gonna leave you guys for a while, just for 10 days. i need to be somewhere for work. will try to post pictures, but it’s cold there. nothing nice to take pictures of, except the fall fashion. hopefully this place i’m flying to dresses. they better, nothing better to do there…

no corporate card. this would be interesting… ]]> http://friedreich.com.ph/2009/10/20190/feed/ 4 http://friedreich.com.ph/2009/02/postcard-time/ http://friedreich.com.ph/2009/02/postcard-time/#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:31:20 +0000 friedreich rommel delos santos http://friedreich.com.ph/2009/02/postcard-time/ i miss the $1.50 muni. honestly, with just $1.50 i can go all over the city for just that; i can transfer to any public commute and see the the side of the city. my new favorite place there is haight street and the golden gate park. of course the f train takes you around the heart of market, to the oh so full of tourist embarcardero to the uptown and upscale vanness and finally to the diverse and gay filled castro. i love taking the f although it takes ages just to reach the other end, market could be a drag specially near the downtown area but still, it’s one of those muni rides that will take you on the most beautiful places in san francisco. of course, the 33 is still the best find for me. specially the view at dolores park in the evening, over looking the bay bridge and golden gate bridge.

roaming the streets of a new city,  you find new and interesting places to eat, shop or even hang out. going out, all i have with me is my atm and my new xperia. this phone have saved me from being lost. gps rules, that’s all i can say. i was able to find those small cafes that serves amazing artichoke and spinach panini and mazing coffee. and it’s a good thing too that the city has a good and extensive coverage of points of interest.

it’s has been almost 3 weeks since i came back, i miss it but it’s always good to be back to the place i call home.

listening to:
Affection – Lisa Stansfield : Mighty Love

this trip is all about comfort, so i got myself a first class ticket and just 1 luggage with the exception of my carryon and laptop bag. i don’t want another harrowing experience i used to have during business trips, the hassle of narrow seats, smelly passengers and uncomfortable reclining chairs. and the luggage carrousel, how many times had my luggage been mishandled, topped (is my luggage a bottom? i wonder), gangbanged, stepped on and all imaginable abuse. but i love this wine colored luggage, it has been with me for 4 years, 8 trips, full of trinkets, fashion forward finds, and shoes. decided to just bring 1 luggage with me for 2 reasons. 1, i don’t want to make it difficult for me, tagging 2 luggage. 2, to limit myself from shopping. i stuffed this one with clothes good for the 4 weeks i plan to stay here. half of which is for the tropical, manila like weather in miami, and half is for the winter chills of new york and san francisco. somewhere along the lines of me and rocky playing in the ginormous parks and being buried in snow, we have extended our vacation to 6 weeks.

the hard part is, being here and not shop. specially during the after christmas, after new year sale where all retailers have big sale, up to 70% off. passing at gucci at union square, i was almost tempted buying the canvass tote with leather trim in brightly colored handles (s/s 2009). my sales associate readily took the bag i have (which i bought from her) for safekeeping, and toured me with at the new gucci location at trump tower. she knows my affection to large totes and took me at the men’s bag showing off their new collection and sale items. i almost, almost handed her my card when mom came in. i don’t know if it were a save or a huge mistake, with the bag marked down 20% off.

san francisco is a different story. mom joined me here to visit her sister. i  left them to themselves as i tour the city alone. after a week, mom went back to miami and i was left here, all free, at least shopping wise. macy’s, h&m, hollister, gap, banana republic, old navy and bloomingdale’s. these became my tourist destination. no big brands bag as tita will tell on me. so the problem is now, luggage space. solution? a new luggage. i love, love, LOVE my new luggage. it’s from heys, super lightweight and durable, in leopard print. it’s so spunky and out there, i will definitely not have any difficulty looking for it. i think it’s a blessing in disguise that i only brought with me 1 luggage.what would be difficult is going to the airport with 2 big luggage, a big kennel with rocky in it and my carryon.

i’’m sad that i need to drug rocky again. but i have to. he has fully recovered arriving here in san francisco, and now we are going back home. no place like it.

listening to:
Viva La Vida – Coldplay : Viva La Vida

so i decided to take that bus again. i started at the golden gate park in haight and stanyan. i saw beautiful old oak trees as tall as a 24 storey building. the breeze in the park was exceptionally cooler than the city which i credit to the abundance of trees and greens. after my park trolling, i hit haight with no idea whatsoever to buy. just boutique hopping. i manage to get some ‘interesting’ pieces, which i think you can’t find in the downtown area. after a long day of shopping at haight st. (janis joplin used to live here!), i treated myself with a nice dinner at castro and 18th st. it’s the busiest part of castro with good upscale restaurants and good clubs. harvey’s at the corner and edge at the other end of the block. i texted tita that i won’t be joining them for dinner. after dinner, i went around and tried the sex shops. it’s castro, what’s a visit without going into these shops? don’t ask if i got something because i won’t tell. when i got home, hello dessert!

i tihink mom told tita my weakness for haagen-dazs. what a nice way to cap dinner with a tub of dark chocolate ice cream. yum!

listening to:
Victor/Victoria Soundtrack – Julie Andrews : Crazy World

both my aunt and uncle are retired so they just stay at home watching tfc all day. they are avid fans; i really don’t get it, why they pay us$25 for a channel i don’t even give the light of day back at home. and it’s free. the upside is that i get to enjoy home cooking, sorta since they all all this instant things like chicken broth in a can, frozen pizza and toast, even preboiled rice. the downside is, all eyes are on me, when i get home late at night after i roam the city, that shopping bag i have coming home, the delivery form amazon.com of tv series dvds i collect. i’m spoiled rotten here. i wake up to the smell of toast, freshly squeezed oj, and my favorite butter in the whole wide world, queensland. i eat, and leave everything on the table, go back to my room and enjoy high speed internet that’s good for porn. when i go out, uncle drives me to the bart, and i text him back when it’s time to pick me up. but i do chores here. techy stuff like installing software, configuring their wireless lan, tutorials, talking to customer/tech service.

after all of those healthy home cooking, i am craving from something greasy and unhealthy. i invited them for some, arguably the best burger  in the world, in and out burger, for dinner. i have to use smarts and ask tita to look for a table (since it’s full) so i can pick up the tab. just across is krispy kreme, us$6.69 a dozen, cheap if you ask me. i bought a box for breakfast to at least give them a day off preparing my breakfast. on the way home i asked them to drop me at starbucks to hang out as i try to finish my current book. saw this tumbler, got me interested and bought it. though i have 2 starbucks tumblers in manila, but this one is better for 2 reasons. first, it’s a twist seal so no spills even when travelling. and the most important thing is, 28% percent of it is made from post-consumer recycled materials. i somehow feel i’m helping mother earth  by using a recycled material and patronizing products that helps save the environment. hopefully my karmic score would improve to offset all the other things i did. and it comes with a free drink, got myself a venti mocha frap, extra shot of espresso with no whip.

finally, i got to do what i set out in the first place, i went on a training seminar for my iyengar yoga (instructor) at the iyengar yoga institute. getting rusty, but still good enough to teach.

listening to:
Victor/Victoria Soundtrack – Julie Andrews : Le Jazz Hot

The buzz word in the financial circle is recession. Unless you’ve lived under a rock during the last quarter of ’08, you’d know by now that Uncle Sam is pretty much in deep shit. And like everything else USA, it cascaded to the whole word; everyone is now in the same deep shit. Pardon my French but the analogy/expression nails it. My company, having been born and bred in obama’s backyard, had implemented strict cost saving measures that would make Scrooge look like the most giving person. Tough times, tough measures, tough love, tough luck. That warrants a post of its own should I decide not to be in the ‘boat’ (sorry, private joke).

Fast forward to now, lulling the time at the nwa lounge together with every Joe, Mate, lad and Papichullos. I noticed that half of the room is filled with Juans, your regular farm plowing Juan less the carabao. One trendy Juan was carrying the 2009 s/s men’s Gucci tote, although not in croc, still pricey (I know, I was eyeing that bag for myself), clad in last season’s Prada loafers and Dolce jeans. First reaction, color scheme is off, too dark; needs a touch of color. 2nd realization, wtf! Am I in an alternate/parallel universe? What recession? People have the money to fly business and first class, Not just anyone, Juans, cost cutting my ass. Though I feel that the airline did some cut backs as well, crappy food less snacks. The nwa lounge in Detroit airport is now a paid club, to hell if you paid hard earned, top dollars for your plane fare. Everyone is indeed feeling the crunch, should have flown SG.

Unlike those rica Juans, I am in denial. I feel the recession chasing my fanny, breathing down my neck, so I run faster and faster, deny more and more. Fuck recession, I’ma kick its nuts off. My company will try to weather this financial instability (who are we kidding, it’s a crisis) through whatever means necessary, even how unpopular. I’ll cut back on Starbucks and shoes, that should get me through this mess, crossing fingers. One bag every 6 months, and no more expensive trips, no more fine dinning. Goodbye Dunhill tote, goodbye Prada slip-on, goodbye good ol’ times. That’s my share, anything more is plain unacceptable. Why would I compromise my life for bad choices of not even even my leader (see, in denial!). No prisoners!

On a side note, as all nwa flights, we passed by Japan via Nagoya to change plane. I am flying a code share flight to Detroit, means it’s 2 flights folded to one, Delta and NW. It’s packed! They really mean lowering cost. Been mistaken as Japanese, Korean and Chinese again, but I’m used to it by now. Sometimes I even play along using my rusty and broken Nihongo. And I resent the kids beside me, they’re flying business while I have to slave for months to afford this flight. They don’t even know the difference of patte and liver spread. Darn spoiled brats. I’ll settle with Moet & Chandon, now let see those kids have a sip of that!

ecluded by the hillside over looking karon beach, it’s one of the most breathtaking places i’ve been to. it’s a little bit remote, i have to take the limousine service if i want to go to the town proper or the beach even; that racked up the bill as it cost 400baht, 1 way. i think i billed more than 6,000baht just for going around the island. but what the heck, it’s about my holiday and i check my brain and calculator out in manila. it’s the perfect spot to chill out after your long day at the city proper shopping, ogling at hot boys and basking in the sun. the villa reminded me of china’s hanging monastery as it is built against the hill, melding with the abundance of greens and trees. it’s like a villa have grown on the side of the hill or something to that effect. and it’s the perfect weather there; sunny and bright. i was sweating just walking along patong beach in my trunks and caftan. there along the thousands of tourist and locals alike, i rested and bathe on the sun’s rays along the shores of patong beach. behind me is the shrine remembering the tsunami. life’s short, tsunami area or not, i will tan. at least if there’s a tsunami, i will die lying on an antique daybed with a tan.

lightly, just slight tanned as it is difficult for me to; i blame my genes for that. in any case, i love it! i really, really do love my color. although phuket locals have that golden bronze color that i am dying to have, i have to settle for what works for me. and it already stings when i put on clothes.

he joy of traveling, is not just experiencing new places, new taste, but also meeting new people. up in the hill where i stayed are some oz and a finish guy. we casually nod and smile at each other up the hill. but one night, unexpectedly, i saw them at paradise soi in patong having a drink. me already buzzed with infinite bottles of beer and liquor, took lead and entertained. yes, i am a loose person when drunk, that is no secret. i would say we hit it off. one thing i like with ozzies is that i share their humor, and it does help that they are like me, struggling to speak thai. it’s magical when you meet people and you connect immediately. i love that about traveling, the unexpectedness of what could happen. it was sunday evening, across b.b. boy bar, 5 drunken foreigners sat, ogled and drunk themselves silly. michelle, an ozzie, had this crush on one of the half naked boys parading in front of b.b. the drunk me got up, striked a conversation with tui, and got him to sit with us. everyone was stunned, i guess, but at the end of the night all 5 of us went home with tui. we gave tui and michelle privacy at the pool, while the rest of us stayed at the villa’s bar, with a pitcher of mojito. after 6-7 glasses, we were having such a good time that we didn’t noticed the sun was up. decided to jump to the pool, fully clothed…

n a different note, i have finally joined the band wagon. i’m on facebook.

inally, a republican  who hated the war on iraq. senator hagel who once supported mccain for his presidency had aired his opposition with the war on the middle east breaking away from mccain’s. he also scrutinizes palin’s lack of foreign policy credential. i mean, for crying out loud, i got a passport at age 8 and i am not aspiring holding a government office. now the lady is cramming up. good luck with that. read story here.

can’t wait! see you next week, now signing off.

listening to:
Jagged Little Pills – Alanis Morisette: Head Over Feet

this specific travel is my most harassing one, i even don’t want to wish it upon my worst enemy. let’s start at the very morning going to the airport. we’ve been up all night packing and eating. we ordered chinese takeout for the last time that can feed a group of 6, for the 3 of us. we figured that over stuffing our stomach will keep us awake. sad to say it didn’t work and i fell asleep around 4 in the morning when i went back to  my apartment to finish up. jen called around 7. i was done, that i know, so i quickly showered and met them up at jen’s. this is me, 1 big luggage that can fit 2 small person side by side, a big duffle bag, a 55cm keepall bag, 2 laptop bags and my gucci tote; that many. i’m planning to check in my big luggage and duffle bag, hand carry the keepall, laptop bag and my gucci tote. i’ve asked ‘special friend’ if he could carry the other laptop bag for me, which he did. exactly 8,  we went down to the waiting cabs to the airport, some 25 miles. more than half way, i called up jen if ‘special friend’ did bring my laptop bag since i haven’t seen it while we were putting all the luggage in the trunk. we pulled up on i-75 to check and true enough, it’s not there. even worse, it’s my office laptop. my personal laptop is insured so i really don’t care much if it get lost, but my office laptop is something i guard with my life. i decided that i’ll go back, jen and ‘special friend’ to wait for me at the airport. went back to jen’s apartment, and the laptop’s there, at the couch. so after us$95 of cab fare, i-75 morning rush and 1 hour 15 minutes of rushing around, i finally got to the airport.

i’ve always been the techno geek as well as control freak. every trip, i make sure that i check in early using the online check in service, and i get to pick my seat. though it doesn’t matter really since i have upgraded my way back to business class. just when i was but all smile, by big luggage is overstuffed by 25 pounds. i really don’t want to go to another hassle of transferring some stuff to my duffle so i’ve asked how for the excess. but the thing is, with all the money in the world, 70 lbs is the limit each luggage. me, in the center of the check in counter, open luggage, transferring stuff from 1 to another. after an embarrassing moment, i was able to check in my bags. no amount of money, not even business class will ever move that cute guy’s stance with the 70 lbs limit.

as we were making though our gate, we need to clear the security. a series of frisking, x-ray and metal detector. not to mention the quarantine booth that will puff some high pressure air, goodbye well made hair. x-ray revealed that in a dash to take off the excess 25 lbs from my other luggage, i absent mindedly transferred my toiletry bag to my vuitton hand carry. when the tsa (transport security administration) called me for the bag inspection, it sank to me that i have some liquid items there from the other luggage. i have the option to throw those away (3 perfumes, 2 shower gels and a shaving cream) but how can i depart from my trusted perfumes? so the tsa personnel escorted me to the checkin luggage and, hopefully, they haven’t sent my other luggage to the conveyor belt. but i was so wrong. still harassed from the situation, i agreed to checkin my vuitton an pay they excess baggage. i am paying them to ruin my vuitton. good thing that i have my bag’s bag (yes, these are the type of  bags that have their own bags). so i wrapped mr. murakami cherry  keepall and have a big fragile sticker on side. looking back, i could have separated with my freaking perfumes which makes more sense.

so after all of this, i am left with my gucci tote and my laptop which even though is much lighter and comfortable, feels bare and naked. i have worked around my wardrobe with the keepall strapped on my shoulders and my tote in one hand.

listening to:
Some Hearts – Carrie Underwood: Before He Cheats