:: hongkong :: china :: macau ::

- JUNE 2005 -

macau : macau tower and sai van bridge

macau : guia lighthouse and fortress

macau : ruins of st. paul

macau : cobblestone streets of san malo


hongkong : avenue of stars

hongkong : avenue of stars


china : shenzhen

run

i've been doing a lot of running.

june 27 '05

2pm.
one of my spur-of-the moment decisions was to go to macau. after discussing over "yum cha" with my mission-trip-mates the possibilities of touring it by myself, i suddenly decided to go. besides, it was one of my lifelong dreams. and the timing couldn't be more perfect than today, now that i'm in hongkong. they gave me last-minute tips-- where to get cheap tickets and what to see when i get there.

6:20pm.
i was running towards the ferry terminal to catch the next trip. the travel agencies around the terminal were shouting "going to macau?" and i took the first ticket available. it was a 6:30 trip. i found myself running again to board the jetfoil. i was the last passenger to get in.

8pm.
i arrived macau safe. met my gracious hosts rose and jonathan aquino. their flat offered a breathtaking view of the Macau tower and the new bridge. i couldn't help but go down and stroll along the sidewalk and simply immerse in the beauty of it. tomorrow's gonna be a fast-paced day for me.

june 28 '05

10am.
macanese normally start the day late. as soon as i met my "tour guide", we began walking along the cobblestone streets of san malo.. ruins of st. paul church.. macau museum.. by the time we reached guia fortress and lighthouse, we were practically running. i had to catch a 12-1.30 jetfoil back to HK. we reached the maritime terminal 15 minutes before 1pm. the next trip was 1pm. by that time, i was running to board the ferry again.

2pm.
ate eds was already waiting for me at the port when i reached HK. we had to do last minute shopping and to find the other stuff my sister wanted me to buy. if i wanted to get to my 6pm flight back to the philippines, we had to do everything fast. we were again running to do our shopping, getting lunch, packing my stuff, and heading to the airport.

by the time we got to the airport, the check-in counter was already closed.

what a bummer!!!

after all those running, i missed my flight. :(

i was a chance passenger for the 9pm flight. and i ended up waiting. without even the assurance of getting into the plane back to my country.

8:30pm.
the PAL people were in chaos. seeing if they can still accommodate chance passengers. there were 7 of us waiting. i was praying. praying really hard.

"Miss Cortez!," they beckoned. my number was C1. "We can only accommodate one passenger".
i let out a sigh of relief. oh what favor from God!!!

the ground crew were rushing to get my boarding pass. i had to pay 200hk dollars more. and i was escorted to the gate after passing through immigration. and for the last time today, i was running to board the plane.

i've never ran this frequent and this intense in my entire life before... but it was worth every minute of it!

jumpin jill

i spent the night over at Majestic Hotel.

anlambot ng kama...

wheeee..

this is so much fun!!!

woo-hooooe!

ayoko na. nakakahingal.

i still believe

a few days back, i was telling of a tragic scenario of losing a loved one. i bought a CD last month and i went through the cover of the album today. i read how this song came to be. Camp lost his wife to cancer, but in spite of it, he didn't lose hope... and still believes in God's faithfulness.

I Still Believe
Jeremy Camp

Scattered words and empty thoughts
Seem to pour from my heart
I've never felt so torn before
Seems i dont know where to start
But its now i feel your grace fall like rain
From every fingertip washing away my pain

I still believe in your faithfulness
I still believe in your truth
I still believe in your holy word
Even when I dont see I still believe

Though the questions still fog up my mind
With promises i still seem to bear
Even when answers slowly unwind
It's my heart I see you prepare
But its now that I feel your grace fall like rain
From every fingertip washing away my pain

The only place I can go is into your arms
Where I throw to you my feeble prayers in brokeness
I can see that this is your will for me
Help me to know you are near

where are you going?

by Dave Matthews Band

where are you going?
with the long face pulling down
don't hide away
like an ocean
but you can't see
but you can smell
and the sound of
the waves coming down

i am no superman not at all
i have no answers for you
i am no hero oh that's for sure
but i do know one thing
it's where you go,
is where i wanna be

where are you going?
where do you go
are you looking for answers
for reasons under the stars
if along the way
you are growin weary
you can rest with me
until the brighter day

i am no superman that's for sure
i have no answers yeah
i am no hero
oh don't u know
but i do know one thing
where you are
is where i belong
where you go, i do know
is where i belong

where are you going?
with your beautiful face
looking down
don't hide away
you are like an ocean
that i can't see
but i can smell and
the sound of your
waves coming down

i am no superman that's for sure
i have no answers for you
i am no hero oh ..
but i do know one thing
where you are is where i belong
where you are, i do know
is where i wanna be

it's humbling when God brings us to situations we totally have no control of.

can't live without

yesterday, my uncle delivered a eulogy for his wife during the necrological service. it crushed my heart to see him utterly distraught while he spoke of living a miserable life without her. well, who wouldn't yearn for the person whom you shared almost your entire life with?

today, i am sitting at the wake of yet another man who left his wife due to a disease that inflicted him.

seven years ago, i lost my brother who died at a fresh age of sixteen. come to think of it, the pain i felt that time could NOT possibly surpass the pain of losing your better half. the other half that would make you whole. i haven't even been married yet. but just that thought grieves me.

a few years back, i was toying with the idea of finding another man should i become a widow at an early age. in my imagination though, it was as easy as getting a new wardrobe and as quick as changing your cellphone's skin. i missed the part where you actually get devastated.

this was a good wake up call. and a reality check.. to choose NOT a husband i can live with. but someone whom i cannot live without.

road signs

a single yellow line means overtake at your own risk. double yellow line means do NOT overtake. these painted signs have begun making sense since i started driving along the highway.. the national road trekking manila to ilocos and back. sometimes, i wonder what these are for specially since any driver could possibly make a good judgment whether a portion of the road is safe for overtaking or not.

but then, i guess not. people in the engineering profession took into mind the safety of travellers. they know better. they anticipate an element of danger.

some people make good perceptions. others are simply careless and like to zoom through the roads in a millisecond!

and these single and double yellow lines are there for the purpose of keeping these mindless drivers from falling into the temptation of zipping through. they serve as REMINDERS that whether you like it or not, you have to keep to your lane; otherwise you'll be in trouble. BIG trouble.

i'd like to think that God's Word works the same. it's there for careless people like me who sometimes are tempted to fall into the desires of this world and go on my own way. and whether i like it or not, if i go and overtake, i'll crash into some bigger mess i wouldn't have had should i have stayed and obeyed.