Guangzhou log

I can describe Guangzhou as an old city with a sprinkle of the new. Rich in history, we were able to visit a museum housing the mausoleum of the Nanyue King, the Sun Yat Sen park, and the Chen Academy.

During the Guangzhou trip, I was able to discover a fancy feature on my digicam: digital macro. It's good if you want to take semi-professional-looking pics of flowers, plants, and stuff.

After lunch we went to do some street-shopping. For us men, shopping for clothes is just one ordinary task that needs to be done seldomly. That was why we ended up browsing the stores and not actually BUYING something. This was good for our pockets but not for our tour-guide, who I think was tired of walking around several blocks since she mistakenly wore high heels for the day.

Shenzhen Zoo

Shenzhen Log

It's 3am here in Shenzhen, China and I'm still not sleepy after a KTV session with my co-managers and staff. With the free broadband internet access in my hotel, why should I sleep early? Further, my trusty digicam has 40+ blanks left so I had to transfer the 90+ pics that I've taken so far to my laptop to free up space. My trip still has Guangzhou and Hongkong before I head back to the missus and my boy Sunday evening so more picture-taking is expected.

So how do I find Shenzhen? Pretty good, actually. The city itself is streaming with well-laid wide roads and impressive buildings. The smog is iminent from morning 'til evening which just goes to show how China has undergone an industrial revolution to make it one of the most formidable business investments in the 21st century.

The sights we went to (and I recommend that you see) were The Cultural Village, The Window of the World, and the City Center were bargaining a la Petaling Street is the norm. Below are some pics I've taken including pics of the hotel we stayed in.

B3, our guide, called in to say that we check-out of the hotel at 10am before we proceed to Guangzhou, our next destination, where sight-seeing and shopping is the order of the day.

The Charm Of Tagaytay

Tagaytay is one of those places that I just can't get tired of. The cold weather, the accessibility from Manila via Sta. Rosa Road, and of course the picturesque view of Taal volcano are what makes Tagaytay, well, so Tagaytay.

I remember my first trip there was in high school, when my section went to Tagaytay for a spiritual retreat (which eventually was done once a year). When we reach the top I would lean towards the bus windows to get a view of Taal lake and its volcano and just gaze in amazement. Nature trip, ika nga.

I even had one of my birthdays there. My closest friends and I rented one of those nipa huts by the highway and drank the night away with tequila and beer. It was one of my most memorable birthdays since I've never had my friends have a drinking birthday session with me, in Tagaytay at that.

I guess all those visits to Tagaytay made me dream to build a resthouse there someday. It was, and still is, one of my long-term goals. So in the meantime that I'm still thinking about it, sa Taal Vista Hotel na muna kami ---which was where we were last weekend.

I have to say congratulations to the operators of the Taal Vista Hotel for they've done an excellent job renovating the place. The missus and I liked it so much that we may make it one of our regular destinations for overnight, over-the-weekend vacations. I definitely recommend it to anyone who wishes a relaxing stay in Tagaytay.

Will I ever have my dream resthouse in Tagaytay? I don't know for sure. The missus is suggesting a place near the beach, or just go to Taal Vista. I'll never know really.

It seems that I've been drawn by Tagaytay's charm and there's no letting go.

Out of Office

Here's a glimpse of my business trip destination tomorrow.

Btw, the flight's via Hongkong. (wink wink)

True Faith: Eto Hits...Acoustic

"Hello....how have you been....who've you've been seeing this past few weekends?"

I was pleasantly surprised when Chad, one of our engineers christened as the office DJ, played the whole True Faith acoustic album one afternoon. I'm a True Faith fan but I never got word of this 2004 album of theirs, maybe since I was abroad at that time.

Medwin Marfil's relaxing vocals and his bandmates' acoustic guitars eased through my ears so much so that I reminisced the late 1990s when me and my mountain bike would pedal through the Severina subdivisions on late afternoons, with a borrowed walkman plugged into True Fafith's Memories Are Cheap album. I can consider those bike rides my solitude moments. True Faith music and just breezing along the quiet streets lined by those humongous mansions in Marcelo Phase 5, ah yes, that was solitude indeed.

Well me and the missus will be going up to Tagaytay for the weekend. The drive up to Taal Vista will be comfier with my boy in tow.

Of course, True Faith will be along for the trip. I was able to copy the album from Chad with my mp3 drive.

"...just like Mathis singin'....on a low down Sunday afternoon..."