The Eternal Optimist on Ice :)

Ice Skating in Asia

It's summertime now in Hong Kong and ironic as it is, this time of the year is like a combo promotion (too much marketing eh?) of sun and thunderstorms! As an authentic tropics girl raised in the midst of paradise-like beaches of the Philippines, summer isn't summer without a beach trip. So I took the initiative to organize a beach-day out for the gang. I sent out emails and arranged details-- it was already Thursday and had been raining the whole week plus the Observatory forecasts showers on Saturday so most of the people were skeptical. But hope against hope, I was the eternal optimist. I kept on telling them not to be so negative. Then came Friday, a very wet Friday, so most wanted a Plan B. I had to acquiesce-- my optimism was starting to get on their realists' nerves. ;)

What can you do on a rainy day? I can't think of any save for curling in bed with a good book and a steaming mug of hot choco with marshmallows. Then came Michelle's suggestion of making most of the weather and going ICE SKATING (as is normal in Asia, we have rinks in the mall)! Came Saturday and I woke up to the sun shining through my windows-- I was in high spirits and, I'm not exaggerating, in the blink of an eye-- it got cloudy and the sky started pouring. 10-15 minutes and the sky was shining again.. talk about mood swings. Haha.

Hot girls on the sidelines

Anyway, so it was set. We were reverting to Plan B since the weather is more moody than a completely irrational female on a horrible bout of PMS, we didn't want to take a chance. So off we went to Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong. I've gone ice skating a long time ago and I remember it to be pretty much like in-line skating but a bit more slippery.. when I stepped on the ice, I just needed a bit of warm up and I was gliding my way to girlish giggles every time Nikos (the Greek guy) fell on his butt. Among all those who couldn't skate (Happy, Grace and Nikos), Nikos showed the most persistence to conquer the ice. It was his first time-- ever! Imagine a European guy (well, Greece is sunny but still..) is skating for the first time in his life and he does it on a man-made ice rink in a mall in Asia! Happy and Grace were good sports though they mostly were skating by the sidelines holding on to the rail for dear life (or should I say, dear butt??). We had fun. :)

This rainy day activity is definitely a close match to curling in bed with a good book and a steaming mug of hot choco with marshmallows. It's a lot of fun to glide more and walk less. :)

Playing tourist after 3 months

Since I arrived in HK, I haven't really had the "tourist" mode when I'd go around taking pictures and all that. Or, like Meicy for instance, who made it her project to explore at least one MTR stop per weekend so she sees most, if not all, of HK-- given that the transportation system in this country is superb! I don't know, I think it's the thought that I am staying here for at least a year that gives me this feeling of taking my own sweet time. There isn't a need to join the frenzy of the guys who'd only be staying here for a few weeks because a year is more than enough to see everything. Then again, if I constantly had this frame of mind, I would go and leave HK unexplored.

"Tourists"

So last weekend, I joined the tourists and did touristy things. And where in HK Island do tourists head to but The Peak? So off we were in the tram up to the highest point in the island where you can see HK's magnificent skyline-- skyscrapers against mountains with a bit of the sea to match. The previous times I have been here, I was playing "pseudo" guide --taking family and friends who were visiting HK so this was technically my first time to be up there as, well, a tourist.

It was nice but nothing spectacular. I mean, I wasn't awed by what I saw (after having seen the scene a couple of times) and I still prefer the skyline seen from the Promenade across the harbor. The acropolis is good but I guess, I'm most at home closest to the sea.

"Unica Hijas"

But I had a good time and for the first time, since I came to HK, we had a day out where the girls were the minority! It was just Grace (Malaysia) and I along with the guys: Yogurt & Nikol (Greece), Stephan (Germany) & Josin (US)! That's an improvement. Haha! And needless to say, we got out-voted when the guys decided to trek 45 minutes all the way up-- Grace and I found ourselves (with Nikol and Stephan who were tired themselves) in the next bus down to Central where we met with Andy (UK) for dinner at IFC.

It was a good weekend but, of course, came Monday for another work week. So not touristy. :)

I in black & white

Originally uploaded by cerille.

I am 23 now and when I look back at the way I have steered my life, I think I did a pretty good job, albeit some very unconventional decisions like leaving home fresh out of college and not returning since then (except for yearly visits..). There are times when I'm alone and experiencing bouts of self doubt that I question myself for the things I have brought upon myself (this especially comes when I look at the bathroom floor on Sunday mornings-- scrubbing is NOT fun!).. it lasts for a couple of hours then I'm fine.

I know I wouldn't have it any other way.

P.S. This photo was taken by Bart in his last visit to HK. I must admit,this guy CAN take photos. :)

The bright side of birthdays

My birthday is tomorrow (June 4)but for some weird reasons, I've been receiving birthday messages since the end of May. I wouldn't even want to entertain the thought that these friends (FYI: rather close ones) don't know the EXACT date so they are playing safe within the range. I guess it's more because I am, yet again, in a foreign land so they just want to make sure the day doesn't pass without their thoughts (with mails and sms sometimes not getting there when intended).

Flowers from the secret "gago" admirer

I'd especially like to thank the crazy secret "gago" admirer for the tulips. It was a bit embarassing getting the huge bouquet in the office but the thought was very sweet. And the flowers, now cramped (a lot of them, gosh!) in a vase sitting on my desk, are so beautiful. Dear gago, thank you. :)

Those who messaged and mailed: Mitch, Steph, Dimple, Monna, Arlene and Niqui. Thank you and I wish to be home (just for a visit! Haha!) and spend time with you guys soon.

Shawlin dear with moi :)

Oh well, tomorrow should be good. I am having a little party in Causeway Bay with Shawlin, a Singaporean friend who was born just a couple of hours after me (dawn of June 5th). We already have around 40 people in our guest list so I expect a lot of surprises (we know less than half of them!). The more, the merrier!

Last year, I was in Jakarta (it was amazing! Thanks to my Circle of Friends) and this year, I am celebrating it in Hong Kong. My guess on where it'll be next year is just as good as anybody else's. :)