Monthly Archives: December 2016

Asia, Malaysia

[Malaysia]~ A Day in KL (Quiet and Otherwise)

A morning of quiet and after noon, one of chaos – 11.15.15

After spending a night dining in the dark and diner-seeing in KL, following day was spent visiting TITIWANGSA PARK where a scene from a favorite local film was shot. Unfortunately unable to find such but after minutes of sweat was able to find a decent spot with a view of the Petronas, KL/Menara Tower and Istana Budaya (which to me is version of Sydney’s Opera House). Prior to 4PM trip to Penang were failed visits to some city landmarks that were either under construction or closed due to some event before that who-cares-about-this-heavy-backpack windowshopping at PETALING STREET.
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Asia, Malaysia

[Malaysia] ~ Spending the Night in KL

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A night of dining in complete darkness and of watching people dine in vibrant market chaos.  – 11.14.15

A trip I made timed with APEC weekend, first day spent primarily on travel, arriving in the city at night with just the right amount of time to drop off my luggage at my hostel, have this love-at-first-sight ride at what I call the ‘rollercoaster monorail’ before making  it exactly on time for my reservation to one of things I was most excited for in this trip – a first to dine in the dark. What followed was some walking around the feast in food street JALAN ALOR in Bukit Bintang.

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Manila

[Manila, Philippines] ~ Wolf and Bear Cafe

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For someone like me who couldn’t take care of a pet dog – because of studio regulation and space limitations as well as my inability to commit to take care, I find my temporary refuge in pet cafes.

My first experience was an accidental one in Korea a few years back – in a place called Bau House. Despite dogs’ general dislike for me, it was such a memorable experience that I did it again – luckily without having to go back abroad as Manila has been catching on the fun of having dog and cat cafes. My most recent visit is to a joint pet cafe of dogs and Bengal cats – a place I discovered as it is near my favorite beer place in Cubao Expo.

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Japan

[Kobe, Japan] ~ An Evening of Murakami and Beef

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An odd combination of to-do’s but still of worth – 10.05.15

Right after my DIY Murakami tour in Hyogo is a side trip to nearby Kobe. An extension to my purpose in the former, I intended to see the bar which served as location shoot for a film adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s first work Hear the Wind Sing. Since I was in the area anyway, I sobered up with a rather pricey but signature meat in area.

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US

[New York] ~ Meeting the Bar that inspired one in How I Met Your Mother

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 Bar nights of fangirling – 06.24-25.16

As a fan of the TV series How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM), I have long researched that there is no real MacLaren’s pub as it is actually a set on Fox Studios in LA. I do know, however, that its creators (Craig Thomas and Carter Bays) drew inspiration from a favorite pub in New York City called McGee’s. With my short stint in the city then, I knew I could not let it pass without having my beer there.

This shares photos I took as an awkward fangirl while downing my few beers (and The Naked Man cocktail) on two consecutive days. Forgive me too as I reminisce some episodes as I share this story.

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US

(Less than Fifty) Shades of US

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Days of literally state-hopping. – 06.15-07.03.16

I’ve had the chance to visit US mid this year – spending a day or three in each state. It was not a leisure trip but I squeezed in some fun discovering vibe within my very brief visits to each of them.

This entry them compiles memories of visual treats and encounters of crazy and chaos in San Francisco, Texas, New York and Chicago.

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Japan

[HYOGO, JAPAN] ~ Where he lived

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Most often to read his words and be in places; this rare time to be in places that inspired his words. – 10.05.15

What followed my long day in Kyoto is a free one with no particular destination in mind. With some strong of luck the previous night, I came across an article on a town nearby with destinations related to my only and favorite author Haruki Murakami.

On my bucket list are visits to locations mentioned in his novels (which are mostly in Tokyo so clearly not to be a check in my to-do’s for this particular trip). Yet this surprised me with something better – a visit to place where he spent his earlier years.

With a Hanshin tourist pass and maps on hand, I visited a NISHINOMIYA EBISU – a shrine said to inspire one of his best novels (Kafka on the Shore), KOROEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL where he spent his early student days, HANSHIN KOSHIEN STADIUM where he was said to bike to watch high school tournaments and ASHIYA – UCHIDE PARK (also called Monkey Park) as this used to have a monkey cage as he mentioned in his novella and first work Hear the Wind Sing. 

Bonuses to this include seeing the clock with time set forever at around 5:46PM — stopped right before this earthquake that destroyed town, cheap shot of sake at noon, ending with these adorable kids at the park who proved that  words may be off and hazy but gestures speak.

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