By Izah Morales

BEFORE the sun painted the sky with orange and indigo hues, my companions Liberty, Maya, Red, Jing, Eden and I found ourselves stuck in traffic as we approached Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The cab driver told us that almost every household in Kuala Lumpur owned a vehicle, which explained the traffic jams.

Sitting for almost an hour and a half reminded me of how this trip from the Pan Pacific Hotel to KLCC was like going from Calamba City to Makati City. Finally, the cab driver dropped us in front of the famous Petronas Twin Towers, which was the world’s tallest building from 1998 until 2004 when Taipei 101 claimed the title of being the tallest building.

From the Petronas Twin Towers, we headed to the Raja Chulan Station, KL’s monorail. Paying RM 1.60 (approximately P15), Maya and I were off to Maharajalela Station, where Petaling Street was just a few meters walk while the others went to Bukit Bintang.

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My Saturday afternoon in San Francisco turned out to be interesting.

Arriving around lunch time September 20 (Pacific time), I decided to take the train instead of the more expensive taxi from the airport to the Grand Hyatt hotel. Several minutes later, I emerged in the Powell St. Station, which is three to four blocks from the Union Square. Placards saying,” No to Scientology” greeted me, as I exited toward Powell St.

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QUEZON CITY, Philippines — University of the Philippines Diliman starts the UP Padyak, a project that promotes the use of bicycles as the primary method of transportation within the huge campus. The project was started by UP Mountaineers who want to encourage students to live healthier lifestyles, and help conserve the environment by reducing the use of smoke-belching vehicles that deplete the ozone layer. Bicycles are rented to the enrolled students per semester after a payment of P500 to the UP Mountaineers organization. INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Alex Villafania talks to Jojo Gutierrez of the UP Mountaineers about this project.

Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

SINGAPORE — Honestly, I didn’t even know it was a fountain, considering I’ve been noticing it each time I go to Singapore. Arriving from the airport, when the cab makes a left towards Suntec City and I see this particular structure, I know I’m almost near whichever hotel in Marina Bay I am staying.

But one day, while walking back to my hotel, I decided to cross the street and check out this circular mass of steel that looks like it can hold a giant crystal ball. Turns out, it’s the world’s largest fountain — since 1998, actually, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

In Singapore, almost every landmark you see denotes wealth and progress, from high-rise buildings to the art center that is the Esplanade to sprawling the recently built ferris-wheel-cum-viewdeck they call the Singapore Flyer.

But the Fountain of Wealth is no ordinary fountain put there for aesthetic purposes alone. It is designed according to feng shui, or the Chinese art of, well, putting things in their proper places.

According to people I’ve talked to, the fountain does spew water but during the afternoon, it pauses to allow people to go to the center and make a wish. But unlike other fountains, you need not scratch your pockets for coins. You make a wish, touch the water while walking around in circles three times.

But you need not be Chinese to believe that, of course. Like other tourists, I made my wish and walked around it. But by and large, it just felt great to dip my hands into the water in the middle of the usual hot, humid day in Singapore.

THREE hours can be a boring trip but if you let your eyes be amused by the green scenery and the atmosphere of a province, it won’t be.

As we were on our way to the Pantabangan Dam, the sights of the green fields and the bathing carabao (water buffalo) in a stream tell me how serene and simple life can be in the province.

Though the landscape of the province can be relaxing to the eyes, the zigzag road can make one feel dizzy. No wonder why some of our companions chose to sleep.

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