It’s booked!
This may not be the best hotel in Shenzhen, but this is where +we+ have agreed to spend +our+ weekend.
Grade school reunion
Last year I missed the grand HS reunion. This year, I’ll be missing this:
Chapter One ends
Exactly a year ago today, I took the first flight out of Manila and started my journey in this glitzy city. With me then were a hundred words that describe my enthusiasm to live in this country, but not a single word to totally describe my feelings about leaving Manila.
While it has been my dream to live in a foreign land, it has also been my dream to share that experience with someone I love. And the idea that +we+ can never be recognized as one in this glitzy yet conservative country is taking away half of what would ultimately make me happy.
Yes +we+ can remedy loneliness with a few frequent trips, but only up to an extent that +our+ not-so-deep pockets would allow +us+.
When I left Manila, I thought of making a big difference, but now I realize that I am instead becoming more and more different as days pass by. And I have yet to assess if my being more different is something that shapes me in a positive way or not.
I am not complaining about my life here; I only think it’s not complete. I only think that my life here would have more meaning if +honhon+’s around.
It may sound lyrical but “a house is not a home when there's no one there to hold you tight, and no one there you can kiss goodnight.”
I know you know what I mean. And I also know you know that it’s been a very challenging year for me. One that characterizes small victories and small loses.
I’m about to start yet another chapter of my fabulous and jologs life here in Hong Kong. I’m just grateful that when I turn that page tomorrow, +honhon+ will be there to fill the first pages and make my journey a bit more magical.
But more than anything else, I'm also grateful that, beginning tomorrow, this house is going to be a home, wuhoo!
How happy you made me, oh Frankie
I just can’t get this smile off my face. I don’t know if that qualifies as flirting, but I do know that he’s cute and we kind of liked each other.
I’m talking about this teenager-to-twenty-something guy who approached me about a few minutes ago. The moment I got off the bus I saw this tall Chinise guy handing out leaflets and brochures. He must have seen me glancing at him so he approached me and said "hi". Immediately I said "hi", too.
He showed me a brochure about Putonghua and business management lessons, and I, in turn, payed much eagerness and attention to every word he said.
His very Western, charming and sexy way of saying “What I’m trying to say is…” put me into some form of a hearing orgasm. And since he had said those words more than a couple of times, I think it’s figuratively correct to say that I just experienced multiple org*sms. Oh yes!
The more he presented the selling points of the course, the more I asked questions. Soon, my overzealousness has invited his superior. Ah, moments like this you don’t need the boss!
Long after, I found myself listening to a blah of this and a blah of that from his chubby superior, and I had to make my great escape.
Jeko: Ok, thank you [boss]!
Boss: Sure. Here’s my card. You may call me anytime, or him.
Jeko: I’m sorry, what’s his name again…it’s in Chinese, I can’t read it.
Chinito guy: Frankie, that’s my name.
Jeko: [Aw! Frankie it is!] [I would’ve said this to him: I want to change my name to Hankie so we can have some Hankie Frankie (how about that as a pick-up line?)!] [But instead I said this:] Oh, you’re Frankie! Hi.
Frankie: [Smile]
Jeko: Do you live here too?
Frankie: No. How about you, you live here?
Jeko: Yes, I live next to that building.
Frankie: I see. Maybe you can call me sometime so we can go out and have a drink. I’m free anytime.
Jeko: [Aw Aw Aw! Am I hearing what I thought I was hearing? It’s unbelievable and I wanted to come up with a really flirty answer but, instead, I decided to go low profile] Sure, I’ll call you sometime. Bye. [Oh Frankie, you are so cute! Follow me please.]
*****
I should not be getting all the credits for my Frankie experience today. I would like to thank G2000 for my wardrobe today and Joe for my haircut.
My stylist Joe, you are also cute but what we’ve shared last night at the salon was just about it. And please don’t feel jealous of Frankie – he didn’t charge me for his services like you did.
And +honhon+, you are so not reading this.
Yes, a beach in Shenzhen
My China visa is about to expire so I decided to use it for one last time.
Sunday, I shuffled through my wallet, found a couple hundred dollars, have them changed to Yuan, and then I boarded the KCR going to Lo Wu.
At the Hong Kong immigration, I decided to put my HK identity card to the test.
I ignored the traditional immigration counter and went straight to the e-channel gate, slotted my card into the machine and, voila, exited Hong Kong without the hassle of interacting with an immigration officer. No stamp, no passport needed, wuhoo!
Whatever time I have saved on the e-channel gate in Hong Kong went to the long queue at the China side. It took me about 30 to 40 minutes to go through China immigration, thanks to the lady officer at counter 15 who was practically ripping through the pages of each and every passport she receives.
With no clear idea on how to spend my day in Shenzhen, I decided to stop by the visitor information center. Unfortunately, they ran out of the single most important thing any visitor should have – a city map!?
It’s actually my second time in Shenzhen, but definitely my first time to go there alone and on a leisure trip. With no map and no idea where to go, I took a second look at one of the brochures and decided that, more than anything else, I wanted to go to the beach that day.
Before I finally hit the road, I laid down a grand plan – that aside from the beach thing, i also need to: have a haircut, shop a bit, go to a park, and familiarize myself with some of the hotels.
I walked, and walked, and walked some more until I got tired and officially declared myself lost in the middle of nowhere.
But whenever there is a damsel in distress, there is a knight in shining armor who is willing to rescue her. In this story, that knight was a cute cashier guy in a parking lot. Using sign language, he directed me to walk a bit more, look for the main road, and take bus 364 going to Da Men Xiao.
Forty-five minutes later, and four Yuan poorer, I found myself here:
[to be continued]
today
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
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