PART OF MY TRAVELLING EXPERIENCE is to watch musicals, festivals and live concerts. Last night, I took the chance of watching one of the hottest international singers, Enrique Iglesias. After five years, 5 months, 12 days, 5 hours and 20 minutes, the Filipino-Spanish singer visited Belfast again for a one-day concert tour at the Odyssey Arena.
I am a concert goer, not Enrique’s avid fan. But because he has a half-Filipino blood, then I decided to watch, showing my support for him. Another reason is that, this is a pre-birthday treat for myself and my first live concert in Belfast after watching BLUE (British boyband) at the Araneta Coliseum in 2005.
The video was recorded and edited using my Sony digital camera and Viao laptop’s movie maker software. Hope you will enjoy the clip as I enjoyed recording it last night!
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Thursday, 1 November 2007
Stunning rooms inside the British Parliament
During my weekend escapade in London last September, I had the opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament. The Parliament was opened to the public every year when the session was on recess from 31 July to 29 September.
Since I am a student, I got a discounted price of £8 (from £12), but for kids is £5 and family for £30. The tour arrangement was good where we were organised in a group of 20-25 persons with a tour guide. Unfortunately, the tour did not include the tour for Big Ben and the Clock Tower. It took almost 1 ½ hours to complete the tour, including taking a snack in the small restaurant inside the compound.
There are so many things to learn from the tour. For example, why the motif in the House of Commons is green and red for the House of Lords? Moreover, what is the significance of the portraits (paintings) of St David, St Patrick, St Andrew and St George inside the Parliament? One of the rooms inside the Parliament reminded me of the 4 important virtues: courtesy, generosity, hospitality, mercy, including the importance of 'religion'.
The House of the Lords is one of the most decorated room and I cant explained how I feel when I was inside this place where legislations are examine and pass by unelected and unpaid 740 members which include Archbishops and bishops and hereditary and prominent peers. This is also a ceremonial place for the State Opening of Parliament by Her Majesty the Queen.
The House of Commons is an ordinary chamber which is commonly watched on TV live coverage. Watching the session on TV, I thought it is a huge room but being there, it is much smaller than expected. It has a seating capacity of 437 for the 646 members of the Parliament, including the side galleries for the public.
Other interesting places include the Central lobby, Queen's Robing Room, Sovereign's Entrance, Royal Gallery, St Stephen's Hall and the Westminster Hall (the original structure).
By the way, the Clock Tower is one of the Parliament's best known features, popularly mistaken as the Big Ben. Actually, Big Ben is the nickname of the 'bell' housed inside the Clock Tower, and Augustus Pugin is the name of the clock designer.
Finding more about the Parliament' business, please visit this link: About Parliament or Clock Tower.
Note: For families planning to go next year, the tour is not ideal especially for young kids considering that majority of the attractions inside the buildings are much more of adults' interest; and too early for kids to understand the British politics! Lastly, cameras are not allowed inside the main chambers of the Parliament, except for the assembly area of the tour and the Westminster Hall.
Why Travel? Part 2
FINALLY, I will now take some basic travel challenge questions to share my passion to visit places around the world, and in some way I could be able to impart my experience to my readers who would like to be a frequent flyer/traveller like me!
Q: How many times a year do you travel? I do it at least twice a year for overseas between 1-4 weeks holiday depending on the locations; and unlimited for local destinations which normally take a day or just a weekend trip.
Q: Do you stay in your home country or do you go abroad? Both, as I mentioned in the first question. For example, living in my home country with 7,107 islands to explore, the drive to visit places is high. I have already visited most of the major tourist destinations in the country located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Further, the opportunities derived from my professional work and further studies are the main reasons why I have to explore other places overseas. For instance, when I was in Australia for my research program from 2002 to 2004, I was fortunate to travel around the country – Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. From Australia, I was able to travel to New Zealand, London, Sweden and Finland. Hopefully for next year, I am planning to visit South Africa and some part of EU members’ countries like Spain, Germany and Italy.
Q: Do you organise your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency? Combination, but mostly I do my itinerary both locally and abroad. I only use the travel agent for ticket bookings for major point of destinations and to maximise the flight package (in terms of the number of stop over).
Q: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and studying maps?Absolutely yes to ensure that my itinerary will be hassle-free and I will really enjoy my trip especially for major destinations. As soon I reach my destination, and then I do the necessary adjustments in terms of what places to visit. For local trips especially over week ends, I do not practice advance planning; it is always a quick decision as long as my resources allow it.
Q: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organised group? For international trips, I always travel alone and with friends for local short tours. Mainly because I will be visiting relatives and friends living on that particular destinations; and will be accommodated by them during the entire duration of my holiday.
Q: Do you prefer the sea/mountains/plains/cities as destinations? No preference depending on the destinations’ attractions – what these places can offer. But mostly, I prefer to visit the city centres (like in the UK, US, and Europe) to see the urban form/settlement; coastlines/beaches in Indonesia, Thailand, Fiji, and Australia; and mountains of Scotland, New Zealand, Nepal, Japan and of course the Philippines.
Q: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holidayer? I can do both: relaxation and being on the go to explore the place. But mostly, I always look forward to do things that I have not done before which I can freely accomplish during my holiday. Going to a beach for a swim and sun bath is a way of my relaxation. Having good times with relatives and friends that I have not seen them for so many years is also a worthwhile thing to do.
Q: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language? Yes. Not only learning their language/dialects/slang but also the ‘accents’ as well. Maybe I can learn few words during my stay, but eventually I will forget later. But luckily, I still do speak basic Thai words after spending almost 3 years in the country. I also remember some slang words that are commonly used in Australia and Northern Ireland. For my home country travels, having 38 dialects within the 7,107 islands, it is also tempting to learn some of them especially for places that their dialects are quite similar to my mother tongue. Not only the language, but I will always find ways to understand and experience every culture that the host destination can offer.
Q: Are you interested in the cuisine of a foreign country? Definitely, being a guest/tourist, I think my travel will not complete if I have not tasted any menu from the host country. So far, I love Thai food and to some extent the Japanese food. I also love to eat Vietnamese food, even though I haven’t visited the country, but of course it can be found elsewhere.
Q: Which means of transportation do you prefer? I always take the air transport for long distance travel. But local travels, either bus or ferry. Since I am temporarily residing in Northern Ireland, I prefer to travel by train and ferry. Again, it depends on the availability of the transport system in the country destination.
Q: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? Do you tend to take too many/too few things with you? I regularly use an ordinary wheeler bag with a pad-lock for travelling overseas. I don’t have any difficulty for what things to bring during my trip. Being restricted with 20-25 kg by airplanes, it is logical enough to pack the basic personal things for the entire journey, which means for one day, I need 3 shirts (one for sleeping), 2 underwear, 1 pair or pants/jeans for two days, and 2 short pants (including for sleeping) for two days. Aside from this, I need to include 3 pairs of shoes/slippers with socks, handkerchiefs, laptop, camera, 2 mobile phones, toothpaste/brush, scissor, condoms, shaves, perfumes, and of course my passport with the valid visa, insurance policy and tickets.
Q: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends? 100% yes! Not only sending them to close relatives and friends but also collecting them as souvenirs to remind me of my holidays. Honestly, the first thing that I buy either in the airport or malls are postcards and look for the nearest post office to have them delivered quickly.
WELL thats it! Hope you learned something about my traveling experience. How about you, can you answers these questions as well? Have fun and make your travels enjoyable and memorable experience!
Q: How many times a year do you travel? I do it at least twice a year for overseas between 1-4 weeks holiday depending on the locations; and unlimited for local destinations which normally take a day or just a weekend trip.
Q: Do you stay in your home country or do you go abroad? Both, as I mentioned in the first question. For example, living in my home country with 7,107 islands to explore, the drive to visit places is high. I have already visited most of the major tourist destinations in the country located in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Further, the opportunities derived from my professional work and further studies are the main reasons why I have to explore other places overseas. For instance, when I was in Australia for my research program from 2002 to 2004, I was fortunate to travel around the country – Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. From Australia, I was able to travel to New Zealand, London, Sweden and Finland. Hopefully for next year, I am planning to visit South Africa and some part of EU members’ countries like Spain, Germany and Italy.
Q: Do you organise your holidays yourself or do you go to a travel agency? Combination, but mostly I do my itinerary both locally and abroad. I only use the travel agent for ticket bookings for major point of destinations and to maximise the flight package (in terms of the number of stop over).
Q: Do you prepare your holidays in advance by reading guide books and studying maps?Absolutely yes to ensure that my itinerary will be hassle-free and I will really enjoy my trip especially for major destinations. As soon I reach my destination, and then I do the necessary adjustments in terms of what places to visit. For local trips especially over week ends, I do not practice advance planning; it is always a quick decision as long as my resources allow it.
Q: Do you travel alone/with family or friends/with an organised group? For international trips, I always travel alone and with friends for local short tours. Mainly because I will be visiting relatives and friends living on that particular destinations; and will be accommodated by them during the entire duration of my holiday.
Q: Do you prefer the sea/mountains/plains/cities as destinations? No preference depending on the destinations’ attractions – what these places can offer. But mostly, I prefer to visit the city centres (like in the UK, US, and Europe) to see the urban form/settlement; coastlines/beaches in Indonesia, Thailand, Fiji, and Australia; and mountains of Scotland, New Zealand, Nepal, Japan and of course the Philippines.
Q: Do you mainly relax or are you an active holidayer? I can do both: relaxation and being on the go to explore the place. But mostly, I always look forward to do things that I have not done before which I can freely accomplish during my holiday. Going to a beach for a swim and sun bath is a way of my relaxation. Having good times with relatives and friends that I have not seen them for so many years is also a worthwhile thing to do.
Q: If you go abroad do you learn at least some words of the foreign language? Yes. Not only learning their language/dialects/slang but also the ‘accents’ as well. Maybe I can learn few words during my stay, but eventually I will forget later. But luckily, I still do speak basic Thai words after spending almost 3 years in the country. I also remember some slang words that are commonly used in Australia and Northern Ireland. For my home country travels, having 38 dialects within the 7,107 islands, it is also tempting to learn some of them especially for places that their dialects are quite similar to my mother tongue. Not only the language, but I will always find ways to understand and experience every culture that the host destination can offer.
Q: Are you interested in the cuisine of a foreign country? Definitely, being a guest/tourist, I think my travel will not complete if I have not tasted any menu from the host country. So far, I love Thai food and to some extent the Japanese food. I also love to eat Vietnamese food, even though I haven’t visited the country, but of course it can be found elsewhere.
Q: Which means of transportation do you prefer? I always take the air transport for long distance travel. But local travels, either bus or ferry. Since I am temporarily residing in Northern Ireland, I prefer to travel by train and ferry. Again, it depends on the availability of the transport system in the country destination.
Q: What kind of luggage do you take with you? Have you got problems packing? Do you tend to take too many/too few things with you? I regularly use an ordinary wheeler bag with a pad-lock for travelling overseas. I don’t have any difficulty for what things to bring during my trip. Being restricted with 20-25 kg by airplanes, it is logical enough to pack the basic personal things for the entire journey, which means for one day, I need 3 shirts (one for sleeping), 2 underwear, 1 pair or pants/jeans for two days, and 2 short pants (including for sleeping) for two days. Aside from this, I need to include 3 pairs of shoes/slippers with socks, handkerchiefs, laptop, camera, 2 mobile phones, toothpaste/brush, scissor, condoms, shaves, perfumes, and of course my passport with the valid visa, insurance policy and tickets.
Q: Do you send picture postcards to your family and friends? 100% yes! Not only sending them to close relatives and friends but also collecting them as souvenirs to remind me of my holidays. Honestly, the first thing that I buy either in the airport or malls are postcards and look for the nearest post office to have them delivered quickly.
WELL thats it! Hope you learned something about my traveling experience. How about you, can you answers these questions as well? Have fun and make your travels enjoyable and memorable experience!
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Created by Eugene Villar.