travel – BRYOLOGUE

(End of my) Bottega Veneta Era

August 8, 2023bryologue Leave a Comment

And just like that (I felt like I had to start with these because of HBO’s season 2 of And Just Like That…), I officially ended my Bottega Era.

As soon as we decided that we’ll be going to Europe this year, I already began planning what bags to bring to the trip. I knew I’d go for those that are as discreet as possible, knowing how rife of pickpockets most areas in Rome and Paris (our major destinations) are.

I did not want to attract much attention, although I have not been using any bags with identifiable logos for quite some time. And so, I had Bottega Veneta in mind.

Inside the Colosseum with a bunch of Bottega Veneta goodies - Men with Bottega Veneta

Inside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy. Yes, I carried two bags because I was extra. LOL

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It is already March 2022

March 10, 2022bryologue Leave a Comment

It has been more than a year and 1 month since I last posted. Where was I the whole time?

This blog will be turning 10 this June, when I have first written this entry back in June 1, 2012. But I also have a still active Tumblr page last time I’ve checked, which I first opened when I turned 25. I am turning 37 this year, and I am still here, albeit writing sparingly.

Unfiltered proof of life 2022: if there is one thing I have learned in the last few months, it was moisturizing. I knew at one point all those all-nighters will catch up on me. >o<

So where do we start?

Twenty twenty-one had been a pivotal year for me. I had never been more adult than the year that was. Remember my house in the uplands which I last visited in January 2013? It took about 6 years until the 4th quarter of 2019 for me to visit again the property, which had expectedly seen a state of neglect.

I was determined to start being serious with it again by that time, but the pandemic hit. Everything was put to a stop. It took until March 2021 for me to get the ball rolling with the renovation of the property because of Ulysses from November 2020.

That whole renovation process and the successful full payment of my Pag-Ibig loan (19 years and 10 months ahead of the maturity date) deserve their own post, so I’ll just share this before and after:

Our townhouse: before from March 2021, and after from August 21, 2021. Notice I even had to spraypaint my name by the door because there were several people reportedly claiming the property when I neglected it. Good thing there were no trespassers.

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Day 1: 2021

January 1, 2021bryologue Leave a Comment

There’s no point saying I will write more (i.e. at least once a week) because that clearly did not materialize since January 5, 2020. To be fair, it lasted for two weeks before things fizzled.

My last post was a birthday post in April, the first for everyone to celebrate their birthday during a pandemic. That is for those who were lucky enough to celebrate their birthday this year. The year 2020 was our generation’s annus horribilis. A volcano eruption in January, the start of the pandemic in the Philippines in March, and the worst flooding (Ulysses) in my hometown in November since 2009. I wrote back in July 2012 that I developed trauma during heavy downpours, and it only took me a trip to work in Pampanga 2 months ago that I might have PTSD.

Bye 2020! Bleh!

While in April, there about 4,600 cases with 297 deaths in the country. As of January 1, 2020 it is now at a staggering 474,000 cases with more than 9,000 deaths. These are more than numbers. These are 474,000 people who did not see the year change to 2021 with their families.

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2018 Wrap-Up Mega Post

December 31, 2018bryologue Leave a Comment

Before 2018 ends, it is time for my year-end essay! I will compensate for my inability to update the last few months with this mega post.

Compared to the holidays of the previous years, this year is quite laid back. It was not as frantic as before.

Ayala Malls Circuit’s Christmas decoration

One of the things I am proudest of this 2018 is that I was able to make better choices for my health. This includes a change in my diet, and a better drive to exercise regularly.

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Taipei Trip Mega Post – Day 4

September 23, 2018bryologue Leave a Comment

000 Last minute shopping at Ximending Night Market - Mulberry Piccadilly bag

For our last day in Taipei, Mon still had some last minute souvenir shopping to do. This is honestly my least favorite part. As Ximending Night Market is just a cartwheel away from the inn, Mon has already bookmarked the shops he wanted to visit.

Most of the stuff I will be giving to family and friends had been taken care of the night before. So for the morning’s adventure, I will just be tagging along. We also planned to visit a cat cafe somewhere in Taipei in the afternoon.

The prices of the boxes of mochi were nearly the same as Carrefour. Mon also meticulously looked for small non-food items for his family. Meanwhile, I just sat outside every bench or chair I could find. Before the end of his shopping, I also bought boxes of pastries to be given to my family and his. I also used my credit card for this one-time purchase (NTD 750).

Searching for the perfect pair of earrings

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Taipei Trip Mega Post – Day 3

September 22, 2018bryologue Leave a Comment

By the third day, we have been already getting on each others’ nerves. This was quite expected like clockwork during our trips. Mon wanted to just rest and wait out our trip to Shifen and Jiufen via Klook, which will start by 1:30 pm. I, on the other hand, thought that perhaps we could squeeze an attraction in the morning.

Returning to Jiantian Station, the stop for Shilin Night Market, I insisted in visiting the National Martyr’s Shrine. However, there were no buses servicing the area that time, and it will take another 2-hour roundtrip before reaching the place.

Searching on Google, I looked for the nearest attraction: the Confucius Temple.

At Taipei Confucius Temple

Vanishing point

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Taipei Trip Mega Post – Day 2

September 21, 2018bryologue Leave a Comment

Our 2nd day is a special day: it is our 10th!

We were able to finally sleep well from the night before. But before hitting the sack, I gave Mon a simple keepsake to commemorate our 10th year. I initially had no idea what to give him. However, I eventually realized that it was fitting to give him a ring.

On our first year where we celebrated in Baguio, we had this simple silver ring bought from Cubao. It only makes sense to have another one in gold.

Happy 10 years!

After our usual breakfast from 7/11, we then prepared for the day ahead.

We topped our Easy Cards again with another NTD 100. To go to Longshan Temple, we took the train from Ximen Station to Longshan Station. I sort of regret wearing this PLAY T-shirt. It was hot, hot, hot outside.

Blazing heat at Longshan Temple

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Taipei Trip Mega Post – Day 1

September 20, 2018bryologue Leave a Comment

First of all, it was a relief that Taiwan has extended the visa-free entry to Philippine passport holders until July 2019. However, they have shortened it to 15 days from the former 30.

We will be in Taipei for less than a week for our 10th year celebration! The weather was not too good in Manila, and I was hoping we’d have a stress-free night flight.

At NAIA Terminal 3

I wore Doc Martens, but NAIA’s airport security was just too much

We arrived around 9:00 PM at NAIA Terminal 3, even if our flight will not leave not until 11:00 PM. This is obviously a red-eye flight to Taipei.

It is worth noting that of all our trips together, this is my first time to religiously list all of our expenses. At the end of the series, I will be listing our expenses. For our pocket money, I have only used earnings from Google Adsense. The hotel booking (via Booking.com) was also paid for in advance using Google Adsense.

BRYOLOGUE does not earn much Adsense-wise. However, I maintain another website that pretty much takes care of its own. So let us see how far our pocket money will bring us. LOL

Both of us have been on keto diet since May, so we are unsure how we will survive in carb-rich Taiwan. We even had to bake a loaf of bread and a small batch of brownies because we did not want to be kicked out of ketosis! This was, as expected, a big challenge as a keto traveler.

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Travel/Work Thailand: first phase

October 20, 2016bryologue 2 Comments

*extremely picture-heavy post

A month ago, I mentioned that I’d be in Thailand for two weeks to attend a training. Well, it finally happened and I could not be more excited to undergo our organization’s rite of passage.

I arrived a bit early at NAIA Terminal 2, with enough time to look for the participants from our other office. My colleague from a different team will be arriving at a later date because he had a class for graduate school. I was a bit nervous as well because the typhoon Lawin was due for landfall the same day as my flight. I had enough of a traumatic flight in the midst of a typhoon, after the horrid travel back to Manila in October last year after the WHO meeting in Guam.

Anyway, I sometimes wonder up to what extent I do my best not to talk to people I personally do not know. At times I can be very friendly, but most often, I just shut my trap and freeze on my tracks. This time was different though and I mustered the courage to approach my colleagues from the other office. I already know one of them from a previous course this year, where I discussed something. On the other hand, it would be my first time to meet the other two. Nevertheless, I was delighted to know that they were very friendly and we immediately hit it off. With a quick lunch at Jollibee and a minor gossiping on what to expect during the training, the next thing we know was we were already boarding the flight to Bangkok.

Flying over the South China Sea

For starters, I recommend installing MyPal app on your mobile device. Aside from civil aviation rules prohibiting people from turning on their cellphones, the app will allow us to watch a selection of movies, series and even get copies of back-issue local magazines. The coolest thing of all — seeing our exact location on the map as we fly across the South China Sea.

After a couple of hours, we landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. It is a beautiful airport and as a Filipino, you always tend to ask yourself ‘Why are our airports not this pretty?’. But that is a subject for a separate discussion altogether.

At Suvarnabhumi International Airport

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Ahoy Guam! – Part 3: Leaving, did not leave, finally left!

October 25, 2015bryologue 1 Comment

As I have mentioned in my previous post, the last part of my Guam chronicles deserve an entry of its own.

On what I thought to be our last day, in which I was hoping to finally have a swim on the beach, this was what greeted me when I opened the door to the veranda.

Let the storm rage on

I can only long for a swim

So there was no question that I would be going out to the sea with waves that high from a distance. Although I have also noticed that a couple of Japanese tourists were brave enough to tackle the wind and water (AND THE WAVES). Some of them were even swimming in the pool. You gotta love how this cold temperature was just peanuts for them, compared to the winter they experience year in and out.

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