Travel - To love or Not Love - That is the Question

Whenever I go out on a trip out of the country, I always hated the last work day before the trip... it's always toxic since you have to rush the requirements for the trip and ensuring that things would go smooth while you are gone... Travel has been common this year going to my 6th out of the country trip... though mostly work... I always found time to make it a leisure trip as well... The plane fare and hotel are not necessarily the cheapest commodity in the market so, as much as possible, I try to make the most of each trip.

I both love and hate to travel...

I love...

... that I can earn a few miles with my mileage card (imagine... i already had two free out of the country trip... one in Hong Kong and another in Singapore... I'm starting to build up miles for Australia this time...

... the ability to diversify your understanding on the different cultures and how the other countries are running...

... the feeling of independence and satisfaction you achieve once you understand a bit about how their country runs... (It was a very proud moment for me when I finally understood how the Metro/MRT/MTR system works in Paris, Taiwan, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong)...

... the chances to shop at the night market- Taiwan has a lot, Shanghai has Nanjing Road, HK is a shopping haven, Singapore for its techie stuff and from my last trip that there are a lot of cheap items you can buy in Shandong...

... the chance to be in famous places, Eifel Tower, Versailles, Notre Dame and Disney of Paris... Windmills and Red Light District (hehe... only took the day tour) of Amsterdam... Victoria Peak, Buddha, Ocean Park and Disney of Hong Kong... Petronas and Putra Jaya of Malaysia, Night Safari... Bird Park, Orchard and Sentosa of Singapore... Macau Tower and Ruins of St. Paul in Macau... Taipei 101 of Taiwan... Oriental TV Tower and the Bund of Shanghai... Foggy Parks in Shandong and the West Lake of Hangzhou...

I hate...

... the fact that I'm travelling mostly on business and that it could have been twice or thrice as fun if it were spent with family and friends... I sure wish I could have toured them in places which I visited... someday, I hope...

... the inconvenience of being tied up to year seat for several hours and delays in flight, queues at immigrations, severe security check up and a lot of airplane and airport mix up...

... breaking several routine like going to the gym, watching regular shows in Philippine TV... and even driving to work everyday...

.... the food in different places at times since I'm not really that adventurous when it comes to food... I've started this habit of eating at Mc Donalds in every place I visited...

.... that when I open my baggage, I get to deal with so many wires, charges and a lot of stuff... laptop, ipod, digicam, celphone... it's a wired world... still can't afford a wireless world...

... the load of work you accumulate while you're gone...

... the cost of living in other countries is much higher compared to the Philippines...

Well... Love it or hate it, I'm of to my next trip in two days Hangzhou, China for the Board meeting and Hong Kong for a short breather... told I always made my business trip a leisure trip... Anyway, It's quite late now... and I'm still not done with the cramming...

The Best Things in Life are Free

Was able to catch a glimpse of sunset at Mall of Asia yesterday... Since the mall is safely (maybe reclaimedly) located near the bay... its a nice place to view the setting sun... Apart from IMAX, there's another show which you can watch... the breath-taking site of the crossing over of day and night... Truly emphasizes... that the best things in life are free...

Ain't Super Franc after All

AGSB @ 40



Family @ Fort and Seaside



With Yohannce


FAA Babies @ Mall of Asia

• Super Franc was the brand I chose in my marketing class before to depict who I am. Well, it's not really a childhood hangover but moreso, it's the level of output I expect from my self and always being there for family and friends... Got that tested last weekend which was quite busy and involved being in so many places one after another...

• Still tired from my out of the country trip last thursday... I went to Ateneo's 40th anniversary at the Rockwell Tent last Friday... It was nostalgic (seeing old friends, meeting new ones and being back to where you spent two and a quarter year studying MBA) , entertaining (imagine seeing your former professors performing song and dance numbers) and memorable (aside from the nostalgia, you start to build up moments to remember again... now as an alumni already)... Stayed with friends 'til past one am. before i drove myself home...

• Hours later at about five am, I had to pick up Mama, Auntie Norma, Cousins Simon and Jen at the terminal for their weekend visit in Manila... We have to tour them different places... Market, Market!!!, Seaside... Landmark and Mall of Asia... It was twice as exhausting for me since I'm also the designated driver and they really had a blast shopping... Now, I know where I got my tendency to be an impulsive buyer... Finally brought them back to the terminal at Sunday night...

• In between their visit I had to squeeze in a Sunday Meeting (too bad... I don't have OT pay... at least I got to have a free lunch) with the CEO and CFO of the Company about the financials... Well, duty calls...

• I also had to meet up with former SGVeans Joy, Sharon (with Sioty and Baby Yohannce), Kreng and Macoy (FAA Babies after SGV) for a short get together with Joy before she get to go back to US... Coffee at Cafe Breton in Mall of Asia... A few chats and also seeing how Sharon's baby Yohannce is one of the friendliest baby I saw... Imagine she was conversing with all the babies (babies have their own language, I guess) and even playing around with the crew at Cafe Breton... Joy had to leave early since she has to check in for her flight... Anyway, probably its not the volume of time that matters for friends, its the effort of still trying to meet up even during hectic times...

• The weekend wasn't over still I still had to do my laundry for the clothes I used in my trip to China last week... Finally, felt tired after laundry and went to bed since I'd still be early the next day since my car is under coding on Mondays...

• A full weekend that Super Franc has managed to squeak pass... Always being available has its drawbacks... but on the other hand time spent with good company is time well spent... Super Franc now takes a breather... before another 4-day trip to China and Hong Kong on Sunday...

Home Sweet Home... At last

After 8 days in China, I'm finally back in the Philippines... Well considering I've been under 4 degrees weather temperature reading, most of the populace not understanding a single word you say, recurring meals in Shandong, an 8 hour delay in Jinan, booking a new flight in Hangzhou, almost missing my flight in Hangzhou and finally, another hor delay at the plane in Hangzhou... I really relish the fact that I'm now back home... Home, Sweet Home... Of course, apart from all the uncertainties from the trip, I still consider my trip a test of will, character and a great learning experience... Well, whatever can't kill you can only make you stronger...

There are still a lot of upside in this trip... the cold foggy days in Shandong is a welcome change in environment... it also added to mysticism to the park in Shandong plus there are a lot of good buys in Shandong since the price is really low... In Hangzhou, the West Lake was splendid... The lifestyle in Hangzhou is very similar to the city life I'm used to and plus I get to see our brand new office and factory in Hangzhou...

Still, a lot to look forward to here... I get to drive again my car... I get to start chasing my workload again... I get to go to the gym again and of course, friends and families get together... I can only look forward for a few days since in 8 days time... I'll be back in China again... Such a hectic life... but nonetheless, an exciting one that unravels itself each passing moment...

The West Lake Story

Had a nice tour of the West Lake in Hangzhou courtesy of Lena of Marketing... The lake is very big and it would require you four to five hours to tour... You could also take a boat ride around the lake but it was too foggy to try... West Lake was still a splendid site to look at... quite mystical due to the foggy weather and it also features a dancing fountain show...

There are also a lot of food establishment nearby... We had Starbucks in there... Yes, there's a Starbucks in Hangzhou... Still the same coffee, of course. Had a dinner at Pizza Hut afterwards... Hangzhou is very similar to Shanghai in terms of the cosmopolitan lifestyle and infrastructure... Incidentally, there are also East, South and North lake in different province in China... Hope to get to see the other lakes... Someday... I guess...

Amazing Race China

My trip to China has turned from utterly boring to extremely exciting...

I'm in the middle of my weeklong trip to China... My first stop was in Shandong, which is a province in China... It's a bit boring in Shandong especially since there's not much place to visit... We get to go home at 5... eat the same food... quite a routine life which I never was used to live... I did get to enjoy the visit at the park though since it was extremely cold ... and really extremely foggy... visibility is about 20 to 30 m...

Probably out of all the monotomy, something interesting came about... Yesterday our plane got delayed due to the foggy weather... and mind you this isn't the regular delay I used to experience in PAL (plane always late)... We got stucked in Jinan airport for more than 8 hours... How exciting can that be??? Being stuck in a foreign airport where english is not a primary language... It's a good thing one of the auditors know hot to speak chinese.. I really should start learning the dialect... and worst since we arrive so late, we had to take a cab to the hotel instead of the usual company pick up...

Well, it was a first hand experience at how it felt to be in the Amazing Race... Well, I'm in Hangzhou now... We still have to rebook our tickets to take Hangzhou - HK - Philippines instead of Hangzhou-Jinan-HK-Philippines... The race goes on...

Wall Climbing

I had my second time at wall climbing with SGV buddy Anna... Macoy and Ruth were unable to attend... Hope that the next time I wall climb I can have what remains of friends from SGV in the Philippines (calling on Dodoy, Sharon and the rest)... I felt it was fun and at the same time a good work out...

I'll be aiming for greater heights the next time around...

SMS to Start my Day

Got two forwarded SMS early this morning that was quite interesting and here it goes:

"Our lives are books & each is a page. We can't erase what has already been written but we can always try to write a better ending."

This is the same perception on how I see how life is... Life gives us choices... At times, luck won't be on our side... At times, we make wrong choices... At times, we fail... BUT life always has to continue with every breath you take... AND even the worst of situations are always meant to give us something - strength of character and determination to rise... We can't change a part of the past, because we are who we are by the choices we make... Its always our choice to stagnate or grow up... and learn that life has more to offer than fragments of our past...

"Wen ur out der luking 4 dat prfct prsOn, kip dis thngs in mind; Ppol change nO matr hw hrd dey try nOt 2. As u grow oldr, u mature & w/ each new levl of maturity comes dfrnt ideas, dfrnt nids & wnts. D prsn hu was prfct 4 u at 18 cud b d prsn u hate at 25 or 30. U hv 2 find sum1 hu wil grow w/u, change w/u, laf w/u & cry w/u. A prsn hu fils in wer u lack. Remmber dat der's no such prfct prsn n dis world bt der wil alwys b sum1 hu wil complte u..."

Quite a mushy and long SMS, well for once, I'll try to be mushy. I always strived at perfection in fact, I wasn't really looking for the perfect girl but I was looking at how I could be the perfect guy for a girl... and come to think of it, we weren't really meant to be perfect, since we are meant to find something or someone who would complete us... Relationships are not meant to be perfect but it's about two imperfect individuals complementing their imperfections and creating a chemistry that can withstand time, space and circumstances... So much for perfection...

Franc on Daylight Saving Time

I've noticed that my day has been so short since I switched to a 9-7 work schedule because somehow I never met the 8-6 work schedule we had in the office... I'm such a sleepy head... Regular days usually involved working out after office hours and me reaching home by 10 pm... leaving me such little time at night...

Well, since I'm not used to routine, I decided to vary my personal schedule by leaving home at 6:30.. to avoid the traffic since I'm such a newbie when it comes to driving... workout from 7-9 before going to work... then I have all my time after work to do other stuff... It's like a self imposed dailylight saving time...

It's the first day of approaching my day this way and I feel much better since I've been able to burn so many calories very early and I don't feel sleepy anymore plus I have all the energy to work out since its the first activity of the day... I hope I can maintain this schedule as I think it makes me more productive... and a lot healthier... Well, my fingers are crossed...

New Beginnings

Stories become interesting when it's disected into meaningful chapters... It gives one a chance to look back at the chapter that has passed and digest where the story is leading the protagonist... a suspense-filled cross road which may make or unmake a story...

An interlude is the phase I can say where I am... Neither here nor there... A chapter of my life has ended after graduate studies... a lot more free time which was now spent on the gym and at times on travel... So what's next???

I decided to live life by the day so that I can relish each experience and event in my life yet at the same time prepare a bit for the future... I thought that I should start designing life for the future but I realized what's the thrill if you can't enjoy the present... Sometimes, a little spice makes life sweeter... The important thing is I know what I want and I guess, I'll let life take me where it leads... so just bring it!!!

Inkblogs @ Blogger.com

I haven't really composed a blog in a while... and I'm starting a series of blogs at a blog site I created two years ago but wasn't able to use it since most of my blogs are in friendster... Anyway, I don't have much to say for now... except expect more in the coming days...