50 miles from home - and a flat

I was 50 miles from home for a Saturday ride with several guys - and I get a flat or the rear wheel.  I didn't have any spare tubes nor tools to fix the flat.

I had to let the rest go on with the ride as they should not be waiting on me.  I was only 2 miles from the starting point so I just walked back.  I took a picture of the empty country road as I headed back to where I'd be waiting for my wife to pick me up.

Took a picture of the bike while I waited for my ride back home:

An Odd Hotel Room

One benefit of frequent travelers is getting "upgrades" such as getting a seat in first or business class when flying.  When I stay at a hotel,  my frequent traveler status ( "Platinum" / "Platinum Premiere" ) usually results in the hotel giving me their bigger rooms instead of the regular rooms.  These "suite rooms" are more elegantly decorated but for the most part, I really don't get to enjoy these as I don't spend a lot of time at the hotel. I've only enjoyed these room upgrades when I travel with my wife and kids.

On this particular week,  I was given a "corner" suite room which usually means it's larger than the regular suite. Outside the room,  I noticed the sign.

Usually "upgraded" rooms have some sort of dining table but this one was a bit odd - it was definitely a conference room table.

I moved the curtains to check the view and this is what I see:

Scenes from the Park

It's a Saturday morning in Beijing and I went to the Temple of Heaven.  It's a place revered by the Chinese and historically,  this is where the emperor prayed to the gods for a good harvest.

The amazing thing about parks in China is that the people actually use them for activities that we probably will never see back in the states: individual & group singing,  people playing cards,  tai-chi,  yoga, dancing and other activities.

Here are videos that I took with my cellphone this morning:

Spring Break, 2010

I traveled with the family to Washington, DC as it was spring break and there was no school for a week. Washington is an amazing place to visit - a lot of historic names, places and events too numerous to mention. The subway system is great and is a great way to get around as finding parking space is difficult in this city.  Here are some of the more significant pictures from DC.

The White House - view from the South Lawn

The Washington Monument

The World War II Memorial

Reference to some of the Major Battles in the Pacific during WW II

The Lincoln Memorial

Inside the Lincoln Memorial

View of the Reflecting Pool,  Washington Monument and the US Capitol from the Lincoln Memorial

Winter in Boston

It's winter and I've been working in the Boston area for close to a year now. Winter in the northeast makes the place very pretty (due to snow) but living in the area is a hassle. You need layers of warm clothes. Driving can be treacherous and if you actually live here, your car will not last as those in warmer states due to the salt that is put on the roads (to prevent ice). Even walking is dangerous as it gets very slippery.

This is the view outside the office window.

Heading back to the airport

Christmas Carols with the Sesame Street characters

I was surprised - I actually liked the show:-)

Penguins

Rio Loco

The Rio Loco ride at SeaWorld where you get tossed around and the main objective is to get wet.

Shamu - December 2009

We've always visited Seaworld usually in the summer but never in the winter. This is our first time to watch the show a few days before Christmas.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

SeaWorld

It's been awhile since I've posted something as my work schedule these past months have been very busy. Anyway, it's the Christmas season and I and my family was able to go to SeaWorld in San Antonio. Here are some snippets from the trip.

Sea Lion Show


Journey to Atlantis

Provo, Utah

I left the office around 7:15 pm and headed back to the hotel. I've always wanted to take a picture of mountains that is visible from my room but I've always been busy. This time around, I was not in hurry to do something else so I grabbed my camera and took a couple of shots.

More Aerial Shots

Click on the picture to see the full image


There's a lot of mountain ranges on the way from Salt Lake City to Houston. I took these pictures on a warm summer day where I can actually see more details on the ground. In the winter, all you'll see is snow and ice as you fly over this area.


The camera can only show so much and the picture does not do justice to the real view. By the way, flying over mountain ranges usually makes the flight pretty bumpy. There was a couple of bumps but this flight was pretty smooth all the way... pretty unusual for the summer.

Outside the Window (Provo, Utah)

I'm currently in Provo, some 40 miles south of Salt Lake City in Utah. I'll be working here for the next 2 weeks. Such a gorgeous place. This is the view that I get when I look out of the office window.


I've been all over the US but this is the first time that I actually liked a place well enough that I can consider moving here from Houston (still my first choice).

It's going to be a very busy month for me - long hours on the weekdays and additional work even on weekends. I wouldn't mind having a window view such as this on all my projects.

Thoughts at 35,000 ft

View from my window


It's a Sunday. My watch says 8:03 pm EST. I'm on a plane, enroute to Boston. As the pilot said, we're at 35,000 feet - cruising altitude. Now the flight is turbulent. It was smooth earlier. Probably some weather system as we approach Boston. The flight attendant just announced that we have another 1:10 more to go. I'm seated in 1A, by the window. I could have taken pictures with my camera but the battery is discharged. I'll use my cellphone instead.

Today was really weird. I woke up at 4 am. I knew I couldn't go back to sleep so I went to the living room and watched TV. I was able to sleep for about an hour on the couch. At 6 pm, I changed, got my bike and rode it till Barker Cypress in Katy via the George Bush Park. It took me an hour to get there and another hour to get back to the house (about 8 to 10 miles each way). Tired? Yes.

Don't know what's going on. Probably it's because I didn't want to leave home. I've spent the past hour looking at some of the pictures that I have on my laptop. I've known all along that I've been traveling all these years. My girl is 10 years old and my boy is 8. All this time, I've been on the road. They are growing up really fast. I saw our pictures when we traveled to New York a couple of years ago. I saw pictures from our Christmas trip to Europe in 2007. I've been looking at pictures that I took when I was working in Germany, Japan and China. I also looked at pictures I took in Manila on a recent trip. Something has been bothering me. I hope this is not some sort of depression.

I probably know what's going on. I've been thinking of the possibility of getting a "normal" (i.e. local) job these past few years. There are pluses to this job that involves travel. For one, I've been earning a lot of airline and hotel miles. We've been able to travel to places, both domestic and international, for free. We've stayed in great hotels in different cities and different countries for free. On the minus side, it's mostly on the family side. I would have loved to be able to go home every night just like "normal" dads do. There's more and I could go on and on. It's not like this is the first time that I'm dealing with this issue. It's a cycle of thinking that I go through every now and then. The great thing is I can always look forward to coming home every week and see my wife and kids greeting me at the door. I still have to work on my expense reports and other admin tasks when I get home. I'm not sleeping in some strange bed in a strange city somewhere. I'm home.

Boston area

I don't know how long I'll be working on this project here in the Boston area. I've been traveling here weekly now for the past 3 weeks. The flight time is about 4 hours. Add the commute from home to the airport plus the driver to the hotel (in Boston) and it takes me at least 6 hours each way.

I did not expect much from the hotel but I was pleasantly surprised with the view from my room. I could see the Charles River from my room. I can also see the kayak and canoe rental place from my room. This would be a neat idea if I'm able to bring my wife and kids in the summer.

Click on the pictures to see the full image


Someone on a canoe

Dallas

I had a week's rest at home after arriving from China. Thereafter, I was sent to work on a project in Dallas for 4 weeks. It's been a couple of years since the last time I worked there. After several flights to and from Asia, Dallas is such a short hop from Houston (45-minute flight) that even in first class, only drinks are served - no food at all.

This is the view from my room at the Renaissance Richardson. The building to the left is a newly-built series of condominiums. The area is quiet and would be perfect for someone who is single or as a starter home.


Looking towards the south from my room

Driving and Mobile Phones

I arrived at DFW Monday, picked up my rental from Hertz and headed for the customer site. It was stop-and-go traffic on 635-E, not a surprise to regulars in the area.

I haven't driven far and I hear this loud bang from behind. Now I'm thinking, "Again?". I looked behind me. The lady driver was on her cell phone, continually yakking. Great...

The crash was strong enough for my laptop bag to fall from the seat. I'm just glad it was not as bad as the previous accident that I had in Austin. Same story - lady driver on a cell phone crashing into my car...yeah, from behind. That one was bad: the car was totaled. I had bruises and had to go to the doctor several times for a year due to concussions.

If you must call and drive, do so if you are using bluetooth and make it quick. If you don't know what bluetooth is, you probably should not be allowed to own a cellphone. Problem solved. Otherwise, park the car and call.

Click on picture to view full image

At fault


Damage to side panel and bumper

More airport scenes

I'm done with my project in China. I took these pictures at the airport on the way back to the US.

View from Beijing's Capital Airport Terminal 2


I took a similar China Southern Airbus from Manila to Beijing (via Xiamen).


Tokyo/Narita airport - one of the shops that sell electronics


Walking towards the Continental gate


Japanese goodies for sale


More goodies


Even at the airport, there's always a line at McD


You can get something to read for your flight, if
you can read Japanese.


Another store, more eye candy


At the Origami store


More origami


And some more


NRT even has a Sushi bar


You can also take a shower at the airport


A place to let the smaller ones play


Lounging area for passengers


The Continental 777 that flew me home. I was upgraded me to seat 1A in the BusinessFirst section. I ate and slept well. The flight was smooth, except for some sections over Russia and over the Pacific. As soon as we got closer to the US, there was not even a bump.

More Food

Room Service
There's a lot of options on the room service menu but somehow I prefer this "Spicy Noodles with Seafood in Sechuan sauce". After arriving from work, going to a restaurant to eat (alone) does not sound very appealing. Then what is appealing? I dial the room service button on the phone and order this one. In about 30 minutes or so, it gets delivered to my room... still steaming. The taste is amazing and is very spicy. I put my feet up on the coffee table and enjoy the food while watching TV.


Duck Overdose
The China team treated the US consultants (myself and another colleague) to a farewell lunch. There were several courses and it was way too heavy for lunch. Once again, the Beijing duck showed up on the table. That was yesterday. Today, we were treated to another farewell lunch. The Beijing duck was on the table again. No complaints here. It always tastes great.

In your face, Starbucks

I was on my way to the Pearl Market. As I got closer to the building, I noticed a coffee shop that looked like a Starbucks. Never mind the logo, the color and the signage. Probably just a coincidence...

Click on the pictures to see the full image



The Pearl Market. Sure, you can find pearls and other jewelry here. However, it is more popular for selling knockoffs of luxury bags, watches and electronics. IPhones, ipods, Rolexes, Louis Vuittons and other brands are in full display. You ask for something, you get a price. You just haggle until you are happy with the price.


At the Subway