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By admin, September 4, 2010 11:22 pm

Once a word leaves your mouth, you cannot chase it back even with the swiftest horse.

- Chinese proverb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Chinese post title

A western toy character

A Chinese proverb

Oh well i guess am just missing some things i used to do while there.  Was talking with someone in Shanghai earlier and we talked abit about places and few of them i have visited.  It made me recall the roll of films i lost while stravelling back to the Philippines.  It contain the pics i took while visiting Qinhuangdao in 2005.

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By admin, June 23, 2010 6:03 pm

I’d like to bring you back early spring of 2003. It was a trying months for me as i was nursing a broken heart and a very chronic homesickness.   That was my first time to be working abroad.  Early spring was around February that year.  I spent almost every day crying especially when evening comes and when i woke up in the early mornings. It was like i lost a dearest puppy.

My friends believed that i can get over with what i felt. So one day, while i don’t have class in the afternoon, Helen, Henry, and Jenny invited me to visit Shijiazhuang Botanical Park. They told me it’s a plant park and I would see so many plants from all over Asia being displayed there.

So i tried to perk up myself and go with the trip. Let me share then some of our photos:

We were still wearing long sleeves because it was still cool but at the same time the sun was getting stronger to our skin that we have to drink water to hydrate us.

That is Helen in black, yours truly in red, and the other lady is Jenny.

Thanks to the green grass and yellow wild flowers at the background, it disrupts the grey atmosphere.

The place was not yet too bubbly of spring.  Traces of winter can still be felt because not all trees have turned green yet.  Thanks to my red shirt, too!  It made us look more lively.  lol!   After we saw the photos, they really hugged and thank me that i wore red or we would end up dull because Helen’s shirt was black and Henry’s was brown and black and offwhite jacket of Jenny.

See!  The world is just slowly waking up from it’s winter sleep.
I think the place still looks gloomy.  Thanks to the flower which depicts hope.

I was excited to smell it…A beautiful flower. So, am expecting a beautiful smell.

See my face?!
Happy?
Nahhh…the flower smells so bad! lol!

I really said – not all beautiful smells beautiful. lol!

Shijiazhuang City is one of the top 10 polluted cities in the whole country.  So that explains the dirty sky you can see yonder.   Result of it, I always have irritated throat while staying in that city.  Even then, Shijiazhuang (shi-ja-juang) is an unforgetable place.   I made so many good friends there.

I felt so funny having this photo taken at this spot.

The sweetest banana in the whole world is the one that came from the Philippines.  So when i saw this banana tree, it made me long for Philippine bananas.  My friends haven’t seen a banana tree yet, so they let me stand at this spot to show to my family that Philippine banana is grown inside the botanical garden of Shijiazhuang.

~~ My fave photo of us “the tres marias” ~~

~~ my favorite shot of ME that day ~~

~~I also love this shot but my eye bags are so obvious.  Result of sleepless and crying nights. ~~

Thinking back of that time now — i can’t just laugh at it.

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By admin, June 16, 2010 10:38 pm

The first photos i’d like to share with you here at Nostalgia was from my Zhangbei trip. My years spent teaching chinese students how to speak english was unforgetable. The last school where i worked was the more unforgetable because it was my last year working in China. I have to come back to try my luck in other another field. Unfortunately, 5 years has passed since i came back..the dream has not been fulfilled.

Anyway, this Zhangbei trip was a treat of my school after working for one whole academic year (sept 2004 – june 2005). It is located 40 kilometers north of northeast Zhangjiakou City where i was working. Zhangjiakou is a county government under the city of zhangjiakou, in the province of Hebei. For the whole three years, i’ve only worked within that province. It’s one of the big provinces of the whole republic.

I remember that it was only a one day trip. We left around 8 am. The school assigned the FAO in-charge. I want the head of my department to go along with the trip, but since she went along me to a trip to Datung, she assigned one of the chinese english teachers to come. 2 guys! I feel uncomfortable so i asked one of my students, Helen, to come along with me. So there were 5 of us who made the trip and that includes the driver.

Here’s me with the driver and Helen (Lun Li Li). s was taken in the restaurant where we had lunch.

This is Larry with me and Helen. Larry, is one of the chinese english teachers in the department so he does not have a hard time accompanying me anywhere. Helen is loves accompanying me too so that she can practice her oral english.

The view in Zhangbei county is a vast area of green grasses (prairie) and the blue sky is just so overwhelming. I love it there! Great time going there is middle spring time when it is not yet too hot during day time.

Me in local attire. Native mongolian attire. Behind me is an altar for sacrifice that is why am holding that little box acting like i wanna make a sacrifice. I didn’t want to wear the local attire because i was thinking am just a visitor. But my companions forced me to wear one just for photo purposes.

Larry and Helen in local costume. I like their costume. Then we took this photo to emphasize that am the visitor to their place. I am the foreigner. I am a laowai (foreigner)

Here’s the 4 of us – Liu Bin, Foreign Affairs Officer of Zhangjiakou Vocational and Technical School, Larry, one of the english teachers, Helen, one of the students in the English Department and me.

It was a very unforgetable trip. This trip was made 2 days before taking the train to Beijing to catch a train for HongKong.

Photos made: June 2005
Location: Zhangbei Plains, Zhangjiakou, PR China

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By admin, May 27, 2010 7:05 pm

In the gym where i do my exercise, we have the TV and by the time i am on the treadmill local news starts.  One of the bad news this afternoon was a bus and trooper collision along the highway from Iligan City to Cagayan de Oro City – a tragic accident that killed 3 individuals, two of whom are children.  The accident happened in a place where tertiary medical facilities never existed.  According to the news, the victims arrived at the hospital dead already.  I think that maybe if they were subscribed to a medical assistance program then even while they are on the road, they will be given immediate medical care – if that is the case then who knows those children are still alive.

Knowing the story behind the collision made me think that the incident should be a lesson to all drivers out there – never  try to over-take another vehicle unless you are so sure that there is no upcoming vehicle especially in a one way lane or road.  I just feel sad for those who died because of a driver’s negligence.

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By admin, May 13, 2010 11:53 am

I have many friends who are having skin allergy to the extent that it hampered their social life.  I have similar problems too, if i won’t be careful in what am eating then for sure i always have skin blisters and wounds.  One of my bosses in china is allergic to soy products.  He is vegetarian so he gets his protein  from soy beans then later he experienced the worst skin problems anyone could have.  I think he went to see a doctor and he was told that he needs eczema treatment as soon as possible that time to control and eventually stop the degradation of skin.  The last time we met, the scar was slowly healing and he totally avoids soy products.

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By admin, March 17, 2010 6:07 pm

The other day i messaged my highschool batch that one of our classmates will be coming home first week of April and he will be in town for a couple days.  I asked them if they are willing for a meet-up!  We haven’t seen this guy since we graduated from high school in March 1990 so this is a home coming that we all look forward to although not all can come.

This reminds me of the get together we had last December when some classmates came home from Australia and New Zealand.  We had so much fun.  The ones from Land Down Under gave us key chains marked Australia and we are all happy to have it.  This is what came to mind when i saw these promo keychains. Promo means lesser price and you can buy lots of them. For sure this will save one a lot of money. This is what i suggested to those who are going to Thailand on the 29th that if they are planning to buy some pasalubong stuff, they should check out on promo stuffs.

Many are going on a trip at the end of this month and i guess am just the only one who will be left here in the office.

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By admin, February 25, 2010 3:55 pm

A Thursday meme of roads & its signs, signages, paths, passages, street scenes & the like. Hosted by Tink.

I want to think that this is the biggest centavo i saw along a sidewalk. This is how a Philippine (old) centavo looks like. This is the head side.

This is the back part. How i wish i had photo beside the coin but i was alone on an errand so i just had the liberty to take photos of it. I never minded some of the stares coming my way.

Good news for the weekend! My cousin was able to get a nordictrack coupon while she was doing her purchase of a treadmill. So the coupon made a huge discount on her purchase. She is working out her weight for the upcoming summer season.

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By admin, January 30, 2010 5:31 pm

Saturday 9: Everybody is a Star

1. Did you ever think that you’d be a star? If yes, doing what?   I never thought of that.  Maybe a star in the sky.

2. Tell us about the last time you had a romantic dinner.  I think it was in 2006.

3. Tell us about your worst job interview.  I never had one worst interview.

4. Tell us about your stupidest date.  I can’t remember.

5. How much in common do you think you should have with a romantic partner?  At least more than 50%

6. Tell us about a favorite meme that you loved but no longer posts.  Ruby Tuesday and Watery Wednesday ( no more time)

7. How did you get into blogging?  Encouragement by friends.

8. Do you share all your fantasies with a significant other?  Not really. hehehehe

9. What change in your life would you like to happen this year?  Work – i should work harder than ever before because my daughter will start high school in June.