When Barbs told me that she wanted to go to Stonehenge, I volunteered to tag along. I had long wanted to go there, really curious of those big stones after watching a BBC adaptation of Tess of the d'Urbervilles (it's the book that Sharon's character received from a British oldie in the movie Caregiver - erm gets? hehe).
We booked a coach tour that not only took us to Stonehenge but Salisbury and Bath as well. It's an exhausting ride from London to Stonehenge and such a shame to just go there and see a bunch of bato (oh okay they're huge, but still bato :-|), we reckoned it's better to do some side trips. Here's the link of Stonehenge++ tours coach tour offered by Evan Evans Tours. I guess the tour we got was worth it, in just 10 hours we were able to visit 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites (Bath, Salisbury and Stonehenge).
Honestly, I think Stonehenge amazing. They say it was erected as a ritual site of druids. The first set of stones were laid down around 2400-2200 BC, an era when there were no machines yet capable of transferring large structures from one place to another. There were no steel so they had to carve those stones by sheer brute force using other hard stones. How those stones got there is still a mystery. Some claim they were built by aliens and that site is really intended for extraterresterial landings. Or maybe the druids just outsourced the job to the Egyptians? Hmmm interesting.
View our pics.
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Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Thursday, 21 May 2009
No to Philippine Book Blockade!
Pardonnez-moi if I am a bit late to hear this absurd news - not the Hayden gate scandal but this, in my own opinion more important and more worthy of senate furor, 2009 Philippine book blockade - the BOC (Bureau of Customs) plan to impose higher taxes on imported books that they deem not educational.
Now how this all started, why this angered many book lovers like me, read on some excerpts from Timothy McSweeney's article.
The importer of Twilight made a mistake and paid the duty requested. A mistake because such duty flies in the face of the Florence Agreement, a U.N. treaty that was signed by the Philippines in 1952, guaranteeing the free flow of "educational, scientific, and cultural materials" between countries and declaring that imported books should be duty-free. Mr. Agulan told the importer that because the books were not educational (i.e., textbooks) they were subject to duty. Perhaps they aren't educational, I might have argued, but aren't they "cultural"?
Read more...
Now how this all started, why this angered many book lovers like me, read on some excerpts from Timothy McSweeney's article.
The importer of Twilight made a mistake and paid the duty requested. A mistake because such duty flies in the face of the Florence Agreement, a U.N. treaty that was signed by the Philippines in 1952, guaranteeing the free flow of "educational, scientific, and cultural materials" between countries and declaring that imported books should be duty-free. Mr. Agulan told the importer that because the books were not educational (i.e., textbooks) they were subject to duty. Perhaps they aren't educational, I might have argued, but aren't they "cultural"?
No matter. With this one success under their belt, customs curtailed all air shipments of books entering the country. Weeks went by as booksellers tried to get their books out of storage and started intense negotiations with various government officials.
What doubly frustrated booksellers and importers was that the explanations they received from various officials made no sense. It was clear that, for whatever reason—perhaps the 30-billion-peso ($625 million) shortfall in projected customs revenue—customs would go through the motions of having a reasonable argument while in fact having none at all.
Customs Undersecretary Espele Sales explained the government's position to a group of frustrated booksellers and importers in an Orwellian PowerPoint presentation, at which she reinterpreted the Florence Agreement as well as Philippine law RA 8047, providing for "the tax and duty-free importation of books or raw materials to be used in book publishing." For lack of a comma after the word "books," the undersecretary argued that only books "used in book publishing" (her underlining) were tax-exempt.
"What kind of book is that?" one publisher asked me afterward. "A book used in book publishing." And she laughed ruefully.
I thought about it. Maybe I should start writing a few. Harry the Cultural and Educational Potter and His Fondness for Baskerville Type.
Likewise, with the Florence Agreement, she argued that only educational books could be considered protected by the U.N. treaty. Customs would henceforth be the arbiter of what was and wasn't educational.
"For 50 years, everyone has misinterpreted the treaty and now you alone have interpreted it correctly?" she was asked.
"Yes," she told the stunned booksellers.
Please help put a stop to this nonsense. Sign the online petition.
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Thursday, 7 May 2009
Outerspace Wedding, anyone?
A beautiful friend of mine forwarded this unusual wedding that took place in Cebu. The bride and groom had to scale a wall to exchange their vows on top. Talk about making sure they get their guests’ attentions. Well not only that, they got the delightful bonus of the media's notice as well.
This idea is remarkably unique. Okay most probably they were not the first to have done this – as there are millions of wall climbing enthusiasts out there – but this is the first time I have heard of such in Cebu. Surely their non traditional wedding will never be forgotten by their guests.
Fancy having an unusual wedding? Well consider this, the most awesome wedding experience now available to mankind - an outerspace wedding all aboard the Virgin Galactic.
Now that is literally an out of this world wedding.
But how much would it cost? A space ticket is $200,000 per person. Times two that (unless you are just getting married to yourself), plus the officiant’s charge (maybe if Sir Richard Branson will perform it, it’s free. Or if you insist to bring your own priest, you’ve got to pay for his tickets too) and some additional fees to make sure the floral arrangements and the cake are securely tethered, well, the cost to aptly describe it, would be astronomical.
According to this article, Virgin Galactic has bookings involving a wedding this year, and another one, which is a honeymoon. How they will manage to do it - you know whatever couples normally do during honeymoon - floating around is beyond me.
Read more...
This idea is remarkably unique. Okay most probably they were not the first to have done this – as there are millions of wall climbing enthusiasts out there – but this is the first time I have heard of such in Cebu. Surely their non traditional wedding will never be forgotten by their guests.
Fancy having an unusual wedding? Well consider this, the most awesome wedding experience now available to mankind - an outerspace wedding all aboard the Virgin Galactic.
Now that is literally an out of this world wedding.
But how much would it cost? A space ticket is $200,000 per person. Times two that (unless you are just getting married to yourself), plus the officiant’s charge (maybe if Sir Richard Branson will perform it, it’s free. Or if you insist to bring your own priest, you’ve got to pay for his tickets too) and some additional fees to make sure the floral arrangements and the cake are securely tethered, well, the cost to aptly describe it, would be astronomical.
According to this article, Virgin Galactic has bookings involving a wedding this year, and another one, which is a honeymoon. How they will manage to do it - you know whatever couples normally do during honeymoon - floating around is beyond me.
Read more...
Monday, 4 May 2009
All That Jazz
There are a few theatre shows, especially the famous ones, which have movie versions. Like Oliver, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Les Miserables, Hairspray and Mamma Mia, to name a few. Well what is the difference between the theatre version and the movie version, which one is better? Though I have only thus far seen Phantom, Chicago and Les Mis, but I daresay, the difference is huge. Theatre is way better. Even if the stage effects can never compete with the digital technology of movie effects nowadays, but the acting is of another level, hearing the powerful live singing, actually seeing the actor cry and even noticing occasional showers of saliva as they deliver their lines in oozing emotions – going to a theatre is an experience one can never forget. IMHO it is more difficult to act on a stage, to connect to a live audience. It is more challenging. There’s no take two in theatre, that’s why I greatly admire the enormous talent and skill that every theatre actor must possess.
I took my guests, Erskine and Jake, to watch Chicago at West End last Saturday. I had booked the tickets one week ahead through LastMinute.com, where I got discounted best available seats. I was a bit worried at first that what if they would not fancy it, that paying a lot for one ticket would not be worth it. But the moment the show started and sexy ladies sang and danced and even performed splits in nothing but black fishnets, I knew I did not need to worry. During the break I still asked to confirm if they really were enjoying, though I was careful not to gloat. They were literally grinning when they answered that they (referring to the female actors in nothing but fishnets) did not have to sing. Oh well what can I say – boys will always be boys!
It was very enjoyable. Definitely better than the movie. One thing is still the same after having watched the theatre is that I still prefer the Velma Kelly character (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie) than Roxie Hart (played by Renee Zellweger in the movie). She has more kick and spunk.
So what’s next on my list? Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera again, Oliver!, Wicked, Les Miserables again and then, errm I am open to suggestions (anyone?). I will conquer the West End! God help my pocket...
List of West End theatres (from Wikipedia, scroll down)
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I took my guests, Erskine and Jake, to watch Chicago at West End last Saturday. I had booked the tickets one week ahead through LastMinute.com, where I got discounted best available seats. I was a bit worried at first that what if they would not fancy it, that paying a lot for one ticket would not be worth it. But the moment the show started and sexy ladies sang and danced and even performed splits in nothing but black fishnets, I knew I did not need to worry. During the break I still asked to confirm if they really were enjoying, though I was careful not to gloat. They were literally grinning when they answered that they (referring to the female actors in nothing but fishnets) did not have to sing. Oh well what can I say – boys will always be boys!
It was very enjoyable. Definitely better than the movie. One thing is still the same after having watched the theatre is that I still prefer the Velma Kelly character (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie) than Roxie Hart (played by Renee Zellweger in the movie). She has more kick and spunk.
So what’s next on my list? Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera again, Oliver!, Wicked, Les Miserables again and then, errm I am open to suggestions (anyone?). I will conquer the West End! God help my pocket...
List of West End theatres (from Wikipedia, scroll down)
- If no show is currently running, the play listed is the next show planned (dates marked with an *).
- If the next show planned is not announced, the applicable columns are left blank.
Read more...
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Platform 9 3/4?
Erskine and his colleague Jake after a month of training in Ireland “stopped over” in London for two days before going back to our motherland. Of course I offered my services to show them around, in which I was paid with a packet of Chocnut and a box of Curly Tops. I had never thought that Erskine and I would hang out again in London, no less!, after all these years. Is the world shrinking or what?
Jake, a Harry Potter fan (Though I regard him as not a 100% HP fan because he has not completed all the films - just the books, he claimed. That's surprising, a guy who likes reading more than oogling at special effects?), asked me to take them to Platform 9 ¾. I agreed and then warned him not to expect anything because I had not been to platforms beyond 8 at King’s Cross. So yeah even if I read all the books and seen all films (and watched again Prisoner of Azkaban twice), I realized I was not a 100% fan either. Why I never had had any urge in my 1.5 years stay here in UK to go see if 9 ¾ did exist still baffles me!
So we went to King’s Cross Station last Sunday and got lost. But this sign was an indication that we were not the first HP fans to do so...
We followed the directions and voila, found it! Yipee yeah yey!
Kudos to King’s Cross Station’s management for wasting a good trolley just to make HP fans like us smile. I hope they can be persuaded to donate a good train and turn it into a Hogwarts Express.
Read more...
Jake, a Harry Potter fan (Though I regard him as not a 100% HP fan because he has not completed all the films - just the books, he claimed. That's surprising, a guy who likes reading more than oogling at special effects?), asked me to take them to Platform 9 ¾. I agreed and then warned him not to expect anything because I had not been to platforms beyond 8 at King’s Cross. So yeah even if I read all the books and seen all films (and watched again Prisoner of Azkaban twice), I realized I was not a 100% fan either. Why I never had had any urge in my 1.5 years stay here in UK to go see if 9 ¾ did exist still baffles me!
So we went to King’s Cross Station last Sunday and got lost. But this sign was an indication that we were not the first HP fans to do so...
We followed the directions and voila, found it! Yipee yeah yey!
Kudos to King’s Cross Station’s management for wasting a good trolley just to make HP fans like us smile. I hope they can be persuaded to donate a good train and turn it into a Hogwarts Express.Read more...
Friday, 24 April 2009
An Interesting Wedding Commercial
A dear friend sent this to me, this made me smile. I want to share this to all brides-to-be out there, especially the Blogging Brides, in case you haven't yet seen this.
Planning is really a mental challenge. So don't stress yourselves too much with the preparations. Have fun. Relax - at least force yourself to relax =P
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Planning is really a mental challenge. So don't stress yourselves too much with the preparations. Have fun. Relax - at least force yourself to relax =P
Read more...
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
I’m getting physical
Let’s get physical (physical). I wanna get physical.
I just enrolled in a gym. Oh let me correct that – we enrolled in a gym. Separately, of course.
Harley did it first. (Sssh, don’t tell him I told you because this is supposed to be our little secret - haha!). I followed suit because it was a challenge I could not ignore. When he announced he's joining a health club I started imagining that if I didn't start going to a gym too the guests would say on our wedding “Wow, ang swerte naman ng bride!” (Wow, the bride is so lucky!). Yikes, no! I don’t want that to happen. Although really, in all honesty, without a doubt I am very lucky of Harley, but my pride just want him to be luckier to have me =P
The first day at the gym was interesting. The first sight that greeted when I entered the locker room was a girl wearing just a bra on her top, drying her hair. I just couldn’t help noticing her ample bosom and seemingly slim waist relative to her bosom. After changing to my gym getup, I bumped into another girl who came from the direction of the pool. She was just wearing a conservative two-piece but the simplicity accentuated her assets – well rounded butt and more than D cup. I went out of the locker feeling weird, self-concious that compared to them I seemed under-developed. I couldn't help myself praying for a second puberty!
The gym, Virgin Active, is the best gym I have ever been to. (Though I haven’t tried Gold’s Gym yet, been only to Slimmer’s World and Fitness First in the Philippines). There are enough equipments for everybody that even during peak hours no one is left twiddling his/her thumbs, queuing for someone to finish using an equipment. I personally observed this yesterday evening. One of the personal trainer said Mondays and Tuesdays after work are the gym’s busiest when most members rush to the gym, anxious to burn all the excess food and booze they consumed over the weekend.
It’s pricey – as expected here in UK. Good thing I was given the discounted rate as our company is a corporate partner. One thing I really like about the membership that I’ve got is that it’s very flexible. I can cancel it. No x-months minimum membership required, yipee! Never again will I fall into another Fitness First trap.
What really lured me into this gym is the pool. There’s a pool, wohoo! I have not tried it yet because I still have to buy a swimming cap (Where art thou, my dear swimming cap?). I am really excited to swim again. It’s been 5 years since I last practiced (not counting the beach holidays) and now that my asthma is gone I am hoping to improve my mediocre skills. Oh you know not just managing to float and spend most of the time clutching the pool’s edge, but really, do proper swimming.
The pool is for both women and men. Being petite/short compared to people here, I think I should start practicing holding my head up high lest I notice something that should not be noticed =P
Another thing I also like is that they have a separate gymnasium for women only, complete with the gym equipments women fancy using. So if you like some peace and quiet or just find the loud grunts of men outdoing themselves in weightlifting distracting, this is the place for you.
I am very much looking forward to the dance lessons, which reminds me I have to check the schedules after posting this :)
Read more...
I just enrolled in a gym. Oh let me correct that – we enrolled in a gym. Separately, of course.
Harley did it first. (Sssh, don’t tell him I told you because this is supposed to be our little secret - haha!). I followed suit because it was a challenge I could not ignore. When he announced he's joining a health club I started imagining that if I didn't start going to a gym too the guests would say on our wedding “Wow, ang swerte naman ng bride!” (Wow, the bride is so lucky!). Yikes, no! I don’t want that to happen. Although really, in all honesty, without a doubt I am very lucky of Harley, but my pride just want him to be luckier to have me =P
The first day at the gym was interesting. The first sight that greeted when I entered the locker room was a girl wearing just a bra on her top, drying her hair. I just couldn’t help noticing her ample bosom and seemingly slim waist relative to her bosom. After changing to my gym getup, I bumped into another girl who came from the direction of the pool. She was just wearing a conservative two-piece but the simplicity accentuated her assets – well rounded butt and more than D cup. I went out of the locker feeling weird, self-concious that compared to them I seemed under-developed. I couldn't help myself praying for a second puberty!
The gym, Virgin Active, is the best gym I have ever been to. (Though I haven’t tried Gold’s Gym yet, been only to Slimmer’s World and Fitness First in the Philippines). There are enough equipments for everybody that even during peak hours no one is left twiddling his/her thumbs, queuing for someone to finish using an equipment. I personally observed this yesterday evening. One of the personal trainer said Mondays and Tuesdays after work are the gym’s busiest when most members rush to the gym, anxious to burn all the excess food and booze they consumed over the weekend.
It’s pricey – as expected here in UK. Good thing I was given the discounted rate as our company is a corporate partner. One thing I really like about the membership that I’ve got is that it’s very flexible. I can cancel it. No x-months minimum membership required, yipee! Never again will I fall into another Fitness First trap.
What really lured me into this gym is the pool. There’s a pool, wohoo! I have not tried it yet because I still have to buy a swimming cap (Where art thou, my dear swimming cap?). I am really excited to swim again. It’s been 5 years since I last practiced (not counting the beach holidays) and now that my asthma is gone I am hoping to improve my mediocre skills. Oh you know not just managing to float and spend most of the time clutching the pool’s edge, but really, do proper swimming.
The pool is for both women and men. Being petite/short compared to people here, I think I should start practicing holding my head up high lest I notice something that should not be noticed =P
Another thing I also like is that they have a separate gymnasium for women only, complete with the gym equipments women fancy using. So if you like some peace and quiet or just find the loud grunts of men outdoing themselves in weightlifting distracting, this is the place for you.I am very much looking forward to the dance lessons, which reminds me I have to check the schedules after posting this :)
Read more...
Friday, 17 April 2009
A Wedding Dress at Harrods
I was awestruck when I saw this wedding dress (below) displayed at Harrods. It is beautiful, really beautiful. And I was not the only one who was enamoured of it because almost every girl who passed by did a double take and then gushed that it’s gorgeous.
The dress is by Pronovias. I visited their site and wow, I absolutely adore their dresses! But I had to stop browsing for after few minutes I started sighing and wishing for the impossible again. Oh you know, if only I am tall and skinny and all that nonsense. I don’t want to be an insecure bride. No no!
Well the plan is just to choose a dress that perfectly fits me. I promise never to drive my body into exhaustion or starve myself in an attempt to fit myself into a dream dress. A dream dress on a model might turn out to be a nightmare on me. A nightmare that will be forever immortalize in pictures and videos. Well that is scary.
Pronovias also sell wedding couture by Manuel Mota, Valentino and Ellie Saab. Yeah... expensive.
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This was the wedding dress of my dreams – lace and mermaid silhouette. Sigh. Emphasis on the word “was” because uhh hellooo reality check – Georgia you are not slim, not at all tall and you don’t have a shockingly flat tummy as if it is being molded with an invisible corset. Dream on. Ha! My bestfriend pointed out when I had told her I dream of wearing a mermaid cut wedding dress that I will definitely look like a budbud (suman in Tagalog). Huhu. Some bestfriend eh?
The dress is by Pronovias. I visited their site and wow, I absolutely adore their dresses! But I had to stop browsing for after few minutes I started sighing and wishing for the impossible again. Oh you know, if only I am tall and skinny and all that nonsense. I don’t want to be an insecure bride. No no!
Well the plan is just to choose a dress that perfectly fits me. I promise never to drive my body into exhaustion or starve myself in an attempt to fit myself into a dream dress. A dream dress on a model might turn out to be a nightmare on me. A nightmare that will be forever immortalize in pictures and videos. Well that is scary.
Pronovias also sell wedding couture by Manuel Mota, Valentino and Ellie Saab. Yeah... expensive.
Mohammed Al Fayed (owner of Harrods and the father of the late Dodi Al Fayed, the late Princess Diana's boyfriend who died with her) gave a £3500 Manuel Mota wedding dress (equivalent to 245k in Philippine pesos) to the late Jade Goody, a British personality who emerged from the Big Brother fame who died from cervical cancer last month. Jade married Jack Tweed while terminally ill, exactly a month before she passed away. Hmmm, I wonder what will make Mr. Al Fayed to give me a designer wedding dress for free?
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