honesty is such a lonely word...

this little shop off some small town of Ivana in Batanes opened up in the 80s and is mostly unattended. a pricelist is posted at the wall along with instructions on how everything is supposed to be self-service and the customer can just pick up the desired product to purchase and drop the payment on some box. there is no provision for change so one must give the exact amount or leave the rest as donation.



there is nothing much to see here but a few trinkets as souvenirs and basic snack items as biscuits and junk food and coffee.


last december some news broke out that this little cafe got looted out by some unidentified men. apparently it was the second theft incident for the store but they would rather not report it to the police as they tend to mute it anyway.

true enough we asked some people around town and they don't even know about it. and somehow they have become quite nonchalant about petty crimes and lawlessness these days. perhaps there is really no such thing as a zero-crime community in this day and age.

in spite of that though i still can't help but be overwhelmed by the peacefulness of the place not to mention the warmth of its people. just about anybody would stop by on their tracks and greet you. little kids could just run around the street and feel so safe. i was thinking that this must be the best place to rear Xan, wow, i would not need to lock him up our gates and there won't be any need for me to worry about his safety wherever he chooses to run and skip and play about.

i realize how therapeutic this trip has become for me. there is indeed no such thing as a perfect world. no such thing as utopia. evil still abound even in the most serene places. but seeing the goodness in the eyes of those i've met and known even for a short while only makes me want to still believe in the intrinsic nature of man to do and be good to one's fellow. there will always be hope anywhere and everywhere.

out of boredom

it's past 4am and i can't sleep. my mind is teeming with thoughts.

i would have to say that i have indeed gotten older. age has finally caught up with me. i can feel it creeping in. i now realize that the world i am standing on is not as sturdy as i believe it was. i once thought and believe that nothing much could affect me. i have always been too arrogant, too proud, too nonchalant. i have always considered myself as some golden child, that nothing unfortunate could ever happen to me no matter how carefree i could be.

after that hold-up incident on my birthday night i have to admit i am forever shaken. i will always be scarred. it is mostly after that when i have opened my eyes and saw harsh realities around me. they finally hit home. all these police reports news which we mostly consider as crap now matter.

on my first day here in manila after last holidays vacation i didn't go out to jog around campus. well it was really cold, but most of all i am still scared shitless. i still have the image of some guy in a red jacket and a red cap poking some gun on my face.

when i went home that night, i saw a kid snatched something from some older guy and ran. the guy ran after him and oh, how i was praying so hard that he'd get caught and be mauled to death, i don't care. i must have been shivering when i got home. not from the cold but more from fear.

i had dinner last night with some friends and on my way home we passed by some mob and i automatically locked the cab door. there was a car accident and a lot of people milled around. i on the other hand was afraid that some guy would open my door or break the windows. i told the driver to just go on and rush ahead.

sigh, it is never easy. i know some people had it worse. that this is but part of the harsh realities of life and it should not stop me from still believing in the goodness of man. maybe because i have been sheltered too long. or i have only been exposed to the best, most goodnatured of people. i blame it on my profession then. but now i know i just can't breathe in all the good news all the time.

i saw the curious case of benjamin button tonight and cried on the first 5 minutes. a man longing for his son who he lost to war crafted a watch that turns counterclockwise in the hope of bringing his son back. that must be love in its truest sense.

and it must be love which made a Creole lady keep some abandoned monster of a baby for herself and rear him till the very end even with his most bizarre characteristics. and it is the love story between Benjamin and Daisy which weaves this movie as a whole. I can't help but be reminded of Forrest and Jenny. a kind of love which is forever enduring and understanding no matter what the circumstances are. and each character has their own important story to tell about living and loving.

I say life is after all never boring. and this is quite a revelation for someone like me who in my younger years would always complain about being bored and feeling empty. life is indeed so rich and people's lives are all interesting. and since most of our lives get to intertwine anyway our life becomes as enriched as everybody else's.

when i left the cinema, all i really wanted to do was kiss Xan and tell him how much i love him and how sorry i am that i couldn't be there when he might need me the most. i realize now that at least i am actually capable of loving. that i know how it is to really care for people. that i could utter words of prayers for their safety and well being just about anytime. that night on my birthday, i could not bring myself to scream or fight back because i fear for the safety of my nieces and my nephews. i realize that night how much i love them and how much they mean to me.

i was talking to a friend tonight and he was telling me how lonely he is. i so wanted to tell him to go back to his family, to treasure his kids, to feel what love really is all about. but of course i could not. i after all don't know everything still. sometimes all we can do is listen. and pray for things to get better for everyone else.

it is indeed a tough world. it maybe harsh but it can still be beautiful. all we really have to do is be stronger and believe in the greater power of love. because as Momma Queenie would aptly say. " You never know what's comin' for ya!"

perhaps my dancing days are over...

got home almost 5am this morning from some dinner/drinks/dancing/coffee with great friends. after some riotous dinner and drinks at pier one at the fort some of us trooped down to metrowalk for more action. we ended up at elbow room where some of us had a couple of rounds of billiards while we took pics just about everywhere.

and when some of us decided to call it a night, a few of us stayed for some partying at decades. the place was teeming with kids, i could barely breath from the smoke and i truly hated the hiphop/rnb music.

okay, for some little bit of history (okay, like a decade ago), i used to be a constant fixture on the dance floor hihi. i'd go crazy over night outs that involved booze, great dancing lights and music, and a dance floor regardless if it's that wide or cramped. oh well, the cramper the better actually. sometimes my friends or even my brother would have to pull me away once i start dancing with strangers girls or boys wehehe...because in actuality, i don't really care who i dance with. out there on the dance floor, it's really just me and the music and that heady feeling of moving and swaying with the music.

i've had my fill of dancing on ledges and on top of the chairs and tables. i remember going up to some table in streetlife-makati just to be able to face the band and dance with them...wehehe...i've got equally dancer-ous friends and company as well. there was this one time at dencio's near abs-cbn when a waiter approached us when we started dancing near our tables, bawal daw kasi resto iyun at hindi disco! eh bakit naman kasi nagpapatugtog ng danceable hits!

we used to call it "going to the disco" now they call it "clubbing" or "partying". but you know what, it's still the same thing. people gyrating and bumping bodies with their partners or with strangers, breathing the same smoke that's wafting in the air. swaying to the same moves from years back. and moving with some remixes that sounds just the same anyway eek!

oh well, maybe i could have appreciated it more had they play house/techno music. i can't stomach the likes of mariah, rihanna, beyonce, etc. really. sorry.

i've to admit though that some bones in me did shiver in excitement as soon as i stepped into the floor once more. it's like coming home but it's not really the same thing anymore. malabo, pero basta yun. baka kasi tumatanders na lang talaga ako.

speaking of...here's my only birthday pics which was taken from my camphone. lecheng holdaper iyun, sana naman i upload niya birthday pics ko para i grab ko na lang.

with my banoffe pie and xan's birthday candle hehe...


belated habeerday to me!

great thanks to everyone who sent their messages via texts, ym, emails, friendster, multiply messages. for the calls and hugs and kisses and gifts and prayers and everything nice. i know i'll be okay because i'll always have all of you anyway. mwah!

trauma

i never thought it could happen to me or to us, not in my own town, in my own neighborhood and definitely not on my effin birthday.

we were havin such a great time on our night out, we were walking home when three men on a scooter stopped us at some darkened intersection cocked out a gun and threatened that if anyone of us moved or screamed someone would get hurt.

some guy grabbed me then went to my nieces and nephews to get their celphones and belongings. one of my nephews ran supposedly to get help but no one was around.

i had the presence of mind to throw my phone on the ground before the guy got to grab my pouch which contains the camera charger and some lipgloss and 50 bucks .

i had the rest of my money on my pocket.

there were some padyak drivers around the corner but they were not able to stop those guys on the scooter.

my niece screamed but i guess it was not enough.

they still got away with some of our belongings. i really just wanted to get the cam's memory card and sim cards back.

just the same i'm still glad we are all safe. i don't think i could ever forgive myself if anyone of my nieces and nephews got hurt. ****ngina 16-23 years old lang sila. ako na pinakamatanda and they were all my responsibility.

some birthday indeed.

just this afternoon the pressure cooker exploded almost on my face i had to step in the shower for a long time if only to soothe whatever burns i could have.

i'm still trembling. we are still in shock.

it's been hours and i still can't get over those images of how frightened we were. i couldn't even go to the kitchen or the restroom alone lest i'd see the image of the holdupper toting his gun.

i've been reading and rereading the many text greetings i got for today, read all the wishes and blessings and asked myself whatever happened to them prayers. i could only surmise that things could have been worse for us. someone could have been hurt or even killed. i can only say that the prayers and wishes actually worked on my favor and i cannot help but feel grateful to everyone.

i still can't believe how blessed i am. and even though there is still that gnawing fear in me i just can't help but marvel at the warmth of those prayers.

i was telling my niece, who was as frightened as i am, (darn it she's only 17!), that no matter how common or prevalent these incidents are it's still not the same when you experience it first hand.

that even if they didn't get anything at all, the trauma is still magnanimous.

i look back and yeah, we outnumbered them, we could have fought back or kicked and screamed. but what if some gun went off and one of us got killed. it is still never worth it.

i already miss our digicam. i could have been uploading pics already. we had so much fun, we had a lot of wacky poses there. it still has most of Xan's baby pics in it and most of the memorable moments for the past 2-3 years.

oh well, those were just materials things. i hope that these people could burn in hell right this very moment. and i hope that too they couldn't sleep a wink for the rest of their God-forsaken lives!

make it last...

THIRTY THREE
Smashing Pumpkins
Singingfool.com

Speak to me in a language I can hear
humour me before I have to go
Deep in thought I forgive everyone
As the cluttered streets greet me once again
I know I cant be late, suppers waiting on the table
Tomorrows just an excuse away
So I pull my collar up and face the cold, on my own
The earth laughs beneath my heavy feet
At the blasphemy in my old jangly walk
Steeple guide me to my heart and home
The sun is out and up and down again
I know Ill make it, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you
And for a moment I lose myself
Wrapped up in the pleasures of the world
Ive journeyed here and there and back again
But in the same old haunts I still find my friends
Mysteries not ready to reveal
Sympathies Im ready to return
Ill make the effort, love can last forever
Graceful swans of never topple to the earth
Tomorrows just an excuse
And you can make it last, forever you
You can make it last, forever you

not just another birthday blog...

i have no idea why i have been having all these morbid thoughts the past days. there's this one nagging question that has been in my mind which is, "if and when i die right now can i ever say that i have lived a good enough life?"

Jesus died on the cross and eventually saved us all from sinfulness at thirty-three. At least we can all say that he was able to fulfill his life's meaning and has lived a good enough life.

and can i say the same for myself?

i have nothing to leave on but Xan, and i can't even say I'm a good enough mom for him.

am i ever a good enough daughter? sister? friend? lover?

am i even a good enough person?

adding another year makes me think about that. and it just sucks evaluating one's self as each year passes especially when i am not even able to answer it substantially.

oh darn it, tomorrow i'd just want to dance the night away and lose myself in the moment of being alive still.

2008 according to my blogs...

...and why i prefer to just stay grateful and not ask for anything more anymore.

Same rule as last year, copy and paste the first paragraph of your first blog entry for the month of January to December 2008 also put corresponding pictures from your 2008 albums.

JANUARY: lagnat-laki

Xan and i are currently not feeling so well. blame it on our endless trips to the stores and eating and walking out in spite of the rains.

FEBRUARY: missing KL

yeah, i actually miss the place.

i knew all the research and planning for the itinerary made me quite dizzy and unexcited for a bit but arriving at the city all bustling and crowded awakened the wanderlust in me.

MARCH: lustful thoughts

i am currently lusting on these...


APRIL: a semi-charmed life indeed

i'm at peace. and i just want to relish every single moment of it.

i still have a lot of concerns to take care of but gladly they are not enough to overpower this immense feeling of peace and contentment that's emanating my being right at this very moment.

MAY: dreamy

i've gotten the bug once more. i've been sniffing and sneezing for a few days now and my head is just so heavy to carry around. if only i could take it off sometimes and leave it someplace for a while eh.


JUNE: wanting for more

they say a grand vacation should be enough to satisfy all those longings you've had in life. when you're all weary and tired from our day to day issues we can't help but dream of going away and just frolic in the sun or even the rain.


JULY: unjinxed!

i had initial misgivings about watching this game, after all it's been years since i saw one live. and in those few games that i've seen our team has always lost. i've thought that watching our team losing over and over again has told me to just stop watching it live. there's more comfort in watching it on tv anyway with replays and comments most especially about technicalities and all. yeah right!



AUGUST: regressions

woke up feeling this great longing for some things utterly familiar to my system. i missed my mama's champorado with coconut milk which she usually serves on cold rainy days as this. and the endless chatterings with my young nieces and nephews. or just the smell of my old sheets and good old homecooking wafting in the air.

SEPTEMBER: good old bacolod

i've always loved this place. i once said to myself that i don't mind relocating and living here for good. its local charms, its serenity has always made me feel at home and at peace. it helps a lot too that my father came from the area. most of my relatives are still here enjoying their own piece of heaven.


OCTOBER: nurturing my animus

i spent my Sunday night to early morning of Monday watching the Godfather trilogy.

NOVEMBER: ilog, dagat, bundok, lawa

Oct. 26-31, 2008
Bohol-Dumaguete, Philippines
ako ay isang tunay na saksi! mayaman nga ang ating bansa sa kalikasan. naman, wala pang isang linggo nalibot ko ang iba't ibang anyo ng kalikasan. wahoo!


DECEMBER: around Hongkong in 4 days!

i was not too excited with this trip at first. the last time i went to HK was in sunny, summery July a few years back and it was really hot. we weren't able to go around much that time too because i was working thus HK didn't leave that much of a good impression on me.



*********************************************

looking back, i don't really want to complain anymore. i realized i have been to four countries this year and had more exciting places visited once or even twice around the country. there were no major set backs really. and Xan is growing up into a more gorgeous little boy each day.

life has been good. and i still feel so blessed. THANK YOU!

**********************************************

i just want to be richer and healthier rthis year. but with how much of a wanderlust i am, i don't really know how to attain that.

**********************************************

i can't think of any great pet peeve this year except for that of MISS GANDA, clueless? how about singing payong, payong, eh, eh....

putanginga eh, eh mo yang sarili mo!!!

i mean please, when you're supposed to be that talentado then go make your own songs, sheesh!

**********************************************

i was crazy of Up Dharma Down's Bipolar album this year, along with Metallica's Death Magnetic and Portishead's Third.

i discovered Haruki Murukami's books and cried over the stories by Khaled Hosseini.

of all the countries i've been to, it's Macau that i love the most.

and i just learned how to make banofee pie, yey!

**********************************************

my heart is still uber red as ever ahihihi.

**********************************************

okay, i gained weight this holidays but i was able to slip back into my size 24 jeans last summer yey! and i'll just work for that again in the next few weeks hehe.

**********************************************

and Xan at barely three can now recite his ABCs and count from 1-10 and sing basic nursery rhymes, sing and dance to Taktak and distinguish his Mama, from Mommy and Mamang and Mamay, and meow-meow haha!

******************************************

Life is good.

because we are both innocent looking...

a belated holidays greeting to all of you from me and Xan in this Holy Innocents day...

oh i'm sorry, but Xan is still my best accessory. he never fails to make me feel like i'm the most gorgeous ever as we both walk around with him waving and smiling at people he doesn't even know. flashing his brightest smile and hollering hi's and buh-byes.

and him calling out to me, mommy! in his shrieky voice is still the best music to my ears.

oops, i'm raving too much now i'm sure you get the picture.

good times, great times ahead for all!

getting ready for christmas

i am finally done with my christmas shopping and had them wrapped a while ago. it was exhilarating cramming and feeling the christmas rush once more and feeling that our peace and order situation has seemingly improved. i guess for us Christians, not even bomb threats could dampen our holiday spirit.

the past days i've noticed how much trash like old newspapers and plastic shopping bags are being kept around our house so i used them to wrap my gifts. eh, i feel like i don't wanna spend anymore on wrappers which they will just tear and throw away anyway.

yeah, crisis na crisis ang itsura, parang basura din lang. but have you seen that news clip about some gift wrapping service in London? the uglier the gift wrapping is the better, the logic really is that it being ugly makes it more realistic and personally done. ika nga, labor of love . besides, it's the content and the thought that counts na nga di ba?

and here's a look at our tree this time in orange...



all lit up:


we have prepared for our orange outfits tomorrow too. i hope everyone in the family can wear them, or at least some similar color. we have made this as some tradition for us to wear the same color during christmas eve.

and yeah, my toe nails are in light orange too. overkill!

my own starbucks story

well, i believe most of us got their own stories to tell and i just thought about this when i was going through my blogposts.

in april of 2007 i wrote this:

Single thoughts:

was sitting long at starbucks watching at people pass by, looking at couples more specifically when i started asking myself:

M: why can't i ever find a regular guy like these girls found theirs??


Me-too: you're not a regular girl. you can't be with a regular guy.




sigh...

a few weeks after that though, i met someone along with a group of friends at starbucks 6750, of all places.

and things were never the same again.



and indeed he is not any other regular guy. hihihi.

well this year i decided to get me that red starbucks planner that they are offering.

i'm not that much into planners but as soon as i saw the red one i knew i've got to have it. maybe it's about time that i get used to writing on a pen and paper once more and hopefully improve my penmanship.

and red, red, red...it is so red as red can be because it reminds me of life and that corny, icky, ewwie feeling of being in love once again. yiheee! hahaha!

the latest craze that is ROYCE!

i'm not really that fond of chocolates but this one is the bomb!

i bought a box of Royce in Times Square, HK after having heard of great reviews about it. i was just curious as to what the craze is all about and for 85 HKD (roughly 600 PhP) then it must really be something special.

It comes in an insulated box with a little spoon inside, and lo and behold it does taste heavenly and just melts in your mouth.

i'm eating it just one piece at a time so afraid that it will soon disappear haha! but the good news is, there's now a Royce outlet at Rockwell. but of course, i don't think i would troop there just to buy some 600 peso chocolate, any donors? hehehe....

fengshui please?

i couldn't help but smile at the security guard in Bo's Coffee here in katip when i passed by tonight. after all i was in a festive mood as i shivered from the cold Christmas air. i also felt delighted that at last after having been closed for the past three weeks, Bo's Coffee Shop is now once again open for business.

flashback to three weeks ago, i was so surprised when i saw the then closed coffee shop with it's glass walls smashed and most of its interiors destroyed. i asked the guard in there as to what happened and learned that a truck rammed on the store hitting some parked cars, breaking the glass walls and injuring some customers in the process.


it instantly hit me that maybe this store really just needs to get fengshui-d. bo's coffee is only here in katip for barely four years but it has been a victim of hold ups more than twice already and now this accident.

back in the 90's (yeah, i'm that old haha!), this was the site for Bun on the Run and later The Barn which was then managed by celebrity couple Mariz and Ronnie Ricketts. i later heard that the management was turned over to someone else but sales still didn't pick up till it closed shop.

i love this Bo's Coffee, it has to be the biggest one i've been to at three storeys and the most homey as well. the ones i've been to in Cebu and Bacolod were mostly kiosks and not even as cozy. i love the idea that they serve breakfast all day long haha! such a delight for a late sleeper that i am.and there's free wifi for every cup of coffee that you order.

oh well, i really hope that nothing untoward will happen to them anymore. it has been quite sad passing through their store the past days with all it's lights unlit.

i'm just glad they are back in business now.

Christmas Outreach

it started as a mere thought till after days of pondering and thinking about it the girls planned hard. support was gathered too from different people from all over the globe and from another forum. wow, medyo naligaw kami nung papunta sa CRIBS but somehow we got there safely naman albeit fashionably late. okay na din kasi madami kaming bitbit. sobra sobra ang food from jollibee kahit na may batang nag exclaim, "spaghetti na naman??!!" haha, sorry naman, dai!


there were toys and a lot more of grocery items, lahat donated ng mga tao, wow, presence lang talaga nabigay namin.

masaya mag statue dance at sumayaw ng Low at Don't Cha

medyo nakakapagod but it was all worth it.

nice, nice...sana next time uli. :)

Grandpa's Inn-Vigan

i went back to Vigan this month with my family and this time we stayed at Grandpa's Inn. I discovered this place when i was doing my research on places to eat and chanced upon someone else's blog about how good their food was.

we went there with my friends last summer for dinner and indeed the food was great! it was cheap too especially with their exceptional service and cozy ambiance. my apologies as i don't have pictures of their food since they were wiped out before we remembered to take shots haha!


we stayed at the calesa room which was truly unique in itself having 2 calesa beds and one double bed and could accommodate up to 4 people.



there was free wifi in the rooms too. and the staff were very helpful and courteous.


i will surely miss this place. we had such a great time during our stay there.

freakin survivor!

crap! crap! crap!

i just read in some forum that GMA will have this Boto ng Bayan thing for the selection of the final winner for Survivor Philippines.

i've been fearing for this text votes thing from the start but i didn't want to air it out hoping they would stay truthful to the original one..but waaah! i'm so freakin disappointed.

i'm guessing that this might just be GMA's way for damage control over that idiot who posted the name of the winner in his/her blog and spoiled everyone big time.

i'm okay with the spoiled winner getting the title, he totally deserves it. leche lang talaga ang nag spoil na yun.

ggrrrr! i felt bad enough having been spoiled but this current move of GMA is just plain crap. putangina!!!!

around Hongkong in 4 days!

(Nov. 21-24, 2008)

i was not too excited with this trip at first. the last time i went to HK was in sunny, summery July a few years back and it was really hot. we weren't able to go around much that time too because i was working thus HK didn't leave that much of a good impression on me.

the ferry ride from Macau took only about an hour. after settling down at our guesthouse for a bit we then got on the MTR to Central then the Victoria Peak.

We took the Peak Tram to and from the Peak then boarded a bus and the Star Ferry to Harbor City and walked up to the Avenue of Stars. we looked up the MTR station once more and got home safely just before midnight.

i now love the transpo system here in HK, it's just so simple and quite easy to follow. yup, we had a few misses and wrong turns but it was fairly easy for us to just stay on track.

ang masaya malamig ang panahon this time kaya okay lang maglakad lakad kahit malayo. yun nga lang, friend ko na ang salonpas ngayon hehe...



on our second day, we went to Ngong Pin 360 and got to ride the cable car and walk up to the big buddha. from there we went to more train rides to get to disneyland yey.





it was about past 8pm when we left disneyland just right after the fireworks. we were to meet some friend up in Central for dinner and drinks so we hopped on the train again. okay, we had some mix up when we boarded the train which was to go on the opposite side of our destination haha! kaya medyo napalayo at natagalan kami. but then, the train system is really that organized so we didn't panic instead we just enjoyed the joyride.

lan kwai fong is quite a gimikero's haven! we saw how HK people and the expats and the tourists love to party and revel till the wee hours of the morning. and i am more amazed at how the women dress up and have fun even if some will just have to hang around the streets or near 7-11 for their drinks.nice, nice!



on our fourth and final day, we just wanted to take it easy by covering still more sights but at a more relaxed pace. of course, i have been limping the past few days from the cold and too much walking. woe to my age indeed haha!



We took the MTR to Central, walked around Worldwide Plaza where there are a lot of Pinoy stores including Jollibee...took the bus to Stanley Market, saw Repulse Bay...went back to Central towards the pier...took the Star Ferry then walked all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station back to Jordan...we then took the Airport express for our 7pm flight back home. awww....



but we had such a great time playing turistas anyway! =)

city econo inn-hk

i'd like to call it divine intervention...

just bef0re we checked out at macau, i asked our concierge to write our HK hotel address in Chinese characters so i can just hand it to our taxi driver. he had to call the hotel and i had to pay another 21 hkd for it and i was told that there was no reservation under my name. hmm, i panicked a bit when i remember that i failed to give my complete name when i reserved for our room via email.

the entire time that we were on the ferry boat to hk i was praying really hard that hopefully, miss jenny, the owner remembered me. or if there was indeed no reservation then hopefully i could have another room asap. i hate travel booboos really and would really feel bad about myself if ever there's one especially with how obsessed i could get in planning out itineraries. i was hoping i'd have any internet connection in Macau so i could have finalized our reservation details but it was pretty hard communicating with people who couldn't speak english that well.

i was praying too that we could have a good enough taxi driver.

well anyway, we got to HK and thankfully we did got a good taxi driver, in fact i even owe him a few dollars since he didn't have any loose change for my 100hkd. our meter read 16 hkd but i only had 10hkd then and my 100hkd. he took the 10hkd saying he's got no other change. i felt so ashamed of myself hihihi. kung dito sa Pilipinas yan, nakow! as if papayag ang drayber, hmpf!

oh, and we did see miss jenny at the backdoor of the hotel. we actually entered the wrong door but she was there because the elevator that day needed to be fixed. and although she didn't get my name, she did remember that two Filipinas we're checking in that day and even recited my mobile number which was on my email signature, yey!

fortunately they also sell discounted disney tickets and even exchanged our money both US dollars and our remaining Macau patacas, too convenient indeed!



there's free wifi too and the place is really nice, clean and cozy. nice, nice place that i miss it already!