Surprises

Friday night I received a call on my cellphone. It was my sister telling me she was in town for 2 nights!!! I thought she was kidding me until she gave me her room number at the Marriott Hotel in Newport City. The American chain of hotel that is presented located in the Resorts World Complex. So Saturday night, I slept on this majestic bed.



Had a relaxing soak in this bathtub which can be viewed from the room through a transparent glass. But no worries there is a switch in the bathroom for a white blind to come down when you want some privacy. Unless of course if you were alone in the room and no one can see you naked! :D



Here's a view of the Resorts World Complex at night from my sister's suite.



There were Christmas decors all over the Resorts World Complex so naturally I had to pose here there and everywhere :D





But my fave part of the Resorts World is this "Ballerini" sculpture by a Colombian artist named Fernando Botero. The statue of a naked couple baring their rotund shape for all to see is what greets you at the lobby of the Maxim's hotel.



We also visited the Casino where pictures are strictly prohibited so unfortunately there is no picture of me cashing it in at the slot machines. :D

But overall it was a pleasant surprise and a great way to spend the weekend with my fave person in the world - my sister - at the Marriott.



I can't wait for her to come back for the holidays in two weeks time! =)

Un joli coucher du soleil dehors my fenetre

Translation: A lovely sunset as viewed from my window

Balinese Fun

Watching this week's Amazing Race Asia where the racers stormed through Bali in Indonesia brought back fond memories of my visit, way back in 1997. During that time, my parents and I were living in Dubai while my sister was based in Singapore. She told me she won some prize to stay at a Bali hotel for free so voila I hopped on the first plane to share this good fortune with her. I believe it was summer time when my sister and I set foot in Bali after a short plane ride from Jakarta.

My first impression upon landing is how a certain sense of peaceful tranquility envelops you like a warm hug. Life seemed to move at a slower pace. The people were very friendly and always smiling. The place was like a sort of nirvana where you can just forget all your troubles.

We were treated like royalty because apparently the prize included a 4D3N stay at a 5 star hotel in the exclusive enclave known as Nusa Dua, a chauffeur and tour guide at our disposal and a Bali High yacht tour of the coastline!

GOA GAJAH (ELEPHANT CAVE) TEMPLE



When the cave was first unearthed, its entrance’s upper part was mistakenly believed to resemble an elephant trunk. Goa Gajah is a temple inside a cave. This temple is believed as the center for yoga and meditation during Hindu-Buddhism era. A ganesha statue reflects a Buddhism side, while its Ciwa statue portrays the Hinduisms counterpart. On the west corner of this cave lays Buddha and Harito statues. Goa Gajah temple is surrounded by green rice fields along the River Petanu.

PURA LINGSAR



On the island of Lombok, o­ne of the best-known tourist attractions is Pura Lingsar Temple. Located at the north end of the beach at Ampenan, Pura Lingsar is also Lombok's most important religious site.

Visitors to Pura Lingsar are expected to wear a sash or sarong to enter the temple. If you forget, there will be vendors outside happy to rent you appropriate clothing. You can also explore the temple's outer buildings without any special dress requirements. The northern, elevated part of the temple is the Hindu section, while the Wektu Telu worship in the southern section.

TANAH LOT



When it comes to sacred sea temple sites, Tanah Lot, o­ne of Bali’s most popular tourist destinations, hits you like a tidal wave. A small, rocky island just off the southwest coast of Bali and about 20 kilometers from the Balinese capital of Denpasar, Tanah Lot was, and continues to be, formed by the ocean tide. Roughly translated, Tanah Lot means ‘land floating in the sea’. Locally, the island is also referred to as Tanah Let, which means ‘ancient land’, and Tanah Lod, which means ‘land to the south’.
*** Relevant information in italics were taken from several websites ***

13 years ago I set foot in Bali and till this day I credit it as the perfect place to heal a broken heart. 1997 was not a good year for me. I was deeply troubled after I chalked yet another failed relationship under my belt. So embarking on a wonderful Balinese adventure with my favorite person in the world was the best panacea for my torn soul and I will forever cherish those moments! =)

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Usually when my sister and I traveled to any city steeped with a rich cultural history, we would include in our itinerary - a visit to any castle or palace which served as the official residence of aristocrats. The Chateau Versailles was a personal favorite of ours. It never ceases to amaze us with finely manicured gardens, its elaborate display of antique furniture, the grand ballrooms, the magnificent chandeliers and howard miller grandfather clocks. I observed that some of these clocks were still in minty working condition. Every time we found ourselves in Paris it was imperative that we make a side trip (by train) to Versailles.



Versailles, France 1998

Before and After

I was sorting through the pictures folder of CERA (my sister's ACER laptop) and found really old photos of the family. From way way back when I was still a toddler in India, my pre-teen years in Belgium up to my HS and college days in Pinas. It brought back fond memories and nostalgia started slowly creeping its way into my heart and soul.

A period where computers were non existent, cameras were still very chunky, no cellphones and text messaging. We would travel and then develop the pictures to store them in now rusty photo albums. It sounds like an entirely different era. I bet if you told some young person today, s/he might be flabbergasted as to how we could have survived without the Internet, without Facebook, the iPad, iPhone or whatever gadget is trendy nowadays.


Here is a 'before' picture - Circa 1980 taken at the Vatican City:



The 'after' picture - Circa 2001 also taken at the Vatican City:

Ultimate Prize

I am probably the only Pinoy who doesn't give a hoot whether MP wins or not.

Even though for the past few days that is all D would talk about.

B.O.R.I.N.G! :D

What I am more 'concerned' with is hitting the jackpot prize of the Grand Lotto which is now valued at around P400 million!

Can you imagine what you can do with that much moolah??

I can!

Quail Eggs

Relatively speaking, I admit I am rather slow when it comes to whipping up a dish. The preparing and gathering of all the ingredients together is one of my pet peeves when it comes to cooking. Another pet peeve is washing all the utensils, the pots and pans, the chopping board after I'm done cooking. I hate that! :D

Peeling carrots and potatoes then dicing them into little squares. Chopping onions, garlic and tomatoes. Boiling the main ingredients like chicken, minced beef or beef brisket cubes. But arguably I am rather patient and tend to take my own sweet time. But nothing could prepare me for the really tedious process of de-shelling quail eggs. They are so small and their shells break into tiny pieces that stick like glue to the boiled egg! But I persevered!

All in all it took me like 2 1/2 hours just to prepare our dinner tonight.

Voila here's my own concoction of Beef with Quail Eggs:

The world wide web

My knowledge about webhosting is rather limited. I know there is a lot more to it than simply moving all your data into a site that will store them. Bandwidth space, servers, adequate storage space, the availability of around the clock technical support (to answer any or all of your queries) are some of the things to consider when it comes to having a domain name. In my case, it certainly helps that when it comes to web hosting or anything related to the ins and outs of the Internet, I can always consult my cousin for advise.

Ancestry

This past weekend we finally had the chance to go visit our dearly departed loved ones. First stop was the Loyola Memorial Park in Sucat Paranaque where my maternal lola and lolo are buried. I have fond memories of my grandparents. Even though when I was younger I was really scared of them because they were very strict disciplinarians. Their Spanish style house was always a buzzed with activities like family gatherings to celebrate every occasion.

The young ones were taught to only speak when spoken to, not to make too much noise and to finish everything on our plate. Unfortunately, that ancestral house has longed been sold but I can still distinctly remember the antique muebles. Their rustic bedroom furniture were reminiscent of the colonial times. It always felt like it was part of another era. An era long forgotten in the annals of history.

A trip down memory lane

I was only 4 years old when I first set foot on a plane. I don't remember the flight. But my mother said she had a really difficult time trying to stay sane as she had to look after a toddler (that would be me) and a baby (my sister was only 13 months old) during the airplane ride. We were on our way to New Delhi, India to join my father on his first assignment abroad. My father was there at the airport to fetch us and I being the eldest instantly recognized him and ran straight into his waiting arms. My sister on the other hand started crying since she thought he was a complete stranger who was kidnapping her. hehe

We were nicely ensconced in a big spacious bungalow made of red bricks. It had three bedrooms but we all slept in one large bed. Mom, Dad, my sister and me! It is there where I first gained knowledge. First in a kindergarden then an exclusive prep school run by very strict Catholic nuns. I also had my first Communion there and I remember wearing a complete white outfit from head to toe with a veil on my head.

My mother said that I was a diligent pupil who liked to read alot. Thus by the age of eight I had to start wearing eyeglasses. It was also the phase in my life where my mother thought it was cute or cheaper for us to wear exactly the same clothes.

I have very vague memories of our stay there. But I'd like to say that my childhood was pretty much marked with books, books and more books. I used to be really good with words so I would always win the spelling bee quizzes at school. My prizes were mostly books in all sizes and shapes. I was definitely a bookworm. I preferred receiving books than dolls during my birthdays and Christmas. Funny thing is now I hardly find the time to read!

P.S.
That picture was taken during my first visit to Agra at the Taj Mahal. Back then I was still much taller than my sister. Now she is towering over me. Oh by the way, I've never been back to see the Taj Mahal.

Days of wine and roses

If someone would ask me "what is something I miss the most since I got married."

My answer would be traveling to far flung places.

A phase in my life I will always refer to as my days of wine and roses.



But sadly those days are over.

They are now a distant memory.

So vaguely distant that I've forgotten where some of the places in the above mosaic were taken.