Hanoi, Vietnam Hopping =)

Why did I choose Hanoi and not Ho Chi Mihn last November? 

First, because I want to see Ha Long Bay "descending dragon bay". 

I visited Coron, Palawan last May and fell love with the islands. So visiting Ha Long Bay should be interesting for me. We availed the cruise ship in our hotel. It is approximately 3-hour trip from the city. We rode the bus van together with other tourists and upon reaching the port, we rode the cruise ship and took our sumptuous lunch while cruising the island. It is so windy and you can stay in the second level of the ship. Very nice. Just chilling around a great atmosphere of Ha Long bay. 

Several islands have caves inside. We visited one cave, Thien Cung Grotto. It is so big and I am amazed. I saw the underground river in Palawan before and saw many unique stalactite formations but this is better. And you just have to walk around and see by the light the formations. This is such a beauty of nature joined by great imagination of man. So this Ha Long Bay Trip is like Coron and Puerto Princesa in one. We went back to the port around 5pm and arrived the hotel around 9pm. At night, we visited a small store of pirated DVDs and bought some (maybe 12pcs). In fairness, DVDs here are cheap that are only sold around P50 with Blu-Ray quality. Downside is they are Vietnamese-subtitled, no English  But for some it really doesn't matter. They have a street in Hanoi that sells only Cds & DVDs.

Afterwards, we visited Sofitel Metropole and spent the night here. Chill.

Second reason I like Hanoi is that I read that this is also a Four-season cultural city of Vietnam. When we arrived, the temperature is ranging from 17 °C-22 °C - Winter is just about to start in November. I fell in love with this kind of temperature since going to Seoul,Korea. So I prefer here than Ho Chi Mihn which I heard has a very Manila-like temperature.

Third, I'm so curious of the Old Quarter. I heard that it is very nice and a must see. It is just walking distance to our hotel so we are always here. It is near Ho Kiem Lake, near the  Water Puppet Theater. Old Quarter has the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. I remember Vigan, Ilocos here. Every street sells different things. Like a street of fruits, vegetables, coffee, Dvds, Clothing, Shoes, and many more. I can hang out here for a 3 days. Dong Xuan Market is also located here, a good place for shopping.

Laslty, Hanoi is a perfects place for tourists who just want to relax and have coffee, a bit of shopping (Hanoi shopping is cheap) and just want to experience old culture.  Best buy here are bags and shoes. I bought many bags and my luggage here.

I miss Hanoi now.

My Top IPAD Games of 2012

Offroad Legends - the best way to test your driving skills. Had troubles in most levels but still finished everything (hundred times of restart) 

Wipeout - the TV game show can really be played in IPAD. I find myself laughing in some challenges because of the reaction of players when being hit. Even my niece is addicted to this game.

Airport Mania 2: Wild Trips - I remembered during a stormy day when work is suspended. i just stayed at home playing this game. So addictive and really panicking.

Kingdom Rush HD - For me, this is the best defense application ever. I hope there's another version because I already finished all levels. I find some stages hard so I need to cheat =)

Happy Chef HD - You have to cook what the customer wants. Time pressure! Great game and there are many levels (easy to difficult) so you won't find it boring.

iBasket  - the best shooting game. Simple graphics but great.

Bus Parking 3D - my favorite parking game. I realized that bus is harder to park than car. The best thing here is the camera option where you can feel that you are really the driver.

Zombie Tower - Before playing Kingdom Rush, I find this application the best but there are only 12 levels and no update since the first release.

GTA: Vice City - All Grand Theft Auto games are great. This is the latest and it is great too. Nice graphics.

Pitfall - not the typical running game because of solid graphics and audio effects. The best running game for me. 

iFighter2 - Plane combat game. A modern version of B-wings =)

Pilot! - Simulation game wherein you need to park different kind of planes to different locations. Kinda addictive but graphics should improve and I hope camera options will be available soon.

Pocket Tanks Deluxe - The classic battle shooting game. Good but limited weapons though compared to PC.

Amazing Race - the reality game show in IPAD. Cool but there are limited stages. Finished this in one sitting.

Earn To Die - You have to kill zombies to earn money. The money will be used to upgrade your car. I like this game though I can't move on without cheats. Kinda hard. 

Crystal Maze HD - Who could ever imagine? My favorite TV game show during the 90s is now in IPAD. I find some stages difficult. I need to try and try to get more crystals.

Ski Safari - Another running game but this time you can ride in the penguin or the yeti. Cool sound and graphics.

Monopoly HD - The best board game in IPAD. Got addicted here for a time but once you kept winning, it's becoming boring. 

 Song Pop - Guessing the song or artist. That's my skill! Perfect application for me. Best thing is you can play against your Facebook friend.

 

 

X-Factor USA 2012 - Season 2

Super Late Post!

I've been following the show since the start and this year, I admit I didn't like the winner, Tate Stevens. Not really a fan of country music but he looks nice and so America loved him. For me, Fifth Harmony or Carly Rose should have won. Overall, it was a good season. I love Britney and I had a crush on Demi haha. I heard LA Reid will leave the show next season. That's sad. Anyway here are my favorite performances of the season.

and of course, I don't know what Britney did to her during live performances but she is just not the real Beatrice. This is the kind of song she should have sung in the live shows. Oh well. I'm a fan of Beatrice since this performance. The voice - my God! So beautiful.