July 31, 2009
Shanghai Transrapid Maglev
The maglev train of Shanghai Transrapid, servicing the line between Pudong International Airport and Longyang Road.Fare is 40 yuan if you have a plane ticket, 50 yuan for regular fare. It whisks passengers from the station to the airport in about 7 minutes, with speed up to 400 kmh.
July 30, 2009
2010 Public Holidays in the Philippines
Malacañang Palace recently announced the dates of public holidays in the Philippines for 2010:
Regular Holidays
Regular Holidays
- New Year’s Day - January 1
- Maundy Thursday - April 1
- Good Friday - April 2
- Araw ng Kagitingan - April 9 (Friday)
- Labor Day - May 1
- Independence Day - June 14 (Monday nearest June 12)
- National Heroes Day - August 30 (Last Monday of August)
- Bonifacio Day - November 29 (Monday nearest November 30)
- Christmas Day - December 25 (Saturday)
- Rizal Day - December 27 (Monday nearest December 30)
- Eid’l Fitr (TBA)
Special (Non-Working) Days
- Last Day of the Year - December 31 (Friday)
- Ninoy Aquino Day - August 23 (Monday nearest August 21)
- All Saints Day - November 1 (Monday)
- Additional Special (Non-Working) Days:
- Last Day of the Year - December 31 (Friday)
Special Holiday (for all schools)
- EDSA Revolution Anniversary - February 22 (Monday nearest February 25)
Start making your vacation plans, guys. :)
July 28, 2009
Quote of the Day
To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.
~Aldous Huxley
[pic: streetscene in Shanghai, China, 07/23/09]
July 27, 2009
Top of the World
View from Skyway 100, Shanghai World Financial Tower's 100th floor observation deck. Jin Mao Tower on the foreground, Oriental Pearl on the back. The building just below Oriental Pearl is the one Tom Cruise broke into in Mission Impossible III.
July 25, 2009
Skyscraper City
Shanghai's Pudong district, at night and day. On top, Oriental Pearl TV tower; bottom, the Jin Mao and Shanghai World Financial Center, the second-tallest building in the world.July 24, 2009
Totality
Here's the video of the totality of the 2009 solar eclipse. Me and my colleagues from the UP Astronomical Society observed the eclipse in Jinshanwei, aboout 100km south of Shanghai, China.
Storm clouds covered the sun's disc 2 minutes before the totality, but the darkness was so apparent once the moon covered the sun, as can be seen from the video.
July 23, 2009
Day 4: Shanghai Science and Technology Museum
With our primary objective of observing the eclipse done, UP AstroSoc folks had the chance to explore the city, and the best way to do that is to visit a museum.
Our choice? The Shanghai Science & Technology Museum. The Space Navigation and the robots of tomorrow displays were our favorites.
July 22, 2009
Total Solar Eclipse
The picture is not an underexposed image. This is an actual photo during the totality of the July 22 total solar eclipse. The UP Astronomical Society sent a team to China to obeserve the event, and the orbservation was held on the coastal district of Jinshanwei, about 100 km from Shanghai.
The weather was fickle during the event, with storm clouds covering the sky two minutes before the totality. I was doing multiple exposures but grabbed my camera when totality set in to take pics of the scene.
Aside from the darkness there was a noticeable drop in temperature as the sun was covered by the moon. The totality occured 9:43 local time, and it lasted for 5'58".
Shanghai, Day 2
Day Two in Shanghai was spent at work and play. In the morning, me and the rest of the AstroSoc team made a dry run with the equipment and practiced taking some shots at the sun. We did the practice at a park in front of the hostel, which attracted a few gawkers and curious stares.
After having breakfast at a local noodle house (a bowl of beef noodles, 10 yuan, Pepsi, 4 yuan), we took a nap then I went to the Shanghai office of Emerson to meet some colleagues at work. After the meet-and-greet, I went back to the hostel to fetch my companions. Destination: Pudong district.
Pudong is Shanghai's financial center, and most of the skyscrapers are found there. We took the Metro from Lubang to Century Avenue, then took a quick taxi ride to Shanghai World Financial Center, a 101-storey, 492-meter supertall. It is the second highest building in the world, and the highest completed building by roof.
We got our tickets for entrance to the observation deck located at the 100th floor (110 yuan) and then made our way to the top. The sight, needless to say, is amazing.
Visible from the view deck are the 468-meter Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the 421-meter Jin Mao supertall, among others. We waited until sundown so we can see Shanghai's skyline at night.
Visible from the view deck are the 468-meter Oriental Pearl TV Tower and the 421-meter Jin Mao supertall, among others. We waited until sundown so we can see Shanghai's skyline at night.July 21, 2009
July 20, 2009
Ni Hao
July 17, 2009
July 15, 2009
Quote of the Day
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”
- St. Augustine
July 13, 2009
2009 Total Solar Eclipse
The UP Astronomical Society will send an expedition to Shanghai (which I am part of) to witness and document the rare event. The eclipse is on July 22, 2009, and the totality will occur at 9:43 am.
The team site is here.
(Slides from the lecture on the 2009 Total Solar eclipse given by UP Astronomical Society alumni Bamm Gabriana.)
July 4, 2009
Going Green
I went to Tagaytay last weekend with some friends, and one introduced me to a Sonya's Garden, a restaurant situated in a secluded garden in the outskirts of Tagaytay (the place is in Alfonso, Cavite).
The restaurant/bed & bedfast is managed by an old dame named Sonya, who started the whole place as just a hangout for her and her friends, but soon became a go-to place for those who want to enjoy fresh veggies and fruits, and want a quite place to enjoy lunch or dinner. I'd recommend the greens, and the pasta. The fried candied camote for dessert is also something not to miss. 
How to get there: Follow the main road of Tagaygay going to Cavite, then take a right to Alfonso. You may need to ask the staff for a more detail directions. For reservations, call/text +63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140.
July 1, 2009
Travel Quote of the Day
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- Gustave Flaubert
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