Local and foreign travels bring back memories of people, places and events. My T-Shirt Memories - Part 9 features my first trips travel memories.
Cebu Island. My first trip to Cebu took place after I returned from Japan in 1994. My first trip to Cebu was via Super Ferry with Renan Tanhueco and his student when we conducted a survey of the possible site for an undergraduate research on flooding. The site was where the Ayala Mall now stands. There were no large malls like SM and Ayala then. Traffic was not a problem unlike today. Cebu was then using an Australian system of traffic light control system called SCATS. "The Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System,
abbreviated SCATS, is an intelligent transportation system that
manages the dynamic (on-line, real-time) timing of signal phases
at traffic signals, meaning that it tries to find the best phasing (i.e.
cycle times, phase splits and offsets) for a traffic situation (for individual
intersections as well as for the whole networK" - Wikipedia. With the tremendous traffic brought about by uncontrolled development, SCATS is not anymore applicable. Now vehicles move very SLOW or at STOP mode.
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My Cebu Island Shirt (1994)
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My next visits to Cebu are more related to conducting CPD lectures on Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics at the University of San Carlos (USC), Talamban Campus. Our contact person then was MSCE DLSU alumnus and USC Faculty, Nestor Sy. There more visits to Cebu related to conferences hosted by ASEP and PICE including the Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering in 2016. The Cebu shirt may have been bought during my USC visits, early 2000.
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Bencab (Baguio City)
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Boracay Life Guard
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Boracay. You're beach outing will not be complete if you have not yet visited the white sands of Boracay. I remember my first trip to Boracay was an invitation by Dr. Judy Sese (DPWH Directore and DLSU Part-Time Faculty) in the late 1990's. Joining me in the trip were Joseph Manalo and his family and Alexis Fillone. Dr. Sese invited us first to her place at Kalibo, Aklan before we proceeded to Boracay. Boracay then was still clean and pristine, there were no big resort hotels then unlike today where restaurants and hotels occupy the front space of the white sand beach. We stayed in a small cottage near the sea shore.
My second trip to Boracay was with Apple, Bong, Aimee and our wedding ninong Ver Conanan. I am still single then and just getting to know Apple who was the Director od DLSU COSCA then. This was 1998. If I remember correctly, we stayed in a Bahay Kubo style cottage named Fiesta Cottages (This is now transformed to concrete hotels). The next trip to Boracay was with my family - we were only three then - Apple, Geoffrey and I.
My last visit of Boracay was in 2018, when I joined ASEP as a lecturer in the CPD Seminar/Workshop on the NSCP2015 Updates. Boracay today is crowded with many tourists - more foreign visitors now including the Chinese tourists. It is now difficult to book a room/cottage near the coast unless you want to pay for the expensive resort hotels. Our hotel is about 10 minutes away to the beach. Bohol is a better alternative to Boracay now. There are a lot of Boracay shirts but very flashy and this I found this "Life Guard" shirt different and reated to our seminar on promoting safe design of structures to protect lives. ASEP members are Life Guards!
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Floating Market - Thailand
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Thailand. Next to Japan, my favorite country to visit is Thailand. My first trip to Bangkok, was with Alexis Fillone when presented a paper in a Conference at the Asian Institute of Technology. I can still remember we had a dinner with Filipino AIT Alumni and Fidel Ramos was the guest. He was not anymore the PH president then (It was Pres. Erap already). The floating market shirt is my Thai shirt but I have never visited the floating market site yet. Our favorite places to visit are the shoppind areas at MBK and Chatuchak. I had several trips to Bangkok - usually attending conferences and seminars.  |
Korea
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Korea. My first trip at Seoul, Korea took place when I presented a paper on "Parametric Studies on Size Effect on
Shear Strength of RC Beams without Stirrups using Neural Networks” at the International Conference on
Advances in Structural Engineering & Mechanics (ASEM’04), Sept. 2-4, Seoul, Korea. During that time I just visited small shopping areas where I bough this shirt which is now on its retirement stage :-).
Had another visit to Seoul during the 18th Congress of IABSE Korea last September 19-21, 2012 at the Sheraton,
Walker Hill, Seoul, Korea where we had a poster presentation on “Deriving Optimum Mix Designs For High
Strength Concrete Using Genetic Algorithms” co-authored with Alden Paul Balili
and former students Iris Malabatuan, Bertrand Teodosio and Analyn Yee
Concepcion. I was able to visit a museum and the Namsan Seoul Tower.I am not a K-Drama viewer then. Now I wish I can go to Korea again and visit the sites featured in the K-Drama like Itaewon, Jeju Island and more.
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| Auckland, NZ |
New Zealand. My first visit to Auckland, New Zealand coincided with the 9th Pacific Conference on Earthquake Engineering (PCEE) on April 14-16, 2011 when I presented a paper on “AIJ-Level 1 Seismic Screening of Some RC Buildings Damaged by the 1990
Luzon Earthquake” held at the University of Auckland, New
Zealand. My trip was funded by CHED. It was an opportunity to visit my sister, Ate Rose & Robb and my brother, Kuya Jun and his family, Jean and Fidez. I remember visits with my siblings in parks and Auckland Tower. It was also my opportunity to meet by high school classmate Edwin Lagman who gave me this shirt when NZ won the championship in Rugby 2011. Edwin toured me and also Jun Ignacio who was with another group from UP & PHIVOLCS. Edwin even hosted a dinner for us. Edwin Lagman passed away and I will never forget his happy face during my visit.
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