The Only Thing I Need

This place, right here ---- I want to be here again. This is what I need, right now. Time, space for myself. 

2013 has been a roller-coaster ride, I am blessed to be able to get myself busy. As I look back, I couldn't imagine how I was able to go through all those shits happened. And all those life's low moments. Life is full of surprises. Those unexpected moments, those spontaneous happiness among the uneasy ones.

Like today. 

Living Above Worry and Stress : Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa

Life is a cycle, they say. Sometimes you're on top, sometimes you're not. Sometimes, you're happy, sometimes you're drowning in a river of sadness. Work sometimes consumes you and you must take it back. 

Ever since I came back from South Korea, I've been preoccupied lately. Work has been consuming me that I wanted to cut it out of my life. Even my Christmas vacation will be cut short since I'll be needing to run the production line. Stress is beginning to tag along with me everyday and I want it badly out. 

And so when I had the chance to go to Imperial Palace Waterpark Resort and Spa, I did not hesitate. I want to de-stress for a while, I think I deserve to have one.After our company party at Crown Regency Hotel and Suites, a few of my colleagues went to Imperial Place, about 10 to 15-minute drive from the previous hotel we're in. We were booked at Mactan Suites, honestly it was my first time to try in a bigger and better hotel suite. 

I was really exhausted from the party though all I did was eat, took photos, drink and jamming with the live band, oh yes, maybe because of my wearing-stilettos-all night exhaustion. My feet cried out for rest that as soon as I entered the suite, I walked barefooted around. Imperial Palace was soooo huge that it took us a lot of time getting to our suite at the far edge of the hotel from the lobby. The hotel hallways were so quiet, I thought we were just the only ones walking on it. 

Interior design was superb; lobby was not that huge and  spacious but its okay though; the quiet hallways and of course barefooted around our suite is sooo okay

South Korea Day 9 : Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Namyang

Fast-forward, Day 9. 

After my stay at Pyeongtaek-si, I went to Hwaseong, a small city in Gyeonggi province in South Korea.  Aside from visiting my cousin Marlyn, her fraternal twins, Mavin and Mikael, her husband Kyounglee and my Aunt Rollie, I had an opportunity to discover a place I never thought I could  see. 

While strolling around the neighborhood, looking for a shop to buy some souvenirs, we passed this Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Namyang. Curiousity rushed over me since I know only small portion of the South Korean community is Catholic. 

I found their official website and a few introduction went like this, "The Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Namyang, also known as "Rosary Hill,"is one of the places where a large number of Catholics were martyred during the Great Byungin Persecution. To memorialize their martyrdom as proof of their faith, Namyang was designated as a Holy Site on October 7, 1991, the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary. For the first time in the history of the Korean Catholic Church, a site was exclusively dedicated to the Holy Mother and prayer for peace". You may see the whole link at Shrine of the Holy Rosary of Namyang, South Korea.

When we were inside passing the wide steel gates, I was amazed by how spacious it was inside. I could see few people around, maybe because of the cold weather or maybe because it was Thursday. We went further and though it was around -4 degrees Celsius temperature that day, with layered  clothes and thick jacket, I spent almost two hours roaming, hiking, taking pictures and trying so hard to contain the moment. 

What is interesting about this place is that on aerial view, this rosary hill resembles the icon of Vladimir's Our Lady of Mercy. The area was so wide, from the two spacious areas for the gathering of the devotees, gardens, chapel, rosary road and others. 

This is a unique prayer room, the design may be made in consideration of the weather in South Korea. I like the way my lighted candle burns hot in Her presence. I believe there was a reason why my feet dragged  me to this place.

Wanderlust Series : South Korea Day 1

And so my visa was approved to visit the Land of the Morning Calm, South Korea.

        I packed lightly, without even thinking about the current weather in South Korea, it's November 23 and winter is about to begin. Knowing that the current one degrees Celsius or less cold cannot even make me killed,  with less than 2 thick jackets, I went to the airport at 10:00 PM with much excitement for this will be my first time to ever come to South Korea. 

Flight OZ710 of Asian Airlines, part of Star Alliance took me from Cebu to Incheon. Since I'm a planespotter, being on anything that flies excites me. Being in foreign airports excites me even more.

onboard flight OZ710 RPVM to ICN

        I arrived at Incheon at around 7:00AM and the coldness of the atmosphere could be felt after opening the Exit gates. It was a bit dark when I first land on South Korean soil and the coldness woke up my soul with no sleep. My destination was Pyeongtaek-si, a city of Gyeonggi Province located in the southwestern part of the province. My mission : business trip to our HQ.  Boarded in Airport Limousine, from Incheon to Pyeongtaek took nearly two hours via the Incheon Grand Bridge. Oh, did  I mentioned that the sun was rising by the time we were traveling? Oh yes, on my first day in South Korea, the universe conspired to let me see the sun on a different side of the world, it allowed me to witness why this country is called The Land of The Morning Calm. 

The mighty sun did a grand welcome for me on my first day at South Korea

It was a Dream come true : meeting the An-225 Mriya

So I was plane-spotting again. This time, with one aircraft in mind: Antonov An-225. 

        I'm a new member of a  group called PPSG - Philippine Plane Spotters Group and I was a bit amazed that I found a herd of spotters who are so fascinated with planes, different kinds of aircraft, airports, and anything about aviation. Members are not just spotters but pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, ground crews, aspiring students, even an airport general manager, and people like me who simply love anything that flies. Some spotters have been searching and patiently monitoring rare flights and aircraft in their respective areas. Some members especially the young ones are into flight simulators, some are building their own prototype airports, some are sharing aviation news that might be useful to the group and others are sharing their spotted planes elsewhere. 

        And when the group discussed the Mriya rumored to land first time ever on Philippine soil and dig this --- it was scheduled to land in Cebu,  I wasted no time. I had to capture her. 

        November 12,2013 was just an awesome day for me. Her ETA as earlier discussed was around 6:30 to 7:00 AM, I decided not to go to the office for 3 hours that morning. Asgard, the spot  Mark, Gerald (fellow spotter we met a few days ago spotting Emirates 4858, a B777 aircraft which also landed first time at RPVM), and I named, was my spot to wait. It was raining when I got there and I was lucky that the guys from the Fire Station, which was stationed near Asgard, facing the terminal, took me in for shelter. I waited along with the firemen who then got excited when I told them my purpose of being there. Worry washed over me when it started to rain again and the runway has gone into an incoming zero-visibility state. Then it cleared again; past aircrafts had landed and took-off, those were the longest hours in my life, but I waited. We waited until 9:02AM and she arrived. Boy, was my heart jumped for joy? 

Antonov An-225 Mriya

Paradise Island Beach Resort, Samal Island

And so I was in Davao City again for three days.  

I just realized that I have  been to Davao three times this year --- friend's wedding on January; planned vacation in July which ended on taking care of Mark at a hospital;  this October, Mark's post-birthday treat for me. Davao has been my favorite place to stay, mainly because of the people, climate, food, places to roam around, good and systematic way of governance and of course, wonderful beaches. Mark decided that the family must go to Samal Island that day. 

We came here on a very, very hot day. But who cares? We are bound to have fun here. 

Boats were already stationed at Sasa Wharf which will take you to the resort in roughly 10 to 15 minutes 

One fine day for plane-spotting

I have always been fascinated by airplanes. When I was young, living in a middle-class barrio, "micro plane-spotting" is one of my past times while lying on my back, taking breaks on  green  fields of Sikatuna. Of course, on my then point-of-view, aircrafts are just a super fine speck on a fine, blue sky, some where even hidden in clouds and I all I could hear is the loud, thunder-like  sound it gives; and my daydreaming would begin... 

So when I got older, I love taking snapshots of huge aircrafts on airports when I get opportunities to travel. Some pictures were hidden somewhere on my computer before, forgotten and some were lost. Just then I realized that my fascination with airplanes is actually a hobby --- who would have thought?! 

And so since I just discovered this as a hobby, I'm going to share some of the planes I've spotted. 

Cathay Pacific Airbus Airbus A330-342 B-HLH at RPVM