The Adventures of Bananaman

Figments of the Grand Lisboa (Backpacking in MACAU & HK)

Have you ever seen that huge hotel in Macau called The Grand Lisboa; with its 430 hotel rooms and suites, 7,400 list of wines, 1800 game tables and slot machines and a 218.08 carat-diamond display in the Casino? Astounding, right? Well, when we went to Macau, I’m very proud to say that our hotel happened to be — behind it. Haha!

After an hour and a half plane ride from the Philippines, we took a cab going to the Grand Lisboa. From there, we walked and looked for our hotel called New Nam Pan. I failed to take a picture of the hotel, simply because of the excitement of wandering outside. Nam Pan is a small hotel, located at the 2nd floor of some building behind Grand Lisboa. It is pretty cheap, but surprisingly clean (with television, a/c, hot shower, and a bath tub). The only sad thing is the TV mainly consists of Chinese channels, having 1 English channel with about 3 English movies showing repetitively. The bonus? The receptionist is a Filipino named Lisa. :) We haven’t had much trouble conversing with her when settling our bills. Plus, she pampers us by granting us almost every request.

On our first night, we took a walk along the street of Nam Pan. Unfortunately, most of the restaurants are already closed, since it’s past 9 in the evening already. I have a great love for Chinese dishes, so I was really frustrated to find a good restaurant. The only restaurant open near our hotel is a small one, yet classy. We had peking duck, fried rice garnished with prawns, and noodles.

The taste was okay, and there’s nothing so special about it. But we were incredibly hungry and tired, so we enjoyed the food. Walking is also something I really like. So after eating, and regaining our perky attitude, we took a walk around the streets of Grand Lisboa. Apart from the jaw-dropping hotel, where we fantasize to check in, the streets were fantastic. It is filled with chic people and dancing hotel lights. We enjoyed the view. We enjoyed the walk. We were just so happy about it.

The next morning, (thank You Lord for Nam Pan’s hot shower) we got up early and strolled around Senado Square. We reached it through a short walk from our hotel (another reason to love Nam Pan—everything is accessible!). Senado Square appears to be a popular tourist destination in Macau. It is filled with stores, and if you love shopping for fashionable items so much, this is the place to be. The stores ranges from the expensive shops like Mango, Doc Martens (OMG!), etc. to thrift stores. If you’re a 1990s kid, I’m sure you still go gaga over Giordano, and they also have one there (actually, a lot all over Macau!).

It was a beautiful, sunny morning (I’m talking like a narrator of a school play). It makes strolling around the square blissful! And talking about bliss, we finally found the perfect breakfast. Rule number 1: For authentic Chinese dishes, go where the old folks go. They are the ones who don’t seem to be McDonald’s fanatics, and would only go for home cooked meals. Yum! It is located along Koi Kei Bakery in Senado Square. Don’t expect for a first-class restaurant. It is a cheap one (without a sign board, so I don’t know what it’s called), not-so-neat-place where the locals go to. But hey, that makes it yummier!

We got curry rice, spare ribs noodles (our favorite—had these for three straight days), wanton noodles (that would make Chowking’s taste like plain rice), nai cha (milk tea), and egg tarts. Green tea is for free, which made me even happier, since I love it so much. The food is so mouthwatering, you’d want to stay there the whole day. It is so tasty that we had breakfast there everyday, during our stay in Macau. For the egg tart, we also tried Margaret’s and Lord Stow’s. For me, Margaret’s is the most delicious, but any tart would do. It would surely make you ask for more.

In the afternoon, we took a shuttle (near Nam Pan again—what’s not to love about this place?) going to the City of Dreams.

My boyfriend, Ryan, tried his luck at the Casino, but luck wasn’t really what we had that day. Haha. It was a huge place, filled with tourists of all kinds—mostly the elegant-looking ones. :p They also have a lot of shows going on, the House of Dancing Water being the most popular. Unfortunately, we haven’t scheduled to see one of the shows. Then we took a shuttle going to the Venetian.

The aura is like Italy’s Po River and (from its name itself) The Venetian Lagoon—romantic and sophisticated. We watched Zaia, performed by the world-class Cirque du Soleil. It would definitely feed your imagination and take you back to your childhood, where you smile with your mouth wide open when you saw something astonishing.

We took the wrong shuttle, but it is in our advantage. To reach our hotel, we walked through MGM, Wynn, and (yes, finally) the Grand Lisboa! We watched the dancing fountain at Wynn Hotel. The night got even more exciting, because our friends got engaged in the middle of the dancing lights! <3

And after that, we had dinner, celebrating their engagement. :) The non-english-named restaurant is also near our hotel (best hotel ever). We had steamed fish (the best I had so far), meat, and 2 types of rice (one is garnished with salted fish and the other with prawns). We also had tea and Tsing Tao beer. I just want to say that until now, I am still missing that dinner. And yes, I would probably go back to Macau, because of the food. We then went to the Grand Lisboa (and I smile everytime I mention the place) and played (the cheapest) the slot machines. Still, no luck with gambling! I took the liberty of munching on their free snacks. Haha. It made me feel like I was actually checked in at the hotel. And I wasn’t shy enough to let any waiter pass by, without grabbing a bunch of goodies for my never-contented tummy. :p

Day 2: We visited Rua de Sao Paulo (Cathedral of Saint Paul). It is the ruins of an old cathedral, about 5-10 minutes away from Senado (depending on how fast you walk :p). If you went on top, you can see a picturesque view of Macau. Along the way, there are a lot of stalls where you can buy souvenirs. There is also a museum, showcasing a gallery of history and Catholicism.

In the afternoon, we took a ferry going to HongKong. We didn’t care about Disneyland much at the time, so we just wandered around, not exactly knowing where to go.

Touchdown—HongKong

I think the HongKong trip is just a siding to the complete meal. There are only 2 sensible things I had at HongKong. One is ice cream; and the other is H&M (come on! Everybody loves H&M!).

When we went back to Macau, we wandered again at the Grand Lisboa (see the frustration of being at an exquisite hotel?). Then we had dinner at one of the restaurants in Senado Square. They serve noodles in really big bowls. And I mean BIG. It’s even bigger than my face. The place is easy to spot, since a lot of youngsters go there to eat. The food is appetizing (it may be the reason why we had to wait to be seated. The place is full!).

For the final day, we hopped from shuttle to shuttle to entirely see Macau. We bought souvenirs at Senado and goodies at KoiKei. (Tip: The shuttle to City of Dreams gives free key chains, and Ryan and I took a lot of roundtrips so we can get so many to take home for our friends. Very Pinoy!) When you veer away from the big hotels and casinos, you’ll see that their culture is still highlighted and the simple life is still very much appreciated. I love it there. I love the food. I love the place. I love the culture.

We waited for a cab at the Grand Lisboa, just so we can be picked up at a hotel we hardly set foot to. Haha. But still, I love our hotel. :)

Random pics at Macau

The entire experience is fantastic! For our first out-of-the-country trip, this is really something worth it! Though we haven’t really slept at a reputable hotel, some things are really better — the friendly receptionist at our hotel, the luscious food (and using chopsticks), and the long walks that we cherished of traveling together. What we had at our trip was great, but who I was with was even better!

Sat, Jun. 02, 2012 →

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:)) (Taken with instagram)

Fri, Apr. 06, 2012 →

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"You can’t act like you know everything about life… when you have not even lived yours."

Mon, Mar. 12, 2012 →

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"You don’t have to TOUCH another girl to CHEAT on your girlfriend. Words are cheating too. Lying about it is even worse. A MATURE person ends a relationship before they start searching for another one."

Mon, Jan. 02, 2012 →

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"We live in a competitive and self-aggrandizing world.. And along with it, people permit themselves to be used and use people in turn, just so they can satisfy their thirst for success. Maybe, only those with real skills and intellect hold on to what we call self-respect. :)"

Mon, Nov. 07, 2011 →

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…and now I learned the truth

I don’t know what I am feeling. I (think I) settled my problems and the drama in my family… but I feel that it’s a hopeless case. And now, there’s someone that makes me feel that there’s no hope in life.

…that people will only use you, and drain the good out of you.

…that it is indeed a self-aggrandizing world.

…that once they got what they want, they’ll leave you… and leave you like a filthy worthless thing.

…that they can live forever, their conscience withdrawn, without even feeling sorry.

…that money makes the world go round.

…that you can be honest, and they still won’t believe you… and judge you.

…that after all the sacrifices, and the things you did to please them, they still have the guts to carry on without you.

It’s unfair… how you could care so much, and receive a little.

…how you believed that life is good, and then you’ll find out that it’s not worth living anymore.

Mon, Oct. 17, 2011 →

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"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. SMALL MINDS DISCUSS PEOPLE."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Sat, Sep. 03, 2011 → 1 note

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Nerdy and Beautiful ;p

A few years ago, my lolo told me that he can only rest peacefully once he sees me on TV. I loved performing when I was a kid. I sing, act, dance—anything about the performing arts. That might be the reason of his idea of seeing me on TV. But when I turned 11, I fell in love with sports and literature. I participated in musical theatre and modeling events, but my heart was somewehre else. I disliked performing. I hated being on stage.

I brought home golds for taekwondo and swimming, and many recognitions for my writing. The things I love are those that doesn’t require a pretty face or a glimmering smile. I’m contented with hiding my face in books or spending afternoons with a pen and a paper. Never have I imagined being on-stage again, until last year. In an abrupt decision, I joined Miss Daet 2010. I know NOTHING about beauty pageants, but I thought lolo might be able to watch me up on stage again.

9 days before the coronation night, lolo died. I thought of quitting, but my family convinced me that if he’s still alive, he’d love me to continue. With my heart still ablaze, both with pain and with hope, I put on my 5-inches heels and showed everyone what I am made of—not the awkward walk, but the determination of making him proud. Despite of the stiff poses, forced smile, and wannabe-graceful-walk, I won Miss Pinyasan 2010 (And for that, I thank the person who invented the Q&A part in beauty pageants :D)

Seriously, I thank God for giving me another opportunity to regain my confidence and face the spotlight again. I thank my mentors, the Junior Chamber Internationl of Daet, my family and friends for the trust never-ending support. Two months ago, I won Miss Camarines Norte-Tourism. And that only proves that (1) the ‘graceful walk’ improved A LITTLE, (2) my brain still works wonders, and (3) with the inspiration that my loved ones constantly give me, I always want to go a step higher.

Recently, I am enjoying doing everything I love… Having a corporate job, being socially responsible, and being both nerdy and a beauty queen ;). And yes, I am exquisitely elated knowing that lolo already found that genuine peace while he is watching me in his LED television in heaven.

Wed, Jun. 22, 2011 →

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It’s a Happy Week :)

Sunday and Monday- got the chance to bond with my family after SOLAC. I missed them… how we have fun and joke about almost everything. My nephew, Pj is so adorable that I almost cried when I had to get back in Manila.

Tuesday shift- I had lunch with FPal and (sir) Raymund, and had a few laughs over ‘wow’ wowsteaks. Tapos natupad na din ang timezone! Sa wakas!!! After shift, we went to San Mateo to attend mass, and had our breakfast at Prima Blends. Syempre with FPal,super fun moments lagi (except nung nasa church kami na gusto ko ng kumain ng tao).

Wednesday shift- Kinausap na ko ni ____. Finally, narealize nyang nageexist talaga ako. Superduper OMG! Enough to complete my day :)

Thursday shift- Had lunch with Fpal. Then timezone ulit. :)

Friday shift- Had lunch with Fpal and Raymund. Walang timezone pero kinausap naman ako uli ni ____. *big smile* Malilipat na daw ako ng dept :( Pero ok lang. I wouldn’t know if it’s better kung di ko tatry, diba? Though , mamimiss ko ng super yung dati kong teammates, basta, bahala na. Let go. Let God. Nagbreakfast kami ng FPal sa Redribbon. Tapos si Aileen parang nanay ko. Si Eds haynakow. Pinagseselosan ko. Hahahahaha. Nagdramahan at endless tawanan. Naiwan ko payong ko. I asked them to get it. Then Hya called with the sweetest “hello Princess…”, edi napa-smile naman ako ng bongga. Binalikan nga ng dearest friends ko. :)

Saturday- Rest day

Sunday- Cineuropa. Enough said. :) Tapos humabol si Eds ng “Enjoy mo na lang. At least maraming nagmamahal sa’yo.” Naks naman! Meganon?!

Sun, Sep. 12, 2010 →

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Nakakaloka ka!

..and I hate myself for keeping this big smile on my face, when i shouldn’t.. for spending hours rolling on my bed, forcing myself to sleep, and realizing he’s right… Yes, I really am thinking about someone.. And these thoughts filled my days and nights with beautiful sunshines. And though I try not to, this feeling just makes me ecstatic about everything. And though I know I shouldn’t, it can’t be, it’s not right… it just feels perfect. Perfectly annoying, perfectly confusing, perfectly EUPHORIC.

Wed, Sep. 08, 2010 → 1 note