Finally, I Got Rostered for a Japanese Flight!

Shanghai, China

It took 8 and a half hours to reach Shanghai, and the timing is horrendous. I was really really tired when we got to the bus, but I had an involuntary nap and some episodes of drooling during the ride. I know. I'm disgusting. Everybody looked like a horror story when we got to the hotel. But the nap did me good and the thought of groceries, kimchi, yakult and Ajisen Ramen, gave me enthusiasm! It wasn't freezing yet in Shanghai, and the weather is chilly but nice. =) Before the flight, I packed some winter clothes without thinking. When I was changing in the hotel, ready to go out, I couldn't zip my freaking jeans!!! I was mortified! It wouldn't close, I tried jumping, I tried not breathing, I tried evrything! But it just wouldn't zip the fuck up! SO. I left it open! thank heavens my jacket was just long enough to cover the nasty zip that wont close and my fatness, but shame on myself, I eat like a pig and I expect clothes and old jeans to still fit. Tsk tsk.

My plan was, to buy something my current size so I could go out the next day to do my Christmas shopping with the rest of the crew. And so I did. Im so happy I found a cute pair of shorts that were a little off my budget, considering my budget is ONLY for food but had to reconsider to avoid the embarassment that was about to unfold if and when somebody sees my unzipped ex-jeans. I bought all the groceries I needed and ate at Rajisen Ramen. I could not stop myself from having THE porkchop, my favorite porchop in the whole wide planet... =( I'm so guilty, but I still ate so plenty.

I ordered room service massage hoping cellulites will be massaged away =) And it was sooo sooo good. I recommend their foot massage, it was almost orgasmic. =)

Hence, I woke up at 6 pm the next day, I slept for seventeen hours straight, that's how good the massage was. I wasted money on the skirt and wasted the whole day that was meant for shopping! With only 2 hours left in China, I went out to go to my favorite Veggie Market =)


Just look at all these veggies, SO FRESH and so colorful! =)




And fruits too =) Fuji Apples from CHina haha and kiat kiat!


ANd just because I have not yet shamed myself enough, I decided to stop by at TOUCH. Definitely should not be the store's name. It should be LEAVE!!!! but I couldn't. =(


So I bought "some" of the yummy pastries. I love their egg tarts, and their meatfloss bread. The choco roll and milk cake is not very highly recommended by glutonous me. I freaking ate all of these would you believe! arrrrrggggh!

Mother House, Kolkata, India

I love the quote on Mother Teresa's tomb. Hands to serve and Hearts to Love. =)
I said a prayer to Mother Teresa, a very personal one. That she gives me a change of heart. And I know that she did already. I can't explain what I felt in Mother Teresa's home. I can say that it is not a life changing experience, but it is very moving. To see how she lived and why she chose to be there. She is amazing in every way.

Her smile... can pierce through any one's soul. Next time I'd be in Calcutta, I would love to visit the Orphanage and The Mother House for the Sick and Dying. But for now, I am happy I was able to see the convent where she used to live. I was so happy to see her room, and how touching it is to see how simple and humble it was, I will never forget a note she wrote beside her bed, it said: VOCATION IS LOVE..
Sigh, I know I whine about my job many many times. But these are some of the times that I could really say, I love my job. It was nice to have met you Mother Teresa, your love and presence was very much felt =)

Ninang misses you Vaughn.

Missy and Me =)

Enjoyed Vienna even more because of Missy. =) we had good conversation and good laughs. So nice to keep in touch with people youve known for a long long time.She's a breath of fresh air. I like it that I got to see her workplace, how similar it is to mine. I was out til late but she convinced me to still go out for cocktails. I'm glad I did. It was fun =)

I had this drink called fallen angel. It's very refreshing, I really really liked it.


I was really really full when I met Missy but she insisted on ordering this for me, and who am I , to say no to a FOUR for ME. It'superb! I like the idea of very small portions. It's very colorful, interesting and yummy.




This is pumpkin soup with ginger. It was a little bit salty for my taste but i liked it.





This a miniature fillet of beef cooked really really nicely and very tender. It was served in I don't know which sauce but my gosh, it was so tasty. =) Look at how tiny the steak is, this is how I should have my steak all the time, tiny and tasty, and guilt-free.


This SCHNITZEL is THE schnitzel of all schnitzels! soo sooo crispy and light. Very very yummy. Schnitzel is a traditional Austrian dish which is consisting of an escalope coated in bread crumbs and fried. This one that I had may be tiny but it is not lacking of authenticity as a Viennese dish, it came with creamy potato salad, which I could not finish no matter how I tried, I was just too full.



But not that full to refuse a beautiful chocolate mousse hahaha. =) I can't believe I ate all this when I was really trying hard to have abs for my Mauritius flight at the end of the month. AAaaaaaw, who am I kidding, abs in my dreams maybe.



Perhaps I was already a little tipsy to remember which drink I was having, but this last one, I liked as well. =)

Here's a photo of me and Missy with Bambi at Novotel in Vienna City. Thanks Missy, I had so much fun. =) thank you so much for the treat, i really enjoyed evry minute of it. Next time I'll make sure to bring a not so shitty camera. hahaha

24 Hours in Vienna

Vienna is just beautiful.

And a beautiful place becomes even memorable when you get to spend it with good company. =)

It is my second time at St. Stephen's Cathedral. It is located at the heart of Vienna, and strategically behind our hotel, which is why it's always the first stop for me every time I come here. I remember the first time, I even saw Gary V. infront of this church. I like that the church is gothic.



It's almost Christmas so we were hoping we could have a sip of warm and oooh lalahh soo good gluhwein. =) I missed it. I like how it goes down smoothly down your throat, and warms you up. It's amazing how openly it is sold especially in Germany and one could just walk with a hot cup of gluhwein. You'll definitely see the walls of jail if you pull a stunt like that in Dubai hehe.

The weather is chilly and I love it. Makes me want to stay throughout winter and makes me want to have cups and cups of gluhwein. Warm alcohol is yum.


Now here's what I ate :

Roasted Pork with Cabbage and Dumpling. It's weird. The pork is very bland and the cabbage is even weirder. I did not like the dumpling, it was yuckky. The consistency is just not right. Yuck, if I wasn't very hungry and it it wasn't 11 euros, I wouldn't have touched this meal, but hey, people are starving all over the world as they say. So i ate it against my will, haha.



And I managed to make the meal even worse by having pils... yuckkk! So bitter.



Maybe, we just dint know where the right place to eat, we were all craving for pork knuckles, but we just couldnt find it anywhere. =(

But STill...

I baked I baked I baked =)

Happy Halloween Everyone! I Miss Undas in Pinas =(

Today I woke up and called my mom right away, because I know that they would be in our province in Bulacan and would be at the cemetery in the afternoon. It's tradition. We celebrate All Soul's Day, to remember and honor our loved ones and friends who have passed away and are now with Our Creator. I love it because this is one of the holidays where we meet up with our relatives and friends and would just sit together and spend the day or even the night at the cemetery.

My last All Soul's Day in the Philippines was in 2006. Ate Nene, was still with us, and I would never forget that she would be the first and the last person at the cemetery watching over Kuya ( her late husband, my uncle). I remember she made the best, the very best chicken sotanghon. She was a very kind aunt to me. I'm sad that now, she is one of those who we watch over during halloween. =( My Lola who just passed away is also now in her final resting place, this is her first All Soul's Day. I also remember, one of my very good friend Rhea who was murdered when we were 17. i would visit her and give her flowers every Halloween, but now, I could only pray. And how I miss my Lola Inang who raised me when I was small. They have all left us, but memories are alive in our hearts.

I miss buying flowers and candles and cooking for lunch and dinner and eating out at relatives' houses. There's just so many things I miss about home. And it's sad coz where I am right now, the highlight of Halloween would be costume parties, house parties and clubs. I love it too, but I get to thinking when I have kids in the future, I want them to know and feel for themeselves the value and meaning of Halloween, All Saint's Day and All SOul's Day. I don't want to spend it like any other normal day, I don' want to celebrate it with booze or costumes, I want to spend it in prayer, with loved ones, with candles and with flowers and with love for the those who left ahead of us. I want every tradition to be alive, I want it spent with family ties in mind.

Today, I spent the day with Racine, we shared stories about how we used to spend Undas in Pinas over tapsilog and bulalo and bistek tagalog.