Pearl shopping

Surprisingly, when a visitor asked me for good places to eat, buy and see here in our beloved country I had to think about it. You'd expect me to blurt out right away being the local here and be able to give them great tips but then my arsenal was mostly composed of mundane city stuff. I had to contemplate what's a "definitely Pinoy" experience that sets us apart from other countries. Also, I had to consider the fact that they only have time to go around after office at 5pm for 4 days. So, when asked what is "fun" in Manila, I had to double check what his definition of fun was. For me it depends on what kind of fun you are looking for. We couldn't guide them through the city though during their short stay so they ended up just going around the (EDSA) Shangri-la Mall and Megamall shopping for dried mangoes which were just walking distances from where we are at during the first three days. 

On their last night though, we finally got the chance to take them to Greenhills. I just remembered that a lot of folks especially from the US tend to buy local crafts and jewelries when they find themselves in Metro Manila. So we decided to take them there. They find these things as really cheap here in comparison to their home country. Fortunately, my other colleagues already knew of a store where our other counterparts have bought their souvenirs and they knew how to check. This was a relief since I don't know anything about pearls. I've been buying from time to time from vendors in the local beaches or markets at really cheap prices ($1 for a pair of earrings). All those time, I just assumed they were real pearls although I didn't know what real meant. After last night though, here's what I learned:

1. The more rounded (and whiter) they are, the more expensive they get. (Higher quality)

2. Deep sea pearls are expensive (they showed us a strand which went for about PHP60,000 or $1,500. They were a little big for my taste though but when you placed it side by side with the other pearls they do stand out. From afar, they were almost the same.

3. Freshwater pearls (some cultivated) have varying qualities as well.

4. If you lit a pearl, it shouldn't burn or change color. I'm not convinced on this one though because they only use a lighter and just a few seconds (not even 5). There's not even enough time for the heat transfer! High grade/denser plastics can probably withstand the same (or other reinforced material)

5. Here's a little interesting one: If you try to rub two pearls together, you should see scratches and bits of powder scraping off (pearl powder/essence?). But just rub the pearl even with your finger and the scratch should be 'wiped off'. I guess at some point if you keep on doing this you'd end up scratching off all the pearl though.

The last one got me curious so I tried it out on the 'pearls' I found at home. The two pairs below are from Palawan and cost only $1 each pair. Scratching them was easy:

Rubbed them with my fingers and well they went back to normal:

I tried it on three more: from SM, Boracay and H&M:

The ones from SM and H&M though were too smooth it was hard trying to get them scratched. Either they weren't real or they painted some sort of coating on them or I still have a lot to learn about pearls.

I ended up buying this silver necklace (no idea on the percentage) with pearls for just Php150 ($3). Considering the price of accessories these days, I'd say it's not bad at all. The earrings I got for free as a treat from the visitor for taking them out.

And oh Koreans sure now how to haggle! I can learn a few things from them too. Anyway, I'm still no expert when it comes to these things but at least I learned a few things. Hopefully next time it'll be about gold/silver.

Suwon Fortress

Before my deputation in Korea, I was more or less living a sedentary lifestyle. Sure I did participate in a few (almost nil) fun runs which wete limited to 3k but other than that, I was pretty much a lame klutz. Of course, my apartment, Poong Lim I-won in Seohyeon, being so close to the Tancheon river jogging path and while mending a broken heart, jogging turned into a most favorite and healthy diversion especially at night.

Then I met these really cool people who became my family there and we ended up sharing one adventure after another. Some of these adventures were on the physical side. It was a struggle for me at first and this Suwon hike/climb was one of those initial struggles. Why? 

For starters, we came from an all-nighter at the jimjilbang (which was quite an experience by the way). I was definitely sleep-deprived. We then 'danced' on the blazing 3pm Korean summer in the middle of a soccer field.

And then, since it was still a Saturday and we were trying to kill time, three of us decided to explore the fortress since it was supposedly nearby the train station we were at already (Suwon). Cristy, who is from Suwon, pointed out that we can just walk to the Fortress instead of taking a cab. She can remember parts of it but not all. However, she had an aversion to these huge tourist maps so to make the long story short we probably had to walk a good solid 2-3km (or maybe even more because of the wrong turns here and there) to get to our starting point, which was a steep set of stone stairs! I was definitely thinking to myself at that time 'What did I put myself into?' My two companions were exercise freaks who were doing the insanity workout while I had little physical training. 

I don't know how but somehow I was able to pull through sacrificing the speed of the group in the process as I really could no longer keep up. Reaching the top and seeing the vicinity at the fortress was rewarding though.

The pictures are lousy but they're the best I could manage with my phone and my condition at that time. We walked a few more and ended up at some gate.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to go around as much due to my pace so my two companions finally decided to refuel. Finally!

In the end, I was really proud of myself and I still am. I'm really glad I did it.

It was that memorable I guess but I just didn't have the time to write since the hike last July 2012 until now upon seeing this twitter post which was very nostalgic:

 

Biking in Suwon! That would be great! If you're out there, you should give this a try.

P.S. I miss Korea so much, the adventures and the people I shared these experiences with.

Everything is awesome!

Well this post is not about how life or all that jazz is awesome. While life is awesome if you try your darn best to appreciate the littlest and simplest of things, I simply just want to rave how fun the Lego movie is! Also considering the fact that I ended up watching this alone. Yes, I watched a movie alone for the first time. It was weird but not too lonely I guess thanks to this fun movie and also because I was in a small theater in the company of strangers. Or probably I am more the stranger being the visitor in a foreign land.

(Cameo appearances by some of the collectibles.)

I'm a fan of Frozen (wicked feels!) so I had to go see this movie as everyone kept saying it was that good or even better. Of course, I had my biases and while I wouldn't say I love this one better, the stop motion effects were great. The story was also awesome. It was spot on, on the topic of creativity and freedom which lego has pretty much been known for since I was introduced to it during my childhood. And yeah, I do sort of selectively collect those minifigures so it was exciting to see them 'come to life' so to speak. For some of us, it would also probably feel nostalgic of your younger years with lego.  One thing's for sure, this is the first series I am willing to spend money on to collect all 16 minifigures. Hopefully I'm not too late yet.

So far I have the Panda but I asked some friends to help me catch up so now I also have Emmett and WyldStyle. Yay! 

Business travels

Since I joined this company about 7 years ago, I've been fortunate enough to have travelled places whether on a short term or long term basis. It's not that they are all fun and leisure, of course they come with their share of hardships and gratifications, of pros and cons. But just like in life you try to make the most out of it.

Having moved to a new role, I found myself hopping on to airplanes as if they are taxis. It's fun, interesting but sometimes boring and tiring. I am not sure if I've lost that restless feet I used to have when I was younger where I couldn't stay put and I had this urge to go out and explore. Or whether I just got tired and lame. Nonetheless, what I find difficult now, odd considering my age, how it seems that now I have to be really careful. Safety first. 

As much as I'd like to be out there and make friends just like I did back in Korea. Somehow especially where I am now, I don't feel as safe. I already had one episode though thank goodness it wasn't that bad since I wasn't prepared for that one. I don't want to be snobbish or anything and I really want to get into conversations but I have to be really careful and be on guard. Being a woman and alone is tough when you're travelling while men can just make friends all they want with whoever. *sigh

Wicked

I am not a theater goer. I am not cultured enough or of high society to be up to date with these things. In fact, I've only watched two shows: Cats and Wicked. Three if you count Cirque du Soleil's 'Varekai' which was also amazing by the way.

I got to watch the Manila-run of Cats with none other than Ms. Lea Salonga because of the cheap tickets my mom scored. That was my introduction to the wonderful and amazing world of musical/theater productions. And I must say, wow! These shows are amazing, the talent, the storyline, the props, songs, everything, basically how all these different elements come together.

Fast forward to 2012, while I was mending a broken heart, I met these really great people who was up for adventures. To make the long story short we ended up spending a short day at the emerald city during this mid-August holiday. I was brimming with emotions. It was awesome, amazing, great, wicked! It was too much of an emotional and sensory high for me. We were seated way at the back (since it was a bit unplanned and spur of the moment, we didn't have much choice for good seats at good deals) but boy I loved it just the same. After that, I wanted to watch it again to the point that I was willing to shell out more money... But well, that didn't push through. Nonetheless, I was more than happy to have watched it with amazing friends/family back in Seoul. That experience was among the best.

Feb. 2, 2014: as this day drew nearer the excitement just got harder and harder to contain. I got better seats and I got my sister and another girl friend to share this experience with me. This time around I was reliving the whole show, reminiscing and anticipating. All the time I was giddy and full of emotions. The tension was especially too great as it got nearer to 'Defying Gravity', so much so that I had to channel my energy to something which ended up to be my scrunchie. (I would have held hands if there's someone who had offered but alas there was none! :P) Of course, having watched Frozen, I was introduced to Idina Menzel who gave life to Elphaba, I made a few comparisons. Maybe it was a little weak and I was trying to imagine if it was the 'Idina Menzel' who sang that part, I would have probably cried. Yes cried and not just teared up. But I got to appreciate Suzie Mathers as Glinda more. She was refreshing to watch (and listen to but so was everyone).

I had a really great time. So happy to have been able to watch this again. I would watch it again if I could afford it, had the time and someone would watch it with me (and of course if there are tickets left). I am just happy and content  that I was able to move around my schedule to be able to make it to this show. Until next time!