The First Jeepney in Guam

Guam Customs on the first jeepney in Guam: "Send it back to the Philippines or have it destroyed."

So this Pinoy jeepney has been making headlines here lately. The background, this Jeepney was imported from the Philippines to be used for display only, but was seen as one of the Liberation Day Parade float of a pair of candidates running for Governor & Vice-governor (the Governor is pretty much the President here).

From the news:

Guam - Guam Customs and Quarantine has revoked the entry of a vehicle brought to the island by Auto Traders last weekend. On Monday Customs officers cleared and inspected a jeepney, but received assurances from the owner that it would only be used for static display purposes because it does not meet U.S. Department of Transportation specifications.

Despite signing an agreement that the vehicle would not be driven on Guam's roads, Customs officials say they received numerous reports of the jeepney out and about. Additionally, Customs determined the vehicle was brought to Guam under false pretenses.

They've ordered the jeepney to be sent back to the Philippines or be destroyed.


I have to say, the jeepney looks pretty cool!!! :)
Above photo taken from other website.

Semi-vacation Mode

It's May 13, 2010.

I was so busy the last few weeks that I did not even notice my daily calendar. Didn't even find time to flip the pages.

My hectic month has officially ended yesterday. Petiks mode again. Woopeee. Petiks mode for the next week, that is. I don't mind being busy at work, in fact I love having a lot of tasks and I absolutely love multitasking. It makes time pass by faster, keeps my brain cells fit, it makes my day more fulfilling, and it makes me feel somewhat useful. Haha.

I will have a semi-vacation next week. Spending 1 week back in the homeland with the family. I call it a semi-vacation since I don't plan on doing any touring or any trips to somewhere grand. My main reason for going is to visit my very old and now weak grandma in province. It's just weird to call it a vacation when deep inside the family is at their toes that our grandma might pass away anytime. My Mom was the one who convinced me to visit ASAP. I was a Lola's girl before. One of her favorites. My siblings and cousins used to hate me for being the Lola's favorite. Sumbungera sa Lola, kaya laging napapagalitan mga pinsan ko. Hehehe. Unfortunately, Lola wasn't able to attend my wedding, nor were we able to visit her in the province during the 'wedding season.'

Secondly, I just plan on spending lots of bonding time with my 4-yr-old BFF niece. She'll be going to school this year and I am pretty sure she wouldn't be this sweet and cuddly after she gets to gradeschool, when all that 'growing up' stuff happens. Probably take lots of her photos, our photos while she is still a willing model. :)

It's also a semi-vacation because Mr can't come with. My trip home was something we did not anticipate. Oh well, we'll just plan a real vacation late this year.

Alrighty, Semi-vacation Pictures coming soon!

The Hill of Crosses

I have this daily calendar “1000 Places to See Before You Die” on my desk. Every morning, I tear a page from it and read about a new ‘must see’ place. Each day there would be a postcard photo of a great place, the printing was not that very good that everything looked dull. Until today.

It has been 3 months, 89 days to be exact, of flipping pages, for the first time I found a photo so enticing, some place that really makes me wonder if I could ever be able to go there.

The Hill of Crosses
Lithuania

From Wikipedia:

The Hill of Crosses (Lithuanian: Kryžių kalnas (help·info)) is a site of pilgrimage about 12 km north of the city of Šiauliai, in northern Lithuania. The exact origins are unknown, but it is considered that the first crosses were placed on the former Jurgaičiai or Domantai hill fort after the 1831 Uprising.[1] Over the centuries, not only crosses, but giant crucifixes, carvings of Lithuanian patriots, statues of the Virgin Mary and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. The number of crosses is unknown, but estimates put it at about 55,000 in 1990 and 100,000 in 2006.

I googled more photos, and I am more attracted. HOW AMAZING WOULD IT BE TO TAKE PHOTOS THERE!

I don’t know, some people may find it weird, but I think I have a thing for taking photos of cemeteries, graveyards, and now, the hill of crosses. I find some sort of eeriness at the same time find these places like a piece of art. Regardless if it’s a high end cemetery, or a very dense, old cemetery, I still find all cemeteries like art.

I hope that soon, I can take some formal photography sessions in these types of places. I think they’re as beautiful as taking photos of sunsets.

New Found Favorite!

We have a new found favorite restaurant/date place here in the island! Woot woot!

Presenting: Hotel Nikko Guam’s Toh Lee restaurant. It’s located at the 16th floor of the hotel. For $15.00 you can go for a buffet lunch of Chinese cuisine. It’s located at the corner of the famous Tumon Bay area, providing you with a magnificent view of the ocean and the hotel strip.

I got to know this restaurant last week, thanks to a lunch treat c/o work. They used to go there because they love the view and of course the food. I couldn’t agree more. So while devouring the good food there last week, I told my husband I definitely need to bring him there for a lunch date soon.

Today is the day. Veteran’s day. Quite fitting to go to somewhere special today.

I am very glad my husband loved everything. From the noodles, down to the Buchi. Though the menu they offer is not as many and as ‘grand-looking’ as most of the buffet lunches that the hotels have in the island; that didn’t matter. Every dish you see there in Toh Lee is satisfyingly delicious. The restaurant doesn’t have a fixed buffet menu; they change it every week, which makes it more interesting. Makes you want to go there again and again. Haha!

Here are photos I took using my husband's cellphone. We'll definitely bring our Nikons the next time.

Now we know where to bring our friends, and our families when they come to visit. :)

[Photos hyperlinked from sources]

Salt Water Pool

One lazy weekend afternoon, we decided to stop by McDo to grab some burgers and fries then head off to the famous Inarajan Salt Water Pool.

It's a natural salt water reef area which is also called Salugula Pool. The ocean waves would be around 8-feet high but they would come to a calm 'swimming pool' once it hits the natural rock barriers surrounding the area.

There were fishes and creatures swimming by the pool, which makes it all the more interesting. Some of areas are just waist deep but some, I don't know. There were a lot of kids playing around though. Jumping from the rock formations at least 20 feet high. It is a real place for adventurous water lovers - young and old.

As for me, I was content and happy just clicking away.

Road Trippin'... Road Clickin'

Together with my husband, my sister and my brother in law, we drove from Los Angeles to Arizona (Grand Canyon) to Utah (Mcdonalds for Lunch hehehe) then to Las Vegas Nevada.

4 states in 2 days!!!

We left LA at 3 AM then arrived at Arizona around sunrise. We ate breakfast at the ever-reliable Mcdonalds then continued driving to the Grand Canyon. After 1 and a half days in admiring the canyon, everyone was satisfied with the pictures taken but not with the views seen. We are planning to hike down the canyon someday during a non-winter season.

By lunchtime the day after, it was time to leave Arizona and head towards Las Vegas, Nevada. It was really clever for my brother in law and sister to pick the longer route going to Nevada, the route that crosses Utah, the one with the breathtaking scenic route; instead of the faster, boring freeway.

We didn't see much in Utah aside from a lot of snowy mountains. When we finally saw civilization (meaning a town), we decided to stop and eat late lunch at where else but Mcdonald's! Hahaha. Mcdonald's for lunch, that is my Utah experience. Hahaha!

After 4 days in Vegas, we drove back to Los Angeles but we had a quick stop at Hoover Dam. Wooooooohooooo, for someone like me who has fear of heights, the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam is more than an accomplishment. Hahaha! We didn't stay too long at the Hoover Dam area because of the biting cold weather and because a lot of construction was ongoing there. We then arrived at LA right in time for Christmas eve. :)

Here are some of the views we saw during that road trip adventure. Most pictures are nothing compared to seeing it for real. We didn't have time to take as much postcard shots since we were moving 70 MPH while taking these.

Photos by Kayan and Mac. Copyright 2008.

Hoover... Dehm!!!

On our way from Vegas back to LA, we stopped at Hoover Dam. And dehm, it was high! Thinking of that waist high wall and that deep deep dam just below me was not a very good feeling. I did manage to give (nervous) smiles in my pictures so I think I did well.

It was just a quick stop since there wasn't much to see during that time. The skies were gloomy and there were mega-bridge construction ongoing nearby. The winter weather was also not friendly. Hoover dam is still best viewed from a plane. We did manage to get good shots though:

Pit Stop # 4: Las Vegaaaaaaahhhhhs!!!

After our overnight escapade in Arizona, Pit Stop # 3, it was finally time to drive 5 more hours to Las Vegas where we are staying for the next 4 days. Yes, indeed, 4 days in Las Vegas! Woopee!!!

It was my 2nd time in Vegas but almost nothing looked familiar. Well, it has been 4 years since, it should be expected. There were so many new hotel resorts now, and a lot more under construction. I didn't think it had that much space. The once very walkable "Strip" is not so walkable now. It has expanded everywhere. Though the day pass bus ticket was just 5 dollars, the group opted for the "walking for fitness" type of touring. A typical day would be: buffet brunch, then walk in and out of the hotels for the next 5 hours, walk back to our hotel and take a nap. After a quick nap would be another few more hours of walking/touring. Add to that the chilly wind of the desert.

We also watched Cirque Du Solei, the best stage production you will ever see in your life! The stage was literally moving and spinning everywhere! People flying here and there. Too bad I can't show you how it looked like, no photography allowed inside the theater. There are some videos in youtube though: www.youtube.com/watch. I would also like to commend their security staff for finding my lost scarf in about two minutes. Great job!

All that walking did not lose us some pounds because of all the eating we did, instead gave me some blisters but that doesn't really matter when you've got yourself the opportunity to experience these magnificent architecture. Below is the photo taken from our hotel room window. Pretty neat huh? ;) We got to watch the Belagio fountain show every time.

Here's the whole set from Flickr:

Pit Stop # 3: THE Grand Canyon

We drove from Los Angeles at 3 AM and arrived in Arizona by sunrise.

I am (almost) out of words. It was BREATHTAKING!!! Let the pictures speak for me...

Complete set of pics and slideshow here:

Couldn't do any hiking during this time of the year. Snow and wind... not a very friendly combination. Next time, we plan to go back during Spring and hike down to the Colorado River.

Pit Stop # 2: Los Angeles

Pit Stop # 1... done.

We arrived in LA on December 13. After being in the windy-chilly San Antonio TX air for 2 weeks; the breezy-sunny weather in Los Angeles was very much appreciated.

This is actually the 3rd time this year that I met with my sister and brother in law! Wow. ;) As always, I enjoy the views made by the hills and mountains in their side of LA. Added to that is the snowy mountains that seemed to be paintings from the sky. Imagine driving to office everyday with this view:

Above pictures were was taken along Chino Hills. And that is one of the reasons my sister loves LA. :)

We spent our days eating BUFFETs everywhere, shopping, watching DVDs, eating again, and preparing for our roadtrip to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. ;) Woohooo!!!

Tower of the Americas

It was Friday, our last night in San Antonio. Coincidentally, it is also one of those rare astronomic nights where the moon will be closest to Earth, thus will appear biggest. It was a perfect excuse for us to try out the Tower of the Americas:

Tower of the Americas is a 750-foot (229 m) observation tower with a restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. Tower of the Americas, designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford, was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair '68.

The tower is located in the middle of HemisFair Park and has an observation deck that is accessible by elevator for a fee. In addition, there is also a lounge and revolving restaurant at the top of the tower that provides panoramic views of the city.
*Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_the_Americas

The feeling of fine dining is unfamiliar to us, but the oh-so-melts-in-your-mouth-delicious food, the sunset, the view, the rotating restaurant, made the prices definitely worth it!

The Alamodome, home of the Spurs.

Big Moon


Mac enjoying his lobster and steak.


Inverse sunset.

Night lights, slow shutter.

Moments you need a point and shoot camera. Hehehe. Taken by the waiter, using aperture priority. :P


From the viewing deck on top of the restaurant.

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More pictures from: http://flickr.com/iamkayan

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The Riverwalk, Texas

We went back to Riverwalk and rode their much recommended Tour Boats to show us some parts (and some history) of the river. It was 30 minute long but I did not get a good shot of it. Or perhaps did not find a lot of interesting shots. I was really anticipating the night shots because what they did to the San Antonio River area (AKA Riverwalk) is absolutely amazing.It does bloom into a charming place at night!

We were having a hard time looking for a good parking slot that we decided to drive back to the hotel and walk the whole 6+ blocks going to the Riverwalk to take some night shots. These are photos taken on the night of Pacman and Dela Hoya’s DREAM Fight. We were planning to drive 30 minutes away from downtown just to watch the fight for free at some bar but at the end my husband did not like to drive that long after walking around the Riverwalk area for more than 1.5 hours already. We did try to check out bars along the river but no one seemed to be showing the fight in this classy area. (Anyway, we were able to watch it online for free! Woopee!)

Okay going back to the Riverwalk blog...here are some of my favorite photos:

This was literally at the corner of where we entered the Riverwalk strip. We got so excited with the view that we spent 15 minutes here taking photos, when we have a few more miles of even better lighting as we walk deeper into the strip.

This one was 10 meters from the previous photo. We spent another 10 minutes taking photos on this spot.

This is my favorite. :) I forgot what they call those lovely flowers though.

I had Mac stand under the spotlight under the bridge. I took the shot while the tour boat was passing by.

This shot I call the "Merry Christmas Photo." Hehehe.

For this one, there was too much mood lighting everywhere that the whole place turned into a beautiful red.

More photos from:

Pit Stop # 1

My birthday kicked off Amazing Race - Kayan & Mac version.

We woke up at 4:00 AM and were at the airport at 5:30 AM. The whole morning was spent at the airport, boarding the planes to our first ‘pit stop’ – Texas. 10+ hours later, no thanks to a 2 hour delay, we arrived in San Antonio. The weather was great. Not too cold, and just enough sun. Perfect for people like me who are still on tourist mode. ;)


Grabbed the rental car, stopped by the hotel to check in, and then went straight to find of course, what else, but FOOD.

We celebrated my birthday over a romantic dinner – steak and salmon. Yum yum! We picked a cozy restaurant overlooking San Antonio River. The area was really romantic, perfect for couples like us. Hehehe. The whole Riverwalk is a really lovely place; it felt like I was in a little village in Europe. The fact that the locals seemed to be light hearted and happy people did add to the charm. The wind was chilly but it didn’t stop me from ordering vanilla ice cream for dessert. Perfect way to end our date. =P

Meet the Packers

They came at 9:00 AM.

3.5 hours and 2.5 crates later, EVERYTHING has been packed and loaded in the truck. As the 'SBC Packers’ say it: “It’s simple, we pack anything!”

Goodbye sofa, goodbye bed, goodbye tv,

goodbye house…

Hahaha. Ang drama! ;)

‘The Packers’ will be moving our stuff to Guam while I and my husband will meet our stuff there later, at the end of this year. Counting the days!!! New year, new country, new home. Exciting! ;)

Now that we’ve moved out of our house, my husband and I have a 3-luggage-worth of stuff with us that should survive us until end of this year.

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Next week, goodbye kotse naman… :

Dun sa "Apple Picking-an"

One of my dream jobs is to own an orchard and harvest anything everyday for the rest of my life! ;) Went to Winchester Virginia to have a taste of that dream job and it was F-U-N! =D

Here are more tips on how you can enjoy apple picking:

1. Ramdamin ang mansanas.


2. Pang-gigilan ang mansanas kung kinakailangan.


3. Give in to your emotions Umiyak sa sobrang tuwa.


4. Ipikit ang mga mata habang ninanamnam ang tamis ng pulang mansanas.


5. Itodo ang kain habang namimitas ng mansanas.


6. Lumipat sa kabilang puno at ulitin mula simula.


Ngayon alam niyo na kung bakit kinagat ni Adan ang Mansanas ni Eba!!!

Acheche! ;)

Something's Fishy in MD

Tagged along with the family as they went fishing at the Hog Point Recreational Fishing Area and Camp Sites in Southern Maryland.

It was a perfect day for fishing! The weather permitted a few days of summer-like heat (low 80s) in time for the long weekend (Columbus Day - Holiday). It was an hour's drive from where we live but I enjoyed the whole ride, especially for someone like me who finds happiness watching the foliage start to look like autumn; and the fact that I wasn't the one driving. ;)

It was a lot of “nature firsts:” first fishing experience, first time to see a snake swimming by the river, first time to see a bald eagle flying above the landscapes (they say flying eagles means lots of fish roaming around too =P). Even the first time I saw a real holly is not being taken for granted. Hehehe. Which should also remind us that Christmas is just around the corner...

Not one picture was taken of the actual fishing experience though. Do I dare bring the camera when there was a 60 degree slope going down the muddy river shore? Do I dare hold the camera while I had to slice bloody bloodworms (yes, with emphasis on blood) and strategically place them gently on the fishing hook as bait? Then take out the fishes caught by holding their shaking body and then carefully taking their mouth off the hook? N-O. No.

Fishing is FUN. But be forewarned: Bring your own photographer when you plan to do fishing yourselves. Hahaha!

I got great shots of the landscapes though. :) As my husband said, they only get great sunsets here in the east coast during fall season. Gotta love that fiery beach sunset! :)

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Sa uulitin!!! :P