Sigh….
This has been a tough month. So many changes.
Ever have one of those life-altering events that just throws your life and everything you hold true into disarray? I had one last month. And have been dealing with the aftereffects and pain ever since. You wanna know? Email me.
The first clue was the posting of “Cemetry Gates” for almost a month. I generally dun post song lyrics, since I ‘m usually better expressing myself than some random songwriter. I haven’t been online, haven’t done any MSNing or anything even close to routine. And on top of that, I see that one of my fave blogs shut down because of the jealously of petty people.
Next week, I’m off to HKG, via NRT for a week and a half. I had a ticket I had to use or burn. Because of the quick time that this trip entails, I kanna head down to my favourite city-state, even though it’s sooo close! Singapore will have to wait until next March….
The HKG trip will be more business now. I’m planning to caucus with some frens there about finding my way to Hoi-Ping (which I understand is called “Kaiping” City now) in Guangdong Province. If I can get there on this trip, that would be good. If I can get there after before Ching Ming next year (cuz Ching Ming is at the beginning of April), it would be better (I’m still a sucker for planning) AND I can swing down to SIN and visit my dark chocky lovin’ fren.
During this past month, we had our two weeks of “summer”. It was nice. Today is “Black Friday”, or the first shopping day after Thanksgiving. It’s raining and cold. Fun for all those people who actually queue up in the wee hours to get into a mall…
Priorities, people!!
Respect where you are
There is one ironclad rule that all international travellers should abide by (maybe through a blood oath or something goth like dat):
You respect the local laws, customs and traditions of wherever you visit.
Examples: you can learn how to bow properly in Japan or catch up with happenings in Hong Kong and by extension, the PRC. Or even the food scene in Singapore.
But most importantly, you need to observe what laws are important wherever you are. Especially when it’s printed in big red type on your arrival card. Like this.
Think of visiting other countries like visiting people’s houses. You in their house, you follow their rules. And don’t expect special “rights” simply because of the color of your passport (or the “rationale” for breaking this kind of law).
The freedom to make your own decisions is the most precious of freedoms. The responsibilty for the aftermath is, again, borne by the individual.
Pretty deep for THIS blog, eh?
UA PA announcements
I’ve had to listen to no less then three UA drones,
#1 at the gate,
#2 on the plane (flight attendant) and
#3 from the cockpit,
go on about how “this is a very full flight”, yadda yadda yadda.
Is there EVER a UA flight that isn’t full???
Nope. Never. Ain’t gonna happen.
Food at Terminal 3
SFO has some decent choices for food. Especially compared to my recent experience at Washington Dulles where the food choices were: a TGIFridays and a McD’s on opposite ends of the terminal!!
In SFO’s Terminal 3 (UA domestic), there’s a Lori’s Diner, a Japanese place, a Mexican place, a Chinese Dim-Sum place, a Soup place and a dessert place.
How “diverse”!
Typical of San Francisco, it reeks of elitism due to the lack of a McDonald’s or any other place to eat at SFO that’s reasonably priced. Look at this.
How come so much more than in Union Square??
This is the menu board at Lori’s. US$12.99 for a chicken fried steak breakfast!!?? The dim-sum place was charging US$5.00 for a basket (three pieces) of har gau, siu mai and a few other yum cha staples.
That’s more than even Yank Sing, the most overpriced yum-cha place I know of!!!
There have been several sob stories about how SFO businesses aren’t making money and all that. Perhaps if these businesses and the airport realize that not everyone who flies is on an executive/dot-com expense account and lower their prices, people who travel may actually buy food at the airport!
I’m hella hungry but I’m not paying US$13.00 for chicken fried steak and eggs or US$5.00 for three pieces of yum-cha. I’m flying to LA, land of good cheap food and I think I can hold out…
Rail Link Clarification
Waaaah!
Let me clarify last week’s entry about US airports and rail links.
SFO does have a rail link to the City. That’s technically correct. But the experience still sucks.
Verrry eariy this AM, I awoke at 0615 to get out of the house by 0715 to wait for MUNI to get to the BART station.
In case you’re new here, MUNI is hell on earth. MUNI sucks. MUNI is our local “Transit” system that always stops for red lights. Even if they’re green. And it will wait at that green light until it turns red.
They also run at their own leisure. I waited 25 minutes for an overcrowded, filthy bus with the majority of people on it the kind I wouldn’t want to associate freely with in ANY way. And it ran SLOW! Slower than a UA “flight attendant” responding to the attendant call button in steerage.
Then (of course), the basi finally gets downtown. After 35 minutes of timing every red light on Geary Boulevard and stopping at practically every block.
You can make the transfer to a BART train to SFO IF you have no baggage and run like-a hell. Of course, no mere mortal could do this. Except Superman, but if you were Kal-El, son of Jor-El, you would fly yourself to LA instead of trying to catch a train.
Long story short is that once I entered the bowels of the Powell Street BART station, my mobile worked (Cingular) but I had to wait 18 minutes (remember, just missed the train?) for another SFO bound train.
It took 30 minutes for the BART train to travel 14 miles, including the train coming to a dead stop and waiting for several minutes after Daly City station. Twice.
Sooo, using my public school math, the BART train goes 28 miles an hour. Sooo fast!
The BART link drops you off inside the International Terminal. If you are flying UA domestic, it’s a 6 minute walk through the International Terminal before you get to Terminal 3. Coming off the horrible BART/MUNI experience, entering the Int’l Terminal is like walking onto another planet.
It’s clean. Pleasant. And NO BUMS.
Then you make your way to Terminal 3. It’s crowded. Not quite
as nice. But better than the journey you made to get here.
I’m hungry. Wonder what’s there to eat?
The Delicious Life!
This is a blog I found while looking for stuff for my Anthony Bourdain entry.
enter The Delicious Life!
She’s a transplanted midwesterner currently in Southern California (AKA, heaven on earth) dining her way through the basin. A good writer and funny too!
Although, I wonder if she’s ever made it to Chano’s?
Anthony Bourdain’s TV show
That new tagline at the top of the blog was pinched from his TV show, No Reservations.
It’s a fun show. He’s sarcastic on camera, but incredibly courteous to people he meets and interacts with on his travels.
He eats, smokes, drinks and does unusual things wherever he is. And gets paid for it. In other words, he’s got my dream job, lah!
Quite observant too. For example, when in Iceland during the winter, “It’s dark. A lot”.
Kanna beat wisdom like dat…
Well, I’m off
…but not to Asia yet.
Trip to LA this weekend to help some frens out with their ground ops.
I expect to lose at least three pounds (by trudging up and down hills) and my voice (cuz it’s not just a lit drop). Hope we can get it all done by Tuesday…
Wanna go wanna go go go
Singapore is calling!
Hawker centres are there!
Low fare airlines are there!
People I wanna see are there!
Bizzare architecture is there!
Singapore is calling…
Set Menu
Mmmmmm, I’d like some of that set menu right now…