17 posts tagged “series”

Our third day is culture day, which was really nice. We were to discover more of Thailand's culture and its people, their history and feel a Buddhist country.

We hired a taxi cab that day, which was referred by our first "tuk-tuk" driver, Chari, we were so lucky to have met such nice Thais, he actually offered us to pay the cab, which was his friend's, Dorn for 1500 baht flat including the gas fare,. which was roughly $40! That was really cheap! We hired him for the entire day and took us to 3 destinations: Grand Palace, Ayuthaya ancient ruins and the famous Chatuchak weekend market.

Headed off to the most famous tourist spot in Bangkok, the Grand Palace; they say that one could leave the other destinations behind but not this one, for it is the true image of Thailand and indeed, it was.

The place was vast with temples and different historical structures and images, each corner is designed with intricate stones and detailed artworks on its walls, one would feel the taste of Thailand's culture gazing on the towering temple pinnacles.

There was an event inside the main temple where the ancient Buddhist culture happened and where the Emerald Buddha is housed, and the monarchy's third princess was their guest of honor. We waited while we wander, but our schedule must be on time so we failed to meet the princess.

We then travelled for an hour outside the city to visit the Ayutthaya ancient ruins, which is REALLY spectacular. The place is a UNESCO World Heritage and it really should be.

Ayutthaya was once Thailand's center or capital but they were defeated by the Burmese and burned the entire city down after as a sign of their rage..

It is an ancient city and what's left in the ruins are the edges of the old structures and the triangular rooftops of the old Rama's [king] palace and temples. The views are really wonderful, in any angle I was staggered by the fact that there's a big kingdom below, waiting to be discovered.

Saw the famous Phra Mahathat or the "The Face of the Buddha", ~Buddha's head miraculously embedded on growing tree roots.

One scary thing about the place is that most Buddha heads in a Wat [temple] were missing, most were looted by treasure hunters, a little bothering but I guess we'll never know what happened to those pieces.

The day was really hot, we were walking in an almost open field, and we feel the Thailand heat, steam to the face and pretty exhausting, but of course, we enjoyed every moment we were there.

Our driver was really nice, he's very warm and entertaining, he engaged us to discussions which made me really attentive to figure the keywords so we could hear what he was saying, thankfully, we understood each other.

Spent the night shopping at Chatuchak market, bargain shopping of cheap but good quality products, loads of people were there since it only opens during the weekends, we went after at the Pratunam Center for more shopping and went up the country's tallest tower, the Baiyoke Plaza Tower 2, we were really tired plus the heavy shopping bags that we were carrying.

 

We even got lost in the area and we were already hungry, but we just checked the place and soared through the buildings as landmarks with a little guide from the people we asked directions from, until we found it and decided to eat in a Chinese seafood restaurant for a fancy dinner.

The night was really tiring, we exhausted every second before our last day of the trip, but it was sublime.

The fourth day was our last day, packed our things and did last minute shopping around the area where our hotel was and errands before our flight back to the Philippines, of course, we took pictures before the flight.

I enjoyed the trip. To visit one of the fastest growing countries and major tourist destinations in Asia and in the world is fulfilling. To learn other countries' heritage and history, the people and the culture is a true education. Everybody must be given the chance to travel.

Gay Thailand:

Ok, this is so frustrating, I only did eye to eye contacts with a lot of guys! It seemed that the gay culture is more accepted in Bangkok than in Manila. I didn't go to a bar, since I didn't know where to go to though I have a list I made from my research and friend recommendations, but I wasn't able to go to any.

There are a lot of cute guys of course, from different walks of life and countries, I could've hooked up with several only if I wasn't with family. There was even a student from the PremCenter, an international school who keeps on looking my way ** naughty me. hahah. 

There were Thailand's famous "lady boys" and they were really pretty.. tall and sexy but I didn't see any hunky chinky-eyed guys, only with weird hairdos.. but definitely cute. I'm going back there to see more of what Gay Thailand is like. =)

more pictures here: x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I visited Bangkok, Thailand last weekend, spent 4 days travelling and exploring the city, visited the tourist spots and endless shopping. It was my summer highlight.

Went with my cousin and two aunts, we took a 3-hour Philippine Airlines flight in the morning and started our trip early after we checked-in at the First House Hotel in the Pratunam area, it was at the center of the city so the common destinations are near.

MBK Center was our first destination, we took a "tuk-tuk", their local jeepney, and to our surprise, we were taken to the Gem Production Gallery, it wasn't our plan to go there but the "tuk-tuks" have this culture of taking a tourist to a store and check the wares and if possible buy something in exchange for gasoline coupons, which for them are of high value for their source of living.

We ended our night quite early, after all, we were a little tired from the flight and we decided that we'd rest very late in the evening the next days.

On the second day, we went with a tour guide [Susie, from GMTC] and roamed the city with other tourists, we visited the Marble Palace, which was the first Buddhist temple I've visited. The architecture is really nice and the buildings' decorations are very intricate. Of course, the tourists that we were took pictures and admired the structure and learned its cultural history.

Thailand

is popular for jewelry production for its abundance with natural resources, we were taken to the Gem Gallery after, it was the second jewelry store we visited.

The gallery was enormous and really unbelievable! I've seen the biggest diamond yet in my life.. huge precious and semi-precious stones too, artistically placed and designed to different kinds of jewelries. It was breathtaking.

We were then taken to a leather shop, there we learned how genuine leather is made and how to distinguish one from an imitation, one needs to somehow scratch the surface and a genuine one wouldn't be torn or scratched, and that the ostrich skin is the most expensive because of its composition, soft yet really hard.

Visited Wat Intharawihan's Luan Pho To or the "~Standing Buddha", Bangkok's tallest buddha.. the image is 32 metres tall and 10 meters wide.. it's really gigantic. it's coated with gold and the interesting part of it was topknot of the image contains the relics of their Lord Buddha himself brought from Sri Lanka..

Our tour guide was really funny and informative, she tells a lot of stories about the city and their culture, she even sang the composed music for the world's longest word, that is Bangkok's: "Krung-thep-maha-nakorn-boworn-ratana-kosin-mahintar-ayudhya-amaha-dilok-pop-nopa-ratana-rajthani-burirom-udom-rajniwes-mahasat-arn-amorn-pimarn-avatar-satit-sakattiya-visanukam".

We then went shopping in the afternoon, we were on our own.. visited Thailand's high-end shopping district: Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery Center, Erawan Bangkok and other Siam malls nearby, selling the most expensive and luxurious items known in the world, from bags to shoes to clothes and accessories.

The city is known for night bazaars too, we went to the famous Suan Lum Night Market and bought pasalubongs and souvenir items, stores are lined-up.. hundreds of thousands of clothes for different age groups and styles, from the most formal to the most odd and disgusting ones. It was interesting.

My feet were really tired of walking, in fact we weren't able to finish all the stores because we must spend the entire afternoon and evening to check all the items there, which would be a little off for a travel vacation.

I noticed that I have adapted with the inarticulate English of Thailand, since English is not widely spoken, we have to give keywords to people when asking.

We planned to see the Elephant shows and the Safari Zoo and try the Dinner Cruise and Floating Market but we figured those require another day, but since we only have limited time for thousands of destinations, we decided to take those off from our itinerary.. after all, the next day would be much more exciting.

..to be continued.

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For privacy and personal reasons, I have resolved not to continue..

Thank you for the understanding.

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I wasn't sure if I should post this or not, but after a lot of considerations over revelations I have learned, it's time for me to speak up.

I suppose everyone has experienced to be in situations where answers that you need come across exactly the time you need them, you try to seek resolutions to questions which seem impossible to resolve, but hey, "here we are, the answers". With that, you feel very happy and see yourself as the luckiest person in the world.

It's been a couple of months since this "dedicated to a boy" series started, and I didn't actually expect this to come this far. People and things are coming to me without me asking from them, they just appear from out of nowhere. I am not rude, hence, I entertain everyone with sincerity.

Initially, I had all the intention to place names and pictures openly and without reserve, I was confident that it would never reach the person it is dedicated to, because I do not want this read, but it did.

It has circulated to people I am completely unaware who. Maybe they want their names listed and part of the story and be talked about, maybe they want justice for him for things going on around him, or to simply put, I'm much better and they like me.. well, I know I am..

You know, Manila is a small city. The queer population in the country may seem big but the scenes and the places are limited, may it be the hippest or the simplest there is, which makes it even smaller. Especially if you know a lot of people you can run to and get information from.

So let's begin.

a. I once said that I would be fair, so, I would not judge *J*, but hey, I have changed.. and with all the concern I have in mind, I made a research of my own.

I will judge you.

I know what you've been doin'.. you've done a lot in the past and "actually" engaged in one.. should I say two? I suppose you've been to places I have been to, the popular ones and the ones which just seem interesting. However, I am friendlier than you think you are, hence, people trust me more.

The text messages? Apparently, they have been justified.

So, moving on..

b. People who work/ed for the country's largest telephone company. You've been hurt. Yes, people are mean, not to mention one, [you] unintentionally become blind for unexplainable situations.. but I feel sorry for you.. but hey, you should be happy because you're still the queen, or so i thought..?

However.. [nah, I should stop].

c. And you, the queen's king. Yes, you are involved in the story, but I will never mention your name. Sorry. *grins*

d. The anonymous texters, thank you.

e. *K*, you're the best, you know that, right? However, I cannot talk to you anymore, I know I've caused glitch between you and your friend, I don't want to get in between the both of you. I hope you can fix it.

and lastly, you. Here's what I have to say: "I do not have any bad intentions, nor have I ever wanted you to read this, but since you have, I guess there's nothing to hide from you. You keep ignoring me - I understand.

I have no intention to malign anyone, but I just want to clear my name. Maybe you think I know you but I do not, because I never had the chance..

Maybe it is in him all that you want................ about it, I have nothing more to say."

 ~ the end.

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It's been more than a week since my trip to Singapore. It's for pleasure, it's for the fact that I can't miss being with some friends outside the country, visit Singapore for the first time and also my need to change my environment even it was just for few days. It was my closure for Vincent.

The time I went back, I felt "wow".. my trip was really effective, it somehow helped contribute in helping me start anew. I was feeling different and relieved of such passion to get close to him, to make him feel and let him know that I can be his prince.

Things started to go back to normal, catching up with work and basically occupied myself with obligations, which, subconsciously are done on purpose. All things were fair and bright, the anonymous texters were over. My Vincent saga had met its end. But not for long....

I was busy reviewing some documents on my workstation, until a Yahoo Messenger window appeared on my screen.

hey! are u the dude who wrote stuff about vincent?, it read.

I replied, hus dis?

how's it going? anyway, apparently your madly inlove wit my mate vincent, she continued.

I lost my consciousness, rather I felt confusion and totally in state of questioning and thinking "not again.. something about Vincent."

So, we chatted and chatted...

and who are you? are you kristine?, I asked.

She's not Kristine, yet her name starts with *K*, Learned that she's a 19 year-old Chinese girl who migrated to Australia, she went to SLU with Vincent in Baguio for less than 2 years.

i'm confused. what do you want, please? but yeah, i wrote the blogsite, I said.

She answered, so u do like vincent? one, two thumbs up! you have great taste! vincent is a darling! his absolutely adorable!

two: writing a blog is great, but dont u think, it's better to express in person?, she continued.

and then I interrupted, m not tryin' to be rude, but who are you??

im one of vincent's bestfriend. i was asleep earlier, when i received a text message from some person in the philippines telling me that they're concerned over vincent and that i should check this blog site out... i was messaged by a girl named myca, who got my number from kristine, who got it from marco. i am as confused as you are

she continued, she said that *J* [whoever the fuck he is], is cheatin on vincent, and that i should go to the blog site, because they know someone who likes vince. and i dont know why i had to be part of it, because i dont know you, or whoever the fuck *J* is...

and with all those replies, my state of confusion [thankfully] was able to reply such as oh god / i see / oh ok.

are u ok? seriously, are u ok? everyone's just meddling in your life, dude i feel bad for you., she added.

I thought, "What was goin' on? Is this real? Is she real..? are those true?"

you know what, i'm in "bizarre".. like i'm talking to vincent's bestfriend?, I answered.

lol, im not ralph if that's what your thinking., she said.

[Apparently, it's *J* not Ralph then... I see. So who's Ralph? I wonder.]

We discussed how each got to know Vincent, she had a crush on him when he was "straight straight", and I from work.

But she said something like this: vincent? if you like him go for him, him being attached can be fixed.

I replied about decency, talk about being a gentleman too.

apparently the dude is cheating, she added. have u told vince that u like him?

I asked him out., I courageously said to a stranger.

and?

I replied, but when i learned that he was attached, i was being a gentleman... so i told him not to go out with me.

that's very decent and mature of you., she answered.

and i went to singapore [partly] because of him. hhahaha., I continued. 

ralph is in singapore, she said.

what?

ralph, vince's other bestfriend.. hes in singapore., she repeated.

That's funny.

yea ralph is vincent's bestfriend from childhood, i showed up during college

Oh. so all the while I thought Ralph's the guy on the photo, apparently he's not. How interesting.

are u aware vincent is online? cute though, u like my buddy, she continued.

he's on invisible., she added.

I had a nice conversation with her. In fact, we've been chatting for the past week, I've learned so much about Vincent and basically we've become good online friends. Shared insights just about anything, not missing him as a topic..

That night she said that Vincent will deal with his cheatin' boyfriend. I hope he's not hurt.

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day 1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

day 2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

day 3:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the rest of the photos and for day 5, visit my Multiply site. Ciao!

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I don't know how to start.

So much has happened. Many conversations and discoveries came to me the time I started telling everything about Vincent, things which I didn't expect to know since I didn't exactly expect it to be this way.

I received again another text message, that time from someone named "Kristine".

So, I wonder how they got my mobile number..? I checked my internet accounts and found my cellphone number from my Multiply site. I guess that's where they got it.

"My frnd txtd me 2 chek ur blog, kita k 'ung kwn2 mo ska pic ni Vincent s frndstr"
[".. I read your story and vince's friendster photo"]

I have one concern. Why bother to acquire my cellphone number and text me?

"hus dis, pls?", I replied to her message.

"kristine. frnd ako ni vince frm SLU", she said.

I asked as if I didn't know, "SLU? ano 'un?" ["SLU? what is that?"]

"st.louis university sa baguio"

"aok, bakit ka ngtxt?" ["..why did you text me?], I really wanted to know her intention. I was having doubts that she and the previous one who texted me are different. But I went with the flow.

"nkk2wa xe ung mga kwn2 mo. pro ndi ko msyado kilala ung bf ni Vincent ngyn" [Really?!]
["your stories are fun. but i don't know much about vincent's bf"]

"ang balita ko kse ngsplit cla for 2 months last summer dahil sa isang guy", she added.
["I heard they split for a couple of months last summer because of a guy"]

Who's the guy? I thought.

"y ru telling me these?", I said.

"bka lng gs2 mo mlaman, ska i dnt wnt his bf for vince ngyn, i heard gnagmit c vince", she replied.
["i just thought you might want to know, besides, I don't want this guy for vince"]

Ok, ok..! Stop. That was too much to know.

So I called her. But she didn't answer my call. Plus, I didn't get a reply from her after I asked her why she wasn't answering.

But I figured, "You're being inconsistent, you said at first that you barely know Vincent's boyfriend, but you can tell that you don't want him". Hmmmm.

After that conversation, I got really confused. I didn't know if I'm being played at or everything is true. However, I feel that she's telling the truth.. either way, it made me feel worried about him.

What if it's a fact that his boyfriend would hurt him and Vincent is just blinded because the boyfriend is good at lying? I may be wrong or I may be right.. I wouldn't know anyway.

Do I still care? I have actually accepted the fact that I will never be able to talk to him anymore, I have tried avoiding him to forget him and for sure he didn't want me to greet him so I wouldn't put him in an awkward situation.

I want to forget him already. I've gone through enough pain and have put myself into state of stupidity but all those were left wasted.

However, I respect Vincent so I wouldn't get into his way, after all, I'm certain he wouldn't let me.

I want him to know that I may not be someone whom he had gone through tough and bright times.. but I can be a friend he can run to. I said to him: "'wag na lang tayong lumabas. kasi alam ko busy ka.. so forget about it.". That's when I started to forget about him.
["I know you're quite busy, so we shouldn't go out together.."]

This is something I have to say: "I have been invisible to you but I have tried to get close to you. Remember that someone has cared for you, 'though it has not been shown because fate didn't allow to.. and that a person has made a special part of himself for you and would somehow think of how you've made him happy.. that's me."

So, I'm going to Singapore this week, I'm leaving tomorrow.. and hopefully when I get the vacation I need, I would look back at this piece of my life as something that gave good memories for knowing a person as himself.. and also a part that's somehow sad because of a broken heart.

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It was a Thursday morning when my mobile phone vibrated. I was doing a dvd marathon of Queer as Folk as a way of forgetting things and trying to move on, which also I considered a way of finding solace.

I have accepted the fact that I was defeated from a challenge. A competition I knew I could never win, when there isn't any actually.

"Hi, this is *bleep*, nabasa ko blog mo. type mo si Vince? Kilala mo si Dino Belarmino? marami ka maririnig sa kanya."

["... I read your blog, you like Vince? Do you know someone named Dino Belarmino? you'll hear a lot from him."]

What's that all about?

Things started to get into my mind. I can't believe that I am disturbed again by something about Vincent. I've started to bring back my normal life and I'd say my efforts were rewarding, although not totally, but at least I'm making my way to forget him.

I began analyzing.

~ I wonder who this "bleep" is.

~ From whom did he learn about my blog?

~ Was his message of good intention or otherwise?

~ Has Vincent read the entries?

"Sino 'to?"  I replied. ["Who's this?"]

But he no longer answered. I felt it was a joke. I deleted the message but I had the number in my memory. Why would I do that?

I thought, "What if I found Dino Belarmino?".

~ What does he have to do with Vincent? Why is he telling me that?

~ Is he who I think he is? And so flaunting to me that I really have no chance?

I checked the Friendster.

There's an account. It's empty. It has 36 years old on it. No pictures, completely desolated.

I figured, the "boyfriend" looked old mature. Could it be a friend? Or could it be him? Or that account has actually nothing to do with the person I am *suppose* to look for?

And so I got interested.....

However, a few words:

"Vincent Blando is a person I completely have no idea who.. his personality, his past, his entirety as an individual.. nothing I'd say I know.

Yes, I am attracted to him.. but that does not mean I already have feelings for him. I have yet to discover who he is, but since chance and time is denied to me of showing or entrusting what I feel for him, I have intentions of accepting things which apparently cannot withstand achievement.

And so I once said.. "it seems to me, that you are perfect."

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put the mouse pointer over the photos to see their names.

 

** This is so cool.

First heard about it from Discovery Channel. There was a nice commercial so it got my attention.

Here's something from the website..

- A pioneering interactive television series, with the real-time immediacy of super-fast turnaround, 5 Takes chronicles the journey of five young travelers sent on the adventure of a lifetime. With limited resources ($50 a day each), the five travel journalists (TJs for short) will visit eight cities across the United States in 10 weeks.

What makes the show different is that it's the Travel Channel's online community, via travelchannel.com or 5takes.com, that will decide what they should do in every city and which city the TJs should visit last in the United States. In effect, the online community will drive the show. Equipped with video cameras and laptops, the TJs have one mission: to share with the world their experiences through their five unique perspectives.

The TJs won't just come to our message boards for ideas on what to do and where to go. They will each be posting to their personal blog every Monday and Thursday (EST) as well as creating a video log (vlog) once a week letting people know how they're faring. This online element will happen in real time, enabling the community to have a concrete impact on the TV show that follows just seven days later.

There's no "voting off" or scheming to win the big prize; there is no "winner" as there is no prize to win. At its core, 5 Takes is an immersion into little over a two-month-long trip by five young travelers, the story of their adventures in these incredible cities, and the life-changing experiences they have along the way.

** I just hope I can vote too.. much more join and be a TJ too! Isn't that the coolest thing evuurh?

Only, there's no Travel Channel in the Philippines. damn it. So I just visit the website sometimes. aargh.

Oh, and there's 5 takes Pacific Rim and 5 takes Europe. This one's 5 takes USA.