After summer vacation vacation (part1)

I'm back from my 4 day vacation! (Actually, it wasn't really a vacation given that I'm on vacation24/7. Hahaha.)

It was great finally being able to go to Macau and Hongkong. It was starting to be embarrassing that I haven't gone to those places. I mean, most people I know have been to Hongkong at least once in their life. Finally, at 21, I got to go there. Yay for me! :)

Okay, first thing's first -- Macau. We stayed at the Venetian; this really, really huuuuuge hotel there, which is like the third biggest airconditioned building in the whole world (or, at least Ernesto, our gondolier, told us.) Having to go around the whole hotel was like spending an hour on the treadmill. See, that's how I got my exercise there. Hahahaha.

The Venetian Macau

The rooms were the best part of the whole Venetian experience. Seriously. They didn't have normal rooms, so all the rooms were suites; meaning, they all had living rooms, two television sets, princess-like beds with pillows that were to die for, and one humongous bathroom that I super loved.

The bathroom

We love the bed! (And the timer)

We couldn't get a nice picture of the whole suite.

We spent the whole first day there riding the gondola (with Ernesto the gondolier who looks Filipino), shopping around the Grand Canal Shoppes (and getting told off rudely by this Chinese salesperson at Mango), eating chocolates that we bought at the Chocolate Shop, and walking around at the casino area, looking lost. After all, how could we not look lost, the hotel itself has its own map!

Day 2 was spent outside. Yeah, we actually managed to pull ourselves out of our bed and get our asses out in the heat. We took a cab to Senado Square (Largo do Senado) and took pictures of random things there, just so that we can say we had a taste of Macau culture. The Ruins of St. Paul (Ruinas de Sao Paulo) was also there, so we got to see that too.

Walking around the Square

On the steps of the Ruins

I get what they say about Macau now, about how it has become the Las Vegas of Asia. Most of the hotels there were also in Las Vegas -- The Venetian, Wynn, Sands, MGM, and many more. Too bad we didn't get to see the lights at night though. We decided to spend time enjoying our suite. We don't get to experience staying in suites too often anyway. :)

It still sucks to be me!

When I say I like something, it means I really, REALLY like it. Take Avenue Q for example. I already watched it last December, and, because I super liked it, poor old unemployed me, paid another 1000 pesos just to watch it again.

And, of course, it was again super, super worth it.


The feeling I got after watching the play was still the same. Being able to watch the play at this point in my life was really comforting. It meant that I wasn't alone in my issues as a fresh graduate looking for purpose. Apparently, a lot of people have felt the same, to the point that they actually made a musical out of it. :)

At the same time, I recall this exact play being the source of my quarter life crisis six months ago. Back then, this forced me to think of what I'm to do after graduating, thus, pressure.

I was a bit disappointed at the ending "For Now," at the end of the play when I watched it last December. It felt like a cop out, like, fine, there's no way to really find your purpose, so let's just be happy with whatever we have. This, for me, felt like the easy way out.

But now, I kinda got it. Purpose really is hard to look for (and this time, I'm speaking from experience), and if I really want to look for my purpose before moving on with my life, then I'm gonna end up middle aged and still soul searching.

PRINCETON:
Why does everything have to be so hard?

GARY COLEMAN:
Maybe you'll never find your purpose.

CHRISTMAS EVE:
Lots of people don't.

PRINCETON:
But then- I don't know why I'm even alive!

KATE MONSTER:
Well, who does, really?
Everyone's a little bit unsatisfied.

BRIAN:
Everyone goes 'round a little empty inside.

GARY COLEMAN:
Take a breath,
Look around,

BRIAN:
Swallow your pride,

KATE MONSTER:
FOr now...

BRIAN, KATE, GARY, CHRISTMAS EVE:
For now...

NICKY:
Nothing lasts,

ROD:
Life goes on,

NICKY:
Full of surprises.

ROD:
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes.

CHRISTMAS EVE:
You're going to have to make a few compromises...
For now...

TREKKIE MONSTER:
For now...

ALL:
But only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now!

Life may still suck, but at least, the happy thought here is that it's only for now.

The French and Romance

Being a bum does have its good sides.

Take last tuesday, for example. I finally had the time to just go and watch something I normally would not have watched. Apparently, there was a French Film Festival going on in Shang, and my friends and I, being totally bored and craving for things to do, went there to try it out.

We only got to see one movie -- Changement d' Adresse (Change of Address)

David, a shy, awkward musician who has just moved to Paris, falls madly in love with his young student, Julia. He tries everything to win her heart. His room-mate, Anne, provides encouragement, advice and consolation... passionately!

It was a nice movie. Nothing super great about it, no fancy visual effects, no mind blowing philosophical dialogues, no complicated twists at the end of the film. It was just a simple story, that was relayed well, in the sense that it made me feel like I was watching a real person's life unfold.

But it did give me really weird ideas about the French and their interpretation of romance. Yes, the French are romantic people. I get it. But does that justify becoming a martyr all for the sake of love? Does that mean giving up your own dreams and your own happiness just so that love can prevail? Where do you draw the line between being a gentleman and just being plain stupid?

I'm sorry. Maybe this is something I'll never understand.

Happy Fathers' Day!

I spent part of tonight in High Street, people watching. Because it's fathers' day today, more families were out. Fully booked was full of little kids and teenagers, looking for things that they want their dads to buy for them (And, because again, today's fathers' day, I'm betting those kids got what they wanted. Hahaha.)

I, on the other hand, was alone. Papa is again in some country, working. He left Saturday night, and will be back before the week is over. If he were here, I'd probably be doing the same as those kids I saw a while ago. I would've dragged him to High Street, fed him Krispy Kreme, as a bribe to get him to buy whatever I want. Haha. :)

Anyway, seriously.

If there's one thing I'm thankful for, its that I'm my father's daughter.

Life may have thrown a lot of trials along our way, but I'm happy because I had you to lean on.

Mama's birthday
November 12, 2006
Heritage Park

My birthday dinner
September 26, 2006
I forgot where we had dinner. Haha.

Chances are, you will never see this. After all, you are totally clueless about everything related to the computer. Hahahaha. But, for whatever its worth, I love you. You will forever be the number one man in my life. :)

Dryness.

I may regret writing this at some point in my life (actually, in a couple of minutes, I think I'll regret it already) but I think I just have to say this.

There are really just days like this when I feel that my life is totally devoid of feeling.

I did the usual stuff; actually, given my lifestyle nowadays, I'd say I did more stuff today that I do most days. I went to school, did some errands, met up with the Kythers and joined their meeting, hung out with Allan, Nikka, Francis and Mars, had really worthwhile conversations...

I mean, given my (relatively) full day, I don't understand why I went home feeling like crap.

My friends keep me up most of the time. No matter how tired or sleepy I may be, they're my instant energy booster -- I just feel the need to be really happy when I'm with them. Wait. No. I think I'm really just happy when I'm with friends. I usually go home happy-tired, after a day spent with them. This is why I don't understand why I'm feeling really, really, really dry right now.

By dry, I mean I feel like I'm totally devoid of emotion. The happiness felt mechanical, the laughter more tiring than sincere.

I know it doesn't have anything to do with the people I'm with. I missed the Kythers so much that it actually hurt seeing them there continuing on with their lives, while I'm here in limbo. And, with the gang, nothing can really go wrong. So, probably, it's probably just me, and I don't know why.

Guilt.

Perhaps the thing I hate the most about me as a bum is the guilt that comes along with everything that I do. Don't get me wrong; I'm totally loving my life right now. No worries, no stress. Everything feels like I'm just floating in open water -- no specific direction, but I know I'll hit land at some point.

But then there are times when my lifestyle gets to me. I feel guilty for every single thing that I do; for every liter of gas that I consume because I want to go to the mall or to the gym, or because I just want to meet my friends, for every credit card charge that I make for books, a good mani/pedi or clothes. Heck, I even feel guilty for every Starbucks purchase.

Maybe right now is not the time to be a bum, for me at least. We're not rich, and life isn't getting any easier.

I got scared all of a sudden a while ago while driving home. I dropped off Allan and Mars at Shell Buendia on the way, and the gas prices just plain scared me. A sharp tang*na was all I could say. Gas prices have increased, AGAIN. Unleaded is now at Php 55. **. (I don't remember the exact prices.) God. Looks like I'm gonna have to start hitching rides or commuting sometime soon. That's if I want to keep my bum lifestyle.

I knew it!

Yes I'm bored. I watched Sex and the City thrice in the past 6 days, and its starting not to be helpful anymore.

Why? Well for one, it makes me want to shop. A lot. I don't know why it has that effect on me, but it just does. Two, it has glamorized the idea of having girlfriends too much, that I'm starting to imagine my life five years from now, having lunch with my girlfriends in trendy Manila restaurants, just like they do in Manhattan. For an unemployed girl like me, having (day)dreams of things like these aren't helpful. Imagine how much weekly lunches in nice restaurants will cost. Ugh. As much as I'd like to, I don't think I'd be able to sustain that kind of lifestyle.

And three, because of this.

I took the Sex and the City Match Your Man quiz, (yeah, pathetic, I know. Hahaha.) and apparently, my match is Steve.

Sweet, sincere, scruffy Steve is a romantic who prioritizes your relationship over his career and his wardrobe. He's content having you be the breadwinner in the relationship, and he's even willing to be bossed around a little bit. Although at times he lacks maturity, you have a hard time resisting his boyish charm. Steve has a contagious optimism and is always there when you need him.

Uhhh.. hello? OMG. Can we repeat again how much of a Miranda I am?! This reminds me of this entry that I wrote a couple of weeks ago. Hahahaha.

See what boredom can do to me?

The Romanov Prophecy

It all started around a week ago, when Allan, Nikka and I spent another afternoon in Fully Booked High Street and I decided I didn't want to go home without books with me.

And so I bought Steve Berry's The Romanov Prophecy. It sounded intriguing enough; it was about Russia, and the Romanovs. I loved historical fiction, so I thought this one was no different.

I forgot to take into consideration the "Berry pulls a Dan Brown, throwing the reader right into the action." review that was conveniently placed on the cover itself. I should've realized that it was gonna be one of those historical fiction stories with interjections from the present, with matching gunfights and car chases everwhere.

The plot's simple enough. I mean, just by the title you'd get that it was about how two Romanovs could have escaped from death. The book is set during the present, when Russia decided to bring back its Tsar and look for the closest descendant of Nicholas II. Miles Lord is an American, working for a law firm whose clients are prominent businessmen who have expressed interest in investing in the new Russia. The whole adventure starts there, when he starts to research more about how the Romanovs were murdered, and the possibility that two children of Nicholas II and Alexandra could have escaped and survived.

The protagonist Miles Lord didn't really grow on me and the mention of his family and background, and even him showing emotions seemed forced. At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder how someone as stupid as him could even be a lawyer. (If you read the book, you'll know why.) I was cringing the whole time at how he again and again fails to use his common sense.

Perhaps the only thing I liked were the flashbacks to Nicholas II's family, their capture, and murder. The present day scenes were too much for me. Filled with too much action, maybe.

But, what I hated the most was the fact that apparently, I didn't know enough about Russia. There were paragraphs that I totally did not understand because of the continuous mention of the Bolsheviks, Lenin, Red and White armies, the Ural Soviet, World War 1, and other things that I only had vague ideas of. I had to constantly check Wikipedia just to understand the little details that were mentioned.

Steve Berry's writing style also felt dry. I couldn't feel anything, not even sympathy for the characters that he made.

Good thing I opted not to buy two of his books at the same time. But, at least now, I know more about Russia. I still don't understand much of it, but at least I have basic knowledge. (Or, at least I'd like to think so.)