Vacation Report: Maryland.

I am now in Japan.  For a business trip.
And since it is freezing outside, I decided to stay at the hotel to finally start the vacation report that I owe.  So, I am not going to talk about Japan.  I will do that on a later post.  I will talk about our lovely first stop in Maryland.

Arriving at JFK from Incheon was a relief.  It was my first time in the airport.. and was a little bit surprised that all the comments were true.  The airport was very old and looks like a bigger NAIA Terminal 1.
We stayed overnight at the Hampton Inn, an airport hotel near JFK.  Instead of autumn leaves, the ride to the hotel showed us Hurricane Sandy's wrath -- dirty snow, fallen leaves (no more autumn leaves) and a city which seemed tired from the stormy weather.
It was adventure time the next day.  First time... hubby drove 4 hours to Maryland with only me (a non-native) as the navigator.  We got a free upgrade on the car we rented - Jeep Liberty, which turned out to be a gas guzzler.
We eventually got to our destination safe and sound.
Then, it was sightseeing for 5 days.

My Auntie Nene first brought us to the National Shrine that Sunday.  For most of my visits in MD, I paid this church a visit.  Now, my little boy had a chance to see the beautiful shrine.
It has a collection of the Mama Mary of different cultures.  Our Lady of Antipolo was there.
The rest of the Sunday was spent in Washington DC.  We had to visit our house in the Stoites and see if our Christmas tree was put up (kidding, of course).
Next stop was the Arlington Cemetery where all American soldiers from way back are buried.  Tourists will also see the resting place of Pres. Kennedy and his wife Jackie O.  Hubby and the little boy had a chance to watch the changing of the guards for the Unknown Soldiers. I swear the guards were eye candies but I do not have close up pictures now.  Promise to share them later.
Day 3 was the boy's day.  We went to the zoo.  The Maryland Zoo is maintained by Smithsonian institute and it was really very nice.  The boy enjoyed a lot even if he had to walk the whole day.
The zoo was very big, they have areas for every kind of animal I could think of.

We really made it a point that this trip was worth every penny.  My story has yet to reach one week but this post is now too long.  I will cut this for now and have the next batch soon.

Promise.

On A Nice Break.

We are now here in New York.  On a vacation.  Thank you, Lord.  We save for 2-3 years so we can afford grand vacations like this so it is a nice feeling that this is happening again.

Hubby and I decided to do things a bit different this time.  Instead of riding my first love, PAL, we opted to use another airline.  This brought us to NAIA Terminal 1.  Remember, I gave it snaps for better lavatories?  This time no snaps... I guess the rehabilitation will indeed take more time.

Because of hubby's credit card, we had a chance to go to the MIASCOR lounge.  It was old, cramped, uncomfortable and sad.  Sorry.

The buffet area looked like a kitchen.  And the cabinets were dilapidated.  My son accidentally removed one cabinet door.

So, the prayers (and the saga) continue... for a newer, better, more passenger friendly airport.

We took Korean Air.  I have heard of good reviews including better legroom, cute flight attendants and yummy Bim Bim Bap.  Apart from that they have re-fleeted just recently... newer planes make me less fearful.

It did not disappoint.  We had a smooth ride to Incheon via their Boeing 777-300 plane.  I was not able to sleep still even after a very tiring week at work but hands were not clammy and no deep breathing.

Incheon was marvelous.

They have a transit hotel WITHIN the airport!  It was additional cost to us but we have a 4 year old who looks "kawawa" at 3AM.

Each room has its own toilet and bath.

But passengers do not really need to book a room.  The Rest and Relax area at its 4th floor is very friendly to sleepers.  Seats and quiet areas abound.  If the boy were older, we would have just camped somewhere there.  We saw areas for kids, spas, coffee shops.  It even has a free shower area.

But highlight of the transit was the plane to JFK.  It was an A380 - the double-decker plane.

The plane was really nice and good.  And Korean Air did a great job in making it even better.  It is true that there was more space. The legroom was indeed big in the Economy class.  We had enough room even after putting our stuff under the seat in front.

They gave out slippers to everyone.

Have larger video displays (movie/tv selections were, however, not too many).

The coolest was their live camera outside.  Passengers see the forward view, downward view and the tail view!

And the most important thing to me is that it was not as turbulent.  Perhaps, because it is that big.

Korean Air's ticket prices are very competitive.  And with this kind of service, I am sure we got the most value compared to others airlines.  I will ride Korean Air again for sure.  Now, I have two favorite airlines.

I am now nursing my jetlag.  Still awake after a 4-5 hour sleep.  It's almost 2AM here.  I will sleep soon but I am sure I will wake up at an odd hour.

Still at the start of our vacation but now dreading the end of it.  Aside from the usual back-to-work blues, we have to face the reality that the travel savings will be close to zero so another round of saving up should happen.

Hello from New York and see you in two weeks.  Of course, I will keep you posted with the happenings here.

Hiatus-ed.

I was on hiatus for a while.
Lots of things going on in my life - both work and personal.
You would think when you have more time for non-work matters, things will be less insane.
But no... I was wrong.  Because you see more things, have more ideas and have more energy.
So things have been REALLY non-stop lately.
I miss you again, blog.
But I am back.
See my next post.  You are going to be happy for me.

Lovable Distraction.

My little boy's nanny of 4 years is leaving tomorrow.

He adores his 'Ate' a lot so the next few weeks will be difficult for him.  We really cannot stop her... she has planned to go abroad years ago.  Now, she intends to make her dreams come true.

The replacement 'Ate' is coming soon but I am sure it will take a while before he warms up to her.

And so... we bought a dog.  A yellow Labrador.

My little boy named him Percy... after Thomas the Train's best friend.  

I have always wanted my kid to have a pet dog because it would teach him unconditional love, responsibility and compassion.  This is indeed the best time.  I hope that with his new playmate, he will not miss his Ate badly.

Liking each other seemed not too difficult.  The boy shared his trains right away.

I hope Percy would prove to be a good distraction for the kiddo.  I am pretty sure they will be best friends soon.

Now, hubby and I just need to learn the ropes of being a pet owner. 

Wall Two.

I have decided to set my home-decorating mission into very small milestones so I will not feel so overwhelmed with filling up our small abode.  As you know, I started with the one-walled foyer.  I am proceeding with the "wall milestone" approach which, in my estimate, should get me to complete the whole mission in 2-3 years!

I have just finished another wall.  This is one of our living room walls.  At the back of which is our jungle storage area.
Let us start with my nice jar which I got from Mandaue Foam for a little over PHP2,000.  It  has the same design as my other jar in the foyer but in a different shape.
This is my cute red cabinet which I purchased from iDeas almost a year ago.  I did a bit of an overspend on this one because I fell in love with it.  It looks antique and is not an ordinary furniture piece.  This holds the mini DeVant TV which we got from a sale. The TV, by the way, only costs more than PHP7,000 and is doing pretty well.

The paintings I purchased from the Home Market section of Market! Market!  They have the original paintings done by Filipino artists... not as famous as Arturo Luz but their works are very nice, too.

This is a depiction of Old Manila by a certain painter with the last name Cruz.  I apologize for not getting his full name.  I need to go back and ask.  Price of the painting plus the frame is PHP450.
The black and white painting captures the Eiffel Tower.  This is by another Filipino painter with the last name Alvarez... again, I am not doing my homework.  Sorry.  This cost me around PHP700.
The most expensive art we have is a painting of the Magellan's Cross by Antonio Calma.  Not too expensive still because we got this for just PHP3,000 after haggling with the art store.  We are after all their "suki" already.  I really liked the color and how it blends with the furniture placed on this wall.

That's 2 down and more than 10 walls to go.  

By the time I finish, I may need to start re-decorating again.  But, I guess, this is the fun (and pocket damaging!) part of building a home.

Life Lately.

It has been four months with my less stressful job.  And I have had three monthly visits - the most frequent that I had since four years ago.  There was a moment of normality with my monthly cycle after I gave birth to my little boy but things went back to abnormal mode because of stressful work. Now, I am normal again!

Sorry, too much information above.

But yes, I am slowly realizing that my hypothesis is correct... that there is a certain level of stress that the body can sustain.  The mind may be strong but the body has its limits.

And how can stress be just right?

I spend 8-10 hours of intense focus at the office.  I run from one 30-minute meeting to another, take lunch on my desk, write business cases and ideas papers, and troubleshoot issues.

And then everything stops.  Just when I have had it.

Next, I get a life.

I help my son with his homework.
We play trains after.
We sometimes go out and have fun on a Friday.
Saturdays and Sundays are spent with more energy.  I do day sleep less.  And my outlook has become more positive... far more positive.

The Lord has finally called me to slow down.  And slow down I did.

I do not know how long this will last.  I hope it does for a while.

Enjoying Beijing.

A month after the Guangzhou-HK trip, I was back in the air.  

It was Beijing this time...  farther than HK so imagine my struggle in the plane.  I was determined to overcome my fear because I have never been to the China's capital city before.  So I resorted to my usual formula before any air travel... fervent prayers several days before the flight.

Beijing was huge.  Perhaps, one of the more huge cities I have visited.

Let's start with the airport.  The design is your usual modern airport except that it was massive.
The city is actually a large flat land mass so it makes sense to make everything big.

Streets are wide.
Buildings are grand.  Check out the one below housing one of the largest TV networks in China.
Malls are big.
The one near our hotel actually has this enormous gazebo, the ceiling of which serves as a big, big TV.
Of course, I would not just talk about the city's size.  It is common knowledge that Chinese history is rich.  And since I am a self-confessed History nerd, I was super game for any temple watching.

From the hotel, my forever business trip companion Eric and I took the subway to Tiananmen Square.  We got off at the east side and visited the famous Forbidden City gate.
Our attempt to go in was fruitless because the guards were actually leading people out... for a reason that both Eric and I could not figure (blame it on language barrier).  While consoling myself to my plans of going back with the whole family, we saw another gate with less people coming in.  We went in and paid RMB10.  To our dismay, it was just a huge garden. The most exciting view was this.

But a little more walk brought us to this wonder.
Lucky us.  All for Php65.
The area was built in the 1400s.  The Chinese ancestors walked these very steps and worshipped in this Front Hall.  It was preserved very well.  Wait til you see what's inside.
Eric was delighted.
It was, then, off to a short tour of the Tiananmen Square before calling it a day.
The tour of Beijing was super short but I enjoyed it alot.  I would love to explore more and see the history.  Next time for sure... with the little boy and hubby.