The Great Britain Rendezvous: Glowing in Glasgow

It was the trip of a lifetime! I thought the farthest country that i'll ever be in all my life will be the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It never crossed my mind to set foot on Europe for a working trip, not even for a personal vacation, due to financial incapacity (LoL). So when our QC Engineer informed me that I'll be tagging along for the next Pre-Inspection Meeting to UK it was like answered prayer. Hahaha.

So, after Visa application, flight and hotel bookings, preparing itineraries and meeting documents we're off to UK for a 16 hour flight via KLM (Manila-Taipei-Amsterdam-Edinburgh). It's a loooong flight and my back aches due to small legroom of KLM, but when we passed by the immigration officer in Edinburgh all the tiredness and hunger has gone. Hello Scotland!!!

"Iba ang simoy ng hangin sa Europa in fairness!"

Enough with the "wow' and "ahhh" moments, first things first. We need to get to downtown tog et a bus to Glasgow. You see we made an error in airport. There's actually a international airport in Glasgow and yet we selected Edinburgh as our arrival airport. The two cities are 200+ miles apart and can be reach via train or cab or bus. The lovely Travel office in the airport told us that it is not advisable to take the cab because it will be very expensive so she advise us to take the bus in downtown. After getting all the information me and Mam vadette hurriedly went to the waiting shed for the bus that will take us to downtown.

"Our saviour: bus schedules"

Thank God for efficient bus system and on-time departure, after an hour of bus travel we finally made it to Glasgow City. From there we get a taxi to bring us to The Glynhill Hotel in Renfrew (outskirts of Glasgow) for our hotel accommodation (which is near the vendor shop which we'll be visiting). From the sunny Edinburgh here's what welcomed us in Glasgow:

"Btw, this is summer season in UK"

After we've settled in the hotel and freshen up a bit, we immediately go out and look for restaurant and check out the neighborhood of Renfrew. 

"I love the idea of pushing the button for a stop sign. We should have this here in Manila"

 Most of the buildings in Renfrew are made of red bricks. From office buildings to stores and Churches. They probably have lots of this here in UK. Though I think it's another way of insulating their buildings during winter season. 

"FYI: church services during Sundays are in the morning only. All church are closed in the afternoon"

"The Town Hall is like a Hogwarts tower/ Medieval castle combined. So cool!"

Day 2 of the trip. We had our Pre-Inspection Meeting with our Valve vendor and the meeting did very well. It was finished (meeting plus shop tour and valve testing) at 3:30PM thanks to the very cooperative vendor and complete technical documents (special thanks to Glory Ann for preparing the technical binder! yahoo!!). And after the wrap-up meeting and saying our good-byes we returned to our hotel and sprint our way to Glasgow City center. It's time to celebrate the success of our meeting!

Actually, when we set our foot to Glasgow the first place we've visited is H & M store. I know we should have chosen the museum and cathedrals but the 70% sale is just too hard to resist. And since we arrived around 4:45PM we have to make a quick shopping since the store closes at 5:00PM. Ang aga!!!!

Luckily the quick dash to the mall lead us to the train station (which we will use going to Edinburgh) and the Glasgow City Chamber (HQ of Glasgow City council)  Nice! Hitting 2 birds with one stone.

Fronting the City chambers is the George Square, wherein people mingle, hang-out, do socials and of course photo-op! Happiness right??

Here you can see the statues of Queen Victoria riding a horse, famous poets, scientist, inventors, generals and politicians who are Scots. Talk about prestige right? =)

"Sir Walter Scott all the way up there!"

"Sir Robert Peel and some seagull"

"All hail to the Equestrian Queen Victoria"

"Well known scientist James Watt"

It was barely a week ago from the Olympics, hence the Olympic logo at the square. Sayang hindi kami umabot sa Olympic season. =(.

"Lovely flowers at Glasgow park. Though it was cloudy, the flower reminds me that it's still summer in UK"

"The center of justice and government of Glasgow"

"Lion at the Chamber, one of Scotland's trademark"

 The two-way street is mainly composed of double decker bus (which is a fixture in UK streets) and pedestrians. The efficient traffic light system is a major help in maintaining order in the streets.

Though the trip to Glasgow city was short, it was still memorable. The lovely al-fresco cafe, the free entrance museum (which we didn't make it), the elegant stores (LV, Prada, Gucci, Mark and Spencer, H & M), the hanging out at George's Square and the seagulls makes the perfect post card memory.

Next stop: EDINBURGH!!!

Life Lessons sa Nami Island

1. Life is full of suprises. Don't plan too much or way ahead of your schedule. Live life one day at a time. God has a more grandeur and magnificent plan than our own plan.

2. OK lang to be single or going solo once in a while, but don't dwell on it too much. As the old saying goes, "No man is an island". Also it's very hard to get solo picture when you're traveling alone!

3. Stop and smell the flowers when life is beginning to take a toll on you (and your health). Try to enjoy the simple (and free!) things in life.

4. Exercise! It's a great stress buster. Take it from a guy who works 8:00am-7:00pm on weekdays and 8:00am-5:00pm on weekends.

5. Fall in love and give your best. If it doesn't work out maybe she's/he's not meant for you. But please do try to save it though =)

6. If you're broken hearted, cry over it. Talk to friends. Ask for advice. Then cry more. One week is enough for grieving period. More than that is already fatal. Don't be tied up to a nonsense emotions.

7. Celebrate life! Enjoy life to the fullest as if it's your last. Work hard, Play harder. Go out and party, hang out with friends, serve the community, be with your family. Basta Enjoy lang. No bearing to sulk and holed up in your bedroom the whole day.

8. Love Mother Earth. Recycle. Reuse. Reorganized. We have only one planet and its a no brainer to take care of it.

9. Be fabulous. It doesn't need a lot of money to be one. Channel your inner strength and show your character. Be fab and be a winner!

10. Sing a song. Even if your voice is crooked or out of tune, still sing for joy. If singing is really not your forte play an instrument. A song for God is always in good tune.

11. Take a lot of picture. People, Sceneries, Food, and what not, take their picture. Ignore those people who tease you for taking too much picture (or even check-in on places you've visit). Good memories (via photos) are better than missed opportunity (to photograph it).

12. Stand up on what you believe and be firm on your decision. Though it's hard or have repercussion, still, standing up on what you believe will still give you a character and status.

13. Balance you life. There is enough time for work and play. OA if you're always at the confinement of your office.

14. Fact: Mother know best.

15. Reach for your dreams. No matter how high or impossible it may seem. If you set your goal on it, it is achievable.

16. Don't be afraid to learn new language. If you're on a travel to a foreign land, learn the local version of the word "Thank you". 

17. Find the perfect partner. It may take some time but it's all worth it. Don't settle for "puede na". It should be "Ito na".

18. Not all relationship sails on tame waters. Most of the times you will be tested. Welcome this as an opportunity to learn and be strong and to know more about you're partner. There will be more test once you're married.

19. At the end of the day, it's still nice to go home to your love one.

20. Just like the cherry blossoms, life is like a bloom fields. Let us make the most of it. Show our beauty and grandeur to other. Be an inspiration. Be a model. Be a servant. Be God's chosen people.