Thursday, August 23, 2007

First Family Picture in Years


Hey! So I'm here in San Francisco (after ten years). The flight wasn't so bad, except that it's really long (totalling around 17 hours). And since I'm just borrowing this connection from my sister. I've got to vamoose for now, and just hijack it again later.

For all my contacts around this part of the world, I've got myself a T-Mobile number which you can get on request ;)

Will upload pictures tomorrow.
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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

So...

Done packing.

I'm finally off to a three week leave, I guess :)

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

One Night in กรุงเทพมหานคร


IMG_7758, originally uploaded by ton2fig.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ton2fig/sets/72157601565188256/

Planned back in May, this Bangkok trip was a jampacked two-day getaway that covered a lot of ground. Arriving in Suvarnabhumi (which in Ancient Thai means "big-ass airport"), we headed straight into the heart of Bangkok.

I'll go into detail in future blogposts. For now, just have a look at the flickr album. I'm, uhm, a bit busy.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Get Away From It All

My sister brought up a most brilliant suggestion to our ever-evolving itinerary:
Kitty Anne Marzan: tapos check mo din online ang yosemite tignan mo picture then let me know kung interesado kang puntahan
She's talking about Yosemite National Park, of course. And I'm very much interested in going. It's one of those places where you'd like to stay after getting tired of the rat race. Probably, like The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. By the way, I haven't read the book, but would like to. If it's any good or bad, someone tell me. I'd like to have a good book to read for while traveling or commuting.


See, now who wouldn't want to gaze on this view? (photo credits from http://wikitravel.org)

Weather permitting.

--

Of course, all over the world, it's wacky weather time. Floods, heatwaves, droughts and typhoons.

Over here, near the equator, we could be thankful in between rain showers. Walking at night is pleasant with the cool breeze. The kids could sport their cool weather clothes outside the chilly shopping centres.

--

And speaking of clothes, I window-shopped today, checking out the general prices of clothes. This way, I'll be sure that I'm getting a good deal when going to the outlet stores in the U.S.

For example, Banana Republic just opened their first store in Singapore. It sits right in fancy-pants Paragon Mall. Boy, is it expensive.

Anyway, here's a list of things I need-slash-want to buy for myself:
  1. Belt - the one I'm wearing is a bit old already. A brown one would be good as well to match shoes (see below)
  2. More long-sleeved shirts - for the office, to go as far away from "common" G2000 office shirts. Also, try to find french-cuffed ones (see next entry).
  3. Cuff links - makes me look more respectable and dignified.
  4. Leather shoes - another pair of black office shoes and brown gimik shoes.
  5. Rubber shoes - for basketball, maybe another for running/all-around
  6. Casual clothes - stuff you can't find anywhere around Singapore (for cheap).
Sorry but buying love or happiness don't make the cut on the grounds that I don't know where to buy them. If I do, I wouldn't buy them on discount.

--

You could say I'm changing wardrobe as well.

Old clothes and things are being put in a box and sent home to Lita, who will gladly distribute it among her relatives. How's that for charity? I've actually learned to let go of old things; especially things that could be better left in somebody else's hands.

In return, I'll have more space around the house for more new things.

--

Less than 10 days to go. I've washed my jackets and sweaters, and I'm ready to pack. I'll run a couple of errands during the week, like paying bills, finishing work, getting money. Pre-trip tasks like printing tickets, vouchers and documents can be done during office break times. At home, I need to clear up SD card memory, charge cameras, iPods, and laptops. I also may need to charge my cellphones. I think I'll bring two. One for the office line, and another for the prepaid card I'd be buying when I get there. I also need to have my aircon with the busted remote receiver pulled-out and fixed while I'm away.

Just to complicate things, I need to parallel-plan going to Bangkok on Saturday and Sunday. It's something that was booked way before the U.S. trip. So I need to figure out what stuff to wear and bring on that weekend. And after that, I need to do one last batch of laundry before leaving.

Then Tuesday night, hours before the flight, I should finish packing and cleaning the room. Get a few hours of sleep. I'll wake up at around 2AM, have a nice bath, pack the toiletries and head for the airport.

At the airport, probably go around and explore the facilities including the massage/spa centres if possible.

Six o' clock, Wednesday morning, I fly out. Next stops, Tokyo-Narita and San Francisco International.

Sweet!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Two Weekends To Go

Last night, we went to see Kjwan play near the Esplanade for Baybeats 2007. It was just a short set, running a little over half an hour. I thought it was really cool that they took the stage with a flag of the motherland.

A bit after the performance, I got to chat with Kjwan members and old classmates Marc and Kelley down at Glutton's Bay. They're hitting the road (flight) to Iloilo for another gig. So if you're in the area, go catch them.

--
The Summer months usually bring a vacation and you may be ready to make a big splash. With Mercury now moving through your 9th House of Journeys, it may be time to pack up and take that special trip you have been thinking about. Even if you can't get out of town, at least plan some activities over the days ahead that have nothing to do with work so you can enjoy yourself more.

Saturday, August 4, 2007
--

And just now, I gave up on joining the basketball team today and instead opted on staying home and watching TV and playing Wii.

Also, I'd be devoting some time on refining my trip plans for the U.S. Again, particularly, on the budgeting side.

And speaking of...

I still find it hard to believe that I'm going on that trip.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Let's See...

Well, your run-of-the-mill what's been happening sort of post.

I went to the dentist twice this week (once last week) to get another root canal. I'll be getting the permanent crown in two weeks. And it damn well costs a lot of money. But better to be done with it before the trip. Also, IT HURTS LIKE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--

And the other things that hurt are my ears from hearing about the Big Ticket Kevin Garnett being traded to Boston. Let's see what happens to this one. I don't really care that much. Season's still faraway in November and my favorite teams (Warriors, Lakers, Cavaliers) are just chillin'. Nothing really exciting going on, except for that Tim Donaghy gambling fiasco. Ho-hum.

Anyway, Garnett is a workhorse but he needs people around him. So let's hope this turns out good for his career, because otherwise he'd have been stuck in that quagmire of a team called the Wolves.

--

The fallout for me from this year's Great Singapore Sale, which ended last July 22 was six pairs of G2000 pants. All bought for at least 30% off. It fits nicely, and makes me look slimmer as well. The shirts, I've resolved to buy in the U.S. if I find good looking ones. The thing with G2000 is that it looks great, except for the fact that everybody else is wearing the same thing in the office. So office pants are no problem, just keep the shirts unique. Here's to hoping I find a good deal on shirts over there.

All these remind me, of course, of how many people own Louis Vuitton bags all over the island. I see them everyday in the trains, malls, offices, parks, etc. It's because there was a big sale a couple of weeks ago. Huge discounts. Now if everybody has LV, how can an owner stand out anymore? I think that was the point of buying LV.

--

Speaking of slim, I've inadvertently managed to get my weight below 150lbs. I say "inadvertently" because I believe this is due to the late nights at work and the stress of the past few weeks. There's still a lot more work to be done but it's much, much lighter and much more manageable. Hey, just like me!

--

This would be another of my "must-see" list for New York City: Angel of The Waters Fountain.

--

I've got less than twenty days to go before the trip. It's getting ever-closer. I need to wash my coldwear clothes. I haven't washed them since London last year.