It’s good to be back in Hong Kong after four years, thanks to the pandemic easing its grip. Hong Kong is my happy place —though I might reconsider if Hawaii enters the picture. But for now, it’s Hong Kong. Despite its bustling streets, crowded subways, and perpetually packed places, this city offers solace, providing a …
I’m currently on a special personal mission in Japan to discover the secret to why the Japanese people are so disciplined. Shitsuke (しつけ) or Kiritsu（きりつ）-no matter how you say or write it, this Japanese trait is so admirable, to wit: Leave a personal belonging anywhere, you’ll still find it there, unmoved and untouched; At the …
There is nothing like a dream to create the future. —Victor Hugo Isn’t it amazing to create something in your mind and make it real, so real you can actually touch it? During our recent visit to the U.S., I had the opportunity to see, be in and actually touch two of the obras maestras …
Lining up to pay in a supermarket counter, I was sandwiched by a couple of happy, old-but-not-too old lady and a gentleman who, by the level of the excitement I witnessed, maybe old ‘hood friends but have not seen each other for quite some time. Lady in front me: “Hey, Frank, long time. How are …
It finally hit us. For two-and-a-half years, we’ve managed to dodge its mighty bullets living in and out of lockdowns in the Philippines. But in our recent and first-ever travel out of the country since the pandemic, it hit us. It was saving its best just when we thought it was safest. This happened while we …
All I wanted was to buy me a new pair of running shoes and maybe visit places I have not seen before. But this travel had other plans for me. It must have been the stateside winds that transformed me from a common shutter-happy tourist into a pilgrim. The content of my character just got …
They say it doesn’t sleep. Though we didn’t stay long enough to find out but from what I have seen, heard, smelled and tripped on, it’s probably true. Disappointed. It wasn’t a total letdown if that’s how it sounded. There’s a lot for the senses to take in just a few hours. Remember, I don’t …
I came to NYC bringing the same prayer I found myself doing when I embraced the world in Chicago –see part 1 here. This is the exact place where that Chicago Tribune Tower rock fragment was taken from. Wild thoughts crossed my mind as I looked at the names permanently engraved on this memorial. The …
“What do we know, dad?” This is a line from a movie I recently watched on Netflix, A Family Man. These were the words of a sick child, Ryan, to his dad asking about some of the famous landmarks of Chicago. One of them is the Chicago Tribune where over “100 rock fragments from famous …
This was how I looked like inside the airplane. Beneath all the mandatory wraps is my warm flesh. Old and maybe tough (as opposed to tender) but still warm. After nearly three years of being grounded, we are flying way higher than the birds in the sky. And this selfie was taken inside the plane’s …