Some of the wordy signages i saw at Datung Caves, PR China.

Happy Weekend!

Not my feelings. Just the color!

- I miss this waters.

- Look closely. Can you see the glistening water? It was one hot sunny day.

- I hope soon i can travel by the sea again.

Soooo Blue!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Join us here.

My daughter in her first bathing suit (pink one!)

she proudly showed it off here in this photo because it’s her first.

China is one great country to visit .  Even chinese locals from other towns and cities take chances to visit Beijing when they are able and this happen mostly during week-long holidays like the May holiday and the October holiday. Reasonable hotel room rates and services are the top list on advertisement for a hotel to survive.

This photo was taken by a friend way back in 2004 and he thinks that the rate above was just ok.  He was visiting from a nearby city to have his eyes checked and he stayed in this hotel.  To convert that to dollars that year is 8  RMB to 1 US dollars.  So that trip room will only cost you and company of 3 a merely 50-60 US dollars.

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Teena in Toronto

This is an early start of the spring but the sun was up so each of us is carrying a plastic bottle with water.

More photos with plastic at tnchick.

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Teacher Julie

then i could have blogged most of my days and the many of my wonderful and also not wonderful experiences.

I could have blogged about my first train ride and what happened during that trip.

I could have blogged about my trying first year which includes the SARS, my buddy teacher got sick with measles, the friendship i developed which helped me and my friends get sane during the SARS time, my boss who does not really believe in me because she want to let me lie to students by telling them i graduated my bachelors from one of the UK universities — that in her face i really told her if you want me to do that i would leave you right now and grab another work in Lanzhou City…and she told me. No no Arlene, you stay.  You are a great teacher and ok you are a Filipina and you teach very well.  hahahaha or she could have a great scolding from the PSB Head who recommends me to her.

I could have blogged about meeting Mr. Wang of PSB — the moment he approached us he was eating a banana and right away he told us he loves the Philippines because the Philippine banana tastes really delicious. hahaha and blah blah blah.  The next day he called me and told me that he will recommend me to a newly opened school.  Got the job 2 weeks later after my first boss released me.

I could have blogged too about the time me and Liza applied for work in the height of SARS and Hebei # 1 Hospital wanted to hire us to teach their nurses and doctors english.  And we are housed in a very posh apartment sponsored by the hospital president, Dr.  Lei.

I could have blogged how Helen and Henry (our students turned friends forever) for also spent sleepless nights on thinking how we would remain in China for a long long time.

I could have blogged about my first winter and the first snow.

I could have blogged about the first time we visited the Century park and oh my the park is covered with tiles when back here in my country tiles are used in buildings…not in outdoor parks.

I could have blogged about meeting my college batchmate in China (of all places).  We have not seen each other nor heard from each other since we graduated in 1994 in MVC but met in China as we will work for same school and same employer.

I could have blogged about how my first boss got mad at me for buying a TV.  I could thrown out the TV out of the window in anger but did not instead axed all the plates we had in the kitchen which made our chinese assistant terrified.  I was wild because i was so angry but i could not cry.  Smoke was coming out of my ears because am really really angry.

I could have blogged about many crying sleepless nights. why? hmmm never mind.

I could have blogged about the first slap and last slap i had from a guy whom i considered he was the loser because he slapped me. lol!

I could have blogged about how i don’t like our chinese assistant.

I could have blogged about how i cried the day i left Sjz for Zjk.

I could have blogged the first time i visited Beijing and we visited the major tourist spots — the Great Wall, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, Wang Fu Jing…etc.

I could have blogged about our experienced in a budget hotel where they had this big enamel basins and I thought it was a urine container and i peed in mine and then our chinese assistant screamed at me for doing so — she said it was not for niao niao but for bath (washing the face) hahaha.  Then the next day before leaving the place we really had to take a bath..oh our non Filipino companions they did not take a bath.

Ohhh my list could go on. ……I may have forgotten some minute details but the experience in its whole sense is forever etched in my mind.  I can still share it in a story.  Blogged about it? Hmmm i need the mood to do it and an inspiration.  And my inspiration why i was able to make this post today — It’s J.  Check out her blog.  Her skywatch photos made me feel homesick of China particularly Sjz.  The apartment area seen in the ferris wheel photo is where i stayed during my 2nd year in China.  So her photos today brought back so many memories — supposedly to be penned down.

The sky is not beautiful in Sjz.  That’s the only drawback in my 2 years of staying there.  Almost daily my tonsils are inflamed because of the dirty atmosphere.  So most i was not attracted of taking photos of the sky — but let me check out my archive maybe i can pick some with skies for the LOOKING AT THE SKY FRIDAY. :

this was taken at the water park.  the nearest park to my school though i came here by taxi while my students came by bike.   They love to spent the class time here.

my first visit at the botanical garden.  these 2 are our closest friends.  Helen, Henry’s gf was the one taking the picture.  They brought me here to see the flowers but i guess we were too early.  But the grasses were already very green.

brown grass, brown patch of land..and brown sky? brown sky that spells SMOG!

my third last visit to the pear farm in 2005.  Been in this place in 2003-2004 and then in 2005.  It was in 2005 that the flowers were just blooming enough. In 2003, we were too early.  In 2004, we were a bit late, and this, t’was sort of an exact time.  The flowers will still be on for 2 more weeks i guess.  This was taken a month before i came back to PH for good.

Now with these skies, i can really say, there’s no better skies and beautiful skies than Philippine skies.  I think even J can prove that.  She’s been here in the Phils early this year. (She mentioned that in one of her skywatch comments. )

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More Camiguin skies!

One year ago tomorrow, we went to Camiguin Island for the week-end. I have posted some photos of the trip here for LATSF weeks back. Today, i will be adding more sky photos of that trip and i hope you will enjoy them as much as i enjoyed seeing them and recall that time.  Especially now that am missing the beach –oh i really want to travel.

If you will check out Tisha’s blog, you will see more beautiful skies from around the world! More more skies in my other blog.

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Nicole B

I have many photos(old and new) taken by fours and this one is one of my favorites.   They are some of my kuro family and it was my first time to meet them in 2007, the last time i passed by or was in Manila.

There are more photos by fours here. Join us!

The weather was so hot but it can’t be felt if you are swimming in the cool watered seas so almost all of us were burned. See closely the arms and face of my girl, it was became golden brown. After the swimming it gets so warm when it was time to relaxed because the 4 pm sun is still very hot, so my daughter enjoyed a glass of iced tea to cool her.