I Love Lea!

I was supposed to write about food tonight BUT today was a very special day for me.  I met Lea Salonga!!!!!  OMG!!!! I was so happy.  If you've been following my tweets this morning, you'd know that I was such a fan girl when I saw her in Mercato Centrale (Fort Bonifacio).


We had early lunch at Mercato Centrale today and after lunch, we went inside one of the tents to have dessert.  When all of a sudden I saw Chuckie Dreyfus and RJ Ledesma and their families.  They were having their photo taken and didn't realize that Lea Salonga's family were with them too.  My Husband was the one who pointed it out to me and I was elated to see Lea in person.  Such a dream come true!!!!


I'm very grateful for my Husband for having very sharp eyes and even took a photo of them.  I was a the back talking to my dad, can you see me?  At this point, I still didn't know that Lea was there. 

After taking this photo, my Husband showed me their photo and said, "see, it's Lea!"  And I immediately shifted to fan girl mode.  I love Lea, as in!!!!  I admire her as a singer, as an artist, a woman, a wife and a mother.  I really love her!


I kept on following her.  I forgot about food, about dessert and even forgot about my family hehe.  I was just watching her from afar.  Too shy to come close because I know that even if she is a public figure, she was at Mercato with her family.  I didn't want to invade her privacy.


But my Husband encouraged me to have a photo with her since people around her were asking for a photo op with her.  So we waited and finally when she wasn't talking to anyone, I shyly approached and asked her if we can have a photo together.  


GRABE!!!! I was in heaven. haha.  She was gracious and said, "Yes."  I even asked her if she will be visiting Sydney soon, she said, "No plans yet."  She even related that she went to Sydney last year for "CATS The Musical".  So I just wished her, "I hope you'll have a concert in Sydney soon."

I was so starstruck!  She's so simple and she seemed like a person that you can easily talk to because she smiles and really talks to people who approach her, but she's Lea Salonga!  How can I not be starstruck??

I'm still mesmerized until now.  I won't ever forget this day.  To finally meet someone I truly admire, got to talk to her and even have a photo with her is a dream come true.

Sydney International Airport and Our PAL Experience

I haven't travelled internationally since 2008 and the Sydney International Airport has changed for the better.

On the day we travelled to Manila, we arrived four hours early at the airport but there were a few people waiting on queue at the PAL check-in counters.  

After we checked-in we immediately had heavy breakfast at Asakaze, a Japanese-Korean resto.  I had my favourite Beef Bibimbap while the Husband had Pork Katsudon. 

I'm grateful that Sydney International Airport has renovated the place.  It's not yet as big as Dubai or Singapore Airport but at least, the place has improved.  They now have a bigger Duty Free.

They now have a bigger lounge for passengers waiting for their next flight.

A spacious lounge as you passed thru Duty Free area surrounded by more shops.

A cafe for those wanting to have coffee and pastries.

More and longer walkators to get thru to your assigned gate.

We flew via Philippine Airlines.  It's been awhile since I flew via PAL and it was a first time for the Husband.  Our departure from Sydney got delayed.  Thank goodness for carpeted waiting areas and available power points.  Husband and I got to charge and play with our gadgets while we waited 40 minutes for our plane to arrive.

We got the old PAL plane.  We didn't have monitors infront of us.  We just had this small TV a few meters infront of us so we can watch whatever's PAL is playing.  The Husband, being his first time to ride PAL, was amused with the plane being old and low-tech.

We had fish for lunch because according to our PAL flight attendant, they've ran out of the beef dish.  When traveling via plane, they always have two options for your main meal.  Since there were so many kids on the plane with us, the beef dish ran out fast.  Good thing, we didn't have any allergy with seafoods.  The dish was ordinary.  Nothing really spectacular.  PAL seriously needs to improve on the food they serve to passengers.

They used to give real cutleries but now they just give cutleries made of hard plastic.

After lunch, they asked if we wanted drinks.  The Husband tried Manila Beer.  I just had tea.

And they gave out Salted Peanuts.  Happy hour!

We napped after we ate.  When we woke up we brought out our tablet and watched the movie "Life As We Know It".  After that,I started my "Modern Family" marathon.  I've seen all the series a couple of times but it never fails to make me laugh.

After an episode or two, the Husband called my attention.  

We knew we were in the area of the Philippines.

We saw water.

And then, we saw land!!!!!

Touchdown was 6:00PM, Philippine Time.  The pilot landed the plane with great ease.  We didn't even feel that we landed already, it was really amazing.

Hello, Manila! We are home.

A Few of My Traveling Essentials

We didn't have much time to prepare for our vacation but we made sure we have a few essentials that will make our travel a little more smoother and will somehow give us comfort.

Audio Share Device.  Smiggle (a lifestyle store in Australia) calls this "The Heart Hub".  We usually watch videos to pass the time in airports and inside the plane so we use this so we both can connect our own headphones.

Power Hub and Adaptors.  We found this power hub ideal for our travel because it has numerous power points, two spaced sockets and two USB charging ports. 

Travel book/s and map/s.  Even if we have digital copies of Lonely Planet guide books saved in our phones, laptops and tablet, I can't help but feel a little safer when I have a book with me too.

Magazine.  I always bring at least one magazine with me whenever I get on a plane.  I never buy fashion magazines on ordinary days, only when I travel.  I buy a fashion magazine when I travel because it entertains me when I'm inside the plane.

Insect Repellant.  I'm afraid of mosquito bites so I always bring a small bottle of insect repellant.  I spray this on my legs and arms.  Funny thing that happened here in Manila: I sprayed this on my legs and arms--it worked!   No mosquito bites on my legs and arms.  The mosquito was smarter though, they attacked my face and bit me on the right cheek.  I had red marks when I woke up yesterday morning.

Feet Cushions for Shoes.  Traveling involves a lot of walking so to bring a bit of comfort to our feet, I bought Foam Insoles and Gel Cushions.

Herbal Teas. Believe it or not, sometimes I bring my own tea bags even if I am just attending a party, moreso when I travel.  I know that even if we are having a great time here in the Phils, there's a part of me that misses Sydney.  So I needed to bring something from Australia which I know will give me comfort.  These brand of teas are one of my favourites so I bought two variants with me.  Some habits are hard to break; even if I'm here in Manila and it's hot, I still drink tea throughout the day and before bedtime.

iBooks.  Thank God for the technology of tablets.  No more additional weight to consider for books I want to read while on travel.  Even if on travel, I never stop reading.  I allot a few minutes for reading a book before bedtime.

My Stuff for Writing.  If I'm not blogging, I write on my journal/scrapbook.  My "whole entourage" consists of the following: two Canon DSLRs (not in photo) Lumix GF1 camera (not in photo), Samsung netbook, iPad 2, iPod Touch, planner, Moleskine notebook, a pencil case that houses my pens and mechanical pen and my prescriptive glasses (a normal one and a tinted one).

I also bring a few Sharpie coloured pens because I use my Moleskine not only for writings but also a scrapbook.

What's yours?

 

Manila Sunset

It's good to be back on familiar grounds.  It's awesome to be welcomed by one of the best sunsets in the world--Manila sunset.  It's wonderful to be surrounded by family and friends whom we grew up with.

It's great to be HOME again.

The Husband and I arrived in Manila two days ago and we are very, very, elated to be here.  It's been four long years since we've been here and we are discovering and exploring Manila like it's the first time.  So many things have changed here and we are embracing and cherishing every moment.

-o0o0o-

Just a few things:

My Blogmates:  I will be keeping this blog as up-to-date as possible but I may not be able to reply to comments or visit you back.  Thank you for always checking in and reading my stories.  I will drop you a line in May.

Our Friends:  We have your contact details and we will get in touch with you in the coming days for meetups.  I'm still dazed and overwhelmed by just being here (at medyo nahihilo pa ako) so I'm taking it one day step at a time. 

Everyone:  I'm constantly updating my Twitter Page http://twitter.com/ibyang - this is where I relate my vaycay adventures and discoveries.  This is where I also share photos from time to time.  If you have a twitter account and would like to join me in my journey, please follow me.  If you don't have a twitter account, you can just bookmark my twitter page. 

Happy 1st day of April!  Sending you happy vibes today!