Flathunting Season

Jun, my flatmate, is leaving Hong Kong in a matter of weeks and so I have to look for a new house. I have seen flatshares, flats from ads in the Internet, word of mouth and from legit agents as well in areas such as North Point, Tin Hau, Kennedy Town, Quarry Bay, Causeway Bay and Po Lam. I have a few weeks to decide but I have to make up my mind as these rooms/flats are easily snapped up.

It will be my sixth time to transfer house in a matter of three and half years in Hong Kong.

Nowhere to Hide

The Philippines is 11th most corrupt country in the whole wide world, along with a few African and Asian countries which makes the country in a dubious position it could hardly get out of. Why? Because a lot of people are trying to hide this fact and even try to dissuade the masses from believing the country is in dire straits.

Take this from another PR attempt to clean the country"s image by doing a lot more talking than executing. Putting white clean cloth will not make a messy table look clean unless you wipe the dirt off.

It is a long weekend in Hong Kong as people visit their dead loved ones in this Cheung Yeung holiday. I have to settle things at home: reply e-mail, sort our paperworks, laundry, and yes, flathunting too.

I will watch The Exorcist with Jacqueline later.

Hey, I keep on watching Bloomberg television everytime I get to wake up early in the morning. The anchor is a Filipina, Catherine Yang who used to be with ABS-CBN while I was still in the Philippines. She used to be based in Tokyo, I think, but is now in Hong Kong. I wish I could come across her some time -- maybe in Landmark, Times Square or Pacific Place. With generally mild American accent and, Filipinos can be good news celebrities, apart from journalism skills. Another Filipina news anchor is Regina de Luna who works for TVB Pearl here. CNN"s Veronica Pedrosa and Maria Ressa are also among those who make waves.

Lonely Bee?

From four, it is now down to one. Yes, there is now a solitary Jollibee branch in Hong Kong after one branch in the neighborhood closed down few days ago. That leaves Jollibee Hong Kong with only one branch in Central left. Though it is unlikely that this shop will follow suit -- there has been no rumors about other branches closing down due to poor sales -- the symbol of Philippine"s answer to global brands such as KFC and Mcdonalds will not be as prominent as before.

When I came here in 2001, there were four Jollibee stores: Shatin, Mong Kok, Wan Chai and Central. Shatin had to close shop when Jollibee and landlord could not agree to a better deal with shop leasing. I was not aware Mong Kok disappeared. And now, Wan Chai, which is a couple of stone"s throw away from home, will be gone. No word yet if any of these closed shops are going to reopen. I am just hoping that Jollibee will remain in Hong Kong even if it continues to exert aggressive marketing of its products in mainland China recently.

Travel Woes

It has been a week since I traveled to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in a span of five days. And guess what was often my problem while traveling and should have brought all along. Not Polymagma tablet. Not a pair of slippers. I forgot to bring a pair of shorts but it is not the one. It is the tiny piece of spare cellular phone battery.

I charged the phone in Singapore. I would inevitably use it (and drain it quicker) to place a call and keep in touch with friends to set up meeting places somewhere, may it be in McDonalds Puduraya or Victory Monument BTS Station; SMS does a little less help.

As battery life drains faster with phone calls, I became cautious once my 6100 reaches 2 bars and would not attempt to make a call nor answer it. I resort to SMS to save energy. Once in Kuala Lumpur I was aided by a bold Indonesian companion to ask for a favor to charge my phone in a travel agent office. I had no problem with the charger as it is always with me. Where to plug it becomes a problem.

So next time when your phone has roaming service, do consider bringing your phone charger and spare battery.

Breaking Down

Hong Kong"s weather has become milder lately. When I got the forecast on my way from Singapore last Sunday, I was surprised the temperature has dropped a bit, to a comfortable 20C. Right after the Mid Autumn Festival, the weather becomes cooler but will soon rise up before dropping again by winter.

I had been feeling too tired that even sleep is not the sole remedy. I need a massage too. My back is aching. Understandably, it was because of my backbreaking trip. Karen has been reminding me always about it.

If I cannot post this blog in 2 weeks, something must be wrong with me.