29.3.08

ps hangzhou

Unfortunately, i after all the excitement and PR i was not able to see hangzhou's west lake. All we did in that day was all work and travel. waaaah!!!
Well at least I know now how to get there by train and hopefully find some time for a weekend tour.

24.3.08

To Hangzhou


My second trip outside Shanghai will happen tommorow. Our office is sending me with my PM Ivy to Hangzhou to visit the site project located in the city. I am excited to experience to ride the Chinese locomotive train that would take us to Zhejiang province capital in 2 hours or less.Though we will stay in the city for a day I am hopeful to have a glimpse of the famous Xi Hu and everything that makes this city so classical Chinese in aesthetics. In CCTV 9, ads claim that Hangzhou is "the most beautiful city in China". Even Marco Polo had the same remark centuries ago. Hmmm, tommorow will be the day to figure that out. Hope to squeeze some time to investigate.

22.3.08

inside yu garden

Out of nothin to do and with all my friends here have their family to spend their sunday with them, I roamed Shanghai again. My first stop was Yu garden and as usual the spot was crowded with visitors. But out of curiousity I visited the garden, the one that's enclosed with high walls and open only to public if pay 30rmb. To Yu yuan outskirts I had been many times but that day was special to journey the mysteries the garden of China that has been there for ages now. Here are some images I took.






9.3.08

lazy sunday

By noon I was still daydreaming

once upon a lazy sunday

I lost my keys in my dream and wondered when concious the what's the meaning behind it.
By noon I was still daydreaming and still in bed. Maybe because of the film I watched. It was called ONCE and felt so happy after watching it. I have been deprived here of brilliant films and accidentaly I found the dvd copy of this film in a store. Yes, in Shanghai you'd find botiques selling legally knock offs dvds for a good price. Anyway this feel good movie is like a ne form of musicale. I love the way it ended and I felt ok the thespians did'nt have sex. The music is superb and later found out online that the song Falling Slowly grab the Oscar.
I was too lazy to go to St Peter's and decided to eat lunch late. I had a nice bath and still as I left my abode. I walk along Changle road with my camera hanging on me to take pictures but later found out that after a few shots batteries would run out.
In Garden Books, I bought a book URBANATOMY that talks of Shanghai like a Lonely Planet kind of paperback but with lots of in depth stories, colorful pictures and oh! print advertisements. The bookstore don't give bags for free to carry well your book and would cost you 10 yuan to purchase them.
I ate beef risotto and drank coke in a pasta resto in Parkson and wandered on the floors of the mall wondering what to buy but to no avail i felt too lazy to carry things.
Walking along Xinle I felt so sad walking alone and missed home. Indeed some roads were not meant to travel just by yourself.
Out of curiosity I rememebered the Shanghai Expat announcement. So I took a cab and went to Red Beat in Tong Ren. I checked out the Pinoy live band performing in the afternoon. They sang Filipino cover pop and drank cold SMB.
I went home before dusk and felt sleepy once again but still thinking of my assignment with Ed. The day was about to end but still my mind was unable to function writing technical story for our little project.

8.3.08

Women's Day

To celebrate Women's International Day the office gave all the female employee dozen of roses and some box of skin lotions each. On their faces you could see that the ladies were very happy after recieving the gifts and the male population wondered when would the Men's Day going to happen. Long time officemates residents of Shanghai told me that other offices really pampered girls sometimes giving them movie passes and is usually half day at work to celebrate the day. These small details amazed me about Shanghai and China as a whole.
In Manila meanwhile I saw on TV that a left leaning women sector marching on streets calling on GMA to step down which was seem to me a not so newsworthy anymore beacauseI have seen the gimik year ago.
Anyway, to Nang, to Victoria, to Estella, and to all the women I loved and those who hated me...all the love in the world to you all. Men's life is full of color and drama having you guys around