Gleniz Da Menace

Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas! Hindi ako masyado na-excite nung mga nakaraang days na malapit na ang pasko. Pero nung nasa mga Christmas parties na ko, dun ko uli naisip na December nga talaga ang favorite month ko. Umuwi kami ng Quezon province for Christmas pero 3 days lang. Bitin nga. Ang strict kasi kila Kenneth bawal basta basta mag-leave. So sa day 1 ng bakasyon namin, umattend kami ng binyag ni Leon.

Day 1 – Dec 23: Leon’s Christening & F Buddies Christmas Party

Andun mga friends namin sina Benson, Dimple, Kat Neric, Mcdo. Favorite kong kasama si Benson pag may videoke kasi pareho kaming pasikat. Baka ganun talaga pag nangarap kang maging famous singer pero hindi ka naman naging ganun so dinadaan mo na lang sa videoke. Nakakatawa pa kasi ang hina nung mic kaya hindi kami mapakali ni Benson. Bothered na bothered kami na hindi naririning ng mga tao yung kanta namin. Pag alis ni Benson, kachikahan ko lang si Dimple and Kat about HS life. Mga naging crush, ex, naka-away, naka-fling, kung sino bang pinakagwapo sa batch na to, mga katangahan, kung ano ano pa.

Tapos nagtext na Xali about sa Christmas party naming F Buddies. Dinadramahan pa namin yung dalwa ni Bong and Nick kasi hindi nagpaparamdam.

Tapos ok na sinundo na ko ni Nick kila Lee. Nagsuggest sya ng videoke so syempre payag na payag naman ako at nabitin ako kumanta kaya napunta kami sa Welkin Tower. Naka-ilang skip kami ng F Buddies Christmas party through the years kaya medyo big deal na natuloy kami netong year with exchange gifts and all.

Ayun masaya lang kami tapos nung pahuli nag iyakan. Nakakatawa. First time ko makita umiyak si Bong. Si Nick siguro mga second time (hindi kasali yung mga fake cries nya). Ako cry baby naman talaga. Si Xali lang ang strong siguro kasi hindi naka-inom. Parang sya lang ang pinaka matinong kausap nung gabing yun. Haha. Almost 5AM na kami natapos. Hindi ko na namalayan ang oras. Si Ian at Kenneth sumuko agad tulog sa kotse. Basta ang mga tanda kong tidbits ng pinagdramahan namin: Pag si Bong ay may gustong i-share about sa life nya, hindi na nya iisipin na babarahin lang namin sya. Tapos si Nick naman, ittry nyang hindi na maging super OA sa pagka-neutral pagdating sa mga opinions nya. Parang yun lang naman ang laman nung ilang oras naming dramahan.

Day 2 – Dec 24: Diaz Christmas

Siguro mga past tanghali na kami nagising. Sumaglit lang kami sa SM bumili ng gift wrappers tapos pumunta nang Pagbilao. Tumambay lang ng konti at gumawa ng oobleck. After nun, umuwi na ulit Lucena (around 10PM) pumuntang RGR kila Lee, tapos pumuntang bayan kila Lola tapos sa Site kila tito Joey then umuwi na sa bahay. Nasweetan ako sa gift ni Kat Sister kase art related. Super na-appreciate ko. Yung gift ni Kenneth na Kindle (na ako din ang bumili) on the way pa. Super excited na din ako dun ang tagaaal.

Day 3 – Dec 25: Merene Christmas Party

Last day na namin sa Quezon tapos luluwas na din pa-Manila ng hapon. Kelangan umuwi ng medyo maaga para hindi ma-traffic. Pero mga past 5PM na din ata kami nakaalis. Mga past 10AM na ata ako nagising tapos kelangan ko pa magbalot ng mga gifts. Isa pa lang nababalot ko. Pagka gising ko direcho agad ako sa taas para magbalot. Eh 11AM daw kasi kelangan nandun na sa Pagbilao sa mga Mommy. Pagdating namin sa Pagbilao ng mga 12NN, mga tulog ang tao. Sila Ate Gigi pala galing din Manila.

After kumain (sarap nung pata tim at carbonara), games naman. Kahit ang tanda ko na tuwang tuwa pa din ako makisali sa games. Pinaka favorite ko yung musay kasi kahit matatanda agawang agawan. Na-injure pa yung likod ko kasi napasalpok sa kuya. Work from home tuloy ako ngayon. Para akong nabugbog. After games, intermission number ni Illysa. Nagprepare daw sya ng 6 na sayaw (pero sabi nya sakin nung isang araw 4 lang daw so nadagdagan pa haha). Sabi ni Ate Beng2 gabi gabi daw nagppractice ng sayaw si Illysa para sa Christmas party. Haha. After sayawan, gift giving na tapos kailangan na namin umalis. Huhu. Sinisigawan kami ng “Boringggg!”. Ayoko pa talaga umalis pero yun nga, kesa mapagod magdrive si Kenneth baka biglang abutin ng sobrang traffic. Naiyak ang Mommy nung gift giving kasi naaalala ang Daddy. First Christmas namin na hindi kasama ang Daddy. 😔

So yun ang Christmas 2017 namin. Fun and emotional. Injured ako sakit talaga ng likod ko parang feeling ko pa ay kinakapos ang hinga ko. Pagka gising ko lang ngayon saka ko naramdam yung sakit.

Sa Friday ay uuwi ulit kami for New Year naman. Sa Pagbilao naman kami magbabagong taon. Yun ang setup namin. Christmas kila Kenneth then New Year sa amin. Wala pa akong namimiss kahit isang New Year sa bahay kaya sobrang importante sakin ng New Year. Tsaka hindi kasi kami naghahanda ng Pasko, New Year lang talaga. Ang Papa pala hindi ko na nakita nung uwi namin kasi duty, sa New Year na lang daw. Then may slumber party din kami nila Isabelle and Illysa. Haha.

Tags Christmas, Family, friends, holidays, Life

Life

29th Birthday Bop

Good morning! It’s your birthday! 🎉

Sabi ko kaninang madaling araw bago ako matulog (around 1:30AM), pagkagising ko magbblog ako agad. Gagawin ko na syang everyday routine. Eh pag gising ko (mga 9:30AM), cellphone agad hinanap ko. Nalimutan ko ata yung deal namin ng sarili ko. Ok lang naman. Maganda naman ang result kasi madami na bumati sakin. Maganda ang gising. Buti naman. Medyo bad mood kasi ako kahapon. Bumaba na naman self-esteem ko kahapon. Kaya nag-Tumblr ako bago matulog and sinearch ko yung #magma hashtag ko. Ayun umokey naman ako somehow. Nakangiti naman ako bago matulog.

Excited na ko bukas kasi bukas yung parang celebration ko since weekday ngayon. Baka mag-dinner lang kami mamaya ni Kenneth. So ang itinerary bukas:

Buy Aly’s cookies at the Spectrum Fair
Avail Eatigo’s 50% off on Applebee’s
Print Watercolor Zodiac Galaxies Series
Go to BGC Art Mart
Avail Eatigo’s 50% off on Tipple and Slaw (di pa sure)

Parang may nalimutan ako. Mamaya ko na lang aalalahanin.

Christmas party namin sa Monday. Hindi talaga “namin” kasi hindi ko na sila ka-team. Pero natuwa naman ako ininvite pa din nila ko.

Gutom na ko kaya umorder na lang ako sa KFC. Ittry ko yung bago nilang hotdog sandwich at nuggets. Ano kayang difference nung nuggets sa fun shots nila. Buti tumatanggap na ang KFC ng credit card kasi 92 pesos na lang pala ang cash ko.

Wala na ko masabi ang boring na ng mga kinekwento ko. Ay. Work from home ako ngayon. Buti pinayagan ako ng mabait kong boss. Kaya super chill lang ako dito sa bahay. Tapos kakain lang kami mamaya. No fuss birthday. Hindi naman talaga ko mahilig magpakain or magpainom sa birthday ko. Kuripot kasi ako. Saka na ko magpapa-party pag millionaire na ko.

Sasabihin ko sana as conclusion, “Enjoy your day!”. Pero naisip ko mas okay ang, “Enjoy everyday!” Kaya enjoy everyday! Wag na masyadong weak. That’s so not you.

Tags birthday, Life

Art Health

Art Day Fun Day + I’ll Be Careful on October 2020

Post author By Gleniz
Post date October 23, 2017
No Comments on Art Day Fun Day + I’ll Be Careful on October 2020

I originally wanted to study Interior Design (Accountancy being the runner up) but ended up studying Nursing to grant my family’s wishes. I can’t study Interior Design anyway since I already made up my mind that I won’t study in Manila because of my then boyfriend (LDR issues). Love can really be limiting sometimes. I took up nursing to please my parents but mainly to challenge myself because they all said that Nursing is a very difficult course. I wanted to prove to them that I can do it and that I can easily pass the board exam (puro yabang). And pass I did. But who am I kidding, really. Joke’s on me because I could have studied something that I really wanted but I ended up studying something else.

Even if being a nurse delayed my plans to pursue my true love (being artsy and creative), I didn’t regret it. I didn’t regret the people that I met and the experience of working in a hospital. But I promised myself that that would be the last time I will listen to other people on what I should and shouldn’t do; the last time that I will let my ego take the best of me just to prove to other people that I can do this and that, even if those things doesn’t really interest me.

That’s a long intro. I just wanted to share what happened last week. 😄 I attended a free workshop from Valerie Chua (one of my inspirations) called Essential Watercolor Tricks. I felt so lucky to be a part of that workshop. She’s really good in explaining the step by step process, plus I like that she’s kind of “kalog” as well which made her less intimidating. Then I was able to meet Abbey Sy too (another inspo)! It was a great event and I received a lot of freebies. Hihi. But the main highlight is really being able to meet Valerie and learning from her. She even replied to my IG story thanking me for being there at the event. *kilig* Okay, that’s enough fan girling.

So after that event in Shang, we (Kenneth) went straight to Burgos Circle to attend another workshop (not free). It’s about brush calligraphy this time and it’s with Paolo Tugano. We (Dyn) were able to learn a different font (he corrected me and said that the correct term is letter form, not font). One activity that I suggested is I’ll write a quote using my own style and layout then he’ll rewrite it using his own style. Here’s his creation:

My favorite quote at the moment

He was so good. I didn’t even bother to take a picture of what I did. 😅 But Art Day Fun Day didn’t stop there. Out last stop is at BGC Art Mart to checkout some handmade goodies. Booths lined up with artists selling their creations (shirts, toys, paintings, etc.). I bought some cute washi tapes for my journal.

Something else happened. Right in the middle of my watercolor workshop, I felt this stinging pain in my right upper abdomen. I just kept ignoring it because I’m having a hard time focusing on what Valerie is trying to teach us. I figured I was just hungry because the only thing I ate is a hotdog and a bite of brownie and it’s already 4PM. I asked Kenneth to buy me shawarma. I didn’t wait until the end of the workshop to eat it, thinking that food will relieve the pain. We came home at around 9PM and the pain is still there. Before sleeping, I rubbed some Vicks (naturally 😂) on my belly and tried to sleep the pain away. When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I noticed is that the pain is still there. I’m beginning to worry because I’ve never experience this before. I knew something was wrong.

I asked Kenneth to bring me to the ER so I can have an ultrasound and get this thing diagnosed. Turns out, I have calculus gallbladder (stones in my gallbladder). Another surgery? Please, not again! I underwent bilateral oophorecystectomy (December 2016) and open appendectomy (April 2015) already. Please please I don’t want another surgery. But unfortunately, I have no other choice. The only treatment for gall stones is to remove my gallbladder. I felt really sad and started to pity myself. I was like, “Ang weak ko. Feeling ko mabilis akong mamamatay kase andaming aberya ng katawan ko, kung ano-anong tumutubo sa loob.” But talking to Arien turned out to be therapeutic. She told a story about their 90-year old patient who underwent a lot of surgeries in her lifetime. The patient even joked, “Wala na nga akong lamang loob.” That made me chuckle and made me feel a bit better. I’m planning to have the surgery done on January next year. Hays.

I also discovered something really weird. I checked out the “On This Day” section of my Facebook and I saw that:

Oct 22, 2011 – I discovered that I needed to wear eyeglasses. Okay sure, no biggie. But I still find it a hassle wearing glasses.
Oct 22, 2014 – I posted a photo of myself showing my stitched wound that I got from a snatcher’s knife. Still the most traumatizing thing that ever happened to me.
Oct 22, 2017 – Yesterday. The day I found out that I need another surgery. Grrr!

These dates are exactly 3 years apart. I’m beginning to think what will happen to me on October 2020. This coincidence is so weird and scary!

Tags Art, Health, inspiration

Art

Mariyang Glinez

At last! I finally had the time (and will) to do it. I’ve been meaning to create a header for my blog since I started learning calligraphy. I like how it turned out. ❤️

The photo that I used in the background is the one that I took when we were in Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto Japan.

And now I’m off to painting. I’m feeling so productive today.

Tags Art, calligraphy, graphic design

Insights Life

Muniba Mazari

When I got home from the Korean Embassy for our visa application (sobrang haba ng pila!), I stumbled upon this Goalcast video where a woman in a wheelchair is making a motivational speech. Her name is Muniba Mazari. I was completely blown away by her strength and optimism despite countless misfortunes that I found myself getting teary eyed while watching her tell her life story. Her words resonated with me and made feel really inspired.

That day I decided that I’m going to live my life for myself. I am not going to be that perfect person for someone. I am just going to take this moment and I will make it perfect for myself.

Embrace each and every breath that you are taking. Celebrate your life. Live it. Don’t die before your death.

Here is a woman, who was forced by her parents to be married at a young age. A woman who sustained several injuries after a car accident that made her paraplegic and unable to bear any child; but then I look at her, and see a woman who is truly unbreakable. I felt guilty for those days when I complain too much; whether be it about my job, my relationships, and life in general.

But now I’m feeling so inspired and somewhat contented on where I am in my life at the moment. Just because some things aren’t within my reach right now, it doesn’t mean that it will stay that way forever. Unless I let it.

muniba-mazari-story2-1

Thanks to Muniba for giving me that needed push. And as they say, “You do you.”

Tags inspiration, Life, Thoughts

Japan Osaka Pals Travel

Japan in 7 Days for Only ₱18,000

Post author By Gleniz
Post date October 10, 2017
2 Comments on Japan in 7 Days for Only ₱18,000

Processed with VSCO with m5 preset

Sounds good, right? And this includes plane tickets, airport fees, accommodation, food, a pocket WiFi, a trip to Universal Studios Japan and a few souvenirs. But a little disclaimer, I just have to say that this isn’t easy. You need to have the stars aligned in your favor to be lucky enough and get the cheapest flight, to not be choosy and book the cheapest (but still decent) accommodation, and be patient enough to do some research to score some deals (ticket discounts and vouchers).

I actually didn’t spend ₱18,000 because I bought a lot of stuff for my online shop called RanShoppe (shameless plug) and I also did some art tools hunting for my artsy projects (for watercolor painting and calligraphy – check out Dust Designs if you’re interested) (yeah, another shameless plug). But not everyone has an online shop and not everyone has this art hobby, so all the money I paid for those things doesn’t count. Some of you may think that this is a joke and say that the ₱18,000 could just cover the plane tickets and terminal fee alone. But as I’ve mentioned earlier, you have to be really lucky to get a roundtrip ticket for just ₱2,400 like I did (thanks to GetGo). But even if the circumstances are different for you now, I think you can still pickup a couple of money saving tips with this trip. So this is how I managed to do it:

Visa Application (₱950)

For the second time around, I applied for my Japan visa via Reli Tours and Travel agency because they have the cheapest handling fee. Luckily, I was granted a multiple entry visa for this trip. Yay!

Roundtrip Tickets (₱2,400) + Terminal Fee (₱1,620)

I booked my ticket via Cebu Pacific using my GetGo points. At that time (maybe 7 months before our actual trip), GetGo held a promo. For only 10 points, you can book a one-way ticket to any country you want (so 20 points for a roundtrip ticket) and all you had to pay for is the travel taxes and web admin fees which amounted to ₱2,400. If you have a gazillion points, you can also have the option to pay the taxes and fees with those points so you can basically fly for free. I had about maybe 15,000 GetGo points at that time because I kept on converting my BPI Real Thrills Reward Points to GetGo points. You can do this as well if you have a credit card and love traveling. If you can cover the base fare with just GetGo points, all you have to do is pay for the taxes.

Accommodation via Airbnb (₱2,650)

I stayed in Japan for 7 days so that’s just ₱450 pesos per night! Some person gave me a referral link and that includes a ₱1,000+ voucher discount for my booking. You can also get an additional discount from Airbnb for a one-week stay. I came with four of my friends on this trip so what I did was, I gave them my own referral link and they got the same discount. I’m going to share with you my link as well if you also want to get that P1,100 discount on your first booking with Airbnb which is: www.airbnb.com/c/gleniza.

We stayed at Four Letter Words Hostel which is a very humble and straightforward accommodation. All the basics are available: comfy sleeping nooks, fast WiFi, hot showers, it’s also in a great location plus you get an entertaining and very kind host. He even offered us a free stay on our next trip to Japan! He said that we can stay there for as long as we want and bring some friends. I honestly don’t know what more could you ask for.

Pocket WiFi via Klook (₱1,615 – only ₱230 per day)

This I think is optional for some people. But I like renting a pocket WiFi when traveling to Japan. Their train lines can get pretty complicated so I always have to look up train stations and the appropriate fare for each train ride online. When navigating, the site I always go to is called Hyperdia. This amount could get much cheaper if you’re traveling with your friends or family since you could just split up the total rental fee. I was given a 7GB data allowance and I only consumed around 4GB during my whole stay.

Kansai 3-Day Pass via Klook (₱1,990)

I got a 3-day pass since I planned on traveling to Nara, Kyoto and Kobe. You can opt for a 2-day pass which is a couple hundred cheaper if you want to leave out Kobe in your itinerary. But going to Nara and Kyoto is highly highly recommended! In my case, I lost my pass when we were in Kyoto so I had doubts to go to Kobe the next day. So it’s up to you if you would like to get a 2 or a 3-day pass. Klook also offers promo codes, and since I’m a first time Klook user, I was able to get roughly 15% discount when I purchased the pass and pocket WiFi. I just used the promo code GETKLOOKD (not sure if this is still active though).

As you may notice, I kept on thinking of ways to get discounts in every purchase I make for this trip. That’s what I meant when I said that you got to have patience. Research first before making hasty (and expensive) decisions. Ok next:

Universal Studios Japan ticket via Klook (₱3,380)

I didn’t really visit USJ during this trip because I had the chance to go there last year. But my friends did so I included it here. I was busy buying stuff in Don Quijote while they were enjoying their USJ visit. I think last year, we spent ₱3,500 for our USJ ticket; so booking via Klook is a bit cheaper. And as you may already notice, Klook really helped us a lot with this trip. It’s very convenient that we can book all these things with just one app. Aside from convenience, the most important thing is that it’s cheaper.

Transportation to and from Kansai International Airport (₱850)

I included this separately because traveling to and from the airport is pretty expensive. From the airport, we just rode a train going to Tengachaya station which is just a 10 to 15-minute walk from our hostel. It was quite a long walk because we had our luggages in tow. But it’s much easier since we don’t have to transfer train stations.

Tourist Spots (Almost Free)

With our Kansai Passes in hand, we toured around Kyoto, Nara and Osaka for cheap. So all we need to set aside are the entrance fees for the different shrines, temples, etc. But the great thing is, most of the entrance fees for some of the great tourist spots are free! I think I only shelled out ₱200 when I went to Osaka National Museum of Art. It would have been another ₱200 when we visited Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) but our good friend Irving took care of that (Thanks Irving!). But still, it’s just a couple of hundred pesos and the rest of them are free! Let me show you around:

Nara

I think this is at Kasuga Taisha

Nara Park

Nandaimon Gate

The five story pagoda near Kofukuji Temple

One of my most favorite shots by Doc Irving

Some cool background we found

Eastern Golden Hall

Photo Op

Somewhere around Nara Park

Kyoto

Tenryuji Temple

Somewhere around Arashiyama

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove!

Near the Togetsu-kyo Bridge

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Torii gates

Kinkakuji aka Golden Pavilion (₱200)

Osaka

Dotonbori

Osaka National Museum of Art

₱200

Osaka’s New World: Shinsekai

Food (it depends)

This is somewhat tricky because different people have different appetites. In my case, I can go having only two meals per day; but I’m always tempted to buy desserts (which can get a little expensive). And it also depends on your food choices because some restaurants are really pricey (like when we craved for katsu). Your best bet for a filling but inexpensive meal is at gyudon restaurants. It’s a good thing that everything is somewhat still fresh from my memory so I can give you a general food price guide when eating out in Japan.

Crab flavored piggy

Instant noodles [₱60-80]

Pwede na

Sandwiches at Family Mart/Lawson/7-11 [₱100-120]
Mcdo [₱150-200]

Best takoyaki (somewhere in Namba)

Takoyaki (6-8 pcs) [₱250-300]
Gyudon [₱150-200]
Ramen [₱300-500]

Mouthwatering okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki [₱200-300]

Sosyal na chami

Soba [₱300-400]
Katsu meal set [₱500-600]

Lengua cone

Ice cream cones [₱150-200]

Souvenirs (₱400-500)

The above amount can buy you a keychain, maybe two fridge magnets, and one pouch of Kit Kat. So if you have a lot of friends and relatives requesting for their pasalubongs, or if you want to try all the different flavors of Kit Kat and other Japan goodies, adjust this amount accordingly.

And that’s it! So a sample itinerary would be:

Day 1 – Arrival at KIX (in our case we arrived at night)
Day 2 – Nara
Day 3 – Osaka (USJ)
Day 4 – Kobe
Day 5 – Kyoto
Day 6 – Osaka + Shopping
Day 7 – Departure

I hope this helps! Enjoy your Japan trip in the near future!

Art Japan Life

Dust Designs

Haven’t done any blogging lately and I’m hating myself for it. It always crosses my mind but I wasn’t getting myself around to do it. I almost didn’t want to write now because I’m about to sleep already. My neurons are still kind of recuperating from the art class that I took this morning (I took an art class! Yay!). But so much stuff has been happening lately and I need to talk about it. I want my future self to go back and remember these things. Let’s have it as a list.

CANADA We’re done with our medical test and we passed! All we have to do now is wait for the passport request. Once we get notified of this, it means that they’re going to stamp our passports with PR visas (finally)! So keeping our fingers crossed for that. It’s kind of bittersweet though because that also means we’re leaving our families here in the Philippines. 😢 Oh well.
ART VENTURE I’m becoming more serious in pursuing my passion in art. Last week, I took my first ever art workshop about water brush calligraphy and it was a lot of fun. It was kind of bitin and pricey (Php 2,000 for 2 hours) but I enjoyed it. What I liked most about the experience is meeting the artist. I saw firsthand how she works and just listening to her tips and insights made me feel really good about this art venture. Seeing how good she is at what she does motivated me more to be as skilled as her. And then earlier this morning, as previously mentioned, I attended another workshop. This time, it’s about the fundamentals of drawing (Php 1,950 for roughly 5 hours). I guess I’d have to reserve a separate post for this because I’m thinking of writing every detail that happened today because it’s still fresh from my memory. To cut things short, I learned A LOT today. Didn’t think of actually being able to draw this (pictured below). I felt more confident than yesterday and I’m actually glad that I’m taking the necessary steps to improve my skills (even if it comes with a price). It’s definitely worth it! The instructor (Joms de Mesa) said something that I want myself to always remember. He said something along these lines, “If you were able to do this on your first try, just imagine what you can do if you keep on doing this for a year.” And that’s very true and a really good reminder to keep on going. To tie this all up together, I made an IG account dedicated to my art called @dust.designs (hence the title of this blog post). I hope to see a transition (from noob to expert) on my future posts so I need to keep on learning and practicing.

TRAVEL Hope everything goes well when we apply for our Japan visas next week. We’re hoping to go back there again this coming October. Nick should better be approved this time! I’m excited to stroll around the districts of Osaka then maybe go back to Kyoto. Not sure. Haven’t made an itinerary yet. I’m also looking forward to go visit some art stores in Japan. I hope I won’t get overwhelmed and start buying everything that looks kawaii. I also notice that most of the quality tools that’s being recommended in art blogs are from Japan, so I think I can buy it cheaper there. More better reasons to go back!
LIFE IN GENERAL I’m actually in good spirits right now. Mainly because of me trying to do the things I love like drawing, watercolor and some traveling. I feel happy whenever I produce a decent work and see myself improving. It’s an extra boost if I post it and somebody likes it (sometimes ❤️ or 😲 if I’m using Facebook 😄). Although in hindsight, I sometimes worry and think about some negative things. Thoughts like, “What are you planning to do with art? Are you going to get money from it? There’s a lot of people better than you.” and “Why do you keep on traveling? Traveling costs a lot of money. Do you have a lot of money? No you don’t! Why not save it instead and use it for things that really matter? You’re being selfish.” Stuff like that. I try not to think of these things because it dampens my mood and it demotivates me. I know that this “art thing” isn’t something that’s certain to make me earn money; but I’m loving every minute of it! What’s important is that I’m doing what I’m passionate about and for me, that matters. But it doesn’t mean that I’m going to quit my job (for now) and just do art. Of course I’ll keep my job (for now 😁) while doing stuff I like on the side. I’m just now in a state where I fully understand that life is really short. Yes, earning money is necessary to live. But making art and traveling is what I live for. For me, it gives more value and quality to my life. I’m just thankful that I finally know what I want to do. I felt very lost before. I was in a position where I’m very discontented and don’t know what I’m doing. I wan’t someone to tell me what to do and give me the answers because I have no clue what I’m supposed to be doing.
And then, just like magic, I finally figured out who that someone is. That someone who will give me the answers. Me. Finally, I was able to figure it out. And I’m not gonna stop now.

My logo!

Okay, that’s it. Got kind of emotional back there. Haha. I hope I can blog more frequently. I almost forgot that writing feels soothing and therapeutic. It also keeps my mind in the right perspective. Until then!

Tags Art, Japan, Life, Travel

Hanash

Short Story

Pagkatapos kong mag-CR, naisip ko na mag grocery at dumaan sa Boulangerie para bumili ng discounted bread. Malapit na kasi mag 7PM. Pagbaba ko ng office, nakita ko yung officemate ko papasok. Sabi ko sa kanya, “Uy ang aga mo ah!” 8PM pa kasi pasok nya. Pagpasok ko ng Grand (amoy) Canal Mall, binati ako nung security guard ng usual nya na, “Buona sera!” Umakyat muna ako para i-check kung may aloe vera gel na sa MUMUSO (wala pa din). Sabi naman ni ate na taga MUMUSO, “Annyeong haseyo! Mumuso!” Napansin ko medyo madaming tao. Friday kasi siguro. Nung papunta na ko sa tinapayan, may madadaanan uli ako na guard. Eh di bumati sya ulit ng, “Buona seraaa!” tapos sinundan nya ng “Bukas ang zipper nyo Ma’am.”

Japan Tokyo Travel

Japan Itinerary Day 5/7: Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree

Post author By Gleniz
Post date May 29, 2017
No Comments on Japan Itinerary Day 5/7: Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree

Processed with VSCO with m5 preset

Sep 12, 2016

We arrived in Tokyo at around 7 AM. Our stop will be at Shinjuku. From there, we’ll figure out how to get to our next Airbnb accommodation. Our host sent us very clear instructions on how to get to their house from Oshiage station. Navigating around Japan gets easier and easier because we’re getting used to their transportation network. But we also learned to immediately ask questions when we find ourselves utterly dumbfounded.

So the plan is, once we get settled in, we’ll just take a shower, eat breakfast, then start our day already. Nauwi nanaman kami sa gyudon resto cos they’re usually open 24 hrs. Natutuwa na talaga ko sa chopsticks skills ko (say “chopsticks skills” 10 times). Naalala ko lang uli nung kumakain kami dito. As for those two (Benson & Bong), they’re already in Tokyo as well. Bong will stay with us for one night and Benson will be with his aunties. Medyo nag-kanya kanya na kami when we were in Tokyo. Our itinerary for the day:

Meiji Shrine
Photos with Hachiko
Cross Shibuya Crossing
Tokyo Sky Tree

After eating breakfast, we head home to take a shower so we could officially start our day. Bong was already there together with Benson and his auntie.

Another Bong Pabebe Moment:

He told us he won’t be coming with us and that he’ll just sleep ‘cos apparently, he has a headache. He said he’ll just meet us when it’s already time to go to Tokyo Sky Tree which would not be until 6 PM. What. A. Total. Waste. Of. Time. I don’t know about you but for me sobrang nasayangan ako. I also had a headache on our third day before going to Kyoto because I was up late crying (because of the Meiji Collagen incident) but there’s no stopping me from enjoying JaFUN. Hello?? Kelan pa uli ako makakapunta dito no. Anyway, let’s just take a look at the entrance going to Meiji Shrine.

Meiji Shrine

The grand entrance

Oh, we ate at this gyoza place first before heading to Meiji Shrine.

Found this cute gyoza place through Google Map’s recommendation

It was okay kahit sunog yung iba

We ordered 2 kinds of gyoza (forgot what it’s called)

My favorite moment in Tokyo was this: On our way to Meiji Shrine, we were strolling around a wide array of shops in Shibuya area and everything looks so modern and cool.

Shops left and right

After crossing the street, the shops were nowhere to be seen. We felt like we were transported into a different era. Look.

Just entered a wormhole

Can’t remember seeing a river though

Parang kanina lang naglalakad kami sa isang modern place tapos biglang may ganitong blast-from-the-past effect. I was in awe.

A few more steps and we were greeted by this huge beautiful gate.

Hello!

Mores sights after entering the gate.

Wine inside

Sake barrels

Read on to learn a short history tidbit

Time traveling

Eto na siguro yung mismong shrine

Scolded by an old lady after a few minutes (bawal daw umupo dito)

Sobrang init pa din btw

Mental Note: Visit Japan in November

We tried going to Yoyogi Garden; but we got lost and Google Maps is not helping. We gave up and just met up with Benson and his aunties in Harajuku to buy sneaks. I ended up buying a Japan release “daw” na Stan Smith. Hindi daw iri-release anywhere but Japan. Naniwala naman ako. Pero pag-open nung Adidas Originals sa Uptown Mall dito sa Taguig, nakita ko yung same design at mas mura pa ng 2k. Tss. Lesson learned.

It’s getting a bit late and we still have to go see Hachiko and cross the busiest intersection in the world. It’s one of the things that I’m most looking forward to experience: to witness and cross the Shibuya Crossing. So we said our goodbyes and searched for the legendary dog. Turned out, the Hachiko statue and Shibuya crossing are just a few steps away from each other.

Hachiko

I’ve yet to see his movie

Shibuya Crossing

Another photo goal unlocked! 📸

Who would’ve thought that people merely crossing the street can be fascinating

Tokyo Sky Tree

It was foggy during the time we were there. But we managed to get some decent photos of the city night lights.

These three men (if you can call them that) are all afraid of heights. Wimps.

Nothing much to see here except the view. There was a short dance performance from the crew but that was it. There’s also this huge stuffed Hello Kitty which Bong took a photo of (or a photo with… can’t recall) (don’t ask me why, I don’t know either 😂).

Loving the 350-meter top view

You can go as high as 450 meters but it would cost you an extra 1,000 yen.

Off to a karaoke bar to cap off the night

This place ♥️

Hey

Picturan nyo naman ako! Kainis.

They have unlimited drinks and soft serve ice cream. Really lovin’ this place.

Benson held a mini concert

It was late so we had to take a cab. So expensive! We paid around 1,000 pesos for a 15-minute ride.

Pero hindi pa talaga kami umuwi. Pumunta pa kaming Don Quijote. 😅

This is how we spent our 7 days in JaFUN (Sep 8-14, 2016):

Day 1: Osaka – Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guest House
Day 2: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori
Day 3: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha
Day 4: Osaka – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Day 5: Tokyo – Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree
Day 6: Tokyo – DisneySea (soon)
Day 7: Tokyo – Narita Airport (soon)

Daily Expenses (soon)
Personal Notes, Tips, Whatchamacallit (soon)

Tags Japan, Pals, Travel

Japan Osaka Travel

Japan Itinerary Day 4/7: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Post author By Gleniz
Post date March 22, 2017
No Comments on Japan Itinerary Day 4/7: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Fried egg jellyfish

Japan Day 5: Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky TreeSep 11, 2016

Eto na yung dalwa na sooobrang prepared sa pagpunta nilang Japan. *eye roll*

We bumped into them when we went out to buy some food in McDo. It was probably around 9PM. They looked so tired and hungry. Pretty much like us on our first day in Japan. 😂

Taken the night before with Mark

Short Rant:

From visa application up to their arrival in Kansai airport, they bring nothing but stress. They applied for their Japan visas just two weeks before their departure date. Kenneth and I applied for ours 2 months prior the trip; so I (yes I, not we) had plenty of time to prepare everything. Even after we, I mean I, booked our plane tickets last March (6 months before the trip), I’m already finished with our itinerary just a few days after. That’s why I’m super stressed with these two because I’m the one who’s going to book their bus tickets, purchase their DisneySea tickets, book their accommodation, etc (‘cos I have the credit card). I kept on bugging them to apply for their visas ahead of time so I can do all these stuff in one go. I’m not the type who does things last minute when it comes to preparing for travels. I wan’t everything planned and organized. Tapos andami pa nilang pabebe moments lalo na yung isa dyan (hello Bong). May pa-chat chat pa sakin na, “Baka hindi pa din ako tumuloy kahit ma-approve yung visa ko kasi ang busy ko ngayong September.” 🙄 I just replied, “Ok.” Di mo maintindihan kung nagpapapilit o ano. Pabebe.

But it didn’t stop there. When they arrived at Kansai Airport, pocket WiFi naman problema nila. Hays. Anyway, nakarating pa din sila sa kabila ng lahat. I’m never doing that again. Kanya kanya na lang next time ha. Bawal na pati ang pabebe. *end of rant*

Okay, back to day four. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was the only thing in our itinerary that day. I was planning on squeezing a temple or garden before going to the aquarium but that didn’t happen due to time constraints and stuff. We needed to get back early for our bus trip to Tokyo anyway. We wouldn’t want to miss our bus. I’m sure the buses here leave on time ‘cos ‘being on time’ is so Japan. This was our last day in Osaka. Huhu.

Didn’t expect to see this “Tuloy kayo. Tawad pwede.” sign

Init talaga

Tempozan Ferris Wheel

Thought of trying this out but the weather was too hot

Not So Funny Story:

The four of us were not supposed to be together on this day because their plan is to go to USJ (which we’ve been to already) then Kyoto for their second day (also been there). However, Bong had this funny idea (more like annoying idea) of not getting into any rides because he just doesn’t feel like it (say what??). Benson was super pissed. Even I got a little pissed. I mean, what’s even the point of going to USJ and spend 3,500 pesos for the ticket? To waste money? And what’s the point of having someone go with you to a theme park (one of the best in the world btw) if the one you’re with is not willing to go and experience the different fun rides together? I really have no idea how Bong’s brain works sometimes (or most of the time). So that led to Benson cancelling their USJ trip and they just decided to tag along with us.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Interesting looking building

Sobrang daming magagandang photo op dito sa Aquarium Kaiyukan. Eto yung hindi ko nabasa sa mga blogs, ang style pala nya (unless mali ako at may iba pa palang way), sakay ka ng escalator na diretso sa 8th floor. Sobrang haba nung escalator (papuntang 8th floor ba naman). Nakakalula pag tumingin ka sa likod. So pag nasa 8th floor ka na, ikot ka pababa na parang pa-spiral para makita yung mga sea creatures at ibang animals. Pag mabilis kang maningin at mag-picture, tapos ka na agad. Bye 2,500 yen. 💸

I thought Osaka Aquarium would be like Zoobic Safari with dolphin shows and stuff. I thought wrong. That’s why I’m a bit disappointed. I would suggest to skip this one if you only have limited time in Osaka. Unless you want to have photos looking like this:

Why didn’t I have my picture taken here? This is one of my photo goals. Huhu. Hello Benson.

Or this:

📸: Benson

Perhaps this:

Hello. 📸: Bong

Or maybe this:

What am I pointing at

Aliw.

This one also:

Benson said he looked like a retard here. His own words.

But skipping this is just a suggestion. Because I have a friend who told me that she didn’t like DisneySea so I had doubts of going there. But when we went to DisneySea (good thing we did), I was truly mesmerized. So it depends on the person.

We were pleased that there’s a fast food restaurant inside Osaka Aquarium because we haven’t had breakfast yet. There’s like a mini mall nearby with several food options but they’re not open until 11AM.

Pineapple twirl. Yum.

With B1 & B2

TRIVIA: This is the actual thickness of the acrylic glass they use in their aquariums

I want this too

There’s also this petting area for stingrays and some other guys

Enjoying much Kennetski?

And this area showcasing the bones of different sea creatures

Interesting

More photos before saying goodbye:

Little krabby patty

Like a queen

Feeding time

A cockroach’s ancestor (made that up)

It has a face! Cute.

Say aahhh…

This is the one I’d like to pet

Fried egg jellyfish (a very well-thought-out name)

Mr. Grumpy Face

Aloha

More jellies

This is a lung fish

Bye cutie!

Is this even effin real??

My favorite spot

Eating time again. Open na yung mini mall.

Tempozan Market Place

Yummy katsu

Rinku Town

After eating, they decided to go to Rinku Town. The boys wanted to do some shopping. Apparently, it’s a place with many outlet stores. I didn’t like this idea. Plus the train fare going here was around 500 pesos each. I’d rather go to Don Quijote and buy more Japanese snacks.

Believe it or not, I forgot that we went here because I didn’t take any pictures (as a sign of my rebellion). I originally wrote, “After eating, we went straight home blah blah”. But no, we actually went here. It’s a fact.

Boooo. 👎🏼

I was browsing Benson’s timeline for more Japan photos and if I hadn’t come across this photo, I wouldn’t have remembered. Since I’m quite disappointed with Osaka Aquarium and I’m forced to go here in Rinku Town, this is my least favorite day of our trip.

So after the boys were done with their shopping, we finally went home and packed our stuff. Before heading home, Benson changed his mind (again) about going to Kyoto for their second day. He must’ve imagined himself with lame-o Bong strolling around Kyoto and decided to just skip that lameness. He also said that he’s not really a fan of temples and shrines. Or ayaw nya lang talaga kasama si Bong na silang dalwa lang? Haha. So after much contemplation, he decided to just tag along with us to Tokyo. Then Bong followed suit. What is happening?? 😂 Problem is, their night bus tickets were for the following day kasi nga sa 3rd day pa dapat nila sila pa-Tokyo. Those tickets were already purchased online a week before their flight. Staying positive, we thought that they could just refund the tickets and just purchase same-day tickets at the bus station. We were oh so wrong. And you can’t change the date that’s indicated on the ticket either.

Balik muna tayo sa guest house. Mark (again, the Airbnb host) was surprised to know that the two will be checking out a day earlier (bye 1,500 pesos – the price of 1 night accommodation 💸😂). He even discouraged them from leaving because he’s not sure if they can buy tickets using cash. Eh laban na daw sabi ni Benson. Before leaving, we had the chance to meet Ken (the other host).

Fun Fact:

We learned through Benson that they’re not just business partners, they are also lovers. Aww. They’ve been together for 20 years I think? Inspiring. Benson also mentioned something about Ken adopting Mark? Uhm, I’m not so sure how that story goes.

Anyway, we reached the bus station at around 9:30 PM. The two immediately asked the staff and inquired about those tickets. Unfortunately, they were strict about the online reservations. Worst part is, they don’t sell tickets there. Transactions should be online. Bummer. Benson thought of Plan B: bullet train. That would cost them sooo much. And what if the tickets were non-refundable? (turned out they were refundable but it was too late to get a refund. bye 3,000 pesos.) But Benson didn’t bother. He’s really determined to go to Tokyo that night whatever it takes (whatever it takes to avoid being alone with Bong? haha). Thankfully, a good Samaritan informed them of another bus station with buses heading to Tokyo almost every 15-30 minutes. About that time, we were already on our way to Tokyo. Our bus left at 10:20 PM while they were still figuring out how to get to Tokyo themselves. Around 12 midnight, I received a message from Benson that they’re already on their way. Whew. What an ordeal.

Now let’s talk about the bus. It’s no ordinary bus. It’s the most comfortable bus ride ever. The travel time from Osaka to Tokyo by bus takes 9 hours. That’s 9 hours of just sitting and waiting for our butts to grow weeds. So that’s why they made this bus very suitable for long travels like this. Look.

It has curtains for your privacy. You’ll be provided with a pillow and a blanket so you’ll be comfy while sleeping. It also has spacious leg rooms and each seat have their own outlets to charge your phones. I read somewhere that some buses have a “ladies policy” where they separate male passengers from the females. Good thing I booked the correct bus. I booked it through Willer Express btw. Alright time to get some zzz’s.

Bye Osaka! Hello Tokyo!

This is how we spent our 7 days in JaFUN (Sep 8-14, 2016):

Day 1: Osaka – Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guest House
Day 2: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori
Day 3: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha
Day 4: Osaka – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Day 5: Tokyo – Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree
Day 6: Tokyo – DisneySea (soon)
Day 7: Tokyo – Narita Airport (soon)

Daily Expenses (soon)
Personal Notes, Tips, Whatchamacallit (soon)

Tags Japan, Kenneth, Pals, Travel

Japan Kyoto Travel

Japan Itinerary Day 3/7: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha

Post author By Gleniz
Post date March 20, 2017
No Comments on Japan Itinerary Day 3/7: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha

Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset

Sep 10, 2016

Two of the things that I’m looking forward to see in Japan is right here in Kyoto. The moment I saw pictures of the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and the torii gates in Fushimi Inari-taisha, I was completely blown away. I can’t wait to witness them with my own eyes.

Hello Kyoto

When we reached Arashiyama, I had no idea that it was a huge place with many shrines and temples scattered around the area. The place is so zen. On our way there, I thought that this was just the location of the bamboo grove that I’m so eager to see. When we saw the map (given to us by a personnel at the train station), we saw the different tourist spots that we could check out before we can reach the bamboo forest.

The map

First, you will be greeted by this bridge.

Togetsu-kyo Bridge

Wishing it was fall

History Tidbit #1:

This bridge is 400 years old.

That lush greenery

I want to go back here during the fall season. I want all these greens to turn into oranges and reds.

Everything about this place spells “chill”

Takoyaki at last!

Big octopus chunks

Takoyaki by the river

On our way to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, we got lost. We couldn’t figure out how to get there it was so frustrating. We tried asking questions and this lady was very patient explaining to us the directions. With the map in hand and the lady’s instructions, we still couldn’t seem to figure it out. The lady advised us to enter the Sogenchi Garden (for an entrance fee of 250 pesos each) and from there we could make our way to the bamboo grove. But some other person was pointing us to a different direction. Turns out, there are two routes going to the bamboo grove. One is through the garden (for a fee) and the other one doesn’t require us to pass through a temple or garden (which means no entrance fees) but it’s much farther.

Tenryu-ji Temple

aka Temple of the Heavenly Dragon

History Tidbit #2:

One of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kyoto. This temple is said to be caught in fire several times (8 times to be exact) and underwent major reconstructions through the years.

So clearly, we chose the shorter route and bought entrance tickets to the garden. It was a good decision because we get to see a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Sogenchi Garden is breathtaking. It looks very calm and peaceful. This garden is a piece of art.

Sogenchi Garden

Perfect place to do some meditation or yoga

History Tidbit #3:

For 700 years, Sogenchi Garden retained it’s original form since it was laid out in the 14th century.

At this point, we were still having an argument. I was so pissed at Kenneth because he easily becomes irritable whenever we get lost. Getting lost is part of the travel! And if I’m gonna get lost, I’d rather get lost in Japan. There are so many interesting things to see along the way. He’s so focused on getting to our destination that he can’t seem to appreciate that we are in a different country and that we are being surrounded by things that we can no longer come across once we go back to the Philippines. And if we didn’t get lost, we wouldn’t be able to see this:

No idea what this is but I find it cool

He kind of settled down and maybe realized that I’m right (?). But that’s how we are. We argue, then we laugh it off. Sabi ko sa kanya:

“Wag ka kasing mataray.”

“Ikaw din naman mataray. Wag kang mataray.”

“Eh mataray nga ako.”

“Eh mataray nga din ako.”

Then we find ourselves laughing. It’s basically our everyday life in Japan.

Photos before reaching the bamboo grove:

We thought this was it but it isn’t. But we are sooo close.

Tempted to buy some charms

So relieved to see some kind of gazebo to sit and get a short break from all the walking

We’re almost there!

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

* huge heart eyes *

AT LAST! The long, tiring walk and all those petty fights are so worth it! Kenneth was completely amazed. Kenneth’s not really expressive so when he likes something that I like, it makes me doubly happy.

Can’t contain my happiness

When you look up

Bamboo heaven

It is true. No photo can capture the feeling of standing in the midst of this bamboo grove. ❤️

I can look at this all day

As much as I want to assemble a tent and practically live here, it’s already time to go to our second destination. Some interesting things we saw while heading to the train station that will take us to Fushimi Inari-taisha:

Wooden dragonfly maker

Now I look back and think that I should have bought one. This could have been a great souvenir (or those charms perhaps).

Monks?

We stumbled upon many shrines but this one is free to enter.

Nonomiya Shrine

So zen

Wishes and prayers hung on wooden plates (wooden plates not free)

“Sana magustuhan na tayo ng mga crush natin”

Envied these guys. We were so DEAD tired at this point.

I’m not quite happy with how I approached our trip overall. I wasn’t able to take it all in and truly experience these historic sites around me. I’m more focused on getting great pictures that I forget to stop and savor it all. All those history tidbits, I only learned about it when I tried Googling all the places that we went to. It would be so much better if I knew the meaning and the story of what’s right in front of me.

Fushimi Inari-taisha

Fushimi Inari Shrine

Tried their street food. It was quite expensive (250 pesos) compared to our isaw which is only 5 pesos. Unfair.

Not sure what this is

What I ate: chicken in skewers. It was bland.

I think the reason why I bought this was because the guy selling these asked me my nationality. When I said Filipino, he replied with, “Ganda.” I was sold. LOL.

Rice cake wrapped in strips of pork

Done with snacking. Just a few steps away and we’ll reach our final destination for the day.

Greetings from the foxes

History Tidbit #4:

And I thought, why foxes? Upon googling, foxes are thought to be Inari’s messengers, resulting in many fox statues scattered across the shrine grounds. And who’s Inari? The Shinto god of rice.

Another travel goal unlocked 😁

It’s my ultimate dream to have my picture taken with these torii gates alone. With so many tourists walking along the same path, it would be difficult to achieve this shot. Kenneth’s patience was tested while taking this photo. Before taking the shot, I instructed him to hold up the camera so the people behind us would stop and let Kenneth take my picture. It was kind of embarrassing because it took about an awkward 30-45 seconds before all the people ahead of us disappear into view. But I’m so happy with the result!

Photo goal unlocked 📸

Kenneth is not really “the photographer” and doesn’t care if he has that perfect shot. As long as that thing or place is in the photo, it’s good enough for him. But I’m not like that, so I had a plan. A few months before this trip, I already briefed him that I want my photos to look like this and that; then I showed him sample photos so he will have an idea on how to frame the photo and stuff. And in fairness to him, he did a really good job; and I appreciate him for that (even if I can see him low-key frowning while doing it). 😅

History Tidbit #5:

So those orange things are called torii gates. Thousands of these torii gates lead to Mount Inari. (*Google Google*) These gates are donated by companies or individuals and each gate costs ¥400,000. The bigger ones could reach up to 1 million yen each. And those Japanese characters written in each gate are the names of those donors

We didn’t finish the trail because it would’ve taken us one and a half hours to reach Mt. Inari and another 1.5 hours to return. So I encouraged Kenneth to head back. Few more photos before going back to Osaka:

Closer look at the shrine

Idk why I get cheerful whenever I see a takoyaki stand

Bye Kyoto! Mwahmwahmwah!

Dotonbori Part 2

Dotonbori has a lot to offer when it comes to food so a single visit wouldn’t be enough. This time, we tried okonomiyaki and soba at Mizuno.

Looks can be deceiving

ANG SARAAP! Especially the soba. We thought we wouldn’t be able to finish everything because the servings were huge but we devoured every last bite. They were closed when we got there but we still fell in line. The manager was evidently annoyed because people kept on falling in line even if there’s already a ‘closed’ sign blocking the entrance. Thankfully, he let us into the queue. Maybe because we’re tourists and he thought that this would be our last chance to try their famous okonomiyaki. I chose the variant with minced meat, squid, shrimps, scallions and octopus bits. Sarap talagaaa.

I can say that this is the most tiring day of our 7-day trip. I’m not sure how many miles did we have to walk to accomplish our Kyoto itinerary. Even if we researched ahead of time and have all the navigation apps that you could think of, we kept on getting lost. And this resulted to countless arguments; plus the scorching heat is not helping with our tempers.

Hoping I could see you again 😢

This is also the day when two of our friends will join us for our last day in Osaka before heading to Tokyo. It does get tiring arguing with Kenneth so it’s really fun seeing these two argue with each other for a change. 😂

This is how we spent our 7 days in JaFUN (Sep 8-14, 2016):

Day 1: Osaka – Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guest House
Day 2: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori
Day 3: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha
Day 4: Osaka – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Day 5 : Tokyo – Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree
Day 6: Tokyo – DisneySea (soon)
Day 7: Tokyo – Narita Airport (soon)

Daily Expenses (soon)
Personal Notes, Tips, Whatchamacallit (soon)

Tags Japan, Kenneth, Pals, Travel

Japan Osaka Travel

Japan Itinerary Day 2/7: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori

Post author By Gleniz
Post date October 10, 2016
No Comments on Japan Itinerary Day 2/7: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori

Sep 9, 2016

USJ Day! It was a 15-minute walk to Shin-Imamiya Station (from Ken & Mark Guest House) going to Universal City Station. Some morning sightings while strolling around Osaka:

Goodmorning lola!

Initially thought this was a gasoline station

They have vending machines for a lot of things

More proof

La lang 😅

We got off at the wrong station going to USJ. So while waiting for the next train, we (or I) had time for photo op.

Fake buying

I wish I have natural curly hair

Nice one husband (but I’m the one who framed this so technically, I took this shot 😏)

Universal Studios Japan

This entrance screams, “Heyyy youuu!”

We bought Express Passes online because I read from other blogs that waiting time for the most popular rides could take up to 2-4 hours! Especially for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. We wouldn’t want to waste time so we bought the passes for another Php 3,000 each (refer here for a step-by-step guide on how to buy it online). A total of Php 6,500 per person for the park entry ticket plus the Express pass. Sooo expensive. To think that our roundtrip tickets to Japan costed us Php 6,200 each. Anyway, no time for regrets.

These two right here are ultimate snobs

Surprisingly, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not the highlight of my USJ experience

The mandatory photo with the globe of course

We rode Hollywood Dream: The Ride first.

Processed with VSCO with acg preset

Then we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and took LOTS of photos.

Aaagghhh 😍

Choo choo

Mr. Weasley’s car: The Flying Ford Anglia

Fred & George 😊

I don’t know why I didn’t buy even one thing from Honeydukes

Should have bought this at least

“The wand chooses the wizard” -Mr. Ollivander

A travel blogger advised to go to Hog’s Head instead to avoid the long lines here

Second ride: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Didn’t take a picture. I’ll make it up with more photos of the wizarding world.

Slightly annoyed that I’m the only one enjoying this and my husband’s just like, “Meh.”

Ah, what a sight.

Why does it have to be so expensive 😭

I really like Voldemort’s wand for some reason

Processed with VSCO with acg preset

I’ll come back for you (when??)

Read somewhere that this ride is for kids. We’ll save this for our future son (or daughter).

Go Gryffindor

It’s way past lunch time so we had to eat. This right here costs around 2,000 pesos. Next time, we’ll just bring snacks.

Not that good and not worth it

At least he’s enjoying his corn

Frozen butterbeer! Verdict: Just okay. Tastes like caramel.

Students from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!

All smiles despite the heat

All was well indeed. See you again!

Side Note #1:

When I was trying to buy our Express Passes online, we had the option to choose what time will we be entering the wizarding world. I chose the earliest time available which was 11:50 AM. After choosing the time, another time will be given for us to be allowed to ride the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. In our case, it was 12:10-12:40 PM. One thing that I learned from our USJ experience is that, I should have chosen a later time to enter Harry Potter world. Maybe around 6 PM would be perfect. The line was short when we got there so we weren’t able to utilize the full potential of our Express Passes. And I’ve also read that the Harry Potter world is best viewed at night. I can only imagine. Sayang talaga. I felt that I wasn’t able to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its best. I could have taken better photos. I say this because we also went to DisneySea and stayed there until closing time (10 PM). DisneySea at night was magical. We left USJ early (around 6 PM) because we were already done with the 7 rides that we planned. Oh well.

JAWS for our third ride.

Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset

Ang medyo nakaka-turn off nga lang talaga eh yung mga rides na ang voice-over eh Japanese language. Although maganda yung visual, hindi mo fully ma-appreciate kase hindi mo maintindihan yung sinasabi. Tulad nung ride na to. Nakaupo kayo sa isang medyo malaking boat at may tour guide kayong kasama tapos biglang may shark na a-attack sa inyo. Medyo actor ang peg ni kuyang tour guide dito kase kunwari binabaril nya yung shark tapos mega acting sya sa pagma-maneuver nung boat para maka-iwas dun sa shark. Yung buong ride na yun, nagsasalita sya in Japanese na wala kaming maintindahan. Nagre-rely na lang kami sa mga nakikita namin at sa facial expressions nya. Mas na-enjoy siguro namin kung may naiintindihan kami sa mga sinasabi nya.

Sulitin ang Express Pass. Cute ni ate 😁

Tired.

Am I still in USJ?

Side Note #2:

There’s a third lane for some rides. So there’s the regular one, the express, and then there’s a singles lane. If you’re in a group and fall in line on the singles, chances are, you won’t be sitting together. But if you’re in a hurry and don’t mind being apart, the singles lane would be the perfect choice.

Random shot that I took. I find it cute.

Fourth ride: Flying Dinosaur. Three words. Best. Ride. Ever.

I MISS YOU!

Instead of the usual roller coaster na nakaupo ka, dito, nakadapa ka. Medyo kakaiba yung feeling. Pagbaba namin dun sa ride, hindi pa din ako maka-move on dun sa experience. Basta ang saya. Si Kenneth medyo takot yun sa heights pero super nag-enjoy sya. Sulit daw yung 2.5 hours na pila. Matagal yung pinila namin dito kasi hindi na sya kasama sa Express Pass namin. Kung alam ko lang, sana yung Express Pass na may Flying Dinosaur na lang yung kinuha namin. Another fail.

Jurassic Park: Ride (forgettable) and The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (same concept with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey pero mas ok to) for our 5th and 6th ride.

Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset

One frozen mango for 250 pesos. No thanks! But I got curious I almost bought one.

Our last stop was Space Fantasy: The Ride. This one surprised us.

Magical 😱

Touristy Moment #3:

Basing from the name (Space Fantasy) and its facade, we thought it was a kiddie ride. We almost didn’t want to continue because we couldn’t figure out how to lock the locker compartment (so we could store our bags there during the ride). The attendant told us to insert ¥100 coin. It turned out we were inserting the coin in the wrong machine. So there’s this machine nearby the lockers and I thought that’s where we could get a ticket or something for us to utilize the lockers. When I inserted a ¥500 coin, the machine dispensed five ¥100 coins. Ang labo. Kenneth already refused to continue with the ride. We were already tired. But I asked the attendant again (for the last time) and if we still can’t figure it out, we will leave already. I even suggested to put our things inside the locker and leave it unlocked, because that’s how I trust the Japanese people. Kenneth refused again. Okay. So upon asking, the attendant accompanied us and showed us how. Turned out, the coin slot for locking the compartment was beside the keyhole of the locker. The machine’s purpose was to exchange your money for ¥100 coins if you don’t have one available because the lockers are only accepting, yes, ¥100 coins. Ay sus. Buti na lang natuloy kami sa ride kasi it was unexpectedly awesome.

So a few seconds into the ride, it was slow. We were like, “Ho-hum. Boring. Pambata.” But after a few minutes, we were transported into space! Ang galing nung effects. The stars seemed real and the pace was going fast. Hayyy super ganda. I will not forget the exploding sound at the end of the ride with matching explosion of stars. Parang milky way. Hay ang ganda talaga. What a great way to end our USJ visit. Off to Dotonbori!

But first, ride ratings:

Hollywood Dream: The Ride ★★★★☆
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ★★☆☆☆
JAWS ★★☆☆☆
Flying Dinosaur ★★★★★
Jurassic Park: Ride ★★☆☆☆
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman ★★★☆☆
Space Fantasy: The Ride ★★★★★

More random photos before we go.

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Bye USJ!

Dotonbori

It’s so “alive awake alert enthusiastic” here

We were so excited to eat ramen in Japan. Upon searching Google, it shows very good reviews for Ichiran (there are 2 branches in Dotonbori). Unfortunately, I liked Ramen Nagi better (or fortunately rather ‘cos they’re more accessible to us). Ramen Nagi’s broth is richer and their noodles are firmer.

Ramen in Japan at last!

Takoyakiii. We’ll try this tomorrow. Still full from the ramen.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Short Story:

I had a headache the following morning because I was up late crying (I don’t know why it led to crying. It’s just that I was so annoyed. Grr.) So after eating ramen, we saw a Don Quijote store and I got excited. Based from the numerous travel blogs I’ve read, everything here is cheap. Madaming mga nag-bilin samin ng mga gusto nilang ipabili (perfume, collagen powder, wallet, green tea, etc) so I gathered all the strength I have left to do some partial shopping. Para at least sa mga susunod na days konti na lang yung bibilhin. Sobrang pagod na pagod na pagod na talaga kami. Hindi na ko makalakad ng maayos (I’ll remember to not wear boots next time). I was literally walking like Lotus Feet (yes, that character in the movie Feng Shui). Pinilit ko na lang talaga. Tapos eto pa yung mangyayari. 😔

To cut the story short, I bought 6 pieces of collagen powder for my officemates. One piece is around 800 pesos. When we got home and upon reviewing the receipt, 10 pieces na collagen powder yung na-punch ni ateng cashier. I paid for 10 but I only got 6. Grrr. Kayo na bahala mag-compute. Medyo madami kaming pinamili kaya di ko na naisip i-check yung receipt bago umalis. Japanese language pa yung resibo. Sobrang siksikan din mga tao dun sa store kaya hindi mo na talaga maiisip. Lesson learned. You can learn from my mistake as well. I know I won’t be accepting too many requests the next time I travel anywhere.

Okay enough. Kyoto naman bukas!

This is how we spent our 7 days in JaFUN (Sep 8-14, 2016):

Day 1: Osaka – Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guest House
Day 2: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori
Day 3: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha
Day 4: Osaka – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Day 5: Tokyo – Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree
Day 6: Tokyo – DisneySea (soon)
Day 7: Tokyo – Narita Airport (soon)

Daily Expenses (soon)
Personal Notes, Tips, Whatchamacallit (soon)

Tags Japan, Kenneth, Pals, Travel

Japan Osaka Travel

Japan Itinerary Day 1/7: Osaka Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guesthouse

Post author By Gleniz
Post date October 10, 2016
No Comments on Japan Itinerary Day 1/7: Osaka Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guesthouse

Processed with VSCO with m5 preset

Sep 8, 2016

We were already at the airport three and a half hours before our flight. The plane will depart at 3:00 PM then 8:00 PM (Japan time) would be the arrival time. At first, I thought the 8:00 PM that’s indicated in our ticket is also Manila time so I thought that it would take 5 hours to get to Japan. That’s why at 6:45 PM (Manila), I was just chilling in the plane because I thought we still have one hour before arrival. But the pilot suddenly spoke and announced that we will deplane in about 15 minutes. I got excited and started to fix my things and my hair then wore my shoes.

Hi cute photobomber 😁

Kansai International Airport

Picked up our rented pocket WiFi from Pupuru. You can return it by dropping it off in any mailbox in Japan. In our case, since we’ll exit Japan from Tokyo, we dropped it off at Narita Airport. Renting pocket WiFi is highly suggested. Worth the extra cost.

We were already given instructions by Mark (our Airbnb host in Osaka) on how to get to our accommodation. He taught us how to buy tickets and what train line to get into. He told us to get off at Tengachaya station and that he will meet us at the exit. From that station, it will be a 15-minute walk going to our temporary house. One thing that’s great about our accommodation is that the owners don’t live in the house (unlike most of the Airbnb accommodation you’ll find). Ken and Mark have their own house just a few blocks away from the guest house. I guess it’s more comfortable that way. But even if the owners were not around, Mark is accommodating with our inquiries. I’ll just send him a private message if we have any questions on how to get from one place to another and he will respond as quick as he can.

Touristy Moment #1:

So ganito pala yun. Insert bills/coins first, choose how many passengers, then select the ticket amount. Instead of choosing the name of the station you want to go to, you choose the appropriate amount for that specific station. Siguro since sobrang daming train stations, amount na lang yung nilagay kase yung ibang stations naman same fare lang. Baka hindi na magkasya sa screen lahat ng stations.

The intimidating ticket machine

Our first train tickets

Downtown Osaka

We had no problems reaching Tengachaya station. Mark was already waiting for us when we got off the train. He didn’t have any pictures of us to recognize our faces but he immediately waved when he saw us (how?). The 15-minute walk from the station to the guest house with our luggages in tow was really tiring. Mark was already discussing some “things to know” while we’re on our way to the house. He speaks good English so there weren’t any problems communicating and he seemed very nice. We were already hungry when we arrived at the guest house and we just wanted to stuff our faces with Japanese food. But Mark had to tour us first around the house, discuss some house rules and help us with our itinerary and stuff (huhu so many things to remember). When Mark was done, it’s finally time to eat!

Our accommodation is in a good location and booking Ken & Mark Guest House was a really good decision. I highly highly recommend it. There is another station near the guest house which is just a 5-minute walk. Around that station, there are McDonald’s, Family Mart, some restaurants (mostly gyudon restos) and a supermarket. It was already 11 PM. Good thing there’s a 24-hour gyudon restaurant nearby. We had our really late dinner there. Before leaving us, Mark taught us how to buy the food tickets.

A quick tour around the neighborhood:

Available in almost every corner of Japan

Bikes everywhere

And of course

Staple Japanese treats

Family Mart pastries

Had to try at least one of these

Touristy Moment #2:

In Japan, most of the restaurants have this food ticket machine where you have to buy the food tickets first, then sit at a table, give the food tickets to the server, and wait for your food. It was kind of intimidating at first but I had gotten used to it because we almost always had to buy food tickets in every restaurant we went to in Japan. And most ticket machines have English translations so you’ll be fine.

I think I ordered the gyumeshi.

Food ticket machine

Clumsy as ever

The gyudon was okay. Nothing special. What I liked was how clean and organized the restaurant was. The servers were also very courteous.

So fresh and so clean clean…

Hey temporary neighbors

I had my worries of eating in Japan because I really don’t know how to use chopsticks. I’ve tried using it whenever we eat at ramen places here in Manila but I always end up asking for a fork. 😁 I find it hard to use chopsticks and my hand gets tired from using it. It’s like I’m having hand tremors. But after a few days of using chopsticks in Japan, I learned that you just have to relax. I was really proud of myself when I was able to eat my food with little difficulty. But there were times when I cheat and just use the spoon (which is intended for the soup) to scoop up the rice. Hihi.

Look at the trying hard chopsticks user (namely me)

Since we arrived in Japan late, we just went straight to bed after our late dinner and had some rest because we were going to Universal Studios in the morning; which meant I would finally get to see the wizarding world of Harry Potter! Yay! Kenneth is not a Harry Potter fan and calls Harry Potter ‘Harry F*cker’. Such a party pooper. Some photos of the guest house:

House front

Dying to change to these comfy slippers

Very very (OC level) tidy living room

Kitchen area

Toilets in Japan are very very special things. Mark said, “When you go back to the Philippines, you are going to miss our toilets here.” Yep. He’s right. Most of their toilets have automatic bidet, deodorizer, vacuum (to suck out the funky smell), fake flushing sound button (if you’re nagpupururot and want to avoid the humiliation) and buttons to change water temperature, nozzle position, and water pressure. Their really serious about their toilets.

May massage pa!

USJ day tomorrow!

This is how we spent our 7 days in JaFUN (Sep 8-14, 2016):

Day 1: Osaka – Kansai Airport & Ken and Mark Guest House
Day 2: Osaka – Universal Studios & Dotonbori
Day 3: Kyoto – Arashiyama & Fushimi Inari-taisha
Day 4: Osaka – Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Day 5: Tokyo – Meiji Shrine, Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Sky Tree
Day 6: Tokyo – DisneySea (soon)
Day 7: Tokyo – Narita Airport (soon)

Daily Expenses (soon)
Personal Notes, Tips, Whatchamacallit (soon)

Tags Japan, Kenneth, Pals, Travel

Hanash

randomness

Post author By Gleniz
Post date July 3, 2013
No Comments on randomness

Waaah! Nasira ref namin. Ah ah nakakasura. Pano na ko makakapagluto ng masasarap (?) na pagkain?? Hay. Sana mapaayos pa ref namin. Kung ako nga masusunod sana bumili na lang kami ng bagong ref. Second hand lang kasi yung ref namin na yun. Hay pano na.

May consultation nga pala ko mamayang 2pm sa Health Way Greenbelt. Mag-12 PM na pala. Tinatamad pa ko maligo. Saka ansarap ng panahon ansarap mahiga lang at magchill. Kainis parang tumila na ulan. More rain please!

Ay sige pala pupunta ko Greenbelt tas dun na din ako kakain. Kaya lang. I have no money. Magbabayad na ko ng kuryente namin bukas kaya wala na talaga. Ang mahal ng kuryente namin eh. 2,711! Halos tig 1k kame. Grr. Kung kelan naman nagtitipid ih.

Gusto ko na itry yung lucid dreaming.

Kakasura ang tamad ko ngayon. Where is the motivation??

Family

terror

Post author By Gleniz
Post date May 27, 2013
No Comments on terror

Bad news. Patay na si Terror. Yung aso namin. Di ko inexpect na ganto ang magiging impact nya sakin at sa pamilya namin. Kahit yung mga barkada ng mga kapatid ko nalungkot din nung nalamang wala na sya. Si Kim apektadong apektado di daw sya makatulog. Si Tricia at ang Kuya nagiyak din. Ako nagulat ako nung naiyak ako. Di talaga ko mahilig sa kahit anong pet pero nakakalungkot talaga. Siguro dahil antagal na nya samin. 8 years na pala namin syang kasama. Ibig sabihin highschool pa lang ako nasamin na sya. Di ko sigurado pero parang mejo malaki na sya nung napunta sya samin. Ang nakakalungkot pa, sabi ni Kim tahol pa daw ng tahol si Terror nung bago sya mawala. Parang hindi mo aakalain na maya maya pala mawawala na sya. Hai.

Sabi ng mga Mama kukuha daw ulit kami ng aso na Labrador din na golden retriever tapos Terror din ang pangalan. Ok sakin yun 🙂 Parang indi pa din sya nawala.

Mamimiss kita Terror kahit di tayo ganun kaclose.