i'm back in LA, but not after one scary ride.
i stopped counting at 15. air packets, that is. it was one of the scariest rides i've had in years. (the southwest airlines flight i took from los angeles to las vegas last month still holds the record). i seriously thought we were going to crash this time because it was really, really bumpy to the point that i was already nauseous (nauseated?!).
women and children at the back screamed not once, but twice (pahiram, miss susan roces). this was during the first half of the flight. i was sleeping like a baby when i was jolted out of my sleep. i tried to regain my sleep, which i did, but after a few minutes, there it was again. it was very shaky. very scary.
i wasn't able to sleep well after that because i was waiting for the big one. the biggest one was when the plane dipped about 10 inches and i felt my body suspended in mid-air for a few seconds before my ass hit my seat again. thank god the flight became a bit smoother during the second half. i know, i know, plane rides are supposed to be safe but i always have this feeling everytime i ride a plane, 'what if this is my last plane ride' or 'what if this plane crashed'. morbid thoughts.
anyhow, i'm back. it's monday and i woke up at 3 in athe afternoon. jetlag? i don't think so. i was just tired. i didn't report for work today simply because i woke up at 3 pm. heehee. i'll work tomorrow. i still have pending articles. lots of them.
Monday, November 27, 2006
back, yet again
Thursday, November 23, 2006
kape at magasin
nothing beats a cup of (free) capuccino from coffee bean. this is the time magazine asia november issue where cory aquino was on the cover. at coffee bean tomas morato, the magazine was sold at 110 pesos, plus a free cup of their capuccino. good times.Wednesday, November 22, 2006
so many stories...
so little time.
i've been terribly busy the past week or so, shuttling between appointments and stuff to cover. the first philippine medical tourism congress is over. full report coming up.
last night, josaw, together with friends and former colleagues from abs invited me for a screening of al gore's 'an inconvenient truth' at the megamall. it was for greenpeace, an environmental organization here. saw some interesting people. hehehe.
juddah paolo was all over, interviewing people and some personalities. i wanted to approach him and tell him that i met his sister last year at the kapamilya summer caravan in pasadena. well. and angel aquino was there since she hosted the event. i wanted to approach her and say hi after the event but she was busy talking with people. on our way out, one of my friends decided to go to the bathroom so we waited for her by the escalators. angel, on the phone with someone, approached me and said hi. not wanting to be rude, i said hi, too. (she was on the phone people!) she multi-tasked while we exchanged pleasantries. it's been more than 16 years since i first met her. damn, a pretty long time. she's looking good with her short hair. nice.
we had late dinner at JT's Manukan. yup, the JT stands for Joel Torre and this is his, well, manukan. more like, ihawan. it's a branch of his successful chicken inasal grill which he started somewhere along gilmore. the one we went to was the branch near abs, near esquinita. the chicken was very, very good. as my colleague said, it tasted as if they made it into a chicken adobo first, then barbecued it to perfection. or, they had an adobo-like marinade (but aren't all marinade adobo-like?). and they had wi-fi, too. they wanted to see my old ibook.
as usual, photos coming up.
happy thanksgiving guys! happy black friday, too. happy shoppinga nd happy haunting!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
coron in a nutshell
welcome to paradise! club paradise is on the island of dimakya, in coron, palawan.
the three S of a perfect vacation: sky, sea and sand. and sun.that would make it four. okay, four.
i hope i could return to this place someday, and bring my loved ones. wishful mode.Monday, November 13, 2006
palawan in my dreams
...is not so different from palawan in my reality.
Just got back from a four-day trip to the beautiful island of Busuanga in Palawan. I stayed at the Club Paradise and I had so much fun.
The plane ride was smooth, even if it was a very tiny plane. It was a 20-seater, I think, and I had the best seat in the house: Seat Number 1. In bigger planes, that would be the best seat in the first class or business section. Not this one though. I was thisclose to the pilot. Seriously. I'll post the photos soon to prove how close I was to the pilot.
Then came the 30-minute jeepney ride from the airport to the dock. This was, by far, the dustiest trip I've been in ages. It was fun though. And then the banca ride. It took us more than 45 minutes to reach the resort because the sea was rough. And it rained. Welcome to paradise. Boo-hoo.
All in all, a very great experience. It was kinda expensive though, especially since they were charging dollars. Yes, dollars. And I paid in dollars. And they gave my change in dollars, and some pesos.
Photos coming up...
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
malling at the mall of asia
the nice people at the tourism department booked me at the heritage hotel, a stone's throw (i know, that's quite a streeeetch) from the mall of asia.
i tried to sleep earlier because i was a bit drowsy, but i couldn't since i had to do some stuff. first and foremost, i had to buy a new sim card so that my friends here could communicate with me. next, i need to buy some stuff i wasn't able to bring. and some more.
this mall is huuuuge. some of the tourism people shared a joke. when this mall was being constructed, it was touted as the largest in asia. when it was done, it was the second largest. hah!
Monday, November 06, 2006
manila, manila
i'm off to manila in a couple of hours.
sorry for the very late announcement (specially to friends). the trip was suuposed to happen last october but it never materialized so i thought it was a done deal until i got a call late last week that it was going to push through.
i hope to see friends i haven't seen in months (i saw most of you last january!).
i'll try to update this blog as frequently as i could. see you guys!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
doogie howser, md
when i was a kid growing up, there was this show called doogie howser, md and i was a big fan of the show because (it was aired on friday nights and after dinner) the entire family would sit down and watch doogie save the world. he played a young doctor (a very, very young doctor) and he actually inspired me to become a doctor. hah.
anyhow. i just read on people that neil patrick harris just came out of the closet and admitted his sexuality. sidebar: what is it with people that it has become the magazine du jour for hollywood actors to admit their gayness? exhibit #1. lance bass.
last week, george o'malley also admitted his royal gayness. george is t.r. knight in real life. he plays the role of george on grey's anatomy.
yay! who's next?
