Santiago Bernabeu Football Stadium, Madrid ES

When I was young, I used to play physical games as kids in the neighborhood my age were mostly boys! Among the games we played were: "tigso" (in bisaya) or "agawan" base - which basically is tag + added concept of captives, "labo-labo" - which involves hitting other playmates with a ball of sort , "syato/ng" - a good vocal exercise for the losers as they describe it, "patintero" and "takyan/sipa" - which S.Koreans actually play too! (Now I'm thinking to write more about it LOL)


However, the fondness of these games never translated into keen interest in sports. Is it because I wasn't just meant to be a sportsperson?? Perhaps my exposure to the 'real' sports wasn't just enough? Hmmm. To note, my sister actually is the real opposite of me - outgoing, sports-minded and has really spent considerable time in playing sports or doing outdoor activities! So, I wonder..


Hence, when I was Spain, I barely considered visiting the famous Real Madrid Stadium. But, I knew sports aficionados would be delighted to be presented with that chance so I went anyway. After all, opportunities like that doesn't come so often right?! ;)


So there.. Ticket cost 15Eu that time.. that's x5 for AED and x60 approx. for php ~ feeling lazy of doing the math today ;p . I just don't know how much it would cost if there was a game.  


The tour took us around the stadium. There were several stops but, more or less, it was like a museum tour. As pictured below, Madrid's (football, basketball and others) trophies.. trophies.. and trophies and awards were displayed. Also, there were some very old publications about the teams, music sheets for their anthem, posters, shoes actually used by their top players and more. But, what I found most interesting was the display of the "Universality" of their players. Interesting because I saw our flag! :D


Anyways, below are the photos from the tour.

Santiago Bernabeu Football Stadium, Madrid
Gates (Even Nos. on this side) - same place where I got the ticket

View of the stadium from a viewing platform - the first stop of the tour

View from the ground - 2nd to the last stop of the tour

Diversity of Players

Restaurante Botin, Madrid ES

When I was planning the trip, I really had no plans on trying this place out. Besides, how could I  when I hadn't even heard about it?! It was my colleague, Les, who introduced me to the "World's Earliest Restaurant" - Botin! We used to travel online together!!! *wink


It was my first day in Madrid. I had just arrived from an overnight train travel from Paris. Overnight = exhausting. After having checked in the hostel, although still a bit worn out, I was still excited somehow to find the place. However, I have to admit, I was bad with directions - still is. I asked several people for help but unfortunately, they weren't so familiar with the place either. Until now, I wonder why?! So, it took me almost an hour maybe to spot it! 


I came in and asked to be seated. Luckily, there was an available seat. Others would recommend though that you book ahead as the place is always full! Anyways, so the place was old, ok. The people were nice. As I was clueless what's the best in the menu, I had someone else order for me - the person working there.

The Menu - Botin

Ready to order? This was what I had... The House Menu @ 40.20Euros. My face? looked like this: '$o$' ..cost me an arm and a leg as I wasn't used to spending that much only in one meal.. and just for one person! Not even buffet.

Gazpacho was served first. To my surprise, it was cold so I was to call the waiter and ask why but since I wasn't aware of what I was having, I decided to look it up in my mobile phone's dictionary first - only to find out that "Gazpacho - a spicy soup made from tomatoes and other raw vegetables, and eaten cold : Cambridge"! o_O

Next was the main course. It was just like "lechon" - only ours, in my biased opinion, is tastier! It was served with potatoes, no rice! I didn't finish the whole slab of meat. I could not. I wanted ice cream. And, I had ice cream - gelato as they call it!!

The House Menu - Roast Suckling Pig + Bread + Water + Wine + Andalusian Cold Soup (Gazpacho) + gelato

Sobrino de Botín (Calle de los Cuchilleros 17, 28005 Madrid, Spain) is a restaurant established in 1725. It is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest eatery in the world. The artist Francisco de Goya worked there as a waiter while waiting to get accepted into the "Royal Academy of Fine Arts". The restaurant is also mentioned in the book Fortunata y Jacinta by Benito Pérez Galdós (published 1886-1887).

The restaurant was founded by Spanish man James Botin and his spouse, and was originally called Casa Botín. It was inherited by a nephew of theirs called Candido Remis, thus explaining the change of name to Sobrino de Botín, which survives to this day. 

The Sobrino and its speciality of cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) are mentioned in the closing pages of Ernest Hemingway'snovel, The Sun Also Rises. Its other signature dish is sopa de ajo (an egg, poached in chicken broth, and laced with sherry and garlic): a favorite pick-me-up with Madrileño revellers. - Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobrino_de_Bot%C3%ADn

Meet the Parks! – Photography 01

I’ve known this family for over a year now and through all this time they have been nothing but kind and accommodating not only to me but to my friends as well! Five days a week, I visit their place for the kids’ tutorials.

Dad and Jae In

Mom and Jae In

As with any new endeavour, the first few months were far from easy! The kids were playful and would only see me as their playmate!! Maybe because I’m small?! X) It was surely difficult to get them to listen to me! They’re smart! They would tell me stories to cut the study time short. *wink And, when I start to get upset, they would sense it! So, they would give me their most innocent looks that always got me thinking whether I should go on getting mad or not! They simply knew the perfect timing! ..Ahh ~ Kids!

Kids – they grow and learn really fast!! After a year of studying reinforced with hundreds of stickers (reward system), thousands of stars (point system), endless arguments and perhaps countless "why's", "do you think so's", "let's play a game's" - they are now able to do a whole lot of things! The thought of which is just fulfilling!


So, proud tutor that I am, here are some photos of this lovely family which where actually taken from the shoot for the newest addition to the family – Jae In! (Photographed with my friends Charmaine “Mheng” and Michelle “Bheng”; Shot with Nikon D60) 
*More photos of Jae In's Baek-il on separate post.

 

 

Planning a trip to Europe? Yes! It can be done!

Maybe this can help..

Basically, citizens who are not visa exempted are expected to produce the following:

*Note: The list is for information purposes only. Please contact respective embassies for official information.

1. Application form completed and signed by the applicant
2. Passport photos
3. Passport having validity of atleast 90 days from date of expiry of visa
4. Covering letter from the applicant detailing purpose of trip, duration of stay and travel itinerary
5. Copy of labour contract
6. Original and photocopy of passport
7. Proof of adequate financial guarantees (e.g. salary slips/salary certificate + personal bank statement for the last 6mos)
8. Confirmed hotel booking
9. Confirmed return air ticket
10. Travel insurance with minimum coverage of Eu30,000 (this would cost about 70~150AED)

Please note: 

It is important to be specific in the itinerary and that the number of days requested will most likely be the only number of days granted for your travel. That means, if you are specifying 5 days in the itinerary, your visa will be good for 5 days only too! 

Consequently, staying in their territory beyond those days would mean overstaying and that would cost you a fine of Eu600 (if not more),! Astounding! 

Overview of Expenses: 

Sample Computation in AED on the average (Departing from Dubai)

Return airfare :

Gulf Air offers ~ 2,000 dhs while 

Air France and Lufthansa ~ 2,500 dhs during normal season. 

*We got ours for 2,600dhs via Air France.

Accommodation :

Hostel ~ 25 to 40 Eu (125 to 200dhs or 1,500 to 2,500php)

Hotel ~ 50 ++ Eu (250dhs ++ or 3,000php ++)  or have a look at this post hotel in Rome

Entrance Fees:

Usually 0 -15Eu (free to as much as 75dhs or 480 to 900php)

Food:

Free breakfast at the hotel (?)

Heavy lunch or dinner ~ 10 - 25Eu

Water! from 0.5Eu to as much as 2Eu at major tourist spots!! That's for 500ml of bottled water. 

Fast foods are always available, in case you want a familiar taste. Once at McDonalds, I had burger, fries, pie... all at 1Eu each. They're always cheap but of course you'll not have them the whole time, right? Besides, you're travelling to explore! And, food is one of its greatest adventure!

Hop On, Hop Off Tours:

15 - 25Eu (40 to 75dhs or 480 to 900php)

Local Transpo.:

Just prepare to spend maybe 5~15 Eu per day.. 

There are many places where sightseeing can be done on foot and does not involve taking the subway nor buses too much. However, in some instances, attractions are situated quite far that I advise you to just take the aforementioned Hop On, Hop Off Tours as it offers more convenience saving you from the hassle of planning 'where, when and how' to proceed!


Tickets from public transpo then looked like these:
Please always VALIDATE your tickets!!!

Weekends! Yo! Sushi & China Sea

Weekends are what we always look forward to! What's more? "Weekends" have become our easy and constant excuse not to go on diet!! But honestly, for me, it all begins on the last working day of the week - Thursdays!!! In general, Thursday lunch will always be my most delicious lunch for the week! On those days, I don't mind spending more than the usual. I get to spoil myself because, again, "It's Thursday!".

And so, last Thursday we tried out Yo! Sushi (although we're not that fond of sushis..). Here's a photo which I grabbed from my friend's (Charmaine) gallery: 

Yo! Sushi by Charmaine E.

The food was quite fine.. If you're used to eating raw meat, then it may be a better experience for you than for us x). Nonetheless, the set up alone looked enticing and fun - a good selection of Japanese food on colorful plates being carried around by mini conveyor belts ready to be eaten! Fun right?! The price? Reasonable - 20dhs for orange plates; 18 for pink and 15 for purple. We had 8 plates in total but only had to pay for 4 since we were using "Entertainer" voucher! Maybe you'll get to hear a lot from me talking about this voucher in the future posts.

Another example of weekend diet: 

Chinese Scallion Cakes + Pan Fried Seafood Dumpling + Beef Noodle Soup
Photo taken using LG Optimus ~ not bad :p

I would normally stay home and eat a lot at home on Friday mornings. However, feeling lazy and missing the distinct (believe me in this!) taste of freshly made noodles, I've decided to go for a walk and had brunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant close to our place. My choice? The usual: freshly made beef noodle soup (15dhs) and panfried seafood dumpling (18dhs) plus my first try of Chinese scallion cakes (10dhs)! Hungry ain't I?

Jollibee Padalang Langhap Sarap!

Time in Dubai is indeed fleeting! It's March! ..and it's one of my dearest friend's birthday! One of the dearest.. one who has helped me too many times already, so I planned on giving her a present. 


At first, I thought of the traditional cake-giving. I'd ask my sister's help for that. Then I'd rethink. I'd reconsider.. again and again. Then I found myself walking.. on my way home, still thinking. Halfway then, I realized that I had to send money for my family back home. So, I stopped at a remittance center and noticed a flyer on the counter. I took a look and immediately made up my mind! 


Food remittance service! That would be new and least expected! And, I'm guessing, not too many people have tried that. Well, thanks to both Jollibee and BDO for making this possible! 


What to send? They have the following good meal packages to choose from:
As to the payment, the prevailing exchange rate would be used plus the remittance charge of 15Aed. Quite reasonable, don't you think?

Jollibee Langhap Sarap Meal Package - with BDO 

So what happened? 
Unfortunately, it was a "surprise" that when the crew from Jollibee tried to contact my friend, they got dismissed by her several times - thinking that it was just a prank call!!! :x ..bad idea, to surprise someone! hhaha Hence, I, myself, tried to reach her to explain. Of course she would answer my call since she knows me and so we got it resolved finally! That took 3 days! 
What can I say? All's well that ends well! xo

Remittance Centers are lined up on the road leading to my place.

Bok Jumoni - Traditional Korean Purse (of Happiness)

What a pleasant surprise! Got a present from the Parks today! :) 

This family has always been nice to me.. and I'm really thankful for that! 5 days in a week, the time I spend with them might even be more than the leisure time I have for myself at home! But, don't get me wrong. Long have I come to appreciate leading the busy life!

So here's what I got: "bok jumoni" in Hangeul or simply money bag in English. It's a traditional gift for Koreans and is usually given in new year to wish friends and relatives good luck.

Bok Jumoni

Inside the bag is a skin care product from the Korean based retailer - The Face Shop. Lucky me! ..Hmmm but with the gift came a remark on getting married! LOL

Sony Alpha NEX 5N

If I had money to spare, I would definitely consider buying this Sony Alpha NEX 5!! That is, 'if'. 

DSLRs have always been the closest to my heart :) At the moment, I have this Nikon D60 and I am very well satisfied with it although, as would anyone, I'd love to upgrade to D90! *wink! However, there are times and places where SLRs aren't just appropriate for the 'moment'. Hence, the advent of new technology in photography. 

Have you ever heard of micro four thirds cameras? Perhaps, bridge cameras? Or maybe Nikon's J1? How about Sony's NEX? 

Well, IT'S TIME THAT YOU GET TO KNOW THEM!!! These kinds of cameras are compact and can take superb photos! 

More about Sony Alpha NEX 5N here:  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394903,00.asp

Micro Four Thirds Logo

So, if you happen to see that logo, you'll be informed :)

The price? Almost as expensive, if not more expensive, as the average DSLRs in the market. That is why for anyone earning just a little above to meet the basic needs, one must still consider it to be a major purchase! 

Well, lucky for those who can have it at their will!

Sony NEX 5N

Accommodation in Rome - Hotel Zone

It was already late at night when we arrived in the lovely city of Rome. In fact, late enough that finding a decent but cheap accommodation was a bit impossible. Whatever happened to the advance booking? hmmm we actually had our hotel reservations cancelled a day or two before the travel time as our visas were only released at the last minute - just when our hopes were close to the bottom!  

Anyways, got the visa. Flew in to Rome. Settled for a temporary hostel at the center of the city for 35 euro per head (about 175aed or 1900php) for 2 nights. Then transferred to this hotel - Hotel Zone. The rate? It was supposed to be only 77euro per room (cheap because it's quite off the center) as I can remember if booked online. However, when we got there, to our surprise, the rate was actually different for walk-ins! And, the difference was huge! It cost us 105euro instead! 

So if you plan on travelling, I strongly advise you to book online and ahead if possible!

As for the hotel, the location wasn't a problem at all since they offer pick up and drop offs. The hitch would just be getting to the hotel the first time as not too many people know it. 

So here are the photos of our room: Clean and comfy

Internet connection would be an additional charge of 11 euros for the 24hrs.

A bit out of the budget but Rome is such an expensive city that this was the price we actually had to pay for a bit of comfort after long walks and exhausting days.

Unexpected sofa :)

DUBAI - Burj Khalifa Dubai At the Top!

It was October when we finally decided to visit the world famous Burj Khalifa (previously named “Burj Dubai”). And, with a group of about 20, the visit was quite a memorable one for it was all our “first”s.

Tickets were booked earlier since it would cost you a fortune to get it on the day of the intended visit itself. It can be purchased online conveniently. However, slot availability is limited. If it suits your needs, go with the online booking otherwise visit its main ticketing outlet in Dubai Mall for better timings. Booking ahead costs 100dirhams ( approx. Php1,200 or $27) while the latter costs 400 dirhams! It surely pays to plan ahead in this kind of situation!! More information here: http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/observation-deck/ticket-information.aspx

Surprisingly, to this date, the rates are still the same!

The “At the Top” experience, as they aptly call it, begins with walking, walking, and walking! At one point, you will be asked to pause and smile for a photoshoot with the chroma key backdrop (that kind which they use in studios so you can easily be overlayed in a ‘proforma’ image; the photo would cost 200 dhs if you would like a print).

Then commences the actual experience – a ride in the fastest lift which transports its guests to the 124^th level (approximately 442m above the ground) in no more than a minute!

..Yes, pressure can be felt in one’s ear. If you’re not claustrophobic, then you will be perfectly fine! As for those who regard themselves as ‘acrophobics’ (with fear of heights), you will be fine too! *wink. The viewing deck is totally safe.  It was engineered, secured with thick glass panels about 2meters high. During our visit, there wasn’t so much wind gusting too. In general, it was calm.

So, this is what we came to see...

From there, immediately below, you can see Dubai Mall's dancing fountain, and can even hear its music playing! 

Zooming In

Pictured above, with tall buildings on both sides, is Shiekh Zayed Road - what can be considered as the business district.  Hotels line the street - Dusit Thani, Shangri La, Sheraton, Rotana, Emirates Towers etc. But as you can see, there actually aren't so much skyscrapers in this side of Dubai as many might have imagined - perhaps you can find more in other areas like Marina! 
Let's talk about that on the future post!

The group of 'about 20' - I was just actually guessing a while back..!

The Roman Coliseum, Rome Italy

My account about the following photos will only be as far as I could picture things out for it has been almost 3 years now. Although most parts of the experience are still vivid, I find it such a struggle to articulate the totality of it!

Anyways, here goes another hard work in writing:

The Roman Colosseum or Coliseum

Like the previous days, we were sent to Piazza Cavour (piazza ~ 'an open square in a European town' ) - being the hotel bus's drop off point. From there, with the help of a tourist map (several versions of which are always available in many hotels), we found our way to the famous Roman Coliseum. We did it by foot. And, I assure you – with comfortable footwear, already picturesque surroundings and loads of enthusiasm, one wouldn’t notice how far nor how long the hike was!

Okay, so we got there. 

Clueless of where to start but guided by a huge throng of tourists, we figured out where to buy tickets for entry. As expected, queues in places like this were always discouraging. Nonetheless, it was reassuring to see officers keeping the order. So, we patiently waited for our turn as we could not afford to miss this one. This was what we came here for anyway!

Guided Tourists

Hotel Zone's Bus Pick up and Drop off Schedule 

Piazza Cavour Area - Pick up and drop off point

Street Scene Near Coliseum

Inside the Coliseum

As for the fees, one can choose between ‘entrance only’ and the one which comes with audio guide. Which one did we choose? Yes, definitely the cheaper one – the entrance ‘only’. I think by that time it cost 12Euros. So, we got in and were actually happy and relieved to get in!

The structure? Enormous and ‘awe-inspiring’. 
Seeing the actual thing and being there felt different. Hence, we spent about an hour inside, marveling.


"The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators,the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum remains an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum 

That's me!