Keystroke Journal

Prologue: I found this attachment in my inbox which I sent to myself many years ago -- maybe it was intended for future posting but it took me years to discover it until now. The event might have been out-dated but the experience and the memories are still fresh ... South Lake Tahoe Highlights (October 7-11, 2008) One of the places that I've been to in America and fell in love with is South Lake Tahoe. Ever since I could remember, I've always wanted to live near a lake or a bay. I like the beautiful mountainous scenery that surrounds it, as well as, the calmness of the lake. It has an ambiance that refreshes me whether it's morning, noontime, afternoon or at nighttime – it's picturesque! For somebody who loves nature, the South Lake Tahoe is a place to be in. It was papa who was on the drive wheel while mama and I busied ourselves taking pictures of whatever breath-taking scenery we came across. During our stay, we experienced the four seasons of the year. It was summer...

Back in my high school years, I remember answering one psychological completion test that really strung a note until now. The sentence went like this: My parents don't know this but _______. Then I filled out the sentence with this clause: I LOVE TO TRAVEL. Growing up, I was already exposed with boarding planes and ships to visit relatives down the southern part of our archipelago. I love the idea of looking forward to rekindle relationships and relish each moment in unfamiliar yet stunning places. As years pass by, the distance went farther and farther. I get to see and be in places which I only saw in magazines and postcards as a child. Not only that, I get to build memories with family and friends, too.  On the other hand, I know someone who argues that it’s cheaper and less stressful to look at pictures and watch videos of different places rather than you being there. Well, maybe it works for some but not for me. As long as time permits, I still see myself t...

Two weeks ago, I had episodes of bizarre dreams. In one night, I saw a mouse running under my comforter. It was scary! I can still remember how my heart palpated when I awoke. In another night, I was entering rooms and saw different sizes, shapes, colors of closed and open, antique doors. I got confused. The next night, I was climbing steps, up and down then I was in a dungeon. I saw a particular shrinking gray elephant and a motionless dark bison along the way. I was frightened. What are they doing there? And yes, there were people, too. People of diverse nationalities, personalities and languages. In the middle of the night, I would be awake, perplexed. What were all those dreams all about? Never did I realize that those symbols will have something to do with my short notice trip to Ontario, Canada. The truth is, I wasn’t even thinking of having a trip this month nor was I thinking of a certain place in Canada. But out of the blue, I got a call from Canada and two days ...

Here's the last day of my Uncle's stay in Mexico: Well, today is my last day in Mexico City. I'm writing this in Benito Juarez International Airport Terminal while awaiting my flight back to Los Angeles. Everything was going on fine and dandy for me since I arrived a week ago today. So what could go wrong? Where is that infamous Mexican bureaucracy and perceived corruption that one hears of overseas? Well, I had them all this morning. Minor perhaps but nonetheless interesting. 1. Hotel arranged for my taxi transport, and was told it will cost 130 Mexican dollars. Fine. That's what I paid for in arrival. So when we arrived at the terminal this morning, the taxi driver asked for 200 Mexican dollars. What? I insisted for 130, so I gave him 150, tip included. No objection from him, but he did try. I got his name,Alejandro,pretending I´ll report him to the hotel. 2. I bought coffee at 7-eleven, costing 15 Mexican dollars. Cashier received the money without punching it in...

While struggling to look for my boarding gate, I took a quick glance at my email and lo, and behold, my Uncle has one of his write-ups again. I then took time to imagine where he is as I try to detox myself from a stressful airport transfer from Washington, DC to Detroit, MI. I will deal more into that later but for now, I’d rather linger on somebody else’s trip. My Uncle is known to be straight-forward but he does have a sense of humor. Here’s another of his Mexico City days … 8:45 Mexico City - Another day. I saw the brightest full moon before dawn this morning from my hotel window as it was about to set. The backdrop was the city´s skyscrapers. Truly spectacular. Every full moon where ever one is in the world is truly spectacular. It makes my thoughts fly up. Let me narrate what I did yesterday. Walked all the way to Plaza dela Constitution, a major city square like Tianamen Square in Beijing or Plaza Mendiola in Manila. However in this expansive square is located the historic,...

I get a chance to see Mexico City through the eyes of my Uncle and another particular blogger has joined me in following his travelogue, too. His experiences add diversity, if not for spice, on my blog as well. My Uncle’s note about my blog: Thanks for the feedback. To all your blog readers thanks for reading GG's blog. It's nice of her to let me piggy back. Truth is I haven’t learned how to create my own blog, so there. Also, this is sort of a travel diary for myself as years later, I'll look back on GG's blog and remember what I really did. Here’s my Uncle’s point of view on traveling alone: Seeing and doing so many things crammed in one week can be a big blur as images and situations pop up in the mind without any idea sometimes where and what happened. Senior moment maybe but mainly one can only absorb so much. One advantage of traveling alone is the challenge to be always alert and be always on one's toes. Any negative situation should not be taken personall...

If there’s someone in the family who has influenced me a lot with culture and arts, it’s this Uncle of mine. As a result, he and I share something in common, our strong interest for arts and travel. From time to time, we exchange notes of our travel experiences. I noticed that he is also like me. When we travel we can't help but think of the different places where we've been. With permission, he allowed me to post in my blog his Mexico trips. Metro subway stations in a strange city intimidate me. As I had no previous reading on the city’s Metro system, I approached one station this morning with a bit of apprehension as I had no advance knowledge of its operation. Metro stations operate the same all over the world right? New York, Vancouver, LA, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, DC, San Francisco's Bart, etc. Well, not really. Manila is an exception. It's like dealing with 3 different metros. Different fares are needed for each system. Who knows if Mexico’s is like Manila...

My Uncle has been updating me lately with his Mexico trip. Here's his latest journey ... Early this morning I showed up in Melia Hotel, located in Juarez St., Alameda Central, in Centro Historica district of the city, to join 11 other tourists for the day trip to the ruins of Teotihuacan pyramids with a side trip to the Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine which is on the way. Mexicans venerate her honor and consider her their patron and protector ever since she appeared in a cave before a peasant to appeal for peace and harmony. A big church was built in her honor on the site where she appeared and many pilgrams visit it every day. However, since the church is built on a reclaimed lake, the church has tilted and one side goes one way and the other half goes the other way. So as construction to prop and prevent the eventual collapse, a new bigger, shrine has been built beside it. We then proceeded to Teotihuacan ruins, a civilization that started building 100 years BC, with incredibly ad...

I received an email from my globe-trotter Uncle today. And I’m happy to know that he’s having fun in Mexico City despite traveling alone. Most people couldn’t understand why he can travel alone and still enjoys it. But I understand. One premise is we are a family of artists. And most artists I know are introvert thus would find solace when they’re alone as long as they love what they do. I guess it has something to do with being able to work better when not much social activity is going on. Two, he wants to learn new things. And traveling makes him open-minded to different ideas, culture, places and people. Nevertheless, it’s always a joy to hear stories from him and learn from his travel adventures. I think we are also a family of people who loves to travel … How are you? I arrived in Mexico City yesterday and will be here until March 11. I noticed I had shortness of breath, and later attributed it to the city’s high elevation. It explained my momentary oxygen deprivation. I’m accl...

August 7, 2008 - It was a sunny Thursday morning when I started to look for the Alamo. I was alone because the rest of my family had different meetings to attend to and they've been there for the nth time. It was my first trip though and I was excited to explore the city by myself. Passing by the Riverwalk from the Grand Hyatt hotel where we stayed, I crossed Crockett street in front of a Catholic church, I turned left and walked towards Alamo Plaza. But before turning right, I noticed a tall red-abstract-looking-steel piece of art built upright. I later on found out that it was the Alamo friendship tower, As I walked further down, I noticed throngs of people taking photos in every corner of an old building and what seems to be a barrack. And when I looked closer, there it was the famous church of Alamo, standing humongous in the background and the long barrack sprawling on its right foreground corner. “Kamusta?” a Filipino greeted me with a smile. I gave him a surprised look ...

One windy day at the Niagara Falls, Buffalo, NY

When I think of NYC, it reminds me of soaring skyscrapers, the musicals in Broadway, the solid Statue of Liberty, the historic Ellis Island, the verdant Central Park, the blinking lights at Time Square, the memorable Empire State, the American heritage Hudson River, the financial districts of Wall Street, the diversed people hustling and bustling in broad day light, the blowing of horns in busy streets, the colorful and dancing lights at night, to name a few. There seems to be endless activities going on 24/7! No wonder it is well-known as the City that Never Sleeps.

Whenever I travel, it gives me excitement whether I am with someone or alone. When I am in a new place, I am happy to see and learn new things about the place(history, culture, language, tourist spots etc.). I am interested to just see how people go on with their lives at a given situation which is different from the town/state/country that I've been to. And yes I love to get just anything from that new place. When I know that I have enough cash with me, I tend to be an impulsive buyer. Why? It's because I would tell myself that there might be no more time for me to go back to this place so I might as well enjoy shopping! The shopping spree has its beneficiaries though. It's because I would buy this or that for my family or to a friend. So I'm not the only one who is happy, it's also my family and friends back home because of the stuff I bought for them. However there are also days when I don't have enough money with me so what I do is just to take pictures of t...