digital [nomad]

Settling into Macau

2011-11-12T22:58:00.000+08:00

Macau | 12 nov 2011 | morning

An interesting turn of events led to a 4 day whirlwind holiday to Hong Kong so took the opportunity to explore the city as well as Macau.

First things first - getting there.

Turns out that it's pretty painless getting into Macau from Hong Kong International Airport via the skypier ferry terminal. From the transit counter, just buy the ticket and away you go. You don't even have to exit the airport or go through customs / process your passport at Hong Kong. Ferry boarding in 15mins? No problem if you have just hand-carry - just lug the bag and follow the arrows. Landed into HKIA at 10.20am, and by 12pm - i was already in Macau.

Welcome to Macau Ferry Terminal, behold the weekend crowds!

Accommodation
Was looking for something closer to the city centre / senado square so aimed towards the Rua da Felicidade district where there are a range of accommodation options catered to different budgets and comfort level of noise / hygiene / grittiness / etc. Had previously done some research on the web about the various hotels but from the looks of it - it was better to go straight to the horse's mouth and look before committing. Finally - settled on Man Va Hotel, my original first choice. Rooms were clean, decent, and the staff friendly. Beds were - as other reviewers and bloggers have noted - hard as a board, but i found it no issue. Alas, there was no internet (or at least i think you have to pay for it) but that's not a deal breaker since i'm the sort of person whereby if the wifi cannot be obtained from the comfort of the room itself, i'm frankly not that interested. Internet wifi can anyway be found at various parts of town.

Man Va Hotel, night scene


San Va Hotel

The nearest tourist attraction was Senado Square, so that was the first place to go. Turns out that there was a free guided tour by the Institute for Tourism Studies gathering by the square that was about to start, so i just joined along. *laugh* i think the student was really surprised when i said "yes". While waiting for it to start, i found a free wi-fi signal so i could check out some of the stuff to do here.

So onward to the walking tour!

宝川温泉汪泉閣 | takaragawa onsen, ousenkaku | gunma prefecture

2010-11-05T22:16:00.005+08:00

takaragawa onsen does indeed live up to and beyond its expectation. it was a friend's birthday, so we (with some others) made plans to visit and stay overnight. Soaking in the hot waters, with the cool air outside and surrounded by nature - life is great!

there are four outdoor pools - 3 mixed and 1 females only; and you can spend time going from pool to pool soaking until you are a happy boiled euphoric seafood, before going to bed.

wake up, and repeat soak.

food wise, it was interesting as this was the first time i experienced bear soup - the local cuisine. And of course, the mushroom varieties too.

takaragawa onsen website: http://www.takaragawa.com/index.html

busy week, busy weekend

2009-08-23T22:16:00.000+08:00

sunday afternoon was the perfect time to recharge - the sun was shining so softly what with the rains, and the gentle breezes wasted no time in lulling me into an afternoon nap. been waking up too early, and sleeping too late but such are moments in life to cherish and hold.

ok, back to the usual programming of sleep. tomorrow is another day back at the grindstone.

peace

semakau

2009-06-27T22:11:00.000+08:00

beautiful p.semakau!

i love the intertidal walk...

borneo

2009-06-05T22:01:00.001+08:00

The one thing i love about trekking thru the jungle is that amidst the cacophony of sound, music and noise; amidst the sheer shades of green upon green upon green, you never know what you may find. A little riot of colour amidst the forest floor.

o borneo o borneo

2009-03-21T02:16:00.001+08:00

ok, have packed and am ready to set off... *muse*

ready or not, here i come!

another midweek night

2009-03-18T23:27:00.002+08:00

lots of things to do, documents to review, but come next week i'll be off to the rainforests and national parks to visit a place i've been dreaming of for the last ten years or so. will be heading with Big Fry this time round, and it was kinda cool to become travel partners again since it was by sheer coincidence when i had made my travel arrangements, Big Fry had similarly taken leave that week.

so am looking forward to that. it's nice to get out of the city sometimes. have more or less prepared the things i need already - but the only thing i lack right now is a torchlight and some gloves as stretches of the caves are dark and the rails may be slippery with bat guano. but shouldn't be too hard i think to grab these things tomorrow at chinatown.

afternoon

2008-09-27T14:45:00.004+08:00

hello from an air-conditioned walkway 5 storeys up.

the laptop is giving some hijinks again, but because it takes time for the service centre to scrounge and look for a spare keyboard, i get to keep this 'ere machine a little longer. down below, the speakers, the noise, the hulabaloo blazes on, revving the crowds for the F1 madness and in doing so, trying to persuade them to part with just that much of cash. just by listening, one would half imagine the crowds, the buzz of activity generated, the hype(!), but as i peer down from my vantage spot, the scene that greets me is but that of a normal day no more no less than the next - the commentor, perhaps more like a miasma of sound that fills the entire complex.

but for all intents and purposes, it is another lazy saturday afternoon where here high above, i can be persuaded that work can be put off for another moment, and to enjoy the state of being. the sister drags her younger sis pass the aisle, wanting to pick up their third sibling, and meanwhile a family comes out from school and settles by a table for a late afternoon snack. boyfriend-girlfriend walk past, hands holding even as a group of guys pass them observing and looking for the latest technological toy. In my mind's eye, biding time before the festivities begin.

and it is indeed a good day.

putting down to paper the dates

2008-09-20T22:25:00.003+08:00

today i just purchased my plane ticket. all week, i had been waffling about the issue, side stepping it in order to avoid firmly setting the date on when i would be back. would it be christmas eve? christmas? new year? To be home, or not? The permutations (when set to be back so long by jan 2) are endless.

home is a feeling, some one had mentioned once. a warmth that blazes in your heart. you carry it with you wherever you go, and that it resides in people you care about, people you want to share it with.

This year, I will once more light my candle and lift my eyes to the sky. Welcoming the new year in mid-air, i'll set foot on the land of my birth with its new dawn.

passion

2007-04-19T00:04:00.000+08:00

ever since i've been back - i find myself reverting to my old ways, old habits, old methods...

... almost as if in a dream, america never happened.

some days it's like floating in stasis. in nyc, everyday was charged... every day a new day. but here... in the days pre-work, where i spend time with my family, everyday is like every other day... and every day like the old days...

... so i shake myself from my stupor, trying to awaken.

because my travels have indeed taken me far.

and it is no longer a dream.

2007-02-27T16:28:00.001+08:00

what is it with 6 mins every time i log in?!?!?!?!?
anyhow! - greetings from osanbashi - aka yokohama international port terminal. it is beautiful beyond belief - and just sitting there watching the sun set... things like this really make me believe that good architecture is worth something and worth it all. decided to go sit in the cafe after that and was highly amused to hear `sokabasu` playing in the background... *amused* who would have thought huh!

yokohama:s a welcome respite from crazy crazy frenetic tokyo. haha, either that or this is just me because yesterday]s exploration to akhibara traumatised me... *wry laugh*

so 2 mins to go... and so far, the trip:s been great. and meeting wonderful people along the way. ken:s parents showed brunch buddy and myself around mito, and the day before that, while on my last day in kyoto, i met a newfound friend - minami while scaling the steps at the inari shrine. many new friends, many new experiences, and i find myself counting my blessings.

ok! 10 secs to go! better upload...!!!!

2007-02-22T16:18:00.000+08:00

ok - let:s see how first i type since i have 6mins to do so...

today i went to arashiyama to see the bamboo forest grove! and that was pretty cool - walking around, checking out the local neighbourhoods and just chilling away. i:m afraid to say i:m terribly templed-out and hope to take a break by doing something absolutely fun, frivolous and non-educational tonight and tomorrow. point in fact there:s a rice cake lifting competition which i may check out if i don:t head to otagidera...
http://www.kyoto-np.co.jp/kp/topics/eng/2002mar/24-12.html
or
http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/otagi_nenbutsu.htm
or
http://www.jref.com/practical/fushimi_inari_taisha.shtml
?

haha, and today i learnt how subversive watching anime has done to me... a lot of places and stories i heard or read and places i went to, i actually have seen referenced or depicted in some of the places. and worse, it]:s influencing where i visit!

point of fact - those 2 above (not the rice cake) was seen in that rurouni kenshin EP by yellow monkey (?)??!?!?!?!??!!?!?

*laugh*

greetings from kyoto!

2007-02-22T10:31:00.000+08:00

lots of stuff happening the last couple of days... and yes!　i:ve reached - landed in Tokyo and then made my way to Kyoto.

Feb 20 - Shibuyaaaa - Shibuyaaa....
crashed at brunch buddy:s at his place in shibuya. and from his place, due to probably single plane windows and proximity, you can hear the music of the train station as well as the announcement of shibuyaa.... shibuya.... shibuya is really quite crazy... and brunch buddy said that this was actually quite quiet since we were there on a monday night. ramen under the train station, and basically a simple quiet sort of evening because by the time we were actually looking for food it was closer to 2130 and the shops were closing... but managed to get the prepaid phone running at least!

oh! my internet time is running out... uh... more next time!!??!?!?!!?!?

checking in checking out

2007-02-18T05:13:00.000+08:00

*muse* can't check in online for tomorrow's flight...
no agents on the phones to answer... (if they hang up on you - how can there be people on the phone?)

why does this start to feel like yesterday all over again?

but in the meantime,
am taking a moment to enjoy the city... and her heaps of slush.
*grin*

a heart made sweet

2007-02-16T06:08:00.001+08:00

new york, o new york.

and i say i love you
your heartbeat your soul entrances me

yet i cannot tarry longer.

a chapter

2007-02-09T20:10:00.000+08:00

i passed.

thank god.

packing

2007-02-07T13:06:00.000+08:00

sifting through my possessions
(i call them mine own)

so much deitritus over the years
sticking to one as the days go by
a man enters naked just as he leaves as thus
how much can one really (or needs be) bring?

but you
i carry in my heart

143799_4f66a39eec_o.jpg

2005-05-14T04:30:00.000+08:00

No vomiting of blood

2005-04-29T00:46:00.000+08:00

let's flickR some memories

2005-04-21T05:30:00.000+08:00

Express Selects

2005-04-16T20:40:00.000+08:00

today's going to be symposium day where all the big wigs (key practitioners) will be out in full force presenting their latest work.which will be good i think, because they make me think. they provoke a reaction out of me. yesterday's key-note lecture by david harvey was simply awesome and great as it puts into context certain issues and thought processes.

So yesterday was about the WHY. today will be about the HOW.

so three blocks and a reaction.

it must be spring fever...

2005-04-01T12:15:00.000+08:00

because i am actually quite a manic wannabe gardener... my only prob, is where can i grow it? already my sill is getting crowded with my aloe, money plant and my new houseplant gift... :) ahhh... will W allow me to test my wannabe hopeful gardening skills up on the rooftop and let me attempt to grow a veritable makeshift jungle?? but the herbs stay at home with me...

herbs i want to grow / wish to buy
*****************************
sage
lemon balm
cilantro
mint
marjoram
rosemary

2005-03-22T03:41:00.000+08:00

despair.

houseguests

2005-03-20T00:49:00.000+08:00

no more time for scattered thoughts - gotta clean gotta clean gotta clean!

bel's friends are coming over to stay at my place for a couple of days.

fact 1) they are arriving in a few hours
fact 2) my place is in a mess

avast lem!!!! get thy thoughts in line with thy actions and pick up the broom post haste post haste!

but first a call to mon ami - tis monks' birthday today!

fragment thoughts

2005-03-14T11:37:00.000+08:00

wedding rings strike me as strange objects.

i've always eyed it in strange bewilderment whenever i see it, the smooth finish - the unmarked unblemished whole.

to me, a wedding ring is a promise.

it means i can't do without you.

you complete me. in ways that i know i am lacking, where i may fall, i know i won't.

because of you.

your laughter. your support. your love. they help me go on to another day.

and the next day.

and days after.

so for me, i will propose mix medium because of the promise. titanium for jo and my gut tells me white gold for kris. titanium and gold coexisting into one.

because as so long as i wear the ring, i will remember that i am not in this alone, no matter how it may seem.

for i have my partner at my side, and the other me.

right now, my thoughts feel scattered in the wind so i'll probably stop here and pick this up another day. good thing yen called yesterday about the plane tickets. if she called today, i doubt i'll be of much help.

poised in between the waking and dreaming

i take a step -

and catch

mere whispers of a fading dream

out of reach

out of touch

out of sync