Hongkong and Macau trip

    My first out of the country trip. After almost 4 hours of flying, we finally arrived in Hongkong at around 9pm, and spent almost an hour at their super huge airport walking around, getting on and off the train, passing immigration, finding our luggage, and waiting for our tour guide. Finally we set foot outside the airport, and everyone was awed by the great city lights. It was getting late when we finally arrived at our hotel, starving and exhausted. After our late dinner, everyone went to bed, with smiles on our faces, looking forward for the next big day.



    Day 1 : Hongkong Disneyalnd. Yipee!  I was soooo excited! It was summer in Hongkong and so we were all drenched in sweat walking around disneyland. We were told to bring lots of water to prevent dehydrating ourselves. Hongkong disnyeland turned out to be fun, seeing all the disney characters, reminding me that i still am, and will always be a child at heart. My favorite part was the fireworks display, which starts every 8pm, just before closing time. I was touched, and teary-eyed, because I was reminded a lot of my childhood days. of princes and princesses, of fairy tales and happy endings...SIGH!

with my cousin

waiting for the fireworks to start. the place was jam-packed!

 

 awwww...

     Day 2 : Macau. It's just a 45-minute ferry ride from Hongkong. They say Macau is like Vegas. People go there to gamble at their famous casinos. And just like Las Vegas, you can also find the Venetian hotel in Macau-my favorite stop during our tour. The Venetian hotel was, what else can I say but AMAZING! Too bad we didn't have enough time to try the gondola (a 15-30-minute ride costs HK$ 109, btw). Macau is also famous for their egg tarts. Really yummy!

the famous mgm 

                                 

 

the ruins of St. Paul's church

  

 Inside the Venetian hotel

 

despite the summer season, it's still nice to walk around Macau.

    Day 3: Ocean Park. I super enjoyed the rides and amusements here. From the hot air balloon, to seeing a real and cute panda, riding the cable car, and not to mention the abyss. I can say ocean park is really a must visit amusement park in Hongkong. It wasn't part of our tour package, so going there cost us an additional HK$300. Haha. But it was worth it.

They say it's scary, but it was totally fun for me. Haha.

  

hot air balloon

sea jelly

the longest outdoor escalator in Asia

    Day 4: SHOPPING. My favorite part. Haha. Hongkong has lots of factory outlets for branded items, which cost a LOT cheaper (about 50-60% lesser) compared to Philippine price. From branded perfumes to bags, clothings and accessories. There went all my money. I spent them all here. Haha.

What's nice about Hongkong is you get to walk around and see everything. All you need is just a map.

    Finally our vacation's over. Time to go back to the Philippines. Back to reality. it was such a short one, but really fun and unforgettable. I will surely miss Hongkong. Indeed, it's such a wonderful city. And I'm definitely coming back!

 

view from out hotel room

the avenue of stars

goodbye Hongkong. See you next time!

Counting My Blessings

Here I am again, on my nth attempt to make a blog (Haha). I've always wanted to make one, but my suuuper busy life always kept me procrastinating. I have other priorities. But this time, I'll do my best to keep up. *wink
It's raining outside. It's my day off and I have LOTS of errands to do. But I'm procrastinating as usual. Our household help left yesterday and we're to do all the house chores from now on, until we find a new one. It sucks. I haven't had enough sleep, spent my after-duty time with friends last night. I woke up with food served on the table, courtesy of kuya. Good thing he cooked before leaving the house. I finished washing the dishes, then drove sister dear to work. She can't drive so when I'm free I'm her private driver. And I have a busy day laid out in front of me. I need to clean my room. Baggage and stuff from my vacation are still everywhere. Need to do the groceries, buy needed stuff in the bookstore, meet up with someone later this afternoon, then with friends for dinner. And I'm sure a drinking session would follow after that. (The last one is the only fun part in my to-do list).
In times like these, when I feel that my life sort of sucks, I stop and think, and count my blessings. I keep on complaining, but come to think of it, I am so blessed. Blessed, is just the right word. I have soooo much to be thankful for. My parents. My siblings. My job in my dream hospital. My friends. Good health. The comfortable life that I'm living. And even the small details. My good pet Sam, who never fails to keep me company. The hospital guard, who keeps calling me in the ICU every time my car is about to be towed. My colleagues, who make work fun and less stressful with their happy and cheerful moods. My patients, who remind me all the time how short life is, and motivate me to live my life to the fullest. My quiet, alone moments in my room, making me think about my life, how far I've become and how far I have to go. The list is just endless. I may not have everything that I wanted, but all these blessings are more than enough to remind me that I am living a good life. I have the perfectly imperfect life. I just need to remind myself every once in a while.