the montreal trip was marked by blind dining at o’noir, tree top adventure, museum of modern art tour, indie film viewings at cinema du parc, long walks at rue st. laurent to rue st. catherine, hike down from mont royal, jazz bar excursions, a visit to basilique notre dame and poutine overdose.

the first two days were sunny but unfortunately my friend had to support some work stuff so i just looked at the city from the window. finally on the third day we met up with her college friends and tried the surprise menu at o’noir. the ad said that senses are heightened and the flavors are enhanced when you’re blind dining, but interestingly for me, i thought the food was more bland when i don’t actually ssee what i’m eating. oh well.

the tree-top adventure was not as long as the one we did at la fleche in quebec, i wasn’t feeling up to it that time and i wasn’t even wearing the right shoes but i gave in to peer pressure and just went for it. i’m glad i did, i haven’t tried the obstacle course and ziplining in the snow. the only downside was there were no gloves provided and it was so cold but overall it was fun.

the view from mont royal was spectacular, but i heard that the view from cypress is way better, can’t really compare though coz i haven’t been to the cypress lookout yet, maybe i should stop by sometime. the hike down was not that bad, i did try to call for a taxi but it never came, it reminded me of the time when i walked down from tops – now that was hard work, i couldn’t lift my legs to stand up the next day, this one was nothing compared to that, then again we didnt really go up till the top..

among other things, montreal is famous for its jazz bars, so we went to at least three. acid jazz is not really one of my favorites, it’s like dadaism on saxophone, but i loved the piano renditions – now if only i can teach myself to play like that, then i’ll be set for a career in music =)

the last day of the trip was spent looking for starbucks mugs, i didn’t know this was such a hard to find commodity in this city of a hundred coffee shops. eventually we found a store that had stocks, unfortunately for me i wasn’t able to get a snow globe to add to my collection, i guess this calls for a next time…

Vancouver weather forecast was snowstorm over the holidays so I knew I had to fly to some warm city or else I’ll freeze to death in my apartment while my last memory would be of annoying barking dog in the background. So where’s the nearest warm city at this time of the year? San Diego!

Dec 24: arrived at 8pm and practiced aimless wandering at downtown SD. Nothing much to see on a rainy night but strolled along Embacadero and got a glimpse of the bay bridge to Coronado. Watched random strangers as they hurried off to places they needed to be. For a moment I was reminded of things and people I missed like home, family, and friends, but I had to brush the feeling away, or else I would just fall into the black hole. Playing at TGI Friday’s while I was passing by: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

Dec 25: after surviving Christmas eve away from family, I woke up to blue skies and sunny day. Hiked to Balboa Park to check out the museums but they were all closed, so went to the zoo instead to visit Panda, maybe learn some Kung Fu, and a few other Oriental words while I’m at it 😉 it started to rain after I said hi to the polar bear so I took the gondola and walked back home in time for my $5 Christmas dinner prepared by the hostel volunteers. It was great, best five bucks spent this month. I expected to be tired from a day of walking, but somehow my brain can’t shutdown, so I tried to write myself to sleep once more.

Dec 26: feeling a bit adventurous or stupid or both, decided to take the trolley to San Ysidro, the town next to the Mexican border. People kept saying it was dangerous to go there because of the random acts of violence, but I had nothing to lose so I took my passport, got a day pass and hopped on the Blue Line. There is nothing to see at the border, just an outlet mall and a one way street to Mexico. Wanted to see what’s on the other side and go buy me a snow globe but I didn’t have a visa so I couldn’t cross the line. Just ended up hopping on and off buses and following people around until I got sick of it and all the roads were just a blur of unfamiliar signs. Got off at some forgotten avenue and walked 14 blocks back to temporary home. Before i retired to dreamless sleep at 4am, I felt like a tiny insignificant dot in the mass of humanity.

Dec 27: 3 days has passed and still I haven’t seen the beach so bought another day pass and took bus 30 to La Jolla. It has a breakwater where seals starbathe and a cove facing the Pacific ocean. Became a beach bum for a day and walked from end to end, the water was too cold to dip in without a wetsuit. Looking at the big waves I can just imagine that on the other side of that vast ocean is home, and those waves crushing the rocks on my feet will be the same waves touching the shores of my land, if only it can carry me away from here then maybe it will be ok. Watched the sunset atop a large rock formation while the rest of the people used their high powered telephoto lense to immortalize nature’s marvel on canvas. I only had my eyes, my memory and my words to capture the colors of dusk swallowing the sky. One loves the sunset when one is sad.

Dec 28: last day in sunny SD, checked out of hostel at 11 then took bus 901 to Coronado, it was a 30 minute ride from 10th and Market. I love the sandy beach in this place, should have gone here from day 1 but it was raining then. Played chess on the beach and walked along the coastline, then all too soon I had to catch the bus back to the airport. My 5 day vacation to sunny city has come to an end. Now I am preparing myself to brave the cold harsh winter of Canada. It was fun while it lasted, just when the place has started to grow on me, it’s time to move on again, such is life. I’m just thankful that I have this opportunity to set foot on an uncharted region that used to be just another postcard picture for me. Life is good. The future is friendly. We’re growing together. I should keep this thought for the New Year.

it doesn’t really take much persuasion for me to hop on a plane and skip town for nothing or anything at all. a tap on my shoulder and i will be all set in 5 minutes. that’s how much i prefer to be on the road rather than sitting still inside the same four walls. and so i called my batchmate from university slash ex workmate slash ex roommate slash family friend whom i haven’t seen for two years and asked if i could crash at her place, she now lives in brampton with her husband and is expecting a baby. well, if last year was the year of getting hitched for most of my friends, this year seems to be the year for procreating.

and so last tuesday found me on a plane to pearson, leaving raincouver for a glimpse of clear blue skies or hopefully even snow, anything other than grey gloomy rain is good enough for me. i like toronto’s unpredictable weather where it’s sunny in the morning, then rains at noon and snows at night – i prefer any kind of variation even weather disturbances compared to the constant monotonous downpour. i showed up at our scarborough office and saw the people i used to work with last year. i like consilium better than the boot, running across the buidings to get to the next face to face meeting beats staring at my monitor for netmeeting and bridge telecons where people pretend to be on mute when they’re not really listening, swiping cards on the elevators to go to the right floor, junk food on the vending machines, giant flat screen tv’s and sprawling couches, walking across the street to get food at the town center, it just feels more alive to be there, i dont know, maybe its just me.

when one is short on the family card, one stacks up on friends. however being socially inept, i only have maybe five friends who are like family to me, they are the ones who know what goes on behind my eyes and what i’ve gone through, they have sort of “adopted” me into their lives, and will most probably pick me up from the emergency room if i ever wander there, i could always rely on them to not lead me astray. and even as we grow older and move on to building our lives apart from each other, i know i can always count on these friends to let me crash in their couch when i’m homeless, or hold my hand and hug me and pick me up from the abyss when i fall off my ladder. they are the ones who dont need or expect anything from me, who accepts me as i am and dont try to change me. well actually they try to mold me into someone “better”, whatever better means, but they still tolerate me even if i dont. they never force me to conform to their truths, they know what’s good for me and they take care of me. we can choose friends but not family, and so i choose my friends well and make them family. unfortunately, these friends are now scattered all over the world and it takes at least a 5 hour plane ride to get to the nearest one.

on this trip, i got back in touch with the reality that life is not equal to work and that the truth is out there outside clearcase builds and shakedowns. i was updated with what’s happening outside provisioning and got reacquainted with food and sleep – those things being social events for me, i actually think i gained 20 pounds in 7 days. i remembered that when i am asked “how’s life?”, i can’t just get away with “life’s good”, i actually need to bore into the details, coz my friend really wants to squueze me dry and know everything. i re-learned that people really care and are not just being polite when they ask “how are you?”, that it’s not just a conversation starter before they move on to more interesting things like element adapters and web services.

i was reminded that i can always count on friends to make me feel better about myself when i dont have my family beside me to tell me that i matter. and that they will always be ready to listen to me when i need a sounding board. its so easy to go to the dark side when one is alone and surrounded by gray things. my mom would say i should pray when things bother me, but i still need physical manifestations – people to be exact, to be there for me. now if only i had that here in raincouver then maybe life will be more bearable until i come back home again.

today, back in this gray town, my restless heart and wandering soul has taught me one truth, every place, every landscape, they are all meaningless, after sailing the seas, climbing the mountains, and exploring all the nooks, what’s the next frontier? it’s the people attached to each city that makes it special. and someday i will find a place where i can sit down and be content.

best thing about being here is i have buddies who love to travel, just like me. we never really waste weekends staring at the ceiling or cleaning our room or doing our laundry. (which reminds me of this pile accumulating at the foot of my bed). chores will still be there tomorrow, no need to hurry and do them. and so after a quick dinner at a taiwanese food place near metrotown, krissy, henrik and i picked up jake and we started our oregon roadtrip part 2. k was designated navigator keeping h awake by asking him about his current love interest. we enjoyed teasing him to pieces haha. at 2am we drove up to the nearest hotel and recharged our batteries. the next morning we explored the beaches of newport and lincoln. we walked along the dunes of yaquina bay and climbed the lighthouses. the waves were big and the water too cold, couldn’t last 10 minutes without a wetsuit. we watched the sunset and wrote our names on the sand with our flip flops scattered all over the place. it was the last trip all four of us would ever take together (at least for now) – the jetsetter group is being disbanded, each member going on to pursue different roads. k will be going to australia soon, but will visit florida first and then drive up to north carolina and all the other places in that vicinity, just to see if the geography is any different. jake is going to europe and then who knows where else afterwards. henrik and i are staying in bc, grounded and trying to grow roots. i felt really sad with this realization that i could be stuck in raincouver. j was always the planner, he would just say let’s go to this place and i would of course say yes then we would get more people to join us. now that he’s leaving, it’s like a piece of my wing is torn and i wouldn’t be able to fly anymore.

sunday found me waking up at 6am so i could dial into the bridge and vpn to work to check on a project release. helped with some minor glitches that required a recycle, then checked out of the hotel and proceeded to woodburn. the only significant thing i bought in this trip is my monopoly board game that uses no cash only debit cards. wow imagine that! cant wait to play it. somehow we were all shopped out this time, nobody really bought anything for themselves – well except for those polarized oakley shades!, most items were for others who couldn’t go and wanted something brought back for them. we had dinner at red lobster.. at last! i’ve been wanting to eat here for the past 8 months. this is my fave seafood place in toronto that’s not in raincouver.

stuffed and content with our food and purchases, we drove back home in silence with me as navigator this time, trying to stay awake and making small conversation. i will miss these people. i will miss these trips. why are they moving on? why am i staying here?

vacation ended too soon, went to kawasan, moalboal, bantayan and panglao. everyday was either a road trip or a boat ride to another island, walked along the shore and swam against the tide and basked in the sun like there was no tomorrow. chased the waterfalls and hiked the hillside and mountain tops, with no need for fleece or a warm jacket when twilight falls and the stars are out.

this is life, the way God intended it to be. no worries about refactoring or singletons or ejb descriptors or missing db tables. just sea and sand and moonlit nights.

poof! and the dream is gone. back to raincouver’s hard gray pavement where my steps echo in that empty room with no windows. when i opened the door i saw my things neatly piled up in boxes. i’m being thrown out of the house. good thing i have friends here, who helped me pick up my stuff and find a new place to park my things. i couldn’t be more homeless than i am now. my clothes are in my desk at the office and i shower at the gym. on mornings i would walk across the floor from one end to the other to stretch my legs and in the evenings i would talk to the cleaning lady who wonders every day why i work so late. “i live here”, that’s all i told her.

i will survive, somehow.

ski and snowboard fest was the main event at whistler for the past two weeks and we all drove up just in time to catch some of it last friday. sleet followed us as we escaped the city limits but good thing it stopped when we finally reached the mountains. we stayed at the fairmont and explored the village while the rest of the more athletic and cold resistant people went on their ways to catch a few jumps and drops – probably one of their lasts before winter finally bids goodbye. saturday midnight found me taking the greyhound back to the mainland, just in time for another sunday roadtrip.

it seems like almost every weekend is spent driving south and running away from safety. i can’t help it, i feel better when i’m on the road, moving, walking, hiking.. i get nauseated when i’m stuck in one place with the same monotonous background and people around me, i need to find clarity.

why this restless heart? to escape boredom? to not fall into the trap and break my walls? i don’t want to think too much, all i know is i want to run as far away as i can and never look back.

weekends end too soon, whoever decided that there should be 5 work days and only 2 days for fun and relaxation is a saddist. but hey maybe it was meant to be this way so that we could appreciate it more. some people tend to put more value on things that don’t last, that’s the law of supply and demand right there. so they cram all activities they can fit in those 48 hours then spend the next hundred and twenty wishing it was shumatsu once again.

tulip town – that was our itinerary for saturday, and we got lost in skagit looking for this quaint place. we were almost on the verge of giving up after going around in circles for the nth time but luckily or rather magically, we found our way and feasted our eyes on the endless rows of petals struggling to come out from the ground. the sun was high up in the sky and people were flying kites, truly spring is in the air. and we don’t even have to drive all the way down to washington just to feel it, the sakura that greets me when i disembark at burrard reminds me of hanami at osaka jo, raincouver is actually a nice place to be when it’s not all gray and gloomy.

sunday was spent biking along the seawall of stanley park and crusing along english bay. finally after countless weeks in this city, i was able to take off my jacket and shoes and walk barefoot on the sand. it’s still blech compared to the beaches i’ve been to back home but it’s all good, every place offers its own gift, sometimes you just have to look for it in other corners.

it’s always the beautiful days like these that i fear the most. they kill words, because beauty is a reason unto itself.

– is the magic number. that’s how many we were at the lower mainland roadtrip last saturday.

it was 630am, when the 3 mini vans converged at tim horton’s, 3 dozen donuts and a dozen coffee orders later, we were all set to conquer the peace arch, aldergrove, cloverdale, lynn valley, burnaby mountain, cleveland dam and stanley park. i’ve been to most of these places but for me, it’s not really the destination that counts but the journey and the people you’re with that matters. in this case, i wouldn’t want to miss the company of new and old friends shouting at each other over missed stop lights and u turns haha

well, it was definitely worth it, wouldn’t miss it for the world.. ahhh, the comfort of friendship, where you expect nothing and nothing is expected of you, where you can leave your scripts at home and just be yourself, what a fresh break from the toxic fumes of everyday living..

maundy thursday found me at yvr waiting for my flight to sacramento. couldn’t wait to see the sun again after a month of clouds and rain. when i arrived at smf, gerry was there waiting to tell me about his novel which will be published this year. shing flew in from chicago, bringing with her the stuff that i bought., and that’s how our adventure began =)

g’s place is an ultimate bachelor’s pad, with a pool table, mini bar, wii, ps3, xbox, and home theater to boot. i wouldn’t mind staying here for a year ^_^ friday was spent touring the airbase and shopping at downtown sacramento. we tried the burgers at in and out and enjoyed the warm sunshine while driving top down on g’s solara, a convertible is a necessity in california, so he says. to cap the day, we had dinner at this sushi place with the revolving tray.

woke up early on saturday to pick up jake and reenact sideways at napa and sonoma ^_^. had lunch at the wine train and went on the cable car to the top of sterling which has a nice view of the whole valley. got lost along the way and blamed it on the the bottle of pinot noir, haha. to cheer up gerry who wanted to get drunk but couldnt. we went to jollibee and red ribbon for peach mango pie and empanada =)

on sunday we drove to muir woods to hug the giant sequioa trees for my mom, apparently this has been one of her childhood dreams. we followed the hillside trail to burn off all the calories we had for the past two days and then proceeded to the golden gate bridge. the scenic view is picture perfect. lunch was at the fisherman’s wharf and a boat tour followed afterwards. g bought popcorn and chips to feed the seagulls while s was busy taking snapshots. i was at the other side of the boat looking out to the city skyline and wishing my mom was there to enjoy it with me. we wandered on the streets of san francisco, looking for the magic that people saw in this place, we never really found it.. at dusk, we went back to being children and played our hearts out at dave and buster’s.

fenton’s ice cream was the last treat we had before real planes came to take us back to the life we left. and that’s how i spent my long weekend.

after mike’s birthday dinner at red robin last friday, jake, krissy, alvin, jason and i walked to hilton to pick up our rental, the roadtrip to portland has begun. armed only with a gps and a bag of cheetos, we bravely went where no frugal man has ever gone to – oregon – for nature trips, and what else – shopping, (again!?).

ok i didn’t really buy much in this trip, i was just in for the company and the travel, to get away from what’s familiar and see something new. i get bored when i’m in one place all the time, i always have this need to explore and discover the unknown, even if it will end up to be the same terrain as the one i left; so that was my excuse.

we spent the night in seattle tacoma and woke up bright and early to follow the columbia river gorge. multnomah falls was a sight to behold, it’s definitely not niagara but not kawasan either, pagsanjan is definitely much better, but hey, who’s comparing right? the trail up to the bridge was good exercise for our cramped feet. after the short homage, we went straight to business – filling the trunk till it can’t be closed unless you jump on it. broke and utterly content, we drove back to vancouver to reflect on our splurge ^_^