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Free to roam Honolulu at last!

After wasting two hours being held by immigration, I and my mother were finally allowed to leave the airport and freely roam US territory.

We immediately felt the pinch of spending dollars when we had to take the bus to our hotel. The fare was $9 per person for the 11-kilometer drive (That same amount will carry me more than 400 kilometers back in the Philippines!) A bold sign in the bus also said “Your bus fare does not include the driver’s tip.” I’m not sure what that meant but since our driver happened to be a Filipino so we gave him a $1 tip anyway. Haha!

For our 2-day visit we will be staying Ala Moana Hotel which is right next to Honolulu’s largest and most popular shopping destination, the Ala Moana Center. It is also dubbed as “the world’s largest open-air shopping mall.”

My body clock says it is still 5 AM but all other clocks in Honolulu insisted it’s already 11 AM, so despite the jet lag, we went out to window-shop. Read the rest of this entry »

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There was an extraordinary amount of security at the Honolulu Inter national Airport. When the aircraft door was opened, passengers were not immediately allowed to disembark. A security officer announced over the PA system that all passengers should be ready with their passports in their hand, “This is a passport check!”

Security personnel kept an eye over passengers as they entered the airport as if someone would dare sneak out of the tube. Inside the airport, security reiterated each passenger should have their passport in their hand. Behind my head I was wondering why they can’t just wait until we get to the immigration counters. There were at around six immigration officers checking passports.

I stepped ahead with confidence and handed my passport to two immigration personnel with the visa side up. I was thinking the worst thing with my documents is the picture on my visa which was taken almost 10 years ago. They looked at my visa, then scrutinized my passport, and asked me to step aside for some questions. It turns out that all the immigration officers were specifically looking for me!
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So far, everything is going as planned and we’re now 10,700 meters above the Earth and 6,800 kilometers away from the island of Oahu. The temperature outside is -43°C and we’re traveling at over 900 kilometers an hour. The flight will take a little over 10 hours and I’m trying to enjoy every moment of it.

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If everything turns out right, I’ll be on the island of Oahu tomorrow. Unfortunately, I’ve been so busy at work the past weeks that I didn’t have time to be excited about this trip. I haven’t even planned how to spend my 4 days there yet!

For sure I want to see some lava flows and the observatories on Mauna Kea. Unfortunately those are on “Big Island” which is another plane ride from Oahu and I’m not willing to shell out $500 for that! Perhaps I’ll be contented with the museums and aquaria on Oahu, and since I’m going with my mother and aunt – spend a lot of time (window)shopping.

Well, who knows? I might still find a cheaper way to touch the snow on top of the world’s tallest mountain and see some real lava flowing.

For now, lunch break’s just ended. Better get back to work so I can have peace of mind tomorrow!

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One by One

After two months of practice, we finally went onstage to challenge the congregation. It was the Missions Musicale and we were the Missions Choir.

It was last August when we started our practices. Althea was invited me to join the choir and while I was in the process of explaining “I don’t sing” and “I’m not sure if I have the time,” she has already introduced me to ten choir members including the conductor. Before I knew it, I was standing right beside the grand piano learning the notes of Go Forth and Tell! With that song, I knew I had to attend the next practice. Read the rest of this entry »

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October is Mission Month and my singing career is alive once again! Haha!

Since I think I’m not ready to be a missionary yet and personally reach out to all the needy souls outside of my own country, I’ve agreed to join the Missions Musicale. With that, I am inviting anyone who reads this to attend the evening service at Doane Baptist Church on October 26, 2008 at 5:30 PM.

This isn’t the first time I’m singing in a choir. Ive sang in the same church — about 10 years ago! I never thought I’d ever sing again, but when I was presented with the first song they (we!) were going to learn, I felt like I had to do what I thought I couldn’t do. Here’s a teaser – Go Forth and Tell!

Thank you Althea for invitation and for your powerful convincing powers (I’m sure someone was behind her).

Let’s send out the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ! See you there!

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At the Blood Compact tourist site in Bohol, Philippines.

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There is no such thing as “summer” in the Philippines. There is only the dry and the wet season. Summer is a term used in temperate countries where they have four seasons – spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

However, the terms summer break, summer vacation, summer job, etc. are deeply ingrained in our subconscious that I find it a hassle to substitute them with technically correct terms each time. I am therefore making this blog post so I can just link to it everytime I loosely use the term “summer”. For the record: technically, there is no summer in the Philippines.

The Philippine dry season lasts roughly from December to May and the wet season for the rest of the year. I’m not sure though if this still holds true given the recent climatic anomalies. Rain and sun seem to be all mixed up now.

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