Category Archives: been there

my first roller coaster ride

Posted by rob on

i’ve always suffered from motion sickness.  it was so bad when i was a kid to the point that i throw up.  until now as old as i am i still feel nauseated when i’m inside a vehicle that makes sharp curves on the road, or that occasional turbulence that i encounter during flights.   i think this was the reason that i avoided theme parks, for how will i call fun rides as “fun” when i dread to be on one of them?!

so another of my 10 things i have not done before list was to take a ride on a roller coaster.  when i was on my days off last march, i invited my parents and my siblings at enchanted kingdom.  actually, i went beyond on just riding one.  out of my pumped-up adrenaline, i managed to try their drop tower ride, ekstreme, where it raised us up at 150 feet in the air sending a flock of butterflies in my stomach.  i was just waiting to faint as it suddenly dropped without warning!

after surviving the drop tower ride, me and my brothers immediately went to the roller coaster ride, space shuttle max.  still feeling woozy, my blood was pumping as i sat on one of the seats.

space shuttle max is an inverted version of the vekoma boomerang coaster that consists of a single train with seven cars, capable of carrying 28 passengers.  the ride begins when the train is pulled backwards from the station and up a lift hill, before being released. after being released, the train passes through the station, enters a cobra roll element (referred to as a boomerang by the designers), then travels through a vertical loop.

to show as proof, here is an embarassing picture of me “screaming like a bitch”, hahaha!   as i experience my first roller coaster ride.

 

i felt terrible afterwards.  will i do it again?  never. 🙂

china mall

Posted by rob on

i have been temporarily assigned here for work in ajman for almost two weeks now.  ajman is about a 45 minute taxi ride to dubai without the traffic, and is the smallest of the seven emirates making up the united arab emirates.

one of the places to visit here is china mall, a 100,000 square meter built-up area with shops that sell china made merchandise like garments, accessories, textiles, household, jewellery, fashion accessories, toys, crafts, and electronics.  i saw fake designer merchandise being sold here which are mostly for women and even an iphone 5 that sells for 300 dirhams! 

i bought some bottled chinese iced tea, haw flakes and some dried seafood snacks from a shop that sells foodstuff then i saw one store that sells ‘crocs’ shoes.  i went inside the store and had a small conversation with the chinese guy selling the items.

me: how much for the crocs loafers?
chinese guy: 30.00 dirhams each, buy two for 50.00 dirhams.
me: huh? 30.00 dirhams?! are these original?
chinese guy: original? what original?! it’s made in china!

i think i got the guy pissed off in my stupid question, haha!  anyway, i bought a pair of khaki-colored ‘original’ crocs loafers and after he saw me taking pictures, i looked at him and said:  “i’ll show my friends”, he then smiled and replied back: “okay.. tell your friend buy”! 😀

a night in a historic hotel

Posted by rob on

one of my 10 things i have not done before that i posted at the start of the year was to spend a night in a historic hotel.  well the oldest hotel that i know of in manila is obviously manila hotel and to take it simply, if it is old its historic, hehe.

established in 1912, manila hotel has survived even the bombing of manila during world war II.  the japanese troops took over and maybe even ate buffet dinners at café ilang-ilang .. lol! 

when i was about to check-in at the hotel, i told the front desk reception that i had the reservation done online but did not received confirmation.  they checked their records and voilà!  my name was not listed and not confirmed!  i thought i won’t be able to check-in and that will be a full embarassment on my part for i have invited a friend for dinner.  good thing they offered to take my card and charged me on the same amount as their internet rate. 

i chose a deluxe room and was assigned at the seventh floor, facing intramuros.  the room has its classic flair of furnitures and a modern marble-tiled bathroom with a water-proof lcd tv.  broadband internet and a fruit basket were complimentary – including nine pillows that almost took the space half of the bed! 😀

buffet meals are served at café ilang-ilang where i invited my blogger friend chyng for dinner.  it’s my advance birthday treat for her for she’s like a little sister to me and is the first person whom i’ve known who has the same birth date as mine.

i’m not really into food blogging but chyng’s post on café ilang-ilang will surely be a feast in your eyes.  read chyng’s blog entry, café ilang-ilang at the manila hotel.