New bed fixture: no bed frame. The wooden base kept falling off the frame so I opted to just get rid of the latter. With all the lifting I did I opted to skip gym today.
New(ly) cleaned floor: since I was already on a roll with "fixing" the bed, I thought, Hell, might as well disinfect something.
New kitchen light switch: landlord finally came by to replace the fire hazard of a light switch in the kitchen. Wish he brought us a new can opener, too, but no such luck.
New books and documents to edit: no payment yet from the first assignments, though.
Oct 11, 2004
Oct 6, 2004
Hey There, Raffy Boy...
It's been barely a month, and already we have 2 Pinoys in Beijing as topics of gossip (which I think beats my record). First is David (not Atienza nor of the David and Lyndon duo), whose impersonation by Manols makes him out to be on a permanently stoned basis. I've only talked to the guy once so I can't really confirm that, but after 3 eyewitness accounts of his erratic behavior I can't help but wonder.
Next if Raffie, The Man Who Asks Too Much. I'm not sure if it's the kinds of questions he asks that rubs people the wrong way, or how he asks them. With David (Atienza), I'm sure it's the frequency of the questions: the same one over and over. He also has that problem with side comments, something I symphathize with, but nothing else. He's on his own to discover why people are gonna start hanging out with him less and less, just like me before.
Next if Raffie, The Man Who Asks Too Much. I'm not sure if it's the kinds of questions he asks that rubs people the wrong way, or how he asks them. With David (Atienza), I'm sure it's the frequency of the questions: the same one over and over. He also has that problem with side comments, something I symphathize with, but nothing else. He's on his own to discover why people are gonna start hanging out with him less and less, just like me before.
Oct 3, 2004
Underwhere
Day 3 of new apartment stay (and day 2 of another week-long holiday) and I just now noticed that my stack of underwear is missing. (Never thought I'd get to type that sentence). Not in the suitcase, backpack or even the drawers, no pun intended.
Anyway, ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Anyway, ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Sep 26, 2004
Home Improvement
Went shopping with Camy (and Manol, sort of, as we split up) for houseware at the warehouse place (whose name escapes me again despite saying it repeatedly all morning). Lotsa stuff bought, even a toilet brush and two desk lamps. Managed to "covertly" move some stuff to the new apartment, as well.
Speaking of moving, I finally got bumped up to C Class last Friday. Lots of catching up to do, especially with Yue Du. The dictionary's gonna be my best friend for now on.
Also got a package in the mail, courtesy of Allwin English, the company that hired me for the recording job. The assignment: proofread 106 pages at 6RMB a page before the October holidays. This would be less stressful for me if i didn't have C class to worry about.
Speaking of moving, I finally got bumped up to C Class last Friday. Lots of catching up to do, especially with Yue Du. The dictionary's gonna be my best friend for now on.
Also got a package in the mail, courtesy of Allwin English, the company that hired me for the recording job. The assignment: proofread 106 pages at 6RMB a page before the October holidays. This would be less stressful for me if i didn't have C class to worry about.
And Anudda Thing...
Continued from previous post: Just got back from dinner at Jamie's (KV's ex) place, where Manol whipped up his specialy dishes of adobo and sinigang na baka. Jamie for her part made 3 salads (the maccaroni and fruit being especially good, I might add), 1 meat dish and ham, cheese and raisins on saltines. We were joined by Bea, Ne, Melissa, Fernd and Manol's Korean roommate. At least this gave Jamie someone to talk to in her "mother tongue."
Also just had one of the worst shower experiences: no cold water. With nothing to mix with the hot water I ending up using a pitcher and scalded myself little by little to rinse. Am expecting a similar pain-in-the-ass experience when I move to the apartment, as the heater for the shower is located in the kitchen.
Also just had one of the worst shower experiences: no cold water. With nothing to mix with the hot water I ending up using a pitcher and scalded myself little by little to rinse. Am expecting a similar pain-in-the-ass experience when I move to the apartment, as the heater for the shower is located in the kitchen.
Sep 21, 2004
First Day Snooze
Me, Dave and Aimee were the only (though I use term loosely, because as last night's dinner proved there are over 80 Pinoys studying in Beijing at present) Flips in the B+ classroom. Wanted to switch to C right away. The zong he teacher was okay, so I kinda felt sorry about moving.
Speaking of moving, for the past couple of days I looked at a couple of apartments with Camy, introduced to me by Ching. Yup, I'm moving out of campus. All for want of an unlimited internet connection. Small reason, big step, I know. At least the apartment's cheaper. Almost moved into Hua Qing, but landlord didn't to put up with us for just 5 months. Rent's due tomorrow.
Makes me wish I got paid more from my recording gig this afternoon. Yup, I'm doing voiceover work again. Along with Diedre (from Colorado) we read an English language book. Two hours and twenty minutes later I got 250RMB.
Speaking of moving, for the past couple of days I looked at a couple of apartments with Camy, introduced to me by Ching. Yup, I'm moving out of campus. All for want of an unlimited internet connection. Small reason, big step, I know. At least the apartment's cheaper. Almost moved into Hua Qing, but landlord didn't to put up with us for just 5 months. Rent's due tomorrow.
Makes me wish I got paid more from my recording gig this afternoon. Yup, I'm doing voiceover work again. Along with Diedre (from Colorado) we read an English language book. Two hours and twenty minutes later I got 250RMB.
Sep 18, 2004
Friday Night Fever
Went with the old and new batch of Pinoys to Mix Bar, a first for many of us, including myself. Typical loud music and pushy bouncers (more on that later), but for the first time I got on the dance floor with no trepidation whatsoever. It helped that the Bacolod girls were really into it, all without the benefit in liquor. Not that they ordered any, afterwards. All dance but no drink. Sigh, and I just took the anti-allergy medication. Ran into Maddie inside in true long-time-no-see fashion.
While trying to get back inside Ian walked in at the wrong side of the velvet rope. Next thing I knew he was being brought out; arms locked behind him like he was under arrest, then kicked out. Swearing came from both sides, but the bouncers were in the wrong for being to short-fused.
While trying to get back inside Ian walked in at the wrong side of the velvet rope. Next thing I knew he was being brought out; arms locked behind him like he was under arrest, then kicked out. Swearing came from both sides, but the bouncers were in the wrong for being to short-fused.
Sep 14, 2004
Family Reunion...of s(h)orts
My folks (and Boit) came and went last week. Four days in Beijing, with me accompanying (and staying at the Red Wall Hotel with) them for three. Their tour package pretty much took us to the same places I went to in 2001, except maybe for the crystal and cloisonné factory (Point. Less.). We barely climbed the Badaling part of the Great Wall. Boit was bitching a lot about the tea ceremony, among other things.
Spent our whole free day in WangFuJing, where Ma got me a new shirt, jeans and winter clothes. Still need a new pair of gloves, though. They also brought me a bunch of stuff from back home, but my favorite is the CD of pics and videos of the kids.
They should be in Bejing by now. Hope they get me a digicam.
Spent our whole free day in WangFuJing, where Ma got me a new shirt, jeans and winter clothes. Still need a new pair of gloves, though. They also brought me a bunch of stuff from back home, but my favorite is the CD of pics and videos of the kids.
They should be in Bejing by now. Hope they get me a digicam.
Shang Danged Vacation, Part Two
Sept. 3: Rode the 6:16AM non-express bus back to Guilin. The bus conductor didn’t seem to want us to get off when we saw a much faster bus that passed by. Got an upper-deck seat on the train and chatted with a 74-year-old lady who sat with us. Both actions didn’t last long. As soon as we reached our first stop we were booted out of our seats. Turns out the train ticket was good ‘til we reached Nanning (the transit point to Kunming), but not the seats. Luckily we found some on the lower deck, but I thought this is the last time we ask Lisa for anything. The shang dang streak continued when, while killing time at the local KFC in Nanning, my wallet was stolen, and D realized that we left the cakes and candies gift bag on the train! This has been one expensive stopover. Good service from the hotel receptionist and taxi driver, though.
Sept. 4: At 6:20AM I woke up to pee. An hour later I woke up, period. An hour after that our train arrived in Kunming. An hour later we were panicking because we had to choose between a 40-hour train ride from Kunming to Beijing or a 3-hour plane ride. The choice was easier for me since I was the only one that brought a passport. Finally I got the plane ticket (borrowing money from D) while D and Mens bought a train ticket to Xian, about 5 hours less than the Kunming-Beijing trip.
We barely made it to the a10AM bus ride to Dali. D, on the other hand, barely survived the bus ride. Some of the roads we so bumpy we saw a passenger on another bus puking amidst the dust storm the buses were kicking up. Five hours later we were at Dali. Two hours later we reached the Guesthouse. Had lasagna and cream of potato soup for dinner.
Sept. 5: I’m broke. Losing the wallet and buying the plane ticket wiped me out. Had to borrow money from D and Mens to pay for the tour and the guesthouse.
Breakfast buffet wasn’t bad at the Guesthouse. Accompanied by the tour guide and 2 recent graduates from Bejing Geological University (across the street from BLCU’s South Gate), the whole day was spent touring Dali. Old Bai minority houses. Bai ceremonies onstage. A spectacular glass house in a SuanNan fishing village with Japanese European influences. Traditional (read: handmade and expensive) tie-dyeing. A short boat ride to Putuo island, with its Buddhist temple situated in the middle (almost) of Ear-Shaped Lake. Lunch at GuanYuan village. Photo-shoot (and costume wearing for D) at the TianJing Pavillion. And a final boat ride across the lake back to the city of Dali-- only to get on another boat to witness cormorant fishing. The birds were tied by their necks to keep them from swallowing the fish they catch. Freaked D out when they started jumping onto the boat. The drizzling didn’t help, either. Dinner at eight.
Sept. 6: Got on the 10AM train to Kunming. We sat with a family of three. Their 19-month baby was exceptionally bright. Passed the time doing animal sketches for her. Reminded me of my niece Jasmine.
At 4:40PM I parted ways with D and Mens as they caught the time to Xian. I walked around downtown Kunming (used a Hotel bathroom and had fastfood for dinner), killing time before taking a cab to the airport. Flight was delayed by 40 minutes.
Upon arriving in the Bejing (around half-past midnight) I almost rode a gypsy cab with a bunch of teenagers who thought picking up strangers at the airport would make for a good living after college. One of them even asked me for some pesos to add to her collection. I passed on both the request and the ride when they wanted more than 60RMB. Ironically I ended up paying 83 RMB for a cab, though I would’ve paid 10RMB less had I not asked for “fa piao,” which the driver seemed to interpret as “pseudo lotto ticket.” Sigh. Shang danged at 2:30AM. The only pleasant surprise I received was the newly cleaned bathroom at my dorm, as well as a replaced toilet seat. You take your bright sides where you can.
Sept. 4: At 6:20AM I woke up to pee. An hour later I woke up, period. An hour after that our train arrived in Kunming. An hour later we were panicking because we had to choose between a 40-hour train ride from Kunming to Beijing or a 3-hour plane ride. The choice was easier for me since I was the only one that brought a passport. Finally I got the plane ticket (borrowing money from D) while D and Mens bought a train ticket to Xian, about 5 hours less than the Kunming-Beijing trip.
We barely made it to the a10AM bus ride to Dali. D, on the other hand, barely survived the bus ride. Some of the roads we so bumpy we saw a passenger on another bus puking amidst the dust storm the buses were kicking up. Five hours later we were at Dali. Two hours later we reached the Guesthouse. Had lasagna and cream of potato soup for dinner.
Sept. 5: I’m broke. Losing the wallet and buying the plane ticket wiped me out. Had to borrow money from D and Mens to pay for the tour and the guesthouse.
Breakfast buffet wasn’t bad at the Guesthouse. Accompanied by the tour guide and 2 recent graduates from Bejing Geological University (across the street from BLCU’s South Gate), the whole day was spent touring Dali. Old Bai minority houses. Bai ceremonies onstage. A spectacular glass house in a SuanNan fishing village with Japanese European influences. Traditional (read: handmade and expensive) tie-dyeing. A short boat ride to Putuo island, with its Buddhist temple situated in the middle (almost) of Ear-Shaped Lake. Lunch at GuanYuan village. Photo-shoot (and costume wearing for D) at the TianJing Pavillion. And a final boat ride across the lake back to the city of Dali-- only to get on another boat to witness cormorant fishing. The birds were tied by their necks to keep them from swallowing the fish they catch. Freaked D out when they started jumping onto the boat. The drizzling didn’t help, either. Dinner at eight.
Sept. 6: Got on the 10AM train to Kunming. We sat with a family of three. Their 19-month baby was exceptionally bright. Passed the time doing animal sketches for her. Reminded me of my niece Jasmine.
At 4:40PM I parted ways with D and Mens as they caught the time to Xian. I walked around downtown Kunming (used a Hotel bathroom and had fastfood for dinner), killing time before taking a cab to the airport. Flight was delayed by 40 minutes.
Upon arriving in the Bejing (around half-past midnight) I almost rode a gypsy cab with a bunch of teenagers who thought picking up strangers at the airport would make for a good living after college. One of them even asked me for some pesos to add to her collection. I passed on both the request and the ride when they wanted more than 60RMB. Ironically I ended up paying 83 RMB for a cab, though I would’ve paid 10RMB less had I not asked for “fa piao,” which the driver seemed to interpret as “pseudo lotto ticket.” Sigh. Shang danged at 2:30AM. The only pleasant surprise I received was the newly cleaned bathroom at my dorm, as well as a replaced toilet seat. You take your bright sides where you can.
Shang Danged Vacation, Part One
Presenting my trip down south of China with Diana and Mendel. Stops included Guilin, Yangshuo, Nanning, Kunming and Dali. One word to describe the experience? Expensive. The summary, please:
Aug. 30: Didn’t sleep. Figured I’d catch up on it on the 26-hour train ride to Guilin. Murphy’s Law moments included taxi driver dropping us at the wrong side to the train station, and our hard-sleeper beds not being in the same nook. And it’s only 9AM.
Aug. 31: Woke up at 6:45 AM. Backache from bad bed made for bad sleep. Dreamed that a bunch of comics I sent to the US got sent back to me. Chatted with a Guilin girl named Zho Wen Juan. She offered me part of her breakfast of egg and hotdog (instant noodle additives, apparently).
Upon arriving in Guilin (and an expensive lunch, a first of several seemingly “shang dang” moments we’d be experiencing) we got on an express bus to our main destination, Yangshuo. The place was incredible. West Street was embraced by hills and mountains, seemingly enveloping the town. I’m guessing the street was named as such to cater to the mostly Western clientele, as the cafes and shops would seem to indicate. Lots of cool DVDs, but a bit pricey. We stayed at Lisa’s Guesthouse in a quadruple-bedroom. Lisa herself reminded me of Mary “Rosebud” Ong, sans bizarre lifestyle.
Dinner was at the Stone Roses Café. The free internet service (offered by many of the eating establishments) barely made up for my sub-par sirloin steak and D’s shepherd’s pie. After dinner, cheap gelato (cheaper than Beijing’s, anyway) and an evening constitution I went back to Lisa’s while D and Mens had a massage.
Sept. 1: Breakfast at Lisa’s. Shang danged again. We had yet to experience a good meal. Afterwards we biked with our tour guide Sofia to Moon Hill. I rode solo while D and Mens got a tandem bike. D, for the most part, was scared silent since she didn’t know how to ride a bike. After switching to (and enduring) a scorching 2-hour raft ride (plus some more biking afterwards) I regretting not putting on sunblock.
Lunch was at Sophia’s “family friend’s” restaurant. Methinks the family business has more than just tour guiding involved. Afterwards we detoured to cave for a guided spelunking trip. The brochure said we’d get to experience swimming in clear water (as opposed to the mud holes they also featured), but didn’t say (and should have) we had to pay the whole 160RMB (we only paid half) to reach it. After the cave “tourist trap” we still had some energy left to climb up Moon Hill. The view from the top (and subsequent photo shoots) was worth the 10RMB, and, unlike the hill, much more satisfying.
It was getting late so we hastily biked back to Lisa’s. At night. With bikes that neither had bells nor reflector strips. Couldn’t talk much during the experience since I had to concentrate on the road and avoid accidentally swallowing bugs.
Speaking of dinner, we (as suggested by the 2002 edition of Lonely Planet) went and had beer fish (a popular West Street menu item) and taro balls at Susanna’s. Former bad, latter okay.
Sept. 2: Lunch at the Pizzeria finally broke our shang dang food cycle. Almost. We ordered too much food this time, thus shang danging ourselves. The whole morning was downtime ‘til the 3PM boat ride on Li River. It was great. Feet in the water, wind and too much sunblock on my face, giving me that Kabuki-foundation-make-up look. It kinda made up for the bumpy tricycle ride to and from the boat. You think horse riding hurts the nuts? Try their tricycles if having children isn’t an option for you.
Our final dinner in Yangshuo consisted of roast chicken at Café China. Good stuff. Afterwards we went pasalubong shopping. Cakes and candies galore.
Aug. 30: Didn’t sleep. Figured I’d catch up on it on the 26-hour train ride to Guilin. Murphy’s Law moments included taxi driver dropping us at the wrong side to the train station, and our hard-sleeper beds not being in the same nook. And it’s only 9AM.
Aug. 31: Woke up at 6:45 AM. Backache from bad bed made for bad sleep. Dreamed that a bunch of comics I sent to the US got sent back to me. Chatted with a Guilin girl named Zho Wen Juan. She offered me part of her breakfast of egg and hotdog (instant noodle additives, apparently).
Upon arriving in Guilin (and an expensive lunch, a first of several seemingly “shang dang” moments we’d be experiencing) we got on an express bus to our main destination, Yangshuo. The place was incredible. West Street was embraced by hills and mountains, seemingly enveloping the town. I’m guessing the street was named as such to cater to the mostly Western clientele, as the cafes and shops would seem to indicate. Lots of cool DVDs, but a bit pricey. We stayed at Lisa’s Guesthouse in a quadruple-bedroom. Lisa herself reminded me of Mary “Rosebud” Ong, sans bizarre lifestyle.
Dinner was at the Stone Roses Café. The free internet service (offered by many of the eating establishments) barely made up for my sub-par sirloin steak and D’s shepherd’s pie. After dinner, cheap gelato (cheaper than Beijing’s, anyway) and an evening constitution I went back to Lisa’s while D and Mens had a massage.
Sept. 1: Breakfast at Lisa’s. Shang danged again. We had yet to experience a good meal. Afterwards we biked with our tour guide Sofia to Moon Hill. I rode solo while D and Mens got a tandem bike. D, for the most part, was scared silent since she didn’t know how to ride a bike. After switching to (and enduring) a scorching 2-hour raft ride (plus some more biking afterwards) I regretting not putting on sunblock.
Lunch was at Sophia’s “family friend’s” restaurant. Methinks the family business has more than just tour guiding involved. Afterwards we detoured to cave for a guided spelunking trip. The brochure said we’d get to experience swimming in clear water (as opposed to the mud holes they also featured), but didn’t say (and should have) we had to pay the whole 160RMB (we only paid half) to reach it. After the cave “tourist trap” we still had some energy left to climb up Moon Hill. The view from the top (and subsequent photo shoots) was worth the 10RMB, and, unlike the hill, much more satisfying.
It was getting late so we hastily biked back to Lisa’s. At night. With bikes that neither had bells nor reflector strips. Couldn’t talk much during the experience since I had to concentrate on the road and avoid accidentally swallowing bugs.
Speaking of dinner, we (as suggested by the 2002 edition of Lonely Planet) went and had beer fish (a popular West Street menu item) and taro balls at Susanna’s. Former bad, latter okay.
Sept. 2: Lunch at the Pizzeria finally broke our shang dang food cycle. Almost. We ordered too much food this time, thus shang danging ourselves. The whole morning was downtime ‘til the 3PM boat ride on Li River. It was great. Feet in the water, wind and too much sunblock on my face, giving me that Kabuki-foundation-make-up look. It kinda made up for the bumpy tricycle ride to and from the boat. You think horse riding hurts the nuts? Try their tricycles if having children isn’t an option for you.
Our final dinner in Yangshuo consisted of roast chicken at Café China. Good stuff. Afterwards we went pasalubong shopping. Cakes and candies galore.