 2011

While I described my 2010 as life changing, my 2011 was mind boggling. There were a lot of confusions to resolve and quite big decisions to be made. Also, 2011 went by so fast that I hardly notice that it’s about to end. So here I am recounting the year that is now about to end in a few hours.

The main reason why 2010 was life changing for me is work, for 2011 most of the things that happened in my life still concerns work. The first few days of 2011 wasn’t so kind, I thought I was about to lose my job or that I have to leave and find another one, I even computed how much am I still indebted to my company, January 8 is truly unforgettable with all the “other” memoirs that comes with it. It was also on the first month of 2011 that I moved out of the house to avoid the daily hassle of commuting. Moving out is really a big deal for me, away from the comforts of home and all the conveniences of living with your family. It’s still a very good feeling to come home everyday to the people who truly love you but there are some situations where practicality must be considered, I guess that is where I am now.

Work presented more challenges, I experienced what it’s like to be the auditee and not the auditor, it was tough but we all survived.

The meaning of the word “holiday” was devoid for 2011 due to workload and the crazy timelines that come with it, not to mention the strictly followed company calendar, but travels still abound 2011. I was able to revisit Baguio (my annual visit began 2008 but I skipped 2010), still not sure if it will continue this coming 2012 but it always feels good to revisit this place, just a quick weekend escape away from work. Finally, despite the failed attempt last 2010; I finally crossed out Hong Kong and Macau on my list of places to visit. I truly enjoyed what it’s like to be a child again when you see the Disney Princesses coming into life and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The fireworks were truly enchanting; it really felt like “A Whole New World”. I was almost literally jumping with joy taking pictures while reminiscing the scenes from Boys Over Flowers at The Venetian, too bad we missed the gondolas. I’ll just ride the real thing in Venice…someday. I really enjoyed the sights and memory that comes with each of the pictures, the trip was worth it, hoping to go back with my family. I was also able to go back to Cebu, been there for some work assignment in 2007. It’s just a domestic trip but it felt like being in a different time zone, we were like four hours behind. It truly was a relaxing trip and unforgettable mainly due to the Sky Walk, as I’ve said “It’s not how long you’ve been together; it’s the intensity of what you had to go through together.” That experience was truly intense. After being recharged in Cebu, it’s now time for the dreaded (?) Annual Business Planning, for this reason we were given the chance to visit Japan. It was a business trip but thank God that we were able to roam around Tokyo, enjoy the sights, shop some and take a lot of pictures, I really want to see more of Japan. Finally, the much awaited trip of the year, the Bellarocca invasion. I think I can call it as a fashion trip, spend 3 days and 2 nights but I lost count of the outfits, still got three left in my bag when I got home, reserved for the next fashion trip? Misibis, please be kind. To end the year, finally swam on the beaches of Laiya, been to a lot of beaches in the Philippines but it really was my first time in Batangas.

I also found a new hobby this year, photography. Just recently, some of the pictures I posted somewhere in cyberspace was liked and followed by a certain photography group. But I’m still hesitant on continuing this one ‘cause I like it more to be in the picture than be the one taking the picture. Obviously, 35 albums just for 2011 from my wavy to curly hair then back to straight hair, from the house to some parts of asia, everything was captured. Being the learner that I am, I’m enjoying discovering things on photography ‘though I’m having issues on my DSLR’s weight… haha…I’m also glad that despite being busy, I was still able to maintain my blog and still gaining lots of views, hoping to monetize it come 2012.

After all the hesitations, after having to choose between almost mutually exclusive options, I finally pushed through with my plans of entering graduate school, it’s not easy to juggle a busy work schedule with schoolwork on the side but I know it’s going to be worth it. But I’m still not closing doors for the other option.

For the most controversial part, read something over twitter saying that only one out of four people taking chances in love becomes successful. For 2011, happy for the one who obviously got successful to my two other friends, we had almost the same story, guess it just wasn’t the right time, place or person, some things are just not meant to be, let’s regroup come 2012 and be the one out of four…haha..

That’s how 2011 was, not that great but I made it through, thank God. I’m not making resolutions for 2012, I‘m setting goals and I don’t care what the Feng Shui says for 2012, I ‘m just keeping the good fight of faith, 2012 is going to be great!

 

*Written December 31, 2011

Roaming around Myeongdong

Here is the first part of my short but sweet experience of autumn in South Korea as my 25th birthday gift to self.

Upon arrival at Incheon we were so thrilled to finally taste authentic Korean food, my first dinner in Korea is Dolsot (Claypot) Bibimbap but I’m not sure if the picture below is that one. All I can remember is that, I definitely enjoyed the food.

Our first authentic Korean meal

Tried the side dishes one by one, it feels like we’re in a Koreanovela

Side Dishes

For our first breakfast, we went to Paris Baguette.      

After breakfast, we began conquering Seoul. For our first stop, Myeongdong. Our hotel is just a few steps away from Myeongdong and is found at the footsteps of Namsan at the back of Woori Bank, its Namsan Park Hotel. Here is the passage way leading us to the shopping streets.

The picture addicts that we are, while on our way we can’t help to take a picture of the trees in autumn colors.

Trees in Autumn beside Woori Bank

After a few minutes and a few camera clicks, we reached our destination and began shopping around the streets of Myeongdong, surprised by all the beauty shops that abound, The Face Shop, Etude House, Tony Moly, Lush, The Body Shop, they’re everywhere.

The shopping streets of Myeongdong

After some cosmetic shopping, we went to Myeongdong Cathedral, reminiscing Go Mi Nam’s scenes from You’re Beautiful.

Myeongdong Cathedral

 We were so thrilled with the views around the cathedral, it’s real, we are right at the same spot where Hwang Tae Kyung and Go Mi Nam were.

 

This one got me curious, I really don’t know what it is, protection for the trees on a cold weather? whatcha think?

Is this familiar to you? Yes, it’s where the scene of Go Mi Nam and Mother Superior was shot.

Now, let’s take a look at the church itself.

Inside Myeongdong Cathedral

Trying to catch a closer look of the architecture

Outside the church this is what you can see, the modern city.

After our church tour, we decided to go back to the busy streets of Myeongdong to search for a sumptuous lunch.

Lunch Lunch Lunch

No one referred us to this resto, we just tried our luck. Guess, we are lucky ’cause the food was nice and the prices were reasonable. The ambience was great too, cute, homey, feels like we’re shooting a Korean drama, feels so Korea. Oh well, we really are in Korea.

Love the ambiance

After our late lunch, we decided to go back to our hotel to check-in. Yup, we haven’t checked in yet ’cause we arrived early in the morning from our guest house in Incheon.

That ends our Myeongdong experience for day 1, just for day 1

Jellybeans- My Own version

Because of an unknown mishap I lost my ticket somewhere inside Madame Tussauds, I had no choice but to wait for my friend as she experience the view of Hong Kong atop the Sky Terrace. It was so foggy that day, even the girl at the cashier forbid me to buy another ticket to gain access at Hong Kong’s highest viewing deck. While I was waiting for her, I checked on some shops and stumbled upon a store selling jellybeans. It was quite costly for a candy, especially for someone like me who’s not fond of candies but I didn’t hesitate, I bought one bag with all the 42 assorted flavors.

I was curious on how each flavor tastes but more than that it was the memory of an internet article I read some time ago. The article was written by Noringai, I don’t know her personally but I really liked her articles, I could relate to some and learn from some. To give you a gist of her article entitled “Kwentong Jellybeans” (it actually has parts 1 and 2), it’s about how obsessed she was on a certain guy that she failed to appreciate the other guys in her life, she used her obssession on finding the elusive chocolate pudding flavored jellybeans as a metaphor to tell her story.

Let me borrow Noringai’s metaphor in this article, let me write my own version of the jellybean story.

Chocolate pudding jellybeans, everyone loves chocolates, right? Everyone likes him for me, I used to like him as well, “used” to like him,  just like the chocolate pudding flavor, he’s simple and in my own opinion he’s a safe choice. But just like Noringai’s jellybean story, it’s elusive and when I found it, it’s disappointing, nothing so special, just like chocolate pudding he’s someone I grew up with, nothing more than that.

I got over chocoloate pudding when I realized that toasted marshmallow is better. But Toasted Marshmallow didn’t last that long, it’s easy to get over something when there’s not that much to remember.

But as it turns out Chocolate pudding and Toasted Marshmallow were not my favorites, surprisingly, it’s Strawberry Cheesecake. I am not fond of strawberries so I was really surprised when I liked it’s taste, it was unique. Just like someone, he’s unique, different from all the guys I’ve ever met and I never expected that I will like him, he’s a surprise.

Then, on my recent trip to Cebu, I found out that the brand of jellybeans I bought in Hong Kong is also available here in the Philippines but there are only 20 flavors, Chocolate pudding and Toasted Marshmallow were among them. Strawberry Cheesecake is not available, not available here in the Philippines…just like him, he’s not here..he’s somewhere else.

Hindi mo rin nanaising maging ako

Ang nakikita nyo kasi maganda ang suot ko, nakangiti ako, maraming tatak ang passport ko at madalas may bagong picture sa Facebook. Most of the people I know are thinking na perfect ang buhay ko except sa palpak kong love life. Pero kung alam nyo lang paano mabuhay ang isang tulad ko, paano maging ako hindi nyo nanaising maging ako.

Oo, hindi nyo nanaising maging ako just the same as hindi ko rin naman nanaising maging kayo. Bakit ko nga ba sinusulat ‘to? Hindi naman talaga ko popular na tipong everybody knows me and wants to be me, I’m just a normal office girl pero sa pamilya at friends ko iba ang tingin nila sa akin. Feeling nila big time ako, maganda naman talaga ang trabaho ko kung yun lang, pero hindi naman limpak limpak ang pera ko tulad ng inaakala nila, puro kasi panlabas ang nakikita ng mga tao pero ung pinagdadaanan ng isang tulad ko hindi naman nila alam. Hindi nila alam na deep down inside despite of a career that looks successful and well paying on the outside, I still have this feeling na hindi enough ang na-achieve ko, na feeling ko I could do better, na parang under utilized pa rin ang competencies ko, I want more siguro dahil ambisyosa ko masyado. Hindi nyo rin alam na feeling ko minsan hindi pa rin enough ang kinikita ko lalo na kapag nakikita ko sa Facebook na dollars ang kinikita ng iba kong ka-batch. Friends? I have lots of friends but there are also times when I feel like I don’t belong at all yung tipong lagi kang sa gitna, yung kausap mo nga lahat pero kapag nagkapilian ng tig-iisang isasalba hindi ka sure kung may pipili sa’yo. Don’t get me wrong I have true friends, sure naman ako dyan pero kasi yung mga sure ako na true friends hindi ko na rin sila nakakasama everyday kaya minsan napi-feel kong I’m left out. Hindi na ako aangal sa out of town or out of the country trips pero ‘lam mo yung feeling na minsan gusto mo lang manood ng sine o mag-mall, mag-try ng bagong resto pero wala kang kasama unless na lang ilibre mo ang kapatid mo o ang nanay mo, hindi naman sa nagrereklamo ako na nagpapalibre sila, wala lang parang ang loser lang, imagine I’ve watched movies alone. Ok lang rin naman manood ng mag-isa, mas naaappreciate ko nga ung movie eh pero iba pa rin ung paglabas ng movie house eh may kakwentuhan ka ’bout sa pinanood nyo o may katawanan ka kasi naiyak ka sa mga unexpected scenes. Ang dami kong angal di ba? Idagdag pa natin ang mapanghusgang mata ng mga tao, na dahil ganito ang pagkakakilala nila sa’yo laging may expectations lalo na sa ipapakilala mong boyfriend, oh well, hindi ko pa dapat problemahin yan dahil wala pa naman talaga akong ipapakilala sa ngayon. I know I shouldn’t mind what other people think as long as I’m not hurting anyone (intentionally) pero aminin man natin at hindi, it matters somehow, may reputation na gusto i-keep.

Madami akong reklamo pero hindi ko pa rin ipagpapalit ang buhay na meron ako, ’cause despite it’s imperfections I’m still very thankful for each day what I’m just trying to say is each one of us are going through something, no one leads a perfect life so ‘wag mong isiping masarap maging ibang tao, let’s just trust God’s wisdom.

Uniquely Singapore

I just got back from my 20 day business trip in Singapore yesterday, it’s actually my 2nd, I spent the last days of April and almost the whole month of May there. So I guess, I have every right to say that next to Philippines, Singapore is the country closest to my heart but it’s not only because of the length of my stay there but it’s rather more on what I realized while I was there. So, this entry isn’t really about my travel in Singapore as a place but rather, it’s about my journey in life while I was far from the comforts of home.

Singapore is known as an open city where businesses thrive, where a promising career awaits but little did I know that soul-searching is possible in a city of skyscrapers and modernization. 

I used to believe that I can grow old alone as long as I have a successful career. I may sound too pessimistic, but this belief was because as early as now I don’t think I have any luck in love. Lately, I felt like I can do things better when I’m alone like I can shop faster or  feel more about the movie I’m watching, except for eating, I really hate eating alone no matter how delicious the food is.  As long as there’s a laptop and an internet connection to keep me company, I’m fine. But I was wrong, while I was there temporarily experiencing the life of someone working overseas I realized that, I don’t want to grow old alone.

I wake up in the morning heading straight to the shower to get ready for the day’s work, we live in a hotel so we need not worry about breakfast, it is prepared for us and there is more than enough to choose from. I ride a Benz to work, there are Benz cabs in SG. I work for a multinational company in a skyscraper located in a business park. I meet people of different races at work, fellow Filipinos, Singaporeans, Malaysians, Indonesians, Koreans, Indians, Australians, Americans and I even have to communicate with quite a number of Japanese people. We have meetings set up on a board room, just like how I see it in the movies. When work is done, I come home to a fully furnished hotel apartment, with the latest LCD TV in the wall, a sofa chair as soft as a cotton, a very good airconditioning system, an internet connection with a high bandwidth and a very nice view outside the window. But, the house still feels empty, the silence is deafening, there is no reason to come home to. It made me realize that maybe this is how it will feel like when I’m already 40, walking into my condo unit at around 7pm, surrounded by the luxuries but with no one to come home for. That was what I felt, it suddenly dawned on me that maybe it’s one of God’s reasons why he sent me to there, for me to realize that I am not the type who wants to be alone all through her life. I need someone, I need a family of my own, no matter how physically comfortable I am or how successful I become, I’ll always have the desire to have a reason to come home. So now, I guess I’m taking my chance at destiny when given the opportunity.

For me, this realization made my Singapore experience truly unique.

When the much awaited don’t happen

I am so heart broken today. I’m supposed to leave for my much awaited Hong Kong-Macau trip, this evening but due to some circumstances which I have nothing to do of, I need to cancel unless I am brave enough to meet and greet Mickey and Minnie alone.

Oh Mickey, Oh Minnie, when can I finally see you in person?

I can go there alone but it would definitely less than half the fun I’m going to have if I’ll go with someone, and no one will take pictures

I’m still determined to go and visit them within the year, that’s my goal.

So for now, let me just indulge myself on shopping and dining out to forget Disneyland for a while. After all, everything hapens for a reason.

Who knows…I might even get there for FREE

A Southern Weekend

While most people flocked the north to join the celebration of Panagbenga Festival in Baguio last weekend, me and three of my friends decided to visit the the South for some stress buster.

We left Makati at around 8AM for our first destination, Caleruega. Closer to Nature, Closer to God is Caleruega’s tagline. It’s name is a tribute to the birthplace in Spain of St. Dominic, the founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order). Located in Batulao, Nasugbo, Batangas, just a one hour and a half drive from Makati thus, it has become a famous destination for roadtrips. It is also a popular venue for spiritual retreats, as the place is fully equipped with facilities for such events and of course a favorite venue for weddings. Upon entering the facility, you can feel the calmness of the place, brought about by the lush greens surrounding the place and beautiful structures.

Notice that the staircase is shaped liked an ovary which is symbolic of the womb from which life springs forth. This can be found in the entrance of the main building.

Underneath the staircase is a koi pond.

When you exit the building on its right side you’ll be greeted by:

The statue of St. Dominic, since the place is founded by the Dominicans.

You’ll really feel closer to nature with all the lush greeneries that abound the place. You’ll feel peaceful and refreshed. Here are some of the pictures:

Now here’s the main attraction of the place, The Transfiguration Chapel.

The pathway leading to the chapel has its own story to tell that is, the easy against the hard way to reach Christ.

As mentioned, Caleruega is in Batulao which is a combination of two words, “bato” and “ilao”, so to translate, “Light hitting the rock” is perfectly depicted in this picture. Also, the place is built following the natural contour of the location. Thanks to the brilliant design by Architect and Environmental Planner Yolanda Reyes.

Inside the Chapel:

After praying, we proceeded to the Station of the Cross.

The stations were illustrated in wood carvings such as this. It will eventually lead you to the hanging bridge where your eyes will feast with the lush greeneries.

After crossing the hanging bridge, we decided to leave and proceed to our next destination, Chapel on the Hill which is along the way to Caleruega. Notice that we didn’t went to the Rosary Garden because we’re tired and so that we’ll have something new to see when we decide to come back. Yes, I think we’re coming back.

This chapel is also a popular place for weddings because of its location, it’s literally on the hill and it’s just in front of Evercrest hotel where reception can follow afterwards.

Inside the church is “The Labyrinth”, a journey to God. But when we came, there are chairs in the middle so we weren’t able to see the whole labyrinth.

These are the scenic views around the place:

It’s already lunch time so we head on to our next destination for a sit down eat-all-you-can lunch at the popular, Sonya’s Garden.

We enjoyed the meal, the fresh veggies and fruits, the pasta and even the dessert. We really ate a lot but we don’t feel any guilt at all since the food are really healthy.

Afterwards, we went around for a walk and took some more pictures.

The door above is their Spa but due to time and budget constraints we didn’t avail of their services.

They also sell some of the herbs they are using.

After a sumptous lunch we went to People’s Park in the Sky. Apart from the fresh air and the scenery, I can’t find anything else worth the trip. As most people know, the place was supposed to be a summer house for the Marcoses but obviously the construction remained on it’s unfinished state. If only the place will be cleaner and the unfinished construction will be put into a better use, the place will surely be a tourist magnet.

So to make a good use of our time, we just prayed in the shrine before proceeding to our next destination.

For our last stop, we went to Picnic Grove.

We rode the cable car ‘though we find it too pricey for P300 per person but for curiosity sake and for the lack of anything else to do we still gave in.

We also tried horse back riding for P200, it’s a bit pricey as well but considering the maintenance of the horses, it’s not that bad.

I wasn’t really expecting that much on the place but I still think that a lot of improvements can still be done in this area.

So after, a less than an hour of horseback riding we decided to get back to Manila.

Overall, I enjoyed the trip since I’m with my friends. It was an enjoyable experience, to be closer to nature and to break away from the usual sights of skyscrapers. The trip was a stress reliever

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I must admit that I’m so behind with the Harry Potter craze, I was living under a rock, it was just last month when I was able to watch all six movies and right now I’m still on the last chapters of reading the sixth book. I was intrigued when I first heard of it, in fact I watched the first movie when it was released and I loved it but then, seems like things around me didn’t permit me to go beyond liking the first film until late last year when I started reading the first book.

While I was watching it, I suddenly wished that there will be a Harry Potter theme park. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wants to experience how it feels being inside the Hogwarts Castle, ride a Nimbus 2000 or a Firebolt, go inside the Chamber of Secrets, ride a hippogriff or a dragon, play Quidditch, enter the Triwizard Tournament maze, and lots of other adventures by Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Now, the wish came true, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens today (according to sources) in Orlando, Florida. Most fans, who are lucky enough to visit the newly-opened park will not only experience how it feels to be inside the Hogwarts Castle but they will also experience boarding the Hogwarts Express, drink butterbeers at Three Broomsticks, walk in the streets of Hogsmeade, eat chocolate frogs and Betty Bot’s every flavor jellybeans at Honeydukes, explore Zonko’s Joke shop and lots of other places that we all imagined to exist while reading the adventures of Harry potter.

How I wish I could apparate right now to Florida to experience the park, but I guess I have to wait for a few more years. Too bad, I still don’t have a US Visa, but the moment I got one, I think this will be the first on my list. To those who are so lucky to experience the park already, I hope you enjoy it.

* I don’t own the pictures, thanks to those who were generous enough to share.

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