The Adventures of Abby

Before my list, let me just declare that I am a huge Hunger Games fan. I finished reading the series in August 2011, and I finished book 3 in 7 hours. I just couldn’t put the books down as soon as I hit chapter 3 of the first book.

I begin with that because if you’re reading this for the purpose of being educated in the novels, I highly recommend that you go ahead and purchase them (or borrow them, if you’re so fortunate) because I can almost guarantee that you will find them worth the money and more. If you’re not big on fiction or just don’t have the time for it, then this list is for you.

Either way, there’s far too much content in book 1 to cram into 2.5 hours, so you may find that some things make more sense after reading what you may have missed:

• The Hunger Games are all about control. Though the Hunger Games began as a result of a past rebellion referred to in the film, it’s not so much about punishment as it is about control. The idea is: Remember that we are in control, we can take your children while you watch helplessly. You are at our mercy. (more…)

I consider myself to be pretty versatile with food — I’m not picky, I’m pretty open-minded, and my tummy’s rather tough. When it comes to spicy food however, it’s always matter over mind for me, so while I do have a tolerance for it, I usually go for the milder options. Before I go on, I am a Bicolana by blood, but it seems that my tongue has no respect for the heritage!

Two years ago, I had my first taste of Szechuan food at San Xi Lou restaurant here in Hong Kong. I went there with colleagues and one visiting from the US, who made it a point to visit that particular restaurant. Of course, I didn’t really understand the fascination for what I felt was a subtle form of masochism, but again, I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to food. (more…)

I’ve been living in Hong Kong for a while now, and though I haven’t seen everything this place has to offer, I think there’s enough for me to write about. If you’ve been here this long, the Ocean Parks and Disneylands lose their appeal, and you tend to appreciate the simpler things. One such thing is a place we fondly call “Mr. Wong’s”.

Before night time and on weekdays, this place is just like any other Chinese restaurant, but go there late on a Friday night and you’re lucky to even get a table. (more…)

Finally, let me tell you about our last full day in Bohol. That day was all about the sun, sand, sea, and the creatures in it.

6am, we headed out to the beach and met up with the boat dudes (yes, I’m calling them that). We went straight to business, setting off for a long ride on a tiny boat with an insanely loud motor. We knew we were out to see the dolphins first, but for the whole 30-or-so-minute ride, there was nothing to break the hypnotic dance of the waves, except for the occasional flying fish.

As I began to think that maybe it was a bad day for dolphin sightings, we caught up with at least a dozen boats parked in a relatively small area. I quickly realized that this could be where the magic happens. Relatively image-heavy post after the cut, because this is the kind of thing where show is much better than tell. (more…)