500 bucks

In the commemoration of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.'s death  last August 21, several documentaries/films have been broadcasted. Growing up, I've seen countless retelling of this story. Yet, each time I see images of this portion of Philippine history, I can't help the tears from falling. Maybe it's my acknowledged shame that this generation may have easily forgotten. Or my recognition what the past generation was able to do in four days somehow proved we have hope as a nation. We just have to find it in our hearts to unite and believe in our ability as a nation to rise up against adversity and hopefully sustain that fervor. Time and again, we need to prove that we are a people worth dying for. I hope Ninoy's memory will be more than just a face on the P500 bill. If it would take an image of his lifeless body sprawled on that tarmac to jolt us to our senses, so be it.  

Family Terms

1. Maalaala mo kaya- dramatic/weepy/emotional moments

2. Mapiyong piyong-when you want to take a nap

3. Once there was a love-mushy moments

4. Milliones Transaciones-important transactions usually conducted in Iloilo city

5. Feeling astig-pretentious

6. Cowsurfer-couchsurfer (mom's version of that organization)

7. Wovocela-vuvuzela (mom's version of Bob's imported torotot)
8. Anline-mom's version of being online

9. Baaaaad-Yohan's quick retort when he doesn't like what you did became the common term for discontent

10. Work vista-My sister works in Vista Inn, now when we all say we  work in Vista

30 Seconds to Mars

I heard of this band from a friend last summer. They replaced Motion City Soundtrack in my frequently played playlist. So when I heard Jared and the gang were coming to town, I got excited but when I saw the ticket prices, I was set on not being to see them play. It is a pricey concert for a band with the cheapest ticket at P2000.

So when I found out I was going to be out of town on the night of the concert. I concluded it wasn't meant to be. On the afternoon of the concert, I got a message from my friend, Nadine. She got an extra free ticket. But I was too far away that day. Oh well, some things are not just meant to be.

And the nice thing about it, is you get to practice the gift of acceptance of things that are beyond your control. Hmmm..All that from a concert.........and a myriad of experiences.

Basketball Junkie

I am a basketball junkie. I devour every available sports page during the NBA playoffs from ESPN to the LA Times. And I live in a country where every plaza has a basketball court. Ask Rafe Boggs, he knows this is a place which loves this game with a passion.

When my fave Laker comes to town, KB24, I don't get to see him in person. It's usually on a weekday and sometimes tickets are hard to come by. You either have to line up for 'em or you have to be one of those kids who ends up at the right team at the right time and gets to be in one of his basketball clinics.

So when I heard a number of NBA players are coming to town, I tried calling Ticketnet as soon as possible.

But the call on that Saturday morning was in vain. I need to go to the mall to buy the ticket. No reservations. So I did.



can't hide my glee



The Smart All Star Weekend felt like a dream. Seeing Kobe and Derek Fisher play on the court live was so surreal.  I can't believe it really did happen. I wished there were more than four quarters in a game. I wished I bought the other ticket for the next game.

I am very grateful for the wonderful opportunity to see NBA in action live. I don't need to go to Staples. Not yet anyway.

Strange Small World

A couple of weeks ago, I was in a line of a dozen people trying to get tickets to the NBA vs PBA game just before the clock strikes nine. (Ticketnet closes at 9pm). I noticed a lean girl with the built of a triathlete. What caught my attention was that her hubby was also fit and fab. I thought this couple can be both models for Men's and Women's Health.

Last Saturday, I was queueing for the security check in Mactan's Airport pre-departure area. And lo and behold, the same fit and fab couple were in front of me in the line. Strange small world.

And the guy ended up sitting beside us on the plane. I wanted to tell him about this strange coincidence but I chickened out. So I thought I won't have the opportunity to talk to them. But when I went to the washroom, there was only one other occupant and it was the girl! So I told her and she remembered me in the NBA line. These small world encounters are getting stranger and stranger.

   

Seoul

Before I went to Korea, I was not a fan of the country. With thousands (maybe millions) of them flocking here in the Philippines, going there to see more of them didn’t appeal that much. But a brief visit to Seoul changed that. What was that quote? To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries (Aldous Huxley)

Seoul has no particular landmark that will tell you right away that yes that is Seoul. Not a skyscraper or a mountain or a bridge. But this city has little charms which will surprise especially an unprepared visitor like me.

Incheon airport was impressive, it looked and felt new (to think it’s already 10 years old). My friend quipped it smelled of Germany. I wonder how Germany smelled like. The airport’s information system is as high-tech as one can get. Printed on the carts is this line “Incheon- World’s Best Air Hub”. I haven’t been to that many airports but I think this statement is not far from the truth. (After the trip, I checked some airport stats and indeed Incheon airport ICA has been on the top for the past three years beating its neighbors Changi, HKIA, Nagoya and KLIA in one survey by Geneva-based Airports Council International.) The top airports are all in Asia. Go Asia!

It was supposed to be the start of summer but we were greeted outside the Incheon airport by 12 degrees Celsius temperature. After having my best (and most expensive) Dunkin Donuts meal to date (at 5,200 won=P226 pesos), we took bus 6011 to our hostel in Seoul. The journey took about an hour and a half as we got stuck in morning traffic jam.

Grace and I with a an old friend Egay from UP and a new friend Simone from Italy

We stayed in Inside Backpackers, a hostel rated by Trip Advisor as the top specialty lodging house in Seoul. It was located in a university neighborhood with lots of restaurants, bakeshops and charming shops. If there’s one word I can describe Seoul with, it is charming. The city has little alleys with most shops looking as if they’re from a movie set interspersed with traditional Hanoks.

one of the side streets near Sam Cheong Dong

with Ian, a couchsurfer I met in Nagsasa Cove, Zambales

So aside from the friends I reconnected with, here are some of my experiences in a city sometimes referred to as the Soul of Asia.

• Foggy and very bumpy landing in Incheon (landing and take-off was bumpy)
• 12 degrees Celsius (supposed to be summer already) when we stepped out of the airport
• Uber high-tech Incheon airport
• Ultra modern airport information system (that's why it's the world's best air hub)
• Big new restrooms (uber clean)-smelled like germany according to gracie
• Required seatbelt on the bus
• Excellent Dunkin Donuts variety with misleading prices (discounts reflected on board rather than prices; when everything is in Korean aside from the numbers, how can one figure that out?)
• Singapore-like landscape on the road leading to the airport
• Kia and Hyundai rule in the road
• Tour van driver has been to Singapore (said it as if it's the most normal thing to do)
• Border with guard houses with guards everywhere
• Really young soldiers (20-ish)
• Entered the civilian contoured line
• Took forever to cross the unification bridge because of too many checkpoints
• No pictures allowed on the bus after the first checkpoint
• Watching the border like watching a war movie with no gunfire
• Really cold tunnel (North Koreans dug several tunnels going to the South, we went in the third tunnel)
• Seoul is a city with most number of train university stations I’ve ever seen
• Really young generation who knows how to party
• Cushioned train seats
• More complex train system than Beijing
• Noryangjin wet market has nice lights which made me think it was a furniture store
• Blind beggars walking around train with music
• Train platforms reminded me of Tokyo platforms (already tested by time yet extremely efficient)
• Seoul is less crowded than Tokyo and Beijing
• Seoul has better English than Chinese and Japanese combined
• Naver (play on the word Neighbor)-their version Google with its own street view
• Policeman in a small station used Naver to show us directions
• Changing of guards in Gyongbokgeung palace was made a spectacle for tourists
• I commented on a lady’s nice attire in Filipino thinking she was Korean “ang ganda naman ng suto ni Ate” and she quipped “Ay ako bay un, salamat”

Small World

What started this are my collection of small world encounters. So almost three years later, here I am paying homage.... In my last trip, I had two experiences which reminded me how small the world really is.




1. My friend Grace was the one who booked our hostel online, Inside Backpackers. When I told my Korean friend, Dong-ic-lee, where we are staying, he was delighted since the hostel turned out to be owned by his college friend, Jeong.


2. A couple of weeks after the trip, I got a message from a CS friend which says “OMG, you stayed in Inside Backpackers?” It turned out she stayed in the same hostel two days after we left Seoul.


Ok, it could be that Inside backpackers is that popular but I’d rather think the world is really small despite its apparent vastness.

3. A college friend Egay, asked me if I want to meet Jessica Z while she’s covering a rugby game between the Phils and SK (I think). Egay who is based in Busan was in Seoul for the weekend to help Jessica in documenting the game. Too bad I wasn’t able to make it to the game. Meeting her would’ve given an interesting “twist” to the small world adage.