First Year Anniversary

December 30, 2013 marks our 1st year anniversary. You see, having an anniversary right in the middle of Christmas week has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is the festivity. Almost everyday, friends and relatives gather together to eat and just be merry. One major disadvantage is money.. or the lack of it, that is. Gift-giving, although as happy as it sounds, takes its toll on our wallets. An out of town anniversary celebration versus monetary gifts to parents, choose your poison. I will always choose the latter of course. So yeah, having admitted that, we didn't have any big plans for our it, except that we'll dine out on a normal restaurant like any of our anniversaries as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Few days ago was the wedding of my brother. After Christmas, he and his wife flew to Davao to have their honeymoon in the gorgeous Pearl Farm Resort. They were only able to book one night since it was a peak season. The next night was spent in another resort on Samal island - Hof Gorei. Sadly it fell short, very short, from their expectation so they decided to re-book their tickets in advance and have an early flight back home.

Having their honeymoon cut short, both of them felt a little down. They wanted a quick fix so they went to us and asked us to join them. They wanna shoulder most of the expenses as their gift for our anniversary. Heart-melting!

No place will ever beat Baguio in our top list when it comes to sentimental value. Me and my husband lived there for quite some time and we have created so many memories in it. Baguio it is! 5 hours after that decision, we found ourselves already inside a northbound bus, yay! Sometimes, spur of the moment decisions are the best ones!

Upon reaching Baguio, we had our quick lunch on one of Burnham Park's series of ihawans. I had the best papaitan ever! After We went to the Tiongsan grocery and the palengke to buy our food supply. While carrying several heavy bags of food, we walked towards the jeepney station that are bound to the hot springs. After some twists and turns, we reached our first destination, the Riverview Resort. It was a little exhausting but it's nothing that a relaxing swim won't cure. 

I've been dreaming of going back to Sagada for our anniversary because I thought waking up and seeing pine trees on the windows will be really mushy. I dropped that idea because of, as I said earlier, Christmas expenses. As I woke up the at our exact wedding anniversary, I was in complete awe. A pine tree right in front of our bedroom window:

This is God reordering the universe to fulfill even the pettiest of my dreams.

As the name of the resort implies: River View

We spent the vacation, eating, swimming, laughing and drinking. We had very few photos but here are some:

Cascade of pools

Me and my ate and behind us is the olympic-size pool

Palm Grove's Entrance

Next morning, we transferred to the nearby resort to try their famous hot bath. Again, no photo but let me describe it to you. They were tiny rooms with pools which will be filled with not warm, but hot water. You will then let your body adjust to the temperature by slowly submerging it using the steps of the pool. Tiny room, hot water and steamy air... perfect combination for a panic attack, lol. I'm not claustrophobic but it felt weird that I had to open the door and stick out my head for few minutes to breath. The moment my body and brain started adjusting, everything felt magnificent. It was a total relaxation. 

That same day, afternoon, we headed back to Baguio to have our lunch and buy some pasalubong. Oh Baguio and your cheap vegetables, I'll never get tired of you! 

We were about to get home when I had this epiphany -- It was 3pm, it was exactly our anniversary as our church ceremony also started at 3pm and I was in the middle of Session Road - a road with a huge significance in our relationship. At that moment, busy people turned into a blur. It was just me, my husband, that road and the smile on my face.

Gosh, I've held up this post for so long and now I'm scouring the net for some infos about the rates and fees. I feel so clueless now. Forgive my lack of sense of direction and my poor instinct of remembering amounts. I don't want to compromise my integrity so let's just leave this as a personal entry without any useful information whatsoever but a giddy little anniversary post.

Mt. Pinatubo Adventure

I've been on the far points of Luzon, some parts of Visayas and some parts of Mindanao but Mt. Pinatubo, which is from just a neighboring province, has somehow eluded me for quite some time already. I tried planning several times but circumstances made me cancel each and every time.

Until recently, on a friend's birthday, we had an idea of having an out of town trip. Since they all work with crazy schedules, this day tour seemed very viable. I just blurted out the idea and to my pleasure, they all agreed. Now it's time for my favorite part - planning!

Having planned this in the past, I just whipped out a number in my contacts and called a famous name in that area, Wendell Mercado. He is the president for the Pinatubo 4wd Tours. Having seen other travel packages from different agencies, I decided this is the best deal. Transaction was smooth, no deposit was even asked. He just got our names and texted me what we needed to bring that day. Check out the breakdown of the package for a group of 5:

P 3,000 - 4WD (5-person capacity)

P 2,500 - Tour guide (P500 per head)

   P 500 - Conservation fee and lunch

P 6,000 - Total (P 1,200 per head)

Since we are just roughly an hour and a half away from the Capas tourism office, my friend's dad kindly drove us there so we can save the hassle of having to rent a ride. By the way, there's no public transportation (bus or jeepney) going inside that area (as far as I know). 

We paid in their office then they immediately assigned a 4x4 ride with driver and a tour guide. Just like that, our adventure started.

This is how the trail started.

A quick photo op in the middle of nowhere.

From what I learned, prior to recent heavy rains and typhoons, the Pinatubo trail was very laid back and easy. It was mainly an exhilarating 4-wheel drive journey followed by a quick 20-minute forest hike to reach the crater. But mother nature had a naughty plan of making the quest a bit more challenging. The path for the vehicles were badly destroyed by the recent rains and floods making it impossibly passable. This is what we had to go through to reach the crater: 1-hour bumpy 4x4 ride and a 2- hour trek under the unforgiving sun on a shade-less rocky and sometimes watery path. Our bodies, having used to be sitting all day, were pushed to the limits.

Rocky terrain - there were even points where we had to cross a river.

Ours already started and hour and a half ago.

Foresty terrain for the final 20 minutes

Is this view worth all the exhaustion? Definitely.

We only had a quick photo session because the sun is scorching. But I was surprised that there's a cool breeze, I guess it never occurred to me that we were on a high altitude. The wind resembles the simple chill of Tagaytay. 

My husband and his two close friends

The trek took its toll on us and we found ourselves sitting on the ground under some shade, starving. Good thing the package included a decent amount of food so we digged in right away. 

Fried tilapia, chicken adobo, itlog na maalat, tomatoes, bagoong alamang, tortang talong, banana and water. Also comes with spoon, fork, tissues and toothpicks. Very complete!

While enjoying the cool wind and the fullness of our tummies, we took an hour of sleep nap. After of which, we still didn't have the energy to go on but the guide insisted we should head back early. It's dangerous to still be in the trail during dusk. We walked with heavy feet but we still managed to make the trek enjoyable.

Saw this huge rock with this writing - hell yeah we did conquer Pinatubo!

Seeing our 4x4 car was a relief. Our legs, not really designed even for a simple walkathon what more a 2-hour trekking, felt like jelly! I was so tired that I fell asleep on a very bumpy 4x4 ride while my husband holding me tightly making sure I don't topple over.

Upon reaching the tourism office, we fixed ourselves and ate whatever's available in the small sari-sari store. There's chips, softdrinks, halo-halo and my favorite, balut. While taking a rest, I had a realization. Damn, my comfort food is sisig! I can't stop thinking about it, I just wished a full platter were in front of me with hot rice. While others thought of cakes and chocolates, I thought of sisig. What's wrong with me?

We didn't have a ride home so we just hired our guide to take us to the main road with his tricycle. He's such a good person. He could have simply given us an overpriced rate seeing we didn't have much choice but he gave a fair price.

We took our dinner on a simple eatery for me to give in to my craving - sizzling sisig! It was the best one I ever tasted. How good? I had 2 1/2 rice. Yes, that good! 

Iligan Adventure and Airport Mishaps

We woke up real early that day to catch the first van going to the port. It was said to leave at 5 in the morning and the barge will be leaving at 6. There was a slight delay in the van but fortunately we were still able to catch the first barge. We were also lucky to catch the sunrise while at it. 

We continued to our plan of going to Iligan to see two famous waterfalls before heading back to CDO airport for our flight home. We thought it would just be a quick and easy sidetrip but it ended up as the most exhilirating, butt-numbing, jam-packed 24 hours of my life. It started with a 1 hour barge ride, followed by a quick 5-minute pedicab, then a 3-hour ordinary bus ride going back to Agora bus terminal, CDO proper. I thought we will be able to find a bus there going to Iligan but nope, we still needed to ride a habal-habal to reach another bus terminal, Buru-un Terminal. Upon reaching the terminal, we quickly had a lunch there and rode a very nice bus bound for Iligan. It was a flat 2-hour journey. So now we're there but the Ma. Christina falls is still yet another bus ride away. We again hopped on a bus bound for Pagadian and begged asked the conductor to drop us at the waterfalls jump off point. We spent 7 hours and 35 minutes on the road for this:

Worth it! What a huge treat from mother nature!

The giant falls powers a hydroelectric plant. The whole complex is called NPC - Nature's Park which includes a mini zoo, picnic spots, ziplines, walls for rock climbers and of course, the waterfalls. Entrance fee is 30 Pesos, plus 10 Pesos shuttle fee. 

Upon exiting the gate, we saw an old man wearing a hard hat shoveling some sand as if he works as a laborer. We asked how to go to Tinago Falls. He smiled, put away his shovel and showed his motorcycle. He said he'll take us there and will wait for us to take us back to the Iligan terminal afterwards. Deal. Just like that, his hard hat was now used as a helmet, dual-purpose, umeextra si Kuya! Yes he's old but it doesn't mean he can't drive at crazy speeds. My goodness, my heart was racing the whole time! I have always been a calm and relaxed passenger all my life but this man's different! Really, I was in panic while he took every chance he gets to overtake and took sharp curves without ever slowing down. We reached our destination in no time. We hired two porters to guide us down the falls. It wasn't called "Tinago" falls for no reason, it was really well-hidden. My knees were still shaking from the driver's recklessness when we descended on the 365 steps of stairs towards the falls. Now my knees are twice the shaky. To tell the truth, I was an itty-bitty disappointed with this one. Not because it's not beautiful (God, it's majestic), but because I just somehow thought it would be quiet and peaceful where I can soak up all its beauty without the feeling of commercialism. Seeing numerous people wearing their rented bright orange life vests while paddling their rented rafts was a little bummer (I can be selfish at times, yes). 

There are even more people outside the camera's frame.

After yet another heart-pounding habal-habal ride, we reached Iligan terminal. The usual 2-hour bus ride was now getting longer and and longer due to unexpected traffic and I'm getting a bit nervous already. Computing the distance that we still had to take from Buru-un terminal to Lumbia airport, I'm afraid we might miss our flight. We took another habal-habal ride that will directly drive us to the airport and told him our check-in time. He was the same driver we had the morning (not the reckless one) and upon knowing we were on a tight time frame, he switched his crazy driving mode on and thanks to him, we didn't miss our flight. 

We arrived at NAIA nearing 11pm. We asked around and knew buses bound to Pampanga will not  yet start until 2am. Crazy. How will we spend those 3 hours now that we're dead tired? Sleep. Yes, I slept on the floor just like those people from the movies who sleeps in the airport. I did that. Except that they're from far countries and maybe have to wait for 12 hours layovers while I live on a nearby province and it's just 3 hours - damn so what, I was really tired. 

We reached home at 5:30 in the morning, we spent 24 hours on land, water and air transports and that's without ever brushing our teeth and taking a bath. On my defense, our toothbrush was tucked deeply inside my backpack and I was too tired/lazy to get it and use it on public toilets. Gross? Yes. Fun? Totally.

Camiguin Day Tour

This is our tour proper. We agreed on an 8am - 5pm motorcycle rental. We woke up at 5am to have time for an energizing breakfast. As my husband went out for a smoke at 7 in the morning, the motorcycle guy is already outside our hotel, waiting. He's so early! We rushed dressing up and took advantage of that extra hour. Our first stop: the White Island. We had no tour guide, all we have is a map and the locals. After asking several people for directions, we reached our destination. To reach the sand bar, one should hire a boat. Rental fee is 400 Pesos. Travel time is just around 10 minutes.

It was stunning. How could such a pretty thing exist in the middle of an ocean?

The famous sand bar

The sun was scorching - which means FUN!

One of our rare couple photos - thanks to our tripod!

Photo op after snorkling. Too bad there's not much to see underwater.

We stayed there for a good hour or two. I rarely check the time during vacations so forgive when all I can do is to estimate time. I also suck at directions so any corrections are welcome. So moving on...

We stopped by to cherish this cliff's view. It overlooks the sunken cemetery.

With the sunken cemetery in sight, we decided it would be our next stop. Before arriving there, we saw another spot where tourists flocked, it was the Via Crucis (or the Way of the Cross). The route to finish the station was an uphill trek which took us an hour to finish. It was at high noon and we haven't eaten yet! Truly a wonderful sacrifice to finish the station. As we reached the Resurrection station, we whispered a little prayer then hurried back down as we're already starving.

The First Station --> Me --> some wild flowers --> the Resurrection.

We ate the first eatery we saw. After lunch, we then proceeded to the Sunken Cemetery. There are locals who volunteers on taking pictures without naming a fee, but of course, tips will be greatly appreciated. One of them was a young kid who insisted we do cheesy cliche poses as if we're holding the cross on the palm of our hands. Okay fine, pagbigyan si totoy, aspiring directory siya. But sorry, I won't post the photos :P

It was a quick drive then we arrived at the Old Church ruins. This is an old church built in the 16th century which was then mostly destroyed by a massive volcano eruption in the 18th century.

The Church's main body

The bell tower behind me

Without having any major stops in mind, we just decided to ride the whole circumference of Camiguin road, stopping at any interesting spot we see. We stumbled upon signs of a spring somewhere out of way. Why not! I've read it's an interesting spring for its waters are said to be soda in nature.

Yes, true enough, the water is naturally bubbly like a soda.

Next stop is the Giant Clam Sactuary. I love clams, I love eating them that is. But seeing how giant these were, I think I would pass. One could even swallow my face!

That concluded our day. Our whole night was spent inside our hotel room, eating take-out chicken while watching television - my ideal kind of night!

Best One... So Far

Where do I even begin? I dread writing about our latest trip because first, it was so awesome I'm not sure if words will be able to give justice to it, and second, photos don't even match the real thing! I don't even have decent photos to match what I've seen so forgive me if I'll just blabber with words about them. And now I'm struggling to blog but what the hell, the experience is still crisp in my mind and it will stay such for a lifetime. 

So where was my recent trip you may ask? The island of Camiguin *smiling while typing it*. Aaaah.. such a beautiful place! Okay okay, I admit, Sagada, for me, is still the most beautiful place ever, but let me explain why I tagged this one as the best trip so far. 2 words -- the experience! It was one hell of an adventure. Me and my husband loved the fact that motorcycle rental is a very big thing in that island. Can you imagine... the locals there offer their motorcycles on random tourists for a very affordable fee. After paying, they'll give the keys and will let you have it for an agreed time frame. Some of them don't even have cellphones, they'll just wait for you after you used it on the agreed time and place. They are unbelievably trusting! Yes it's an island, stealing it and transporting it outside will require a huge amount of effort, but hey, there are a lot of strategic con men who can take advantage of that scenario (duh, I'm so cynical). 

But let's begin with Day 0 first. Our Manila - Lumbia (CDO) flight was scheduled 7:15pm. We arrived very early to make sure we won't miss it. Guess what, flight got delayed. That is the start of our adventure. Because of that delay, we weren't able to go out of Lumbia airport perimeters because jeepneys, which we intended to take (cabs are always not an option), are no longer available during late nights. We had a little chat with a kind local vendor and asked where to find the nearest hotel. She said her neighbor has a transient house for only 300/head. Why not, we just needed to stay for the night. So we went there and uhmm, I don't want to sound mean and maarte, but it's just not what I had in mind. Yes, I adore cheap finds, but they have to be at least decent. And this one is not quite. A dirty restroom is my number one pet peeve, I can hold my pee for several hours just to avoid them. This one is beyond averagely dirty. I think you'll disgust me if I continued to elaborate so let's move on. 

Since we weren't able to go out of Lumbia, our itinerary had to change completely. We originally planned to visit Ma. Christina and Tinago Falls on day 1, but us, still being on point zero, it's just not feasible. We have to be on the port going to Camiguin before 5pm to catch the last ferry. I have pre-booked our hotel so yeah, we can't afford to stay somewhere else and pay for another night. So instead of going to Iligan, which is miles and miles away from Cagayan de Oro, we just went to Camiguin early. 

After two jeepney rides (one of them is weirdly half-full of firewoods but we still rode it anyway), a 3-hour-butt-numbing-nonstop-ordinary bus ride (which got broken somewhere and had to transfer us to a multicab (which has a huge videoke-quality speaker blasting right above my head), and a 1 hour barge ride, we finally arrived at Camiguin. We left the transient house at 5 am and arrived at 1pm, go figure. 

Upon arrival, we had our lunch at the very first carinderia we saw. Local food is great! Someone approached my husband offering his motorcycle for rent. For a whole day, he initially priced it at 600 Php. They ended up agreeing at 400 Php, he also offered to take us to our hotel after we ate in exchange for gas (120pesos), nice deal since we will be using that gas anyway. We agreed on a schedule. He will bring the motorcycle the next day at exactly 8am and will pick it up at 5pm. 

We checked-in at GV Hotel, a very decent budget accommodation right in the heart of Camiguin's capital, Mambajao. Since I have already pre-booked it online, transaction was very quick and smooth. For only 530 Php/night, the room already had an en suite comfort room, cable TV and aircon, basic yet very needed amenities. Upon reaching our it, we didn't even laid our backs because the bed was very comfy and I didn't want us to doze off.We instantly planned our itinerary instead. The guy we contracted earlier for his motorcycle didn't have a cellphone. We thought of doing a half day tour so we asked the lobbyist if he knew someone who can lend us one. He then surprisingly gave us keys, saying his workmate has a motorcycle. We didn't even meet the owner. We just used it. People there, again, are unbelievably awesome. 

Our first stop was the famous Katibawasan Falls. It was not along the main road but reaching it without a guide was not a problem because first, we had a map. Second, locals are so helpful. Third, the road signs are very efficient. Entrance fee is 15 Pesos.

Lovely waterfalls!

It was a very serene place. The waterfalls itself was quiet and peaceful. We stayed there for a little while, soaking in all the wonders of nature. As I always say to myself, these little moments on these perfect places, will always affirm God's presence. These little moments are life's best ones.

It was nearing dusk when we left but we still have another spot to visit. Along the way, we spotted a lady selling barbecue so we stopped by and tried their version of it. It was the same as ours only that they also sell barbecued bananas (saging saba) which they brush with margarine and sugar. Two pieces of those only cost 3 Php, can you imagine a 3- Peso miryenda which is enough to fill you?

After that quick stop, we arrived at our destination - Ardent Spring. It's a resort with heated pools due to springs coming from the sides of Hibok Hibok volcano. Entrance fee is 30 Pesos, yes 30 Pesos, for a series of hot springs. How awesome is that?

Black and White Drama

I didn't have a photo of the place because it was getting dark and we can't have decent shots but trust me, it's a pretty place. It was so relaxing it calmed my tired body from the unforgiving public transport. I didn't wanna go but we had to eventually. 

We went back to our hotel and met the owner of the motorcycle. He charged us 250 for a half day rental. We explored Mambajao came night time. It was just 7:30pm but the heart of the city was almost empty of people. It was surprising. We ate at a local barbekyuhan. The owner was so warm she even told us the recipe of her home made longganisang Bisaya. I'm from Pampanga, where longganisa is our pride, but they have their own take and it's equally good.

Let me summarize our Days 0 and 1 with our waypoints and expenses (you may click the blue icons for more info):



View CDO - Camiguin in a larger map

Family Getaway - Boracay Island

Me and my husband had some handful of impromptu travels recently. It's fun, liberating and spontaneous. Budget is the number one concern though. We travel cheap and not having an itinerary comes with downsides. There were times we suddenly have to scrimp on budget then be forced to eat cheap carinderia foods, walk some kilometers or take crazy amounts of public transportation. But it's cool, it's just the two of us anyway. We don't mind the hassle of at all.

Although it may sound exciting, I still strongly believe it pays to research, research, research. I do it every time I have a chance. Though spontaneous travels are very fun, nothing beats the joy and excitement of planning just by seeing your future travel unveil itself piece by piece even if you're still some weeks away from it. My last one was a perfect example.

It was a family vacation (with both of my parents and my brother), I had to make their convenience the priority. I booked everything online. Tickets, transfers (our flight was Clark - Kalibo) and accommodation. I scored the tickets from Air Asia airlines with an amazing total of of 3584.00 Pesos for 5 persons, all-in including online processing fee, fuel and tax. Since we live 15 minutes away from Clark airport, we brought our own car and got their park and fly service (90 Pesos per day).

I booked our transfers with Southwest Tours, Kalibo is still approx. 3 hours away from Boracay. I gotta say, I was impressed with their smooth transaction. I talked to them through email and I didnt 't even pay any reservation or downpayment fee. When we got to Kalibo airport, I was pleased to see my name on the white board held by one of their employee. We did not feel any stress at all even though we've been through a loooot of different transports (van - boat - car - walk). The van was all ours. It was new and clean. All-in fee was 1045 Pesos per head which includes 2-way transfers, terminal and environmental fees and a surcharge for our very early departure. I have to give myself a high five for it was very convenient and hassle free.

I also pre-booked our accommodation online. I chose Tan's Guest house because of its good reviews. It did not fail my expectation. I just love love love people who answers emails! It's the most convenient mode of communication for me and it impresses me when companies, especially the small ones, reply. I got to talk to Ms. Net and she quoted 2,500 Pesos/night for a big family room, with complete amenities and breakfast. Not bad for a family of 5. So it's a go! We'll be staying for 2 nights so I deposited half of the total amount on Ms. Net's bank account. Upon sending her the money, she immediately sent me a printable confirmation. Very smooth and simple. By the way, the guest house is conveniently located near the beach. It's not exactly beach front but it's just a couple of minutes walk. Really, not bad at all!

Good thing I did not book any tour in advance. When we got there, vendors immediately flocked us offering us their services and items. We entertained those who offered usual activities like helmet diving, snorkeling and the like, and waited for the lowest bidder, lol. We got Kuya Joey's services (09996537269) since he offered decent prices (though we heard cheaper offers eventually, but oh well). His rates were: 250/head for helmet diving, 700/head for parasailing, 250/snorkel set and 1000/boat for the island hopping. I have read from last year's threads and blog posts having these rates too, so not bad, no inflation yet, hahah.

Everything went out smoothly, I felt fulfilled having it all arranged in advance. Boracay is a very touristy spot. You'll be literally spending twice or thrice the real amount should you haven't known a thing about it. 

Now it's time to enjoy the island!

Lunch at 888 restaurant. Oh forgive me for gushing over a lobster. It was my first time, lol.

I did this sponge nail art inspired by Boracay's famous sunset. And yes, my nails are extremely short.

Too sad... can you spot a plastic bag of garbage over there?

The water is just oh so perfect!

I can stay here the whole day, everyday.

It was a gloomy/rainy day, but fun nevertheless! First time to parasail too, we felt like spies reversely parachuting, lol.

We also did helmet diving, snorkling and island hopping. All those water activities somehow lessened my fear of fishes. I can co-exist with them on water now. Before, when I see fishes near the shore, I run. I run like crazy while screaming in utmost panic. Well now I can already go near them, I still can't touch them though, but at least it's a major improvement. I still can't imagine having a fish spa though - that would kill me :/

All Spiced Up

OMG! I just saw Spice Girls' performance in the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Well what can I say, I'm still a fan! They're still awesome, and hot, and pretty.. just like how they were a decade and a half ago! I can recall myself singing Wannabe on my 6th grade. Imagine, I'm married now and already nearing my 30's, so what the eff happened to them? Did they, at some point of their lives, freeze or something? Look at them, no seriously, watch the video below, they did not age a bit! 

Posh, is still my dear Posh. She's still my favorite. She's like the spiciest of them all. But I also liked Ginger and Baby. Maybe it's because of Olympics or of this long-awaited reunion, but the two really looked so happy!

Adding up to the festive mood were those cute shiny cars and crazy lights everywhere. I, myself, sitting and eating pancit canton alone, felt really really happy upon watching that performance. I just got a huge smile and an unexplainable kilig afterwards. I guess it brought me back to childhood or something, I don't know, it just made me happy and giddy giddy giddy. 

video from the Official Olympic Channel

Update: Lol, the video is not working due to their restriction, but you may use the same link to view it on YouTube. 

My 27th

When caught off-guard and asked how old am I, I had to compute. True story. I sometimes forget how old I am. Age is just a number. Yesterday, I turned 27. I compute it very quickly by getting the last digit of the year, and then adding 5. 2+5 = 7. Got it? Good. 

It was a rainy day. I stayed home all day with my family, eating my favorite foods all through out. Hotdogs and cheese spread for breakfast. Kare kare for lunch and sotanghon soup (perfect for the weather) for mirienda! I'm not really into big parties, birthday bitchness and such. I've always just wanted to celebrate it with people dear to me.

Later in the afternoon, we endured the bad weather and went to the Carmelite Monastery for a thanksgiving visit. Then we went to this old mall for some good finds. Imagine scoring a pretty swimsuit cover up for 100 Pesos! Everything's on sale due to bad weather especially for off peak items like summer wears.

We ate our dinner on a hidden gem, a resto called John's Kitchen. It is located inside Timog Park Homes subdivision, quite far from the heart of the city. I have read raves about this so what the hell, let's fight the strong rains and try it!

The ambience

Complimentary bread and pesto, cheese and butter spreads

Greek Salad (185 Php) - Greens, cucumber, oninons, olives, feta cheese, lemon vinaigrette, cherry tomatoes and pita bread. 

Surf and Turf (295 Php) - Grilled prime rib, mashed potato, mussels, prawns, amazing gravy and white sauce with a side of grilled tomato and mushroom 

Pork Ribs (265 Php) - Barbecued pork ribs, rice and a side of veggies 

The food was amazing! Aside from these, we also had a Chocolate Mousse for dessert and Fish and Chips for take out. They were equally presentable and delicious. Judging from the price versus the quality and quantity of the food, I am giving this restaurant 10 million points. I would recommend it for your birthdays, anniversaries, ordinary days, whatever. It's one of my favorite place now. I've read it's owned and operated by a top caliber chef who personally prepares the food. Just awesome.

We were home just before 9pm. Yep, that early! That pretty much is my birthday in a nutshell. I am really thankful to be surrounded by people I love which makes my every birthdays very special. 

Real Life Took Over

Whoa! Two months have passed since my last post! Two very quick months... How could I even summarize that in a post? 

Let me try to think why I haven't even taken a peek to this blog. Hmmmm.. Oh yeah, real life took place and I was too busy/lazy to document it.

So let me summarize as much as I can just to keep this thing updated.

• Around June, My bff got married. It was such a perfect ceremony. I had my role of being a bridesmaid, which basically had no role but to look pretty. I mean, I'm not complaining at all. It was such a fun day to camwhore and pose for not just one but two professional photographers. So yeah, I ended up having the most number of "extra" photos and it was funny because my face was always randomly flashed on the AVPs. Anyway, I had two teary-eyed moments during their wedding. One was during their vow and the other was during the reception. I was just so happy for her that everything turned out perfect. 

Look how lovely this is (Taken by Jaja Samaniego)

• Around June also, I had this very quick yet fun getaway with my husband and my friends. It was a supposed overnighter but something came up so it was even narrowed down to a day tour. Nevertheless, it was still a day full of laughters, sunblocks and positivity! White Rock, Subic, was not bad at all. It was a bit pricey at 850 Php per pax plus 2000 Php mandatory cottage rental. It had a lot of water activities including wave pools, kayaks, wall climbing, zipline, amazing slides and oh, a beach. The beach was unfortunately so-so. Maybe even lower a standard of decency. Really. It was really murky. If it weren't for their tons of other activities and their awesome staffs, we would have been really disappointed. I did mention there was a playground, right? Right. We've seen it right after we changed into our swimsuits. The seesaws looked fun so what the hell, me and my husband tried one. It was fun at first but being a lightweight myself, I actually got thrown off. Yeah, as in literally thrown off. I flew, then landed on the bars, flew again, landed on the ground. It was so dyahe pare, nakakahiya!!! And not to mention, extremely painful. It was a jolt of pain I have never ever experienced before. My inner thighs landed on the bars, bruising them badly. My whole body was shaking. Good thing it was just a sudden burst. Like a 7-minute hell and then it was gone. Still painful the whole day but it got really tolerable. So yeah, that happened maybe like an hour after our arrival, just my luck!

With our Minnie Mouse pose

What did I tell you about the beach?

• Around July, the sweetest husband in the whole wide world gave me an early birthday present. Knowing how I wanted to have a hobby and how we both shared a love for travel, he did several weeks of research on how to scour inexpensive beginners' cameras. It was a very heart-warming effort on making me happy (even though, I swear, I never asked for it but he just knew!).We got lucky upon scoring a slighty used Canon 1000d for only 10,800 Php which is still in a perfect condition. So now, this keeps me occupied. I love this learning phase but I hope I improve more and more through practice and time (coz my shots still suck). In relation to this, I will be lauching my photo blog to document my progress. I will launch it on my birthday, August 8. I have yet to name them still (the camera and the blog). So exciting!

• Let me turn on my rant mode for a few minutes. Last week, I finally got our wedding video. Guess what? We were disappointed. Sadly, they did not deliver according to our expectations. It was hardly HD like what we paid for (half of it is in poor quality). I won't elaborate on that sad thing because, well, because, it's a fail part on my end! I should have not hurried up in booking that company. Sigh. 

• Present time. It has been raining everyday for the past two weeks. This sucks! Rain may have some advantages, yes, but it also comes with a lot of inconveniences! First, our bedroom roof leaks. Not a big of a deal for me, but for the house itself, it is. Second, random insects/ reptiles take refuge into our home. It's freaking disgusting and scary!!! We don't live in a jungle, but there was this one time last week, where my mom woke us up in a panic at 3 in the morning when she found a snake in our kitchen. A freaking snake! It was maybe half an inch in cross-section diameter and maybe a foot and a half long. Humor me and tell me that isn't a snake yet. Aside from that incident, something more disgusting is going on in my bedroom. Yes, as in right now. Our closet has been infested by effing cockroaches!!! Wtf, right? We hired someone earlier today to clean, cement and seal the closet's base. And night came, I thought I can already rearrange our clothes, so we can sleep in peace, but surprise surprise, I found more cockroaches! Some came from the closet's ceiling. Holy crap. This is really disturbing! It's frustrating, really. Oh well, I hope this scary phase ends soon. /Rant mode off. 

Season Break

Sadness.... ohhh too much sadness I wanna cry.


Oh forgive the melodrama. I'm just still in a state of a very different, unexplainable kind of sadness that comes every year - SEASON BREAK!!


Yes I'm a series junkie. I've been dealing with this addiction for several years already. It started more than 10 years ago. I was so young then, a highschool student... so naive. And yet I watched Sex and the City religiously, lol. Together with few other HBO original series, I didn't fail a single episode. It now amazes me how awesome that era was. I get to watch series by just remembering their weekly schedule and try, against all odds, to free that time of the day, to watch it on tv. And yet now, I have all the resources, electronic program guides, streamings, downloads and yet, I still miss some some. Oh well. Let's just say our old selves are more attentive and determined.


My adventures with Carrie Bradshaw continued until movies 1 and 2. I even bought complete season DVDs and brought them to Baguio during my board review because I didn't have a television. I watched them on and on for 6 months without ever tiring. 


After finally moving on... I tried other series. That's the start of it. Then came House, Pushing Daisies, Heroes, Chuck, Lie to Me, The Vampire Diaries, How I Met Your Mother, The Bigbang Theory, The Walking Dead, Fringe. The end of Chuck really broke my heart. The ending was hopeful and yet sad. But it's nothing compared to my heartbreak when House MD, ended recently. Why?? Why do they have to make Wilson dying? Why do they have to make House's identity die? Can't they just make Cuddy appear and marry House, have kids and live happily ever after? Lol. Kidding. I commend it's originality. But still!! I can't believe I won't be seeing any more of Hugh Laurie, walking limply, while being an ass to everyone. Sad sad sad. Nevertheless, 8 seasons of that awesomeness is not bad at all.


And now, most of the ones I mentioned above are still running, but currently on a season break! I do not know exactly how they run their programs in the United States, but most of the series opens and ends almost at the same time. So when they all end a certain season, I have no choice but to wait. They will resume some time in September/October this year. Oh the agony! 


During their last mid-season break, I forced myself to watch a Koreanovela, City Hunter. Forced by whom? My dear husband, lol. He watched the whole of it before me. He strongly recommended giving it a chance. I'm not against of those kinds of series, but he had to do a lot of convincing because I thought it was just an action series. Well yes, it had a lot of action, but the main story was amazing, and not to mention the lovestory! Plus, the bida is so gwapo! Lol, yeah, I mean it. 


Now I have found the perfect diversion again to somehow lessen the misery of waiting. You see, I have adopted a very adorable little puppy. Exept that, he's not so little anymore after 2 weeks. He's a Labrador Retriever, which I swear grows right in front of my eyes! I think in two months time, this little fella will be as big as my other local bred dogs, well again, except that, he'll still be a puppy! He's a crazy, hyperactive, destructive and yet a very lovable baby. I understand he's 10 time more playful now that he's still young so as early as now, I am trying my best to train him become a more disciplined dog. I can't have a 70-pound of meat running around the house destructing anything that comes along his way. Oh no, he can't be a Marley (although he looks like him). I can't afford having our future carpet being ruined or having our future babies being tumbled down by him. Right now, he tackles and bites my precious cat, it makes me angry so I have to stop that habit. 


With that, came my next series obsession - The Dog Whisperer. It's a reality tv series featuring the training and rehabilitation of Ceasar Milan to dogs and their masters. Yup, I'm a fan of Ceasar now. I personally think he's like a dog deity or something. I am really in awe when I try the things he teaches and they actually work. I have only seen the some latest episodes on tv recently. His show is already on it's 8th season so I have a lot of catching to do, which is perfect! I think I can finish all of them right before my other series start. I hope I can apply them in real life and make my little Bownie more disciplined and pleasant to be with.

For now, let me leave you with some photos of him.

Isn't he adorable?? How can you spank that little angel!