Layover in HK

Hi there! Currently in HK for a 3 hour layover before continuing on to SF. I only had a few hours sleep last night, I am so tired. Keeping my fingers crossed that there won't be any screaming babies around me on the long flight...

Just saw a friend's online album of my going away dinner party. My gad, I couldn't stop laughing! I wish I could share it in this space, but there are some people who won't like it... :-) To my friends who came to the despedida party, I shall miss you guys!!! You made my stay in Manila so unforgettable. You guys are the best!

It still hasn't hit me that I am moving back to the Bay Area. But I'm sure once I near SF, my heart will pound with excitement. As many more adventures await.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

...well not quite, but I'm almost there. Sunday is the big day, so I'm making the most of my time left.



These four boxes are currently on its way to Oakland by ship...

Holy weekend in Tagaytay

A fantastic view of Taal lake and volcano

It was a lazy 3 days and two nights at my Tito's place in Tagaytay. The weather was cool enough to wear a light sweater, a welcome change from Manila and Boracay.

I was content just sitting around the dinner table the entire time chatting with the family. I finally tackled organizing my Australia pictures. That was a time suck, whittling down 4,000+/- shots to 810. And I'm not close to done yet, I'd like to get it to under 500! But that can wait.


Cholesterol loading Filipino breakfast. Longanisa, corned beef, pork and beans, fried fish, fried eggs and fried rice. That's a lot of fried stuff!

I had a 2hr massage from Della, my tita's masseuse, who joined us for the weekend. Man, that girl is strong, sometimes to the point of oww! As in, it hurts so good, if you know what I mean. She worked on my shoulders until the knots disappeared, and my legs felt like jelly when she was done. Ahh, she'd be good after a long distance run...



Isn't this girl a cutie?

My 12 year old nephew whupped my ass in wii tennis. Apparently, form doesn't count for much in wii, it's all about the wrist. :-( But it was payback time when I beat my 8 year old godson in Boggle :-) Ha ha, I'll take my wins anywhere I can. On another note, I taught my cousins and godson how to solve Sudoku puzzles. I think I've got them hooked.


Look at that kid dance!


It was a good weekend. Topping it off, we were greeted by two butterflies hovering around the trellis as we were leaving. It was said that the butterflies were my grandparent's spirit saying their hellos. :-)

Boracay revisited

It was unlike any other Boracay trip I've had. For one, we were nowhere "close" to white beach. Second, we didn't even touch the water. And lastly, we ate in most of the time.

Heading to and from white beach from my brother's condo unit was no easy task. Trikes have difficulty climbing the hills to his place. Arrangements have to be made with the condo driver for pickups and drop offs. Plus you need to hike a short but steep hill to get to the multicab. No big deal really, but it may be for some.

Inconveniences aside, we hardly left the condo. There was no need to. It was beautiful up there, the view stunning. We had everything we needed, food, alcohol, wireless connection, a pool and hundreds of movies to choose from. We did venture out a few times to replenish our water supply, for happy hour, and a few meals...

Trip Highlights ::

Nipa Hut. My brother took us on a 20 minute hike to his nipa hut for cocktails. We watched the sunset and were chatted up by Efren, a local landowner, who joined us in our festivities. We were there for a couple of hours, enjoying the view and the latest gossip re the Gucci Gang.


The hike up to the hut




The fantastic view from up there



Night swimming. After cocktails, I did a few easy laps in the pool. It was a good sized pool, approximately 18+/- meters long. The night was calm, the water warm and even better, it didn't sting your eyes. Except for the pool lights, it was pitch black with a few stars out, so quiet, so peaceful...



Tirta Spa. We had a most excellent experience at Tirta. Surpassing my Mandala experience and possibly equaling ShangriLa Mactan's Chi. Even before entering the grounds of Tirta, we were awed by its imposing entrance. As we passed the gates, a man struck the gong announcing our arrival.

We chatted with the lovely and charming owner, En Calvert. She explained the process that went into Tirta. So much love, thought and detail was poured into it, down to personally training her staff. I picked the Hilot massage (Filipino massage), while my sister had the scalp and the foot reflexology treatments. Mmmmm... if you're in Bora, you've got to check this place out.


The entrance to Tirta Spa



Ulysses. There was this guy in Boracay, Ulysses, who used to massage me years ago. He was so good that I'd look for him each time I'm there. But for the last three years, no one seemed to know where he disappeared to. So I was so happy to bump into him and his wife Lynette at D'Mall. We quickly made arrangements for a massage the following day. Oh man, he was good! I wanted to enjoy each stroke, but I fell asleep within the first 30 minutes. I'd say that Uly's massage was at par with my massage at Tirta, but without the ambiance. Afterwards, we were treated to a numbers reading by his wife, an albulario (medium/witch), who claims she can cure various ailments, if you believe in those things...


Uly and his wife Lynette


Low wattage ambiance but a first rate massage

Extended Happy Hour. For our last night in Bora, we headed over to Aria. We befriended Nicky, the restaurant manager, who agreed to give us happy hour prices all night long on the condition that we crawl out of the place at the end of the night. Umm no, we didn't dare. I love their margaritas, they make it strong!




My cousin wanted her face cropped out of the picture...

So, that was my last hurrah. I don't know when I'll be able to visit this place again, but I'm already looking forward to it.

Zero miles in 16 days

I can't believe, I haven't ran since I returned from Australia!!! I can already see unwanted changes in my body. It hasn't helped that I've been eating non-stop, like a pig.

All the walking and running I did in Australia, plus the long plane ride back to Manila, somehow affected my knees. My right knee was swollen for 4 days, it felt like it had some extra fluid there... But it's all better now. I'm going to have to start running again soon. Thank god my marathon training begins next week!

Some pictures from my runs in Australia...

Back in Manila

It's great to be back in Manila, where the weather is surprisingly cool and breezy. A bit jetlagged, even though there's only a 3hr difference between Sydney and Manila.

Will be flying to Boracay this weekend before to the Holy Week rush. Yippee, this will definitely be my last hurrah before returning back to California. That being said, I'll be quite busy the next few weeks, preparing and packing up the bulk of my stuff, doing the goodbye rounds and what nots. I don't know when I'll be able to update and post pictures of my trip to this blog. Hopefully I'll find some downtime in Boracay this weekend to do so.

So until then, happy and safe runnings to all.

Days 13 & 14: Sydney

Day 13
It was an easy and unstructured day. Did an early morning run around Hyde Park, Circular Quay, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Garden and Central Station. After a late breakfast, planned to take the ferry to Watson's Bay then head over to Coogee, but decided to explore the surrounding neighborhoods instead. Walked around the Surry Hills and Darlinghurst areas, discovering cool little streets filled with cafes, little design and boutique shops. Just my kind of thing. Then headed over to Darling Harbour to scope out my route for tomorrow's run.

Day 14   My last day...
Early morning run around Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour and crossed the Pyrmont Bridge. Last minute shopping at Kinokuniya bookstore, Woolworths, Sportsgirl and Paddy's Market. A lot of salivating over Australian designed items especially the Sheridan linens and Japanese/Eastern inspired clothing. Evening flight out of Sydney back to Manila.

That concludes my trip to Australia.

Days 10-12: Sydney and Blue Mountains

Day 10

• Heavy morning rain messed up my plans to run along The Rocks, Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House
  
• Cruised along Sydney Harbour via Majistic Cruise Smart. Awesome 1 hour cruise!
  
• The Rocks Walking Tour. History and other interesting facts about The Rock and how Sydney was discovered.
  
• Sydney Wildlife World. A waste of time, except that I saw Koalas for the first time.

Day 11

• Half day City Sights and Manly Beach Tour. Nice wide beaches over at Manly, but I prefer Bondi Beach. Surf was too strong, so not a whole lot of swimming allowed at Curl Curl.
  
• Great Chunky Beef Pie at Hamlet's at Corso. I'm loving meat pies. Must find a place in Manila!
  
• Halfway stroll of the Sydney Bridge, also called a coat hanger. Great day, hardly any wind.
  
• Walked up Sydney Bridge Pylon for 360 degree views of Sydney. Spectacular panoramic views, better than Syney Tower without the distracting glares!
  
• The Sydney Opera House Essential Tour. Incredible architecture and interesting commentary by Charlie, the tour guide.
  
• Watched a movie at the Dendy, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. Thought I made the wrong choice, but ended up liking this French film. Very original story.
  
• Sydney Aquarium. It was really awesome to see the sharks swim all around and over me!!! Breezed through the Aquarium, other things that stood out were the little penguins and the colourful reefs ~ that's as close as I'll get to the Great Barrier Reef.
  
• Took Monorail back to hostel.

Day 12

• Woke up at 6:45am to catch the 7:25 train ride to the Blue Mountains. It takes 2 hours to get from Sydney Central to Katoomba.
  
• Purchased the Blue Mountains Explorer Hop On/Hop Off transport to get around.
  
• Did a 2hr hike from Skyway Eastern Anchorage all the way to the base of Scenic World. Took the Railway all the way back up. That's the steepest rail I've ever seen!
  
• Did another hike from Honeymoon Lookout all the way down the Giant Stairway, that's 890 steps going down! I did a freaking 1780 steps! Never had my heartbeat beat so hard. I was ready to walk another 2 hours to the Railway to avoid climbing the stairs, but I lacked the time!
  
• Caught the bus at the Echo Point - Three Sisters to Leura Village.
  
• Devonshire Tea at Bygone Beautys. How very delicious and proper. They had over a thousand teapots on display!
  
• Caught the 3:24pm train back to Sydney. What a day!

Pictures to follow soon.

Day 9: Sydney

• Flew to Sydney in the morning
  
• Coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee. Stunning views!!!
  
• Gay & Lesbian Parade back on Oxford St. Similar to the Berlin Love Parade.
  
• Dinner at Chinatown

Day 8: Gold Coast

• Morning run around Burleigh Heads and the promenade. Awesome run, a few drizzles but the sun eventually came out
  
• Shopping for gifts and requests from family members
  
• Walked along the beach from Palm Beach to Currimbin. Experienced a sand storm

Day 7: Brisbane & Gold Coast

Brisbane

• University of Queensland St. Lucia
  
• Hop on hop off on the Jetty Cat from the University, to Southbank, Toowong, and Brett's Wharf
  
• Tried an Aussie delicacy called chiko roll, a chicken in a roll. The one I tried was disappointing.
  
• Also tried a scone with cream and strawberry. Now that was really yummy!

Gold Coast

• Walked around Surfer's Paradise and Broadbeach
  
• Returned to Goldstein's for their excellent steak pie with mushy green peas
  
• Cocktails in the balcony once again

Day 6: Gold Coast

• Ran along Tallebudgera Creek
  
• Daytrip to Tumblegum in New South Wales for Devonshire Tea. Scenic roads similar to Marin coastal roads and Sonoma hills.
  
• Fish & Chips at Club Talle
  
• Cocktails on the balcony

Day 5: Melbourne / Gold Coast

• Stayed at my aunt and uncle's brand new condo. They have an awesome beach front unit on Palm Beach. Spectacular 280 degree views of the beach!
  
• Lunch at Goldsteins. Really good steak pie with mushy green peas!!!
  
• Coastal drive from Pt. Danger all the way down to the Spit
  
• Cocktails on the balcony

Melbourne: Days 3 & 4

Day 3
Half Day City Sights Tour

• St Patricks Church
• Federation Square
• MCG & Rod Laver Arena
• Docklands
• Royal Botanic Garden
• Remembrance Hall

St. Kilda

• Luna Park
• Ackland St
• Promenade
• Monarch Cake Shop

Crown Casino
Melbourne Aquarium
Victoria State Library
Eureka 88 Sky Deck
Day 4
Ran along Yarra River ~ drizzly but an awesome run!
Fitzroy St: Cool shops & stationeries, lots of handcrafted items, cafes and restaurants
Walking tour of the Eastern Enclave for a taste of the Victorian life ~ lots of balconies with amazing iron work
Watched a movie, Bella, at the Kino Dendy. Movie is highly recommended
Chinatown / Greek town

Melbourne, Part One

Just a quick update on how my Melbourne leg is going so far.

Enjoying myself, meeting people and seeing a whole lot of sights. The hostel where I'm staying at is fine. Location is GREAT! It's at Flinders Lane and Swanston, so central to everything! But my bed is a bit lumpy (what can I expect from AU$30/nite). I have 3 roommates, a girl from Japan, Korea and an Australian from Perth. They're all so sweet and helpful.

So, here's what I've done so far...

Day One:
Melbourne Aquarium
Melbourne River Cruise - Up River
City Highlights & Dandenong Ranges Tour
Melbourne 360 Observation Deck

Day Two:
Running around the Tan Track, Royal Botanic Garden
Fitzroy Gardens: Cook's Cottage
St. Patricks Cathedral
Melbourne Museum
Lygon St. (Little Italy)
Old Melbourne Gaol
QVB / Myer / David Jones
Free outdoor opera by the Melbourne Symphony
Chinatown

No wonder my legs are so tired... Just looking at the above list, I wonder how I was able to fit all these in.

Travel planning: Australia

Been busy the past few weeks preparing for my trip to Australia. From scheduling my itinerary, finalizing trip details, to ripping movies/tv shows for my iPod. Boy, you should see my travel calendar, each day is packed with both sightseeing and some kind of activity, whether it be surfing, skywalking, hiking, and of course, running.

Also starting to think about what to take along... Packing is such a science, you want to be prepared for all situations, but yet you also want to travel light. Do I bring the laptop and/or the Touch, the Garmin and/or the Nano, hiking boots and/or running shoes, which camera, argh, the list goes on! Anyways, I still have a few more days before I leave, I'm sure I'll figure it all out.

I'm over the roof about this trip, but at the same time I'm a bit anxious as it's been years since I've travelled by myself. However, I've done it before (the worrying and traveling solo) and each time was wonderful. And I'm sure this trip won't be any different.

Well, I hope to post little trip snippets here and there, but if I'm not able to, I'll tell you about it in three weeks. Ciao for now.

Running recap: week ending Feb 17

After several weeks of light running, I did much better this week. All because I received a challenge from a runner, who is in the Top 5 in Nike+ Philippines overall distance. Just what I needed! So here is this week's data:

MON ::	-
TUE ::	5.76mi	8:40pa
WED ::	-
THU ::	4.8mi	9:22pa
FRI ::	6.0mi*	10:01pa
SAT ::	-
SUN ::	7.5mi*	10.01pa
TOTAL ::	24.06mi*

*Approximate miles only. Having Issues in regards to inserting Nike+ sensor inside Nike Vomero shoes.

An inspired run

I had an awesome interval run on the treadmill this afternoon. I ran hard and fast, because I was inspired by the music.

I usually listen to my workout playlist or the latest Fdip podcast. Today I set my mp3 to shuffle mode and the songs it spewed out were awesome. Songs I haven't heard in a long while.

Not even 5 minutes into my warmup, I heard Pictures by Systems of a Down. That got me running fast and I even played it twice! Then Van Halen's Dancing In the Street came on, followed by a classic Tom Petty song and a chirpy Ben Lee song. When it was time to cool down, it was Mariah Carey and Joni Mitchell, what perfect timing!

Ahh, it's time to create a new playlist...

Miles ::	5.76
Pace ::	8:40
Time ::	50:02

Day tripping: Clark, Angeles City

Went to Clark Air Force Base in the early hours of Saturday to watch hot air balloons take flight during the Phil Int'l Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.


Legs in running shorts and shoes! :-D

It was unfortunate that the winds were too strong that day. Balloons can't take flight on a windy day, something to do with not being able to fill up a balloon... There wasn't much the organizers, balloonists and spectators can do but wait for the the wind to die down... but no. We did see a couple of balloons partially inflated via "cold inflate," but the wind would just push the air back out.





So although we didn't get to see the balloons in action, there was plenty to keep us entertained. Overhead, there were jumpers, kites and plane aerobatics. On ground, it was people watching and snapping tons of pictures.


Nayong Pilipino
We visited the nearby Nayong Pilipino. It was so-so... a nice attempt in recreating several colonial/heritage types structures, but ehh. We heard one staffer say that they were expecting 5000 people that day, wow! Several busloads of people did come in as we were leaving. A better representation of a heritage village is Sitio Remedios in Currimao, Ilocos.

San Guillermo Church
We still had lots of time to kill before our lunch reservations at C's, so we drove over to Bacolor to check out San Guillermo Parish church. This church was buried in half with lahar from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. It felt weird walking inside this church, like I was disproportionally huge inside a miniature church.


Those three doors used to be windows!


A source of light

C's Italian Restaurant
Afterwards, it was a fantastic lunch at C's Italian Restaurant. Ordered the same thing again, their panizza with parma ham & asparagus, two other gorgonzola dishes and a nice bottle of pinot noir from New Zealand. Yum!! Disappointing though was their tiramisu. I like mine sopping wet with espresso, their version is the dry cakey type.

Cold Spoon
Follow up dessert at Cold Spoon. Oh my gad, they seriously have some good yogurt, the best I've tasted in the Philippines! It was creamy with the right amount of tang. I had mine topped with almond clusters. It is Korean owned and is available for franchising. So to anyone with the extra funds, please bring it to Manila!

Running recap: week ending Feb 10

Not a whole lot of running activity done last week. Pretty embarrassing actually. But I did get a new Nike+ sports kit, and the numbers look about right.

MON ::	-
TUE ::	-
WED ::	3.5mi*	11:26pa
THU ::	6.66mi	9:00pa
FRI ::	3.31mi	9:03pa
SAT ::	-
SUN ::	-
TOTAL ::	13.47mi

* Data from old Nike+ Sports Kit