http://mseira.multiply.com/ This is my travel journal. Here I'll be storing some vids and photos from my trips in and out of the country, especially now I am afforded more time to travel! ^.^ Whee!<br><br>My personal weblog is still located at defune_hime.livejournal.com. ^_^ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:05:28 -0000 Sun, 1 Jun 2008 09:47:00 -0000 http://images.mseira.multiply.com/logo http://mseira.multiply.com 100 100 It IS possible to appreciate Hong Kong! You just shouldn't visit Tokyo for 2 weeks first.<br><br>Last week's trip was very, mind-opening, and eventful... in more ways than one. Our Friday night departure from Manila lived up to expectations--and made me see how futile it was to depend on Murphy's law keeping its distance--when our flight out was delayed for TWO HOURS. We were supposed to leave at around 7pm but left at around 9pm instead. I was slightly worried about our accommodations, since leaving late meant arriving late. I crossed my fingers that since I had already paid the deposit through the internet beforehand and informed them about our flight details, the hostel would have no other choice but to wait up for us.<br><br>The Arrival<br><br><a href="http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SE@ZQwoKCGIAADPc5001"><img class="alignmiddleb" src="http://images.mseira.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SE@ZQwoKCGIAADPc5001/IMG_0006.JPG?et=%2BygL0NwkcCSG6pBUwKF16g&#x26;nmid=0" border="0"></a>We called these "Walkalators". Very convenient for big airports.<br><br>We touched down at HK International Airport around 12mn. We were all tired, but ecstatic. Hori was very excited since it was his first time out of the country. Paul and I were happy we got t... http://mseira.multiply.com/journal/item/5/Hong_Kong_With_Exclamation_Point Sun, 1 Jun 2008 09:47:00 -0000 It was a toss-up between Disney and Ocean Park. Paul and I have been to Ocean Park before, but Hori hasn't. This being his first trip out, we let him decide. He went with the logic that: "Well, don't all kids dream of going to Disneyland even once in their entire lives?" So there we were. Similar to our Saturday trip, we met up with Rotch at the Airport Express Station, since the train to Disneyland would be accessed through it as well. When we arrived at the Disney Line station, I wasn't that impressed. Haha. Well, I guess our Tokyo Disney day last year made me biased. Plus, the day was warm and humid. We kept ducking inside stores to "cool off". I kept thinking how different it would have been had the weather been a bit cooler. The up-side of our day of Disney fun? There weren't that many people in the park, and we got to try most of the rides that made us curious! Also, we were able to take pictures! And videos! While INSIDE the rides! And even the stores! I found it odd, sinc... http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/12/Hong_Kong_Disney_May_25_2008 Tue, 27 May 2008 22:32:40 -0000 This is a pretty new forum for Philippine fans of the Twilight series of novels by Stephenie Meyer. If you're one of them, please join! We'd love to have http://mseira.multiply.com/links/item/1/Twilight_Coven_Philippines_Forum Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:30:19 -0000 Trying out something new here, since we obviously have never been in a shrine before and we've only seen them through shows like Sailormoon. :P Mikuji is japanese for fortune, I think. This whole adventure happened at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. It's a big tourist spot, as you can probably guess from all the english-speaking tourist-y voices in the background. Hehe, the video's funky--I played with the special effects and stuff while editing it in Windows Movie Maker. http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/14/Asakusa_Fortune_-_April_2007 Thu, 6 Sep 2007 18:13:05 -0000 Haha, I'm starting to upload our vids now from summer's trip. :P This one shows the hotel room we stayed at during our 2 weeks in Tokyo. It's pretty small, but has everything you need in a room--bed and bath and a mini-ref. The TV has only Japanese channels, but we don't mind, being the Japanese geeks that we are. (We caught a SMAP special airing later on in the trip.) More importantly, it has an ethernet cable! So if you have a laptop you can just plug it in for free net access! XD Cleaning staff, a nice ojiichan and obaachan, comes in everyday (only until 2pm) to clean the room and replace all the toiletries, towels and kimono, unless we request otherwise. Forgive the haphazard filming. Paul's not used to handling videocams. http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/13/First_Day_at_the_Hotel_-_March_29_2007 Thu, 6 Sep 2007 17:03:18 -0000 I Still Believe - theme song to Cinderella 3 Dawn - Pride and Prejudice 2005 movie, opening BGM The Internet Is For Porn - Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (from Avenue Q) For Now - Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (from Avenue Q) As the World Falls Down - David Bowie (from Labyrinth http://mseira.multiply.com/music/item/1/Current_LSS Thu, 6 Sep 2007 15:51:22 -0000 http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/11/Me_photos Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:38:04 -0000 random stuff from Odaiba, Imperial Palace, Akiba, Ueno and Narita Airport. i just took and took pictures, i was that http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/10/Miscellaneous_photos Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:12:11 -0000 This place was as magical and inspiring as DisneySea, although who am I to compare Miyazaki's museum with a themepark, right? Again, like in most of the places we went to in Japan, pictures weren't allowed inside. Too bad. There were a lot of exhibits on animation there and on display were some storyboard and primary sketches of most of Studio Ghibli's works, including Howl's Moving Castle. (We wanted to buy Howl's necklace, but it was I think 23,000 yen! Ack!) The most we could get was this book about the museum, but it's in this big box along with the rest of the stuff we got from Japan. To arrive in two weeks. Needless to say, Paul and I are excited. :P Pictures in my next http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/9/April_9._2007_-_Ghibli_Museum Mon, 16 Apr 2007 07:18:09 -0000 <a href="/photos/hi-res/5/5"></a><a href="/photos/hi-res/5/5"><img style="width: 91px; height: 120px;" class="alignleft" src="http://images.mseira.multiply.com/image/7/photos/5/300x300/5/040307odaiba%20211.jpg?et=HGH4Ht,EKWFcSqANJ4xvXw" border="0"></a>10. Kimonos. Part of my initial checklist when we went to Japan was to buy one. I even set aside a "budget" for it, knowing that it would be so expensive. But when we were there and I saw just how much it cost, and read through the net how difficult it would be to keep and wear, well, I had to reluctantly give it up. I settled for buying several yukata instead. :P With matching obis, of course. They're just as pretty, won't be as hard to put on, and cheaper. They're also usually the summer version of the kimono, so they're perfect to use in weather like ours.<br><a href="../photos/hi-res/4/49"><img style="width: 123px; height: 165px;" class="alignright" src="http://images.mseira.multiply.com/image/6/photos/4/300x300/49/040207asakusa%20053.jpg?et=9LwgC8OaEOqRgbY,EytzkQ" border="0"></a><br>9. Real, authentic, Japanese-made, Japanese food. Yes! Japanese food really tastes different when you're in Japan! :P Ev<a href="../photos/hi-res/5/5"></a>en the Yoshinoya beef bowl tasted different. Paul and I were lucky enough to eat at a small restaurant near our hotel that specialized in tonkatsu (breaded pork<a href="../photos/hi-res/5/5"></a> cutlet) and the servings were quite big. On one of our Akihabara days, our friend Aaron took us to a Yoshinoya-like place that also sold gyudon, and i... http://mseira.multiply.com/journal/item/1/The_Top_Ten_Things_We_Miss_in_Japan Sun, 15 Apr 2007 02:26:00 -0000 UDX Crossfield building, Akihabara, April 8, http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/8/Cosmode_Spring_2007_Gathering Sun, 8 Apr 2007 14:58:56 -0000 Paul and I were so amazed by the detail put into this structure and took a lot of pictures while waiting for our turn at the ride. (It was a long wait: almost an hour passed before we even got in! Too bad we couldn't take pictures inside the building though.) I feel that it deserves its own album. XD [About the ride: Hotel Hightower is a freefall-type ride. You get into a makeshift elevator that raises you how many feet and shows you a beautiful, splitsecond view of the Tokyo skyline before plunging you into darkness. http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/7/Hotel_Hightower_The_Tower_of_Terror Fri, 6 Apr 2007 03:17:12 -0000 This day was a total feast for the senses! As soon as you get into the park, there's a rush of colors, sights, and sounds to greet you. (It totally made up for the fact that I was really cold!) There are so many things to see and experience that even if you don't get on any of the rides, the admission fee is worth it just getting http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/6/April_5_2007_-_Tokyo_DisneySea Fri, 6 Apr 2007 02:57:54 -0000 These were on display outside a department store near our hotel here in Ueno. T_T Waaa, so pretty. Of course when I checked their prices, they cost from 200K-500K Yen for a whole set. T_T http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Why_I_want_a_Kimono Wed, 4 Apr 2007 01:07:22 -0000 Asakusa is souvenir-haven for foreigners. Nakamise-dori has shops of almost everything, from rice crackers, to Japanese cakes, to chopsticks and fans. I bought two yukata and an obi from one of the stores here called Fujiya. One of the storekeepers speaks halting English. I speak halting Japanese, so it worked out. XD They also suggested we go to Suidobashi for Paul's kendo hakama. http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/4/April_2_2007_-_Asakusa Tue, 3 Apr 2007 01:41:20 -0000 Arnold's request. http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/12/Our_expressions_when_we_got_to_Akihabara Mon, 2 Apr 2007 02:01:26 -0000 http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/3/April_1_2007_-_Akihabara Mon, 2 Apr 2007 01:29:04 -0000 http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/2/March_31_2007_-_HarajukuShinjuku Sun, 1 Apr 2007 01:19:51 -0000 Ueno Park, Ameyoko, Tokyo National Museum, and lots of sakura! http://mseira.multiply.com/photos/album/1/March_30_2007_Ueno_Tokyo Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:38:14 -0000 http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/11/spelunking Wed, 16 Aug 2006 07:13:47 -0000 http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/10/Pangalusian_ramblings Wed, 16 Aug 2006 06:49:44 -0000 girl among sergeant http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/9/Fish_feeding Wed, 16 Aug 2006 06:17:04 -0000 http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/7/monologueing_while_the_others_are_fishing. Tue, 8 Aug 2006 06:33:38 -0000 how to bottom fish. http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/6/bottom_fishing_tutorial_from_the_expert Mon, 7 Aug 2006 14:40:36 -0000 minami babbling about random stuff, like the weather. http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/5/July_23_2006_on_the_balcony Wed, 2 Aug 2006 10:37:49 -0000 el nido palawan miniloc http://mseira.multiply.com/video/item/4/firstdayminiloc.wmv Thu, 27 Jul 2006 04:09:46 -0000