immigration 101

Written on 10:37 PM by wanderer


This time, I will tell you my bad experience when I passed the Immigration counter at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

I was on the 4th lane with skinned head- Hitler looking immigration officer wearing Vintage labeled eye glasses and not even looked at me when I was approaching the counter. I simply hand him my valid and legal passport with legibly Immigration filled card on it and yet am not getting any single comment from him. After a few seconds-almost a minute, he then asked me in a very low toned - wondering voice asking me my purpose of getting out of the country and I answered him back with proud chin yet with a very typical pinoy smile that I will be on vacation [to a multiple destinations in Asia]. After hearing such "rich and famous" like answer, he then looked at me with a not so sharp but sharp vision straight to my cornea down to my digitalis trying to dig out if i have some hidden agenda down under my nerves. he was like questioning my capacity to travel abroad maybe because of several factors: maybe because I was only on a pair slipper, ukay-ukay the USO checkered short pant and looked haggard from the heavy traffic and falling on a roller coaster line of passengers, or I don't know, it maybe because we Filipino has this CRAB MENTALITY that we all cannot deny to any human races. He also asked me if I can afford to travel, whats the nature of my job in the Philippines, why travelling alone? if i have credit cards or something the fact that I have showed him my ROUND TRIP TICKET and HOTEL CONFIRMED BOOKINGS. He even asked me a personal below the belt question that I was pretending not hearing anything at all and asked him to repeat the question before he gave up and allowed me to go to my gate. Such a crazy attitude.

On the other side, its all the other way around when I reached my first foreign destination. I stood up in front of the Immigration counter for like 15 seconds only without any questions asked plus an ear to ear wide like smile welcoming me to their land.

This is really a comparison for me to see something unlikable about Filipino.


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traveling tourist

Written on 7:18 PM by wanderer


i arrived in penang at around 10:00 pm, so i got nothing to see much but to pigged out at one indianish restaurant just across from the hotel where i booked, and only had the usual singha beer. met some group of English guys so had to activate my harry potter accent, wheow that was hot.

the following morning, i only stayed at the pool side and read books, can you imagine that am on vacation but reading NCLEX book? but anyway, i hope my being genius will paid for at the end.

on the other side, i can see some freaking weirdo unfair way of life here, where can you see a full pool but none is wearing any appropriate suit? women are swimming with all their body covered and clothed, as in from head to toe, how could they feel the comfort the pool can give them?

another thing, this is an Islam country but i hear Xmas song all over the place. so i always mimic songs like that and am glad at least its something i can understand.

but anyway, its a part of their culture and tradition, i think they cannot complain for it. so i must not complain also.

i will be going to Georgetown tonight, i hope i get to see and enjoy my stay there.

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away for vacation

Written on 4:46 AM by wanderer




i am now packing up and ready to go.
ill fly with PAL and Singapore airlines through and through my flight IT.
excitement is building up and
cant wait to experience the one of the best vacation that i can ever have
guys, just stay put out there and wait to see my photo blogs when i'm back
merry christmas to all of you and
advance happy new year.









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beautiful people

Written on 10:35 PM by wanderer


















these photos were taken post midnight at the mall downtown right after we had xmas party. we supposed to go bar hopping but ended up sitting on this blackish comfy sit-free couch without choosing even a single menu. those glasses and mug at the table were not ours, we did not bothered the waiter to fix the table as if we ordered something and those were from customers prior to us. when we are together like this moment, we usually have chit chat on so many varied things on earth plus awful laughters. we are like taking our time to bond and enjoy our company for the mean time that we are still around for each other because it wont be too long for us to have our own separate ways after schooling. but for sure, wherever we go, our hearts will always be filled with so much memories, value and love for each other. more power to us.


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tips on how to travel safely ..

Written on 6:56 AM by wanderer

i have been traveling abroad for the past 4 years and I always get too paranoid on things to prepare for vacation like how soon my passport valid or expires, how much i have in cash, and stuff like that but i think am now a bit learned on what to do and prepare to avoid a hustle-stressful yet enjoyable vacation. here are some tips on how to prepare for a healthy and safe vacation.





Prepare: this is all about preparing yourself for vacation, consider your total safety, welfare and good health. leave all your stressful life soon as you depart your doorstep to your ultimate destination. always have yourself fit and in good condition mentally, physically and financially wherever you go. always consider and prioritize your total health and welfare no matter how short or long you go for vacation. always have this "safety, healthy and enjoyable sense of awareness so that you will get to experience the best vacation you can possibly have. motivate yourself to list things you want to do and have. do not be somebody who keeps everything in mind. if you have medications along with you, consider it as "must have" for vacation. do not jeopardize your vacation by getting an awful flu or LBM. try to have PRN "if needed" over the counter medications as every country has different and sometimes weird medication system and components, you cannot have biogesic in thailand for high temp or metoprolol for elevated BP, they usually have something different for a typical fever and other illnesses. make a checklist before you leave like for things you want to bring, digicam, cards, cologne though not really advisable to carry on board, mp3, notepad and pen. of course, consider your passport with validity to travel, credit cards if you have, roundtrip tickets unless you intend to "TNT", hotel reservation and list of people to meet.



Be cautious "always expect the unexpected" check the foreign exchange market on the place where you want to visit, always have enough cash with you in case any of your card wont work or system failure occur. take time to browse embassy or immigration websites of the country where you are visiting, print some guidelines on do's and dont's as tourist. its too hard to settle with any violations committed set by immigration unless you have power to hypnotize the authorities and allow you to go away without price on your head of something. make sure you have list of phone numbers to call in case of emergency, assault or violations from local residents or co-tourist.






Verify: if you have it ....verify what your travel insurance policy covers while in another country. some insurance policy only covers the first 10 days while in another country. so make sure that all these are verified.


@r0n

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spare me that wine

Written on 6:39 PM by wanderer




first sip to bottomless (2.5 glass or 200 cc)
its what happened when a very close friend of mine ANGEL and I decided to have wine first thing in the morning after duty. though am not a winey person but i still want to give myself a chance to have one, just today. its been a year since I had my first wine and that was red wine, i swore, cursed and promised not to have it again, it was like drinking 70% isopropyl alcohol. and the experience was like burning my esophagus with a liquified fire. but the one i had today was white wine, it was like a yucky-sour-yummy-one more glass please taste.

Label

Brand : May
Ingredients: Grape Juice, Carbonation
No preservatives
Non alcoholic
100% Sparkling White Wine
75 CL
Product of Belgium

its only today when i had comparison between the taste of red and white wine. i think i will go more of white wine than red one. aside the fact that its not alcoholic, it also taste like a vintage-antique wine stored in a barrel hundred times ago. the aroma is a lot more invigorating and inviting. though, wine is not a typical kind of drink i used to have, but i consider it now as "something nice to have once in a while".

for medical matters, some researcher said that wine can help to reduce the risk of acquiring cancer and other cardiovascular diseases due to is component like flavonoids and anti-oxidant but some opposed that wine and alcohol contributes detrimental illnesses to people, i think IF TOO MUCH INTAKE.

here are some facts about: effect of wine and alcohol to the body.

What about red wine and heart disease?

Over the past several decades, many studies have been published in science journals about how drinking alcohol may be associated with reduced mortality due to heart disease in some populations. Some researchers have suggested that the benefit may be due to wine, especially red wine. Others are examining the potential benefits of components in red wine such as flavonoids (FLAV'oh-noidz) and other antioxidants (an"tih-OK'sih-dants) in reducing heart disease risk. Some of these components may be found in other foods such as grapes or red grape juice. The linkage reported in many of these studies may be due to other lifestyle factors rather than alcohol. Such factors may include increased physical activity, and a diet high in fruits and vegetables and lower in saturated fats No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.

Are there potential benefits of drinking wine or other alcoholic beverages?

Research is being done to find out what the apparent benefits of drinking wine or alcohol in some populations may be due to, including the role of antioxidants, an increase in HDL ("good") cholesterol or anti-clotting properties. Clinical trials of other antioxidants such as vitamin E have not shown any cardio-protective effect. Also, even if they were protective, antioxidants can be obtained from many fruits and vegetables, including red grape juice.

The best-known effect of alcohol is a small increase in HDL cholesterol. However, regular physical activity is another effective way to raise HDL cholesterol, and niacin can be prescribed to raise it to a greater degree. Alcohol or some substances such as resveratrol (res-VAIR'ah-trol) found in alcoholic beverages may prevent platelets in the blood from sticking together. That may reduce clot formation and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. (Aspirin may help reduce blood clotting in a similar way.) How alcohol or wine affects cardiovascular risk merits further research, but right now the American Heart Association does not recommend drinking wine or any other form of alcohol to gain these potential benefits. The AHA does recommend that to reduce your risk you should talk to your doctor about lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure, controlling your weight, getting enough physical activity and following a healthy diet. There is no scientific proof that drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverage can replace these conventional measures.

so what will be your stands now? to have or not to have.

i think there is nothing wrong to have wine or even red wine as long as its in moderation. you should consider and be responsible to the effect you will acquire at the end, if you will take it too much or beyond body requirements. you should be aware on the do's dont's, advantages and disadvantages in everything you want to have to avoid any complications, and those complications are sometimes, fatal and may cause death.

for me, i promised myself not to have wine maybe after 6 months, and realized that am not really into wine---ing, not really interested to it, something I dont consider as good as having dark choco milky drinks, lol.

so ... spare me that wine after 6 mounts, and the countdown starts now.

@r0n





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trying hard

Written on 3:50 AM by wanderer


it was only a week ago since i got myself interested on blogging. actually, i have tried blogging several times already but it never became successful, always run out of ideas to post, topics to talk, template to choose and etc. i got my senses on this time killing hobby again since I encountered my friend's blog site and for me, that was impressive, i realized that it doesn't really matter if you are a geek in writing, grammarian or even a linguist, blogging is about free expression and it doesn't need to be proofread by critics.

anyway, just like what the photo is saying above, trying hard is not good enough, i think i am trying too hard to create or post something but i think it could be a good exercise for my brain to function well and recall those figurative speech i had on my high school days, apply it here and catch readers attention. i find it difficult but interesting. i believe that i will become good on this new career (lol) as long as I continue exercising my very "3 minutes" english, after 3 minutes, I collapse.

so mate, readers and friends, bear with my writing, post and ideas. i am not just trying too hard but also pushing my limits.

@r0n

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