Claudine’s Major Expenses in 2009
When my brother blogged about his major purchases in 2009, I was thinking of writing one but instead of purchases a mixed of purchase and expense. I’m already dreading the final total as I know I spent a big chunk of my savings. My travelling alone is like my combined annual food, rent and miscellaneous expense.
So.. let’s see who’s the culprit last year and maybe I’d learn how to minimize it this year. As they say, if you don’t try to learn where your money went, you wouldn’t know how to save and budget.
1. Canon Ixus 970is (USD 406 or RMB 2780)
As I was getting sick and tired of my Olympus digital camera which drains battery faster than it can shoot, I wanted to buy my very own Canon digital camera. My cousins and friends have used this brand for quite some time and were quite satisfied with the shots they’ve taken and the camera itself.
At first, I was contemplating of purchasing a SLR but I don’t know how to operate one. The only one I know how to operate is my friend’s Nikon D50. I hate SLRs because it’s big and bulky and not friendly to put in your pocket. I would admit though the picture quality is much better than a point and shoot.
Another reason why I want to purchase a new digital camera is I’m going on my first ever trip to my ancestral hometown in China. So, with the help of the web and my friends, I visited several reputable shops in Beijing to find my perfect camera. I was able to buy one at Carrefour for a discounted price as it was near Chinese New Year.
One Day in Seoul
During the May holidays last year, my travel buddy and I decided to go on a soul-searching trip to Seoul. It was a relaxing trip compared to our previous whirlwind tours. Seoul is a beautiful place with four distinct seasons. When we went there, it was spring and the weather was cool with vibrant colors surrounding us. A day is enough to visit several tourist spots and what I’ll be writing are what we visited in one day.
Changdeokgung Palace
Changdeokgung Palace was built as a secondary palace in 1405, under King Taejong’s reign. During the Japanese invasion of 1592, the palace was totally destroyed. It was restored in 1610 and served as a main palace for 258 years. It was inscribed on the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list in 1997.
Except for Thursdays during April through November, guided tours are only allowed while visiting this place. The Palace is closed on Mondays. Guided tours last for one hour and twenty minutes with specific time schedule for the languages it supports (Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean). English schedule is 1130am, 130pm, 330pm only. Chinese schedule is 1100am and 300pm. If you miss the tour, then join the other tours but just admire the beauty of the place.
Claudine in 2009
2009 is just another chapter of my book called life and I’d like to share with you what happened throughout the year. It may not be as exciting as what others have but I thank God for everything that happened.
January – Family
I started the year with a bad bout of cold and cough. I remember trying to barely keep myself awake to toast the new year. Good thing though, I spent it with my second family here in Beijing, the Camposagrado’s. I met the Camposagrado family through Marco and bowling. They’re a loving family who keep me grounded here in this mad world that I’m living.
This month also brought me to my ancestral home of Fujian. It’s my first visit and I didn’t know what to expect. As my family was never that into the Chinese New Year tradition, I don’t really know what to expect. One thing I know is to be equipped with lots of red envelope. It was quite a different Chinese New Year for me. My direct relatives were warm, accommodating and attentive. They were too attentive that I can’t seem to go around the place by myself. I feel like a kid who’s out in the big world for the first time. One thing I’m sure, I don’t want to go back there unless I’m staying at a hotel and no worries of somebody looking over my shoulder.
February – Love
I was in love or I thought I were. Every year at work, I saw my colleagues get flowers during Valentines Day. If your boyfriend gives you one rose, it means “You’re the Only ONE”. If he gives you three roses, it means “He Loves You”. However, if he gives you ninety-nine roses, it means “He loves you forever”. Well.. Valentines came and gone but I didn’t receive any rose nor went out to any date. I’m a romantic but somehow the person that I was going out with wasn’t romantic at all. Hmm.. maybe I’m setting my standards too high.
My 2009 Holidays
Every year, my wandering feet took me to different regions in the world. 2006 took me twice to Australia. 2007 took me to different regions in China. 2008 took me to Europe. 2009 seems to be Asia.
In China, we have two week long holidays and several long weekends. The first week long holiday falls on Chinese New Year. This year my wandering feet took me to my ancestral birthplace, Shishi, Fujian, China. It was freezing and boring. There wasn’t that much to do. I enjoyed meeting the relatives though. It was a different experience but not something I want to repeat.
During the Qing Ming Festival long weekend, my siblings came to visit me. I fetched them in Shanghai as they took the Cebu Pacific flight. We went to the usual tourist haunts such as The Bund, Nanjing Road, Yu Gardens and Xintiandi. A first for me there is the Shanghai Aquarium which I thought was a good place to visit especially for kids and sea animal enthusiasts.
Love From Seoul!!!
Hello everyone! I’m here at an internet cafe, relaxing and waiting for my friend to come back from his date. In any case, Korea is pretty nice. Well, I haven’t been to all places yet. We went to Dongdaemun twice already and spent a lot of money. I’m quite happy with the pieces I’ve bought and I’m pretty sure I’ll be wearing it for quite some time. It’s not really cheap if you compare it to China but the quality and the design is much better.
Our hotel is located at Itaewon which is a tourist district with a lot of foreigners. Just outside the hotel, we have Coldstone Creamery! Sweet! It’s even cheaper than in the US. We also have two Starbucks coffee shop (Don & Gold got your Seoul & Korea Tumblers!), KFC, Mcdonalds, shopping area and bars. We’re in a pretty good location as both the airport bus and subway stop is just in front of the hotel. I haven’t seen any stars yet but we haven’t been to their Rodeo Drive.
We didn’t go to Lotte World yet as it’s quite far and pretty pricey. Also, we need the whole day there which we don’t have as we prefer to shop. Tomorrow, we’ll be going to Myaeong-dong, a palace, Seoul Tower and a Korean village. We haven’t had the chance to eat at a good Korean place so it’s a shame. Well.. I’m off for now. I’ll be writing from Beijing next time.