1. UK 1995 Diary
Daddy took me to the airport on 19 June, a Monday, for my PAL flight to London. I
boarded the plane at 6PM, and took the seat near the emergency exit. We had a one-
hour stopover at Frankfurt, and arrived at Gatwick about 9:30 am the next day. After
one hour at the Immigration, I took the monorail, struggling with my big blue
suitcase, to the North Terminal for a British Air flight to Manchester, arriving there
at about noon. Changed
some dollars for pounds and
took a taxi for ten pounds to
Hornby Road, where Joan’s
place is, at the Old Trafford
Town. Joan’s house
accommodated transients and
backpackers for 12 pounds a
UMIST campus night. Ate pizza and salad for
lunch. Slept the whole day,
10 Hornby Road and woke up at 10:30 pm, it
Old Trafford was still daylight. So I slept
town hall again, and woke up at 4:30
am to find that the sun was already up. I took a walk to Manchester United and
waited for the shop to open at 9. Bought t-shirts and baseball caps for Carlos
and Rio. With the two Malaysians who also stayed at Joan’s, we took a taxi for
UMIST, venue of the 2005 UK LA “Under one umbrella” Convention, arriving
there before noon. Met Myriam from Cali,
Columbia and Carolyn from Simmons College,
Boston. After settling down to
my own private room at the
University of Manchester’s
Weston Conference Center Hall,
Myriam and I took an afternoon
walk to the Post Office where I
sent a postcard and walked to the
Piccadilly Plaza. Back to the
Weston Hall, we had an
orientation meeting with Joyce
Weston Hall dining area Wallace, and our trainors-
lecturers (Lucy Tedd, Tony
Thompson, and Ida Flynn).
Univ of Manchester campus
June 22, Thursday began
with a heavy English
breakfast, and an
introductory lecture by
Lucy on “Computer
Applications in Libraries;
an overview of
Piccadilly gardens
Manchester Town hall dinner developments.” After her lecture, I Piccadilly gardens
went on a sight-seeing trip by myself to
see the Manchester Central Library, St.
Peter’s Square, and the City Art
Galleries to view the Holocaust exhibit.
I also took photos of Princess Street
(lined with 18th century edifices), where
we would usually start off on our daily
walk to the center of the town. The Princess Street
evening was capped with a formal reception with the Mayor of Manchester at the
Town Hall.
The next day we
listened to Ida’s lecture on the “Internet.” Then after
lunch, I took a long stroll along Market Street,
shopped at Marks & Spencer, and bought kid shoes
for Cybele (which I found out when I got back was
marked “made in the Phils.”). Took photos of
Manchester cathedral

2. Manchester Cathedral (another masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren who built St. Paul in London), and Piccadilly
Gardens, on the way back to Weston Hall for the Exhibitors Reception dinner at Barnes Willis. There I joined a quiz
show with 4 Britons, a Swede, Chuli (from Sri Lanka), Myriam, and two Jamaicans as contestants. I won 3rd prize.
June 24, Saturday was spent at the plenary session, listening to 2 lectures (one
by Phil Sykes on “Convergence” and the other on “Internet Developments”.
At 11am, I rushed to John Rylands Library (Deansgate) before it closes at
1pm. Then I joined a Chetham Library tour given by Michael Powell, the
librarian, who described how books were arranged by size, color, etc..
Chetham’s is the oldest (1421) public library in UK, where books remained
chained to their shelves. Its rare
book collection rivaled those of
Oxford and Cambridge, and it
possessed 13th-14th cent.
Medieval manuscripts. We sat
on 17th century chairs in the
general reading area. Both visits
were powerfully awesome in
grandeur and historicity of the
collections. The only place I
was allowed to take a picture, it
seemed, was the toilet, so I did. In the late afternoon, Myriam and I walked towards Manchester U to visit the
Whitworth Gallery, but it was already closed.
Sunday was spent in the morning attending 2 lectures and after lunch,
Myriam and I took Carolyn for a walking tour of St. Anne’s Church
(1712), where we listened to an organ recital, shopped at Marks &
Spencer (bras, etc) and rested awhile at Piccadilly gardens.
The next day, we listened to Tony’s lecture on “International
Developments on Multimedia” at UMIST library, and had lunch at
Barnes Willis. In the afternoon, we were treated to a visit at John
Rylands and an evening reception tendered by the British Council.
Back in Weston, Masuda showed me his camera (made in the Phils.),
a good one, while mine, a Nikon (made in Japan) was not functioning
well. Inside St. Anne’s Church
Tuesday, June 27, after breakfast of English toast, sausage, scrambled eggs & bacon,
plum, peach, English coffee, and orange juice, Myriam and I went to Lewis to shop,
where I got a backpacker. At ten, the motorcoach took us to the British Library at
Boston Spa, (a copyright library, where I bought a sweatshirt), and after the library
tour and lecture, we
went to York for an
evening stroll of the
York Minster Cathedral
(one of the world’s
famous cathedrals, built
in 1220 where
Archbishop Walter de
Gray was entombed),
the King’s Manor (now
part of York University,
where Charles I had his

3. headquarters in 1639 and 1642), the art gallery of York
Town, The York Opera House, and the ruins of St.
Mary’s Abbey (which was dissolved in 1539). We were
home by 10pm at dusk, late for dinner, but since it was
St. Mary’s Abbey ruins
summer, it was still light.
The next day, we traveled the whole morning to Oxford
(the land of “dreaming spires”) , arriving at St. Hilda’s
College at 1pm. I had the best room, spacious,
surrounded by glass walls and windows,
overlooking the gardens and the river
Cherwell. The afternoon was spent
touring the Bodleian Library (another
copyright library), Sheldonian Theatre,
and a leisurely stroll along High Street.
Dinner was superb – pink salmon pate,
roast beef, salad, cheese and crackers,
ice cream and coffee. After dinner, we
went punting by the river, with Lucy,
St. Hilda’s College Anthony, Collin, Chuli, and Therese
(the Jamaican). For 30 minutes, we
were encircling the river, getting nowhere, creating quite a spectacle. Walked around the
beautiful gardens of St. Hilda’s until dusk at 10:30pm.
June 29 was a cool and
crispy morning. Before
breakfast, I managed to take
an early stroll along High
Street, towards St. Aldates
St., past the Memorial
Garden and back to St.
Hilda’s in time for a
sumptuous breakfast. By
St. Hilda’s gardens
8am, I was walking around
the Botanical garden with
Yati and the Malaysian,
Wan.
Botanical gardens
At 10:30 we Bodleian Library entrance
were at
Blackwells
Bookshop
and had
lunch at
King’s Cross
College with
Chairman
Miles
Blackwell.
Then we
toured the
Ashmolean
Museum (the oldest in Britain and one of the
greatest in the world) at St. Giles St.,
Blackwell’s Bookshop at Broad St., and Christ Church Cathedral
back to High Street to see the Museum of
Oxford but it

4. Christ Church College
was already closed. So I just took photos of ChristChurch
War Memorial gardens
College (above photo), the largest, richest, and most
magnificent college in the University, founded by Henry
XVIII in 1546, but originally established by Cardinal
Wolsey in 1525, after he had fallen from power), and its
Cathedral (built 1121 on the site of the Priory of St.
Frideswide, founder of Oxford 727 AD), the beautiful
War Memorial
Gardens along St.
Aldates St., and the
many universities
surrounding the area:
Oxford University
All Souls College
College (the oldest, 1249,
believed to be founded by
King Alfred), the Queen’s Queen’s College
College (1341), Oriel College
(1326), Merton College
Martyrs memorial
University College
(1264), All Souls
College (1438),
Brasenose College
(1509), Trinity College
(1555) and back to St.
Magdalen College,
along High Street, on
the way back to St.
Trinity College Hilda’s, stopping by at
Whittards to shop for
souvenirs.
St. Magdalen College

5. Angela
June 30, a Friday, we left Oxford at 8:30, arriving at Llanbadarn
Fawr in Aberystwyth at 1pm, at its hottest time of the year (it
was
summer
solstice)
and the
hottest
day in
60
years,
Thomas Parry Library
according to Ben Davies. We visited the library and the
Dept of Information and Library Services (DILS), and
Aberystwyth
listened to an orientation on the library OPAC, LISA,
libertas, their housekeeping system, and got our library card
and email account. Dinner was getting better, but my bedroom, which faced the library building and social hall, was
a disappointment. Saturday was a free day, so Masuda, Amara (from Sri Lanka), and I went to the main campus
downhill (Rosser Hall), and strolled around the
castle ruins, watching the seagulls hover over the
ruins, then to the Old College by the beach, the
Cathedral, and antique shops in narrow streets. I bought
two porcelain dolls on the way, and for the first time,
boarded the bus back to the Llanbadarn Campus.
Aberystwyth is a small university town situated in the west coast of
Wales, with a resident population of 12,000, mostly students and
senior citizens. The Llanbadarn Campus sits on a hill

6. overlooking the town of Aber, the Rheidol Valley, and Cardigan
Bay. Sunday morning, we went on a sight-seeing trip to the Devil’s
Bridge at Dyfed (about 12
miles from Aber), where
the lowest and oldest of
the three bridges (built
one on top of the other)
spanning the ravines of
the river Mynach, is 12th
century old (before 1188
reputedly built by the
Knight Templars). The
story is that it was built by the
Devil for an old lady who
outwitted him. The falls below
are about 653 ft. below sea level.
We took the steam railway,
which survived 2 world wars and
became the last railway owned
by the British Rail. The line was
opened in 1902 to serve the lead
mines and timber traffic of the
Rheidol Valley; the
line had many sharp
curves and steep
gradients. To get to
the Mynach Falls, we
descended 94 steps,
Jacob’s Ladder, before
a marker that warned
us that the path was
steep and slippery,
“not suitable for the aged and the infirm,“ then crossed the
bridge, and went back the same way, to climb Jacob’s Ladder.
We had lunch near the waterfalls, and shopped at a small
souvenir store at the entrance of the site. There I bought Cybele’s Indian canoe slippers for 12 pounds, and a red
sheepskin bag.
July 3, Monday, was the start of our Aber training program. After a group photo session, we had a good lunch. The
pm practical session was spent navigating the web and sending emails. At the dinner reception, I met Joyce’s
husband Paul (a GOOD-looking Scot). The next day,
I took a taxi with Chuli, Tina and Dorothy to the Reception dinner
Hugh Owen Library in the main campus, to check the
dormitory where I would stay after the Aber training
program, and also found in the Internet a single room
Black Lions Pub
at Middlesex, London,
for only 9.50 pounds per
night. I took the bus back
with Chuli after picking
up the photos and
shopping for toiletries. Wednesday night was chilly. Dinner was super –
Salisbury steak with baked potatoes, peas and carrots, cake and fresh fruits.
Thursday dinner was another plus – minced beef, fish chips, salad, hard-boiled
eggs, boiled cauliflower, and green watermelons. After dinner, we went down the
corner to Black Lions Pub to listen to 3 locals playing strange Welsh instruments.
Coke was expensive at 2 pounds and a pack of Benson & Hedges was 2 pound
fifty. But Masuda paid for both.
Typical Aber house

7. Friday afternoon was spent on a stroll to the town by
myself along Llanbadarn Rd., passing by some pretty
houses along the way, buying needles for Cres and doilies
(doyles) for myself. Got to the bus in the nick of time,
and in time for dinner too. Planned a trip to Harlech with
Ida and son Anthony, Yati, Terry and Joan.
July 8, we started on our train trip to Harlech with a short
stop-over at a small
village town called Machynlleth, the
ancient capital of Wales, where the
Old Parliament building was built by
Owain Glyndwr, a Welsh Prince, in
1404. I bought a skirt for 13 pounds,
3 thimbles for 10 pounds, horse-shoe-
shaped doorbell, and a tiny bell in a
quaint souvenir shop. Market day here was Wednesday. Then we changed
trains and traveled along the Cambrian Coast thru the Dovey valley, passing by
some spectacular sceneries, mountains, meadows, seascapes. We crossed the
marshlands thru Barmouth bridge, and passed some castles and village towns.
Machynlleth clock
Harlech Castle is one of the most
magnificently sited of Welsh
Castles. A world heritage site, it
has a commanding view of
Cardigan Bay, the Lleyn Peninsula,
and inland, the mountains of
Snowdonia. Harlech, together with
Caernarfon and Conwy castles, was
built by Edward I (1283) to form an
iron ring of majestic fortresses,
believed to be impregnable, until it
was captured in 1404 by Owain
Glyndwr, who established his court
here until his family was taken
prisoners four years later. We had
lunch at a restaurant near the
souvenir shop.
Clarach market
The next day was spent at Clarach
Sunday market (about 1.5 miles
from Aber) from 10am to 2:30pm
and bought some pasalubongs. I slept until 6:30 and some young men at
the Social Hall gave us dinner. Monday pm was spent at the National
Library of Wales (another copyright library), and for the first time since
we came to Aber, it rained cats and dogs. Chuli and I took a taxi home,
in time for dinner of trout, roast beef, baked potatoes, green peas, custard
pie and fruits. A misty evening, wet but not so cold. July 11, a Tuesday,
was foggy but not cold. The sun
came out at 1pm. I went to town after the practical sessions, and bought
shoes for Carlos and Rio at Clark’s for 25 pounds each (they were on big
sale). Baby shoes cost too much.
Wednesday and
Thursday afternoons were spent shopping downtown at
Peacock’s, where I got an all-weather jacket for Carlos. I also
bought my bus ticket to London for July 20. Ate ice cream by
the promenade and fed the pigeons. We had cocktail dinner at
Lucy’s home and passed by Joyce’s. On the way to Llanbadarn,
we passed by the pub again and stayed there until 1:30 am.
Friday was graduation day, and Masuda and I went to town to
shop for his mother. Graduation dinner was superb; Chuli cried
Graduation banquet

8. all night. After tearful farewells, we bade goodbye to Lucy, Joyce, their husbands, Pat Ward, and Alan Clark of
DILS Library.
July 15, Saturday, my classmates boarded a Roberts Coach for London. Masuda, Yati,
Terry, and Amara cried as they bade me farewell. I took Carolyn to the Social Hall for
breakfast with Ida and Tony, who left after breakfast for Manchester. Then Raphael (a
librarian from Papua New Guinea who was doing his thesis at Aber) came to pick me
up and helped with my luggage to transfer to Rosser Hall at the main campus, where I
paid 60 pounds for 5 days’ stay. Walking back to Llanbadarn, we passed by the
Llanbadarn Church, the oldest bishopric in Wales,
the old town cemetery, and the beautiful house for
the mentally retarded. There was a wedding party
Lutheran church
at the campus when we House for mentally retarded
arrived to bid goodbye to
Carolyn Davis.
Sunday, Raphael didn’t come, so I walked alone to St.
Michael’s Church (beside the University College) for
service at 11am. I also visited other churches nearby: Our Lady of the Angels along Queen’s Road, and St.
Winefride, with its beautiful Presbitery. I also paused for a
St. Michael’s Church photo of a Lutheran Church along the road. After lunch, I took a
stroll along the promenade toward the Aber castle ruins. The
castle was built by Edward I
in 1277, and captured by
Owain in 1404, partially
destroyed by Henry V in his
attempt to retake it in 1408,
then finally destroyed in
1649 by Cromwell’s forces.
Back to Penglais Road, I
stopped by at Spar to get
some groceries for dinners
and breakfasts, and got back to Rosser Hall before it became real cold.
Promenade
National Library

9. I spent Monday to
Wednesday at the University
Library (Hugh Owen) for a
3-day library attachment
training program. The first
day, I visited the University
College by the sea, and the
Ceredigion Museum, which
is housed in a restored
Edwardian music hall. I had
dinner at Joyce’s home
Monday evening (No. 10
Ceredigion Museum
Trinity Road) and took
pictures of their house,
living room and toilet, then outside the house onto the street, and nearby, the Trinity
Church. In the afternoon of Tuesday, Raphael came at 6pm to pick me up for a stroll
downtown (he got sick for 2 days). We had merienda and planned a
fine dinner on my last day in Aber.
Raphael came at 6pm for a stroll downtown and dinner at an Italian
restaurant. But when we got there, it was still closed, so we decided
to buy take-out food from a Chinese restaurant,
walked along the promenade towards the castle
ruins, and the War memorial. This beautiful
monument was unveiled by the Duke of Windsor in
1923. Underneath the castle grounds is a shelter
where people come to sing hymns on Sunday
evenings. In one of these shelters, Raphael and I
had our last meal together in Aber. After eating, we
walked back to the end of the promenade, threw a
coin down the well, after making a wish, and
walked back to Rosser Hall, arriving at 9:30pm, still
light.
I decided to pack up early for my long trip back to
London the following day. Raphael gave me his
email address and Papua New Guinea address just
in case we would continue to communicate after
his thesis was completed. He had hoped to return
home before winter. He described winter in Aber,
the biting cold winds, and thick snow. He said, he
wouldn’t last another winter here. Anyway, I was
glad I was leaving Aber and moving on to London.
I couldn’t stand the cold nights.
University College

10. The next day, July 20, I boarded the bus at 8am, threw up 3x at
the onset of our journey, until I finally got a front seat beside the
driver by the time we arrived at Wolverhampton. At
Birmingham, I had biscuits and diet Coke for lunch. We arrived
at London, Victoria Station at 4:20pm. I left my luggage at the
Left Luggage area for 2.50 pounds, and took a taxi to King’s
College Hall (University of London) at Champion Hill, which I
found in the Internet while at Aber. The room was small but I
had my own bathroom, and cost only 11.50 pounds per night
(including breakfast). On the way back to Victoria Station, I
took the British
Rail from
Denmark Hill
Station. At Victoria Place, I ate
chicken with cashew nuts. Then I
decided to leave the luggage until
tomorrow, and went back to King’s
College, tired and lonely.
Friday, July 21, I woke up early for
breakfast at 7:30 and took the
train to Black Friar’s, walked
past the St. Paul Cathedral, to
be at the office of IME for a
meeting on TINLIB with Ray
Dyke and Steve Chapman.
After the meeting, I walked to Farrington Station, took the
train to Tower Hill to see the Tower of London. The Tower is
the oldest of all royal
residences, built in 1078 by
William the Conqueror, and
used as prison for Lady Jane
Grey and Rudolf Hess. The
queue was long, so I decided to
see the Windsor instead. AT
1pm, after eating pizza in a
Lebanese restaurant near the bus
station, I took a Green Line bus
to the Castle for 5.50 pounds and
paid the entrance fee of 8 pounds at Windsor gate. The Castle, built by William
the Conqueror, serves as the official residence of the Queen. The tour took us to
the State Apartments, to view the formal rooms for ceremonial occasions, and St.
George’s Chapel, built by King Edward IV in 1475, and completed by Henry
XVIII in 1528 (resting place of 10 sovereigns). Back to Kensington Palace and a
long walk to Victoria Station, where I picked up my luggage, and went straight to
Denmark Hill to King’s College.
The next day, I took the bus to Victoria
for a visit to Westminster Cathedral (the
principal Roman Catholic Church in
England, the largest, built in 1895, with a
campanile 273 ft. high), walked along
Victoria Street, ending at Westminster
Abbey (founded in 1050 by Edward the
Confessor as a Benedictine monastery).
Then I went inside St. Margaret’s Church,

11. took photos of the Big Ben, the House of Parliament, the statues of Oliver Cromwell
and Richard the Lion-Hearted, No. 10
Downing Street, the Horses’
Guard, and Trafalgar Square,
dominated by Nelson’s
Column. Then I entered the
National Gallery and the
Portrait Gallery. After
eating at Soho Square, I
walked towards Piccadilly
Circus and Pall Mall. The
Mall is the famous route for
many historic processions. I took photos of the Crimean
Monument (the statues of Florence Nightingale and other
heroes of the Crimean War), the tree-lined Admiralty Arch
(which is at the end of The Mall), strolled past the
Marlborough House, the Clarence House (home of the Queen
Mother),

12. Queen Victoria Memorial (unveiled only in
1911 by George V), and Buckingham Palace,
the official royal residence, bought by King
George IV, and first occupied by Queen
Victoria in
1837. The
ceremony of
the changing
of the guards
takes place at
11:30 am, but
I never got
around to
watching such
pomp and
pageantry.
Too many
tourists!!! I took a bus (No. 185) back to Denmark Hill. Passed by a grocery
store to buy coke and sandwiches for dinner.
I woke up late. Arrived at the Tower of
London at 10am, and since there was a long queue, I decided to just walk thru
the bridge and back, then walked thru London Bridge towards Southwark
Cathedral (which contains a chapel in
memory of John Harvard, the first
benefactor of the American University) to
catch the mass service at 11. By 12nn, I was walking towards St. Paul’s
Cathedral (London’s crowning glory, another Wren masterpiece, with the
largest dome in the world after St. Peter’s). Stopped by for coke at Le Grand
St. and had lunch at a bench on the Bastion
Wall (built by the
Romans, and situated
behind the Museum of London) before I paid the Museum a
3-hour visit. The Museum of London is the largest and
most comprehensive city museum. The galleries show what
London was like since it was founded by the Romans in
AD 50. At 4pm, I took a walk to the British Museum via
Great Russell St. One of the world’s greatest, the British
Museum houses a fantastic collection of antiquities and rare
specimens of human achievement. The Manuscript

13. Saloon contained the original King John’s MagnaCharta, Handel’s Messiah, and the Gutenberg Bible. I left the
museum after 6pm, stopped by for coke again at
Bloomsbury and New Oxford St.. Then I took the tube to
change at Oxford Circus for Victoria. Walked again
around Buckingham Palace towards St. James Park
(which stands on one side of The Mall), and watched
the ducks swim along the lake. At Victoria St., I
walked to a travel bureau and bought a ticket for
Leeds Castle, a must-see for the next day’s sight-
seeing trip outside London, my last day. Supper again at Victoria Place, and back to King’s College by 10pm.
July 24, Monday, I paid my bill after
the 7:30 breakfast, took my luggage to
Victoria Station. Waited at the coach
station for the bus until 10am, only to
find out that I should take the railway.
Walked back as fast I could to the
Railway station and reached platform 8
in time (the train left at 10:18, arriving
one hour later at Leeds Castle). The
castle, situated at Maidstone, Kent and
one of the loveliest in the world, is set on two islands in
the center of a motionless lake. Its first royal owners were
Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castille in 1278. It is
home to 6 medieval English queens. It was converted by
Henry XVIII into a royal palace in early 1500s. The tour
included lunch at the terrace of the Fairfax Terrace. I
walked around the garden and the Maze (got lost for
30 minutes before I found my bearing). I got back to
the coach park at 4pm. By 15:15, I was back at
Victoria St., took the no. 52 bus to Knightbridge,
walked past
Harrods and
into Brompton
Road to enter
the London
Oratory
Catholic
Church, where
I met Fr. Peter Gee, a
newly ordained priest of
the

14. Order of St. Peter, with mission in Kansas. He paid 2
pounds for the guidebook to the Oratory of St. Philip
Neri and gave it to me as souvenir. Walking along
this road, I stumbled onto the Victoria and Albert
Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Science
Museum, and the British Library Sound Archives.
Also took photos of Albert Hall along the way and walked
towards the Kensington Palace, home of the Princess Diana,
to Victoria Railway Station, after taking pictures of the
Grosvenor Hotel along Buckingham St. near the station, and
the Royal Mews, home of the royal carriages. Then I took
bus no .185 to Denmark Hill. As souvenir, I took photos of
Champion Hill St., the Fox on the Hill Beer Garden at the
corner along the way, the entrance to King’s College Hall,
the reception area, the
gardens, and finally my
bedroom.
Tuesday, July 25, after
breakfast at 7:30 am, I left
King’s College Hall to board Gatwick Express at
9am. At 10, I was still negotiating to get a boarding
ticket (they wouldn’t allow me to check in 2
suitcases). At 11, I finally checked in and boarded
the plane. I arrived the next day at 2:00pm and was
picked up by Daddy and Vic thirty minutes later. I
received a warm welcome on Monday, 1 August, by
my staff, Amy and Tony, with Cres, Cynthia, Cely,
and Fe Sajulan.