Flying Asiana Air

Every time people learn that I'm taking Asiana Airlines for my New York trip, they would grimace, give me a concerned look and ask me why. I used to answer that I had no choice as Asiana offered the cheapest airfare.

If they ask me again now, I'd say "why not?"

I've tried flying Business Class on Lufthansa, KLM and Asiana over the past year and a half and among the three, Asiana is the best for me.

Both Lufthansa's and KLM's flight menus boasted of chefs on board. Asiana's menu was the simplest - it just provided the meal choices. But it served the best tasting food. The tenderloin was not as good as that served in Prince Albert's but it was good enough. I didn't get to choose how it will be cooked but since they served it medium well, I was happy. It was soft and tender and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper. It was served with sculpted creamy mashed potatoes. My other main meal was a delicious Bibimbap (translated as: Mixing and Harmonizing) which came with instructions on how to enoy it. It was as good as those served in the Korean restos in Manila, minus the heated bowl and the side dishes. They did serve kimchi with it, though.



In addition to this, I loved that they served salted butter in a dish. It was much easier scooping butter from a solid dish rather than trying to squeeze tasteless unsalted butter from the small packets that Lufthansa and KLM (and other restos in Manila) provide. I just held the piece of bread with my left hand, and scooped and spread the butter with a knife on my right hand.

I also loved the fact that in addition to the usual US movies, I also got to watch Japanese, Korean and Chinese movies. I enjoyed watching Korea's Princess Mighty during the Manila-Seoul leg. I attempted to watch Iron Man on the Seoul-New York leg but failed, as I was asleep most of the time!

And this was the real reason why I love Asiana - they had the best seats for me. Lufthansa had some nice chairs but the headrest was too high for me making me nod a little. the KLM seat also felt weird. But the Asia chair was so perfect! It fit my hips perfectly, gave my back ample support and it had the perfect space for my head! Even if I wanted to stay awake and watch a movie, I ended up dozing off.



Oops. Another reason to take Asiana was that their washrooms were always clean!!! In Lufthansa and KLM, there were times when the washrooms weren't clean. In Asiana, an attendant regularly cleaned them so they looked and smelled clean all throughout the flight.

Oh, and there's one more reason.(I feel like I'm in a home tv shopping show.) They have reasonable airfare!

Word for the Day: Karoshi

"Karoshi" - deaths from overwork

I guess these are not uncommon in Japan as they already have a term for it. For the latest Karoshi news, check out:

Ruling finds Japanese man died from overwork

Barcelona pics are up!

The Barcelona pics are here.

I'm still feeling tired after the Barcelona trip - I only had 2 days to rest before heading to La Luz, Batangas for our company outing (now that's a different story.) So I don't have much energy to do anything other than work. I'm hoping I'll be better in a few days. See you then!

Kung Bakit Payat si Paris (a review of the food in Hilton Hotel, Barcelona)

 
With only 1 hour and 29 minutes left on my internet card, 250 ml remaining on my 1-liter bottle of Evian and 2 hours and 5 minutes prior to check-out, I decide to take a rest and divulge some facts that I recently discovered.

Bakit payat si Paris? Dahil hindi siya kumakain.

Bakit di siya kumakain? Kasi hindi talaga masarap ang pagkain dito sa Hilton!

At first, I thought it was limited to the finger food that they serve during the meetings. I was wrong. Yesterday, I was too exhausted to move after 3 days of non-stop meetings. So, I decided to order room service for lunch and dinner. The sea bass for lunch was fresh but poorly seasoned. They just grilled it with the other vegetables and the chef probably thought that the sauces of the onions of the aubergines and onions would be enough to flavor the fish. Just like me, he was wrong. The sea bass tasted flat.

For dinner, I decided to order something basic, something that even I can prepare - a bacon cheeseburger. Since they called it the "Hilton Cheeseburger" I was hoping that it would at least be decent. Again, I was wrong. The fries that were served on the side tasted like cooking oil, the bacon was tough and the meat patty was dry. I am just so happy that I can charge all those crappy meals to the office.

Bakit payat ang mga tao sa Barcelona? Kasi ang bilis nilang maglakad!

Only a handful of our meetings were held at the Hilton. Most of the sessions were held at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. According to everyone in Barcelona, Hotel Rey Juan Carlos is only 15-20 minutes away on foot. Since I didn't have any reason not to believe them, I walked from Hilton to Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. It took me 45 minutes to get there.

A similar thing happened for dinner. We were scheduled to eat at a resto, which the concierge said was only 10 minutes away from Hilton on foot. It took me 10 minutes to get there in a cab.

CONCLUSION: People in Barcelona as are fast as taxis.



Bakit wala pa ring Barcelona pictures? Kasi wala pa akong napupuntahan. Kagabi lang natapos ang meetings ko.

But I am now on my personal time. Hola, Barcelona!!!

Back from Hundred Islands

Pangasinan doesn't have 100 islands . . . it has at least 123! And a day in Hundred Islands is worth the 5-hour drive from Manila.

Photos are here.

Made in Japan

Here are some pics from my Tokyo trip:

25 February 2008 - my room at the ANA Intercontinental hotel, my home for 5 days.



My first meal in Japan - I checked in the hotel right before the sunset. After unpacking my things, I walked around the vicinity of the hotel. Japan looked clean and colorful, with all its neon signs and vending machines (there are probably 2 on each corner!) Too tired to have a full meal (I was lugging around my clothes on top of the 300 copies of the brochure), I decided to join the numerous professionals who pop in one of the convenience stores to grab a sandwich. I got lucky and got the best shrimp sandwich I ever tasted and tried on one of the Japanese juices, lemon peel and honey.



26 February 2008 - Japanese trinkets sold on the way to Senso-ji temple in Asakusa.



My favorite shot - fashionable Japanese girls on their way to Senso-ji temple.



An interesting site - a caucasian dressed in a kimono being interviewed in front of the 200-lb bell at the entrance of Senso-ji temple.



Still in Asakusa, a Japanese woman starts her day.



27 February 2008 - inside the Tokyo National Arts Center. The building was just so beautiful with its curved lines and the amazing shadows they create.



Shibuya Crossing is the world's busiest intersection. 6 streets meet at the center and all pedestrians are allowed to cross at the same time.




28 February 2008 - sunset at the Imperial Palace. The grounds of the Imperial Palace were so huge that we decided to just stroll around the water fountain and the nearby park. I found the sunset more beautiful than the fountain.



The sunset reflected on the building behind the fountain.



This was taken by the palace wall.



29 February - rush hour at the Shinjuku station; this station is said to be the busiest station in the world, with 2 million people passing through it everyday. I went there at 8:45 AM and literally got confused with the hundreds of people rushing to work.



For more Tokyo pictures, visit this page.