"Rock with Winston" in the Philippines!

Post by **Winston** » April 4th, 2011, 11:14 pm

Hi all,
Rock is coming to Angeles City tomorrow! We will meet and hang out. It will be fun to show him around. If any of you are in the area, let us know and we will try to meet up with you too.

I've met Rock several times already and can say that if you happen to cross paths with him, I'd definitely recommend meeting him. He is a real fun guy to talk to and hang around. He is talkative, engaging, interesting and easy to converse with. You can learn a lot of things from him and he enjoys sharing his ideas and experiences. He also looks pleasant and well mannered, so he is very presentable to your friends and loved ones as well.

Anyhow, we will be going around Angeles and Manila, and will let you all know how it goes. And I'm sure Rock will share any new observations with you.

Regards,
Winston

Post by **Winston** » April 5th, 2011, 7:53 am

Btw, me and Rock plan to go to Manila to visit Ladislav too. It will be neat seeing two of my advisors together talking in person, discussing so many deep ideas and experiences. It's like a dream team put together

momopi · Post by **momopi** » April 5th, 2011, 8:18 am

http://www.happyfoodies.com/2010/10/06/ ... ve-makati/ (vegetarian)

Post by **Winston** » April 5th, 2011, 10:59 am

momopi wrote:http://www.happyfoodies.com/2010/10/06/ ... ve-makati/ (vegetarian)

That's a nice looking place and that vegetarian sandwich looks very delicious. But the page has no directions on how to get there. Darn. I know plenty of vegetarian options in Makati though.

swincor · Post by **swincor** » April 7th, 2011, 12:32 pm

Winston wrote: That's a nice looking place and that vegetarian sandwich looks very delicious. But the page has no directions on how to get there. Darn. I know plenty of vegetarian options in Makati though.

Christ Jesus, how does someone who claims to be vegetarian look as fat and unhealthy as you, Winston? You might as well go on a diet of Big Macs and fries-- it's not like anyone would notice a difference.

I really have to wonder if you really are vegetarian, as you claim to be. Or maybe vegetarianism isn't all that it's cracked up to be?

Post by **Winston** » April 8th, 2011, 7:33 pm

Hi all,
Rock and I have been hanging out in the Philippines and having some fun. We met Ladislav in Manila too and then we all came down to Angeles together since Ladislav was on his way here.

It was neat seeing Rock and Ladislav talk in person. The discussions were so deep and authentic. You all should have been there. You could have learned a lot. We didn't catch up with Mr S yet since he was in a different part of Manila and busy working. But we will try to later.

As we were together, I was thinking: Wouldn't it be awesome if all my advisors could meet in person - Rock, Ladislav, Mr S, and Momopi? Then we could all make a group photo, post it in the forum here, and say that "This is the Happier Abroad Dream Team!" hahaha.

Anyway, Rock realizes that the Philippines wasn't as grim and unattractive as he thought it was. But I'll let him post his thoughts on that when he's ready...

Post by **Winston** » April 8th, 2011, 7:35 pm

swincor, you are asking dumb questions. Anyone who knows me or has gone to eat with me can tell you that I'm a vegetarian.

The reason I'm fat is because I eat a lot of cake, popcorn, cookies, etc. and I don't have much chance to exercise since I have to respond to dumb posts like yours. But please don't get off-topic here.

Look at my 2002 - 2005 pictures in Russia and you will see that when I was traveling, I was walking a lot and much skinnier then.

momopi · Post by **momopi** » April 8th, 2011, 10:45 pm

;_; I wish I could go hang out with you guys, but looks like I'm blowing my vacation budget on a trip to Holland in couple weeks.

For those familiar with EU flights, can someone please give me a recommendation for carrier:
Lufthansa
British Airways
Virgin Atlantic

United & Continental are also avail, but I can imagine their service is inferior. The cost for round trip is about the same ($600).

Rock · Post by **Rock** » April 8th, 2011, 11:25 pm

momopi wrote:;_; I wish I could go hang out with you guys, but looks like I'm blowing my vacation budget on a trip to Holland in couple weeks.

For those familiar with EU flights, can someone please give me a recommendation for carrier:
Lufthansa
British Airways
Virgin Atlantic

United & Continental are also avail, but I can imagine their service is inferior. The cost for round trip is about the same ($600).

Yea, avoid the American carriers. I've taken all 3 of those from HK to Europe many moons ago but w/Upper Class or Biz Class. They're all great IMO. But Virgin stood out.

This is what I got then w/Virgin (all included in price of ticket)
- limo pick-up from hotel to airport
- express service through customs and then directly to "The Clubhouse"
- in "The Clubhouse", two levels of areas with all kinds of on demand food, snacks, and drink, areas to lounge in, Internet, shower and massage rooms, and a general layout and design as cool as something from Apple.
- on board, continuous restaurant and drinks service with a big menu including many types of food, dessert, drinks, etc. You order what you want when you want, not like standard meal service.
- neck and back massage service in a special room.
- a small bar area to hang-out
- a nice and comfortable set of sleeping clothes plus a thick blanket and pillow
- seats that can be made completely flat for sleeping
- on demand movies (this is now available w/a lot of airlines but was special then)
- a visit to another Virgin lounge area on arrival for a shower and change of clothes plus a nice massage.
- limo to your destination of choice within greater London

For some reason, BA was more expensive than the other 2 then and some Brits swore by it. But I prefer the creative Virgin VIP touches. In no-frills class, I suspect there will still be many nice extra touches with them if they are anything like they were then. Whichever one you take, let us know how it goes.

MrPeabody · Post by **MrPeabody** » April 9th, 2011, 3:07 am

momopi wrote:;_; I wish I could go hang out with you guys, but looks like I'm blowing my vacation budget on a trip to Holland in couple weeks.

For those familiar with EU flights, can someone please give me a recommendation for carrier:
Lufthansa
British Airways
Virgin Atlantic

United & Continental are also avail, but I can imagine their service is inferior. The cost for round trip is about the same ($600).

I have used KLM Dutch Airlines several times and liked it. You may want to check out the prices there as well.

Jackal · Post by **Jackal** » April 9th, 2011, 4:07 am

swincor__ wrote: Christ Jesus, how does someone who claims to be vegetarian look as fat and unhealthy as you, Winston? You might as well go on a diet of Big Macs and fries-- it's not like anyone would notice a difference.

It's very true that simply being a vegetarian doesn't make one healthy. Just like there are both healthy and unhealthy omnivorous diets (i.e. steak and salad vs. a KFC meal), there are also both healthy and unhealthy vegetarian diets.

Basically, anybody who eats a lot of foods which contain white flour and white sugar will most likely get fat. A lot of vegetarians are a bit fat because all their sources of protein are full of carbs (dairy products, beans, nuts, etc.).

And getting fat is simply a matter of eating more calories than one burns. If Winston ate less, exercised enough, or both, he'd lose weight, even without changing the foods he eats. But most people don't have the willpower to eat as little as they need to to lose weight. People frequently underestimate their total calories.

ryanx · Post by **ryanx** » April 9th, 2011, 6:51 am

swincor__ wrote:
Winston wrote: That's a nice looking place and that vegetarian sandwich looks very delicious. But the page has no directions on how to get there. Darn. I know plenty of vegetarian options in Makati though.
Christ Jesus, how does someone who claims to be vegetarian look as fat and unhealthy as you, Winston? You might as well go on a diet of Big Macs and fries-- it's not like anyone would notice a difference.

I really have to wonder if you really are vegetarian, as you claim to be. Or maybe vegetarianism isn't all that it's cracked up to be?

I am just curious...are you Winston's evil twin?

momopi · Post by **momopi** » April 9th, 2011, 8:42 am

MrPeabody wrote:
momopi wrote:;_; I wish I could go hang out with you guys, but looks like I'm blowing my vacation budget on a trip to Holland in couple weeks.

For those familiar with EU flights, can someone please give me a recommendation for carrier:
Lufthansa
British Airways
Virgin Atlantic

United & Continental are also avail, but I can imagine their service is inferior. The cost for round trip is about the same ($600).
I have used KLM Dutch Airlines several times and liked it. You may want to check out the prices there as well.

I was going to reply that KLM was $1200 when I noticed it was $1100+$100 taxes and fees = $1200, and the other "cheaper" airlines were $600 + $600 in taxes and fees = $1200. ;p Geez, talk about dishonest advertising on Orbitz. Ah well. I think I'll pick a cheaper destination.

gsjackson · Post by **gsjackson** » April 9th, 2011, 3:24 pm

ryanx wrote:
swincor__ wrote:
Winston wrote: That's a nice looking place and that vegetarian sandwich looks very delicious. But the page has no directions on how to get there. Darn. I know plenty of vegetarian options in Makati though.
Christ Jesus, how does someone who claims to be vegetarian look as fat and unhealthy as you, Winston? You might as well go on a diet of Big Macs and fries-- it's not like anyone would notice a difference.

I really have to wonder if you really are vegetarian, as you claim to be. Or maybe vegetarianism isn't all that it's cracked up to be?
I am just curious...are you Winston's evil twin?

I've been assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that swincor is Stefan, Winston's arch-adversary. This is one of the most amusing pissing contests on the internet, if you're not caught in the middle of it. Swincor writes well and humorously -- in the same style as Stefan -- and it is to Winston's credit that he allows the carnage to take place in part on his own website.

Post by **Winston** » April 9th, 2011, 11:48 pm

gsjackson wrote:
ryanx wrote:
swincor__ wrote:
Winston wrote: That's a nice looking place and that vegetarian sandwich looks very delicious. But the page has no directions on how to get there. Darn. I know plenty of vegetarian options in Makati though.
Christ Jesus, how does someone who claims to be vegetarian look as fat and unhealthy as you, Winston? You might as well go on a diet of Big Macs and fries-- it's not like anyone would notice a difference.

I really have to wonder if you really are vegetarian, as you claim to be. Or maybe vegetarianism isn't all that it's cracked up to be?
I am just curious...are you Winston's evil twin?
I've been assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that swincor is Stefan, Winston's arch-adversary. This is one of the most amusing pissing contests on the internet, if you're not caught in the middle of it. Swincor writes well and humorously -- in the same style as Stefan -- and it is to Winston's credit that he allows the carnage to take place in part on his own website.

First of all, swincor is not Stefan. Their writing styles are not the same. Stefan posted here as Izzy and Dr Atuw before. Second, if you look at the sites about me and Stefan, you will find that they have been removed as part of a mutual take down deal. Third, please do not mention Stefan's full name here. He does not want his full name to be mentioned in any negative post on this forum which will be indexed by Google, and I have agreed not to let his full name be mentioned in this forum as part of our agreement and truce. Fourth, I do not allow swincor to be here. I've banned him many times, but he keeps returning.