To Quietly Weep

One of the habits I got from using a Mac is constantly moving the mouse cursor to the upper right corner of the screen to hide all opened windows and have the desktop view. I'm using Windows at my office so sometimes I would move the cursor unconsciously on the corner of the screen, only to remember that I'm using a different OS.

Speaking of OS a certain blog teaches you how to fix any computer, be it Windows, Apple or Linux. :D

Wonder About Oranges

It's past midnight but I feel the need to write what I learned at this moment.

One of the secrets of being discovered is doing a good work and putting it where people can see it. Obviously, it's about putting it on internet. In it, you just need to wonder at something and invite everyone to wonder with you.

Furthermore if you should wonder. wonder at the things nobody else is wondering about. If everybody’s wondering about apples, go wonder about oranges.

I found the inspiring words above from Austin Kleon.

To Succeed

To some, it's all about putting in the time and effort and overcoming fear.

To others, it's about persistence and determination. It's all about pressing on.

Still to several, it's about a couple of things like winning the respect of intelligent people and affection of children, finding the best in others and knowing that one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

A Beautiful Day

Sometimes changing the way you see things can have great results. Sometimes it's all about having the right perspective, as the story below shows.

An old blind man was sitting on a pavement. He had a poster beside him bearing the words "I am blind, please help." In front of him were some coins tossed by people passing by. Time went by and more people walked past him.

Only a handful were giving alms, until a woman came by. She reached out for the poster and began writing. The old blind man touched and felt her dark green heels. Once the woman finished writing, she put back the poster beside the old blind man and walked away.

This time though, more and more people were tossing more and more coins. At the end of the day, the woman with dark green heels came back. The old blind man reached out for the shoes, recognized it and asked the woman. The poster had a saying that goes, "It's a beautiful day, and I can't see it."

An ad video of this is created by the Purple Feather group that specializes on Online Marketing and others.

Seoul Searching 2011

One of the things I find helpful when planning travels is the availability of information online. Frankly, you won't need a travel agency to do the itinerary for you. This means that you could save some money and you could customize your travel plans.

Last month I had the opportunity to travel to Seoul, South Korea. And here are a couple of things you may need to know.

1. Visa Processing

The Korean Embassy, located at Upper McKinley, Taguig, is closed on Korean Holidays. Take note of any holiday before going there. If you have US, UK, ANZ, or Japan visa, processing is three days. Otherwise it will be five days. For the three-day processing, if you submit on Work Day 1, it will be submitted on Work Day 4.

2. Korean Won reservation

If you have account in BDO, won reservation is three days and you could only reserve in the branch where you opened your account. If you were not able to reserve beforehand, obtain US dollars instead. Although no reservation is needed, you still need to get the funds from your account opening branch. An alternative would be BPI. You could obtain US dollars from any branch.

3. Outlet adapter

Korea has a so-called Schuko style electrical socket so you need a Euro travel plug adapter. Here's how it looks like.

<picture>

4. T Money

T Money card is a re-loadable card used to pay fares around the city. There is a KRW100 discount when used in subways. It can be used in place of credit card as well. When you arrive at the airport, obtain this card from convenience stores such GS25. When used in a bus, you need to swipe when you hop on and exit the vehicle to avoid double charge.

5. Cebu Pacific

The airline only has free 15kg check-in luggage. When your stay in the country is more than 3 days and it would be cold, you may need more than 15 kgs. so anticipate the check-in baggage you will be paying for.

When returning back to Manila, the airline has a very early flight (7:20AM) so that you need to get up early to be on time especially if you're in Seoul and the airport is in Incheon. There is an Airport Limousine which is available as early as 4:20AM (Anguk Station). If you catch this bus, you will be at the airport around 6AM.

6. Places

If I have to rearrange my itinerary, it would be something like the following assuming I am staying around the Anguk area:

9AM Changdeok Palace

1030AM Bukchon Village

1130AM Lunch

1230PM Gyeongbok Palace

* See changing of guard ceremony

* Don traditional Korean dress or hanbok for free

230PM National War Memorial

330PM Namdaemun Market

5PM Seoul Tower

* Check out the locks of love

630PM Cheonggye Stream

* Buy key chain souvenirs near Doota Mall

730PM Dinner at Doota Mall

On the next day, do either a ski tour or DMZ tour. Package tours are arranged by the Cosmojin group.

Note that several palaces are closed either on Mondays or Tuesdays. On Sundays, some establishments are closed as well.

7. Food

Experience Korean culture through food. Try out the following:

Samgyupsal (grilled pork wrapped in a lettuce with bean paste and various kinds of kimchi)

Gamjatang (like pork sinigang)

Bibimbap of various kinds

Jajangmyun (Black bean paste noodles)

8. Accommodation

Contrary to common belief, Seoul actually has a number of affordable good places to stay at. We stayed at Beewon Guesthouse near Anguk station which had heated floors, small fridge, cable tv, bathtub, heated water, free breakfast (bread with jam and yogurt) and so on.

Now with the knowledge mentioned, I am certain that you'd be more productive to get the most out of your visit to the country.

A New Start

Hopefully...

Bataan Highway

I have known a couple of streets, avenues and highways here in the Philippines named after the Americans such as the McArthur Highway, Taft Avenue and McKinley St. Some are even named after a place in the United States like the New York St. and Times Square St in Cubao, Quezon City.

I never thought though that there is a road in a US state named after a place in the Philippines - the Bataan Memorial Highway in Indiana. The road commemorates the heroes of the Bataan Death March.