The City of Chicago

Last February, I visited a friend who lives in Illinois (kind enough to accomodate me over a weekend stay there). I arrived at O'Hare International Aiport from George Bush International Airport early Friday evening, a bit ahead of schedule. I waited for my friend to pick me up as he'd be coming straight from work to the airport. So, I sat there at the airport lounge and was actually trying to recall my impression of Chicago as the third largest city in the U.S. I was expecting more people, more noise than Houston but less than the craze in New York (imagining the night we spent going around Time Square).

My friend graciously accompanied me around the best parts of Chicago. At that time, I could not reconcile the nice ambiance with quite a high rating for crimes. Not that I'm not thankful for every travel that I never witnessed any untoward incidents. It's just that, I couldn't stop thinking of all the news about violence in the streets, and exaggerated as it may be, I still wonder how close from the truth they really were.

Anyway, I did enjoy our walk at Millenium Park even with a very cold weather. The "Face" Wall interactive fountain was out of operation but at least we were able to visit the Alder Museum (a good refuge against the chilly wind). The sky was not really cooperating so we didn't even try to go up the Sears Tower, as it won't be of any use overlooking the dark cloudy skies . But the overall view of the city from our stroll was quite mesmerizing despite the snow covered ground (I slipped a couple of times but managed to regain my balance) and frozen waters, I visualized it would be great during spring and summertime.

Based from what I've seen, I think I could live in Chicago. If I have the opportunity to work there, I'd grab it. But of course, I'd only stay as long as I'm content and no other favorable circumstance is calling my attention... (",)

I assigned this quarter dollar to commemorate this feature...

"I Love SChemES"

That's the phrase engraved in my memory up to this day starting from when I joined the Society of Chemical Engineering Students (SChemES) at the University of the Philippines (UP), Los Banos, Laguna. It all seemed like everything happened just yesterday. This same academic organization became a part of my college life and made it an awesome experience. It really did holistically influence the direction that lead me to where I am now. The members (one gave me this Australian coin after she got married) provided balance in my social and academe world.

I had guidance and support in building a proper perspective of not only what I can do as a student but most importantly as a friend, both from my family as well as my peers (brothers and sisters in the society). During that time, the university instilled a strong sense of positive love for intelectual development such that I, like everyone else, felt the pressure as our chosen degree imposed. But the societies we joined gave us enough lifeline (with so much fun) that we were molded into the best young adults as we can be (give or take a few mistakes). Most, if not all, of my fond memories at UPLB were courtesy of SChemES and all the "brods and sisses". I am blessed to have walked that road and grateful to all who have made it a journey full of laughter... even appreciate the occasional tears that were shared. I won't forget and will always treasure these precious memories.

New York Trip

January 2008, marked the date when I've set foot at The Big Apple. I've wondered why it's called that (haven't figured it out yet). Our flight was scheduled after work, another one of our weekend escapade. It turned out to be a swell trip but I'll go over it with a bit more detail.

We arrived at JFK International Aiport late evening and we went straight to our hotel via the subway train (we intended to have a real feel of our travel, seriously). After a goodnight's sleep, we headed off to see the statue of liberty. We ended up at Staten Island (wrong ferry..blooper #1). We walked around a bit and took some photos then went back to maximize our view of the lady statue with a raised torch. And then, after finding out that we missed the last boat to Liberty's island (blooper #2), we just fumbled through the streets of Manhattan searching our way to the New York Stock Exchange building and met up with the charging bull. Our after dinner destination was ground zero, Madison Square Garden (where I bought a Harv Ecker book) and the Empire State building. We were coerced to get a package tour of the Empire State which included some sort of an interactive 3D show. But then again, we were so caught up with being tourists that we missed the start of the show, missed the proper entrance to the show and end up arguing to get a refund (blooper #3). Well, at least we were able to get to the viewing deck for free after that.

On our second day, since we were staying at a hotel at Broadway Street a few blocks away from Central Park, we decided to stroll around even with a quite chilly weather. After sometime walking, we took refuge to the American Museum of Natural History. In the evening, we had dinner at Little Italy and then went straight to Time Square (bought a Hard Rock Cafe shirt). I decided to separate from the group and go back to the hotel on my own, as I was frozen cold and getting sleepy. I took the subway and got lucky enough to chance upon this featured coin (Russian coin) but I missed the station I'm suppose to get off from (blooper #4) and had to walk about a kilometer to get to the hotel. I actually ran a few blocks (or at least whenever I pass by dark alleys) because I was scared (remembering all the CSI episodes I was fond of watching). Anyway, I got to the hotel just fine and slept like a baby.

We checked out of the hotel the following morning because our flight is in the afternoon and we wanted to drop by at the Rockefeller building to shop for souvenirs at NBC Universal (I got a Seinfeld T-shirt for my brother). We left there to go straight to the airport an hour from our flight schedule. I accidentally got separated again from the group at the subway station (blooper #5). I asked the lady seated beside me to estimate the time I'd be arriving at the airport, explaining that I've got a flight to catch going to Houston. She looked at her watch and casually said that I had no chance of getting on that flight. It triggered my anticipation of getting left behind by the group and having to stay in New York alone for another night. I prayed hard that my group won't board the plane without me. And for the blooper finale, we were all late (they arrived at the gate just a few minutes ahead of me), but at least we were transferred to another flight that same evening (at Laguardia Airport). Relieved that we'd be able to go back to Houston that same night, but exhausted from the rush and excitement, we opted to just go straight to Laguardia even if we had to wait for a couple of hours more for the next flight.

Overall, although full of blunders, our New York adventure was relatively remarkable... deserving a toast of "the good times"! (",)

The TV Series: Prison Break

Last episode I watched, the setting was Panama (they could've done better if they chose the Philippines (",) ...) It was Season 3, I think, or towards the end of Season 2. And like all the other TV series I've watched, the plot or the characters seem to evolve into a more chaotic or freaky mood. Does that depict human nature? More like the thermodynamic law of increasing entropy. It's like the writers don't have any choice in the matter.

Hey, don't get me wrong. I liked this series so much that I followed it through. But it just got me thinking on what I've noticed for a long time now. I've watched a lot of TV series (too much of it, actually) and it all pivots to the abnormally negative side. I mean, what if the reverse was to be promoted, will it be less interesting? Something like, when everything is going right, it would be even better the following episode. Are the viewers convinced that things get worse in reality? Or maybe the optimists don't really watch any TV. Hmm, curiosity bites!

Anyway, I haven't been to Panama myself but I know it's quite an interesting place. It's a transit country with very strategic location between the north and south america. I wonder if ever I'll have a chance to go backpacking there. Now, that would be very interesting indeed, wouldn't it?