Tokyo

Almost four years ago, I went on a tour with my sister to Osaka & Kyoto during the summer.  When I was 9, I went to Tokyo.  All I remember was the subway, cool air, and seeing everyone dressed up in Harajuku.  Will I go again while I'm here in Asia?  Probably not since it's expensive and I don't have a huge urge to go, but hopefully I will sometime again while I'm in my twenties.  The point of this post?  Nothing, but I dig this:

Eh eh eh

One of my (unhealthy) obsessions this past year has been korean pop music aka kpop!  2NE1 is one of my fave groups because they have catchy tunes, crazy outfits, they bring a different vibe to the kpop scene, and they don't act super cheesy cutesy like most kpop girl groups.  At first I thought this tune was ok/pretty good, but I think the video brings it to life.

Unexpectedly, we saw a lot of Korean dive shops, restaurants, churches and people in the Philippines.  Wiki tells me that Koreans in the Philippines "form the largest Korean diaspora community in Southeast Asia and the eighth-largest in the world, after Korean Australians and before Koreans in Kazakhstan."  Something I would have never known otherwise. *I forgot to add that one of the girls in 2NE1, Sandara, is actually an example of a Korean who lived in the Philippines.

With the hallyu wave ever expanding, we also heard 2NE1's "Fire" twice and Wonder Girls' "Nobody" a few times during the trip.  While we were in a shopping center in Dumaguete, "Nobody" came on, causing an employee and Laura to sing right then and there.  Made for a fun shopping experience : )

Blue

I've been spoiled this past week.  Spoiled by the beauty of the beaches in the Philippines where the water is so clear you can see the sand below until it gradually deepens into a glittering aquamarine and borders a deep blue only nature can paint.


We arrived early Monday morning at 4AM in Cebu City and eventually made our way over to Moalboal, a small town on the southwestern coast of Cebu.  Other than a few small streets catering to tourists in Panagsama Beach, the rest of the area was rural, with families living what seemed like the simple life.  Moalboal was initially the destination of choice for scuba diving, but after walking around, we realized we only needed to spend a day there.

In the afternoon, we took a tricycle to Kawasan Falls and showed up only to find that they wanted to charge us 3000 pesos to take a raft to the waterfall.  If you ever go, don't fall for this trick.  We didn't want to pay, so Kevin led the way, hiking up above the waterfall until we found a lagoon above the main waterfall.  The others walked in first and after some hesitation, Laura and I eventually stripped down and went in.  The water was fresh and cool--a nice contrast to chlorine pools and salty ocean water.  I couldn't stop thinking, "OMG we're swimming on the top of a waterfall!" I floated along on my back looking up at butterflies and tree branches against the sky.  I don't consider myself a nature/outdoorsy girl, but when you're in a place like this, you can't help but appreciate nature for the beauty it offers.

After some more exploring around the falls, we headed back to Moalboal and took another ride to White Beach, where we watched the sunset.  I fell asleep on my towel and woke up to local kids laughing and playing nearby.  It was already dark and we looked up to see the stars--something I haven't seen in a while.

Panagsama Beach, Moalboal

Kawasan Falls

 

Susnet at White Beach, Moalboal

La dolce vita

In six hours, I'll be on a plane going to the island of Cebu in the Philippines!  With all the tsunami alerts and terrorist attacks in the south, I hope all of that won't be a factor in our vacation for reading week (a week off when we're supposed to "study" for midterms).  It's my cheapest round trip flight so far at $163USD.  I never even thought of going to the Philippines, but after googling pictures of Cebu (and the persistence of Kevin & Kenny), I was sold.  From what I saw, it's like a postcard perfect, paradise, island kind of place I'd vacation in when I retire.  Will it really be like that?  I guess I'll find out!

I'll be going with one of my roommates--Laura from Chicago, Kevin from Florida, and Kenny & David are from Britain...a semi-international group going on.  Surprisingly, I'm the only Californian (we seem to dominate the HKU exchange program).  We plan on scuba diving (apparently Cebu or specifically Moalboal is one of the best places in the world for it), snorkeling, and doing any water-related sports besides being lazy and chillin' on the beach.

Within the past six months, I've been lucky enough to travel to Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan and now the Philippines.  Oddly enough, I've yet to go to mainland China (I will when I get my visa stuff sorted).  I've always had a longing to tour Europe and since I accomplished that, I'm now exploring this side of the world--something I honestly never put much though to before.  How is it so far?  Amazing.

I mentioned to one of my roomies' boyfriend that I studied abroad in Tuscany, Italy before, to which he responded, "Wow! You've had a great life!"  It made me think about it and yeah, I kind of do ; )

No Fondue

Tonight Kiran rounded Paris, Laura, Kevin and I to go to The Melting Pot in SoHo on Elgin St. & Hollywood Road.  I googled it beforehand and expected to arrive at a jazz bar, but to my surprise, it was salsa night!  It was a diverse crowd, mainly middle aged folks who went to have a good time and get their salsa on.  I think we were probably the youngest kids around.  People were shaking their hips and showing off their fancy footwork everywhere.  There was this "man in orange," who could move it like no other.  The scene was definitely something we didn't expect to find in Hong Kong.   I think expats hang around SoHo a lot because it's like they never even left home considering everything is "western" there.  At the same time, I wonder if they ever experience "very local" areas of HK?  To our amusement, the spot was also great for people watching (awkward looking couples or this girl who who just had a "save me!" look on her face when this old white guy dragged her out to dance haha).  The highlight was the live salsa band--the trumpeter definitely made me want to get back, re-learn, and make use of those 5 years I spent learning how to play.

On another note, I have two left feet.  Coordinated dancing is definitely not my forte. 

I already know how much I'm going to miss this place. My departure is months away, but I know it'll be hard to leave.

Relax

I honestly never know what Radiohead songs mean, but I just love their music...