Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Autumn in Beijing Day 1 - CULTURE

This trip was booked 3 months ago. After a long time of waiting, it's finally time for our Beijing trip! Our accommodation and meals were covered by our friend Pam, who was sent there by her employer for a bit of work.

Currency Conversion:
CNY 1.00 (Chinese Yuan Renminbi) = PHP 6.78

Our plane left Manila at 7:35 of September 15 and we arrived in Beijing International Airport at 12:05am of September 16.

Tip: Go where the bulk of people are going. There's a long line getting a cab but it's fast moving. Don;t let other cab drivers on the side fool you. Flag down rate that night was  CNY 11.00 and meter was CNY 2.00. We paid CNY 100.00 upon arriving at the hotel.

Essentials:
Map of the hotel and its business card
Beijing map w/ Subway guide
A list of helpful vocabulary written in Chinese characters

We stayed at the Grand Mercure Hotel. Our friend got a free upgrade from a Deluxe Room to an Executive Room, which was at the topmost floor (10th) of the hotel and can only be accessed by the elevator upon swiping the room card.

We slept for a couple of hours and woke up at around 9am to prepare for a long day of walking around Beijing. Since Pam was at work, only my bestfriend Dianne and I toured the city together for the day. Our map didn't let us down! It was fun walking around in a bit cold weather and a clean surroundings.


 nice flowers we saw along the way


happy BFFs!:)

THE EGG (National Grand Theater of China)
It was just a few blocks from the hotel. We referred to our map and we ended up passing by the inner streets that were a bit scary haha. Then we reached The Egg, however, they said it's better to go there at night because of the nice effect of its lights.



The Egg at night (a photo from Pam)

THE FORBIDDEN CITY
From The Egg, we're supposed to go to the Tian'anmen Square. But we kinda lost our way and entered the street on the left of the Monument to the People's Heroes. Then we found a garden on our right where we entered. We paid CNY 3.00 to get in. We kept on walking 'til we saw a gate full of tourists. As we entered, we saw a huge "plaza" and realized that it's the gate to the Forbidden City.

We bought tickets at CNY 60.00 each. Since it's kind of expensive, we just chose not to rent audio guides anymore at CNY 40.00. It's a gadget that tells you the story of the Forbidden City in your preferred language as you tour around. We actually tried finding a group of English tourists and free-ride on their tour guides but we didn't find any 'coz most tourists were Chinese speaking also.

  at the entrance


 it's just so awesome!





After an hour of walking around, we finally reached the exit. We rode a bus headed to Dongzhimen and we went down somewhere along the way to have some authentic Chinese late lunch. We were so delighted that we got really good service. There were a lot of choices from the menu! Thank God for the photos of the food haha. They also served food fast. And the best part was, we only paid CNY 59.00 for everything we had -- roast duck, soup, fried rice, soda!:)



After lunch, we walked going nowhere 'til we found the Oriental Plaza, which I will discuss on my next blog entry. So after there, we tried going to the subway. We're supposed to go back to the hotel and go down at Xidan but we accidentally went down at Tian'amen haha! 

TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE (Gate of the Heavenly Peace)
So there, we're surprised to see the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, which actually led us to the main entrance of the Forbidden City. It took us a long walk to have such discoveries haha.


Then we walked going to Xidan station where we road the train to Xuanwumen, which was just a few meters away from our hotel. It has been such an awesome day of experiencing ancient Chinese culture. We may be tired from walking, but we're happy on how our day turned out.:)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I Missed Resorts World!

I've been a bit away from the night scene since I started working and studying in QC. Months before I started with my new job, I used to go to Resorts World at least once a week, particularly in Republiq. But probably, more than the far distance I have to travel, I just don't enjoy clubbing anymore, that's why I don't often go there anymore. I just go to resorts World once in a while when I get event invitations. So the last time I was there was during Republiq's 1st year Anniversary in June.

But just last September 2, we got an invite for the Uno Alpha Photo Exhibit Launch. It's an exhibit of photos of the men who were previously featured in Uno magazines. These men are those who have created a name in their own fields. The cocktail event took place in Genting Club in Resorts World Manila. We were so late 'cause we got caught in the middle of the traffic jam, which was probably caused by heavy rains.

Luckily, we were able to catch a bit of food before the buffet was closed. And since one of the waiters happened to be my bestfriend's neighbor in the province, we got some VIP treatment. We were served lots of drinks on our cocktail table -- iced tea, Coke, bottled water, beer, vodka tonic. Spoiled! haha!:)) A band was playing good music as we eat, drink, and chat. We didn't socialize to other groups since we're so preoccupied by our food and drinks haha!





We left the event before it's done. We window-shopped for a bit and chatted over crepes. After a bit of girl bonding at the mall, we proceeded to Republiq. Thanks to my friend DJ Ace for the last-minute guestlist!:)




Anyway, it's good to see a couple of friends inside the club. I missed that place! I missed dancing! I missed having so much fun! But the best part was, being able to bond with my girl friends while dancing and laughing at a lot of jokes! It wasn't an intense "girls' night out" but it was just right. Not too much and not too less. At least we got to rest our feet every once in  a while as we watched crazy Korean boys and girls playing around haha!




We went home a bit early; tired but happy!:)

Saying NO to Stress.

Since I'm busy with work, I don't go out as much anymore. But every once in a while, I try to hangout with friends and have fun. This way, I get to relax and do away with stress.

I usually spend my Wednesday night (when I'm not tired) in Blue Onion where a band performs. It was the drummer whom I became friends with from other gigs, then he introduced us to the rest of the band, and one of them was Vince Alaras of South Border. He's got such a nice voice, and I can't deny that I've been a fan of his music way back in the old days. The best Wednesday night I've spent there was last 25th of August. A lot of friends came, plus a couple of Eat Bulaga celebrities were also there for a birthday party. The jammers were really talented.

 the band

 Julia Clarete

 Kimpee De Leon

 Joyski and Pauleen

 Joyski and the band members

 the drunkards lol

and I in smart-casual attire lol

I also enjoy watching movies. It's one of my stress relievers. Just during the long weekend, I watched "One Day" with my bestfriend in Shangrila Mall. I finally got to try Sango, and I must admit, they got good food. And the best part of the day, I was able to buy my very own deck of Monopoly Deal from Hobbes and Landes. haha! Then we went to Distillery Eastwood for a bottle of Fragolino Blanco (but I actually wanted Rosso) and some cheese sticks while playing Monopoly Deal on-on-one. haha!:)) Capped the night with midnight snacks from KFC.

after trying out Sango

 my part 1 birthday gift for her

 say NO to stress haha!

 what a perfect combo!

final pic for the night

And at random days, after office hours, my co-workers and I are lounging at our boss' office, where we play Monopoly Deal and watch TV. We also do a lot of eating after work, almost trying out all the food stores in Katipunan and in Teacher's Village. And our comfort drink: Moonleaf!

It's really perfect to hangout once in a while to take away the stress and the bad vibes.:)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Autumn in Beijing Day 1 - CULTURE

This trip was booked 3 months ago. After a long time of waiting, it's finally time for our Beijing trip! Our accommodation and meals were covered by our friend Pam, who was sent there by her employer for a bit of work.

Currency Conversion:
CNY 1.00 (Chinese Yuan Renminbi) = PHP 6.78

Our plane left Manila at 7:35 of September 15 and we arrived in Beijing International Airport at 12:05am of September 16.

Tip: Go where the bulk of people are going. There's a long line getting a cab but it's fast moving. Don;t let other cab drivers on the side fool you. Flag down rate that night was  CNY 11.00 and meter was CNY 2.00. We paid CNY 100.00 upon arriving at the hotel.

Essentials:
Map of the hotel and its business card
Beijing map w/ Subway guide
A list of helpful vocabulary written in Chinese characters

We stayed at the Grand Mercure Hotel. Our friend got a free upgrade from a Deluxe Room to an Executive Room, which was at the topmost floor (10th) of the hotel and can only be accessed by the elevator upon swiping the room card.

We slept for a couple of hours and woke up at around 9am to prepare for a long day of walking around Beijing. Since Pam was at work, only my bestfriend Dianne and I toured the city together for the day. Our map didn't let us down! It was fun walking around in a bit cold weather and a clean surroundings.


 nice flowers we saw along the way


happy BFFs!:)

THE EGG (National Grand Theater of China)
It was just a few blocks from the hotel. We referred to our map and we ended up passing by the inner streets that were a bit scary haha. Then we reached The Egg, however, they said it's better to go there at night because of the nice effect of its lights.



The Egg at night (a photo from Pam)

THE FORBIDDEN CITY
From The Egg, we're supposed to go to the Tian'anmen Square. But we kinda lost our way and entered the street on the left of the Monument to the People's Heroes. Then we found a garden on our right where we entered. We paid CNY 3.00 to get in. We kept on walking 'til we saw a gate full of tourists. As we entered, we saw a huge "plaza" and realized that it's the gate to the Forbidden City.

We bought tickets at CNY 60.00 each. Since it's kind of expensive, we just chose not to rent audio guides anymore at CNY 40.00. It's a gadget that tells you the story of the Forbidden City in your preferred language as you tour around. We actually tried finding a group of English tourists and free-ride on their tour guides but we didn't find any 'coz most tourists were Chinese speaking also.

  at the entrance


 it's just so awesome!





After an hour of walking around, we finally reached the exit. We rode a bus headed to Dongzhimen and we went down somewhere along the way to have some authentic Chinese late lunch. We were so delighted that we got really good service. There were a lot of choices from the menu! Thank God for the photos of the food haha. They also served food fast. And the best part was, we only paid CNY 59.00 for everything we had -- roast duck, soup, fried rice, soda!:)



After lunch, we walked going nowhere 'til we found the Oriental Plaza, which I will discuss on my next blog entry. So after there, we tried going to the subway. We're supposed to go back to the hotel and go down at Xidan but we accidentally went down at Tian'amen haha! 

TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE (Gate of the Heavenly Peace)
So there, we're surprised to see the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, which actually led us to the main entrance of the Forbidden City. It took us a long walk to have such discoveries haha.


Then we walked going to Xidan station where we road the train to Xuanwumen, which was just a few meters away from our hotel. It has been such an awesome day of experiencing ancient Chinese culture. We may be tired from walking, but we're happy on how our day turned out.:)

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I Missed Resorts World!

I've been a bit away from the night scene since I started working and studying in QC. Months before I started with my new job, I used to go to Resorts World at least once a week, particularly in Republiq. But probably, more than the far distance I have to travel, I just don't enjoy clubbing anymore, that's why I don't often go there anymore. I just go to resorts World once in a while when I get event invitations. So the last time I was there was during Republiq's 1st year Anniversary in June.

But just last September 2, we got an invite for the Uno Alpha Photo Exhibit Launch. It's an exhibit of photos of the men who were previously featured in Uno magazines. These men are those who have created a name in their own fields. The cocktail event took place in Genting Club in Resorts World Manila. We were so late 'cause we got caught in the middle of the traffic jam, which was probably caused by heavy rains.

Luckily, we were able to catch a bit of food before the buffet was closed. And since one of the waiters happened to be my bestfriend's neighbor in the province, we got some VIP treatment. We were served lots of drinks on our cocktail table -- iced tea, Coke, bottled water, beer, vodka tonic. Spoiled! haha!:)) A band was playing good music as we eat, drink, and chat. We didn't socialize to other groups since we're so preoccupied by our food and drinks haha!





We left the event before it's done. We window-shopped for a bit and chatted over crepes. After a bit of girl bonding at the mall, we proceeded to Republiq. Thanks to my friend DJ Ace for the last-minute guestlist!:)




Anyway, it's good to see a couple of friends inside the club. I missed that place! I missed dancing! I missed having so much fun! But the best part was, being able to bond with my girl friends while dancing and laughing at a lot of jokes! It wasn't an intense "girls' night out" but it was just right. Not too much and not too less. At least we got to rest our feet every once in  a while as we watched crazy Korean boys and girls playing around haha!




We went home a bit early; tired but happy!:)

Saying NO to Stress.

Since I'm busy with work, I don't go out as much anymore. But every once in a while, I try to hangout with friends and have fun. This way, I get to relax and do away with stress.

I usually spend my Wednesday night (when I'm not tired) in Blue Onion where a band performs. It was the drummer whom I became friends with from other gigs, then he introduced us to the rest of the band, and one of them was Vince Alaras of South Border. He's got such a nice voice, and I can't deny that I've been a fan of his music way back in the old days. The best Wednesday night I've spent there was last 25th of August. A lot of friends came, plus a couple of Eat Bulaga celebrities were also there for a birthday party. The jammers were really talented.

 the band

 Julia Clarete

 Kimpee De Leon

 Joyski and Pauleen

 Joyski and the band members

 the drunkards lol

and I in smart-casual attire lol

I also enjoy watching movies. It's one of my stress relievers. Just during the long weekend, I watched "One Day" with my bestfriend in Shangrila Mall. I finally got to try Sango, and I must admit, they got good food. And the best part of the day, I was able to buy my very own deck of Monopoly Deal from Hobbes and Landes. haha! Then we went to Distillery Eastwood for a bottle of Fragolino Blanco (but I actually wanted Rosso) and some cheese sticks while playing Monopoly Deal on-on-one. haha!:)) Capped the night with midnight snacks from KFC.

after trying out Sango

 my part 1 birthday gift for her

 say NO to stress haha!

 what a perfect combo!

final pic for the night

And at random days, after office hours, my co-workers and I are lounging at our boss' office, where we play Monopoly Deal and watch TV. We also do a lot of eating after work, almost trying out all the food stores in Katipunan and in Teacher's Village. And our comfort drink: Moonleaf!

It's really perfect to hangout once in a while to take away the stress and the bad vibes.:)