Good and Bad Things on our 64th Month

Last January 14, 2011 was our 64th month as boyfriend and girlfriend. We usually celebrate only the first month and the exact anniversary. For this year we are bound to travel to Batanes, our dream destination.

We are going to Batanes via Seair. Our flight in Manila to Basco was 8:20 AM to 10:05 AM. Melvin and I are already in Manila Domestic Airport around 6:45 AM. We checked-in our things immediately so we can still grab some nap while waiting for our flight. There aren't many passengers that time. Inside the airport, we met some locals from Batanes who will be going home from Christmas vacation here in Manila. They were talking about Batanes, the people, food, nature, and most specially the weather and the never ending cancellation and delays of their flights. One lady said it's her third time to have her flight canceled because of the bad weather the town was experiencing. Since December, after Christmas, she was already trying her luck to be able to go home in her hometown but she has no luck up to that Friday morning.

We were all seating on the bleachers when the passengers bound to Cebu was called. Around 7:55 AM, a few minutes before our gate will open at 8:05 AM, the lady's nephew came to us and telling us that all flights to Basco, Batanes for that day was canceled. Melvin and I are both kinda expecting this to happen. Because I read a few messages from some forums that the weather in Batanes these days isn't good and that there are several people/tourist who were stranded on the island for 3-5 days at most. The weird thing we've noticed was that these locals didn't even get mad. Instead they just go to the Seair Ticketing Office outside Manila Domestic Airport. It seems they're already used with this situation. All the familiar faces inside the airport's waiting area are inside the ticketing office already when we came in. They had their flights re-booked immediately and then they left --- no more arguments, no more angry faces.

What can we do in this situation now? We can't even get mad since almost all the passengers are not mad, except for the 2 other groups who look like tourists on the island. I never raised my voice to the Seair officer, I felt calmness even on a very frustrating situation. It's the first time actually that I didn't got mad at all. It felt like I was unloaded with a big Balikbayan box that I was carrying on my back. Since we've already expected this to happen, I decided to just have our ticket payment be refunded. I just tried to ask this even when the ticket I availed is non-refundable. Even though our flight was canceled by Seair, I still praise them for settling the issues fairly with us.They agreed to credit back the money to my credit card as if nothing happened.

Because of my frustration and the urge to travel on that day, I thought of going to Boracay. But our ticket cannot be re-routed. So I scrapped that already! Another came in my mind, it could be Baguio or Tagaytay. But Melvin said, "Can you handle the below 10 degrees in Baguio?" Thinking about that, I told myself, "Uhm, yeah I can't!" But I still texted some of my officemates who knows about Baguio and Tagaytay just to have a comparison. Before we can even decide on where to go, we got hungry. We grab a cab and went straight to Mall Of Asia. The mall isn't opened yet, so we waited while I was texting my officemates. As soon as the mall opened, something came to my mind. Instead of going anywhere unplanned that might still not work, I thought of checking the gadget I like the most and maybe I can buy it with the budget we allotted for our Batanes trip. Of course, Melvin should agree with this idea too! But he's the type who usually agrees with me. So we headed to the gadget stores instead of eating breakfast! We became even more excited in buying this gadget compared to going to Batanes. Seems like our frustration shifted to excitement! After jotting down the stores, prices and terms, we had our lunch and went home to make a comparison on the details before we buy it.

See you tomorrow, Batanes!

I can't sleep yet. I don't know if it is because I am too excited with our trip tomorrow to Batanes or I am too worried on what will happen tomorrow knowing that it's raining consistently for a few days now or am I just waiting for the clock to hit 12 midnight so I can greet Melvin happy 64th monthsary? I hope we will have all the fun we are expecting and meet and make more friends.

I've been worried sick these past days since I've been hearing news that the weather in Batanes now is not good. It's winter season there, it's raining everyday, it's very cold and windy. Seair had been canceling flights from Basco to Manila. Some guests from DDD Habitat (the place where we will stay) needs to extend for another 3 days because their flight was canceled because of the bad weather. Up to now I am still worried, but I know I should trust Him. God will guide us all throughout our trip.

The Batanes Dream

I always dreamt of going to Batanes most specially whenever I read the beauty of this place on a blog. Yeah, it's just a dream for me. Mainly because the airfare is too expensive! But as I research more about this dream travel I learned that it can be done, I really can go here someday. I just need timing.

And truly, on the right time my prayers are answered...a SEAIR promo has arrived! Thanks to FB that SEAIR was able to post their promos immediately to everyone who likes their page. And me being one of those likers was lucky enough to grab that once-in-a-blue-moon promo. I browsed immediately for the dates of travel and how much it will cost me. To my shock it's still expensive for Php6,972.20 RT all-in per person! That started my having second thoughts. :(

I'll be traveling with Melvin, so that will be Php13,854.40 for both of us! Kinda expensive but I still proceeded with booking the trip. At the back of my mind I am saying "Aileen, you still have Cebu-Bohol and Coron trips on February and April. Aren't you saving for the house and the bike?" I battled with my conscience and said "If I don't do this now who knows when I still can?" And me won! Hehehe!

As usual, Melvin, doesn't know anything about it. Not until it's finally booked, no more second thoughts eh?! But to my surprise, he was more excited than me! Well, I know he's dreaming of a Batanes trip more than I do just because he's older than me hahaha!

Now after booking the airfare, our problem is the accommodation, itinerary, food, and whereabouts. Good thing that my officemate, Grace had been to Batanes a few years back and told us what to expect and where to go. I started asking GT once again about the things we need to know. After a long conversion with Grace, pangungulit on my GT sisses and emailing pension contact persons, we finally came up with a good deal. The secret to this is "haggle"! From the original price of Php7,500 per person for the January 14-16, 2011 Batan island tour, food and accommodation, I was able to haggle it down to Php6,650 per person and they will include Sabtang island tour already! Just an FYI, from other pension houses where I've inquired the Php7,500 per person is the original/common rate for the Batan island tour only. Emailing with Ms.Noemi of DDD Habitat was so easy! Her messages are direct to the point and clear. She even sent me pictures of their rooms where I can choose from. Without having second thoughts I closed the deal and deposited Php2,000.00 as an initial payment and reservation fee in one.

I am getting more excited that ever since our Batanes trip is just a few days away. We haven't packed our backpacks yet. Well, I know it's too early to do that. But aren't we too excited anyway?! I just hope everything will happen as planned and may God guide us all throughout.

My 25 Things To Do and Done in the Philippines

When I started traveling, I said to myself "I had to travel to places around my country first". To this date I am still on the journey of fulfilling that promise. The travel sales going outside the Philippines are all tempting! But it's good that they are a little expensive ($$$) compared with the Philippine travels, I really need to save more before they can convince me to go. Knowing that the Philippines have too many beautiful places to explore, I wanted to plot all the places I was able to explore already and those that I still need to explore. Luckily I came across the Inquirer Lifestyle site that listed "25 Things To Do In the Philippines" with the first lines written "… before fantasizing about exploring other countries"! Haha, so now I'm not the only one who's thinking this way! Hmm, let's see if I'm halfway through this list. 

1- Go white water rafting in Cagayan de Oro.

2- Visit Batanes. --> very, very, very SOON! By January 14, 2011 you're done!

3- See Mt. Mayon up close.

4- Swim with the whale sharks in Donsol.

5- Climb Mt. Pulag and be awed by its sea of clouds.
6- Dive, swim and explore Palawan’s underground river. --> This is done last March 11-14, 2010 but I will definitely go back and back and back, since there are so many exciting places to explore in Palawan!

7- Hike and let the view of Mt. Pinatubo crater take your breath away.

8- Party in your bikini in Boracay. --> It's a yes and all-expense paid actually!

9- Surf’s up! Choose your wave—La Union, Zambales or Real, Quezon.

10- Missed out on the pristine beauty of Boracay 15 years ago? Visit Malapascua, Cebu. --> Hmm, does Cebu City visit counts? February, 2011 will be the date.

11- Dive and see the rich marine life of Anilao, Batangas.

12- Travel back in time—go to Vigan.

13- Let Bohol wow you with its many offerings—the Chocolate Hills, the tarsier, the Loboc River Cruise, old churches and the beach. --> Bohol, I'm coming for you on February 2011.

14- Go high! Drive to the Mountain Province of Sagada. Check out the caves, the hanging coffins and enjoy the laidback lifestyle.

15- Grab a Viaje del Sol map, visit Ugu Binyan’s pottery studio, eat at Kusina Salud and unwind at Casa San Pablo.

16- Spend an entire week up north. Take a road trip from Manila to Vigan, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Aparri and Isabela!

17- Try wakeboarding in Camsur.

18- Check out Malate, Old Manila and all their secret spots. --> These are all common places for me since I was born and raised in Manila. But it is still good to visit these places to reminisce the part of Philippine history.

19- There are many reasons to love Davao. Kublai’s artworks, its proximity to the beach, the tasty pastil and juicy suha. And did I mention that it’s a smoke-free city?

20- Spend a weekend roughing it in Anawangin and Capones in Zambales.

21- Check out our colorful fiestas and document them with your camera. Ati-atihan, Dinagyang, Masskara, Sinulog, Higantes, Panagbenga and more.

22- Pick your own strawberries at the Strawberry Fields in La Trinidad, Benguet. --> Chilled-out here when I was young-er!

23- Go to Pampanga for sisig. --> The best sisig and caldereta with cheese for me!

24- If it’s too hot in Manila, grab a few friends and take a quick trip to Tagaytay. --> The nearest place to chill and relax with friends, families, and loved-ones.

25- Enjoy a food trip in Iloilo. You’ll never go hungry in this city.

So out of 25 I got 9 destinations. Whew, not even half! But that's ok, I still have another year to travel to these places anyway!

Day 1 - Puerto Princesa, Palawan

It was Friday the 13th when a 50% off promo in Cebu Pacific popped in my FB profile page. I wanted to grab it but I don't know where to go and what to do! In the end, my urge to travel won. Hihihi! In short, gumana ang pagiging lakwatsera ko! For Php 3,684.00 RT for 2 persons hindi na masama para sa 4 days 3 nights lakwatsa!

After months of researching at pangungulit sa GirlTalk sisters ko, natapos din ang itinerary namin. We're both very excited and worried as well. Cross-fingers kame na maging smooth yung travel at mag-enjoy lang kame since yun naman ang sasadyain namin dun. March 11-14, 2010 ang trip namin, tamang-tama lang para hindi masyadong nagmamadali sa tour at umpisa palang ng summer dito sa Pinas kaya di pa masyadong mainit. When the travel date finally came, at last ready na ang lahat!

8AM ang flight so inagahan namin ang alis ng bahay kasi baka ma-traffic since Friday yun. Before 7AM nasa NAIA 3 na kame, maaga pa pero ang dami ng tao! Too bad kasabay namin yung mga taga-China Bank na pupuntang PPC kaya nasa kadulu-duluhan na kame ng airplane. As in last seat! Pero buti na lang at window seat ang nakuha namin (**wink**). Naaliw na lang kame sa pagpi-picture sa clouds, islands, at sea na tanaw sa bintana ng plane

When we arrived at PPC, jampack ang tao sa baggage area! Buti kakaiba yung itsura ng bags namin kaya madali namin nakita at nakuha. As we went out ang daming nag-aabang na tao, parang sa NAIA lang! Sila pala yung drivers/guides na sumusundo sa tourists. May hawak silang placard with the name of the resort, hotel, or pension pati yung name ng guests nila nakasulat dun! Kaya hindi ka mawawala. Iba-iba din yung sasakyan nila --- merong tricycle, jeep, at van. Ours' was a BIG JEEP driven by Kuya Bobby. I'll never forget his name because kapangalan nya kapatid ko. At sa laki nya imposibleng hindi mo sya mapansin, joke! But Kuya Bobby was very nice, accomodating, and very knowledgeable with a great sense of humor! He is from Puerto Pension nga pala. We opted to stay there dahil sa nakita ko sa blog ni Diane eh maganda at malinis yung place. Kung gusto nyo talagang magrelax without thinking about the budget masyado, this is the best place lalo na sa couple at family. On our way to the pension, nagbigay ng konting info si Kuya Bobby samin. At lahat ng sinabi nya yun din yung na-research ko! Siguro 10-15 minutes lang nasa pension na kame. Konting usap kay Ate Bel sa frontdesk tapos binigyan na nya kame ng temporary room where we can freshen up. 12nn pa kasi ang check-in time, pero kung available na yung room nyo ibibigay na sa inyo agad. 1 hour lang kame nagstay sa temporary room, nilipat na din kame sa room talaga namin. Ang cozy sa loob, Pinoy na Pinoy ang ambiance at sobrang relaxing sa mata! In fairness hindi malamok, maingay at mainit sa loob ng room.



After we transferred our things on our room, I texted Kuya Danny na pwede na kame mag-City Tour. Yung pala nasa labas na sya ng pension mula ng dumating kame sa PPC. He was so patient, two thumbs up sya dun for me! Napakatahimik nyang tao, pero mukha syang mabait. At hindi naman kame nagkamali on our first impression about him. And he does not look 40+ huh!

He asked us if we want to have lunch first, then he brought us to Badjao Seafood Restaurant. Sa mga taga-PPC parang SOP na nilang dalhin ang guests sa Badjao for lunch or dinner kasi talagang hindi pwedeng palampasin yung place na yun. I love their food, ay "we" pala! Dagdag mo pa yung ambiance na sa entrance palang mangroves na ang makikita mo with tiny fishes sa ilalim, and as you enter the place parang busog ka na sa view ng dagat ng Palawan. Hindi ka din magdadalawang isip kung tight ang budget mo kasi murang-mura lang ang food nila, pero hindi tinipid ang quality at quantity. Sabi nga ni boyfie, only in Palawan! Hehehe!



After we had lunch we went on city tour with Kuya Danny pa din. Naka-tricycle lang kame since 2 lang naman kame. And the journey to PPC begins...

Puerto Princesa, here we come!

It was a Friday the 13th and a 50% off promo in Cebu Pacific popped in my Facebook profile page. I wanted to grab it but I don't know where to go and what to do! In the end, my urge to travel won. Hihihi! In short, gumana ang pagiging lakwatsera ko! For Php 3,684.00 RT for 2 persons hindi na masama para sa 4 days 3 nights lakwatsa! I booked a Puerto Princesa City trip without informing boyfie yet that we're going somewhere (**grin**). When I finally told him about this my valid reason was "it's for your advance birthday gift/celebration..." Yes, nakalusot nanaman si Ayi!

Puerto Princesa City, Palawan

After booking the flight, I immediately researched all about the place. I spent months of researching the Internet about PPS. And this was also the reason why I joined GirlTalk. Glad I did, because all my questions were answered here! I also read blogs of Diane, Just A Piece Of Me, and White Beagle. Along with researching about this trip, I also looked for gadgets that we'll be needing. Just for this trip I bought Baby Toy aka BToy.

After months of researching at pangungulit sa GirlTalk sisters ko, our itinerary is finalized. I kinda patterned our itinerary with Diane's because it was an enjoyable trip and relaxing as well, and she's with husband lang din. (Thanks Diane, you're helpful much!) Melvin and I are very excited and worried as well on the outcome of our first trip together with no other companion. Cross-fingers that this travel will go smooth and we'll just enjoy every moment since that's what our goal is. We'll be in Puerto Princesa City or PPC from March 11-14, 2010. A 4 days 3 nights trip is just enough to enjoy different tours around the place and still have relaxation, this is what we thought. Actually that's what Melvin said, "Mama, wag tayo magmamadali sa mga gagawin natin pag andun na tayo ha! Mag-relax ka!" And I quote, "Ok fine, I know lagi akong hyper. Di na kailangang ipaalala, basta mag-eenjoy na nga ako hmp!" March is just the start of summer here in Pinas kaya di pa masyadong mainit, para naman di kame maging nognog pagbalik ng Manila.

Hayz, excited much kaya hindi na makatulog! Our flight is a month near already, at last all is set and we're ready to go! God, please guide us in every way we go and everything that we do.

I almost forgot to blog.

First and foremost, thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed and gained some exciting and useful thing from here that you will also share to others (of course with my permission dapat!)

Actually, matagal na pala akong may blog. Hindi ko lang na-update dahil nakalimutan ko ng meron ako nito. My blog contains different topics --- travels, foods and restaurants (where I ate or I made myself), gadgets (that I own and want to own), and anything under the sun that I'd like to share and I'd like to remember. Kasi mejo slow-processing ang hard disk ko minsan. The very first reason that I write this blog is to have something to read on, to reminisce the good memories and so that I won't forget people that were once part of my life. It is also a good album to store my pictures and show them to my kids in the future. I love writing, both in English and Tagalog (Filipino). I like sharing ideas, experiences and advices. Maybe you will know me better by reading my blog?

I almost forgot to blog. A few years back when I still have lots of time for myself, I regularly spent hours designing and publishing posts here. It's like a Facebook and Twitter for me since I put here all my emotions, my TRUE emotions. Whether it can put me in trouble or get me a promotion. :)

The time I started traveling again, I felt that I missed blogging so much. I wanted to share my experiences again and show how happy I am on things that I do everyday. Thank you to my GirlTalk sisters that inspires me in reviving my blog. However, I don't know anymore on when I started my blog. So I am officially blessing it on the date I started blogging again, January 13, 2010. This is also the date when I joined GirlTalk.

Happy Birthday April Celebrants!

This month of April awaits us of birthday celebrations.

I'll start of with April Fools day birthday celebrant, Melvin Esguerra. He's no more kid, though! So there no balloons, clowns, party hats, etc. He preferred a more romantic and memorable birthday celebration with me of course. Tagaytay in the city of Batangas is the destination spot. I took a vacation leave with my work and made his birthday a very special one. We don't have maps, tour guides or something. For us, the trip should be an exciting adventure discovering one of the Philippines' pride! It is 10AM Philippine time when we went off his house and traveled to Pasay City here in Manila where we can find the bus that will take us to Tagaytay City. With luck we arrive just in time that the bus still have lots of vacant seats, so we've had a comfortable place. I sat beside the window because I always enjoy watching the view outside. At almost 11AM the bus departed from Pasay City station. I never felt boredom because I was watching Charlie's Angels Full Throttle from the bus' television, but Melvin slept (he easily gets to sleep when he feels cold) on our way. When we are about to pay the ticket, we don't know where we're gonna drop off. So the "konduktor" (the one giving the ticket and collecting the payment for the fare) told us to drop off to Oliveros. Upon our arrival at Oliveros, Melvin felt stomachaches not because of hunger but because he was inside the aircon bus for a long time. Luckily we saw Jollibee! And another luck, we saw Chowking fastfood! I bought him soup to ease his stomach pains. After sipping few tablespoons he's back to normal and we continued searching for Tagaytay's tourists spot. After going around the beautiful Tagaytay we bought some "pasalubong" for the family and friends. Then we got home safe, tired but definitely HAPPY.

Next on the list of the celebrants is Miguel Yeshua "Migo" Prino (sorry if I'd spell it wrong) who celebrated his very first birthday at Jollibee, Shangri-La Mall in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City last April 12, 2008. He's really born on April 9, he just celebrated his birthday on that Saturday. I arrived late, as usual, they were playing games already. A few more minutes we were served with the food, for the adults it is the "big gutom meal" and for the chikitings it is the spaghetti meal with chocolate sundae. As we eat the Langhap Sarap Jollibee meals, Jollibee mascot was introduced by the hostess. Jollibee entered the party place dancing and jumping with his or her eyelids twinkling! As he appeared, all the kids are happier! I saw someone clapping his hands with joy, but take note his an adult! After all the dancing, jumping and singing, Jollibee gave his wishes to Migo. J0llibee wishes Migo to be "mapagmahal, mapagbigay, magandang lalaki kagaya ng Daddy?, at madasalin at may takot sa Diyos." Is Jollibee mascot a gay, because he always twinkles his eyelids unto Migo's Daddy? Anyway, the party ended very well and happy, with Jollibee getting the biggest gift of Migo, food or bag of the guest with him??? Oh, Jollibee's very playful! Well, he really makes us happy with that! He looks nice when he does that shy, sleepy look on his eyes. The guests are delighted for this very special occasion. Thanks to Mommy Jho and Daddy Gerald Prino for inviting me over!

Finally, the most awaited birthday celebration of the two handsome guys that I met a year ago came. Their birthday is on April 12 but we made the celebration earlier to give way to Migo's first birthday. The celebration was just simple when it was proposed by one of the senior celebrant -- Rodolfo Cerrada Jr.. But because there are two of them celebrating their birthdays in one day, the younger one proposed for a birthday celebration on the beach. It took me, Jennifer "Kleng" Corpin, Jennifer "Posh" Canhe, and the younger celebrant -- Adrian Torres, almost a month in preparation for this big event of the month. We organized on where to celebrate, that includes sleeping around 2-3AM just to search all over the web for beaches and/or resorts that can accommodate around 30 participants. The celebrants gave pledges to include on our budget and lessen the amount that we'll be giving for our shares, some of the guys who already left our employer gave their kind pledges that we used for the rooms that we rented. We've looked in Laguna, Batangas, and finally Bataan. Laguna suffered from thypoid outbreak that can be incurred on drinking water around March this year, because of that we removed Laguna on the list. We don't want to take risks with this. Next option is Batangas, where we found lots of beach resorts. But unfortunately all of them are fully-booked, so the only option left was in Bataan. No one among us knows or is familiar with Bataan, it is clearly an adventure for us. And so it is decided, Morong Star Beach Resort in Panibatuhan, Morong, Bataan is our destination! Bataan here we come!

That was April 5-6, 2008, a fine day to travel. The call time is set to 5-5:30AM and the vans will leave at exactly 6AM. But the most important person arrived at almost 7AM, guess who's that! We're already on our trip when I asked "Kuya Driver" on where is Sta.Rita exit. He did not answer me not give me a glimpse that he understand even hear my question. Maybe "Kuya Driver" is so shy? Or he's mute? OMG, deadma ako!!! And so I did not talk to him and we just continued traveling the North Luzon Expressway to pickup Leon at Sta.Rita exit, the toll way that costs us additional P60.00! And Leon was there bringing a couple of mineral water (so that's the payment for the toll fee huh?!) We are near SM Pampanga when "Kuya Driver" finally speaks clearly even if he's not asked to speak! He already smiles and laughs with us while Olem (the very funny, Olem! Hahaha!) tells us his jokes! A few more hours of travel and we think we are lost, we cannot find the star! Oh, I mean Morong Star. And so "magtanong" came with us, now we're saved! We asked "Manong Guard" and a kid riding a bike to where is Morong Star. We've passed a jungle and farm like views of Bataaan, drove up and down the hills like Jack and Jill. Finally, the moment of truth has come -- we are now at Morong Star Beach Resort.

The vans are parked first on the parking space allotted for us, good thing we have a reservation now, right Kleng? I immediately went to the cashier/customer service/admin/resort owner, Marie, but Marie is not there that moment. So I talked with her staff instead, while the other participants went to see the beach (no, they are not excited! It was just their first time, hahaha! ) At last I have the keys to the rooms, I hurriedly gave Kleng the keys and she lead them to the rooms. After that, Kleng and Posh went to the canteen/resto to order food for our lunch. They ordered Sinigang na Baboy, Steamed Tilapia, and Pork Sisig. Wow, sounds delicious! We made additional order of Fried Chicken for some diet-conscious folks. Most of us rested on our rooms when we arrived, because we are hungry too! Around 1PM I guess when a crew called our attention that the food is already ready, so we went to the canteen and sat on the prepared tables. Our excitement was cut when we learned that the crew was not calling us but other fellows instead, and so we waited for more minutes until we eat our very first food on the beach resort. Oh my at last the foods arrived! But wait! Where's the pork sisig? You're kidding, this is pork strips covered with scrambled eggs?! NO, you're not kidding? So this is really the pork sisig? Ah ok, on our hunger we just ate the food that was served even on our dismay. The fried chicken was served late, we're almost done eating when it was served! But at least we were sort of delighted when it was served, we were expecting it to be different from the rest. But why are we really expecting that anyway? To make it short, we were all disappointed by the food on the canteen. Need I elaborate more? We just enjoyed our stay by swimming on the beach and pool, and the guys played basketball after swimming. It was a long day, but the night is longer. We've had a long table prepared in front of the rooms that we rented, Posh brought Mudslide and mixed Vodka with 7Up, the guys bought a case of SanMig Light, and Chris brought Tequila Rose. For the "pulutan"? What else, they are Boy Bawang and Corn Bits with Muncher Green Peas?! Aside from that we have Cheese Ring care of Posh, it's her favorite by the way! We've had a long night drinking, taking pictures with Adrian's beautiful DLSR, talking about each other, and making fun with the jokes most of the boys tell! I just cannot forget the alibis Leon and Marvin told us. Washing your feet or going to pee, right guys? We ended the session around 12 midnight, all of us are sleepy then but we all look happy. Are you guys, happy? Because I really had fun that time, not on the beach but with the quality time I had with all of the participants.

Early Sunday, oh I'm still sleepy but I need to get up and wake up the others because we will go boating and go to the island nearby. We are all set, we brought our breakfast there. I was very scared while riding the boat, it is even frightful when we reach the middle part of the sea where the waves are becoming bigger and bigger. "Andito na tayo! Andito na tayo?" That's what I heard when we arrived on the island. The next thing they heard was "Ayokong bumaba, buhatin mo ko!" Hahaha! I was very afraid of all the see creatures and see weeds or algaes that I can see on the water. I was shouting because of fear, I was even holding Adrian's digicam! So Melvin cannot do anything but carry me. We had our breakfast on that island, it was more beautiful than that of Morong Star Beach Resort, but on the island we cannot do anything and go anywhere else. We just ate the food, took pictures, told more stories. We went back to the resort afterwards, but wait we were stuck on almost near the beach front. "Manong, anong nangyari?" So "Manong" restarted the bangka's motor and we continued to reach the shore. We then get ourselves ready to leave the resort.

On our way home before lunch time the following day, we decided to have lunch at Pampanga --- where the food specially sisig is the best! We've had a different route in going out from Bataan to Subic, the roads are smaller --- it can accommodate only one vehicle at a time I guess. But there's no turning back, it was a long road hiding in between a tall mountain and farm or trees --- if not a mountain, it's a cliff so high! "Oh God, please let us pass this never ending trail without another car driving on the opposite side of us." OMG, I don't want to die now! While our van was on a slanting road we met two other cars opposite of us, the road in front of us to steep going up and at our back is steeply going down. On our right is a cliff, on the left is a land with lots of trees. I should have taken pictures of us in that situation, but I was too nervous being seated in front and able to see how difficult to move the van from that phase. But "Kuya Driver" was great, he was able to take us out of that dying situation! Finally we're out of there, we arrived Pampanga around 1PM. We've had Chicharong Bulaklak, Lumpiang Shanghai, Caldereta, Inihaw na Liempo and the very famous Pork Sisig! At last we were able to eat true food. After this delicious lunch, we continued our travel home. One by one each of us were dropped off to our destinations and we got home safe and in one piece.

I hope next year we can see each other again and celebrate your birthdays to remember. "Promise hindi na tayo sa Morong Star!" :)

Boracay, here I come!

Have you been to the Philippines? Well, I am naturally from the Philippines but I have not explored my own country enough for me to say "I have been to the Philippines". I know there are lots of beautiful places to explore and I've started appreciating some of them already!

Boracay island

I was lucky and happy that my employer is bringing us to Boracay Island for our Summer Outing on June 16-18, 2007. But I am happiest when they announced that we can bring our significant others along! And it's an all-expense paid trip, yahoo! Well, the reason for this is because they always work us to death and we spend little time with our family, partners and friends. This is their way of thanking us and for us to have quality time with our loved ones. It's too expensive for them, but who cares! I'm going to Boracay anyway! Oops, I mean we're going to Boracay....excited much! :)