Vespa is never-ending ROMANCE & expression of FREEDOM

The originsVespa has not only left its mark on an entire era, but it has even become the symbol of a Europe struggling to rise from the ashes of the Second World War. Piaggio emerged from the conflict with its Pontedera plant completely demolished by bombing. Italy's crippled economy and the disastrous state of the roads did not assist in the re-development of the automobile markets.
Enrico Piaggio, the son of Piaggio's founder Rinaldo Piaggio, decided to leave the aeronautical field in order to address Italy's urgent need for a modern and affordable mode of transportation. The idea was to design a vehicle for the masses that could get post war Italy moving again.
An aeronautical engineer named Corradino D'Ascanio, responsible for the design and construction of the first modern helicopter, was given the job of designing a simple, robust and affordable vehicle. The vehicle had to be easy to drive for both men and women, be able to carry a passenger, and not get its driver's clothes dirty.
D'Ascanio, who could not stand motorbikes, dreamed up a revolutionary vehicle. Dipping into his knowledge of aeronautics, he designed a vehicle built on a frame with a handlebar gear, with the engine mounted on the rear wheel. The front fork, like an aircraft's landing gear, allowed for easy wheel changing.
From Enrico Piaggio's vision sprung the Vespa in the spring of 1946.

My transportation....VESPA

My means of transportation going to the office....my trusted yellow VESPA!
" Chi Vespa e gia domani "

Farewell Party...

We had a farewell party for Lissa who would be going to our Tokyo office for further training and development. It was just a simple dinner in an Italian Resto in Cagayan de Oro City.
Together with Lissa and two other staffs Vicky and Ading.

Meet my Cousins

Met some of my cousins in T Bar in Grennbelt 3 Makati. I think the last time we met was about a year ago or something. Had some hors d' oeuvre , few drinks and exchanges of views from business to sports. Had a great time.

The " Kalesa "

The Kalesa was the means of transportation during the time when the Spaniards ruled and occupied the Philippines. Nowadays it is being use during weddings and for tourist attractions.

The PEACE CENTER in Mindanaw

We visited the PEACE CENTER in Mindanaw which was funded by the Embassy of Japan. We had a short orientation and discussion with the BMFI director and some members. It was a mind opener and very informative regarding the PEACE in Mindanaw and the Philippines as a whole.

Another Filipino Delicacy...

The famous " Chicharon Bulaklak ". It goes well with BEER ! Paging WATARU!!!

1st night in Training Center in the Philippines

Our 1st dinner in the training center and we had the famous " lechon " ( roasted suckling pig ).

Bon Apetite

Before leaving for the Philippines had dinner in an Italian Resto and ordered Spagetti in Creamy Crab abd Tomato sauce.

Ginza...by night

After dinner on our way to the train station took some pictures. This area is near the Kabuki Theater in between higashi ginza and ginza.

Hotpot Chinese style...

Last tuesday after a discussion with an investor ( actually I may call it drinking session ) in an exclusive bar, went to a taiwan resto in higashi-ginza. And had "nabe" or hotpot. The left side is spicy soup while the right side is the regular soup.

Hey ! Where's my dinner?!

This seems what Miu miu is thinking. Isn't he cute ? Actually he is sitting on my seat. I just went to the kitchen and got some spices and when I came back there he was, took my place.

The bartender...of the so called bar.

I forgot her name though...she was our bartender. The funny thing was she asked us to help us set-up the beer keg since she wasn't used to doing it coz mostly the customers who would visit the bar orders japanese sake and sho chu.
Seldom do they order beer.

After the taste test...

Since the night was still young and just a few drinks we had...made us crave for more. So we went to a small bar. I'm not so sure if you can call it a bar, anyway let the picture speaks for itself and you be the judge.

Both of us passed the test !

Yup! You could taste the difference even when blind folded. It's really different...that is why they call it platinum pork. There is another variety of pork but the name is golden pork. This one is much more better and delicious ! Here's a closer look .

Actual taste test II

The second challenger ... Wataru san.

Actual taste test

The first challenger ... me!

Preparing for the challenge !

Here I am preparing for the challenge. All smiles as I have confidence that I would past the test.

Taste Test....

Last January 30 after work we had a small gathering. It was a test if we could differentiate a high quality pork from a regular pork sold in the grocery. Everything has been set-up and ready for the tasting.