Posted in Travels, tagged Carlos Celdran, fun, hero, José Rizal, Luneta, Manila, Metro Manila, Mi último adiós, national hero, park, pasyal, Philippines, rizal, Rizal Park, tour, tour tour guide, tourism, travel, Walk this Way on January 8, 2013 | 4 Comments »
Just a few days after My Random Luneta Park Adventure, I found out about Carlos Celdran’s free tour around Luneta. At the tour, Mr. Celdran showed me that I hadn’t fully explored the park.
Art Space in Luneta
Mr. Celdran led us to a forested nook and told us that this was an art space. Besides sculptures nestled near the trees, there was also a small gallery that housed paintings, sculptures, and other works of art. Entrance to the gallery is free.
Posted in Travels, tagged adventure, José Rizal, Luneta, Manila, Metro Manila, park, Philippines, Rizal Park, travel, travels on January 7, 2013 | 4 Comments »
Ma and I were killing time so we decided to go to Luneta park. The last time I was there was when I was a kid, so I was surprised to see how the park looked like now.
One thing I noticed was it was filled with art.
Posted in Travels, tagged America, crestwood, grand central, meet stranger, New York, New York City, Philippines, steal like an artist, stranger, train, travel, u.s., write, writer, Writer Resources, writing on November 1, 2012 | 2 Comments »
The train left Grand Central, and I was on my way back to my aunt’s house in Crestwood. Seated in front of me was a geeky guy with curly hair. I glanced at him. He said, “Sorry,” taking in his outstretched foot, mistakenly thinking that I was giving him a look of disapproval.
I said, “No, I just noticed that you were writing. I’m a writer too.”
Posted in The Philippines, Travels, tagged Asia, Asian, Ethnicity, Filipino, Filipino people, filipino word, filipino words, foreign, foreigners, greet, greeting, Language, Mabuhay, Philippine, Philippines, Southeastern, tourism, tourist, travel on September 26, 2012 | 3 Comments »
Mabuhay? Say what?
*Note: If Filipino words are used, they are translated below.
A fair-skinned man with blond hair alights from his plane. His 16-hour flight led him to a tropical destination: the Philippines. At the airport, he spots a chauffeur holding up a sign that spells his name. The chauffeur puts a garland of white flowers around his neck, and the blond man proudly says Mabuhay!
If he only knew, Filipinos don’t say Mabuhay. We say Hello or hi.
Posted in Travels, tagged Asia, Kuala Lumpur, kuala lumpur malaysia, Malaysia, Petronas, Petronas Tower, petronas towers, Petronas Twin Towers, Shopping mall, Suria KLCC, travel, travels, twin towers in kuala lumpur on July 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Note: The information in this piece is a mix of research and personal experience. I’ve been to the shopping mall at the Petronas Towers, but I didn’t get to go to the top of the towers. This was a practice piece that I wrote when I was asked to write a sample travel piece.
A trip to Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is like hitting two birds with one stone—sightseeing and shopping. In 1998, it was the tallest structure in the world, but Taipei 101 surpassed it in 2004. In terms of twin towers though, it is the tallest one still. Petronas is short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, which is the government-owned oil and gas company. A modern structure that rises above the city, it is a sight to behold.
Malaysians are very proud of these towers, but we Filipinos should also share in this feeling. Two Filipinos namely engineer Deejay Cerico with the consultancy of designer Dominic “Minick” Saibo were involved in the creation of this architectural masterpiece. They worked together with architect Cesar Pelli and another consultant J. C. Guinto. This team of experts carefully constructed this modern edifice. Laminated glass, which bounces off dangerous ultraviolet rays, covered the towers. Stainless steel wrapped around the towers for support, and this material allowed the buildings to glisten in the sun.
